Chapter 20 Xie Wei

Dark circles shadowed Xue Yongkang’s eyes as he gently patted his sister’s hand. He didn’t take her complaints to heart, but neither did he argue with her. He had seen clearly how much Xie Yan cared for his sister.

The moment they realized she was gone, it was impossible for Xue Yongkang to search for her alone. He had barely explained the situation to Xie Yan before the man immediately set off to look, no questions asked. The entire Xie family was mobilized in the search. Xie Yan had combed through crowded streets over and over without a single complaint. He even got hit by a bicycle because he lost control at the sight of every figure that looked remotely like her, afraid he might miss her.

“Little sister, ask Xie Yan if his foot’s doing any better,” Xue Yongkang said. He didn’t want Xie Yan to feel disheartened or change the way he treated her. A man understands another man best—someone like Xie Yan, who has such a strong sense of responsibility, would bear an injury in silence. A simple question from his little sister would go a long way in comforting him.

“Why don’t you… give him some of that ointment you made for Grandpa last time—the one that looked like cow dung?”
Xue Qingdai: “…”

That ointment was made with real money and high-quality ingredients—it just looked like cow dung.

Xue Qingdai couldn’t understand why her third brother’s attitude toward Xie Yan had changed so drastically. She lifted her small face in displeasure. He had always been on her side—what happened now?

Still, the fact that Xie Yan had gotten himself injured just to look for her… She had only gone out once, why did he have to make such a big deal out of it?

Her wind-tousled hair was braided back into a neat plait by her brother. Growing impatient, Xue Qingdai left to find Xie Yan.

She wasn’t too familiar with the Xie family’s layout and was worried about bumping into his parents. Outside the doors and windows of each room were orderly rows of green plants, and a pale yellow gourd lay resting on a brick.

She wandered aimlessly until she ended up at the Xie family’s entrance—only to run into someone even more annoying than Xie Yan.

It was the man who had relentlessly chased her in the original storyline: Xie Wei.

Xie Wei was the son of Xie Yan’s eldest brother, Xie Yun—making him the only grandchild of the Xie family and the default heir to everything.

He wore a white shirt and clean black slacks, his thick glasses giving him a mild, scholarly appearance. His features were plain, and although he appeared gentle, there was no warmth in his eyes. What set him apart from the average person was the faint air of bookishness.

He held a pound of pork leg in one hand and carried a large empty basket in the other, ready to haul things back from Grandpa’s to show off in his dorm.

Xue Qingdai just wanted to find Xie Yan. She couldn’t be bothered to talk to Xie Wei, who she considered extremely mediocre and self-absorbed. Ignoring him was the best choice.

She had always viewed Xie Wei with disdain and a vengeful desire to compete—liking him romantically had never once crossed her mind.

Her standards for a husband were plain and simple: he had to be good-looking (she was a sucker for handsome faces), better than her three brothers, treat her even better than they did, have ambition in his career, and a family background no worse than hers.

If she filtered out the male lead Xie Yan, there really wasn’t anyone who could meet all those requirements.

She felt a pang of frustration. She shouldn’t have let herself think too much—Xie Yan actually met all the criteria. Too bad he was the male lead.

She decided to vent her irritation on Xie Wei.

Xie Wei’s dull eyes flickered with surprise as he took in her delicate beauty, a flicker of admiration crossing his face. But his mouth twisted into a sarcastic sneer.

To him, she was nothing more than that silly, stubborn girl who had once been obsessed with him.

“Xue Qingdai, will you ever stop? Chasing me all the way to my house now? I told you, I’ll never like you. No matter how much you give, it’s useless!”

“I’m marrying your cousin as soon as we graduate. Stop waiting for me. You’ll never measure up to Meiqin. Stop making a scene…”

Xue Qingdai responded by flicking a needle straight between his legs—with about an 80% accuracy rate. It was aimed at a well-known acupoint associated with elimination.

All she could hear was Xie Wei’s hoarse, duck-like wailing. Of course she’d cause trouble—this was a taste of social death for him. People who appeared respectable on the surface were usually the most obsessed with saving face.

She’d make sure he lost both face and dignity. Total collapse.

“Next time you see this lady, you better go the other way!”

Xie Wei dropped the meat and used both hands to cover his front. It was a weird, numb sensation rather than pain. When he pulled the needle out in a panic, his vision swam.

“Xue Qingdai! Don’t turn your love into hate—what did you do to me?!”

Her dark brown pupils were flat and emotionless as she raised another needle.
“You still want to talk?”

Xie Wei immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. He dared not utter another word. His legs felt numb as he walked, like he couldn’t feel them. He didn’t dare look back, afraid she’d stab him again.

