Chapter 73

Ruan Mingfu blinked, glancing at her mother. Mrs. Ruan seemed as calm as ever and responded, “Sure, I’m free the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful!” Li Xiuxiu sighed in relief. “I’ll let my mom know.”

She stood up and politely excused herself.

“Xiuxiu, take some crabs home to try,” Mrs. Ruan offered.

“Oh, no… that’s really not necessary…”

In the end, Li Xiuxiu couldn’t refuse and took the crabs with her.

Watching her leave, Ruan Mingfu slowly walked over and asked, “Mom, don’t tell me you actually like her and want her to be your daughter-in-law?”

“Nonsense.”

Mrs. Ruan shot her a glare and turned to go inside.

Ruan Mingfu hurried after her. “Then why did you agree to go over for dinner?”

“Ye Qiu and I get along pretty well, so what’s wrong with having a meal together?”

Get along?

Ruan Mingfu muttered: “…You can get along with everyone.”

“You, why are you worrying about this?” Mrs. Ruan said casually. “They’re just inviting us for a meal, they didn’t say anything more. Besides, Ye Qiu might not even mean anything by it. Look at you, getting all worked up for no reason.”

“Oh.”

What do you mean she doesn’t have any intentions? She clearly does!

Ruan Mingfu couldn’t figure out what her mother was up to. While she didn’t mind Li Xiuxiu, she had a terrible impression of Ye Qiu.

…

After recovering from their injuries, the mother and daughter finally left the hospital. They didn’t dare stay any longer, too ashamed.

Everyone in the surrounding rooms knew that something unforgivable had happened to the commander’s family, resulting in them getting beaten up.

Perhaps out of fear of embarrassment, Commander Xie rarely came to see them during their hospital stay.

The nanny couldn’t stand it anymore and left with Xie Yin as soon as possible, worried that Commander Xie might get snatched up by some other scheming woman.

Bai Qianzhu, being as gentle and understanding as ever, coaxed Commander Xie back into his usual attitude toward the mother and daughter after several days of soothing him.

Today, Bai Qianzhu took Xie Yin to the supply and marketing cooperative.

After getting out of the car, Xie Yin noticed that no one was following them and immediately started complaining. “Mom, when will this miserable situation end?”

Bai Qianzhu had been telling her to endure, endure, endure—but if Xie Yin could endure, she wouldn’t be herself.

“Mom, if we can’t deal with Mrs. Ruan, then what about Xie Yanzhao?” Ever since that beating, Xie Yin had come to loathe everyone associated with Ruan Mingfu. “He’s in the army, and Dad’s the commander—dealing with him should be as easy as squashing a chick—”

“Shut up!”

Bai Qianzhu glanced nervously at the nearby police officers before giving Xie Yin a harsh glare.

“Say whatever you want in front of me, but if your dad hears, he’ll be the first to punish you.”

“Mom~”

Xie Yin clung to her mother’s arm, pouting and pleading. “It’s not like he’s on Dad’s side. Getting rid of him would be perfect revenge for Dad.”

“Oh? And how do you plan to get rid of him?”

Xie Yin’s eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity. After thinking for a moment, she suggested, “Isn’t his wife the daughter of some capitalist? We could… ouch! Mom, why’d you hit me?”

“I’m not hitting you—your dad would!” Bai Qianzhu was fuming, her chest heaving with anger. “You’re so stupid. Haven’t you learned anything from recent events? Even if they’re not close, they’re still father and son.”

She pinched a bit of skin on Xie Yin’s waist, causing her daughter to nearly jump in pain.

“If Xie Yanzhao is taken down, your dad will be implicated as well. Can’t you use your brain for once?”

The Bai family had held power for years, yet they had tolerated Commander Xie for so long. Bai Qianzhu shot her daughter an exasperated look before ordering, “Get inside!”

“Oh…”

Realizing she’d spoken out of turn, Xie Yin didn’t dare say anything more.

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, Xie Yin wrinkled her nose in disdain.

What a crappy place!

It wasn’t even half the size of the one in the capital. Small town, small place—nothing here was up to par.

Suddenly thinking of Ruan Mingfu, Xie Yin’s blood boiled with hatred.

“Let’s get you some new clothes,” Bai Qianzhu said after speaking with an employee. “My daughter has to dress beautifully.”

“If I’d known, we should’ve just bought everything in the capital. What good clothes could this place possibly have?”

Xie Yin glanced around and then brightened up when she spotted something.

“Mom, that dress over there looks nice.”

Bai Qianzhu followed her gaze, and a shop assistant, noticing their elegant attire, hurriedly stepped forward.

“You have great taste, comrade. This is a new arrival from Haicheng.”

“Let me see that.”

The salesperson took down the green dress that Ruan Mingfu had brought and was about to hand it over, but was stopped.

“Give her the brown one.”

Xie Yin wasn’t too happy. She had her eye on the color.

“I told you to go out less, but you didn’t listen,” Bai Qianzhu sighed, shaking her head. “Now do you see who’s right?”

Green makes pale skin paler and dark skin darker. And Xie Yin was definitely the darker one.

Even though she knew Bai Qianzhu was right, Xie Yin still felt a bit disgruntled. But she didn’t have the courage to argue, so she dropped the matter.

After buying the clothes, Xie Yin wore a long face.

“Alright, you—”

Bai Qianzhu was about to speak when she suddenly collided with someone, her entire body crashing into the man’s chest, sticking closely to him.

“Ah!”

