Cruel Romance Chapter 2.2

Jin Xin downed a full bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge and started her praises, “Auntie Lan, your skills are sufficient to be the head chef of Lion Grove, even a bowl of porridge can be so tasty.”

Auntie smiled so widely that her eyes crinkled into lines, “Lion Grove is a top notch place, if we only sold century egg and lean meat porridge, wouldn’t it become a porridge shop?”

Jin Xiu curiously widened her eyes, “A famous, top place? Auntie Lan, what is most well-known about this place?”

“Let me answer this question for you.” Xiang Ying Dong’s voice drifted in from the doorway.

Auntie Lan was so shocked she immediately stood up, her back curved ninety degrees as she greeted, “Ying Shao!”

Jin Xiu was also stunned. Ying Shao, he was the Ying Shao Auntie Lan mentioned, how could there be anything so coincidental on this earth?

“You may leave.” Xiang Ying Dong waved off Auntie Lan, walked to the bed, looked down upon Jin Xiu, “Tsk, a fine looking face, beaten into pulp. Staring at me like this, you don’t recognise me?” His handsome face had a careless smirk, gazing at Jin Xiu teasingly.

Jin Xiu’s face suddenly turned red. Xiang Ying Dong’s gaze and intention, she had already experience it at the Yin Residence, memory still fresh in her mind, it was impossible to beat. She had never met such a man, such an evil aura, completely dispensing with manners and rules, as though with his eyes, he could manipulate woman, leaving one embarra.s.sed and confused, but impossible to get angry with him.

Should have said a word of thanks to him, but this moment words seemed to be stuck in her throat, impossible to emerge, unable to swallow.”A few days ago, you went over to Ming Zhu’s, what was it about?” He wasn’t intending to beat around the bush, “And you’re in this state after after a few days. Could you have offended Ming Zhu and thus being punished by her?”

Jin Xiu didn’t know what to make of this audacious man, she coughed, calmed down and replied, “It has nothing to do with Ming Zhu, there’s nothing going on between us.”

“Oh really?” Xiang Ying Dong was certain that their relations.h.i.+p couldn’t possibly be “nothing”, he bent down, flirtatiously gazing into Jin Xiu’s eyes, “You sure don’t seem like an expert at lying.”

Jin Xiu started to feel faint. He was too close to her, facing that pair of eyes, Jin Xiu felt like a scared sparrow under the claws of a falcon, as though he even knew the number of eyelashes she had.

The debt collector came by to collect our debts, Big mother, brought younger brother and took away the last bit of money in the house, secretly returning to her old home in Xiang Shan, leaving me behind, unable to pay up and even the house was repossessed. There was really no other way, but to listen to third uncle and look for Ming Zhu in Shanghai.

“I counted on the fact that we were sisters and thought I would be able to stay for a few days, Shanghai is a big place and perhaps I could find something to do here. I did not expect that even though the Rong family had disintegrated, the hatred that Ming Zhu had for the Rong family had not dissipated, and I was thus rejected.”

Xiang Ying Dong listened intently, his expression seemingly solemn. He had known that Ming Zhu had an unhappy past but it was only know that he knew the details of it.

Even though Jin Xiu’s face was covered in bruises, her temples swollen, her lips cracked and looked pathetic, but he could still see the resemblance she had to Ming Zhu. The happenings at the Yin residence that day could also prove that her story was true.

“Actually, Ming Zhu can’t be blamed.” Jin Xiu sighed softly, “I made a mistake by coming to Shanghai. These few days wandering about on the streets, I thought about how Ming Zhu must have felt so despondent when she came here many years ago, and she was only a child then. If it were me, I would still carry that hatred within me.”

Xiang Ying Dong got to his feet and walked to the window, his back facing her.

“Perhaps Ming Zhu only did that in a fit of anger, after a few days, when she has thought it through, I will help you to put in a good word.”

“Thank you, Ying Shao.” Jin Xiu finally offered her thanks. “But you don’t have to trouble yourself. Ming Zhu’s personality is stubborn, she would not change her mind simply based off the words of others. Even though I’m here, it’s just temporary, when my wounds are better, I’ll make other plans.”

Xiang Ying Dong laughed, “You think I can’t afford to feed a small thing like you? You probably won’t even eat three bowls of rice in a day.”

“But I can’t possibly laze around on this bed for the rest of my life.” Jin Xiu smiled, “Anyway, I wouldn’t want to become your burden.”

“No matter what, just focus on getting better, I’ll make plans for you.”

After listening to this, Jin Xiu felt a warmth spread through her heart, as though rus.h.i.+ng to her eyes, even her nose felt a sourish tang. She hurriedly turned away, she couldn’t cry any more, this year she seemed to have shed too many tears, what for? Who could she truly rely on on earth, besides herself, there was no one.

As for this man before her, he was so handsome, distinguished tall and righteous, just like a deity among the clouds, glowing. Although he teased her, and seemed uninhibited, but during her most dangerous moment, he reached out to her with a helping hand. Thinking about how he personally saved her from her misery, Jin Xiu felt vast warmth and gratefulness, just that she was so small and insignificant, her this bit of gratefulness, to someone like him who was on a pedestal, it wouldn’t count for much.

The next night, Zhen Feng Bai Le Men Night Club hosted an extravagant banquet.

In the Osmanthus private room, toasts were exchanged and everyone was dressed to the nines. Zuo Zhen had just exchanged a round of toasts and walked over to the sofa to rest against it, Xiang Ying Dong was there too. Thinking of what had happened yesterday, he told Zuo Zhen, “That lady was who beaten up is Rong Jin Xiu, Ming Zhu’s younger sister. Just that Ming Zhu refuses to acknowledge her.”

Zuo Zhen lightly raised his brows, in a questioning manner.Xiang Ying Dong recounted the story to Zuo Zhen, “….like this. I couldn’t tell that Ming Zhu had such a tough upbringing. But Rong Ming Zhu is quite pitiful, she almost lost her life.”Zuo Zhen swirled the drink in his transparent long stemmed gla.s.s.

“She seems fairly sensible.” This was Zuo Zhen’s judgement, “At least she didn’t cry and beg, or insist on staying.” After being chased onto the streets and being bullied, almost losing her life, yet she is not despondent, and not at all resentful of Ming Zhu, this girl isn’t annoying.

“What do you plan to do with her?” Xiang Ying Dong threw the pressing matter at hand back to Zuo Zhen,”Picking up trouble and leaving it at my place, then was.h.i.+ng your hands off it? Can’t possibly let her continue wandering around right.”

Zuo Zhen had a wait and see att.i.tude, unworried. “Let see what she plans for herself. For Ming Zhu’s sake, we can’t possibly throw her out onto the streets to die.”