Chapter 47

Ming Jiao dragged a small pink suitcase out the door, found a café to sit in for nearly an hour, and only called Xie Chu to pick her up when the time was about right.

No further incidents occurred during this process. Under the blazing sun, Xie Chu personally drove over to pick her up and loaded her suitcase into the car.

Seeing the thin sweat on his fair forehead, paired with his youthful, bright face that radiated sunshine, Ming Jiao thought it was quite easy to feel guilt and pity for him.

Of course, she didn’t actually pity Xie Chu. Instead, she was thinking that regardless of whether Xiao Ying helped her in what was to come, she ought to find an opportunity to treat her to a cold drink to make things right.

They met up smoothly, and as Xie Chu drove, Ming Jiao sat in the back seat, propping her head with one hand as she watched the scenery fly past outside the window.

After they had driven some distance, Xie Chu suddenly spoke up, “Did you sneak out again? Maybe I should give Aunt a call later and tell her you’re with me.”

Ming Jiao waved her hand lazily, “No need. She’s busy with her own matters right now and won’t pay much attention to me.”

She added, “If you call her, you’ll only draw her attention and get an earful for no reason. We’re only out for a few days—if we get caught, we’ll deal with it then.”

Xie Chu sighed helplessly, “I really don’t know what to do with you. If Aunt scolds me, remember to cover for me.”

Ming Jiao’s lips curved slightly. The greatest advantage of having a pretty face was that even when mocking others, she still looked beautiful—enough to lower the chances of provoking anger. “How pathetic.”

As expected, Xie Chu didn’t get angry, whether he was pretending or not. “But don’t worry, I would never risk your safety. I’ll definitely protect you.”

Ming Jiao smiled gently, the arrogance etched in her bones fading away, leaving only pure amusement. “Then you’d better remember those words.”

To an uninformed observer, this exchange might have seemed sincere. Yet the System, as a clear-headed bystander, understood perfectly well that both of them wanted the other dead.

There was no need to mention Xie Chu’s wolfish ambitions; its own host was the type to repay every grievance. If murder weren’t illegal, it believed she wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a knife and send Xie Chu on his way first.

How terrifying! What a treacherous world!

It sighed inwardly. Two highly skilled professionals with no tender feelings between them continued to play out their probing and clashing drama.

“By the way, Ming Jiao, there’s actually something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Xie Chu slowed the car slightly, his tone becoming hesitant.

Ming Jiao raised a suspicious eyebrow. “What have you done to wrong me now?”

She had a hunch that Xie Chu was about to bring up Tang Xiaoyu’s presence at the Lavender Manor. Otherwise, if she were to arrive and see Tang Xiaoyu, causing a scene would ruin the atmosphere and disrupt his plans.

Sure enough, Xie Chu began laying the groundwork. “Ming Jiao, no matter what, everything I do is for your own good. You believe that, right?”

Ming Jiao nodded. “Of course. But rather than you doing things ‘for my own good’ that make me unhappy, I’d prefer you do something that isn’t for my own good.”

Xie Chu briefly froze. The System chimed in, 【Host, you’re acting like a living contrarian. That’s enough—be careful, or he might snap and kill you.】

Ming Jiao felt wronged. 【Is it my fault? You know the original owner’s personality well—she’s always spoken this way in front of Xie Chu.】

No one doubted that the original owner had feelings for Xie Chu, but her way of expressing them was utterly exhausting.

If she was willful and capricious with family and acquaintances, occasionally showing a sliver of rationality, then with Xie Chu, she added an extra layer of tsundere pride.

She was the epitome of a drama queen, stubborn to the bone.

Besides, talking back to Xie Chu felt incredibly satisfying—she was just collecting a bit of interest in advance.

Xie Chu remained speechless for a long moment before stubbornly resuming the conversation. “No one can have everything go their way in life. And continuing like this isn’t a solution. Are you really going to give up on your mother and the others, never returning home again?”

A flicker of obvious anger and inner conflict crossed Ming Jiao’s face. “She doesn’t want me anymore. What else is there to say?”

Xie Chu knew very well that the “she” Ming Jiao referred to was her adoptive mother, Ming Wan. Although Ming Jiao was closest to her aunt, her possessiveness toward her own mother had always been glaringly obvious.

He recalled visiting the Ming family when he was only four or five years old. When Ming Wan tried to hug him, Ming Jiao had suddenly thrown a tantrum and pushed him away. It was clear even then.

Perhaps this was an inevitable issue in multi-child families—every child craved more parental attention, and if they could secure favoritism, even better.

Especially with Ming Jiao’s spoiled nature. Maternal love, though not uniquely hers to begin with, was already something she struggled to tolerate. Compounded by her own insecurity as an illegitimate imposter—feeling like nothing truly belonged to her—it became even harder to bear.

The more she felt her position was unjustified, the more she resented Tang Xiaoyu.

If this continued, time wouldn’t resolve the conflict between her and Tang Xiaoyu; instead, it would deepen their enmity.

Because Tang Xiaoyu’s patience wasn’t limitless, and Ming Jiao never knew when to stop.

Xie Chu’s gentle, concerned gaze swept over his morally precarious fiancée through the rearview mirror. If he didn’t kill her, she would inevitably resort to extreme measures against Tang Xiaoyu—he was certain of that.

Whether it ended with one dead and one wounded or mutual destruction, he might as well sever their fate in advance.

These detached, cynical thoughts flashed through his mind as he continued persuading her, “Don’t speak out of anger. I know you’re hurt, but we must find a solution. We can’t let this stalemate drag on.”