He was sure that if he was a second too slow, that needle would go straight into his neck. He wasn’t someone who could handle a real confrontation—he wasn’t that tough.

But this was the Xie family courtyard—his home. And yet Xue Qingdai was rampaging through it like it was hers.

He was forced to flee in embarrassment. What kind of logic was this?

Xie Wei finally came across his doting grandfather, Xie Songshan, and regained a shred of composure.

“Grandpa, someone bullied me. You have to stand up for your grandson!”

Xie Wei was always extremely deferential around Xie Songshan, trying to win his approval. Compared to his father’s generation, Xie Wei was clearly less capable. His university wasn’t top-tier either, so the only way he could survive was by sucking up to his grandfather.

Xie Songshan frowned. He’d long known his grandson was hopeless. Back in his army days, he’d have dealt with someone like this using a whip.

Zhang Shuying, Xie Songshan’s much younger wife, covered her mouth with a smile. “So this is what your grandson has amounted to, Songshan?”

She had always disliked the eldest branch of the family.

Xie Songshan squeezed her hand gently, trying to appease her in secret.

“I’m already excellent,” Xie Wei interjected. “And as Grandpa’s grandson, I’ll only get better.”

His words were a veiled jab, intentionally showing no respect to Zhang Shuying. He didn’t even address her properly—after all, everything in the Xie family would eventually be his.

Zhang Shuying adjusted the cashmere shawl on her shoulders, her seductive eyes flashing coldly as she brushed Xie Songshan’s hand aside.

“Just live with your precious grandson then! It’s not like he’s that great~”

Xie Songshan loved Zhang Shuying deeply, and those words cut through his heart like a knife. At that moment, it truly felt like his grandson wasn’t all that important.

“Xiao Ying, let’s go visit our daughter-in-law together, don’t leave me behind,” he pleaded.

Behind them, Xie Wei trailed anxiously, his stomach gurgling loudly—he assumed it was from hunger.

Xue Qingdai still wanted to stay and watch the drama unfold, but Xie Yan’s cool fingertips lightly tapped the center of her forehead. She immediately pouted.

“What was that for! Why are you only just showing up now~”

“I got some Sachima, and the egg cakes you loved last time.”

Xie Yan was carrying a bunch of things—egg cakes, Sachima, and even tea wrapped in coarse twine, probably for his father.

There was a strong smell of medicinal ointment lingering around him—he was clearly injured.
And it was because he had been searching for her…

For a moment, Xue Qingdai was overwhelmed with emotion.

She tugged gently at the sleeve of Xie Yan’s coat, staying quiet for a while. Still, she didn’t want him to misunderstand and think she didn’t care.

“My third brother said you hurt your leg… He wanted me to ask you.”

“Ah?”

Xie Yan tried to walk as normally as possible, placing everything he had bought on the bright kitchen counter, rubbing the backs of his hands that had turned red from the cold.

“It’s nothing—I’m not hurt. I bought some marinated beef brisket. Try it later.”

“There’s someone who handles all the cooking,” he added casually.

She didn’t need to worry about cooking or chores. Occasionally, she could go shopping with his mother and buy clothes and shoes she liked.

But Xie Yan didn’t dare get too detailed—he was afraid it might scare off Xue Qingdai, who already had a fear of marriage.

Xue Qingdai’s watery eyes stared straight at Xie Yan’s lips, which were slightly parted but silent. That strong medicinal smell was a dead giveaway. And yet he was lying without blinking.

So annoying.

“Xie Yan, I want to hear the truth.”

“My third brother feels guilty because you got hurt,” she added quietly.

Xie Yan’s dry lips took a deep gulp of cold water.

So that’s what this was about—her brother’s guilt.

If that would put her at ease, then fine.

Xie Yan sat on a wooden stool, crossed one leg over the other, and revealed his injured right calf. There were a few gashes with dried blood crusted over, and others still looked red and raw.

Xue Qingdai skillfully treated the wounds. She had done this countless times in her past life.

Bored, she even inserted two needles to let some blood out. She had checked Xie Yan’s pulse—his internal heat was clearly too strong.

The male lead, Xie Yan, was described in the book as having infertility symptoms, yet he was still constantly burning with desire. Truly the physique of a male lead.

Maybe it was the atmosphere.
Maybe it was the way Xie Yan’s eyes looked—so deep, not the least bit harsh.

Xue Qingdai’s courage grew.

“Xie Yan… how much longer do I have to wait…”

They both knew what she meant.

She was, of course, referring to the cancellation of their engagement.