Chapter 49: Tit for Tat

Although we hadn't actually crossed the final boundary, we had already reached the point of seeing each other bare, touching everywhere, and being completely open with one another. Our relationship had invisibly taken a massive leap forward.

After we got dressed, Qin Ruhua neatened the bed. What was both thrilling and amusing to me was that there was a small patch of moisture on the bamboo mat. Blushing fiercely, Qin Ruhua pretended to be nonchalant and casually wiped it dry, and I didn't point it out.

As soon as we stepped out of the room, we heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, it was none other than the curly yellow-haired girl I had seen at the graduation gathering last time—Xinxin.

Seeing that our door had been closed, a deeply suggestive look flashed in her eyes, though she didn't say anything either.

After Qin Ruhua exchanged some reluctant farewells with her, the three of us walked over to the car together.

Once we exchanged pleasantries, I drove Qin Ruhua back to the company.

By this time, the melancholy and disappointment that had lingered between Qin Ruhua's brows had long since vanished. Her face was wreathed in a joyful, sweet smile, and she turned her head from time to time to gaze at me, her eyes brimming with tenderness.

After a while, Qin Ruhua suddenly blushed and lowered her voice. "Brother Fan, have you and the chairwoman done things like this?"

I chuckled slightly and replied, "No."

"Really?" Qin Ruhua's eyes lit up, her expression turning immensely delighted. Hesitating for a moment, she suddenly leaned over and kissed me hard on the cheek three times in a row.

Both touched and amused, I reached out and stroked her head.

Qin Ruhua tilted her chin up to gaze at me, a trace of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Brother Fan, you must remember that you promised my brother you would take care of me. Now that I can't even reach him, you mustn't break your promise!"

I was slightly startled and said, "That's right. Where did he tell you he was going?"

"Didn't you know? He said he was going abroad to make something of himself and would come back once he'd earned enough money. Now his phone won't even go through."

I sighed inwardly, reaching out to gently stroke her hair as I said softly, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you always."

"Mm-hmm." Qin Ruhua nodded heavily.

Arriving at the company, Qin Ruhua and I went up to Ling Xuan's office together.

Ling Xuan's gaze swept back and forth between us a few times, but she didn't say anything.

After drinking a few cups of tea, I invited Ling Xuan to head home.

Seated in the car, the atmosphere was somewhat stifling, much like it had been in the morning.

After a while, Ling Xuan suddenly spoke up. "Fan, it's still early. I'd like to go shopping later; it's been so long since I last went shopping."

It was not yet eight o'clock, which was a perfect time for shopping.

However, why did it feel like she was intentionally saying this for Qin Ruhua to hear?

I pondered to myself that if I went back and then came out again, my movements would look rather unusual and it might be harder to avoid notice. Just then, glancing through the rearview mirror at Qin Ruhua, I discovered that she was also staring intently at me.

Ugh, this kind of gaze filled with inexplicable expectation was simply too hard to meet head-on.

Ling Xuan clearly noticed this detail and unhappily demanded, "Why are you looking at her? Whose boyfriend are you?!"

Left with no choice, I muttered, "Well... alright..."

Qin Ruhua suddenly interrupted me. "Whose boyfriend Brother Fan is isn't up for you to decide. I don't know why you keep insisting on proclaiming that Brother Fan is your boyfriend. It's not like I didn't see what happened last night—you threw yourself at him, hugging and kissing him! Just because you hugged and kissed him, does that make Brother Fan your boyfriend? By that logic, I can do it too!"

Ling Xuan whipped her head around, glaring fiercely at Qin Ruhua.

Qin Ruhua raised her chin, meeting her gaze tit-for-tat without the slightest bit of fear.

Ling Xuan was so angry she clenched her teeth hard, turned her glare toward me, and snapped, "Chu Bufan, tell me, whose boyfriend are you?"

My head instantly began to pound. Hesitating for a moment, I said mildly, "Let's not argue about this issue right now! Young Miss, I'll accompany you shopping later, alright?"

"No! You have to make it clear to me!" Ling Xuan shouted angrily.

Qin Ruhua sneered. "I just can't stand the way you're always yelling at and scolding Brother Fan. If you really like him, how could you bear to scold him like that?"

Ling Xuan violently jerked her head back and cursed furiously, "What business is it of yours that I scold him? You don't need a vixen like you putting on a show of gentleness here!"

"You!" Qin Ruhua's face instantly flushed crimson. "Who are you calling a vixen! How am I a vixen?! I just like Brother Fan, so what? Does liking him make me a vixen? When you like him, does that mean you aren't one? By what right!"

Good grief, I truly never expected that the usually gentle Qin Ruhua could be so sharp and clear-headed when arguing with someone.

Ling Xuan was grinding her teeth in anger. Stamping her foot hard, she shouted furiously, "Chu Bufan, you better clear this up for me right now!"

