Chapter 517
“Why wear dirty clothes? Aren’t dirty clothes supposed to be thrown away?” Ariel tilted her head, expressing her confusion.
Such remarks from Ariel made Yu Xia’s eyes open wide with surprise. “You can wash dirty clothes and wear them again, why not? Throwing them away would be such a waste. You don’t throw away clothes just because they’re dirty, do you?” While Yu Xia was still marveling at Ariel’s spending habits, she noticed a mischievous smile on Ariel’s face—one filled with the pride of successfully pulling off a child’s prank. Yu Xia immediately realized that Ariel was teasing her, which left her feeling both embarrassed and a bit frustrated. However, strangely enough, her initial aversion to Ariel seemed to lessen.
Ariel had this sort of charm; she could make anyone who met her instantly like her, even if she were a demon.
“You’re really quite interesting and easily fooled. Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s go eat; I’m hungry after all that exercise.” Ariel patted her stomach, which had started to ache from laughter, as she spoke.
By the time the two of them sat down in the restaurant and Ariel had already ordered food for both of them, Yu Xia finally remembered her original thought. But by then, she no longer wanted to say it and instead wanted to ask a different question.
After mentally preparing herself, Yu Xia spoke up, “Can I ask why you intervened in my sister and brother-in-law’s relationship? You’re very beautiful and from what I’ve seen, you seem to have a great personality. Sure, my brother-in-law is a wonderful person, but he already has a wife. Considering your own qualities, you could find another good partner, so why compete with my sister for my brother-in-law?” Yu Xia asked, puzzled.
“Compete?” Ariel raised her eyebrows and, seeing Yu Xia’s confused expression, couldn’t help but laugh. “You got it wrong. I haven’t competed with your sister for Xu Ke,” Ariel said, shaking her head.
A disapproving look appeared on Yu Xia’s face.
“Do you think I’m making excuses? But I’m telling the truth. I’ve never intended for Xu Ke to leave Lin Mengyao and marry me, nor have I ever thought of having a child to trap Xu Ke. I just really enjoy being around Xu Ke and want to stay by his side. Of course, I’m happy when he has time for me. If he doesn’t, I would never intrude into his world to find him. I never intended for our relationship to become public knowledge. I hope everything happens naturally. Do you really think I’m competing with Lin Mengyao for him?” Ariel said, flashing a smile at the waiter serving their juice.
“You’re not a little kid anymore; you can think about these things. So, I believe you already have an answer in your heart.”
Ariel’s words left Yu Xia in silence, her mind in turmoil for the first time. “But no matter what you say, having an inappropriate relationship with my brother-in-law, knowing he’s married, is still wrong. Even if you claim not to compete or intend to intervene in their marriage, you’ve already done so. My sister has been deeply hurt because of you, and you’re creating scars in their relationship,” Yu Xia argued.
“You do have some point, but love isn’t something you can control; otherwise, it wouldn’t be called love. I like Xu Ke even though he has a wife, and I’ve done my best not to hurt Lin Mengyao. However, if her heart can’t handle it and she’s still hurt, that’s out of my control. You have to understand, Xu Ke is an outstanding person, so it’s normal for an equally outstanding woman like me to be attracted to him. Even if I didn’t make a move, someone else would. Your sister’s inability to keep her man isn’t the fault of other women being too skillful. Compared to other women, I’ve been incredibly kind to your sister.”
“How can you be so unreasonable? Does my sister need to thank you?” Yu Xia fumed, feeling the veins on her temples throbbing in anger at Ariel’s twisted logic. She had never met anyone who could be so shamelessly natural in their demeanor.
“There’s no need for gratitude. I just hope she can open her mind. After all, even if Xu Ke isn’t with me, he might be with someone else. Plus, I’m the first; who knows if Xu Ke will find other women besides me? She should let it go. In situations like this, it’s best to be broad-minded, unless she can completely let go of Xu Ke, or she’ll face such situations repeatedly,” Ariel remarked, observing Yu Xia’s puffed-up expression.
“Stop speaking nonsense. My brother-in-law won’t find another woman. He promised my sister and won’t go back on his word,” Yu Xia defended Xu Ke with clenched fists.
“I believe Xu Ke was sincere when he said that, but men, whether in love or not, are genuine in both sentiments,” Ariel said, stirring the straw in her drink, watching the juice swirl in a tiny vortex.
“But talking to you about this seems pointless. You won’t understand because some things only make sense once you’ve experienced them,” Ariel said with a smile at Yu Xia.
Yu Xia didn’t want to discuss the topic with Ariel any further, so she changed the subject, “I really appreciate you helping me earlier. Although I don’t understand why you’re in Shangjing, I hope you won’t interfere in my sister and brother-in-law’s life anymore, or I won’t let you off easily.” Yu Xia spoke harshly to someone for the first time, making her nervous and causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
As Ariel watched Yu Xia’s expression, she suddenly felt bored, unsure why she brought this kid here or even wanted her company over a meal. The friendliness in Ariel’s eyes faded, replaced by a look of arrogance and indifference Yu Xia had never seen before.
“You’re such a dull person. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Disappear from my sight.” Ariel leaned back, sinking into the soft seat cushion. Her posture seemed lazy, but her gaze remained sharply focused.
Yu Xia was baffled by Ariel’s sudden change in demeanor, leaving her mind momentarily blank.
“Why aren’t you leaving? Do I have to ask you to go?” Ariel’s brows furrowed slightly as she glanced at Yu Xia with disdain.
“I’ll leave now. Enjoy your meal alone.” Yu Xia wasn’t without temper, and after being dismissed like that, she didn’t wish to stay and went to the counter to pay the bill before leaving.