Huo Yuzhou was angry.
He could tell from the moment the two of them ate dinner that although Huo Yuzhou would still peel the Yingying mantis shrimp for him and would take the initiative to use serving chopsticks to pick out his favorite dishes, Huo Yuzhou didn't say a single word to him.
After dinner, Huo Yuzhou went upstairs before him.
Nan Qing lingered downstairs, hesitating whether to go upstairs and coax the other person.
But he was shy and lacked confidence, so he wandered around the living room in circles like he was in a maze before finally mustering the courage to go upstairs.
In fact, he had a wealth of experience in coaxing people, and he had basically used it all on Huo Yuzhou from childhood to adulthood.
It's easy to coax someone.
It's nothing more than putting your arm around his shoulder and saying a few sweet words, or tugging at his sleeve and apologizing a few times. If all else fails, you can sit down next to him and call him "good brother" a few times...
He could say some things because he was young and thick-skinned, but now he's no longer a little kid. Even if someone beats him up with a stick, he doesn't have the nerve to call Huo Yuzhou" good brother" anymore.
But saying a few apologies is still acceptable.
For example, you could say, "Thank you for helping me get rid of an unwanted suitor," or "You're such a nice person. I was too calculating and didn't treat you like a friend." Or you could go up to Huo Yuzhou and apologize.
But any more than that won't do.
He couldn't very well rush up to Huo Yuzhou and kowtow to him.
Nan Qing leaned on the European-style carved staircase, slowly thinking and planning what to say when she encountered Huo Yuzhou later.
The phone buzzed twice; it was Xi Juan calling.
They had just been giving each other the cold Xi Juan, Nan Qing didn't want to talk to him at all, so she simply hung up.
But just as he stepped onto the second floor of the stairs, Xi Juan's number started flashing frantically again, as if he absolutely had to answer it.
Nan Qing hung up, Xi Juan, he called again.
If Xi Juan hadn't helped him today, he really should have blacklisted him.
The boy climbing the stairs, thoroughly annoyed, turned around, sat down, and answered the phone, his voice sharp and menacing.
"What?"
Xi Juan of the phone, his voice sounding aggrieved.
" Qingqing, he beat me up, and you don't even care about me!"
"You deserve it. Who told you to say those nonsensical things? I already told you we're dating, and you still had to provoke him by talking about mistresses and other women. If you didn't get beaten up, who would? You deserve to be beaten up."
"Okay, okay..."
Xi Juan of the phone drew out his words.
"Being disciplined by the first wife is my destiny, I understand~"
Nan Qing coughed, choked by those words, and lowered her voice to threaten him.
"Shut up."
"If you keep spouting this nonsense, you might get beaten up again."
"Sigh, what can I do? Isn't that the kind of mindset you have to have when trying to steal someone's partner?"
Xi Juan seemed to have turned off the music; the noise on his end quieted down considerably. He quickly resumed speaking.
"Besides, this isn't the first time Huo Yuzhou has picked a fight with me."
"No wonder I got beaten up for no reason a few days ago and lost some resources. It's true what they say, the silent dog bites the hardest. That old man surnamed Huo was stabbing me in the back. I'm speechless!"
Nan Qing glanced in the direction of the bedroom.
"Stop talking nonsense. He's a very nice person, rarely holds grudges, and would never do something so petty as to seek revenge."
"If you hadn't provoked him today and deliberately challenged him in front of so many people, he definitely wouldn't have laid a hand on you. Stop spreading rumors about him outside."
Even Xi Juan, we laughed:
"Yes, yes, yes, the Eldest Miss is so young and already bewitched by that old vixen."
"He won't lay a hand on me to my face; he'll only stab me in the back. Qingqing, you're too naive about him. That guy surnamed Huo is no good at all."
"Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up." Nan Qing turned on her phone.
Xi Juan: "Yes, yes, yes! Eldest Miss, I helped you take down that scumbag Xu Jing'an today. Putting aside our past relationship, we were pretty well-coordinated partners today, weren't we?"
"Now that your good partner has been beaten up by your boyfriend, I haven't even asked you to comfort me. Can't you just listen to me say a few words?"
"When did you two get together?" Xi Juan suddenly changed the subject.
Before Nan Qing could answer, Xi Juan of the phone started talking to himself.
"It doesn't really matter when you get together, because the two of you will never go far."
Nan Qing's relaxed expression froze; he remained stubborn.
"Nonsense! We're very much in love. Don't curse us behind our backs."
Xi Juan chuckled softly, his tone swaying gently.
" Qingqing, he's stayed by your side for so many years, like a mad dog guarding its prey, and yet he hasn't moved you in the slightest, has he?"
"That's a long time, not just three or five years. If you two liked each other, you would have been together long ago."
"If you hadn't suddenly fallen on hard times, why would you have chosen him?"
"Admit it, all you ever think about is eating, drinking, having fun, and playing pranks. You beat up anyone who confesses their feelings to you; you're completely clueless when it comes to relationships. Who knows, maybe he lured you into his relationship with some kind of seduction."
"But it's alright, Eldest Miss. Your most loyal knight will always protect you, ready to come at your call and take your place at any time—"
Nan Qing couldn't listen anymore and quickly hung up:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Shut up and go get your illness treated!"
The wind picked up outside the window.
Nan Qing ignored Xi Juan's words, got up, patted off imaginary mud on her body, and continued walking briskly into the room.
After he injured his leg, he and Huo Yuzhou still slept in separate rooms.
Before pushing open the door, Nan Qing raised her hand and knocked.
No one answered; Huo Yuzhou probably still didn't want to talk to him.
Nan Qing pushed open the door and went in, racking her brains for seven or eight things she could say to apologize, ready to unleash them on Huo Yuzhou.
Since he had already admitted his mistake, if Huo Yuzhou didn't forgive him, he would turn the tables and accuse Huo Yuzhou of not being magnanimous enough, and then sneak into bed and sleep with his back to Huo Yuzhou.
After reviewing the plan, Nan Qing looked left and right, peering around cautiously, but couldn't find Huo Yuzhou.
He turned around and heard noises coming from the bathroom.
Apologizing through a door is better.
Even if Huo Yuzhou says something wrong while taking a shower without clothes on, the other party can't exactly come out and beat him up.
Nan Qing sneaked over, her slender fingers raised, about to knock on the door, when she heard a sound.
Nan Qing paused for a second.
The sound of the showerhead's dense water jets washing over the floor made Nan Qing wonder if she had misheard.
The fingers held out in the air were somewhat stiff.
He had just turned and started to slip away when a familiar voice reached his ears, calling his name.
" Qingqing-- "