So annoying

Thirsty and tired from shopping, Xia Zhi dug a tub of ice cream out of the fridge and spooned some into her mouth.

"It wasn't really out of kindness. Mostly, I wanted to thank you for having Aunt Liu come back early. Now I don't have to gnaw on corn."

"But Aunt Liu could have spent more time with her little grandson. Instead, she came back to look after me... Anyway, I feel pretty bad about it."

Lu Heng was rather surprised. This woman was actually capable of feeling bad?

Xia Zhi said, "Aunt Liu came back to cook my three meals a day, but you were the one who called her back, so you bear most of the responsibility."

"So you put up the money and I put in the effort to make up for Aunt Liu missing out on more time with her little grandson. That's all there is to it."

Lu Heng said, "You certainly draw clear lines."

Xia Zhi said, "Of course. Ever since I was little, my grandma taught me that accepting favors puts you in someone's debt, so she never let me take advantage of people."

That was why she always repaid kindness.

Lu Heng picked out the key point. "Your grandma?"

Xia Zhi's grandmother had died long ago.

Xia Zhi clearly realized she had let something slip, too. The ice cream in her mouth suddenly slid down her throat, giving her a vicious chill.

"Well, an elderly woman I know. I call her Grandma."

Lu Heng said, "Really?"

There was a faint note of doubt in his voice.

Xia Zhi hurriedly put her extraordinary imagination to work. Keeping her cool in a crisis, she invented a kindly, wise old grandmother who was especially compassionate and even fed several stray dogs.

This "grandmother" was modeled entirely on Xia Zhi's actual grandmother in the real world.

Her grandmother was exactly that sort of wise old woman: kindhearted, humorous, and optimistic.

Once she started talking about her grandmother, Xia Zhi couldn't help growing talkative, completely oblivious to how unusually quiet Lu Heng was.

Lu Heng listened to Xia Zhi spout her bullshit on the other end without calling her out. Leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, he listened to the sparrow chattering in his ear and actually felt less tired.

This was the longest phone call Xia Zhi had ever had with Lu Heng.

After hanging up, even Xia Zhi found it unbelievable. The villain seemed to be getting easier to fool.

Aunt Liu put particular care into lunch that day, and Xia Zhi nearly ate until her stomach burst.

After lunch, Xia Zhi had to start preparing for that evening's "banquet trap."

She searched hard through the original owner's memories for information about Tang Fangjing and anyone around her who had ties to the original owner.

Hmm.

There were two.

One was Zhao Qingqing, a minor rich heiress in their socialite circle. She used to hang out with the original owner often, until they both fell for the villain. They immediately turned into enemies, clashing at every turn.

Tang Fangjing had also used her status as Lu Heng's younger cousin to get close to Zhao Qingqing, successfully maneuvering between her and the original owner.

Stoking the flames while playing peacemaker, she had those two foolish rich girls dancing in the palm of her hand.

Zhao Qingqing was bound to be at tonight's "banquet trap." Otherwise, the show couldn't go on.

The other was Fu Ting'an, the young master of the Fu family. A notorious womanizer, he coveted the original owner's beauty and was bent on stealing her away despite knowing she had a husband. He was no good either.

But Xia Zhi didn't take either of those two idiots seriously. Her main opponent was still Tang Fangjing.

That first-rate, fake-innocent little bitch.

Imagining Tang Fangjing's expression when she saw the tea set later filled Xia Zhi with anticipation for this "banquet trap."

To guard against being set up, Xia Zhi made thorough preparations.

She took the original owner's little shoulder bag worth a million. Rather than fussing over a new outfit, she took out the long dress that had been washed and dried yesterday and put it on.

She had to admit, that damn gay villain had quite an eye for women's clothes.

Xia Zhi searched the original owner's dazzlingly stocked wardrobe without finding a single outfit more elegant, more beautiful, or better suited to her than this long dress.

Once she had it on, Xia Zhi stood in front of the mirror, turning this way and that to admire herself.

The skirt was cleverly designed with small pleats that rippled gently when she turned. Its full sweep made her slender waist look even narrower, as though it might snap with a squeeze.

Xia Zhi took a full-length mirror photo and sent it to Lu Heng, seizing every opportunity to earn his favor.

-Looked through all my clothes, and this one is still the prettiest.

-Aheng, you have such good taste.

It was already past one in the morning when Lu Heng saw the photo. He was a light sleeper and became especially irritable when woken. Only after he made out the person in the picture did the anger in his eyes slowly subside.

Boring.

That was what Lu Heng wanted to reply.

But his index finger shifted, and he deleted the word he had already typed.

Phone off.

Sleep.

This woman really had endless energy.

Yet after switching off his phone, Lu Heng couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. The image of Xia Zhi in that long dress, her smile blooming like a flower, refused to leave his mind. Seeing that dress reminded him of what had happened that night.

Her panting.

Her skin.

After tossing and turning for a long time, Lu Heng had a shameful dream that night.

That evening, Xia Zhi arrived as promised.

By the time she got there, seven or eight people were already in the private dining room. Sure enough, Zhao Qingqing and Fu Ting'an were among them.

Xia Zhi smiled with her lips pressed together. Just as expected.

A graceful young woman followed behind Xia Zhi. She had fair skin and delicate features, wore wide-sleeved hanfu, and had her hair arranged in a beautiful bun, giving her a distinctly classical air.

The young woman was holding an extravagant gift box.

Everyone stared at Xia Zhi, dumbfounded, unsure what she was up to.

Tang Fangjing was the first to react. She quickly rose to greet her and offered her usual flattery. "Xiaxia, your dress is gorgeous. It's quite different from your old style."

Nor was she wearing that exaggerated makeup. She was so beautiful that Tang Fangjing had almost failed to recognize her.

Xia Zhi gave a soft smile, her eyes shy and bashful. "Your cousin picked this dress himself. He won't let me wear my old clothes anymore."

Her cousin had picked it himself?

Impossible.

This woman had to be lying!

Tang Fangjing kept smiling. "Why? Your old clothes were beautiful too. They really showed off your figure."

Xia Zhi covered her lips with a smile, looking a little embarrassed. She deliberately leaned close to Tang Fangjing's ear and lowered her voice. "Aheng said only he's allowed to see my body. No one else."

Those words clearly struck Tang Fangjing hard. She could barely keep the smile on her face.

"I never knew my cousin had become so domineering."

Tang Fangjing clenched her fists tightly, her long nails digging deep into her palms. Only the pain kept her calm.

Xia Zhi hooked her arm through Tang Fangjing's, her smile sweet and blissful.

"There's plenty you don't know. Your cousin isn't just domineering, he's such a nag, too. Even now that he's abroad, he has to call me every day."

"He keeps reminding me about this and that, terrified I'll get too hot or go hungry. Ugh, it's so annoying."

She said it was annoying, but her smile bloomed like a flower.

Tang Fangjing trembled all over with rage.

Impossible. This wasn't her Heng. Her Heng wasn't that sort of person at all!

How could Xia Zhi fail to notice Tang Fangjing's reaction? She deliberately asked with concern,

"Tangtang, why are you shaking?"

"Are you feeling unwell?"