Huo Yuheng discreetly glanced at Su Ningxi, and the more he looked at her, the more displeased he became. He couldn't accept that his brother had married such a woman. He forcefully placed his chopsticks on the table to express his dissatisfaction and stood up with a scowl on his face. "I'm done eating. I'm leaving first. Take your time."
Huo Yuchen furrowed his brows but didn't say anything. He simply called for a servant and instructed, "Escort Second Young Master back to his room to rest."
Su Ningxi watched Huo Yuheng as he walked away, her face filled with confusion. What happened to him? She noticed his expression wasn't good when she first looked at him. She didn't think much of it at first, but now it seemed like he had some issues and a bad temper.
On the other hand, Tang Chen sent the edited photos to someone labeled as "Aunt" in her contacts, who happened to be Huo Yuchen's mother, Tang Wanrou.
She added a message, "I've successfully infiltrated the inner circle. Look, this is your eldest daughter-in-law."
Soon, a response came back with a big eye-roll emoji and the text, "Really? You're asking for trouble! Taking a photo of a servant to deceive me. Where is my daughter-in-law? Send me a picture quickly."
The tone of the message revealed impatience.
Tang Chen replied, "I took one! Isn't the one wearing glasses her?"
Tang Wanrou replied with several question marks, "Are you kidding me?"
"No, that's your daughter-in-law."
After a few minutes, another message came from her end, "Is that so? She does have quite a unique appearance, but her clothes are a bit shabby. Your brother is really something, not willing to buy a few decent outfits for his wife. No, I have to call him and talk about it."
"Don't call him."
Before Tang Chen could send that message, Huo Yuchen's phone on the table started ringing.
Tang Chen almost fainted. Auntie, why are you so anxious? Calling now would expose me, wouldn't it?
Huo Yuchen glanced at it and answered, "Hello!"
"Achen, it's Mom. Let me tell you, as a man, you should treat your wife better. Don't be so stingy..."
"What do you mean?" Huo Yuchen looked bewildered by her words.
"Look at what your wife is wearing. Now that you've married her, you should..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Huo Yuchen hung up. He looked at Tang Chen, who was trying to escape. Ha! She really invited trouble into the house!
He called out to her retreating figure, "Stop!"
Tang Chen...
It's over, it's over. I'm done for.
Calming his emotions, he turned around and pretended to be clueless. "What's wrong, Brother?"
"Later, have Uncle Liu take you to the hotel."
Tang Chen quickly waved her hand and refused, "No need. I'm fine staying here."
"Uncle Liu." Huo Yuchen ignored her and directly called for Uncle Liu. It was clear that this matter was non-negotiable.
"Alright."
"Brother, you can't treat me like this. If I leave, what about Ah Hong?" He was Ah Hong's attending physician.
Huo Yuchen replied, "The villa has a specialized medical team to take care of him. His condition is stable for now, so we don't need you temporarily."
Tang Chen...
Did he have to be so heartless? His heart was deeply wounded.
Tang Chen saw that Huo Yuchen had made up his mind to make her move out. During the brief period when Uncle Liu went upstairs to pack her luggage, she secretly sent a message to Tang Wanrou, "Sis, help me! My brother wants to kick me out."
"Why?" Tang Wanrou asked.
"No time to explain."
Huo Yuchen seemed to know what she was up to and warned her, "It's useless for you to seek anyone's help. Don't waste your efforts."
Just as he finished speaking, Huo Yuchen's phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was his mother, not someone he wanted to talk to.
He glanced at Tang Chen with a dangerous look.
Nervously, Tang Chen averted her gaze and dared not look at him.
Huo Yuchen answered the call with displeasure, "Hello!"
Tang Wanrou's voice came through, "Son, is it true that you want to kick Tang Chen out?"
"Yes," Huo Yuchen replied.
"You can't do that. He's your own cousin! He doesn't know many people in Beijing, and you're his only family. How can you make him live outside?"
"I've already made up my mind."
Tang Wanrou pleaded pitifully, "Do you know who helped me the most during the most difficult years? It was your uncle! By treating his son like this, how can I face him? I'm truly miserable. Our son doesn't understand me. Sob..."
Huo Yuchen massaged his temples. He couldn't stand it when his mother pretended to be pitiful in front of him, even though he knew she was just putting on an act. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but recall her past hardships and felt a pang of heartache.
Finally, he compromised, "Alright, I understand. I won't let him leave."
Tang Chen, who was not far away, heard Huo Yuchen's words and asked excitedly, "Can I stay?"
Huo Yuchen hung up the phone and warned, "You have one more chance. Remember, don't say things you shouldn't say."
"I promise I won't," Tang Chen said, raising her hands as a gesture of assurance.
Huo Yuchen didn't say anything else and left the dining room.
Su Ningxi had no idea what was going on between them and looked at Tang Chen curiously, saying, "What shouldn't you say? Come on, tell me."
Tang Chen smiled and waved her hand, "It's nothing, sister-in-law. Enjoy your meal! I'm leaving."
Su Ningxi pouted, knowing that it must have something to do with her even without being told. She had a hunch.
****
Su Ningxi had nothing to do today, so she strolled around the yard. Since moving here, she hadn't had a chance to explore properly.
It had to be said that this place was really nice. Just the yard alone was probably several hundred square meters, equipped with everything from a flower house, swimming pool, to a barbecue stall.
After walking for a while, she still hadn't covered the whole area.
"Aoao!" Suddenly, a howl came from somewhere.
What was that sound?
Su Ningxi followed the sound, getting closer and closer. The sound became clearer, and finally, she discovered that it was coming from the other side of the yard wall.
Driven by curiosity, she wanted to see what was making the noise. Could there be wild beasts in this villa?
But the tall wall had an electric fence on top. How could she get there? There wasn't even a gate.
Huh! It seems like there's someone over there. As she walked closer, all she saw was a fleeting figure and an open electronic door. Without much thought, she walked right in.
But as soon as she entered, the door slowly closed behind her.
Su Ningxi turned to look at the motionless door and exclaimed, "No way! How is she going to get back later?"
"Ah..." another sound caught her attention.
Only then did she take a look around. It was truly a hidden paradise on this side of the door, with a forest stretching endlessly into the distance.
The roars were getting closer, and she mustered up the courage to venture further in, wanting to see what was causing the commotion. But by the time she realized something was amiss and wanted to escape, it was already too late.
She saw it—several plump tigers, some lying down, some pacing back and forth, constantly roaring.
A few tigers heard the commotion and stared at her, as if they would pounce on her in the next second. The roars grew louder and louder.
Su Ningxi swallowed hard, her legs paralyzed with fear.
What should she do? What should she do?
She tentatively reached out her hand, her voice trembling as she said, "Brother Tiger, please don't be angry. I didn't mean to intrude on your territory. I was just passing by. I'll leave now, I'll leave."
