Chapter 86.2

“Hmph!”

Finny glared at him, then jabbed a dumpling onto Ruan Mingfu’s plate.

Well, not really jabbed—more like poked. The little princess wasn’t yet adept at using chopsticks.

“This dumpling is so delicious!” Finny exclaimed, waving her small hand. “I’m taking the chef back to F country with me so I can eat this every day!”

Ruan Mingfu remained silent.

That was none of her concern—such things were for the Foreign Ministry to handle.

Resting her chin on her hand, Finny looked wistfully at Xie Yanzhao, who still had a dark expression. “You really won’t come back to F country with me?”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Goodness! Here she was treating the girl to breakfast, and Finny was still trying to steal her man!

How could anyone tolerate that?

Just as Ruan Mingfu was about to speak, Finny grabbed her hand excitedly.

“In that case, I’ll just take Ruan with me!”

Andre’s eyes lit up. “Sister, I fully support you!”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Wow, so you’re planning to take both of us, huh?

Xie Yanzhao’s face turned completely black.

Soon enough, the meddling siblings were “escorted” out.

Only then did Guan Jiu bring the group over to Ruan Mingfu.

“Comrade Ruan, they’ve arrived.”

Ruan Mingfu turned around, and Xie Yan felt as though her eyes had just been dazzled by a beauty.

After a good night’s rest, Ruan Mingfu looked much better than she had the day before. Her skin was porcelain white, her ink-black eyebrows were as soft as willow leaves, her large eyes were bright and lively, and her lips were a striking shade of red.

“Second Uncle, Third Uncle,” she greeted.

Xie Xilou, facing Ruan Mingfu, felt a bit nervous.

“N-niece-in-law…”

“Niece-in-law,” Xie Donglou, unlike Xie Xilou, wasn’t as flustered. With confidence, he looked at her. “We’ve come to visit you.”

Ruan Mingfu smiled shyly. “We should be the ones visiting you.”

As everyone sat down, Guan Jiu quickly brought over some tea.

An Yuzhu, from the moment she arrived, couldn’t help but be astounded. The soft carpet beneath her feet and the spacious living room… She couldn’t help but think of the small attic room she had prepared, feeling a bit guilty.

Like the head of the family, Xie Donglou began introducing everyone to Ruan Mingfu.

“Ah! I’ve seen you before!”

Everyone turned to look at Xie Yan, who was pointing at Ruan Mingfu with wide eyes full of wonder.

“Xiao Yan, don’t point at your sister-in-law like that,” An Yuzhu scolded, smacking Xie Yan’s hand. “That’s rude.”

But Xie Yan was too excited to care.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ruan Mingfu. “Sister-in-law, didn’t you attend the International Trade Fair?”

Xie Yan had inherited the best features from both Xie Donglou and An Yuzhu, and her round, bright eyes made her look a bit like… well, a squirrel Ruan Mingfu had once seen in her previous life on her phone.

“Yes,” Ruan Mingfu nodded. “You know about the fair?”

Seeing Ruan Mingfu confirm it, Xie Yan became even more excited.

“The newspaper was supposed to send me to cover it, but I got sick… Sister-in-law, I read the article about you. You’re amazing!”

Xie Yan hadn’t remembered it so clearly before, but while sorting through materials yesterday, she had stared at the article about Ruan Mingfu for a long time and committed the face in the photo to memory.

That’s how Xie Yan recognized her at first sight.

Noticing the curiosity of her parents and everyone else, Xie Yan excitedly began recounting Ruan Mingfu’s performance at the trade fair. She was so animated in her storytelling that anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought she had attended in person.

Everyone’s attitude toward Ruan Mingfu had changed.

“Niece-in-law, you’re really amazing!”

“Yanzhao is truly blessed to have married you. It must be good karma from three lifetimes.”

“What are you saying!” Xie Donglou gave An Yuzhu a sidelong glance. “Having our Yanzhao and his wife together, now that is a match made in heaven.”

An Yuzhu glanced at him.

This scoundrel!

Now that he saw how capable his nephew and niece-in-law were, he was showing off in front of her again.

