Chapter 120: Failure
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Rong Xian said a lot, but it was clear that what Rong Shen cared about most was the comment about his age. The siblings exchanged glances, and Rong Xian suddenly laughed, “Did I say something wrong? Isn’t what you’re doing now like an old ox eating tender grass?”
The man’s handsome face darkened slightly, and the lines of his face tightened.
Rong Xian wasn’t afraid of his anger. As she stood, she patted his shoulder and said, “I’m not trying to badmouth you two. I’m just giving you advice. An Tong’s personality is a bit dull; over time, you might find her boring and rigid. But since you’ve chosen her, you’d better take full responsibility. Otherwise, hurting a dutiful girl who loves you could bring retribution.”
For example, her ex who had left her battered and broken was now facing his own comeuppance.
“Not everyone’s like him,” Rong Shen glanced sideways at the woman beside him, his lips curling teasingly. “Besides, An An is luckier than you.”
Rong Xian paused, snorted without expression, and strode away.
What ill intentions could biological siblings have? At worst, they just hurt each other’s feelings.
Rong Xian rarely meddled, and this time she broke her habit to give advice, probably because she saw a reflection of her younger self in An Tong.
She trusted Rong Shen’s character and agreed with his words.
An Tong was indeed luckier than she was; at least she didn’t have to endure the pain of a mismatched partner.
...
After lunch, An Tong and Rong Shen returned to the Houhu villa where they had once lived.
The place looked unchanged since they left, clearly well maintained by regular servants, spotless and immaculate.
An Tong sat in the sunroom on the top floor, basking in the sunlight with a cup of coffee, a foreign classic novel resting by her side.
Footsteps approached from behind, and she turned sharply, nearly colliding with Rong Shen’s arm.
The man reached out and took her coffee cup, replacing it with a warm glass of milk.
An Tong glanced at the cup and then at the coffee in his hand. “I haven’t finished yet…”
“Too much caffeine will cause insomnia at night.”
His tone was calm and unhurried. An Tong sniffed the lingering coffee aroma, ready to silently accept his arrangement, but suddenly Rong Xian’s words echoed in her ears.
—A woman who’s too obedient is like tasteless water.
An Tong didn’t want to be obedient anymore.
She set the milk down on the coffee table but spoke awkwardly, “I just want to drink coffee.”
She surprised herself with how confrontational that sounded.
She inwardly regretted it, catching the man’s composed expression, and obediently picked up the milk again.
Her ‘rebellion’ had failed.
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Her eldest sister only told her not to be too obedient but never taught her how to express herself properly.
Just now, her tone sounded less like wanting coffee and more like picking a fight...
An Tong drank the milk listlessly when suddenly Rong Shen’s magnetic teasing voice came from above her head, “You said you just wanted coffee, so why are you drinking milk again?”
“D-Drink whatever,” An Tong stammered, cheeks flushed.
She just didn’t want to become bland water, but she had overdone it and nearly turned into chili water.
An Tong felt unhappy and lowered her eyelids in frustration.
Then, the coffee cup she had given up was returned to her, accompanied by the man’s compromising yet gentle voice, “I’m not forbidding you, just watch your intake.”
An Tong’s eyes brightened, and she quickly looked up at Rong Shen.
Before she could speak, the milk in her hand was swapped for coffee.
The rich aroma filled her senses. An Tong grabbed his hand and smiled slyly, “I drink coffee every day and never have trouble sleeping at night.”
“Looks like…” The man sat beside her, his eyes sparkling with amusement, “I was being narrow-minded.”
An Tong tugged his fingers, “I didn’t say that...”
She felt it might be better to be plain water after all—bland but at least not misunderstood.
Perhaps sensing An Tong’s thoughts, Rong Shen crossed his legs and said meaningfully, “Your situation is different from your sister’s. Some things are best heard and not taken to heart.”
“Is there something wrong with my sister’s situation?” An Tong took a sip of coffee, her tone gentle but her eyes full of curiosity.
The man turned his head, affectionately pinching her cheek, “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“It’s not nice to pry into others’ privacy,” An Tong replied earnestly.
Rong Shen chuckled softly, “Isn’t it prying right now?”
An Tong pulled his hand from her face, her eyes flickering as she deliberately twisted the meaning, “It’s not prying if you don’t name names—I’ll just think of it as… hearing a story.”
She instinctively felt Rong Xian must have many untold experiences.
Otherwise, when she said “obedient women are like tasteless water,” her expression wouldn’t have been so sarcastic and mocking.
Rong Shen sighed softly, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leaned back in his chair, and briefly summarized the key points.
An Tong frowned deeply after listening. “Cheating?”
No wonder her sister was so disinterested in relationships now.
So she had been heartbroken before.
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“What about her now…”
Before she finished, the man’s gaze grew distant as he looked out the window, his tone low and teasing, “That’s in the past. She’s living more comfortably now than you imagine.”
Rich, with time to spare, and a devoted younger boyfriend.
Now, Rong Xian had become the kind of woman many envied.
...
The day after New Year’s, Su Ji was coming.
An Tong woke early, her mind heavy with worries.
After ten-thirty, she left the house.
She didn’t invite Su Ji to the Yue Mansion but reserved a restaurant instead, planning to have a meal first.
On the way, Cheng Feng kept stealing glances at the rearview mirror, clearly sensing An Tong’s uneasy and restless demeanor.
“Xiao An, do you want me to book a hotel for loud-voiced Miss Su?”
An Tong withdrew her gaze from outside and said calmly, “I’ve already booked one.”
Su Ji was only staying for two days this time; Aunt Ji was still in Hong Kong, so she couldn’t be away too long.
At the private restaurant, close to noon, the private room door was pushed open, and Su Ji arrived, dust-covered from traveling.
An Tong stood to greet her, asking warmly, “Was the journey tiring?”
“Not really, but…” Su Ji placed her bag on the table, smirking as she looked her over, “Baby, why do you have words written all over your face?”
“Huh?” An Tong instinctively rubbed her cheek, “What words?”
Su Ji held up two fingers, “Nervous, guilty, uneasy, anxious…”
She rattled off every adjective she could think of.
An Tong, wiping her face, was speechless.
She gathered herself and tried to change the subject, “You came all the way to Zhanzhou—who is taking care of Aunt Ji?”
“My third aunt is looking after her at my house,” Su Ji said, sipping warm tea. “Don’t worry about that. What about Rong Shen? Didn’t he come?”
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