He shook his head slightly with a hint of regret. “What I’m about to say may not be fair to Tang Xiaoyu, but you’re the one I grew up with. My heart has to side with you. Think about it—if you keep acting out like this, you’ll only exhaust whatever affection your mother and the others still hold for you.”

Ming Jiao stubbornly turned her head to look out the window, wearing an expression of reluctant but unavoidable listening.

Xie Chu pressed on, “When someone’s heart is wounded by one person, it becomes easier for another to seize the opportunity and step in.”

He felt his wording was somewhat unfair to Tang Xiaoyu and offered an apologetic, awkward smile. “Well, it’s not as underhanded as I made it sound. I just mean that if you don’t return, you’ll grow increasingly distant from everyone.”

“That’s exactly what it is!” Ming Jiao suddenly turned back, glaring furiously ahead. “She just wants to steal everything from me.”

Xie Chu hesitated, swallowing his words, and nodded reluctantly. “Mhm.”

Ming Jiao muttered to herself, “I really need to find a way to get back quickly. Even if they want to ditch me, I won’t let them have it easy.”

Xie Chu wore an expression of utter exhaustion and whispered under his breath, “When will you ever stop only hearing what you want to hear?”

Catching Ming Jiao glaring at him again through the rearview mirror, he quickly fell silent.

Ming Jiao fixed her burning gaze on the back of his head. “What do you think I should do? You must’ve already thought of a plan, right? I knew it—there was something off about you suddenly taking me to see the lavender fields.” She frowned. “You didn’t invite someone else to meet us there, did you?”

Xie Chu felt a wave of relief. Finally, the conversation had reached this point, and judging by Ming Jiao’s attitude, she would try her best to restrain herself and accept it—at the very least, she wouldn’t suddenly demand he stop the car and throw a fit about going back.

“As expected, I can’t hide anything from you.”

Ming Jiao smirked triumphantly. “We’ve grown up together—of course I know you inside out.”

Xie Chu negotiated cautiously, “If I tell you who I invited, you can’t get angry, hit me, or yell at me.” He added earnestly, “I’m driving right now. If anything happens, we’ll both be done for. You wouldn’t want to die so carelessly, would you?”

Ming Jiao narrowed her eyes. “If you keep stalling, I can’t promise I won’t kick you out of this car.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. I invited Tang Xiaoyu.” Xie Chu slowed his speech, and the car almost came to a halt.

Sure enough, Ming Jiao’s beautiful features gradually sharpened with intensity, like a storm brewing and ready to unleash.

But this time, she surprisingly kept her word and didn’t explode. Though her expression and tone were far from pleasant, she remained within the bounds of communication. “No wonder you looked so guilty, like a thief. What do you want me to do? Grovel to her?” She sneered. “I’d rather die out here than beg her.”

Xie Chu breathed a sigh of relief and coaxed gently, “That’s not what I meant. But if you want to go back, you’ll have to show some willingness in front of your mother and Ming Wei. Just hold back your temper a little—don’t keep giving her dirty looks. I’ll help smooth things over, and we can all save face. Then we can talk things out properly.”

Ming Jiao stared at him, her brow furrowed, until Xie Chu was about to pull over. Only then, after some unknown thought crossed her mind, did she relent. “Fine, I’ll do as you say.” Her charming peach-blossom eyes lingered on him. “If I don’t go back, even if you don’t break off the engagement, your family will push for it.”

Xie Chu finally relaxed completely. Though he had a backup plan in case Ming Jiao refused to cooperate, sticking to the original plan was always preferable.

He thought to himself, She’s clearly not a fool. She understands social niceties and reason—it’s just that most of the time, she chooses not to. She lived entirely on her own terms.

After finally calming Ming Jiao down and ensuring she wouldn’t cause a scene the moment they arrived, even Xie Chu—a seasoned professional actor—felt genuinely drained.

To give himself some breathing room and prepare for the next step, he didn’t take Ming Jiao directly to meet the others. Instead, he had a server arrange a room for her to rest, promising to return that evening to have dinner with her.

Watching Xie Chu’s retreating figure, Ming Jiao restrained the urge to let her lips curl into a smile. Watching him rush around like this is almost pitiful.

When they arrived at the manor, the last trace of sunset had already dragged its crimson afterglow below the horizon. Night was about to take over, though there was still some time before dinner would begin.

Xie Chu was probably using this time to brief his companions, lest they suddenly see her later or tomorrow and collectively burst into tears of frustration.

The System understood her perfectly at times like this. 【Host, rein in your eagerness. Don’t think I didn’t notice how much you wanted to stop him just now and go with him.】

It even roughly guessed what Ming Jiao would have said. 【”What, am I so shameful that you’re this afraid of them knowing? Then why did you bring me here?” You were thinking of taunting him like that, weren’t you?】

Ming Jiao suppressed a laugh. 【You know me so well, System. Those are exactly the words I’d use. I’d love to see him so worried he goes bald, yet unable to kill me immediately.】

【But never mind, business comes first. The sooner Xie Chu acts, the sooner this matter can be resolved. Rather than arguing with him, I’d prefer to return to the bookstore quickly.】

Her expression gradually turned serious as she spoke. 【How are the hunter and Xiao Ying doing?】

The System replied, 【The hunter is very professional, continuously searching and investigating whether there’s anyone secretly protecting you in the surroundings. Xiao Ying has also quietly followed us. She’s already highly skilled herself, and with me helping to cover for her, the hunter won’t be able to detect her.】

Ming Jiao nodded slightly. 【That’s good.】