Chapter 55.2

By the time everything was thoroughly dealt with, it was already three in the afternoon.

Xia Yuansi was detained at the police station and was expected to be imprisoned within a few days. With Old Master Xia clearly siding with Xia Shutong, Xia Hongtao could no longer stir up any trouble.

After everything was dealt with, Qian Lingling also drove away. Xia Shutong had noticed earlier that something was amiss with Old Master Xia’s emotions, so she decided to stay in the Old Mansion for a few more days temporarily and also… to get more acquainted with it along with Yun Feiwu.

This was a place where she had lived, and although Xia Shutong didn’t remember it clearly, she still wanted to share the past she had experienced with Yun Feiwu.

After lunch, Xia Shutong took Yun Feiwu by the hand and led her to her room.

“Are you tired from the whole day? Shall we rest a bit?” Xia Shutong asked, sitting on the bed. Yun Feiwu quietly sat down beside her and nodded obediently.

It seemed that ever since Xia Shutong’s father and stepmother left, Yun Feiwu had been very quiet.

She didn’t talk much during the meal, but she would occasionally look up to survey the room’s environment and decor as if pondering something. She also seemed somewhat dazed, like a little puppy lost in confusion.

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Still, Yun Feiwu felt heartache.

She felt no pleasure when she saw Xia Shutong’s father begging for mercy and apologizing in the living room. All she felt was heartache for Xia Shutong.

Heartache for Xia Shutong, who watched them with a smile at the corner of her mouth and a mocking look in her eyes.

At that moment, Xia Shutong did not seem like a person of flesh and blood; she appeared more like an emotionless devil. Moreover, the aristocratic air that emanated naturally from her did not seem feigned but rather an intrinsic part of who Xia Shutong was.

In front of Yun Feiwu, Xia Shutong was still that tender and soft Xia Shutong. But in front of others, Xia Shutong seemed like a true devil—void of emotion, indifferent to everyone, even uncaring of her own life.

So Yun Feiwu felt a profound sense of heartache.

How many times had Xia Shutong gone through similar experiences alone to become the person she is now? How wonderful would it have been if she could have been there for Xia Shutong, even just once?

Why had she not been able to be by Xia Shutong’s side sooner? Only now, when Xia Shutong had ceased to care, had she started to stay by her side.

“Maomao, why are you crying?” Xia Shutong noticed the streaks of tears on Yun Feiwu’s face and immediately became flustered. She clumsily reached out to wipe her face. “Something like that won’t happen again. I-I promise.”

“No, Ruan Ruan, I…” Yun Feiwu abruptly held back the words she was about to say.

Xia Shutong kissed her, soothing her and taking the initiative to touch her lips.

As their tongues met, Yun Feiwu’s body shuddered as if electrified, and then she relaxed.

She closed her eyes and moved in sync with Xia Shutong, letting her explore freely.

Her heart also became peaceful.

Although she had not been able to be with Xia Shutong in the past, at least now, and in every moment to come, she would not leave Xia Shutong again.

Amidst the entwined lips and tongues, Xia Shutong carefully supported Yun Feiwu’s shoulders, kicked off her slippers, and shifted her legs onto the bed.

Sensing Xia Shutong’s signals, Yun Feiwu also leaned back on the bed. She cooperatively placed one hand on Xia Shutong’s lower back, while with the other, she reached for her collar, beginning to unbutton it.

Her thoughts began to grow muddled.

After a kiss, Xia Shutong suddenly pulled back. Her face was slightly flushed. “It’s still d-daylight,” she said.

However, Yun Feiwu promptly grabbed her wrist, gently pulled it, and drew Xia Shutong into her arms. “I’m not embarrassed, so why are you blushing, Ruan Ruan?” she asked.

…

An indefinite amount of time had passed.

The day was still bright, and although the room was draped with curtains, it was still abundantly lit. As a result, Xia Shutong’s face was still slightly flushed.

Yun Feiwu, clearly tired, was already curled up in her arms, sleeping peacefully with a sweet expression.

However, the sight of Yun Feiwu’s face, along with the faint marks on her fair neck, made Xia Shutong feel her face burning even hotter.

Yun Feiwu was truly devastating.

The last time Yun Feiwu was the one beneath, she had shown shyness. So how could it be that this time, she wasn’t shy at all, not to mention the utterly indecent words she was able to utter?

Xia Shutong was completely led by her, step by step, down the path.

Xia Shutong’s face flushed red for a good while before it faded, replaced by a slightly satisfied, shy smile.

She lay with Yun Feiwu for a while, unable to sleep. Then she tiptoed out of bed, changed her clothes, gently touched Yun Feiwu’s head, and tiptoed out of the room.

She went straight to Xia Hongye’s room.

Xia Hongye’s daily routine was the opposite of the norm. She returned to her room to sleep after waking up in the morning and having a meal. Judging by the time, she would be waking up again soon.

After knocking on the door, she heard rustling sounds from inside.

