Chapter 340: An Siyao: A Little Angry

At around nine o’clock on Saturday morning, Xia Yu heard the doorbell ring.

Glancing at An Siyao and Hu Lianglu beside him, Xia Yu knew it must be Zhong Yunxin downstairs.

The girl had clearly said she would come at noon, but now she arrived at nine.

Stopping You Xue, who was about to go downstairs to open the door, Xia Yu went down himself.

Opening the door, he found Zhong Yunxin indeed standing outside.

Wearing sunglasses, a black bodysuit, and a leather jacket, Zhong Yunxin’s outfit was somewhat odd. While the ensemble wasn’t terrible, the black bodysuit paired with a bright red leather jacket confused Xia Yu stylistically.

He stepped aside, letting Zhong Yunxin in.

At the entrance, Zhong Yunxin immediately took off her ankle boots and slipped on a pair of skull-patterned slippers.

“Slippers are so much more comfortable,” she said contentedly, stomping her feet. Then she noticed two pairs of women’s shoes that were clearly not You Xue’s size.

“An Siyao is here?” she asked warily.

“Yeah, are you scared?” Xia Yu teased, trying to prevent Zhong Yunxin from leaving.

There was no need to be subtle with Zhong Yunxin; straightforwardness worked best with her.

“Hmph, how could I be scared!” Zhong Yunxin retorted, replacing the skull slippers with a pink pair.

Then she went into the first-floor changing room and changed into a pink dress.

Zhong Yunxin was petite, and her youthful appearance made her resemble a well-mannered little sister in the pink dress.

Seeing Xia Yu smile, Zhong Yunxin defended herself, “I just can’t afford to have a direct confrontation with her.”

She continued muttering things like, “Changing clothes isn’t cowardice!” and “Can’t that be considered being naughty instead of being scared?” Eventually, her excuses weakened, and she gave up defending herself, shifting instead to saying she wasn’t helpless against An Siyao either.

Following Xia Yu upstairs, Zhong Yunxin said:

“It’s only because Liangliang isn’t here; otherwise, that girl wouldn’t dare act like this! Liangliang dares to defy even the police. No matter how capable An Siyao is or how many people she can mobilize, Liangliang could settle it with one punch! What’s that saying again? Something like ‘the wrath of an emperor causes a million corpses to float…’?”

Xia Yu replied, “‘The wrath of an emperor causes a million corpses to float and blood to flow for a thousand miles. The wrath of a commoner causes blood to flow for five steps and the world to mourn in white.'”

“Exactly! ‘Dare to pull the emperor from his throne, no matter the cost!'” Zhong Yunxin’s eyes gleamed with determination.

“You really admire Liangliang,” Xia Yu continued, coaxing Zhong Yunxin.

“That girl only dares to be tough with me. If it were Liangliang…” As Zhong Yunxin spoke, she stepped onto the final stair and saw Hu Lianglu resting her head on An Siyao’s lap.

Hu Lianglu looked peaceful, while An Siyao was playfully poking her cheek.

Hearing Zhong Yunxin’s voice, Hu Lianglu briefly looked up before resting her head back on An Siyao’s thigh.

Zhong Yunxin’s determined expression shattered instantly. She grabbed the nearby railing, unable to believe her eyes.

Under An Siyao’s gentle caresses, Hu Lianglu smiled contentedly, like a pet being stroked by its owner.

Zhong Yunxin had to accept the truth: her friend, Hu Lianglu, a tough person even fiercer than herself, had been tamed by An Siyao.

Seeing Hu Lianglu showing no reluctance and behaving like a real pet, Zhong Yunxin could only imagine the torment she must have endured.

In her mind, she recalled Hu Lianglu’s disappearance during those days.

Liangliang must have offended An Siyao back then, been captured by her, locked in the basement, tortured for a week, and had her personality completely destroyed, turning her into this state!

Zhong Yunxin’s legs trembled as she prayed An Siyao hadn’t overheard what she had just said.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Yu feigned concern.

Like a drowning person clutching at a piece of driftwood, Zhong Yunxin tightly gripped Xia Yu’s hand.

She remembered An Siyao always pretending to be a pure young girl in front of Xia Yu. As long as she stayed by Xia Yu’s side, she would be safe!

Her legs steadied, but fear still lingered in her heart.

If even Hu Lianglu had been reduced to this state by An Siyao, Zhong Yunxin was sure she would suffer even worse.

The slight contempt she had begun to feel toward An Siyao for not hitting her sooner vanished rapidly, replaced by even deeper fear.

Even if she weren’t afraid, with Hu Lianglu around, there was no need for Xia Yu to act himself—Hu Lianglu would handle her.

Sitting beside Xia Yu on the sofa, Zhong Yunxin clung tightly to him, unwilling to let go even slightly.

At the same time, she kept glancing at Hu Lianglu, hoping for some sign that Hu Lianglu still had awareness and hadn’t completely become An Siyao’s pet.

But she received no response for a long time. Seeing Hu Lianglu’s thoroughly tamed demeanor, Zhong Yunxin grew increasingly frightened.

Xia Yu noticed Zhong Yunxin’s gaze. After some thought, he guessed what Zhong Yunxin was thinking—that Hu Lianglu must have undergone some kind of training or discipline.

In his heart, Xia Yu scoffed. Compared to Zhong Yunxin, a natural little troublemaker, Hu Lianglu had simply become like this due to a lack of care and affection.

If this were a movie, Hu Lianglu would be the character who turned over a new leaf, while Zhong Yunxin would be the pure antagonist.

As Xia Yu observed Zhong Yunxin, You Xue was also observing the two of them.

Seeing Zhong Yunxin clinging so closely to her older brother and looking somewhat fearful toward An Siyao, You Xue mimicked Xia Yu’s favorite gesture by stroking her chin in thought.

Zhong Yunxin and her older brother only had a loose, tenuous sibling-like relationship at best, so this intimacy was clearly abnormal.

Considering the examples of Auntie Ning, Xu Youxiang, Liu Manman, and others, and remembering how their mother had always insisted that her older brother should marry Zhong Yunxin, the nature of their relationship was now quite obvious.

As for Zhong Yunxin’s current behavior, it was understandable—she was afraid of the legitimate partner but unwilling to show weakness.

Was there no such thing as pure friendship between men and women in the adult world?

You Xue sighed, despairing at this lust-filled world.

She turned her gaze to An Siyao, puzzled by An Siyao’s seemingly indifferent reaction.

An Siyao wasn’t entirely indifferent. Hu Lianglu, resting on her lap, felt An Siyao stop stroking her hand, and her body tensed slightly.

Looking at Xia Yu and Zhong Yunxin sitting together, with Zhong Yunxin clinging to Xia Yu’s arm, An Siyao experienced a feeling she couldn’t quite name.

Pushing Hu Lianglu off her lap, An Siyao stood up and walked toward Xia Yu.