Chapter 86: The Little Wife Can Only Do Mischief with Him

The Song family wasn’t stupid.

Song Wanran felt touched at first, her heart fluttering with a sweet thrill. She thought to herself that although she had only met this seemingly gentle young man twice, he had already stepped in to help her. Could there truly be some special connection between them?

Moreover, his actions reflected wisdom and tact. Just a few words from him had resolved the conflict.

As Song Wanran observed him, a small, pink flame of girlish affection began to flicker in her heart.

But what did this girl in the blue dress just say?

… That unreasonable woman from earlier was his biological sister?

Someone bring a fire extinguisher!

Song Wanran’s slightly flushed face turned cold in an instant as she shot a frosty look at Wei Yuhong, who hadn’t yet managed to explain.

Wei Yuhong suddenly felt the humiliation of having his thoughts exposed in public.

His mind went numb.

He could have calmly explained the situation to smooth things over, but Xia Li’s unexpected appearance caught him off guard.

Under the peculiar gazes of those around him, his brain raced as he slowly stammered:

“No, that’s not it. Xia Li, you’ve misunderstood. I do know them, and yes, she’s a sister of mine, but she was raised in another village with relatives. I’m not that close to their family…”

The more he explained, the worse it got.

It took Wei Yuhong quite a while to regain his composure. He forced an apologetic smile at Song Wanran.

“I’m sorry… I should’ve said this earlier. That’s my fault.

“But it’s precisely because we’re relatives that they listened to my advice and agreed not to trouble Dr. Song anymore.”

Song Wanran was no fool.

From his words, she understood everything.

The feeling of being deceived filled her chest.

She had seen enough of men who’d do anything to curry favor.

What a joke!

She had genuinely been grateful to him just now, thinking he was a decent person.

Now, reflecting on the fact that she’d been briefly infatuated with a stranger who spouted lies, she felt disgusted—almost to the point of nausea.

To be fair, Wei Yuhong had indeed helped resolve the conflict and even taken a hit for her.

If only he had been upfront about his familial connection, there wouldn’t have been an issue.

But his deliberate concealment, only to be exposed on the spot, was what made everything so awkward and suspect.

Like everyone else present, Song Wanran now wondered:

Was this some elaborate setup? A staged act of heroism?

The notion filled her with revulsion. She furrowed her delicate brows and cast him another glance, her gaze now cold and distant. Wei Yuhong’s heart sank.

Song Wanran sneered, “Why are you apologizing to me? My father and I should be thanking you. Thanks for persuading your own sister’s family to leave us alone. Such noble self-sacrifice—truly commendable.”

She raised her chin slightly, her eyes scanning the crowd before landing briefly on Xia Li.

“And just to clarify, this ‘noble’ gentleman is not my fiancé. I don’t know him at all. Running into the same stranger twice? More absurd than seeing a ghost. Truly impressive.”

Xia Li nearly burst out laughing.

What a line!

She had almost directly accused Wei Yuhong of being a scheming fox in disguise, pulling stunts to feign kindness!

Standing at the office door, Song Heng’s stern face darkened further. He was even angrier now than when he had been falsely accused earlier.

He had thought Wei Yuhong seemed like a promising, intelligent young man. Who knew he’d approach his daughter with such underhanded intentions?

Bah!

Young men these days were truly shameless. Disgraceful!

Under the faintly disdainful and curious gazes of the crowd, cold sweat dripped from Wei Yuhong’s forehead.

What had gone wrong?

For the first time in a long while, the instincts he prided himself on had betrayed him.

He had been confident that winning over Song Wanran would be a simple task.

Now, his once-radiant face turned pale as the realization dawned: he had just lost something important.

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In truth, Wei Yuhong wasn’t entirely at fault.

He had merely seized the opportunity to help and didn’t have the malicious intent Song Wanran imagined.

But those who love playing clever tricks often find themselves outsmarted and bitten back.

This time, his precarious luck couldn’t save him.

As the onlookers dispersed, Wei Yuhong tried to explain further, but Song Wanran’s frosty demeanor made it clear she wasn’t listening. Her eyes reflected nothing but disdain.

“Everyone not involved, clear out! Don’t disturb the doctors!” The nurses deliberately raised their voices as they passed by him, their gazes laced with contempt.

