Chapter 86.1

The sour mood hanging around Xie Donglou was almost tangible.

Feeling utterly frustrated, he went to return the car and then hurried home. As soon as he stepped in, he saw An Yuzhu sitting in the living room. She looked behind him, puzzled, and then turned to him with a frown.

“Where is he?”

Xie Donglou sat at the table, poured himself a glass of water, and froze when he heard her question.

A moment later, he slammed the glass down on the table, his face dark.

An Yuzhu glanced back and gave him a cold look.

“What’s gotten into you?”

How could someone go to the train station to pick someone up and return in such a foul mood?

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “Did your good nephew give you attitude?”

Xie Donglou: “…”

If only Xie Yanzhao had given him some attitude, then he could have justifiably taught him a thing or two about respect as his uncle.

But the problem was… the frustration!

Looking at An Yuzhu’s smug expression made Xie Donglou’s chest tighten.

“No!”

His face was still gloomy as he plopped down opposite her.

An Yuzhu shot him a sideways glance.

It’s longer than a donkey’s face, and he still says it’s okay, but no one will believe it. But she didn’t ask, did they really think that the Xie family members were all so awesome that she had to flatter them? She had to let Xie Donglou taste the bitterness she had tasted.

Feeling justified, she continued skimming through a pile of newspapers.

Xie Donglou took a deep breath, watching her movements.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s your good daughter,” An Yuzhu glanced at him, “she said the newspaper was going to hold an event and was collecting reports of major events over the years. Your daughter was too busy and asked me for help.”

She sighed, children were nothing but trouble!

“Oh, by the way, where’s your nephew? Is he coming or not? I’ve already prepared a room.”

“Hmph!”

Xie Donglou’s face, which had just lightened up, darkened again.

“Tell me, what exactly happened?”

Seeing his gloomy expression, An Yuzhu’s curiosity was piqued.

“…We live in a shabby house, he would look down on us.”

An Yuzhu froze mid-action and looked up at him.

Heavens…

An Yuzhu’s greatest pride wasn’t marrying Xie Donglou, nor was it boasting about having a commander for a brother-in-law. It was the fact that she lived in such a beautiful Western-style house. Compared to her sister, who had married a workshop director and lived in a 30 to 40 square meter apartment—

Their whole family squeezed in there, and whatever they did, everyone could hear. How could it compare to the spaciousness of her lovely house?

Because of this, she always had the upper hand when she met her eldest sister.

Her sister was even jealous of her house and once suggested that her son move in with them.

An Yuzhu had refused.

But hearing Xie Donglou’s comment now felt like a stab in the chest.

She raised an eyebrow and sneered, “He doesn’t like it? That nephew of yours is so impressive. Why doesn’t he go live in a palace or the imperial city!”

“Huh?” Xie Donglou looked at her in surprise. “How did you know he lives in a palace?”

An Yuzhu: “…”

By the time she realized what he meant, it was too late to get mad.

With burning eyes, she quickly sat down beside Xie Donglou, grabbed his hand, and asked, “What’s going on?”

Recalling the scene he had witnessed, Xie Donglou felt like he had been soaking in a vat of vinegar.

He recounted everything he had seen, then added, “…and it’s right across from the Great Hall.”

Even if it was just an empty lot, the location alone wasn’t something ordinary people could afford.

An Yuzhu was dumbfounded.

Good heavens, what kind of person was that nephew’s wife? She was quite impressive!

Thinking about the little attic she had prepared, An Yuzhu couldn’t help but blush.

Thankfully, Xie Donglou hadn’t brought them home, or she would’ve been utterly humiliated.

Snapping back to reality, her eyes sparkled as she held onto Xie Donglou’s arm. “Donglou, do you think we should pay them a visit tomorrow? Your nephew’s wife is new to the capital and doesn’t know anyone. I can keep her company.”

Xie Donglou knew exactly what An Yuzhu was up to.

