“That dress really suits you!” Ning Shaoyun said, smiling warmly.
“Right?” Xia Mian twirled her waist. “You’ve got great taste, Sister Ning, I really like all the dresses you gifted me.”
“I’m glad,” Ning Shaoyun said with a smile, “When I bought these dresses, the salesperson even said most people couldn’t pull them off, but I thought it suited your aura perfectly.”
See, that’s how angels have conversations! Xia Mian felt overjoyed. “I’m so glad to see you, Sister Ning. I thought you’d already left.”
Ning Shaoyun smiled, “Well, we’re planning to stay longer, perhaps until the end of summer. I’m glad you’re back; Chenchen’s been missing Xiao Feng.”
The child in question, dressed in a blue jersey and holding a small basketball, ran toward them, “Aunt Xia Mian, Little Brother Xiao Feng!”
Xia Mian put Xiao Feng down. “Do you remember Brother Chenchen?”
Xiao Feng nodded and said politely, “Brother Chenchen.”
Chenchen patted his head like a little adult, “Are you not feeling well?”
Afraid the male lead would jinx it again by mentioning injections or medicine, Xia Mian quickly interjected, “Yeah, Xiao Feng got carsick from the long ride. He’ll feel better after some rest.”
Chenchen said, “Then go rest! My dad brought me a lot of toys. I’ll play with you once you’re better!”
Zhang Qiming, who had been silent until now, said with a smile, “Welcome, Chenchen. Hope you’ll like it here.” He then nodded towards Ning Shaoyun, his focus entirely on the mother and son, not noticing Xiao Feng tensing up and burrowing deeper into Xia Mian’s embrace.
Ning Shaoyun gently patted Xiao Feng’s head and said softly, “Brother Chenchen has too many toys to bring upstairs. How about Xiao Feng come play at our house, okay?”
Zhang Qiming chimed in again, “Oh, sorry for troubling you.” He looked down at Chenchen, “Is your name Chenchen? Please take care of our Xiao Feng.”
Chenchen stared at him and frowned, “Uncle, what bad thing did you do to get beaten up like that?”
Zhang Qiming’s face froze, and then he chuckled, “Uncle got hurt protecting your little brother Xiao Feng.”
“You really dare to say that.” Xia Mian snapped, “My second uncle clearly gave you that beating for abusing Xiao Feng!”
Zhang Qiming hadn’t expected Xia Mian to be so blunt.
Xia Mian seemed to read his thoughts, sneering, “Zhang Qiming, I suggest you stop using Xiao Feng to prop up yourself. If you dare to lie, I’ll rip the mask from your disgusting face right off. Don’t say I didn’t warn you later!”
Zhang Qiming felt a wave of embarrassment as he glanced at Ning Shaoyun.
And little Chenchen added seriously, “Lying is wrong, Uncle. You might get arrested by the police!”
Ning Shaoyun and Chenchen went off to the basketball court, leaving Zhang Qiming fuming, glaring at Xia Mian.
Huang Xiaoxia was equally furious, exclaiming in disbelief, “No, this can’t be! How can she be Xia Mian?!”
Xia Mian gave a big smile, proudly raising her chin, “What a shame, I am Xia Mian. Not only do I refuse to help you, but I’ll even make sure to ask Dr. Ning to fire you quickly. Teehee…”
Huang Xiaoxia’s curly hair almost stood up in fury, and recalling that night’s events, she fumed, “You did it on purpose! Brother-in-law, she was there that night, but didn’t say anything, just to make me look like a fool in front of everyone!” Thinking back to the mocking looks from the neighbors and Ning Shaobai’s disdain, Huang Xiaoxia was so ashamed she wanted to bury herself in a hole.
Xia Mian also recalled the previous event and laughed mercilessly, “You have no one to blame except yourself!” She mimicked Huang Xiaoxia’s nauseatingly sweet voice, “That’s my sister! What can I do? I feel bad for Xiao Feng… I’ll make it up to him on my sister’s behalf…”
As a result, she didn’t even recognize Xiao Feng
Zhang Qiming’s face darkened. As much as he disliked Huang Xiaojuan, she was his wife, and seeing Huang Xiaoxia use her as a stepping stone irked him.
