Chapter 3: She Wants to Have Eight Babies with You
Xi Xingye coughed twice. His heavy brows casting a shadow over his eyes. When he looked up, his clear eyes were full of pure judgment, “Are you crazy too? Try saying that one more time.”
Xu Zijie didn’t blink, looking as if he had uncovered the secrets of the universe. “I’m serious. And from what I’ve observed, she’s been planning this for a long time. First marriage, then love, then eight babies in one go, run off with the babies, and finally reunite after a painful separation.”
Xi Xingye stubbed out his cigarette and signaled the server. “Go. Bring me that medicine bottle.”
The medicine had been left there by the Old Master for emergency. As soon as he got the bottle, Xi Xingye shoved it straight into Xu Zijie’s mouth.
“I told you to stop listening to those damb audiobooks with your grandma!” Xi Xingye snapped. “You’ve listened to so many your brain’s rotten!”
*Cough, cough, cough* “Brother Xi, think about it. With your reputation, is there anyone in the city who doesn’t know you? A crying kid would probably shut right up the second they heard you name…Arggh!”
Xi Xingye pulled back his foot. Xu Zijie threw his hands up in surrender.
“Regardless, she was willing to sign a prenup just to marry you, and she’s already hitting on you. You think that bar incident was a coincidence? She definitely said those things just for you to hear. Now just watch her to see if she checks these three boxes: replying to your messages in seconds, constant ‘checking in’ on you, and getting jealous whenever you’re around other women.”
“If she checks off more than two of those, then she definitely likes you!”
Xi Xingye squinted. He couldn’t help but replay the three conditions Shen Qingci had laid down for him:
No stay out all night. No seeing other women…
Could it be…that she really did have feelings for him?
“Forget it”. Xi Xingye put down his glass. “Why should I care whether she likes me or not? There’s no way I’d ever fall for her in this lifetime!”
“Exactly,” someone chimed in. “She sounds like a total lunatic. We all know Brother Xi likes delivate, dainty kind of beauty, you know, someone like Lou Xinyue.”
The second that name came up, the room went dead silent.
Xu Zijie chuckled. “Brother Xi, I heard Lou Xinyue came back yesterday…”
Xi Xingye ignored him. Shen Qingci’s arrogant face was still in his mind, irritiating him so much his teeth itched.
He had to get that divorce soon.
‘She’s already this into me now,’ he thought. ‘If we actually spent more time together, wouldn’t she be hopelessly captivated?’
The hospital.
As soon as Shen Qingci arrived at the VIP suite to find Grandpa Xi in the middle of a horse stance, swaying his head to the rhymth of the opera.
Thud.
She casually tossed the marriage certificate over.
Looking at the creases all over the document, the Old Master’s corner of his mouth twitched.
“The seal,” Shen Qingci said, holding out her hand.
“Don’t worry, I’m a man of my word.” The Old Master handed over the corporate seal, then suddenly teased, “The Shen family is in total chaos now. Even with this seal in your hand, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to handle the company.”
Shen Qingci gave him a side-eye and moved suddenly.
“Hey, hey, hey! You’re stepping on my oxygen tube! You girl, do you have to be this petty?”
Shen Qingci lifted her foot, put the seal away securely, and was about to leave.
“Little girl,” Old Master Xi called out after her, “I’ve given you the seal. Don’t forget what you promised me. Whip that brat Xingye into shape and make him come back to take over the family business. Do whatever it takes!”
“So I can beat him?” Shen Qingci looked back and asked.
The Old Master froze. “Huh?”
“Just kidding.” Shen Qingci dangerously smiled and left.
“That really didn’t sound like a joke at all!”
Behind her, Old Master Xi ripped out his fake IV needle and chased after her, shouting, “Our family has only had one heir for nine generations. If you hit him, avoid the vital spots! Avoid the vital spots!”
He rushed to the window and yelled down at Shen Qingci, who was already heading out the main gate, “So, when are you moving into his place?”
“Tonight,” Shen Qingci waved.
“I’l tell hime to come help you with your luggage!”
“Can he really carry those two bags? That skinny body of his, he looks kinda weak.”
The nurses nearby were all covering their mouths, trying not to laugh.
Old Master Xi raised his voice, determined to defend his grandson’s honor. “He is NOT weak! That boy works out regularly. He’s got muscles everywhere! If you don’t believe me, take a good look tonight! Check out the abs! The abs are the best part!”