His wife never did anything without a motive, and she clearly saw some benefit in getting close to Ruan Mingfu. Otherwise… well, the attic she had prepared spoke volumes.

“Alright, go with the third brother’s wife.”

An Yuzhu rolled her eyes, “What could two old folks like us possibly chat about with my niece-in-law? Better let your daughter go with me.”

“Alright, just make sure to tell her,” Xie Donglou replied.

Although Xie Donglou felt jealous, he understood the situation. Knowing that there was a big opportunity here, why not seize it?

He patted his pocket, recalling what had happened at the train station, and felt a surge of frustration towards Xie Xilou.

That idiot! He didn’t even bother to give him a heads-up about a welcome gift for the new bride!

“Pick out a gold bracelet and bring it to our niece-in-law tomorrow,” Xie Donglou instructed.

An Yuzhu’s expression shifted. She was about to complain, but then something crossed her mind, and she smiled brightly, nodding enthusiastically.

“Of course, it’s the right thing to do.”

The next morning, after dressing up meticulously, she was brought by Xie Donglou to Prince Kang’s Mansion. Seeing the grand entrance, An Yuzhu felt awkward and unsure of where to place her hands and feet.

Behind them, Xie Yan yawned, her eyes still teary from lack of sleep.

“Mom, Dad, are you sure my sister-in-law lives here?”

Who could possibly live in such a place?

“Shut up!” An Yuzhu scolded her, “You’d better behave today. If you dare say anything inappropriate, I’ll break your legs!”

“…Got it.”

Xie Yan covered her head, rolling her eyes in frustration.

She had stayed up until midnight organizing documents, only to be dragged out of bed early this morning. Xie Yan felt like she could fall asleep standing.

Looking at the massive red-and-brass door, she thought her parents had lost their minds.

Sure, her uncle was a commander, and her cousin held a high position in the military, but that didn’t mean they could live in a former royal mansion. She knew these buildings were state property; even during turbulent times, no one dared touch them.

After Xie Donglou knocked on the door, they stood quietly and waited.

However, after a long while, no one came to open the door.

An Yuzhu, dressed in her finest, shot Xie Donglou a puzzled glance.

“What’s going on? Knock again.”

Following her suggestion, Xie Donglou knocked once more. But this time, even after a long wait, no one came to open the door.

“Xie Donglou, are you sure this is the right place?” An Yuzhu asked, sounding doubtful.

Seeing how angry Xie Donglou was yesterday, did he misremember the place in his frustration?

“I’m sure—”

“Second Brother, you’re here too?”

Just as Xie Donglou was about to explain, Xie Xilou’s booming voice came from behind. Relieved, Xie Donglou quickly pulled him aside, “Tell your sister-in-law, didn’t we come here together yesterday?”

“Of course.”

An Yuzhu still wasn’t convinced.

This place used to be a royal residence in the previous dynasty. Even today, no war hero had moved in, yet here they were, claiming two young people lived here?

She wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t believe it—no one would.

Suspicion clouded her eyes as she looked at the two brothers. Were they conspiring to boost the reputation of their nephew?

As she pondered, the large vermilion doors finally opened.

It was the same chubby Guan Jiu from yesterday. Recognizing the Xie brothers, he hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting.

“Apologies, I was busy in the back courtyard and didn’t hear anything up front.”

Xie Xilou scratched the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly, “No worries, no worries.”

“You’re here to see Comrade Ruan, correct?” Guan Jiu, with his usual smiling face, gestured for them to follow him inside.

Before entering, Xie Donglou pulled him aside, “Wait… isn’t my nephew staying here?”

“This place hasn’t been fully renovated yet,” Guan Jiu explained. “Comrade Ruan found it too noisy, so she moved to another location.”

“Another location?”

Xie Donglou was truly stunned.

Damn it!

He thought living in a prince’s mansion was the pinnacle, but to think there was another place! What was next, the Forbidden City?

He felt a wave of bitterness and quickly shut his mouth, fearing that any words he spoke would betray his jealousy.

