Hua Man stood up and walked toward the door, lowering her voice slightly. “Can I come back in an hour?”
She could feel Hua Xi’s dependence on her. It had been too long since her last visit, and she planned to stay and have dinner with her.
“No,” Yang Zhao refused swiftly.
Hua Man frowned and explained, “I want to have dinner with my sister. She’s not in a good state, and it’s been a while since she’s seen me.”
“No.” Yang Zhao was unusually forceful. “You need to come back and keep me company.”
Hua Man fell silent for a few seconds. She recalled Hua Xi’s hysterical state when they first reunited, and her tone grew firmer. “But I want to stay and have dinner with my sister.”
Yang Zhao on the other end of the line quieted down.
Even without facing her, Hua Man could imagine Yang Zhao’s expression—it was the precursor to an outburst of anger.
“Can I make it up to her later?” Her tone softened. “She’s not in a good state. Just this once.”
Yang Zhao didn’t reply. Instead, she hung up decisively.
Hua Man pressed her lips together and turned back toward the ward.
Hua Xi’s surgery now depended entirely on Yang Zhao’s side. She shouldn’t offend her.
“Little Xi,” she said carefully, choosing her words. “I’ll come see you next time.”
“Sister isn’t having dinner with me?” Hua Xi’s face was full of disappointment.
“Mm, I have something to do.” Hua Man nodded. Seeing her wilted expression, she couldn’t help but dangle a promise. “Next time, I’ll stay with you.”
At those words, Hua Xi immediately brightened and nodded vigorously. “Okay!”
Compared to Yang Zhao, Hua Xi was far too easy to placate. A simple “next time I’ll stay with you” brought a full smile to her face. When Hua Man finally left, Hua Xi was still waving her little hand energetically. “Bye, Sister! I’ll be good!”
The more Hua Xi acted like this, the more complicated Hua Man’s feelings became.
Yet she hadn’t stayed to keep Hua Xi company. When she returned to the Yang residence, Yang Zhao was still furious.
As soon as she arrived, she saw the servants trembling as they cleaned up the wreckage in the living room.
Just the sight of the mess on the floor conveyed how big a tantrum Yang Zhao had thrown because of her.
“Hua Man, you still dare to come back?” Yang Zhao’s tone was icy.
Yu Shan stood nearby holding a whip, uncharacteristically not jumping in to scold Hua Man ahead of Yang Zhao.
Hua Man stared at the whip’s texture, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward resolutely. “Didn’t I say I’d come back to have dinner with you?”
Yang Zhao sneered. “Who wants your company?”
With that, she took the whip into her own hand.
Seeing this, Hua Man lowered her gaze.
Yang Zhao could turn hostile faster than flipping the pages of a book. Just that afternoon before leaving, she had been all smiles and gentle, even kissing her tenderly. Now, she was about to strike her with the whip.
So, Yang Zhao truly saw her as a dog to toy with. Because she had defied her orders and made her unhappy, she could beat her mercilessly.
This was something Yang Zhao was capable of.
But Hua Man didn’t want to take the beating. No one wanted to be hit, and she couldn’t just obediently let someone beat her.
Before Yang Zhao could swing, she quickly said, “I want to have dinner with you.”
Yang Zhao lifted her eyes to look at her. “Go on.”
“Don’t be angry.” Hua Man racked her brains, then stepped forward, leaned down, and pecked Yang Zhao on the lips. “Are you hungry?”
Yang Zhao’s expression softened slightly. She still didn’t respond, but she tossed the whip aside.
Seeing this, Yu Shan wasn’t surprised at all.
From the beginning, she had known that her young miss wouldn’t actually hit Hua Man. Others might not know, but she did—the miss had a bad temper and was unpredictable, but she never laid a hand on her own people.
It was all just posturing.
She immediately ordered the servants to clean up the living room and serve fresh dishes. She shot Hua Man a meaningful glance.
She was still quite anxious inside, worried that Hua Man wouldn’t catch her hint and would stand there like a blockhead, not giving the young miss a way to back down.
Fortunately, Hua Man wasn’t that dense. She caught the look and said to the young miss, “Shall we eat?”
Yang Zhao gave her a cool glance. “Didn’t you eat with your sister?”
“No.”
Hua Man couldn’t understand why she was so angry about this. She had only wanted to have a meal with Hua Xi.
Yang Zhao let out a cold laugh, but the malice had faded from her brow.
Hua Man pulled out a chair for her.
“Sit next to me.” Yang Zhao lifted her chin. “Feed me.”
Hua Man: “…”
Even five-year-old Hua Xi no longer needed someone to feed her.
Mindful of her bad mood, Hua Man said nothing more and went along with it.
Compared to Hua Xi, this young miss in front of her was incredibly hard to placate. She had no idea how she had ever thought Yang Zhao was easy to handle.
