Chapter 8

Editor: SleepyMango123

Proofreader: Lore

“Young Master Han really is…”

“Just call him Han Cheng.” Yan Lihua interrupted Xia Sisi and glanced at her through the mirror. “We are all relatives. You are still his elder in terms of generation. If you talk like this, people will laugh.”

Xia Sisi frowned when she heard the word “elder”, she sighed and changed her words, “Did Han Cheng really say that everything was good with Xia Tian?”

Yan Lihua tidied up her hair and nodded. “Yes, I’d asked him if Xia Tian had caused any trouble or if he was mischievous… He said he wasn’t.”

Xia Sisi sneered, “Could you take what he said seriously? He might just be polite.”

“Not necessarily.” Yan Lihua put her comb down and said, “I asked a little bit about their matters and Han Cheng replied with quite a few details. If they hadn’t spent much time together, he wouldn’t have known that much. From what he said, they were together every day. I’ve also heard that Han Cheng recently broke off contact with those people from before. In this month, if there wasn’t a need for socialising, he would never go outside nor bring Xia Tian out. Outsiders even said that he had changed his sexual preference and was infatuated with Xia Tian.”

Xia Sisi scoffed at her mother’s reply and said, “Who hasn’t done things on impulse before? Didn’t you just say that he never took Xia Tian out? How would others know whether their relationship was good or not? What the reality is, only they themselves know.”

“Yes, things behind closed doors are their issues.” Yan Lihua glanced at Xia Sisi, her words full of hidden meaning and continued, “There is no need for outsiders to worry about it.”

Xia Si thought about what had happened during the birthday party, flushed, and responded stiffly, “Who is willing to worry about it? I heard that Xia Tian had changed schools?”

“Yes, Han Cheng helped him complete the procedures and he is studying in Huatian.” Yan Lihua changed from her smart attire to a rarely worn ink-colored cheongsam. She took a long time to decide and finally chose a pearl necklace whose beads were neither too big nor too small. Upon wearing it and having a closer inspection in the mirror, she continued, “At first, I didn’t believe what Zhou Yun said. They were… love at first sight. Ha! Someone like Han Cheng who had seen the world and is experienced. And you say that he couldn’t help himself when he saw your son? Who are you kidding?”

Xia Sisi insisted, “That’s right! How is it possible…”

“But I believe it now.” Yan Lihua interrupted coldly, “These days, Han Cheng has been very concerned about Xia Tian. Whether he was fascinated by Xia Tian at the heat of the moment or truthfully really likes Xia Tian, Xia Tian now has significant weight in his heart. Because of this, you have to treat Xia Tian better… At least show it to outsiders that your relationship is good.”

“I don’t care if you’re happy or not. Later on, you have to pretend to be happy and you must treat Xia Tian politely.”

A trace of annoyance flashed between Xia Sisi’s eyes, knitting her brows she replied, “Can’t I say that I have something on? Or that I am unwell today… and have gone out to get some fresh air.”

Xia Sisi got up, but before she could go outside, Yan Lihua angrily shouted, “Stop!”

“I’m reluctant to smile at him, can’t I?” Xia Sisi was exasperated, “You know I won’t pretend to be happy…”

“Then learn.” Yan Lihua completely let herself go. “In a while, not only will the two of them come over, but your sister-in-law and the relatives that are close to us will also come. I have to let them know that our family has always been harmonious!”

Xia Sisi was irritated and refuted, “So what if they know that our family is harmonious? Haven’t you already discussed your cooperation? How would letting others think that our family is harmonious be profitable for you?”

“It’s not beneficial for me, but it is for you.” Yan Lihua was hurt by Xia Sisi’s stupidity. She sat down and made her tone as gentle as possible, “Look at Zhou Yun… usually quietly making money while raising Xia Tian. None of it was neglected. Now that she has chosen a person that no one could have imagined for Xia Tian to marry… Even I had never dared to think about it before. Since Xia Tian and Han Cheng are now married, in the future, there is no need for Zhou Yun to argue with us about the Xia family’s property. I cannot ignore Xia Tian’s share of inheritance anymore, and if I do, I won’t be able to explain to Han Cheng.”

