Every time Xia Xiaowan faced Jiang Kaiwei head-on, she had never won. Being able to bite Jiang Kaiwei this time was a small victory for her, so when she returned home, she was in a very good mood.

As soon as she entered the house, she saw Xia Nanze sitting in the lobby. There was no doubt that the reason why he was still awake so late was that he was waiting for her.

Perhaps it was because he had waited for too long, his entire body sank in the sofa, his hands folded around his chest, and his head lowered. Because of the distance, Xia Xiaowan could not tell if he was asleep or awake.

She stood there and listened quietly for a moment, and then quietly walked towards the stairs along the wall. After finally walking to the bottom of the stairs and about to lift her feet up, Xia Nanze suddenly raised his head.

Xia Xiaowan knew that she couldn’t hide anymore, so she smiled and said, “Brother, are you still awake?”

“Come here.” His voice was deep, and his tone was unfriendly.

Xia Xiaowan hesitated and said, “Brother, let’s talk tomorrow. It’s too late. I want to go to bed.”

“You…” Xia Nanze was furious and immediately realized that his voice was loud. He was afraid of waking up his parent upstairs, so he lowered his voice and said again. “You know it’s too late? Tell me, what did you do?”

Xia Xiaowan slowly walked over and didn’t dare to get too close to him. She was afraid that Xia Nanze would smell alcohol on her breath, so she leaned against the back of the sofa and said, “I didn’t do anything. I just strolled around.”

Xia Nanze roared, “Strolled around? What the hell are you saying? At this time, where can you stroll?”

“I went to sing with Xiaoxue. If you don’t believe me, ask her.” Han Xiaoxue was her college classmate and the only friend she contacted after returning to China. Han Xiaoxue came from a middle-class family and was kind and gentle. Xia Nanze had a good impression with her.

Hearing that she was with Han Xiaoxue, Xia Nanze slightly became mild. “What did I tell you? What time do you think it is now?”

“I know. I should be home by twelve o’clock.” Xia Xiaowan lowered her head and muttered, “I did leave before twelve o’clock, but I met someone on the way…”

“Who did you meet?”

Xia Xiaowan hesitated for a moment. She absolutely couldn’t tell him that it was Jiang Kaiwei. If Xia Nanze knew what Jiang Kaiwei had done to her tonight, he would definitely have a huge fight with Jiang Kaiwei. She didn’t care about Jiang Kaiwei’s safety. She was just afraid that Xia Nanze wouldn’t be able to take an edge over Jiang Kaiwei.

“I met robbers.”

Xia Nanze was shocked. He stood up immediately and walked over to check her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” said Xia Xiaowan. “I ran. You know, I was a long-distance runner. They chased me for a long time. Then I found out they only wanted money, and I gave it to them. Then I came back.”

“You gave them money, and they just let you go?” Xia Nanze didn’t believe it. Xia Xiaowan was so beautiful. When robbers met her in midnight, would they simply ask for money?

“I was also afraid that they wouldn’t keep their word, so I threw all the money on the ground and ran away while they were picking it up.” As Xia Xiaowan spoke, she took out her wallet and showed it to him. “I gave them all, there’s not a single note left.”

Xia Nanze didn’t say anything. He just looked at her suspiciously.

“It is true. Brother, if you don’t believe me, you can check it out,” Xia Xiaowan described the three men’s appearances. “They’re all only this tall, shorter than me, very thin. One of them has a stutter, and says that they don’t do anything harmful. They really only want money.”

Xia Nanze looked at her quietly and finally said, “It’s good that you’re fine.”

“Brother, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Xia Xiaowan smiled and said, “City G is famous for its good security. It was just an accident tonight. Although it was frightening, they didn’t do any harm to me.”

“You should drive in the future,” Xia Nanze sighed helplessly. “If you really want to drink, ask the driver to pick you up.”

“Brother, I…” Xia Xiaowan thought that she had well concealed the fact that she had drunk, but she didn’t expect that Xia Nanze could still smell the alcohol from her.

Xia Nanze patted her shoulder and said, “Xiaowan, I know you’re painful in your heart. Forget about the past. Since you’ve chosen to come back and start over, look ahead. Everything will be fine.”

Xia Xiaowan nodded and whispered, “I know, brother, I’m trying to forget the past.”

“How’s Gu Nianbin?”

“Not bad, Du Xiaoxian has already left him.”

“Leaving him is not enough. Gu Nianbin will go find her.”

“No,” Xia Xiaowan said confidently. “Du Xiaoxian agreed to follow my plan. This time, it’s really impossible for them to be together.”

“That’s good,” said Xia Nanze with some emotion. “She is a good girl, actually. She may suffer a lot by doing so. You should give her some more money as compensation.”

“Alright, I know.” Xia Xiaowan thought for a moment and said, “Brother, as long as Nianbin agrees to get married to me, you must keep your promise and help him turn the tables.”

“Have I not kept my promise for once? As soon as he agrees to get married, I will immediately transfer my shares to you as your dowry.”

“Can we…” Xia Xiaowan probed, “Can we work with Gu Group and get rid of Jiang Group?”

Xia Nanze raised his eyebrows. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and his face darkened again, “Are you still thinking of revenge? Let me tell you, don’t even think about it. No one can shake Jiang Group’s foundation. Even if you and Gu Nianbin get married in the future, you can’t let him deal with Jiang Kaiwei. That’s using eggs to knock stones. You’ll bring destruction to yourself.”

“I’m just saying. Why are you reacting so dramatically? Besides, Gu Nianbin won’t listen to me.”

“Alright, let’s not talk about those useless things. Go upstairs and sleep.” Xia Nanze yawned and dragged Xia Xiaowan upstairs.