By the end of the meal, Hua Man’s arm was sore from holding it up. Yang Zhao was so picky—not salty enough, too bland, too raw, too tough.
She suddenly wondered if the Yang Zhao from the day at Heaven Climbing Gorge had been body-snatched.
Otherwise, how could she have eaten two bowls of noodles she cooked without a single complaint?
She wasn’t arrogant enough to think her cooking rivaled the Yang family’s chefs.
“Truly disgusting.”
Yang Zhao took the napkin Yu Shan handed her and dabbed lightly at her mouth, her face looking unwell.
She stood to leave. Seeing Hua Man rise with her, she frowned. “Sit.”
Hua Man didn’t understand but obeyed.
“Eat.”
Yang Zhao was curt, then nodded at Yu Shan. “Watch her eat.”
“Huh?” Yu Shan’s eyes widened. She had to stay by the young miss’s side at all times!
But Yang Zhao walked off quickly, leaving her no chance to speak. In the end, only she and Hua Man were left staring at each other.
Yu Shan was speechless.
“Eat up,” she urged.
“Okay.”
Hua Man sat down. It was late, and she really was hungry.
She sampled all the dishes Yang Zhao had criticized, and they all tasted perfectly fine.
She looked at Yu Shan. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry.” Yu Shan forced a smile.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry; it was that the young miss hadn’t let her sit and eat here.
“If you don’t eat now, when do you?” Hua Man asked curiously. “Aren’t you always by Yang Zhao’s side?”
“What’s it to you?” Yu Shan pursed her lips. “Of course the miss gives me time to eat. Who else has to eat the miss’s leftovers like you?”
Leftovers?
Looking at the several-meter-long dining table and the barely touched dishes, Hua Man fell silent.
In her more than twenty years of life, she had never seen such lavish “leftovers.”
But being watched the whole time did affect her appetite. After one bowl, she set down her chopsticks.
“Done already?” Yu Shan asked discontentedly.
“Yes.” Hua Man nodded. Seeing her expression, she raised a brow. “She ate even less than me.”
“How can you compare to the young miss?” Yu Shan bristled like a cat with its tail stepped on.
“Why not?” Hua Man retorted. “Our heights aren’t that different, and our ages are close, but I ate way more than her.”
Yang Zhao had barely finished half a bowl of rice—hardly a normal adult portion.
“The miss just can’t eat much anyway.” Yu Shan hesitated, then added, thinking of how special the young miss was to Hua Man, “If you can get her to eat more, that’s your skill.”
Remembering how Yang Zhao had eaten two bowls of noodles back then, Hua Man looked up. “I can, but what’s in it for me if she eats more?”
“You!” Yu Shan stewed for a long time before sputtering, “The miss is so good to you—shouldn’t you return the favor?!”
There were others in the living room, so Hua Man didn’t mention signing the Deed of Sale. She simply said, “Just think of me as an ungrateful wolf.”
That undoubtedly enraged Yu Shan. She clenched her fists. “I’m telling the miss!”
With that, she stormed off in a huff.
It looked like she was going to tattle.
Hua Man wasn’t overly worried. She wasn’t afraid of Yu Shan tattling—she was afraid she wouldn’t.
She and Yang Zhao needed to talk again.
This was her first night back at the Yang residence. Chen Yan was still traveling out of town, so even if she slept in Yang Zhao’s room tonight, it wouldn’t matter. But Chen Yan wouldn’t stay away forever.
She had to adjust her relationship with Yang Zhao before Chen Yan returned.
Besides Chen Yan, Hua Xi’s situation was urgent too. If Yang Zhao wouldn’t even let her have dinner with Hua Xi, would she agree to her visiting regularly later?
Before leaving the hospital, Dr. Bai had pulled her aside to discuss Hua Xi.
At such a young age, Hua Xi already had severe psychological issues. Her hysteria and mania when Hua Man wasn’t there, contrasted with her obedient and sensible behavior when she was, were far from normal for a child.
In the coming period, she definitely needed to carve out time to accompany her.
“Miss Hua, the miss wants you to come over.”
A servant suddenly came to summon her.
Clearly, Yu Shan had tattled efficiently, and now the reckoning was beginning.
“Alright, thank you.”
She thanked her politely.
The fastest route from the living room to Yang Zhao’s room took five minutes. Hua Man didn’t hurry, arriving after seven.
Yang Zhao was enjoying a masseuse’s services.
Seeing her lying on the sofa with her eyes closed, Hua Man pressed her lips together.
Yang Zhao was capricious. Her earlier promise to let Hua Man give her massages had clearly been casual—she had forgotten it completely in a blink.