Yan Lihua frowned and looked at Xia Sisi. “But what about you?”

Xia Sisi was taken aback.

“I need you to have a good reputation.” Yan Lihua said slowly, “Have a good relationship with Han Cheng and Xia Tian. It will definitely do no harm to your future marriage, understand?”

When it came to things concerning herself, Xia Sisi became more honest. She nodded and was silent.

Yan Lihua sighed softly and suddenly felt a little envious of Zhou Yun. At least she had never seen Zhou Yun educate Xia Tian so hard.

The effect of her education was remarkable. An hour later, when Han Cheng and Xia Tian arrived, Xia Sisi at least maintained her politeness, smiling and greeting both Han Cheng and Xia Tian. It was as if the discord at the previous birthday party did not exist.

Han Cheng had no intention to make trouble for the lady. Pretending that nothing had happened before, he nodded politely at Xia Sisi and went to greet Zhou Yun who had arrived earlier.

Zhou Yun was worried about her son. This month, she had always been in contact with Xia Tian and knew how the two got along. She was much more relieved than before and smiled politely at Han Cheng. “Xia Tian is playful and naughty. This month, he didn’t disturb you too much, did he?”

Just as Han Cheng was about to speak, out of the corner, Yan Lihua greeted him with a smile. Han Cheng paused and with a small laugh, “He’s a little bit playful, but not naughty. He occasionally lazes around when he is in class. Just a slight reminder and he will be serious… You don’t have to worry about his school progress. I’ll be watching over him.”

Zhou Yun had known from Xia Tian that Han Cheng had accompanied him to do his homework every day, felt apologetic and said, “Sorry for using up too much of your time…”

“It’s nothing.” Han Cheng replied with upturned lips, “It was originally my responsibility, Aunt Zhou.”

Han Cheng nodded at Yan Lihua. Yan Lihua smiled and said, “What? You are now tutoring our Xia Tian? We have troubled you.”

A relative laughed when he heard this. “Oh, you are tutoring Xia Tian? Hahaha, that’s not “troubled”, it’s “difficult”.”¹

it’s a pun which the relative used by playing with the words, as both words have the Chinese character ‘费’.

Upon hearing that, Yan Lihua’s face stiffened and Zhou Yun slightly curled and clenched her fingers… Thanks to Yan Lihua and Xia Sisi, Xia Tian’s terrible results were already a well-known joke. Yan Lihua had mentioned to others countless times that Xia Tian’s brain was not good and that his studies were not going well. In the future, he would definitely lose the family business. What Xia Sisi said was even uglier.

Fortunately, Xia Tian had heard countless cynicisms like “just a joke” and had long been immune.

However Han Cheng was not.

Han Cheng looked at the relative who was out of line with his joke. His smile slowly faded, and the living room instantly became quiet. Everyone looked at one another awkwardly not knowing what to say.

Zhou Yun looked at Xia Tian with a little uneasiness. Xia Tian gave a faint smile, and whispered in his mother’s ear, “Now you know why I told you that I was a little scared of him… Whenever he puts his mask down, I don’t even dare to look at him…”

Zhou Yun squeezed Xia Tian’s hand to forbid him from speaking, so as not to be heard. Yan Lihua smiled, and when she was about to force herself to speak up to ease the situation, Han Cheng suddenly smiled indifferently. “You mentioned that it is difficult. You mean it’s hard for me to teach Xia Tian at my level, right? Sorry… It’s the first time someone has ever questioned my capabilities and I wasn’t able to react for a while.”

The stupefied relative responded, “Huh? No, I didn’t mean you…”

“However, for now, tutoring Xia Tian is easy. I’m not that unintelligent. He is also very smart. The progress is going smoothly.” Han Cheng interrupted him, smiled politely and ended the conversation. He then turned his head to talk to Zhou Yun.

