Reborn as a Mortal Heiress Pampered by Big Shots
Chapter 181 - 177 Not embarrassed at all~

Chapter 181: 177 Not embarrassed at all~

Jiang Xuan, upon hearing Xu He mention him on the phone, did not show astonishment; he simply nodded slightly.

Although he wasn’t shocked, others present were startled by Xu He’s words.

On the phone, Xia Yuzheng directly thought Xu He had made a mistake, "Mr. Jiang is still having dinner at our place at this hour? Are you sure you saw it correctly?"

Xu He said in a low voice, "How could I possibly see this wrong? He came back with our Little Tiangao."

The sudden withdrawal of such a formidable competitor was indeed greatly beneficial to the Xia family, but...

Xia Yuzheng looked over the venue in silence, not seeing Mr. Jiang’s figure, and opened his mouth towards the phone, "Xiaohe, could you... remind Mr. Jiang?"

Xu He agreed a few times, then hung up the phone.

With a smile facing the table of people with various expressions and strange looks, she finally asked Jiang Xuan, "I heard from the kids’ father that there was a very important bid this afternoon. Did Mr. Jiang forget? It seems you might still make it if you go now..."

Xia Yourong was the most eager, "Uncle Jiang, work-related matters are important, you really shouldn’t miss it because of something else."

There was an implication in her words – the "something else" clearly referred to Xia Ye.

Xia Xing and Xu He couldn’t help but frown.

Previously, when they didn’t perceive any hostility from Xia Yourong towards Little Tiangao, they would take her words as casual and not think much of them.

But ever since they learned about her tampering with the PowerPoint to deliberately frame Little Tiangao, they realized that some remarks Xia Yourong occasionally made seemed indeed like veiled attacks.

Jiang Xuan smiled indifferently and directly said, "In my view, the ’something else’ you referred to is far more important than any work or business."

Xia Yourong paused awkwardly for a few seconds, "Uncle Jiang, I wasn’t implying anything. It was just an off-hand remark."

Jiang Xuan made a humming sound, leisurely picked up his cup of water, and took a sip, "Then let me be blunt, Jiang’s withdrawal from this bid is indeed for my beloved, but it doesn’t involve any exchange; it was solely my decision."

He wanted to make it clear to everyone that he had an unprincipled bias toward Xia Ye.

Just like he had once done for Jian Manman.

In his eyes, Xia Ye could be wilful and proud, for she had that privilege.

Xia Xing squinted his eyes, his gaze falling on the man beside him, deep in thought and hard to fathom.

It had to be said... Mr. Jiang’s ability to understand people seemed to be clearer than his own; he had pointed out the insincerity in the elder sister’s sarcastic words in an instant.

It was only because of recent events that he had slowly come to realize this.

Xia Ye turned her face, meeting Jiang Xuan’s gaze, her youthful eyes clear and kindly, enticing a smile to form on Jiang Xuan’s lips.

If it were any other girl, hearing such direct words would surely make her lower her head in shyness, acting coy.

But Xia Ye did not. She looked straightforwardly at her acquaintance, as if she was recognizing an old friend...

Xia Yourong suppressed the emotions in her heart, trying not to show them, lest Xia Ye see and feel even more triumphant.

She struggled so hard to control her facial expression that her features seemed somewhat distorted at the moment.

Why wasn’t she the one Mr. Jiang addressed with endearment!

After dinner, they sat in the living room chatting for a while before retiring to their own rooms for rest.

Xia Yourong, under the pretext of needing to get something from her own room, sneaked a peek at what Xia Ye was doing inside her room.

Xia Ye was leaning against the headboard with her legs crossed, flipping through a copy of "Inner Canon of Huangdi" resting on her legs, glancing at Jiang Xuan who was half-leaning at the doorway, talking to her, "What are you looking at?"

Jiang Xuan’s gaze fell on the portrait hanging by her bed, which depicted a curlicued hair like a doll’s, playful in his eyes, he nodded toward his chin, "This painting is not bad."

Xia Ye paused, tipped her head back, and glanced at the painting hanging overhead.

Jiang Xuan: "I saw your portrait in the restaurant just now, with the same style as this painting. Did your mom paint it?"

Xia Ye pressed her brow: "Mm, she learned from some painter she likes. These classicist painters are quite harmful."

Jiang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly Xia Ye glanced at him and smiled, "Uncle Jiang, the things you said during dinner were indeed shameless."

Her tone didn’t hold any anger, rather, it sounded more like a little fox that had gotten away with mischief.

Jiang Xuan caught on and teased her, "Today at the Swordsmanship Hall, the moment someone wanted to challenge me, you were already standing in front of me to protect me. Since you are so good to me, of course, I have to protect you."

Xia Ye recalled her instinctual response at the dojo and felt her face warm.

Especially after realizing how unexpectedly skilled Jiang Xuan was, her recent thoughts about needing to protect a fellow daoist were completely superfluous.

It was even more...

Jiang Xuan said in a teasing tone, "Even more embarrassed?"

Xia Ye’s aura was suppressed by him, and a competitive desire welled up in her heart: "Why should I feel embarrassed? I think it’s Uncle Jiang who’s quite restrained. You’ve been standing at the doorway too scared to come in."

Jiang Xuan stood very restrained at the doorway, after all, it was a young girl’s room, and other people were still in the house.

He remembered that the last time he came, Xia Ye’s room was like a cute pink princess room, but now her room seemed more like a young maiden’s boudoir in full bud and bloom, which was all the more reason for him not to enter.

Seeing that he didn’t speak, Xia Ye pursued her advantage.

She squinted her eyes like a cat and leaned lazily against the headboard, playfully patting the bed beside her with her bare hand: "Come over, sit beside me."

The classic line from a domineering CEO applied to a domineering sister had double the effect.

Jiang Xuan gradually tensed up, there was an old saying, whoever teases will end up being teased.

This innocent yet enchanting demeanor was too alluring, even making the usually calm and composed Jiang Xuan feel somewhat...

Agitated.

Jiang Xuan, rarely feeling annoyed, replied with a light smile: "If you can’t take responsibility now, don’t flirt with me."

Xia Ye curled her lips, obediently retracting her hand: "Fine then~"

Implicitly meaning she indeed couldn’t take responsibility at the moment.

Even after having already flirted, she was still able to exert control at her will.

Jiang Xuan laughed in spite of his frustration, his hands plunged into his suit pockets, lifting an eyebrow in utter resignation: "I’m leaving now, contact me on WeChat if there’s anything."

Xia Ye’s voice was clear and pleasing: "Take care, Uncle Jiang."

Around the corner of the hallway, as Jiang Xuan turned to leave, Xia Yourong saw a few pots of exceptionally vibrant and beautiful plants sticking out from Xia Ye’s room.

Jiang Xuan didn’t show any particular reaction when he saw them, but ordinary people would definitely find them surprising.

Xia Yourong remembered what the principal said when she first went to No.3 Middle School, she even specifically looked at photos taken by the big shots on the day of the Botanical Association exchange session.

The blue pot in Xia Ye’s room should be the one she picked up by the roadside, the one that made her father stand out.

Xia Yourong’s hands clawing at the walls dug in harder.

She hadn’t anticipated that Xia Ye would have not just one, but three odd plants!

Such a fairy, where on earth did she get them from?!