Hearing Hua Man enter, Yang Zhao opened her eyes slightly. “I heard you’re an ungrateful wolf?”
Yu Shan huffed loudly in agreement.
“I am.” Hua Man nodded, admitting it.
“Miss, see how arrogant she is!” Yu Shan glared furiously.
Yang Zhao waved her hand, dismissing the masseuse and Yu Shan first.
Yu Shan had a bellyful of words to say. Her face was red as she left, shooting Hua Man a vicious glare on the way out.
The door closed quickly.
Yang Zhao sat up on the sofa, leaning back. “I finally smoothed things over between you and Shanshan, so why provoke her again?”
Her tone was gentle, showing no anger.
Her mood swings were truly rapid, like split personality. Hua Man couldn’t help thinking of Hua Xi that afternoon. The two really were alike.
At least in terms of emotional volatility.
Hua Xi had been officially diagnosed with psychological issues by the doctor. What about Yang Zhao?
“I hate the term ‘ungrateful wolf.’ It reminds me of Zhao Ming. Don’t mention it again.” Yang Zhao lifted her chin. “Come give me a massage.”
Just don’t mention it?
Hua Man stayed put. “I have something to discuss with you.”
“Does discussing conflict with massaging?” Yang Zhao’s gaze deepened.
Hua Man choked. “…No.”
She stepped forward, stopped behind Yang Zhao, and massaged her shoulders while saying, “I went to see my sister today. The doctor said you paid the compensation for me.”
“Mm.” Yang Zhao closed her eyes, responding carelessly.
The next instant, she opened them. “Don’t thank me.”
“Okay.”
Hua Man nodded, then zoned out for a moment: Yang Zhao didn’t like her thanking or being polite with her. She wanted her to accept her favors as a matter of course—wasn’t that just enabling her to be an ungrateful wolf?
“Her condition isn’t good. The doctor says it’s a lack of companionship.” Hua Man continued. “In the next while, I might need to visit her from time to time.”
Yang Zhao frowned, brushed off her hands, and turned to her. “Isn’t she just a stranger connected by blood? You care about her so much that you’re even defying me for her.”
She could tolerate Hua Man occasionally defying her, but not if it was for someone else.
“She’s too young, and… very pitiable.” Hua Man tried to evoke her sympathy.
Unfortunately, Yang Zhao’s heart was like stone. “What does that have to do with me?”
She pressed aggressively. “I only know I solved someone’s problem and paid the due compensation, but that someone seems to want to welch on the deal. It feels completely like false advertising.”
She was stating facts, and because Hua Man knew they were true, she felt deeply ashamed, her face burning.
She was speechless.
She had lost this round again.
Yang Zhao, like a proud hunter, pressed her advantage over the prey. “I give you what you want, and you should give me what I want—make you completely mine, not toss me aside so easily for some stray cat or dog.”
“Taking some time to accompany my little sister doesn’t mean I don’t belong to you.”
“So?” Yang Zhao’s gaze deepened. “Do you belong to me?”
Hua Man nodded along with her words. “Yes, I belong to you.”
“Good.” Yang Zhao was satisfied. “It’s not impossible for me to let you see your little sister occasionally, but every time you go, you’ll have to make corresponding compensation to me.”
“What kind of compensation?” Hua Man asked.
“You decide,” Yang Zhao said, “but it has to satisfy me.”
Hua Man pressed her lips together. This outcome was completely beyond her expectations. Satisfy Yang Zhao? That was far too subjective. What if Yang Zhao was never satisfied?
“Of course, you can refuse.” Seeing her hesitation, Yang Zhao smiled faintly. “You can choose not to see your little sister, and then you won’t need to compensate me.”
“Of course, I’ll arrange for someone to take good care of your little sister for you, so you won’t have any worries on that front.”
Hua Man fell silent for several seconds before finally speaking. “Yu Shan said that you usually have a small appetite and don’t eat much.”
The topic came abruptly, but Yang Zhao patiently followed along. “Mm, so what?”
“That time at the hotel, you ate the noodles I cooked for you—and quite a lot of them. Why?”
Hua Man clenched her fists. Compared to Yang Zhao, she held far too few cards in her hand. Even this was just a shot in the dark; she had no idea if it could even serve as leverage.
But she couldn’t show any weakness.
“Why?” Yang Zhao vaguely sensed Hua Man’s intentions. Finding it amusing, she played along. “Why else? Because I liked it, of course.”
Hua Man gained a bit of confidence. “I can cook whatever food you want for you every day. In exchange, give me some time to handle my personal affairs.”
“That’s it?” Yang Zhao wagged her finger. “Not enough, Manman.”
At that, Hua Man nodded. “Okay.”
The response caught Yang Zhao off guard.
After waiting a few minutes with no further words from Hua Man, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “You have nothing else to say?”
