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“Qiu Yi? What are you doing here?” Liu Shuhan exclaimed in surprise.
Cheng Qiuyi was followed by a man, and Shen Wenqin was still sitting across from them. Suddenly, Liu Shuhan felt embarrassed when Cheng Qiuyi took a bite out of her, not knowing where to look. She could only pick up the menu on the table and hand it to Cheng Qiuyi. “Do you want something to drink?”
Cheng Qiuyi picked up the now cold coffee in front of Liu Shuhan and took a sip, smiling as she said to Liu Shuhan, “Why does today’s coffee smell especially good?”
Liu Shuhan thought to herself that Cheng Qiuyi was asking for trouble. No matter how much Shen Wenqin was disliked by her, she was still an elder. Cheng Qiuyi was being so blatant in front of Shen Wenqin, not fearing that Cheng Father would cause trouble for them.
Under the table, Liu Shuhan quietly reached for Cheng Qiuyi’s thigh and pinched it hard through her pants. Cheng Qiuyi winced in pain, baring her teeth as she leaned against Liu Shuhan, pitifully whispering in her ear, “Shu Han, it hurts.”
Liu Shuhan pushed her away and glanced at Shen Wenqin, signaling that there were others present. However, the expression on Cheng Qiuyi’s face seemed genuine; feeling sorry for her, Liu Shuhan reached out and rubbed her thigh. Cheng Qiuyi squinted her eyes, showing a satisfied expression, looking like a mischievous cat that had stolen something. This made Liu Shuhan feel both amused and exasperated.
A-Zhi, standing behind Cheng Qiuyi, couldn’t help but clear his throat twice to remind his young lady to be more discreet.
Shen Wenqin, not expecting to see Cheng Qiuyi, felt somewhat awkward and chuckled nervously, “Qiu Yi, you’re here too.”
Ignoring Shen Wenqin, Cheng Qiuyi turned to Liu Shuhan. “Don’t you have work today?”
“I... I’m on leave today...” Liu Shuhan signaled desperately to Cheng Qiuyi, indicating that Shen Wenqin was still there. Only then did Cheng Qiuyi turn her attention back to Shen Wenqin.
“Shen Wenqin, do you have something to say?”
With her hands awkwardly clasped together, Shen Wenqin replied, “Qiu Yi, I know you hate me. I’m sorry for what I did... even more so for your mother. But you are still part of the Cheng Family. The family is in crisis now; you should help your father out of respect.”
Cheng Qiuyi scoffed, “When you two were planning to sell me out, did you ever think about me being part of the Cheng Family? Respect... who is deserving of respect? Is it that old man from the Cheng Family, who is already past his prime?”
"He, Cheng Tianhong, was never cut out for running a company. Back in the day, the Cheng Family was held up by my mother alone, and now the Cheng Family has fallen to this state because of his own actions."
Cheng Qiuyi and Shen Wenqin were discussing family matters, while Liu Shuhan could not interject and could only gaze blankly at Cheng Qiuyi's profile.
Cheng Qiuyi usually acted frivolously around Liu Shuhan, but when it came to serious matters, her expression turned extremely serious. Her brows furrowed slightly, her eyes carried a hint of disdain, and every nerve in her face was tense, giving her an unexpectedly heroic demeanor.
Liu Shuhan quietly took out her phone and switched it to camera mode, focusing on Cheng Qiuyi's profile before pressing the shutter button.
"Click."
The sound of the phone camera was amplified several times in the quiet private room.
Due to work reasons, Liu Shuhan always kept her phone volume at maximum. She had previously remembered to mute it when secretly taking pictures of Cheng Qiuyi, but this time she completely forgot in front of so many people. Realizing her blunder, Liu Shuhan stuffed the phone behind her back and pretended to look out at the scenery.
Cheng Qiuyi had been serious just a moment ago but couldn't help laughing out loud the next second. She reached behind Liu Shuhan to grab the phone she had hidden. "What good stuff did you capture? Let me take a look."
With outsiders present, Liu Shuhan couldn't afford to make a scene and had to obediently hand over her phone.
Cheng Qiuyi looked at the photo and smiled, nodding in satisfaction. "Shu Han, your photography skills are getting better and better; you made me look so good."
"..." Liu Shuhan took back her phone and silently criticized Cheng Qiuyi for becoming increasingly thick-skinned.
Shen Wenqin, needing something from Cheng Qiuyi, saw that she was about to ignore her again and urgently said, "Qiu Yi, your father doesn't have much time left. The doctor said he has at most six months... He is still your father; even if he wronged you later on, he raised you in the past. Can you really bear to just watch him die without peace?"
Cheng Qiuyi coldly snorted. "Even if you expose all the troubles of the Cheng Family today, I can't help. Please leave. A-Zhi, see Madam Cheng off."
Cheng Qiuyi had made up her mind, and Shen Wenqin could only leave helplessly.
Once Shen Wenqin was gone, Liu Shuhan could clearly feel that Cheng Qiuyi's mood had lightened considerably. Cheng Qiuyi leaned back on the sofa and stretched lazily, saying, "I wonder when this family will finally settle down."
Liu Shuhan patted her shoulder. "Let's go home for dinner. I rarely have time today, so I'll make you some winter melon and pork rib soup."