From afar, their mutterings could still be heard:

“Tch, pretending to be a big deal. A hypocrite like him, willing to deny his own sister just to curry favor—he’s worse than my boyfriend.”

Humiliated, Wei Yuhong left in a hurry, as if pursued by ghosts.

Outside the hospital, he spotted Xia Li waiting at a bus stop.

Behind his glasses, his eyes darkened as he gritted his teeth and hissed through clenched jaws, “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? What’s your agenda?”

Xia Li blinked, startled, then widened her innocent eyes. “Wei Yuhong, what are you talking about? You… you look so strange. It’s scary.”

“…”

She gasped dramatically, realization dawning on her. “Oh! You’re blaming me for ruining your plan! Right, aren’t I?”

Wei Yuhong glanced around nervously and snapped, “Keep your voice down!”

“Wow, I can’t believe this!”

Xia Li’s soft face was filled with disappointment, her brows furrowing in her watery eyes.

“I used to think you were different from other men, but you’re just as bad! Messing up and then blaming others for your own faults? Trying to seduce a pretty girl and failing—what a shame!”

At the crowded bus stop, her loud voice drew more and more curious gazes.

Wei Yuhong was livid.

This woman—was there something wrong with her brain?!

Why was she yelling? Did she want everyone to think he was bullying her?

If she hadn’t shown up out of nowhere, he wouldn’t have ended up in this mess!

He tried to maintain a calm façade and signaled for Xia Li to step aside so they could talk.

But Xia Li immediately dodged with a wary look.

At that moment, Jiang Cheng approached from a distance. His expression darkened as he quickly stepped in front of Wei Yuhong, his voice cold and sharp like a blade:

“Leave.”

The veins on Wei Yuhong’s forehead throbbed. He glared at the tall, rugged man before him, his fists clenching tightly.

Then he turned and left in a huff.

Fine! Leave it be!

He strode off quickly, as if afraid someone might follow, all the while consoling himself to save face.

No wonder Xia Li had become so different recently. Clearly, it was because she had been associating with this brute of a man.

He sighed heavily.

Ah, what a disaster!

As evening approached, the world seemed to shift.

The city’s night sky held a different charm from the countryside’s.
In the village, the twilight breeze carried the scent of grass, tinged with faint traces of smoke from cooking fires.
The city, however, was steeped in the fumes of traffic, mingling with the mouthwatering aroma of food from street stalls.

The soft evening wind brushed against Xia Li’s shoulder-length hair, its cool touch soothing and light.

Seated by the window of the bus heading back to the village, she gazed at the fleeting scenery. Her clear, shimmering eyes narrowed slightly in the breeze.

She thought back to Wei Tianhong’s thoroughly flustered expression earlier—how he’d been left with no choice but to endure the humiliation. The memory brought a sweet smile to her lips.

Today was so worth it!

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” She chuckled inwardly, barely holding in her laughter.

Honestly, she hadn’t intended to expose the male lead’s little charade so spectacularly.
It wasn’t her fault! She’d just accidentally recognized the truth about his relationship with his elder sister.

If only Wei Tianhong had stayed calm and kept his composure instead of acting so guilty and flustered, things wouldn’t have gotten so awkward.
But alas, the young and inexperienced male lead wasn’t yet the scheming, thick-skinned figure he would one day become. For now, she could only revel in the one-sided satisfaction of outmaneuvering him.

Beside her, Jiang Cheng sat in his usual seat.

His hands rested on his thighs as he leaned back against the seat. His posture was upright and proper, as always.

Her delighted expression fell into the depths of his dark eyes.

His brow furrowed slightly.

Why was she so happy?

Earlier, as they were leaving, his wife had glanced at that skinny, cowardly man’s retreating back a few times.
What was so interesting about his pathetic, fleeing figure?

Since then, her mood had stayed notably bright, her soft pink lips curved in a faint, beautiful arc.

He remembered… didn’t she used to call that guy “Brother Hong”?

Old Zhang once warned him: when men and women who aren’t related by blood start calling each other “brother” and “sister,” you’d better watch out—nine times out of ten, they’re up to no good.

