Chapter 390: Chapter 369: Hope You Come Back to Have a Meal Together
"You’re distracted!" Xiao Lin could easily detect Xia Xue’s subtle emotional changes now. He turned her body around, only to find a tear at the corner of her eye, which seared his heart. "Why are you crying?"
"Happiness!"
Xia Xue bit her lip. No matter who this man in front of her was, she only hoped he was hers and not the Xia Family’s. Many times she heard those suggestive words from her father and grandfather, it made her unwilling, but she never revealed even a tiny bit of it in front of Xiao Lin, just because his presence shouldn’t involve the Xia Family behind her. She also believed that although the current Xia Family wasn’t as vulnerable as before, wanting to move steadily forward wasn’t something one person could perfect. This was Xia Family’s business, not hers, and definitely not Xiao Lin’s.
"Really?" Happiness can indeed make a woman cry, but if he had to believe in a happiness with a frown, then he’d be blind: "Do you want a mirror to take a look? You look just like Lin Daiyu now. Is your husband’s technique really that bad?"
Xiao Lin unhappily bit Xia Xue. Often when he was with her, he was just a child. In fact, he was indeed just a child, it’s just that people often remembered his capabilities that surpassed his actual age, and forgot his true age.
"You’re overthinking, not at all." Xia Xue blushed again, wondering why this man became more and more shameless, always talking about such things.
"If you don’t tell the truth, I’m going to..." As he spoke, he began to attack Xia Xue’s weak spot. She was very ticklish, so this trick worked well. Every time she would quickly surrender, just like now, raising her hands even before it started.
"Father and grandfather hope you can come back and have a meal together."
"Tsk! As I expected, it’s because of Elder Xia and Xia Yusheng." As if he had anticipated this, Xiao Lin let go of Xia Xue, one hand grabbing the cigarettes and lighter from the nightstand, while the other wrapped around Xia Xue’s back, pulling her closer to him.
"You’ve been smoking a lot lately," Xia Xue placed the blanket over both of them, covering Xiao Lin properly despite the heater being on, since it was still winter and she feared he might be cold.
Indeed, he had been constantly smoking lately. Exhaling a puff of smoke, Xiao Lin looked at the ceiling, "What’s the situation with the Xia Family now?"
"While you were away, the Xia Family was invaded a few times. Fortunately, the people you arranged stepped in, so there was no crisis. However, grandfather had a relapse because of it and no longer manages things."
"Hmm!" Xiao Lin contemplated, considering if the Xia Family could be reliable if it were truly to rise to power, as he pondered this frequently. Judging from the current business status, the Xia Family was still at a disadvantage, and still a bit at risk compared to the Wang Family.
"Previously, the gift on your birthday that grandfather gave was entirely invested into Xia Family’s business, and now there’s some improvement. However, given the current domestic turmoil, it’s still difficult to make great strides." Xia Xue didn’t hide this fact; it was indeed Xiao Lin’s grand gestures that had saved the constantly threatened state of the Xia Family.
"Who is the helm of the Xia Family now?" Without any political connections, the Xia Family had navigated the business world for decades. If they wanted to rise to power, they’d still have to wait.
"After grandfather stepped down, the Xia Family was split in two. Domestic business is handled by father, and overseas development is taken over by Fourth Uncle." Speaking of Xia Yunong, Xia Xue still harbored resentment. Although they were related, grandfather didn’t punish Fourth Uncle for mother’s matter, only banishing him overseas to fend for himself. But it seemed like a way of releasing him, a fact father didn’t oppose, leaving her unable to say much. She felt indignant.
"Protective, aren’t they?" Xiao Lin definitely knew what Xia Xue was thinking. He was in no position to interfere with the Xia Family’s issues. As long as Xia Xue didn’t speak, he would never take the initiative to step forward; everything was based on Xia Xue’s wishes. "Set a time, and I’ll meet with the two elders."
"Are you going to intervene in the Xia Family?" This was something Xia Xue didn’t expect. For a man who could casually shell out a hundred million, it was clear what kind of status and position he held, even if he looked as low-key as an office worker. But...
"Let’s see their attitude first!" If the Xia Family itself didn’t want to integrate into politics, then whether he intervened or not would be irrelevant. It’s known that few in the business world aren’t linked with politics nowadays. With the cigarette butt extinguished in the ashtray, Xiao Lin tousled his hair: "I said I won’t let those who harm you get away easily. The Xia Family’s business is my business. You can tell me, but don’t struggle pointlessly by yourself."
The mattress beside him sank, and Xiao Lin withdrew his arm, getting off the bed and entering the bathroom. Xia Xue pulled the blanket over her head. In some respects, she thought she knew him well, but in fact, she was still far off. If Xiao Lin said he would intervene, he definitely wouldn’t let it go unresolved. Many times she wanted to ask him what kind of person he actually was, but every time she had the chance to speak, she swallowed the words back down.