"Enough!" I bellowed in anger. "Don't bring this up to me right now! You both know that no matter how I answer, I'm going to hurt someone—why must you force me like this?! Can't we just get along peacefully?! We'll talk about this later!"

"You!" Ling Xuan glared at me in rage, yet she had no recourse against me. Pausing, she turned her furious gaze toward Qin Ruhua and snapped heatedly, "You're quite good at talking, aren't you? But let me tell you, I'm just this overbearing—Chu Bufan belongs to me!"

Qin Ruhua let out a cold laugh, turned her head to look out the window, and ignored her.

"Hmph!" Ling Xuan turned her head back and stared out the window as well.

For a moment, none of the three of us spoke. My originally pleasant mood instantly curdled into irritation. I damn well wanted to roar at the top of my lungs: You're all my damn wives, stop arguing with each other!

Yes, under the influence of my frayed temper, that was precisely what I was thinking. Under normal circumstances, encountering a situation like this would have terrified me into silence, let alone uttering such wild words. But when I grew angry, my momentum would rise to match whatever challenged it; even if I ran into the Jade Emperor himself, I would tower over him. As for a scene like this, I would dare to directly and dominantly awe them all into submission!

Yet I still didn't dare to roar like that right now! Perhaps my anger meter hadn't reached its peak, or perhaps I hadn't been pushed to the absolute brink!

As we neared Shangpin Garden, Ling Xuan suddenly turned her head back, her voice having returned to normal. "Bufan, you just said you'd accompany me shopping."

"Alright!" Things having come to this, what else could I do? As I spoke, I glanced at Qin Ruhua through the rearview mirror and found that she was looking at me too. To my surprise, however, she actually flashed a gentle, tender smile at me before shifting her gaze away again to look out the window.

It seemed she had already let go of this trivial matter of shopping.

"Mm." Ling Xuan revealed a trace of a smile, her eyes turning tender.

Entering the residential compound, we first dropped Qin Ruhua off and moved her belongings inside before returning to the villa.

Ling Xi had already returned, but she wasn't in the living room; she was presumably in her bedroom doing homework.

The moment we stepped into the villa, Ling Xuan immediately looped her arm through mine and said softly, "Bufan, are you still angry?"

I was slightly taken aback and said, "Shouldn't it be a question of whether *you* are angry?"

Ling Xuan beamed and said, "Turns out this pig of a man actually knows how to care about people. I've figured it out now! Even though I can't do anything about her, we're the ones together every day, whereas she's only around during commuting hours. Why should I bother caring about her so much, let alone waste so much breath arguing with her and ruining my own mood?"

I couldn't help laughing. "That's for the best. Right, let's go change our clothes! You should put on something casual too."

"Okay!" Ling Xuan replied sweetly, leaning over to plant a heavy kiss on my cheek.

Reaching the second floor, we returned to our respective rooms.

I wasn't overly particular about my attire, but since I was going shopping with Ling Xuan, I naturally couldn't look too sloppy. Although I didn't have many clothes, I did have a few crisp white shirts. Paired with a pair of black casual trousers—well, it actually looked quite stylish and handsome!

After changing my clothes, I waited in the room for a little while before the sound of a door opening came from Ling Xuan's side. Then, footsteps approached, and Ling Xuan appeared in my doorway.

She had changed into a snow-white cinched-waist dress with half-length lace sleeves, the skirt falling to her knees and revealing a pair of gracefully contoured calves. On her feet, she wore a pair of white high-heeled sandals. Altogether, this outfit looked both fashionable and thoroughly ladylike.

Her hair was worn down again, draping naturally and casually across her shoulders and back, giving her an added touch of approachability and gentle softness.

I stared blankly at her for a few moments, genuinely feeling that she looked drop-dead gorgeous. Unable to help myself, I spread my arms open and said with a grin, "Such a gorgeous young Miss—I can't help wanting a hug."

Ling Xuan smiled faintly. Instead of rushing into my arms, she looked me up and down, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes. "Actually, you're quite handsome when you dress up. I'll pick out a few outfits for you later; since you're my boyfriend, you need to pay attention to your image from now on."

"Alright!" I had no choice but to retract my arms and walk over.

Just at that moment, Ling Xi's bedroom door opened, and she appeared before us.

The instant she laid eyes on Ling Xuan's outfit, Ling Xi seemed to understand what was going on. With a curious expression, she asked, "Sister, big brother-in-law, are you guys going shopping?"

"That's right!" Ling Xuan smiled slightly. "You need to do your homework properly; I'm going to check it when I get back."

Ling Xi didn't answer immediately. Hesitating for a moment, she suddenly hugged Ling Xuan's arm and said in a slightly spoiled, coaxing tone, "Sis, I've already finished my homework. I want to go shopping too."