No way! Jiang Cheng’s vigilance spiked abruptly.
He couldn’t let that scrawny coward corrupt his little wife!

His wife was only allowed to do bad things with him! No one else!

“Cough.”

Xia Li suddenly heard a low cough from Jiang Cheng.

She turned her head to look at him. “Cold?”

The man reached out with his large hand and shut the window. The whistling wind fell silent.

The bus rocked gently, illuminated by a single dim, hazy light. There weren’t many passengers—most were scattered across seats, dozing off.

He turned his face toward her, his rugged features shadowed by the faint glow.

After a pause of two seconds, his deep voice broke the quiet.
“…I heard that if you keep smiling into the cold wind, you might end up paralyzed.”

Xia Li: ?

Was she just accused of giggling foolishly?

“Wait, where did you hear that?”

She rubbed her slightly chilled cheeks, glaring at him skeptically. “Paralyzed? And for the record, I wasn’t giggling!”

Her rosy nose tip, reddened from the earlier breeze, and her moonlit eyes framed by long lashes were adorable as she frowned at him so earnestly.

Jiang Cheng swallowed. He couldn’t resist raising his hand to give her cheeks a firm pinch.

!!!

So soft.

Her skin was as smooth and bouncy as a freshly peeled egg.

“Smack!”

Xia Li slapped his hand away and puffed her cheeks, glaring daggers at him.

Did this man not realize how heavy-handed he was?! Her face stung from his pinching!

Jiang Cheng, despite getting smacked, didn’t seem the least bit offended. On the contrary, his dark eyes glimmered.

“I’m so jealous of you,” he suddenly said.

Xia Li frowned. “What?”

“I’m jealous you get to pinch your own cheeks every day.”

“…” She had no words. This man’s brain… what kind of logic even was this?!

Xia Li huffed and turned her head away, sitting up straight. “Fine. Go ahead and pinch your own face. Everyone’s got one, don’t they?”

He fell silent, his brows furrowing in distaste at the mental image her words conjured.
It was downright repulsive.

The last bus arrived at the village stop, and Xia Li and Jiang Cheng got off, carrying the bags of items they’d bought.

It was already late.

Nearby, glowing embers from cigarettes flickered in the dark as men and women chatted and laughed.

Zhao Xueling, cigarette in hand, stood under a tree with a group of troublemakers, exhaling smoke into the night. She looked up to see Xia Li walking side by side with that strange, aloof man.

Feigning surprise, she smiled and waved enthusiastically. “Li’er!”

“You just got back from the city, huh?” She flicked her cigarette to the ground and quickly strode over.

Her eyes darted between the bags in Jiang Cheng’s hands and Xia Li, her expression turning sly. She arched a brow at Xia Li and teased, “Still claiming there’s nothing going on between you two? You’re clearly way past that stage.”

“Li’er, are you even going to tell me? Aren’t we besties anymore?”

Xia Li: “Nope.”

She genuinely couldn’t understand why Zhao Xueling had taken such an interest in hanging around her lately, always putting on this fake-friendly act.

Still, Xia Li didn’t mind—watching people put on performances could be pretty entertaining.

Sure enough, Zhao Xueling’s face instantly crumbled at her blunt response.

“Y-You… how could you say that? We used to be so close! Now that you have a man, you’re just going to ignore me?” she stammered, trying to look wounded.

Xia Li blinked, feigning innocence. “Oh, I misspoke. Of course, we’re besties! And since we’re so close, how about helping me carry these bags? My hands are sore.”

Zhao Xueling: “…”

Xia Li’s starry eyes glimmered innocently. Her tone was pure as she added, “What’s this? You won’t help with such a small favor? Gosh, I really thought you meant what you said just now…”

Zhao Xueling’s lips twitched.

Before she knew it, she had taken the heaviest bag Xia Li handed over.

The weight nearly tipped her over.

Why was it so heavy? Was there lead in here?!

In fact, Xia Li had only carried the bag off the bus for a moment, and it was originally Jiang Cheng’s responsibility. It held a new thermos and other household items—of course, it was heavy.

After a few steps, Zhao Xueling realized she’d been played.

Why did I agree to this?! What on earth was I thinking?!

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🎉 Happy New Year, everyone! 🎉