“Coming—” Xia Hongye opened the door languidly and raised an eyebrow when she saw Xia Shutong. “Oh, what do we have here? Tong Tong has come to visit me voluntarily? Is the sun rising from the west?”

Before Xia Shutong could speak, Xia Hongye winked and stretched out a hand. “You’ve come to give me money, haven’t you?”

Xia Shutong: “…”

She tried her best to suppress the urge to scoff and mustered a somewhat friendly smile. “I’ll give you the money later. Xia Hongye, I’m here to thank you. Thank you for being willing to tell me about Xia Yuansi plotting the car accident, for providing the evidence, and also for last time. Thank you for reminding me about the blind date Grandfather was arranging for me.”

With that, Xia Shutong took a step back and bowed earnestly to Xia Hongye.

Xia Hongye frowned in surprise.

A few moments later, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “Shall we talk?”

“Okay.” Xia Shutong nodded.

She wondered why this sister had helped her several times. What was her motive? Their relationship was anything but friendly. Besides, Qian Lingling had told her that Xia Hongye had teamed up with Xia Yuansi to harm Xia Shutong before.

They did not go back to their room. Instead, they headed to the balcony outside the hallway.

The balcony faced the side of the manor, where a lonely pond lay. It was seldom visited. The balcony was about twenty meters long, and there was a small bend at the end that led to a hidden spot.

Xia Shutong looked briefly at the corner, a flash of confusion in her eyes. Then she looked away.

Xia Hongye leaned on the railing, gazing at the manor. She did not see Xia Shutong’s momentary distraction.

Xia Shutong joined her.

Xia Hongye laughed at herself with a hint of self-mockery. She said slowly, “Xia Shutong, you know, right? I was adopted by our parents. But I didn’t think much about it when I was young. There were no other kids in the house, and mom was nice to me.”

“You were brought back home when I was twenty,” Xia Hongye said as she fished out a cigarette from her bag and lit it up.

“I was in college then, in July, with no classes during the summer break, just staying at home. One day, I saw Grandpa leading you back. Mom took you in her arms and cried. She cried her heart out. She had never shown me that depth of emotion, and I immediately understood—I was just the unloved fake heiress, akin to the evil step-sister found in novels.”

Xia Shutong didn’t say anything, just nodding quietly.

Xia Hongye kept going, “After you came back, sure enough, Mom ignored me and kept you by her side. And you, always with a cold face, not talking to anyone, not even greeting your sister. How could I not have resented you then?”

As she spoke, Xia Hongye reached out to poke Xia Shutong’s head, but her finger was caught.

Xia Shutong looked at her with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, yet there was a flicker of a different emotion within them.

With a snort, Xia Hongye pulled her hand away and continued, “Even though I’m the fake heiress, I still experienced poverty when I was younger. I know how miserable my life would be if I were thrown out. That’s why I had to maintain my status in the Xia Family and not let you take over the company. Later, after Mom passed away, Dad brought Xia Yuansi back home. That little brat, only thirteen or fourteen, already had his mind filled with thoughts of inheritance and the company. He stirred me up, and I listened, determined more than ever to keep the company in my grasp.”

“It seems I just don’t have the talent, eh? The Wutong Entertainment nearly went bankrupt in my hands, and in the end, you took it back,” Xia Hongye exhaled a ring of smoke.

“I was so furious at the time, but as time passed, I gradually let it go. I only like money and didn’t want to be thrown out of my home and left to wander the streets—not like some bastard such as Xia Yuansi. Besides, the company was rightfully yours to begin with. I was the one who stole what belonged to you.”

“Even so, I can’t help wanting to tease you, to deliberately annoy you from time to time,” Xia Hongye suddenly put down her cigarette and looked at Xia Shutong with a smirk that was not quite a smile.

Her finger casually pointed towards the corner of the balcony.

“Xia Shutong, you probably don’t know, but in the first or second year you came home—I don’t quite remember clearly—you were hiding there crying, and I heard you.”

Xia Hongye let out a scornful laugh, but her eyes softened.

Back then, still in her early twenties, she couldn’t understand why Xia Shutong, the true darling, adored by everyone, would covertly hide in a deserted corner, crying so sadly. Xia Hongye found Xia Shutong to be overly sentimental, yet she admitted that she was indeed touched by that desperate, helpless sobbing, to the extent that she even felt a slight ache in her heart.

For a long while after that incident, Xia Hongye’s mind was haunted by those desperate, fragile sobs whenever she crossed paths with Xia Shutong, regardless of the circumstances or Xia Shutong’s expression. She could even vividly picture Xia Shutong crumpled in a corner in an utterly abject posture.

Therefore, Xia Hongye had never feared Xia Shutong. Moreover, as she grew older, her feelings towards Xia Shutong developed into a complex mixture of inexplicable pity.

Having said that, Xia Hongye stubbed out her cigarette and walked back to her room without looking back.

Xia Shutong was left alone on the balcony, stunned for a moment, before she slowly walked towards that inconspicuous corner.