Indeed, if not for Mr. Sheng’s instructions, how could Sheng Jianan have gone to pick her up?
Shaking her head, Tang Yanqi smiled and walked in: "Grandpa, here I am."
Upon seeing Tang Yanqi, Mr. Sheng’s aged face lit up with a smile: "Yanxi, come here quickly, let Grandpa take a look."
Tang Yanqi obediently went over, but Mr. Sheng immediately noticed the injury on Tang Yanqi’s hand. The smile he had vanished in an instant: "What’s going on? Jianan, did you bully Yanxi?"
"Grandpa, it’s not like that. I overestimated myself and tried practicing my knife skills that day, and ended up injuring my hand. When Jianan took me to the hospital, he was on the verge of tears from worry. Please don’t blame him anymore; I feel bad."
Unlike her usual calm demeanor, Tang Yanqi’s tone was now filled with a coquettish air. It was obvious that her words weren’t true. They, being the older generation, knew Sheng Jianan’s personality too well — him crying from worry? That was hardly believable.
But whether it was true didn’t matter. The point of Tang Yanqi making such a joke about Sheng Jianan was undoubtedly to tell them that she and Sheng Jianan were fine; there was no need for concern.
Sure enough, as soon as Tang Yanqi finished speaking, Mr. Sheng’s expression softened. He took Tang Yanqi’s hand and affectionately advised: "Don’t spoil him like that. That boy Jianan was pampered since childhood. If you keep indulging him, he won’t be able to keep in line in the future."
Tang Yanqi’s cheeks flushed, and she nodded coyly: "Yes, Grandpa, I’ll remember."
The hitherto silent Sheng Jianan finally chuckled: "Hey, hey, Old Man, have you got it wrong? I’m your grandson, how did it become like I’m your grandson-in-law? Old Man, are you senile?"
Mr. Sheng glared at him and ignored him, continuing to converse with Tang Yanqi.
If an outsider saw how Sheng Jianan interacted with Mr. Sheng, they would surely think Sheng Jianan lacked the manners of a junior. But Tang Yanqi understood; this was just their grandfather-grandson way of interacting, even if Sheng Jianan’s rudeness reached its peak, in his heart, Grandpa was the most important family member, one of the few people he deeply cared about.
It’s precisely because he cared that although he didn’t love her, he still listened to Grandpa and married her. Even though he loathed her to death, as long as Mr. Sheng speaks, Sheng Jianan would accompany her every time to the Sheng Family’s old house.
Tang Yanqi stole a glance at Sheng Jianan. This man, arrogant as can be, always carried a look of disdain and pride in his eyes, with a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth, appearing indifferent as if nothing mattered to him.
Yet such a person would give the world to those he cared about.
Tang Yanqi understood all this. He cared about Grandpa, so even if he seemed insubordinate, he’d never stir trouble for him. He cared about his brothers, so no matter how busy he was, if they really had something going on, Sheng Jianan would always be the first to appear.
However, his affection was something Tang Yanqi would never possess in her lifetime, something she didn’t deserve to have.
Tang Yanqi was still engrossed in her own thoughts when she suddenly heard Mr. Sheng’s voice: "Yanxi injured her hand; it’s inconvenient in the dormitory. Just stay at the villa for the next couple of days. Your classes aren’t as many in your senior year, and I’ll have someone sent over."