"Aren't you curious? About all my messy troubles."
"I'm dating you, not dealing with your family's annoying issues. If you want to talk, I'm here to listen; if not, that's fine too. Let's go; if we wait too long, the ribs at the market won't be fresh anymore."
Cheng Qiuyi wailed, "What? The market again?"
Cheng Qiuyi had only been to the market once with Liu Shuhan, and the mixed smells of various poultry and seafood nearly made her vomit. She also ruined her favorite pair of high heels there, and since then, Cheng Qiuyi vowed never to set foot in a market again.
"I mean, the supermarket is right at the entrance of our neighborhood. Why do you insist on going all the way to the market?"
"The supermarket can't compare to the freshness of the market," Liu Shuhan replied matter-of-factly. Liu Shuhan's mother was a typical woman from their country, firmly believing that the produce in the market was always fresher than that in supermarkets, and she faithfully passed this belief on to Liu Shuhan.
Cheng Qiuyi had no say in cooking matters and could only sulk as she followed Liu Shuhan into the car.
A-Zhi was driving; he was perceptive enough to know that Cheng Qiuyi wanted some alone time with Liu Shuhan. After getting into the driver's seat, he raised the partition between the front and back seats without waiting for Cheng Qiuyi to ask, which made Liu Shuhan feel a bit embarrassed.
The car stopped by the roadside near the market. Liu Shuhan just wanted to buy some ribs and got out by herself, telling Cheng Qiuyi to wait in the car.
Once Liu Shuhan had walked far away, A-Zhi lowered the partition and joked, "Miss, it looks like we're both in the same boat now."
"What do you mean by sharing the same suffering?"
"You're under the thumb of your wife!"
"Get lost." Cheng Qiuyi kicked the driver's seat, "You're the one under the thumb of your wife. Usually, our Shu Han is as obedient as a rabbit. Do you think everyone is like your sister-in-law with that fiery temper?"
"Yes, yes, yes, Miss Liu is gentle and considerate, as obedient as a little rabbit." A-Zhi nodded repeatedly in agreement, then added with a sly smile, "But I fear she might be a rabbit that only knows how to bite?"
Cheng Qiuyi raised an eyebrow: "Song Kaizhi, has your sister-in-law not dealt with you for a few days?"
"Please! I was wrong, Miss!"
After chatting for a while, A-Zhi sighed: "Miss, you've been living alone for so many years and finally found someone to spend your life with."
Cheng Qiuyi stared silently at the entrance of the market. A-Zhi continued: "When Madam was alive, her biggest worry was you. She said you were naturally cold and feared you'd end up lonely. Thankfully, she was wrong... That Miss Liu is a good person and treats you well. If you can continue with her, it would fulfill Madam's wish."
"Unfortunately, domestic affairs are entangled. The Cheng Family is pressing from the front, Ye Jing is eyeing us from behind, and other families are waiting to see the Cheng Family's jokes. Although I have long distanced myself from the Cheng Family, to outsiders, I will always be seen as part of it. With troubles inside and outside, I'm afraid I can't protect Shu Han."
A-Zhi sighed lightly: "Miss, your sister-in-law once told me that love should be shared between two people; there's no such thing as one protecting the other."
Cheng Qiuyi rubbed her forehead and gently changed the subject: "How is the plan coming along?"
"It's progressing smoothly; A-Ying will be back next month."
"Mm, the Cheng Family doesn't need us to take action; Cheng Tianhong will ruin it himself. Right now, I'm worried about Ye Jing; this woman isn't easy to deal with. We only have one chance to ensure that the Ye Family never rises again."
"This..." A-Zhi hesitated, "Miss Ye Jing is your junior, and the late Madam Ye was a close friend of the lady. If Miss Ye does this, it might not be easy to explain to the Master."
"I'll go apologize to the Master later. I've tolerated that woman Ye Jing for five years; it's time she faced some consequences."
A-Zhi was about to say something else when Cheng Qiuyi suddenly opened the car door and jogged toward the entrance of the market.
The path in front of the market was uneven, but only Cheng Qiuyi could run in high heels without tripping. When she reached the entrance, A-Zhi saw that it was Liu Shuhan coming out, holding a large winter melon about half a meter long.
"No wonder she caught the eye of our young lady; Miss Liu is quite a remarkable woman."
Liu Shuhan struggled to move the winter melon, which was thicker than her waist, to the entrance of the market. Cheng Qiuyi, worried she might hurt her back, quickly took the melon from her arms and set it down on the ground. "Did you not say you were just buying some ribs? Why did you come out with this?"
"It’s a whole lot cheaper! It’s half the price per pound!" Liu Shuhan panted heavily, beads of sweat rolling down her collar, yet her face was filled with joy.
"But can you even finish such a big melon?"
"I can finish it! The weather has been dry lately; I'm planning to make a winter melon feast tonight to cool off."
Cheng Qiuyi draped her arm over Liu Shuhan's shoulder with a mischievous smile. "Do you really need winter melon to cool off? Spending more time with me would be more effective than anything else."
"You!" Liu Shuhan glanced around at the bustling crowd and lowered her voice. "Cheng Qiuyi, you're being inappropriate again!"
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