The atmosphere in the living room returned to normal in an instant. Yan Lihua breathed a sigh of relief and went to talk to her relatives to ease the atmosphere.

Zhou Yun looked at Han Cheng with affection, and said softly, “Thank you.”

“As long as you don’t think I was being rude,” Han Cheng replied calmly.

“Of course not.” Zhou Yun looked at Xia Tian and whispered, “Xia Tian, say something!”

Xia Tian hadn’t recovered from what had just happened and was suddenly awoken from his stupor by someone calling his name. He was shocked and didn’t know that Zhou Yun was urging him to thank Han Cheng. He had only heard what Han Cheng said and shook his head, “Neither rude nor inappropriate.”

Han Cheng smiled and said nothing.

Zhou Yun looked at Xia Tian’s reddish cheeks and frowned slightly.

After a while, the dishes were ready to be served, and everyone was seated.

As everyone had familiar business interests with one another, it was natural to talk about market trends, policies that were about to change, and so on. Everyone became much more enthusiastic when talking about business experiences compared to the small talk earlier on.

On this occasion, Han Cheng was surprisingly not the focus of everyone’s attention. While eating, he chatted with others about business, and at the same time, he discovered… There were many eyes on the table, all looking at him and Xia Tian.

Obviously, Xia Sisi was not the only one who was curious about their married life.

No matter how one saw it, Han Cheng and Xia Tian were not a good match in any respect. The marriage was so hasty. Han Cheng had previously refused to hold the wedding. Everyone knew that the marriage was for the cooperation of both the Han and Xia family. Plus Han Cheng’s perfunctory and business-like reactions made everyone feel that he was very cold towards Xia Tian.

Towards Xia Tian and Zhou Yun, everyone felt a little bit of pity and superiority, as though they were treated as pawns in the marriage. Now, the other party had even treated Xia Tian badly.

Therefore, Han Cheng’s response towards Xia Tian’s remarks just now surprised everyone. Everyone was suspicious. During the dinner, consciously or unconsciously, they were paying attention to the newlyweds.

Xia Tian was not that conscious about these things, but Han Cheng noticed it.

If it was normal, Han Cheng wouldn’t have cared. But the relative who had insulted Xia Tian provoked Han Cheng. He hadn’t been offended for a long time, and he couldn’t stand it if he didn’t take a bit of revenge.

From time to time, Han Cheng turned his head and whispered a few words to Xia Tian. During the time he talked with others, he did not forget to give Xia Tian his favorite dishes. He was so considerate that others kept paying attention to them.

By the time Xia Tian realised something was happening, the meal was soon to be over.

Xia Tian was a little embarrassed and whispered to Han Cheng, “You don’t have to take care of me… They are all watching.”

“You are a grown person and yet you are afraid of others watching?” Han Cheng turned his head slightly and looked down at Xia Tian with a smile. From the outsiders’ perspective, Han Cheng’s gaze at Xia Tian couldn’t be more gentle. A few unmarried girls looked at Xia Tian with a little admiration, murmuring softly amongst themselves.

Han Cheng whispered, “It’s good that you are able to tell… Give me some food and move a bit gracefully.”

Xia Tian blushed, looking at Han Cheng embarrassedly and begging for mercy. “My mother is still watching…”

Han Cheng looked at Xia Tian with a smile that couldn’t be rejected. He lowered his voice and said, “Believe it or not, I have something else to prove that we are close. Should I try that?”

Xia Tian’s ears slowly reddened and he tried to calm his face. When the last dish was served, Xia Tian shyly held up a piece of meat, and under everyone’s gaze, placed it on Han Cheng’s plate.

Several people looked over while Han Cheng calmly picked up the food that Xia Tian had just given him.

Sitting aside, Xia Sisi tried to maintain the smile on her face and poured herself a glass of wine.

• 1
  
  
  it’s a pun which the relative used by playing with the words, as both words have the Chinese character ‘费’.