Shen Qingci didn’t answer. She got in her car and sped off.
Old Master Xi watched her go, clicking his tongue happily.
The butler behind him asked worriedly, “Master, the young master has trained in martial art since he was a child, even bodyguards can’t hold him down. Ms. Shen is all skin and bones, can she really handle him?”
“You’re still too young,” the Old Master replied. “Just wait and see.”
Old Master Xi passed over a file.
The butler opened it with confusion. Written on the cover was: Personal File of Shen Qingci.
“At 16: Bullied by the Shen family; forced to sleep in a dog house every night.”
“At 18: Falsely accused of theft by the Shen family and served one year in prison.”
“At 20: Pushed into a frozen lake by her cousin; leaving her with permanent leg injury.”
“At 21: Secured a chance to go abroad for an exchange program, only to be sold out by the Shen family and takento a compound in Myamar…”
The butler was in shock.
She went through all that? She looks so fragile. There’s no way she can handle the Young Master now!
Old Master Xi stroked his beard. “Keep reading.”
“…Taken to a compound in Myamar,” the butler continued reading. He paused, his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. “Then blew up the entire place all by herself.”
He started turning the pages faster.
“At 22: Targeted by three MMA fighters, fought them off barehanded, leaving them seriously injured and incapacitated.”
“Age 23: Took down a gunman during a bank robbery and rescued 35 hostages.”
“Age 24: Obtained dual degrees in Finance and Law abroad.”
“Age 25: Established the Flower Foundation and donated her entire fortune of 800 million to build schools for children in low-income communities.”
“Age 26: Returned home after her mother passed away.”
The butler put the file aside, his head still spinning. “Is this even the same person?”
“And you still think she can’t do it?”
The butler swallowed. “Master, the real question is…do you think our Young Master can?”
Old Master Xi closed his eyes to the rhythm of the opera. “Let’s see if she can deal with those freaks around him.”
A chill ran down the butler’s spine.
That made sense. After the first Madam passed away, his father remarried, and the Young Master was raised by his stepmother. She was a master of the “White Lotus” act, using her weak and harmless look to fool into trusting her.
Only when the Old Master took the Young Master back did he realize the boy had already been led astray. Surrounded by doting nannies who spoiled him rotten, maids who encouraged his worse impulses, and a bunch of toxic so-called brothers.
Even if his stepmother wants to discipline the Young Master, she will first have to fight her way through quite a few barriers.
Old Master Xi hummed an operatic tune, spun around, and struck a pose. “If you wish to know what happens next…just watch to…night~~!!!”
Having just returned to the country, Shen Qingci had a mountain of paperwork and Ids to reprocess. By the time she arrived at Xi Xingye’s villa with her luggage, it was already late.
The entire neighborhood was eerily quiet.
The three-story villa before was brightly lit. Its walls were painted a soft creamy white, with lush ivy crawling over them. From where she stood, she could see the small courtyard filled with blooming flowers by the entrance, enclosed by a fence.
She raised her brows in slight surprise.
She had thought Xi Xingye would prefer something flashy and extravagant. But to her surprise, the place he lived was rather elegant and tasteful.
She rang the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
The bell rang so loudly that she could hear it clearly right from the entrance.
Five minutes passed, but still no one opened the door.
Upstairs, Xi Xingye sat back on the leather sofa. His silk robe draped loosely enough to reveal his sharp collarbones.
He held a wine glass, his long eyes fixed on Shen Qingci on the security monitor. He smirked.
So she thought winning over Grandpa means she can control me? In her dreams. If I let her walk through that door today, I’ll start writing my name backward!
Xi Xingye flicked his fingers. “Go ahead, dump the cold water on her.”
The maid, Sister Zhang, froze. “Huh? It’s snowing and freezing outside. After all, the Young Madam is just a girl…”
Xi Xingye looked at the snowflakes drifting past the window.
“So what?” Wang Sao cut in immediately. “Look at the clothes Young Master just changed out of, does she look like a girl to you? She hasn’t even set foot inside and she’s already this bold. If this keeps up, she’ll be walking all over the Young Master in no time.”
“Walking all over me huh?”
Xi Xingye immediately pointed at the door and shouted, “Drench her! Drench her to death!”
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