Chapter 54
Chapter 54
“Later?” The restaurant’s cold white lights fell over Shen Yanchen, making his eyes look dark and unreadable.
Xia Sheng noticed nothing. She nodded seriously. “Mm. After all, I can’t calculate my own fate. For now, there isn’t anyone suitable, but later on, who knows?”
Shen Shen, who had been quietly eating the whole time: Does the Little Immortal really not understand what Mr. Shen means, or is she pretending to be dense?
Mr. Shen might as well write the words “I am your destined one” across his forehead, okay?!
Is the Little Immortal being selectively blind?!
After hearing Xia Sheng’s answer, Shen Yanchen gave her a long, deep look, then continued eating.
Forget it. This girl was still young anyway.
He still had time to take things slowly.
After dinner, Xia Sheng and Shen Yanchen stayed in the study for a while. Once she finished her homework and had absorbed about enough Baleful Qi, she finally left.
By the time she got home, it was already eleven at night. Fang Rong was waiting for her in the living room.
Perhaps she had waited too long, because at some point, Fang Rong had fallen asleep. The television, however, was still on.
Xia Sheng softened her footsteps, walked over, and turned off the TV. Then she picked Fang Rong up and carried her into the bedroom.
She moved as gently as she could, but she still woke Fang Rong.
When Fang Rong opened her eyes and realized she was being carried by her daughter, she was visibly stunned.
Was her daughter really that strong?
As a mother, being carried by her daughter like a child was more than a little embarrassing.
Fang Rong’s face flushed. “Put me down. I’m already this old, and you’re still carrying me like this.”
Xia Sheng said, “We’re almost there. Don’t be shy.”
As she spoke, she had already entered the bedroom and set Fang Rong down on the edge of the bed.
It took Fang Rong a few seconds to recover from the awkwardness before she asked, “Sheng’er, you came back so late again tonight. Did you go to work again?
“Helping others is a good thing, but don’t exhaust yourself. Relax when you need to. Don’t keep yourself wound so tight.”
Xia Sheng said calmly, “My body is stronger than most people’s. A little fatigue won’t hurt me.”
Fang Rong sighed helplessly.
Her daughter was far too driven. She was honestly afraid Xia Sheng would wear herself out.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’m already an adult. I know my limits.” Xia Sheng sat down beside Fang Rong. “The day after tomorrow is Old Master Zhou’s seventieth birthday banquet. I’ll be going then, and I might come back late that night too. Don’t wait up for me. Go to bed early.”
“Old Master Zhou’s birthday? What are you going there for?” Fang Rong frowned. Then, as if thinking of something, she grabbed Xia Sheng’s hand and asked worriedly, “Did someone from the Xia Family threaten you?
“There isn’t a single good person in that family. We can earn money and support ourselves now. We don’t need anyone else’s charity. If you don’t want anything to do with the Xia Family, then we won’t bother with them.”
At first, Fang Rong had wanted Xia Sheng to return to the Xia Family because she was afraid her daughter would look down on her.
After all, she had been ugly and lame, with no respectable job, unable to give her child a comfortable life. Staying with the Xia Family would clearly have meant an easier and happier future for Xia Sheng.
But now that she had lived with her daughter for almost a month, not only had her limp been cured, her daughter was also so capable. Naturally, Fang Rong had grown more confident as well.
She firmly believed her daughter was on her side, so she no longer suppressed her dislike and disgust for the Xia Family.
Seeing that her mother was worried about her, Xia Sheng reassured her, “No one threatened me. I decided to go myself.
“The Xia Family has always wanted me to marry into the Zhou Family in Xia Zhiruo’s place. I’m going the day after tomorrow to completely put an end to that idea.”
Fang Rong was puzzled. “What are you planning to do?”
“It’s a secret.”
Her methods might get a little dirty, and she didn’t want her mother to think she was ruthless. She decided to keep it to herself.
Seeing how confident she looked, Fang Rong could only let her go, no matter how worried she was.
“Fine. You’ve always had a mind of your own. I can’t change what you’ve decided.
“Just be careful when the time comes. If you suffer any grievances, come back and tell Mom.
“Mom may not be capable of much, but I can still risk this old life for my daughter.
“If anyone from the Xia Family bullies you, I’ll bite off a layer of their skin even if it kills me!”
She had suffered hardship all her life. She absolutely would not let her daughter suffer the same grievances she had.
Hearing Fang Rong’s words, Xia Sheng was deeply moved. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist and buried her head against her chest.
“Mom, don’t worry. As long as I don’t allow it, no one can bully me.”
Fang Rong rubbed her daughter’s head. “Mm. Our Sheng’er is the best.”
Xia Sheng nuzzled against Fang Rong’s chest, then couldn’t help taking a deep breath.
“So soft, and you smell so nice.”
It hadn’t been a waste for her to keep making whitening ointment for her mother these past two weeks.
Fang Rong’s face turned bright red from her daughter’s teasing. She reached out and pried Xia Sheng off her.
“Have some respect for your elders.” She scolded her in mock anger, then gave Xia Sheng a little push. “You still have school tomorrow. Hurry back to your room and sleep.”
Xia Sheng answered with a laugh, planted a kiss on her mother’s fair, tender cheek, and then left.
Fang Rong covered her face, both annoyed and amused, but her heart was filled with joy.
Her daughter was growing closer and closer to her.
How wonderful.
…
The next day in class, Xia Sheng noticed that Ning Xi seemed to be in low spirits. She looked listless and barely said a word.
Xia Sheng asked casually, “Did something unhappy happen?”
Ning Xi had been waiting for her to ask. The moment Xia Sheng did, she immediately began pouring out her woes.
“Didn’t I buy a Truth-Telling Talisman from you yesterday? When I went back and told my roommate about it, she didn’t believe me.
“It just so happened that I was with her and her boyfriend at the time, so she told me to stick it on her boyfriend and try it.
“I didn’t have anyone else to test it on anyway, so I agreed. After I put the Talisman on him, my roommate started asking questions.
“And the moment that guy answered the first one, my roommate’s face turned green.”
She stopped there and stared at Xia Sheng without saying another word, clearly trying to build suspense and waiting for Xia Sheng to ask.
Xia Sheng played along helplessly. “What did her boyfriend say?”
Ning Xi instantly grew agitated, looking like she was one step away from slapping the desk and jumping to her feet. “Her boyfriend said the money he borrowed from my roommate before was used to buy gifts for other girls.
“The reason he didn’t show up on my roommate’s birthday was because he was with his ex-girlfriend. In the end, he even revealed that he’d gone to prostitutes.
“My roommate was furious. She slapped him across the face and broke up with him on the spot!”
After saying that, Ning Xi’s mood sank again.
“My roommate and her boyfriend actually had a really good relationship. They’d been dating since high school.
“Last night, her boyfriend had come to pick her up for a date, but because of me, they broke up just like that…”
Xia Sheng comforted her, “This isn’t your fault. The problem was with that boy. If you hadn’t used the Truth-Telling Talisman on him last night, your roommate would still be in the dark. Who knows what might have happened in the future?”
Ning Xi nodded in agreement. “Right. That’s what my roommate said too.”
Then she looked pitifully at Xia Sheng. “Sheng’er, seeing as I’m so pitiful, can you sell me a few more Truth-Telling Talismans?”