Winning hearts

That night, Xia Zhi had a dream. She dreamed that the fake, simpering little snake turned herself into a cup of green tea and delivered herself into the villain's hands, eagerly waiting for him to drink her.

But the villain ignored her the whole time, until the hot tea turned cold and was finally poured into the wastewater bucket.

Xia Zhi practically woke up laughing.

So she was in a wonderful mood first thing in the morning, and when she thought of the little snake's expression upon receiving her gift, her spirits soared even higher.

Just then, however, Xia Zhi heard a noise downstairs.

She tilted her head and listened carefully, but it seemed to have gone quiet again.

She listened again, and there was another sound.

Had a burglar broken in?

Xia Zhi's heart leaped into her throat. She crept out of bed, slowly made her way to the door, then quickly locked it.

Losing her belongings was nothing. Losing her life was what scared her.

Lying on the floor with her ear pressed against it, Xia Zhi listened carefully to the sounds outside.

Yes, someone was walking around.

But that shouldn't have been possible. Security in this residential complex was extremely tight. Anyone who didn't live here couldn't even get through the main gate, and even within the same complex, every home had its own access control.

Just then, Xia Zhi noticed the footsteps drawing closer and closer, until they finally stopped outside her bedroom door.

Xia Zhi was so frightened that she barely dared to breathe.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock, and the person outside spoke. "Second Young Madam, are you awake? I've made some seafood congee."

Xia Zhi let out a breath of relief. That had scared her to death.

It was Aunt Liu.

She opened the door. "Aunt Liu, why are you here so early?"

Aunt Liu beamed. "Second Young Master called me last night and asked me to come over early today. He was worried you'd go hungry at home alone."

Xia Zhi paused, remembering how the villain had seemed incredulous last night when she told him she was gnawing on corn, then immediately asked about Aunt Liu. She had thought he was only asking casually. She hadn't expected...

Xia Zhi sighed inwardly. It seemed the villain wasn't that bad after all.

Since he wasn't bad by nature, he could probably still be saved, right?

That thought lifted Xia Zhi's spirits even further. Everything really was going smoothly.

After breakfast, Xia Zhi took that supplementary card she felt so uneasy holding and went shopping. First, she bought a pile of children's clothes.

During breakfast, Aunt Liu had found herself telling Xia Zhi how adorable her little grandson was, such a sweet little baby, and had even urged Xia Zhi and Lu Heng to hurry up and have a child of their own.

Only then did Xia Zhi learn that Aunt Liu had gone back to visit her daughter's newborn son.

Aunt Liu had originally wanted to stay a few more days, but Second Young Master Lu had called her personally.

Her words were full of reluctance to leave.

Xia Zhi understood that kind of parting. If people didn't have to work for a living, who would willingly leave their children and grandchildren?

So she bought some little clothes suited to Aunt Liu's grandson's age, along with a pair of gold bangles.

After buying them, Xia Zhi made a point of taking a photo and sending it to Lu Heng.

-President Lu, here's an expense report. These are for Aunt Liu's little grandson. The clothes and gold bangles came to 39,999 altogether.

The man on the other end was clearly very busy and had no time to pay her any attention.

So Xia Zhi photographed the receipt and sent that over too.

-I didn't pocket any of it.

The man still gave no reply.

Xia Zhi didn't bother about him either. Having accounted for everything, she headed straight to the largest teaware shop and bought an expensive tea set, paired with top-grade green tea.

Carrying the luxurious, high-end gift box, Xia Zhi felt she had chosen the perfect present.

As before, Xia Zhi photographed both the invoice and the tea set and sent them to Lu Heng.

-Aheng, this is the tea set I bought for Tangtang. Doesn't it have such a lovely antique feel?

-It's just that the price... is a little steep.

-And this green tea is so, so expensive too. Over eighty thousand per fifty grams. This tiny bit cost hundreds of thousands.

-But you can't put a price on something you love. Since Tangtang likes it, as her brother and sister-in-law, we ought to grant her wish, right?

Lu Heng still didn't reply.

It wasn't until noon, when Xia Zhi returned home laden with shopping bags and was showing Aunt Liu the pretty baby clothes and exquisite bangles, that Lu Heng called.

"Buy whatever you like. You don't need to report every little detail to me."

"I'm not your boss."

There was a trace of weariness in the man's voice.

That was exactly what Xia Zhi had been waiting to hear. "All right, then I won't report to you anymore."

Lu Heng gave a quiet "Mm." He was about to hang up when something suddenly occurred to him. "Since when did Xiaojing like tea sets?"

Why had he never heard about it?

Xia Zhi said, "You don't even know that? You really don't understand Tangtang at all."

Lu Heng had no desire to understand her either. "Fine. Handle it as you see fit."

Xia Zhi smiled sweetly. "Oh, and Tangtang especially loves collecting teacups, particularly green ones. She has a real soft spot for that color. If you see any nice cups in Country X, you could bring some back for her too."

"She'll definitely be thrilled to get them."

Lu Heng said, "Really?"

Xia Zhi said, "Mm-hmm."

Lu Heng said, "All right. I'll see if I can spare some time then."

Xia Zhi had to bite down hard on her lower lip to keep from laughing aloud. "You're her favorite brother. Even if you just pick up some little trinket at an airport shop, she'll be happy."

Lu Heng thought that was a good idea. "Mm."

After that "Mm," neither of them had anything left to say.

Aunt Liu was gesturing beside her. Xia Zhi covered the microphone and asked her, "What is it?"

Aunt Liu looked a little embarrassed. "Second Young Madam, could I have a word with Second Young Master?"

Xia Zhi felt as though she had been granted a pardon. She had nothing left to say to the villain anyway. "Of course."

She hurriedly handed the phone to Aunt Liu.

Taking the phone, Aunt Liu immediately began thanking him. "Second Young Master, I don't even know what to say. Those bangles you-you had Second Young Madam buy are far too precious..."

Lu Heng froze.

He had thought the woman was using his card to win people over. He hadn't expected...

She was actually winning them over for him.

"Aunt Liu, you've worked devotedly for the Lu Family for so many years, and you've helped me a great deal too. Now that you have a new grandson, it's only right for me to give you a little something."

Aunt Liu thanked him some more, then, not daring to take up any more of the young couple's time together, quickly handed the phone back to Xia Zhi.

"Second Young Madam, I'll go check on the soup. Lunch will be ready soon."

She was leaving Xia Zhi and Lu Heng some space.

Clearly, Lu Heng had heard Aunt Liu too. "You haven't eaten yet?"

Xia Zhi glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's only twelve."

That wasn't late.

Back when she had been busy filming, she often hadn't eaten lunch until two or three in the afternoon, and hunger had frequently left her stomach cramping.

Lu Heng frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of that habit, but he didn't say anything more about it. After all, it was none of his business.

"Why did you tell Aunt Liu I asked you to buy them?"

Xia Zhi said, "It was your money to begin with. I just did a little legwork."

Lu Heng didn't believe her. "You'd be that kindhearted?"

Although he hadn't spent much time with this woman, he had figured out her flaws thoroughly. She was the sort who wouldn't lift a finger without something to gain. If something didn't benefit her, she wouldn't do it.