The group quietly followed Guan Jiu without saying a word.

Xie Yan snuck over to her mother’s side, lowering her voice, “Mom, who exactly is my cousin?”

How could someone be this powerful?

Living in a place like this… could this be Commander Xie’s doing? But she hadn’t heard her father mention anything about it.

An Yuzhu, after a long pause, finally found her voice.

“I… don’t know either.”

Luckily, she had kept her suspicions to herself. If she had said anything earlier, it would’ve been incredibly embarrassing!

She pulled Xie Yan over and said, “Behave yourself and stop talking nonsense!”

“I know,” Xie Yan pouted.

With someone this influential, how could she dare cause trouble?

The two locations weren’t far apart, and soon, they arrived at their destination.

An Yuzhu stared at the neatly arranged courtyard. Though it was more low-key than the mansion, the glazed tiles on the roof left her speechless.

“This way, please,” Guan Jiu said, leading them forward.

“Mom, is my cousin from Hong Kong?” Xie Yan asked, genuinely confused. She had never heard of any Hong Kong connections.

“That would be your sister-in-law.”

“Mom!” Xie Yan gasped, unable to suppress her surprise, her voice rising louder than intended, catching the attention of everyone around.

Quickly covering her mouth, her wide, sparkling eyes darted nervously from person to person.

Once everyone had turned back around, Xie Yan lowered her voice again.

“Weren’t they saying my sister-in-law was from the countryside?”

She didn’t have any prejudice against people from the countryside, but the grandeur of this setup wasn’t something a rural person could pull off.

“Who knows?”

An Yuzhu kept her thoughts to herself, though deep down, she was starting to piece things together.

It was probably that spiteful woman who couldn’t stand to see Xie Yanzhao doing well who spread the rumors.

If Bai Qianzhu were around, An Yuzhu would’ve slapped her to death. A vile person is always vile; no matter how hard they try, they’ll never make it to the top!

She almost dragged An Yuzhu down with her.

An Yuzhu glanced around at the neatly trimmed plants. Perhaps due to the winter season, the leaves were frosted over. Lightly touching one sent a bone-chilling cold through her fingers.

Guan Jiu led the group through the garden, where they spotted Ruan Mingfu, who had just gotten up and was having breakfast with Xie Yanzhao.

But the two of them weren’t alone in the dining hall—Andre and Finny, the clingy siblings, were there as well. Xie Yanzhao scowled, wishing he could throw the pair out.

Unfortunately, the siblings had just invested money, and the higher-ups were quite grateful.

Whatever demands the siblings made were met. This was why Lin Xiao had dropped them off early in the morning and then vanished.

“Miss Ruan, what is this? It looks delicious,” Andre, with his smooth, well-groomed golden hair, gazed at Ruan Mingfu with gentle affection. His eyes occasionally sparkled with flirtation, making Xie Yanzhao want to gouge them out.

“These are soup dumplings.”

“What a romantic name,” Andre said, not taking his eyes off Ruan Mingfu. “Miss Ruan, I realized after just one day apart that you…”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

He couldn’t take it anymore. He picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks and shoved it into Andre’s chatty mouth.

“Baron Andre, it’s breakfast time.”

Andre blinked his pretty eyes, then chewed the dumpling. He didn’t forget to complain to Ruan Mingfu, “MissRuan, this guy is so annoying. How do you put up with him?”

“Brother, eat more,” Finny, oblivious to the tension between the two men, kept adding food to Andre’s plate whenever she found something tasty.

Andre accepted it all, but still didn’t let her off.

“Oh, Finny, don’t think that just because you’re giving me food, I’ll forget that you tricked me.”

Yesterday, after signing the contract, Andre realized he’d been duped. But what could he do? The contract was already signed. As a gentleman of high status, Andre couldn’t stoop to tearing up the agreement.

So, with his petty and vengeful nature, he came early this morning just to annoy Xie Yanzhao.

Ruan Mingfu knew his intentions and ignored him.