Xie Xilou, afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting his niece-in-law, could only nod along.

“Yes, yes, exactly!”

Ruan Mingfu kept a polite smile, but inside, she was dying of embarrassment.

Please, stop praising me!

She wanted nothing more than to escape this awkward situation.

Xie Yan’s gaze on Ruan Mingfu was practically dripping with admiration. “Sister-in-law, you’re truly amazing!”

What she hadn’t mentioned was that Ruan Mingfu was actually her idol.

After reading that article about her, Xie Yan had decided she wanted to become a woman as capable and radiant as Ruan Mingfu.

“What are you all talking about?”

A tall figure blocked the doorway, and the room seemed to darken as Xie Yanzhao entered. His large frame, like a mountain, blocked out much of the light. At this moment, Ruan Mingfu couldn’t even be bothered to find him annoying—her eyes lit up as if she’d just seen her savior.

An Yuzhu, trying to ease the tension between herself and her nephew, smiled and teased him.

“Of course, we were talking about you two,” she said, staring at Xie Yanzhao’s figure, though inwardly startled. “Saying how the two of you are a perfect match.”

Hearing this, Xie Yanzhao’s face softened, and even a small smile appeared, dissipating some of his normally cold aura.

“Yanzhao, you didn’t bring her over earlier because you were afraid your new wife might be shy, right?”

Seeing his reaction, An Yuzhu seized the opportunity and piled on the flattery.

“Your second aunt just loves to joke,” Xie Donglou chuckled, his face full of smiles. “Yanzhao, your third uncle and I have discussed everything. We’ll handle our older brother’s matters. You’re still young—follow us and learn more along the way.”

That wasn’t the original plan, but Xie Donglou had changed his mind.

Why not curry favor with such a capable nephew?

There wasn’t much affection between them anyway. If they continued to compete, Xie Yanzhao would only grow stronger, and Xie Donglou wouldn’t gain anything.

Xie Donglou was cunning. Whoever benefited him the most was who he’d support.

“Second Brother is right,” Xie Xilou, looking at his nephew for the first time in over a decade, was filled with emotion. “We won’t make a big event out of it—just a small gathering for the morning should be enough.”

Given the circumstances, only because of Commander Xie’s high rank could they even hold a modest farewell ceremony.

Anyone else would have just been buried with no fanfare.

“We’ll do as you say, uncles.”

Xie Donglou nodded in satisfaction.

“You aren’t planning to keep that house, are you?”

He would have loved to move in, but he knew he didn’t have the status for it. With Xie Yanzhao’s rank, he could probably apply to keep the house if he wanted.

But why should he?

“We’ll follow the protocol.”

Xie Yanzhao had no attachment to the house, even though it held both his happiest and hardest memories.

Xie Xilou had no interest in the house either.

“Then we’ll handle it your way.”

“As for the furniture inside, if you or Uncle Xilou need anything, feel free to take it.”

Ruan Mingfu, who now had two courtyard houses, didn’t need any of it. Besides, that house had been Commander Xie’s love nest with the nanny—just thinking about it felt unlucky. She didn’t want anything from it and was happy to offer it up as a gesture of goodwill.

“That would be great.”

Second aunt’s eyes lit up, eager to clear the place out right then and there.

An Yuzhu glanced at her with disdain.

After all these years, her sister-in-law still lacked any sense of decorum.

Fixing her hair, she turned to Ruan Mingfu with a smile. “Niece-in-law, I know this is your first time here. I’ll leave Xiao Yan with you. She’s grown up here and knows the area well. If you need anything, she can run errands for you.”

Xie Yan: “…”

Really, Mom?

But being able to spend more time with Ruan Mingfu up close—she didn’t care if it meant running errands or even sleeping on the floor.

“No, no…”

Ruan Mingfu wanted to refuse, but An Yuzhu’s enthusiasm was overwhelming.

“You should keep her. She’s tough and capable, and staying by your side might help her learn some of your talents. Right now, she’s too reckless.”

Xie Yanzhao nodded. “Then let’s have Xie Ming from Third Uncle’s side stay too.”

One from each family—fair and square.

