Chapter 273
Even though Lin Mengyao looked cool and elegant, her heart was like that of a little girl, fond of things that young girls like. At this moment, seeing this room full of trinkets that touched her girlish heart, Lin Mengyao didn’t know where to rest her happy eyes.
“I discovered this little shop by accident too. The things inside aren’t expensive, and they’re particularly creative. The last time I came here, they had a Vampire-themed crystal collection. I didn’t expect it to be a Brothers Grimm theme this time. If you like, I can accompany you next time as well. Their shop has a new theme every month; I wonder what the theme will be next time.” Bai Ru said with a smile as she looked at the crystal pieces designed like a Candy House on the shelf.
“But wouldn’t this take up too much of your time?” Lin Mengyao asked while holding a small crystal mermaid.
“Not at all. I go shopping every month anyway. I’m just happy to have someone to shop with me. I’m just not sure if your gentleman here would find me, the third wheel, an eyesore.” Bai Ru threw a playful glance at Xu Ke, then shifted her gaze back to Lin Mengyao, with amusement in her eyes.
“Not at all, as long as Mengyao is happy.” Xu Ke responded softly, looking at Lin Mengyao’s sparkling eyes, breaking his silence along the way.
“You two have such a good relationship. I hope I can be as loving with my husband as you two when I get married, making others envious.” There was a subtle longing in Bai Ru’s eyes, but it quickly faded. Her marriage was destined to be a union of convenience, so where could she find such good luck to love and be loved for life?
A hint of regret flashed in Bai Ru’s eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as her yearning did.
Since childhood, Lin Mengyao had only been to a jewelry store once, and that was with Xu Ke. This was her second time visiting such a place. Even though she was in her twenties, she was still like a little girl, touching this and that, her eyes sparkling and unable to look away.
Just as Lin Mengyao reached for a small Christmas tree on the shelf, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and snatched the Christmas tree from her hand. Fortunately, the pointy parts of the tree were smoothed down, so her hands weren’t injured, but her palm turned bright red.
“Are you okay?” Xu Ke immediately noticed something was wrong with Lin Mengyao, got up from the sofa in the store, walked quickly to her side, and took her hand in his carefully to check.
“I’m fine, not hurt.” Lin Mengyao felt a bit of pain in her palm, but seeing Xu Ke’s concerned look, the pain seemed to fade, and she smiled, her cool face showing a hint of bashfulness.
“I was wondering who it was; turns out, it’s you. I can’t believe you’re out shopping with your little lovers today, with not just one but two of them.” Hu Jinzhi said in a sarcastic tone, having come over with Bai Ru who also noticed what happened.
Hearing Hu Jinzhi’s words, the three of them turned their attention to her, their eyes filled with questions towards this woman who looked like an internet celebrity.
Xu Ke frowned, asking impatiently, “Who are you?” In fact, if the person weren’t female, Xu Ke might not have even spoken and would have chosen to act directly.
He had no recollection of this woman and could not understand her resentful look as if he had wronged her. Consequently, there was a hint of disgust in Xu Ke’s gaze as he looked at Hu Jinzhi.
“You don’t recognize me.” Hu Jinzhi’s voice suddenly rose, without any warning, startling the two women who were unprepared. Lin Mengyao was doing somewhat better being enveloped in Xu Ke’s embrace, so even though she was startled, her fear faded quickly thanks to Xu Ke. Bai Ru, on the other hand, was so frightened that she couldn’t snap out of it for a while. She had always received an elite education and spoke softly, having only dealt with similar people. She had never seen such volatile behavior before, and the sudden shock almost made the crystal Cinderella figurine in her hand fall.
“Am I supposed to know you? Could you be mistaking me for someone else?” Xu Ke replied, frowning and without patience.
Seeing the look of realization on Xu Ke’s face, a smug expression flashed in Hu Jinzhi’s eyes. She stroked her new face somewhat infatuatedly, thinking that no one could possibly dislike her.
Xu Ke dug through his long-buried memories, realizing there was indeed someone with a similar personality to this woman, though the face didn’t match. However, when he had driven this person away, she cursed him, seemingly wanting to swallow him whole. How could she now act as though nothing had happened, casually greeting him and saying such ambiguous things? Did she have some sinister plan? Xu Ke thought darkly.
“I’m talking to you; why aren’t you responding?” Hu Jinzhi’s voice was filled with anticipation, wanting to hear her name from Xu Ke’s mouth. But instead, Xu Ke was looking at her with a dark gaze which made Hu Jinzhi a bit frightened.
“Who is this person, Xu Ke?” Lin Mengyao asked quietly, seeing Xu Ke’s dark expression, thinking that they knew each other but confused as neither had spoken for a while. She reached out, tugging on Xu Ke’s shirt while her eyes curiously glanced at Hu Jinzhi.
“She’s the daughter of Chairman Hu from our company. The last time she came to see me, she was spouting nonsense, so I had the butler send her out. I didn’t expect to meet her here again.” Although Xu Ke spoke with his usual gentle tone, his eyes showed undisguised aversion when he looked at Hu Jinzhi.
He had never been so annoyed by a woman before.
The Hu Family was consistently obnoxious, and Xu Ke contemplated that he needed to remove this pesky father-daughter pair from his life soon.
Xu Ke explained the relationship between them to Lin Mengyao. Before Lin Mengyao could respond, Hu Jinzhi interrupted, looking at Xu Ke in disbelief, as if he was a scoundrel abandoning his wife and children.
“How can you lie like that? When I visited you last time, you clearly said you wanted to be with me and kindly saw me out the door. I even gave myself to you; how can you eat and run like that?” Hu Jinzhi stomped her foot, her gaze towards Xu Ke blazing.
Both Xu Ke, Lin Mengyao in his arms, and Bai Ru beside them were left dumbfounded by Hu Jinzhi’s words.
“She said that?” Lin Mengyao looked at Xu Ke incredulously, finding it hard to believe that Xu Ke could have sought out such a woman behind her back.
“This must be a misunderstanding.” Bai Ru muttered out with some uncertainty. She couldn’t believe Xu Ke’s taste was this poor, or that men might prefer this kind of plastic surgery face. Bai Ru was also confused, having no idea how things escalated this way.