The next day was a rare, sunny day. The wind blew away the haze, and the sun shone on the earth. The leaves of the camphor trees on the roadside were green, shining under the sunlight, as if they were coated with a layer of gold.

Xia Xiaowan was afraid that Xia Nanze would really ask Han Xiaoxue to verify what happened last night, so she called Han Xiaoxue early in the morning to get her prepared and made an appointment to have lunch with her.

When she arrived at the restaurant, Han Xiaoxue had already arrived. Seeing Xia Xiaowan enter, Han Xiaoxue raised her hand and waved.

Xia Xiaowan walked over quickly and smiled, “I deliberately came out earlier today, but I still arrived later than you. Can you let me wait for you for once?”

“I just arrived, too. The chair is still cold.” Han Xiaoxue suggested, “It’s good today. Shall we go shopping later?”

“Ah, that’s what I meant.” Xia Xiaowan sat down, poured herself a glass of pure water, took two sips, and said, “My brother didn’t call you, did he?”

“No,” Han Xiaoxue looked sweet, but her voice was a little hoarse. She had an illness when she was a child. Her voice became like this after she recovered from her illness. However, her voice made her singing pleasant to hear. She was originally an introverted girl, but she was encouraged by friends to learn music. Now, she was a music teacher in a middle school.

“He hasn’t called me in a long time,” Han Xiaoxue suddenly added. Xia Xiaowan tilted her head to look at her and smiled, “Why do you sound so sad?”

“Go away.” Han Xiaoxue blushed and spat at her, “I mean, you’ve grown up now, so your brother won’t discipline you like he used to. Don’t worry.” As she spoke, she put the hair on her face behind her ears. When she looked up and saw two people coming in, her expression changed slightly. She lowered her voice and said, “Xiaowan, Lei Yajing is here.”

Xia Xiaowan looked up and saw that it was indeed Lei Yajing. She was wearing a long wine-red coat and a pair of black and shiny leather trousers. She stepped on seven-inch heels and walked in in an imposing manner. Her long black hair was swaying behind her head.

Lei Yajing came with a friend. As soon as she entered, she looked around for seats and saw Xia Xiaowan. When they saw each other, almost instinctively, both of them rolled their eyes at the same time.

Han Xiaoxue looked at them, feeling funny, and she whispered, “You guys are still so furious. Why don’t we eat somewhere else?”

“Why,” said Xia Xiaowan, “why should we avoid her! Who would be afraid of an indecent woman?” As she spoke, she raised her eyes and cast another glance.

Coincidentally, Lei Yajing also looked over. They saw each other again. This time, Xia Xiaowan reacted quickly and immediately rolled her eyes back. Lei Yajing was angry. She was originally a narrow-minded person. If she did not return this glance, she would probably be too annoyed to sleep at night. More importantly, this glance came from Xia Xiaowan, her former defeated opponent!

Lei Yajing snorted and walked straight to Han Xiaoxue. “Xiaoxue, long time no see. What have you been up to recently?” She greeted Han Xiaoxue.

Han Xiaoxue teased her, “What can I do? I’m just a teacher, free and easy. How can I compare to Miss Lei? I heard that you just returned from the Milan fashion show. There will be another show in Paris in a few days. Are you going?”

“I don’t want to,” Lei Yajing said as if she was in a dilemma. “But I have no choice. They have sent me an invitation, so I must go. I don’t want them to lose face.”

Xia Xiaowan suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled. The corners of her eyes twitched, revealing a disdainful smile.

Lei Yajing came over just to cause trouble. This happened to give her a reason. She said with great surprise as if she had just seen Xia Xiaowan, “Oh, it’s you. I only saw Xiaoxue, and I didn’t recognize you just now. How did you end up like this? You look so haggard!”

“Is that so?” Xia Xiaowan smiled coldly, “I stay at home all day, how can I be haggard? But you keep flying around, eating and sleeping outside. You must be haggard!”

“I have no choice! I don’t have your fortune,” Lei Yajing mockingly smiled. “I heard you’re getting married to Gu Nianbin. Congratulations. But why did he propose to someone else? It was in the newspaper. Aren’t you upset?”

“Whether I am upset or not has nothing to do with you. It’s also none of your business whom Gu Nianbin proposes to. Anyway, I’ll be the one to marry him.” Xia Xiaowan sneered, “As for you, you have been following behind people for so long. Did you get any results? Be careful that Jiang Kaiwei may kick you away like a fart. At that time, the gains are not worth the losses!”

“You!” Lei Yajing’s eyes were on fire, “Xia Xiaowan, why are you so ill-educated? People think you are a noble lady, but I think you’re a fart, too!”

Xia Xiaowan laughed loudly, “You use the word ‘too’, so you’ve admitted that you are a fart of Jiang Kaiwei!”

Lei Yajing’s words were teased by Xia Xiaowan, so she became angry with embarrassment. She lifted the cup on the table and was about to pour water on Xia Xiaowan. Han Xiaoxue hurriedly reached out to stop her. In the end, she poured all the water on the ground.

Lei Yajing’s friend also helped pull her away. “Forget it, Little Jing, don’t fight with her. Let’s eat somewhere else.”

“Why should I go? I must stay here.”

Han Xiaoxue also advised her, “Yajing, you’d better go. How unsightly is this?”

When Lei Yajing saw Xia Xiaowan sitting there leisurely, she was even angrier. She didn’t care about her image, and she pointed at Xia Xiaowan’s nose and scolded, “What are you proud of? You just rely on your family’s money. What did you get in the end? Jiang Kaiwei just left you. Do you feel that it is worthless? Because of me, he discarded you. Therefore, you’ve always hated me for this. But there’s nothing you can do about it. Kaiwei likes me and hates you. Even if you are jealous, there’s no use.”