Xie Yin was stunned for a moment, then screamed and hurriedly helped Bai Qianzhu up while cursing.

“Are you blind? Can’t you see where you’re going? You crashed right into my mom!”

The sudden commotion attracted a small crowd.

Xie Yin struggled to pull up Bai Qianzhu, but she was too big to move an inch, no matter how hard she tried. Frustrated, she shouted at the onlookers, “What are you all staring at? Come help us!”

The bystanders, who had been about to lend a hand, froze: “…”

With her shouting like that, it didn’t seem like she really needed their help.

Thankfully, staff from the store came over to assist Xie Yin, and together they helped Bai Qianzhu up.

“Mom, are you alright?”

Bai Qianzhu’s face showed pain. “Don’t move, don’t move. I hurt my leg…”

Hurt?

With no other option, they helped her to a nearby rest area.

“You can’t leave. Were you—”

Xie Yin was about to continue scolding when she saw the man who had bumped into Bai Qianzhu standing up. He was tall, handsome, and wearing an expensive suit—similar to the kind she’d only seen Qi Yangyan wear.

The man had a light stubble on his chin, and overall, he had an extremely refined and gentlemanly demeanor.

Thinking about the recent Shanghai Trade Fair, Xie Yin bit back her insults.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

The man looked very apologetic, speaking with a somewhat broken mix of Mandarin and Cantonese. You had to listen carefully to make out what he was saying.

Xie Yin, a bit flustered, cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure.

“You bumped into my mother. You should apologize to her.”

“Of course.”

Seeing them head into the rest area, the onlookers dispersed, realizing there wasn’t much more to see.

The man was genuinely apologetic.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I can cover the medical expenses and offer compensation.”

“It’s alright,” Bai Qianzhu gritted her teeth through the pain. “It’s just a twisted ankle, nothing too serious.”

To their surprise, the man’s eyes lit up.

“A twisted ankle? I can treat that.”

“You?”

Not just Bai Qianzhu and Xie Yin— even the shop staff standing nearby didn’t believe this foreign-looking man could treat an injury.

“I really can, trust me.”

“Alright.”

Xie Yin quickly tugged on Bai Qianzhu’s sleeve. “Mom, don’t be rash. What if he makes it worse?”

“It’s fine,” Bai Qianzhu gave the man a charming smile. “I believe him.”

With the injured party’s approval, no one had further objections.

The man squatted down and gently lifted Bai Qianzhu’s foot.

“Madam, is it here?”

His touch was delicate, gliding over her well-maintained skin and sending tingles through her. She couldn’t help but recall the feeling of being in his arms earlier, like a cat’s paw softly brushing against her heart.

Bai Qianzhu bit her lip. “…No, it’s a bit to the side.”

Now she could distinctly feel the warmth of his hand against her skin.

“Here?”

He applied light pressure, and Bai Qianzhu hissed through her teeth at the sudden pain.

Xie Yin stood anxiously beside her. “You—be gentle!”

“Don’t worry, miss,” the man smiled. “My grandfather may have been a foreigner, but my grandmother was from here, and she passed down an ancient family technique for treating injuries. I learned directly from her.”

“And, sir… may I ask your name?”

“I’m William,” he responded with a charming grin. “My grandparents and mother were foreigners, but I have a quarter of Chinese blood.”

As he spoke, he winked at both mother and daughter.

Xie Yin felt even more reassured.

“Madam, I’ll massage it a bit first to help it heal faster.”

Bai Qianzhu’s full attention was on the warmth of his hand on her foot. She barely registered anything else. After a long pause, she finally replied.

“…Oh, alright.”

As soon as she gave permission, William’s hands became more forceful. To get better leverage, he placed her foot on his thigh. The heat from his body radiated through the thin fabric of his trousers, warming her heel and spreading to her core.

The air around them seemed to thicken. Bai Qianzhu’s breathing grew shallow as her chest rose and fell more rapidly with each of his increasingly firm motions.

At the peak of the intensity, Bai Qianzhu couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

“Alright.”

William finally stopped, his face filled with polite satisfaction.

“Try walking a bit.”

Bai Qianzhu, slightly dazed, took a moment to gather herself. At last, she followed his suggestion and took a couple of steps.

The effect was astonishing; not only could she walk, but the pain had also vanished.

Xie Yin widened her eyes at this scene. “You’re really impressive.”

William’s smile deepened.

“My grandmother is an expert at treating this sort of injury. Many people come from afar to see her. Unfortunately, she lives in the Rose Manor in T country, which is far from here.”

A manor?

Xie Yin immediately seized on this keyword and excitedly looked at Bai Qianzhu.

However, Bai Qianzhu didn’t catch Xie Yin’s gaze. With her eyes glistening like spring water, she turned to William and said, “Mr. William, you’re amazing! You healed my injury so quickly. Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. It was the least I could do.”

Xie Yin felt anxious and tugged at Bai Qianzhu’s sleeve. If it weren’t for her last bit of restraint keeping her rational, Xie Yin would have rushed over immediately.

With both grandparents being foreigners and a manor in T country… If she married into that family, she couldn’t even imagine how happy her life would be. Qi Yangyan was gone, and she no longer cared about that scoundrel who hurt her.

William was definitely a catch.

Bai Qianzhu’s face seemed to glow with delight. “Mr. William, my name is Bai Qianzhu.”

“Bai, Qianzhu…” William’s affectionate gaze rested on her. “That’s a lovely name.”