Huang Xiaoxia was already embarrassed enough, but when she saw Zhang Qiming get angry at her, she exploded, “You, you damn girl! You are talking nonsense!”
Xia Mian snorted, lifting her chin arrogantly, “Oh? You don’t want this damn girl’s help, then?”
Huang Xiaoxia suddenly sputtered like a choked duck.
Xia Mian giggled, “Too late. Now, even if you praise me, I won’t help.”
Huang Xiaoxia looked ready to burst.
The sound of a light chuckle came from behind. Everyone turned around and saw a tall young man standing there, with one arm in a sling, yet his handsome appearance remained intact. His eyes, filled with warmth, were smiling.
“Hello, Dr. Ning,” Zhang Qiming greeted awkwardly.
Huang Xiaoxia immediately put on a pitiful expression and pleaded, “Dr. Ning, I didn’t mean it that way. Please be magnanimous and forgive my transgression…”
Ning Shaobai seemed not to hear her. He walked straight up to Xia Mian and looked at the aunt-nephew pair, both with a tuft of hair sticking up in a similar way, and couldn’t help but reach out…
Xia Mian was carrying Xiao Feng, so she had no way to dodge and glared at him instead, “What are you doing? Is this how you treat your savior?” She glanced at his arm wrapped in bandages, noting that it seemed to be healing.
Ning Shaobai ignored her. Seeing Xiao Feng looking at him, he gently rubbed the child’s head and then lifted his shirt for a quick examination. “His body seems to be recovering well, but you have to make sure he remains in a good spirit,” he said meaningfully.
Zhang Qiming chuckled and said, “Absolutely. I was too negligent before, but I will definitely not do it in the future.”
Ning Shaobai glanced at him, noncommittal.
Xia Mian, fed up with Zhang Qiming’s act, rolled her eyes, “Let’s go.”
Seeing Ning Shaobai’s favorable attitude towards Xia Mian, Huang Xiaoxia couldn’t hold back any longer. She tugged at Zhang Qiming’s sleeve and called in a panic, “Brother-in-law~”
Zhang Qiming shot her a warning glance, then shifted his gaze to the two figures walking away, seemingly bickering and appearing quite intimate. Finally, his eyes settled on Xia Mian, deep in thought…
…
The details of Zhang Qiming’s conversation with Huang Xiaoxia were unclear, but the next morning, Xia Mian noticed him behaving strangely. The day before, he had brought her back half coercively, and at the entrance of the compound, even made it clear his intention of using Xiao Feng to threaten her. Yet, he suddenly became gentle and considerate today.
Before leaving for work, he had even made them breakfast, including a bowl of egg custard specially made for Xiao Feng, then nagged them to stay home, without mentioning Huang Xiaojuan at all.
At noon, he came back and handed Xia Mian six thousand yuan, saying, “This is what your brother-in-law owes you. Make sure to deposit it back as soon as possible and don’t give the passbook to anyone.”
Xia Mian eyed him suspiciously, “You don’t think that by repaying me, Huang Xiaojuan is no longer a thief, do you?”
“Of course not,” Zhang Qiming replied with a wry smile, sighing helplessly. “I lost my head in a moment of panic. Yesterday, I thought it over thoroughly and realized it was Huang Xiaojuan who made a mistake. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t help her. She needs to learn a lesson from her malice and greed, so I won’t trouble you over this matter anymore.”
“You’re okay with her spending three to four years in jail?” Xia Mian asked in shock. Was he really giving up on Huang Xiaojuan?
Zhang Qiming’s face darkened for a moment before he forced a smile, replying warmly, “It’s not necessarily a bad thing. That way, she won’t be able to hurt you and Xiao Feng anymore, right?”
His warm gaze and gentle attitude made Xia Mian feel uneasy, causing a shiver to run down her spine.
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this mfer is going after her????