Chapter 13: Have You Been Bribed by Her?

Xia Ruanruan’s enthusiasm made Lin Wei pause for a moment before she smiled and nodded.

Xia Ruanruan quickly ran upstairs and came back down not long after.

Watching her move so quickly, Lin Wei said, “There’s not much to do. I can handle it myself, no need to rush.”

Hearing this, Xia Ruanruan playfully replied, “I already said I’d help you, Mom. If I don’t even move a single flower pot, won’t that be embarrassing?”

Lin Wei chuckled. “Silly child, you’re not an outsider. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

As she spoke, she carefully observed Xia Ruanruan. The girl’s temperament seemed to have changed a lot.

If she could continue living peacefully like this, it wouldn’t be too bad.

After they finished their tasks, Lin Wei invited Xia Ruanruan inside to wash her hands and asked her where she had eaten lunch.

She assumed Xia Ruanruan had eaten with Huo Beiqing at the hospital.

But Xia Ruanruan said, “I ate noodles outside. I went to the department store and bought two outfits.”

She then added, “I rushed in earlier. Let me go get them and show you, Mom.”

Before Lin Wei could respond, Xia Ruanruan ran upstairs again.

Lin Wei sighed, “Such a lively personality.” She smiled and shook her head.

Her son was a quiet person. This kind of balance actually seemed quite good. At least it was complementary.

If both people in a marriage were silent, the household would feel dull.

Soon, Xia Ruanruan came downstairs holding her new clothes. One was a light yellow knitted sweater.

Lin Wei immediately praised, “The color is lovely. It’s perfect for young girls like you.”

Then she glanced at Xia Ruanruan’s current outfit—gray khaki fabric that looked dull and lifeless. She couldn’t help but say, “Tomorrow, I’ll give you some money. When you go to the hospital, pick out a couple more outfits.”

As she spoke, she held up the sweater against Xia Ruanruan’s body and smiled. “It looks great on you!”

Xia Ruanruan had delicate and charming features with fair skin, but her previous outfit made her look dull, lacking the youthful vibrancy of her age.

But with this light yellow sweater, she suddenly looked like a fresh, delicate flower bud.

However, Xia Ruanruan felt embarrassed about taking money from her mother-in-law.

It was one thing to accept money from Huo Beiqing—after all, he was still her legal husband at the moment. But taking money from Lin Wei…

Thinking about her eventual plan to divorce, Xia Ruanruan quickly waved her hands. “Mom, there’s no need. Huo… Beiqing gave me some money today. I have enough.”

Since she insisted, Lin Wei didn’t push further. She simply said, “It really does look nice. It’s good for young girls to dress up a little.”

While they were chatting, Huo Yuanyuan arrived home.

When she saw her mother smiling and talking to Xia Ruanruan, she immediately felt displeased.

She walked over and grabbed Xia Ruanruan’s new clothes.

Xia Ruanruan wasn’t happy about that. She firmly held onto the other end of the clothes and casually patted Huo Yuanyuan’s hand.

Caught off guard, Huo Yuanyuan let go in pain.

Xia Ruanruan quickly picked up her clothes and stood up. “Mom, I’ll go put my clothes upstairs first. Then I’ll come down to help Aunt Chen.”

She wasn’t about to let this little sister-in-law touch her stuff.

Lin Wei noticed the subtle tension between her daughter and Xia Ruanruan. Thinking about what had happened yesterday, she understood why Xia Ruanruan wasn’t too fond of Yuanyuan.

So, she just nodded. “Go ahead.”

Huo Yuanyuan rubbed her sore hand, feeling indignant. She stomped her foot and complained, “Mom! Did you see how she treated me?”

Lin Wei’s smile faded. “I didn’t see anything wrong with her behavior. But you, on the other hand—coming home and making a scene right away is very unseemly.”

Huo Yuanyuan: “…”

“Mom, have you been bribed by her?”

“Is that it?”

Lin Wei: “…”

She didn’t even want to argue with her daughter.

Upstairs, Xia Ruanruan put her new clothes in the corner of Huo Beiqing’s wardrobe, neatly placing them on top of her floral cloth bundle.

Then, she headed back downstairs—she had promised to help Aunt Chen, after all.

She bounced down the stairs cheerfully.

Huo Yuanyuan, still annoyed from earlier, rolled her eyes at her and huffed in frustration.

Lin Wei glanced at her and asked, “Do you have a stuffy nose?”

Huo Yuanyuan: “…”

At that moment, Xia Ruanruan sweetly called out, “Mom, I’m going to help Aunt Chen now!”

Lin Wei immediately changed her expression, smiling warmly. “Alright, don’t tire yourself out.”

Xia Ruanruan nodded obediently.

Then, when Lin Wei turned away, she made a playful face at Huo Yuanyuan.

Huo Yuanyuan wanted to huff again, but remembering what her mom had just said, she held it in.

She was fuming inside!

Just as dinner was ready, noises came from outside. Huo Beiqing and his father had returned.

When Huo Beiqing entered, he didn’t see Xia Ruanruan. Instead, he saw Lin Wei sitting in the living room, while Huo Yuanyuan stood nearby.

Seeing him, Huo Yuanyuan immediately greeted him, “Brother!”

Huo Beiqing nodded at her and also acknowledged Lin Wei.

Lin Wei stood up and said, “Dinner’s ready. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

Dean Huo went to the downstairs bathroom to wash his hands.

Huo Beiqing was about to do the same but suddenly changed direction and headed toward the kitchen.

At the kitchen entrance, Xia Ruanruan happened to be coming out with a plate of food. She nearly bumped into him.

Huo Beiqing reached out and steadied her wrist, preventing the dish from spilling.

After a brief pause, he let go, stepped aside, and raised his hands. “I’m just here to wash my hands.”

Xia Ruanruan let out a relieved sigh. “Phew, that was close.”

Hearing that he was here to wash up, she didn’t even look up. She just continued speaking thoughtfully, “The food’s all ready. Once you’re done washing, come and eat.”

As Xia Ruanruan spoke, she kept walking without pausing. Huo Beiqing stood at the kitchen door, his eyebrows moving slightly before he turned and entered the kitchen to wash his hands.

Inside the kitchen, Aunt Chen saw Huo Beiqing and greeted him cheerfully, “Not too busy these past few days?”

Huo Beiqing nodded. “Mm, not busy.”

As a key doctor at the hospital, he rarely had the chance to come home for meals, maybe once or twice a month.

Often, he wouldn’t even come home to sleep at night.

So, seeing him back for dinner two days in a row was indeed a pleasant surprise.

After washing his hands, Huo Beiqing casually picked up the dishes beside him. Aunt Chen was scooping rice and quickly said, “No need for you to do this, you’ve had a long day. Let me, I’m almost done with the rice anyway.”

“It’s fine, just a small task.”

Not only did Huo Beiqing carry the dishes, but he picked up two at once—one hand holding a dish, the other a bowl of soup—steady as ever.

Xia Ruanruan walked past him, silently giving a thumbs-up. Look at that—tsk, tsk—no wonder he’s such a capable doctor. Even carrying dishes, he puts others to shame.

Once all the food was on the table, everyone took their seats. As usual, there wasn’t much small talk, and dinner ended quickly. Xia Ruanruan stayed behind to help clean up.

Huo Beiqing was heading for a shower after dinner, while she, feeling awkward about going straight back to the room, decided to keep busy a little longer before returning.

Sure enough, after lingering downstairs for a while, when she finally went up, Huo Beiqing had just about finished his shower.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, before he could say anything, Xia Ruanruan grabbed her clothes and said, “I’ll go shower now!”