Translator: Henyee Editor: Henyee
“The interior design master you read about in the newspaper?” Tang Xi frowned slightly. “It must be expensive to hire him?”
Usually, the designer would give the drawings to the renovation workers and then the latter would work according to the drawings so they wouldn’t be very tired. For this villa, however, even the designer worked overtime all night. It seemed that the person who was going to live in this house was definitely very rich!
“Money makes the mare go. As long as you give enough money.” Xiao Jing pursed his lips and turned to go inside, yawning as he walked. “Go to sleep. Aren’t you going to Hongshi Mountain? We’ll go with you tomorrow. Get up early in the morning.”
Xiao Sa nodded and followed him in. Tang Xi was going to follow him too when Xiao Yao suddenly called out to her. “Rourou.”
Tang Xi stopped to look back at Xiao Yao. Facing his burning eyes, she smiled awkwardly and asked, “Yao, what’s up?”
Xiao Yao hummed in response as he took a step forward and said softly, “I’m going to the capital tomorrow to report the details regarding the elimination of Kloss in City J and attend the memorial ceremony for my comrades, so I can’t accompany you to shoot the TV commercial. Take care.”
Tang Xi was relieved yet felt a little guilty, perhaps because she saw the sadness in Xiao Yao’s eyes. She nodded and smiled as she said, “Thank you, Yao. With Sa and Jing around, I won’t be harmed.” She paused before continuing, “Yao, don’t be too sad. Those soldiers died to defend our country.”
Xiao Yao smiled. “Get upstairs. I want to smoke a cigarette below.”
Tang Xi nodded and turned around to go to her room, but after taking two steps, she looked back at Xiao Yao’s lonely figure and said, “Yao, smoke less. It’s bad for your health.”
Xiao Yao hummed in response and asked her to go into the house. After Tang Xi went inside, Xiao Yao withdrew his gaze and took out a cigarette. He had begun to smoke ever since he returned from the bar the other night. Whenever he felt vexed, he smoked to sober up, so he smoked a lot these days.
Xiao Yao put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with a lighter as he leaned against the wall. He took a deep drag and exhaled, blowing smoke, and then heaved in a breath.
Standing behind the French window of her room and gazing at the lonely-looking Xiao Yao, Tang Xi clenched her hands and turned to leave. Brother Xiao, I’m sorry. I can’t respond to your love.
Because my heart is too small to contain two men.
Qiao Liang already lives in my heart, so there’s no room for another man.
After taking two puffs of smoke, Xiao Yao put out his cigarette and stood in the yard for a while before turning around and walking into the house. Every time he took a step, he warned himself in his mind.
You’re Xiao Yao, and there’s nothing in the world that’s going to beat you or trouble you. The only one who can trouble you is yourself.
Tang Xi is already dead.
The person beside you now isn’t Tang Xi, but Xiao Rou.
Xiao Rou is your sister. She just happened to fall for the man whom Tang Xi loved and now they’re together.
It’s that simple, so Xiao Yao, enough of these wild thoughts. It’s not good for you, and neither for Xiao Rou nor Tang Xi.
Maybe being convinced by himself, Xiao Yao felt much better.
…
The next morning, Tang Xi finished washing and went to exercise downstairs. There were only Xiao Hongli, Xiao Sa and Xiao Jing in the yard. Tang Xi began to do yoga. Xiao Sa and Xiao Jing finished working out, after which they stood by her side and watched her doing yoga. Having good ligaments and good balance, Tang Xi posed beautifully. Standing aside, Xiao Jing imitated her movements, saying, “Rourou, you got up late today. Yao has gone to the capital.”
Tang Xi yawned as she maintained her posture. She replied, “It’s not that I got up late, but that you got up too early.” She pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time. “It’s only 6:30. Didn’t you get up too early?”
Xiao Hongli came over and looked at Tang Xi as he said with a smile, “Rourou, do it with your mom when you do yoga. She has a particular dislike for sports and recently she has been complaining about shoulder and spinal pain. I’m worried that your mom might get periarthritis and spondylosis.”
Tang Xi nodded. “Dad, since you aren’t at work today, why don’t you take Mom for a massage? From tomorrow on, I’ll teach Mom how to do yoga in the morning.”
Xiao Hongli smiled and said no problem.
After she did yoga for another half an hour, Yang Jingxian called them to go in for breakfast. After eating, Yang Jingxian said she wanted to go to Hongshi Mountain with the Xiao brothers to see Tang Xi shoot the TV commercial. Xiao Jing thought it was a good idea. He said, “There’s a good hot spring in Hongshi Mountain. You can take a bath in the hot spring and have a massage while watching Xiao Rou shoot the TV commercial. Doesn’t that sound great?”
Xiao Hongli also thought it was a good idea, so he decided to follow Xiao Jing’s proposal and go to Hongshi Mountain together.
Tang Xi was a bit flattered. It was her first job and her whole family would be there with her… “Actually, you…”
But just then, the telephone rang. Tang Xi stopped talking while Yang Jingxian went over to answer the phone. Listening to the words coming from the other side of the line, she frowned and said, “Okay, we’ll get there right away.” Then she hung up the phone. Everyone looked at her and she said with a frown, “Something bad happened to one of my friends and she needs my help.” She turned her eyes to Xiao Hongli and continued, “Come with me.” Then she added to the Xiao brothers, “You two send Rourou to shoot the TV commercial. Keep her safe, okay?”
“I know, Mom. You can rest assured,” Xiao Jing replied, and then he asked Tang Xi to go upstairs to change her clothes. “We’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
Tang Xi trotted upstairs. Xiao Hongli looked at Yang Jingxian and asked, “What happened?”
“Do you remember that your sister-in-law’s father and mother came that day?” Yang Jingxian began with a frown. “This morning they started to make trouble. Well, you’ll find out when you get there.” She went upstairs to change her clothes while murmuring to herself, “Oh, your sister-in-law is really unlucky to have such a father and mother!”
Xiao Jing and Xiao Sa didn’t speak. Another reason that they didn’t like Aunt Lin Ru was her parents, who regarded their daughter as a cash cow… Every time they came to City A, they would ask for money…
They would make a scene every time. After the Lin family split the family property, Lin Ru finally didn’t need to deal with them again, but why did they…
Tang Xi went downstairs after changing clothes, at which point Yang Jingxian and Xiao Hongli had left. Tang Xi was in casual wear, outfitted in short jeans, a white shirt and a pair of white sneakers, highlighting her straight long legs. Xiao Jing gave a whistle and said, “Rourou, you seem to like this set of clothes!”
Tang Xi shrugged and replied, “Doesn’t it look good?”