Chapter 520: Chapter 518 Si Wen is Very Lonely

A little while later, Si Wen said, "Let’s just pick a nice residential complex to buy a place in. I think Tongfang Residential District is pretty good."

Uncle Zhong glanced at Si Wen through the rearview mirror. He saw her listless appearance, a stark contrast to the sunny demeanor she had with Miss Lin Xi earlier. He quickly replied, "Alright, Young Lady, I’ll contact a real estate agency tomorrow."

"Mm."

Si Wen leaned back against the seat, her gaze fixed on the world outside the car window. As time went on, she felt increasingly lonely. This feeling was especially sharp when she saw Lin Xi and Xue Yang together as a couple. Her heart would ache with an even deeper desolation. But what could she do about it? Going home would only add to her troubles.

Si Wen let out a long sigh and continued to stare out the window. It felt as if only by watching the bustling traffic could she confirm that she truly existed.

「」

By the time Ming Yue finished arranging her affairs for the next day and returned to the Wang family home, it was already past midnight. The moment she walked in, a sarcastic voice reached her ears.

"Sister, congratulations. I heard you managed to offload that money-losing supermarket. Quite a clever move."

Ming Yue’s expression soured. She turned toward the voice and saw Wang Doudou sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, a mocking smirk plastered on his face.

"Shut up. If it weren’t for you, would I have had to get rid of the supermarket? Instead of wasting time mocking me, you should think about how you’re going to survive abroad for the next three years."

At Ming Yue’s words, Wang Doudou’s expression instantly darkened.

How could he have known that such a small decision would stop those wretched commoners from coming? Didn’t they used to beg to shop at the supermarket? Now, just because someone else showed them a little favor, they eagerly ran off.

Even now, Wang Doudou still hadn’t realized his mistake. An attitude like that was destined to be left behind by the times.

"Do you think this is still the feudal era, Wang Doudou? Let me tell you, even back then, the common people were a force to be reckoned with. Haven’t you ever heard that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it? Do you really think your supermarket is the only one in all of Yancheng? Looking down on ordinary people will get you nowhere. You’re just heading for a dead end."

Wang Doudou was rebuked into silence.

"You fly to America tomorrow, so get some sleep. Try to come back a changed man. Otherwise... the girl you’re chasing might just end up with someone else."

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Doudou demanded.

But Ming Yue ignored him and headed upstairs. He was her half-brother, after all. She still held out hope that he would grow out of this behavior and mature. But if he refused to listen to reason, she wouldn’t interfere any longer.

Wang Doudou followed her to her room. He stared at the closed door, raised his hand to knock, then let it fall.

"Damn you, Ming Yue! You dare to set me up? I won’t let you get away with it," he muttered resentfully before turning to leave.

His flight was the next afternoon, so he still had time to take care of a few things.

「」

Xue Yang and Lin Xi returned to their home in Tongfang Residential District just after eleven o’clock. Living so close to the university had its perks. It was convenient to get home, they didn’t have to compete with roommates for the bathroom, and there was no need to deal with clashing lifestyles. Xue Yang had to admit, in the time he’d been with Lin Xi, he had been a little spoiled.

After Lin Xi fell asleep, Xue Yang went downstairs. Uncle Liu was already waiting for him in the complex.

He had just returned from the police station.

"Uncle Liu, what’s the status of those four?"

"They’ve been handed over to the police."

"Mm."

Seeing the dark expression on Xue Yang’s face, Uncle Liu asked, "Young Master Xue, are you blaming yourself?"

Xue Yang took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He offered one to Uncle Liu, but when the older man shook his head, Xue Yang drew the pack back, pulled out a single cigarette for himself, and lit it. He didn’t have much of a smoking habit and would only take a puff or two when he felt he had to.

Tonight, however, he took one deep drag after another. He didn’t speak until the entire cigarette was smoked down to the filter.

"If I hadn’t been busy with work, Xiao Xi might not have run into that kind of trouble." He worked so hard to give her a better life, yet tonight, that very work had put her in danger. If Xiao Xi hadn’t trained in self-defense since she was a child... the consequences would have been unthinkable. If something had really happened to her tonight, was all this hard work even worth it?

"Young Master Xue, you shouldn’t blame yourself," Uncle Liu reassured him. "The Young Lady knows martial arts to defend herself, and I was watching from nearby. Nothing was going to happen to her. Today was just an unexpected incident. If she knew how much you were blaming yourself, she might avoid going out in the future."

In truth, he felt terribly guilty himself. He had thought that since it was a college area, with so many students out shopping, nothing could possibly go wrong...

Lin Xi never wanted to be a burden to Xue Yang. If she knew how much he was blaming himself, she would undoubtedly blame herself first for having gone out at all.

"Young Master Xue, this was primarily my responsibility," Uncle Liu said. "I will explain the situation to the Chairman tomorrow. I won’t put you in a difficult position."

He knew that explaining an incident like this to the Chairman right after the engagement would be difficult, and he was prepared to take the full blame himself.

"If you explain this to Uncle Lin, will you be punished?" Xue Yang asked.

"Don’t worry, Young Master Xue. I’ve been watching over the Young Lady since she was a child. Even if there’s a punishment, it won’t be too severe."

Xue Yang was silent for a moment before saying, "Uncle Liu, you can head back for now. I’ll have to trouble you to continue protecting Xiao Xi."

Uncle Liu opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately just nodded. He said his goodbyes to Xue Yang and left.

The moment Uncle Liu was gone, Xue Yang called Lin Zhenhai. Procrastinating until tomorrow wasn’t his style; he preferred to solve problems immediately.

"Uncle Lin."

"What’s the matter? Calling so late?" Lin Zhenhai’s indifferent voice came from the other end of the line.

Evidently, he was still working overtime, even though it was now past midnight.

Xue Yang briefly explained the day’s events concerning Lin Xi to Lin Zhenhai.

"So, you and Lao Liu were both there, and you still failed to protect Xiao Xi, letting her deal with those thugs by herself? Is that it?"

Lin Zhenhai’s voice was devoid of emotion, but Xue Yang knew he had to be furious.

"Uncle Lin, I am deeply sorry. I promise you, this is the first and last time."

"My daughter gets engaged to you, and something like this happens immediately after. You’ll understand why it’s hard for me to believe your guarantee."

In truth, Lin Zhenhai already knew what had happened to his daughter that evening. He was simply waiting to see how Xue Yang would handle it.