Although An Yuzhu was a bit displeased, she quickly hid it.

“Keep your eyes open around your sister-in-law.”

Yet another scolding…

Xie Yan pulled a face. “Got it.”

With the arrangements made, the group finally left.

As they stepped outside, Xie Donglou gave An Yuzhu a thumbs-up. “My wife is the best—what a perfect excuse!”

Once the kids were settled in, building relationships would be easy.

Xie Donglou, being from the older generation, didn’t mind if Xie Yanzhao wasn’t close to him. As long as he maintained good ties with the next generation, if hard times came, Xie Donglou didn’t believe Xie Yanzhao would abandon them.

An Yuzhu smiled proudly.

She also felt particularly pleased with how everything had gone today.

Though, in hindsight…

If only she’d known earlier that Xie Yanzhao would rise to such success, she would have taken him under her wing from a young age.

Now, all she could hope for was that Xie Yan and Xie Ming would live up to expectations.

…..

That day, Ruan Mingfu and Xie Yanzhao stayed at home without going out. By nightfall, Ruan Mingfu asked Guan Jiu to arrange a room for the two of them to sleep in.

After all, they weren’t planning to stay here for more than a few days.

Ruan Mingfu lay on a chair, gazing absentmindedly at the dark lake under the night sky. Just as she was lost in thought, a thick blanket was wrapped snugly around her.

“What are you thinking about?” a voice asked.

“Thinking about you,” she replied.

Xie Yanzhao’s hand paused, and his gaze turned sharp.

“Oh?”

“I’m wondering… what if I hadn’t met you before?”

Ruan Mingfu snuggled into his arms, finding a comfortable position before lazily nestling against him.

This man had a great physique. Lying next to him was like being beside a furnace. Sometimes, if the blanket was too thick, she’d even wake up feeling hot. Maybe in a few days, when the temperature drops, it’ll be just right.

Hearing this, Xie Yanzhao tightened his grip on her.

“Let’s not talk about that,” Ruan Mingfu said, sitting up. “Since we’ve come all the way to the capital, I have so many things to buy. Plus, my sister-in-law asked me to deliver something to her sister, and I haven’t done that yet.”

She started counting on her fingers, listing things.

“Take your time,” Xie Yanzhao grabbed her small hand. “We have two people running errands for us here; let them handle it.”

“Are you serious?”

Ruan Mingfu widened her eyes in surprise, looking at him curiously.

She had assumed he wanted to cut all ties with the Xie family. Did she misunderstand him?

“At first, that was my plan,” Xie Yanzhao wrapped his arms around her, explaining. “But my uncle had a talk with me.”

Aside from Commander Xie’s own efforts, the Xie family had largely been supported by the Bai family. Even Xie Donglou, the Deputy Director of the Education Department, owed his position to them. Xie Xilou had been cared for by Bai Qingzhu as a child and even had a falling out with Commander Xie over her. He was a natural ally.

Now that the problematic individuals were gone, it made sense to mend relationships rather than fight alone. It would also show everyone that his distance from Commander Xie was due to the latter’s lack of decency, not his own.

Ruan Mingfu nodded. “Whatever decision you make, I’ll support you.”

“Really?”

Xie Yanzhao’s voice deepened as his eyes darkened.

“When have I ever lied to you?”

Ruan Mingfu patted his face, smiling with curved eyes.

“I’m curious, though. You’re so fierce, how do all these people end up liking you?”

It made sense for Gu Yilin to fancy him—maybe she had a unique taste. But Finny, the princess? That was puzzling.

Could it be that this man had some hidden qualities she didn’t know about?

“I’ll show you right now!”

With a strong movement, Xie Yanzhao lifted her along with the blanket and carried her toward the bedroom.

As Ruan Mingfu lay on the soft bed, her mind was still foggy.

Wait a minute!

Weren’t they just chatting? How did things turn into this? She was about to make a run for it, but Xie Yanzhao’s towering figure pressed down on her, hugging her tightly.

Then, he tucked them both under the blanket and said, “Sleep.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

So, that’s it?

She wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved. Staring at the ceiling, she slowly drifted off to sleep.