Sweet talk

Tang Fangjing looked at Xia Zhi sympathetically. Only after a long while did she say, as though she could hardly bear to, "Unless he doesn't care about you at all."

The smile froze on Xia Zhi's face, and she seemed to grow doubtful too.

"Really?"

Tang Fangjing studied Xia Zhi's expression, then slowly leaned close to her ear and coaxed,

"My brother is extremely possessive. You have to really provoke him. Ideally, let him catch you in bed with someone else. That will definitely drive him mad with jealousy."

"Only when he's mad with jealousy will he be madly in love with you."

What beguiling words.

If it had been the original owner of this body, she might actually have believed Tang Green Tea's nonsense.

But Xia Zhi naturally wouldn't fall for it. Such vicious ambition was truly shameless. Although the villain was no good person in Xia Zhi's eyes, Tang Fangjing before her was the truly evil one.

Xia Zhi's phone rang again.

She lowered her head to look and inwardly panicked. I'm done for. I staged that call earlier, but now the wolf really is here...

Should I answer?

After a brief internal struggle, Xia Zhi had no choice but to steel herself and reject the call.

After all, her relationship with the villain was nowhere near the point of calling each other honey and darling. With Tang Green Tea watching intently beside her, it would be all too easy to give herself away.

Tang Fangjing was puzzled. "Xia Xia, why aren't you answering Brother Heng's call?"

Xia Zhi reacted quickly. "I'm angry. Fu Ting'an keeps pestering me, and Aheng isn't even jealous."

Such willfulness was certainly in keeping with Xia Zhi's personality.

Tang Fangjing secretly rejoiced. Lu Heng hated unreasonable girls like this most. Xia Zhi would never truly win his affection in her lifetime.

The two left the restroom together. Halfway back, Tang Fangjing's phone rang.

Seeing that it was Lu Heng, she immediately beamed. "Brother Heng."

Lu Heng was having breakfast in the hotel buffet restaurant. When Tang Fangjing answered, he set down his fork.

"Xiaojing, happy birthday."

"Thank you, Brother Heng. I really like the gift you had Xia Xia buy."

Lu Heng smiled faintly. "Glad you like it."

It seemed women really did understand women better. Xia Zhi had indeed handled the gift beautifully, just as she had promised.

Lu Heng then asked how his uncle and aunt were doing and said he would find time to visit them after returning home, and so on.

After two minutes of conversation, Lu Heng changed the subject. "Is Xia Zhi with you?"

Tang Fangjing had been enjoying their conversation. Suddenly hearing Lu Heng mention Xia Zhi, she froze, then looked up at Xia Zhi, who had already reached the private room ahead of her.

"Yes."

"Brother Heng, what do you need her for?"

Lu Heng didn't answer Tang Fangjing's question. "Put her on."

Tang Fangjing was reluctant. "...All right."

She kept feeling that something was off. Lu Heng and Xia Zhi's relationship really did seem to have improved.

"Xia Xia."

Tang Fangjing called Xia Zhi to a stop with a smile.

"My brother's on the phone. He wants to speak to you."

By then, Xia Zhi had already pulled the private room's door halfway open, and everyone inside had seen her. Her gaze swept around the room, and she discovered that Fu Ting'an was actually still there, while Zhao Qingqing wore the expression of someone enjoying a spectacle.

Xia Zhi formed a plan. After taking Tang Fangjing's phone, she returned to her seat and spoke into it in front of everyone.

"What do you want?"

Her voice was hardly warm.

Lu Heng frowned slightly. "Why didn't you answer my call?"

Xia Zhi looked haughty. "If I don't feel like answering, I won't. It depends on my mood."

Although the original owner had been overbearing toward others, she had never been so brazen with Lu Heng.

Lu Heng sneered. "Very good."

He was about to say more when Xia Zhi abruptly hung up. Then she clicked her tongue twice.

"Men are just pathetic. When I was nice to him, he barely gave me the time of day. Now that I don't want to bother with him, he clings to me like a lapdog."

In the buffet restaurant in Country X, Lu Heng sneezed violently.

Who's bad-mouthing me?

Everyone else in the private room stared at Xia Zhi, dumbfounded. Tang Fangjing was the most incredulous of all.

Xia Zhi actually dared to hang up on Lu Heng?

And repeatedly, at that?

In the past, Xia Zhi had called Lu Heng relentlessly, until he blocked her on every means of communication.

The sight of Xia Zhi crying until her eyeshadow and face cream smeared all over her face was still vivid, yet now she was as proud as a queen.

Tang Fangjing truly felt that Xia Zhi had changed, as though she had become a different person overnight. Now, Xia Zhi had shed her unsuitable clothes and removed her incongruous makeup, and every movement was elegant and confident.

Now, she positively shone.

Tang Fangjing's sense of crisis surged. Brother Heng really might be bewitched by Xia Zhi like this.

Zhao Qingqing found it unbelievable too. This was the first time she had seen Xia Zhi hold her head so high before Lu Heng.

Only Fu Ting'an continued to stare intently at Xia Zhi with a hunter's gaze.

He had only learned from Zhao Qingqing today that Xia Zhi had been using him all along. Her heart and eyes were filled with Lu Heng, and her only purpose in dating him had been to provoke Lu Heng.

Fu Ting'an had spent so many years playing the field, yet he had never expected to fall at the hands of a married woman.

He had to have Xia Zhi.

Lu Heng didn't care about her anyway.

Tang Fangjing took the initiative to top up Xia Zhi's glass. "Xia Xia, have some juice. It's freshly squeezed."

Xia Zhi didn't touch the juice. She fumed, "Your brother is driving me mad. He actually dared to demand why I didn't answer his call! Do I need a reason not to answer the damn phone?"

Then she called over a server. "What drinks do you have to cool me down?"

"I want something canned."

Seeing that Xia Zhi wouldn't touch the drink, Tang Fangjing's expression shifted slightly.

While waiting for her drink, Xia Zhi stopped eating too and just sat there on her phone.

-Hubby, don't be angry. I wasn't deliberately taking it out on you just now. Kisses.

After waiting a few minutes without a reply from Lu Heng, Xia Zhi sent another message.

-Hubby, what did you need me for? I'd climb a mountain of blades and plunge into a sea of fire for you.

Still no reply.

Xia Zhi grew anxious. This is bad, really bad. The villain is actually angry.

She carefully recalled the call just now. It wasn't anything much. Didn't I just talk back once? Wasn't my tone just a tiny bit nasty?

Did he have to react like this? Did he?

So petty.

Xia Zhi took a deep breath. Remembering that he was the target of her mission, someone she couldn't afford to offend, she thought it over and over, then had no choice but to lower her proud head once more.

-Hubby, what date are you coming back? How about I pick you up at the airport?

Once Xia Zhi started sweet-talking, she was lethal.

-Hubby, I really didn't mean to snap at you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Sob, sob.

There was still no reply.

The person on the other end might as well have been dead.

Xia Zhi silently cursed him a few times and stopped sending messages.

At that moment, Lu Heng was in a car heading to a business meeting. In the car, Jiang Cheng was briskly briefing him on the prospective partner's specifics, along with market research and local policies.

Once they finished discussing business, Lu Heng's phone kept ringing without a break.

It wasn't until lunch with the business partner that Lu Heng saw Xia Zhi's messages. The nerves that had been taut all morning seemed to relax in an instant.

This woman...

She really knows how to sweet-talk.