From the beginning, where she naively thought everything could be settled just by having him, to now where she felt more and more distant, it wasn’t self-deprecation but rather his excessive excellence.
"Teach me martial arts!" Coming out from the bathroom, Xiao Lin was enveloped in a fierce hug from Xia Xue, her legs wrapped around his waist, her chokehold nearly cutting off his breath. Luckily, his reflexes were decent, preventing them from sharing an intimate kiss with the floor on first contact.
"W-why?"
Learn martial arts? Is this woman out of her mind? Xiao Lin was quite frightened. Just teaching her the Profound Lady Heart Scripture had already shocked him. Her rapid improvement was astonishing, and in the words of those old folks, she was a martial arts prodigy. If he taught her more, what would become of him? Having Liang Feng was headache enough; with this little demon alongside, his peaceful days would be gone for sure.
"I want to stand by your side like Lian!" Held by Xiao Lin, she was carried to the bedside, and with a forceful toss, she was thrown onto the bed.
"Aren’t you standing next to me now?" Women truly are perplexing; they don’t understand that men really just want a woman to cook and take care of children at home.
"That’s different. I don’t want you worrying about me every time you go out and do something dangerous. I want to protect myself." Xia Xue knelt on the bed, squinting her eyes like a cat. She was determined to persist until Xiao Lin agreed: "You’re a doctor, I’m a doctor too, so why can you have martial arts and I can’t? Besides, that breathing technique you taught me, I’ve already gotten to a very advanced level, you saw it that day, didn’t you? It proves I’m very suited to practicing martial arts."
"Being suited to martial arts doesn’t mean you can practice it."
"Honestly, does Lian really love you?"
"Huh?" Xiao Lin felt his nerves twitching; with Xia Xue’s random thoughts, he really felt like he was getting old.
"Don’t play dumb, don’t say you don’t know she loves you." With her hands on her hips, Xia Xue now looked like a tigress.
"Miss, you really can’t say these things carelessly." Xiao Lin helplessly took clothes from the wardrobe and put them on: "Talking like this, be careful she won’t find a husband and comes after you."
"I’m a woman, I can see these things more accurately than you." In terms of feelings, Xiao Lin is a bit dull, Xia Xue thought with some frustration. The bystander sees clearly, perhaps only this man doesn’t understand, maybe he’s too smart to understand.
"If Lian really loves you, what will you do?"
"What would I do? If it really came to that, I’d marry you both, that would be comfortable."
"You playboy radish, why don’t you just die?" Xia Xue glared at him furiously.
"Isn’t this what you wanted to see?" The greatest ability of women is to find trouble for themselves and then blame it on men. So this is what they call a scholar confronting a soldier, reason can’t prevail: "Quickly pack your things, Qing Yi will come to take you to your new place later."
"Why do I have to move?"
"This place has already been found out, can’t guarantee there won’t be a second or third time, so you have to leave here." Facing the mirror, Xiao Lin used a hairdryer to blow his hair; as a doctor, he still cared a lot about his self-care practices.
"You mean only I have to leave?"
"Yes!"
"I don’t want to!" Xia Xue adamantly opposed.
"I’ll have this place renovated, and you and Lian will move to the new place." Stuffing a cigarette and lighter into his pocket, he didn’t like to explain his decisions too much, as long as the intention was good for them.
"I said I don’t want to!"
"It’s closer to the university hospital there." Against Xia Xue’s anger, Xiao Lin found a rational explanation: "I don’t want to be stuck in traffic every day on my way to work."
"Here is also close to the beauty salon." Xia Xue countered with the same reasoning.
"I think you should find a school to study finance, once I intervene, you’ll be very busy."
"What do you mean?" Xia Xue was stunned, her mind got stuck there for a moment. When it came to changing the subject, Xiao Lin had the upper hand.
"Didn’t you just brazenly declare that you want to stand by my side? This is one way to do it."
"Oh!" Considering it, Xia Xue nodded thoughtfully: "Hey! We were talking about moving, I don’t want to move..."
Her answer was a door slam from Xiao Lin. Xia Xue sat on the bed, dejected. She was angry, picked up Xiao Lin’s pillow and furiously beat it to vent her anger, but she wouldn’t compromise. A new address, she didn’t want it at all, and she thought her best ally should be Lian.
Lian? Haha, Xiao Lin walked into the elevator, lighting a cigarette with frustration. When did he become so adored by women? If he claimed he couldn’t feel Lian’s love, then he might as well just die; it’s just that he really didn’t know how to reciprocate it. Hua Qingyi might be right, he indeed needed to deeply consider the balance between these two women. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it and support me on Qidian (), your support is my greatest motivation.)