"You shouldn't have lied to me."
Ning An looked at him calmly. Her bright dark eyes showed not a single ripple of emotion—no sorrow, no pain, not even a trace of anger.
She had truly given up.
Qin Wang's pupils contracted, and his voice was hoarse. "I..."
"Want me not to tell Grandma?"
Ning An pushed his hand away and opened the door. "Fine. But I won't help for free."
"Cut the fake sincerity. Show me you're actually serious if you want to beg me."
Ning An slammed the door and left.
The phone in her pocket kept buzzing with WeChat notifications. If it kept this up during lunch, it would surely arouse suspicion.
Ning An took out her phone to switch it to silent mode just as a message from Xi Siyuan popped up.
[Xi Siyuan: Still not convenient to take a call?]
Ning An: "..."
Pulling down the notification screen, she saw he had called again just moments ago. Seeing she still hadn't answered, he finally couldn't help but send a WeChat message.
Two missed calls in a row, plus a special WeChat message to check in—he must have really had something important to do. After hesitating for a long time, Ning An decided to reply.
[Ning An: Inconvenient. Is there something you need?]
[Xi Siyuan: Did you get home safely last night?]
[Xi Siyuan: I kept waiting for you to report your safe arrival. I waited all night and didn't sleep well.]
Ning An: "..."
The dignified young master of the Xi family and Shengshi's youngest executive—was he really this idle?
[Xi Siyuan: Really. If you don't believe me, look at my dark circles.]
[Image]
Xi Siyuan had actually sent a selfie.
His skin was fair, with not a single blemish on his face. In the sunlight, even the fine hair on his skin was clearly visible. Bruised dark circles stretched from the outer corners of his eyes to the bridge of his nose, firmly wrapping around his eyes. Calling them panda eyes was no exaggeration at all.
Ning An stared at it for a moment and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Xi Siyuan was undoubtedly drop-dead gorgeous, but his selfie had such a stern expression and a cold gaze that, paired with the panda eyes, gave him a strangely comical vibe.
He was a completely different person from the "cheeky" guy he'd shown her yesterday, and she had no idea which one was the real him.
[Xi Siyuan: Saw the photo?]
[Ning An: Mm.]
[Xi Siyuan: Believe me now?]
[Ning An: I'm very sorry. I was just too tired last night and fell asleep as soon as I washed up.]
[Xi Siyuan: Well, nothing to be done about that then.]
[Xi Siyuan: But hearing that you slept well puts my mind at ease.]
Ning An stared at the screen for a moment, then probed:
[Ning An: Mr. Xi, you must be very busy, right? How do you still have time to stay up late worrying about me?]
[Ning An: We just met. You being this enthusiastic is very suspicious.]
[Xi Siyuan: Have you ever considered that we might have met before, and I'm approaching you on purpose?]
[Ning An: We've met? When?]
How could she have zero recollection of it?
[Xi Siyuan: You just need to know that I will never hurt you.]
He saw through her probing and didn't answer directly, but gave her a promise instead.
Ning An deleted her draft reply, put her phone away, and went downstairs.
Liu Fangying and Wang Qin had already taken their seats, waiting just for them.
"An'an, come sit by Grandma."
Ning An smiled, walked over, and pulled out the chair next to the old lady to sit down.
"What were you chatting about with Awang? How'd you take so long coming down?"
"Nothing..."
"Mom, young people have their own rhythm of life. You don't need to ask."
Wang Qin cast a satisfied glance at Ning An's slightly faded lipstick. "We elders just need to handle the trivial matters for them."
"That's true."
Liu Fangying glanced at her daughter-in-law and urged Ning An, "Let's eat first."
Qin Wang came over shortly after and sat down next to Wang Qin.
Wang Qin first served her son a bowl of soup. Seeing his exhausted expression, she asked with a pang of pity, "Has work been very busy lately? Have you been eating properly?"
"It's fine."
"Why is it always that same answer?"
Wang Qin was a bit displeased. "You're like this, and An'an is too. Ask you anything and you just say 'it's fine'."
Her gaze swept back and forth between Ning An and Qin Wang, and she suddenly suggested, "Would the two of you like to move back in? We can have the family chef whip up some nutritious meals to get your health back on track before the wedding."
Qin Wang refused without a moment's hesitation. "It's more convenient for me to commute from the apartment."
Wang Qin wasn't happy. "There's a driver, you don't even have to drive. What's inconvenient about it?"
"An'an, what do you think?" She looked at Ning An with a hint.
Ning An was sipping her soup and replied offhandedly, "He probably feels he doesn't have enough freedom living at home."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately received a sharp glare, as if someone wanted to eat her alive.
Wang Qin's face turned ashen with anger; she couldn't even finish her meal. "You child, how..."
Wasn't she usually quite socially perceptive? How did she suddenly turn stupid?
Ignoring the discontented and furious gazes of the mother and son, Ning An finished the soup in her bowl.
"Auntie, please don't misunderstand."
She smiled casually at the group and added, "I just think the apartment is closer to the company. It's more convenient for commuting or going to gatherings with friends, and it saves a lot of time."
He needed to fool around with Tang Meng more so she'd have the opportunity to blackmail him for money.
Both mother and son wore complex expressions, staring at Ning An in displeasure—which, in the old lady's eyes, looked like she was being bullied.
Liu Fangying glanced at her daughter-in-law and said unhurriedly, "Young people have their own pace of life. Just let them decide for themselves."
Wang Qin gritted her teeth. "...Right."
Ning An gave a sweet smile and picked up a meatball for the old lady. "Thank you, Grandma."
After lunch, following a short break, the caregiver who took care of the old lady brought over her medicine to remind her to take it.
Ning An poured a glass of water and glanced at the dosage. "Did they increase the medicine again?"
Liu Fangying took the medicine and said cheerfully, "The doctor told me to increase the dosage during my check-up a few days ago."
Seeing the look on her face as if she were about to cry, Liu Fangying reassuringly patted the back of her hand. "An'an, hand me the water."
After taking her medicine and resting a bit longer, Ning An helped the old lady back to her room to lie down.
Once she tucked the quilt around the old lady and stood up, Liu Fangying suddenly asked, "An'an, did Awang bully you?"
Ning An's eyes stung.
For as long as she could remember, only Grandma and Qin Wang ever cared if she was being bullied or feeling upset.
Now, even Qin Wang had become the one who bullied her.
Only Grandma was left to care about her.
"Grandma, you're overthinking it."
Ning An said softly, "With you around, how could he dare?"
Her ambiguous words neither admitted nor denied it.
Liu Fangying looked deeply at Ning An for a moment and pulled her hand into her own. "Grandma doesn't know how much longer she can stay with you. My only worry now is you... If you have any grievances, don't bottle them up inside. While I can still move around, I want to help you as much as I can."
Ning An felt a lump in her throat and gripped her hand tightly. "Grandma, don't say such inauspicious things."
Liu Fangying, however, took it in stride and smiled to comfort her. "I've been sick for so many years. Living to this day is already pure bonus."
With tears choking her throat, Ning An wanted to say something when her phone rang.
It was the number for the orphanage office.
As soon as the call connected, a child's cries from the orphanage echoed through the entire room:
"Sister An, Director Mom fell down the stairs, wahhhhh..."