Chen Gaonan could sense the high tension in the room. He carefully organized his boss’s dishes onto the table while Yang Ruqin did the same. Cracks of electricity could be heard in the background from the fierce staredown between the siblings. Not wanting to be stuck in the crossroad, he quietly retreated into the background.
Zhao Lifei wanted to cry. The number of dishes piled up on her table was simply too much for her. It was split down the middle where the ones on the left belonged to Yang Ruqin and the ones on the right belonged to Yang Feng. They were intently staring at her, waiting for her to take a bite. It was like they were saying, "Well? Which one will you eat first?"
In the end, she said, "Dig in, guys. I’m sure none of you have had your meals yet."
"I’m full."
"Eat."
Yang Ruqin and Yang Feng said at the same time, individually shooting each other dirty looks for interrupting the other.
Zhao Lifei sighed. They were waiting to see whose side she would take a bite out of first. She picked up her chopsticks, took something from Yang Ruqin’s side where she said, "AHA! I told you these were her favorite dishes." Then Zhao Lifei took some leafy greens from Yang Feng’s side, placed both dishes into her rice bowl and ate them together.
"Technically, I ate both of your food first." Zhao Lifei said once she was finished with chewing. She could feel Yang Feng’s brooding glare and when she turned to him, his stare was darker. He had never lost to anyone before. For it to be his younger sister, he was enraged.
"You didn’t lose." She patted his cheek and turned to Yang Ruqin, "You didn’t win either. So stop standing around like children. Eat your food." She wondered how Madam Yang dealt with these two. It must’ve been hard raising them. All they seemed to do was argue.
Speaking of Fan Jielan, her birthday was less than four days from now. Zhao Lifei didn’t start eating again until both siblings had picked up their chopsticks and grudgingly ate beside her. She felt like a boulder was lifted off of her shoulders. At last, she could enjoy her meal in peace.
Her eyes wandered around the room and realized something. In the corner, by the windows, and nearly hidden by curtains, were boxes of gifts that she had not seen before. She had to strain her eyes to even realize they were presents. Strange. How did they get there?
Yang Ruqin followed her gaze and gasped. "My present for you is in that pile there! Wait, why is it by the window collecting dust?!" She slammed her chopsticks down after emptying the rice in her bowl.
Zhao Lifei sharply turned to Yang Feng who was in the middle of deboning fish for his dear wife. He placed the best parts into her bowl. "Fish is high in omega. It’s good for you." He had barely touched his food and was now working on peeling the shrimp for her. He was struggling. The shrimp was always peeled for him and as the Young Master, he never got his fingers dirty with tedious chores like this.
"Don’t just stare at me. Eat your food.." He hummed, placing the shrimp into her bowl.
Zhao Lifei felt her anger wash away with his gestures. He was getting better and better at pacifying her. "Why did you leave the presents in the corner of the room?"
"Because they’re all trash in comparison to mine." Yang Feng told her, lifting his head and giving her a smug little smile. She wished she could wipe it off his face with a good twist of his ears. "If I had shown them to you earlier, you would’ve opened them without opening mine first."
Zhao Lifei became speechless. She was dumbfounded and stared at him like he was crazy. He might as well have been. Who thinks like that?! "Well, where is your gift then?" She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat when he peered at her through his long lashes.
"At home." Yang Feng stood up and stuck his hand out. Chen Gaonan was already on standby with a hot towel and wet wipes. He cleaned his fingers with both items then dried it with a silk handkerchief custom-made for him. It was black like his soul with simple silver borders.
"You’re not going to eat...?" Zhao Lifei was stuffed. Together, she and Yang Ruqin had pretty much demolished the majority of the dishes. Even after she was full, she was craving desserts. It was as if her stomach always created a designated area where the dessert could squeeze itself in.
"I already ate when you were sleeping this morning." Yang Feng had to wake up earlier than her and his speed matched the rising sun. He had gotten up early to get some work done before Chen Gaonan cried about the neglected pile of work.
If his pesky little sister hadn’t barged into the room, Yang Feng wanted to feed her. Damn brat. She was such a cute kid, what happened to her? He watched his sister attempt to wrestle the large box buried underneath the other ones. When Yang Ruqin was still distracted, Yang Feng turned back to Chen Gaonan, "Clear the tables."
Chen Gaonan obediently took the job as the janitor, even though he was supposed to be a full-time secretary. He was hoping for another bonus. His wife was ecstatic when he got the previous one and they finally had the chance to make a child two days into Zhao Lifei’s coma. He planted the bread in the oven and could only hope it would rise.
In the blink of an eye, he had organized everything into a recycled pile and a landfill one. Next, he placed the items into their designated location, wiped the table clean, and set everything back into place. He was done in less than five minutes.
"We should hire him as the maid instead. He’d make a good one." Zhao Lifei teased Chen Gaonan who nearly dropped dead at the suggestion.
Chen Gaonan’s indifferent expression flashed with consternation and dread. He would rather kill himself than be caught in a dress.
’B-boss...You wouldn’t!’ He turned to the man that sealed his fate.
Yang Feng indulged in his wife’s teasing. "Yes, I suppose he would." He grabbed a napkin and wiped Zhao Lifei’s mouth. "But we would have to bother a tailor to correct the dress into a larger size for him."
Chen Gaonan looked like a deer caught in a headlight. Terror was too simple to describe the expression on his face. "B-boss..." He whispered, knowing if his boss ordered him to, he would put himself in a maid outfit.
"The lady-boss has made up her mind. What are you looking at me for?" Yang Feng tossed the napkin into the trash can. He didn’t pay his secretary any attention. While Chen Gaonan was debating all the methods of running away, Yang Feng pulled out a picture tucked into his suit.
"Have you seen this bracelet before?" He asked her in a low murmur.
Zhao Lifei was confused at the question and took the photograph from his hands. Huh, a silver charm bracelet. It was extremely familiar. "Why do you ask?" She questioned.
Yang Feng could practically see the gears move in her head while she tried to think where she had seen the bracelet before. "It was found on the model who was linked to Mu Ting." He didn’t want to keep any secrets from her, especially when Yang Ruqin was involved.
"Model...?" Zhao Lifei scratched her head. She did not see the bracelet on the model’s hand, but she did see it somewhere else! Her eyes widened when the thought slammed her like a speeding truck. No. Way.
Her breath hitched at the turn of events. H-how was this possible? It can’t be. Was that woman this petty to get back at her through the means of harming Yang Ruqin?! She should’ve known.
"What is it?" Yang Feng could tell she knew something, but he did not like the expression on her face. Disbelief. Bewilderment.
"What are you going to do when I tell you who has the same bracelet?" Zhao Lifei breathed out in shock, pressing a hand to her chest. The web of the elites was more tangled and messy than she had originally wished it to be.
"I’ll leave him or her in the hands of Guo Sheng. If Yang Ruqin is up for it, she can join." Yang Feng pinched her chin, turning it so that she was directly looking at him.
"If you go after her, there will be a war between two major households." She said to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Who is it?" He patiently asked. Two major households? War? What was she talking about?
"Xia Mengxi." The name slipped out of Zhao Lifei’s mouth. "She has the same bracelet as the model."
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