As soon as Chen Xiwan left, Lu Xiaoxiao sprawled gracelessly across the lounge sofa and started watching a drama.
Probably because she had stayed up too late gaming the night before, she soon grew drowsy. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
When she woke again, Lu Xiaoxiao vaguely heard someone talking. Peeking through half-closed eyes, she saw Chen Xiwan speaking on the phone in a hushed voice.
"I've told you so many times. You've always been the one in my heart. Isn't everything I'm doing now for our future?"
Lu Xiaoxiao: "...?"
That sentence contained so much information that she snapped wide awake. Though her eyes remained closed, her ears involuntarily pricked up.
"Lu Xunli respects me, and he's easy to fool. Don't worry. Nothing will happen between us."
At that, Lu Xiaoxiao nearly lost her composure, unable to stop herself from tilting her head to one side.
The original novel hadn't described Chen Xiwan in much detail, and Lu Xiaoxiao didn't know everything she had done.
But judging by her tone, it sounded like she had another boyfriend on the side!
Lu Xiaoxiao had thought her eldest brother already had it bad enough. Now she realized there was apparently no limit to how miserable his situation could get! He had been cheated on right from the start.
Chen Xiwan noticed Lu Xiaoxiao stirring. Worried she might wake up, she hurriedly lowered her voice further.
"All right, let's stop here. His meeting's almost over. I'm hanging up."
Shortly after she ended the call, Lu Xunli pushed open the door and entered.
Weariness showed in his face, and he pressed a hand to his right temple as he came in.
Lu Xiaoxiao wanted to see whether Chen Xiwan would bad-mouth her, so she kept pretending to sleep.
Chen Xiwan quickly deleted the call log on her phone, then rose with a natural smile. She stepped forward to straighten Lu Xunli's tie and said softly:
"You must be tired after that meeting, Xunli. I just got back from buying vodka, only to find your sister fast asleep."
Lu Xunli, who hadn't noticed the drinks on the table, froze at her words. He looked toward the table, then frowned.
"Vodka? Who wanted that? They even made you go out specifically to buy it? You must have had to go quite a way."
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Already feeling sorry for her, when just a moment ago she was on the phone with some secret lover. My poor brother is being played like a fiddle by this cheating woman.
A secret lover? What secret lover?
Hearing that familiar inner voice, Lu Xunli froze. He glanced toward Lu Xiaoxiao and only then realized his sister was pretending to sleep.
Though he didn't quite understand her motives, he certainly wasn't going to expose her. He could only look away and pretend he knew nothing.
"You asked me to look after Xiaoxiao, so of course I wanted her to be comfortable. Your sister is my sister too. A little exhaustion doesn't matter, Xunli."
Though Chen Xiwan claimed not to mind, her expression carried a hint of grievance. She bit her lower lip, slipped her arm through Lu Xunli's, and gazed up at him, looking pitiful enough to melt anyone's heart.
"By the way, there was a little misunderstanding between Xiaoxiao and my cousin when she arrived today. My cousin didn't recognize her and thought she was someone suspicious, so she stopped her outside."
"My cousin was definitely in the wrong. Xiaoxiao was very angry at the time and slapped her in a moment of impulse. I happened to arrive just then, so I persuaded them both to let it go."
"But... I think my cousin might still be struggling to adjust to this position. Why don't we transfer her to the break room? That would help prevent more misunderstandings like this."
Lu Xiaoxiao sneered inwardly. For every sentence Chen Xiwan spoke, she fired back a rebuttal in her head.
You're pretty good at glossing over the important bits, aren't you, miss? Did she merely stop me outside? Didn't your cousin accuse me of trying to become my own brother's mistress?
You've really mastered the art of playing the victim first. Don't you know how long she chased after me, hurling insults? You two are just like the American economy in the seventies: stagnant and inflated.
Hold on, girl, that's some wishful thinking. If she did something wrong, why should she be rewarded? Working in the break room is much easier than working at reception, and the pay isn't low either. Isn't trying to have it all a bit much?
Brother, wake up! This woman isn't just two-timing you, she's bad luck for you too. Don't wait until she's bankrupted the Lu Family before you start listening to "The Clock That Turns Backward"! Getting our hearts played with is whatever, but don't let her swindle our money too!!!
The barrage of voices in his ears gave Lu Xunli a headache, but after listening for so long, he had managed to pick out the key points in Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts.
He didn't want to believe Chen Xiwan was two-timing him, and he disliked forming his opinion of someone based on what others said.
But he also didn't think Lu Xiaoxiao had any reason to lie in her own thoughts. Some doubt crept into his heart, enough that he instinctively brushed away Chen Xiwan's hand from his arm.
"I understand. I'll let HR know later," Lu Xunli said, his voice slightly low.
Chen Xiwan noticed the change in him and felt puzzled.
Usually, whenever she wheedled like this, Lu Xunli would affectionately pat her head and tell her, "Whatever you want."
His response today was decidedly cold.
She tried again, testing the waters. "By the way, about buying my younger brother a house, like we discussed last time... I don't think there's any need to rush. We only just started dating. You're so good to my family that I'm honestly overwhelmed."
"But you know I'm not dating you to get those things. Just being by your side is more than enough for me. I'm not worth you doing so much..."
I'm about to throw up listening to this. The fake innocence is suffocating. Brother, your taste is truly awful! Isn't this just a roundabout reminder to buy her brother a house?
After thinking it over carefully, Lu Xunli felt that interpretation fit. So he went along with her words. "Mm. Since you don't think it's a good idea, I won't buy it."
The shy, bashful expression on Chen Xiwan's face instantly cracked. "What did you say?"
According to the script in her head, shouldn't Lu Xunli have comforted her now by saying, "You deserve all of this. I'll buy your brother a house right away"?
Seeing her stunned expression, Lu Xunli felt a surge of disappointment. His voice grew even wearier. "I said I'd do as you wished. Unless you actually meant the opposite?"
Chen Xiwan also realized she had slipped out of character and hurriedly forced another smile. "Of course not. It's better not to buy it."
I can barely stand this anymore. Should I wake up now? Wait, I think my leg's gone numb. Ow, ow, ow, ow-damn it, I can't move!
Lu Xunli no longer wanted to continue talking to her. With a slight nod, he walked over to Lu Xiaoxiao and called, "Wake up, Xiaoxiao. It's time to go home."
Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes. "Hmm? Brother, is your meeting over?"
Watching his sister work so hard to look sleepy, Lu Xunli found her rather cute. The corners of his lips couldn't help lifting.
"Yes. Let's go."
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