Zhou Qianqian, perhaps overly excited and letting her common sense fly out the window, or perhaps feeling victorious and wanting to rub it in, suddenly blocked Xia Mian’s way and shouted, “Stop!”
Xia Mian frowned, “What is it now?”
“Now that the debt of gratitude is settled, shouldn’t we also settle other scores?” She wiped at the nonexistent cream on her face, clearly still holding a grudge over the time this country girl humiliated her in front of her Brother Xuewen.
Xia Mian realized this green tea b**ch was just looking for trouble. She handed Xiao Feng to Ning Shaoyun and began cracking her knuckles one by one, smiling cheerfully, “And how exactly do you plan to settle our scores?”
Before Zhou Qianqian could say another word, a loud slapping sound reverberated.
After slapping Zhou Qianqian, Xia Mian shook her sore hand and looked at the stunned woman with feigned surprise. “Oh, did you feel like you deserved a beating for ruining someone’s family, so you came looking for one?”
“Need a few more slaps? Don’t be shy. I’m always happy to help, especially with trash like you who lack any morals.”
The burning pain spread across Zhou Qianqian’s face, and it finally dawned on her that she had been slapped. She clutched her face and screamed as she lunged at Xia Mian, “Xia Mian, I’ll kill you!”
But Xia Mian easily stopped the attack, grabbing Zhou Qianqian by the hair, her tone light and casual. “You sure are eager, huh? You must be a real role model in the homewrecker community! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to beat you until your conscience catches up with you.”
With that, she gave Zhou Qianqian another heavy slap.
The crisp sound of the second slap finally snapped the old lady out of her shock. She stomped her foot and shouted, “What are you all standing around for? Restrain them!”
The servants immediately moved to act.
“Who dares?” A calm yet icy voice cut through the room, halting the servants in their tracks.
Xia Mian turned around and saw Ning Shaobai standing at the doorway, dressed in a slightly formal white shirt and trousers, one hand casually in his pocket. He looked at the old lady with a cold expression, “Old Madam Huo, don’t think that the Ning family has no one to back it up.”
Zhou Qianqian, still with her hair in Xia Mian’s grip, couldn’t hit Xia Mian and was instead being tugged around helplessly. She shrieked in desperation, “Auntie, save me!”
The old lady immediately barked, “What are you waiting for? Whose side are you on? Are you just going to let anyone boss you around?”
Uncle Fu pushed the burliest servant forward. “Go on, hurry up!”
The man charged at Xia Mian, but Ning Shaobai suddenly moved. In a few swift steps, he reached the man, grabbed his arm, and with a powerful motion, swung him around.
Xia Mian watched in awe as the man, around 1.8 meters tall, was hurled by Ning Shaobai and slammed hard onto the coffee table in front of the old lady.
The expensive solid wood table groaned under the impact, splitting with a loud crack.
Wow! So cool! Xia Mian felt an overwhelming urge to applaud.
Both women were frozen in shock. It took a moment before the old lady found her voice, trembling as she pointed at Ning Shaobai, “Y—you… you dare…!! You don’t even respect the Huo family anymore?!”
Ning Shaobai brushed off his hands and looked at Xia Mian, “Had enough? If so, let’s go.”
Then he turned to the old lady, his tone mocking, “The Huo family? What a joke. If it weren’t for my sister, do you think the Huo family would even matter to me?”
Ning Shaobai easily dismissed the old lady with clear disdain. Noticing that Xia Mian was still holding Zhou Qianqian’s hair, he asked in exasperation, “What are you doing?”
Xia Mian, conflicted, replied, “I want to hit her, but she’s not resisting anymore. It’s not fun!”
Ning Shaobai chuckled, “Alright, just let it go. She’s not worth dirtying your hands over.”
Xia Mian thought for a moment, then pushed Zhou Qianqian back towards the old lady. “Keep an eye on your future daughter-in-law. I won’t be so nice the next time she goes rabid and bites people indiscriminately.”
The old lady was so furious at their arrogance that she nearly fainted, while Zhou Qianqian, now driven to madness, screamed, “You’re just an abandoned grandson of Ning family, what are you acting so cocky for?! Does your grandfather even remember who you are anymore?!”
“It seems you’ve gotten along quite well with the women of the Ning family?” Ning Shaobai said with a nonchalant smile, a look of pity on his face. “Speaking of being abandoned, at least I still carry the Ning surname, but you…”
He glanced at the old lady, “You’re just a pitiful soul who doesn’t even know her own surname.”
That look sent a jolt through the old lady’s heart.
At that moment, the sound of a car engine came from outside. Uncle Fu, as if seeing a savior, exclaimed, “The young master is back!”
Then Xia Mian witnessed the true duo’s true duplicity.
In an instant, the old lady transformed from a harsh, wicked mother-in-law into a meek, downtrodden elderly, while Zhou Qianqian went from a bullying aggressor to a pitiable victim. The two of them clung to each other, trembling on their knees.
Zhou Qianqian cried, “I know you don’t like me, Madam, but why do you have to make things difficult for the old madam? I’ll try my best not to appear in front of you again, so please…”
The old lady, trembling, wiped her tears. “I know you look down on me. Your Ning family is powerful, and a mere old woman like me can’t compete. I only get along with Qianqian and want her to keep me company. Did that really warrant such a big scene?”
“Auntie…”
“Qianqian…”
The pair held each other, sobbing pitifully.
Xia Mian watched in shock, stunned by their quick shift into a full melodrama mode. She then turned to Ning Shaoyun and asked incredulously, “Is this how they usually frame you?”
Ning Shaoyun looked as if she was used to it. But Xia Mian, holding back her anger, asked another question, although she already knew the answer: “And Mr. Huo? He believes them, doesn’t he?”
The door suddenly swung open, revealing Huo Xuewen. Ning Shaoyun met his anxious gaze with a mocking smile. “Yes, he believes them.”
“Xiao Yun,” Huo Xuewen began walking toward her, “I—”
“Brother Xuewen,” Zhou Qianqian struggled to rise from the floor, looking as if she was severely injured. After a dramatic stumble, she finally managed to stand and cried out to Huo Xuewen in a pitiful tone, “Brother Xuewen, you’re finally back! If you hadn’t returned, we would have been bullied to death by the Ning family.”
“N-Ning Shaoyun, she… she actually had that wild girl come and hit me! And Ning Shaobai…”
To be honest, with her red and swollen face, this might have been the most authentic framing attempt Zhou Qianqian had ever made.
But unfortunately…
Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed from the doorway. “Young Lady Zhou, did you study theater performance instead of business management? Such an amazing acting!”
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Thanks for the chapter ❣️
I’ve never been more grateful for the (relative to other time periods, esp like victorian) judicial ease of divorce than when reading these chapters. Obviously it doesn’t remove the emotional or financial troubles of it but. WHOOF. Get out of there girl!!!