Chapter 36 Four People Cannot Pass by Each Other
Nan Xiao didn’t know about this matter, so she nodded and said: “Okay, let’s go together.”
…
Xu Ruoxin’s Home
In the evening, Xu Ruoxin returned home.
Her parents were both migrant workers, which was why she met Xie Chengyu at the construction site inspection during her college years.
But later, after entering the entertainment industry, she earned a lot of money, and with Xie Chengyu’s help, she let her parents quit their jobs, bought a large apartment in the city center, and packaged her parents into upper-class people.
When she got home, her mother, Chen Lian, came up and took the bag from her hand, cautiously asking:
“Ruoxin, why haven’t you been answering calls these past two days? How’s the baby in your belly? How are things between you and Chengyu?”
“Ruoxin, has filming been tiring these days?” her father, Xu Ziqiang, also came forward.
“Don’t wear yourself out, the baby in your belly is our family’s greatest guarantee. Nothing can happen to the baby…”
“I know, why are you asking so many questions? I can’t answer them all.”
Being bombarded with questions about the child as soon as she got home, Xu Ruoxin felt a wave of inexplicable irritability, waved her hand, pushed her parents away, and went straight to her bedroom.
Looking at the slammed door, Chen Lian murmured: “What’s wrong with this child? As soon as we ask about the baby, she gets anxious. She won’t even let me take her to the hospital for a check-up. She’s really too disobedient…”
“Alright, alright, don’t bother with her. She must be confident. Let’s go play cards…”
Xu Ruoxin lay on the soft bed, boredly scrolling through her phone, her mind constantly on Xie Chengyu.
These past two days, Xie Chengyu had been treating her quite normally, not giving her the cold shoulder because of the online violence against Nan Xiao, yet she just didn’t feel secure.
After some thought, she decided to test Xie Chengyu.
Looking at the promotional poster for the upcoming auction on her phone, she dialed him: “Chengyu, there’s an auction this Friday. Will you take me there?”
At the Auction
On Friday, Nan Xiao wore a black fitted evening dress, her hair elegantly coiled on top of her head, revealing fair shoulders and a swan-like neck.
She also had exquisite eye makeup, with a black butterfly mask on her face, making her look as though she was attending a masquerade ball—sexy, beautiful, and radiant.
Lin Yan wore a silver evening gown. She was also very beautiful, but when the two women walked into the auction hall hand in hand, the one who captured all attention was Nan Xiao.
It wasn’t because Lin Yan wasn’t beautiful enough, but because Nan Xiao’s mask was too mysterious, too distinctive.
If this had been a masquerade ball, and everyone was masked except for one person, that person would naturally be the center of attention.
But this wasn’t a masquerade. No one else wore a mask, only Nan Xiao did, and so she became the focus.
Lin Yan pulled Nan Xiao to the third row, whispering in her ear: “Xiao Xiao, look at you—just with a mask you’re already so alluring. If you took it off, wouldn’t you just make Xie Chengyu regret it to death?”
Nan Xiao smiled faintly. For years she had been called “ugly girl,” suffering from countless looks of contempt. Now, to suddenly bask in the treatment of being the dazzling focus of the crowd, it was impossible not to feel happy.
But that good mood disappeared in seconds when she saw Xie Chengyu and Xu Ruoxin walk in side by side.
Xie Chengyu wore a black suit, cold and noble, exuding a natural handsomeness and lofty aura.
Xu Ruoxin wore a satin red gown, with matching lipstick, as alluring and seductive as ever.
Seeing them, Lin Yan frowned, instinctively standing up as though to pick a fight.
Nan Xiao immediately tugged on her sleeve, whispering: “Yan Yan, don’t. If they want to come, let them. We don’t need to pay them any attention.”
“But… so many people here know about you and Xie Chengyu.”
Lin Yan’s face was grim.
“Outside, fine. But here? These are all the upper-class elites of North City. Many of them attended your wedding with Xie Chengyu.”
Nan Xiao knew this too. She clenched her fists, forcing herself not to care about the mocking glances.
“It’s okay. Even if they gossip, so what? They’ve been talking for three years, I’m already immune.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t feel sad—she had just felt sadness too many times, until her heart had grown numb.
Besides, she and Xie Chengyu were divorcing. Better to avoid trouble than to stir it.
Lin Yan sighed and sat back down, but in that moment when she stood, Xu Ruoxin had noticed her. Then, Xu Ruoxin turned her gaze toward Nan Xiao, her eyes locking for a moment.
Soon, the auction began.
Xu Ruoxin was undoubtedly the focus of the evening.
She didn’t have Xie Chengyu bid on many items for her—just four—but each was an invaluable treasure.
Among them was a rare pink diamond. When it was won, the people around congratulated her, asking whether it would be set into a ring, and whether she and Xie Chengyu were getting married.
Faced with those questions, neither Xu Ruoxin nor Xie Chengyu denied it. Thus, those sycophants were already offering their congratulations for the upcoming wedding.
Hearing the blessings, Xie Chengyu remained calm and indifferent, but he never once denied it. This nearly made Lin Yan explode with anger.
When it was all over, Lin Yan was fuming. If not for the law, she really would have wanted to rush up and beat up that “scumbag man and shameless woman.”
“I’m furious! I’m furious! I’m furious!”
Once outside, Lin Yan finally let it out, grinding her teeth.
“That scumbag pair, shameless to the extreme! People congratulate them and they just accept it—how can they be so shameless…”
“Miss Nan, Miss Lin.”
At that moment, Xie Chengyu and Xu Ruoxin walked toward them. In the narrow hallway, the four came face to face.
Lin Yan froze, instantly silenced, her eyes locked firmly on Xu Ruoxin.
Having just had four priceless jewels bid for her and basked in endless flattery, Xu Ruoxin was in her most triumphant state.
She smiled: “You came to the auction too? What did you bid on?”
As she spoke, she still held onto Xie Chengyu’s arm, as if he were her husband.
“Didn’t bid much.”
Nan Xiao’s voice was calm. She lowered her eyes, not looking at Xu Ruoxin.
In her heart, though, she was rapidly weighing options—should she take Lin Yan and turn down another path, step aside to let them pass, or speak up and ask them to move?
Given the hallway’s narrowness, there was no way for four people to pass side by side.
Xu Ruoxin, however, seemed unconcerned. Tonight, she had won jewels worth over a hundred million, each time with Xie Chengyu supporting her, even raising bids on her behalf.
That was proof enough, to her, that the cloud of doubt hanging between them had cleared.
