Chapter 146: Overwhelming Force

Rong Xian watched them leave with a cold expression. She sat alone in the living room, rubbing her waist for a while, before rising and heading to the dining room.

An Tong was quietly drinking her porridge with her head bowed, while Ruan Danling sat with her chin in her hand, watching her with a gentle expression. Hearing the approaching footsteps, she cast a glance to the side. Her gaze traveled from Rong Xian’s face down to her body, and she asked in confusion, "What is that posture? What’s wrong with your waist?"

Rong Xian supported her waist with her right hand and pulled out a chair to sit down. "Nothing much, I just bumped into something by accident."

"Bumped into something?" Ruan Danling repeated, sounding skeptical.

Rong Xian misinterpreted her tone, thinking Ruan was letting her imagination run wild. She lifted the hem of her chiffon shirt, revealing a patch of purple bruising on her side. "Here, take a look for yourself. I accidentally knocked against the corner of a table. It wasn't caused by a man!"

An Tong, who was drinking porridge, looked up instantly: "..."

Ruan Danling arched her eyebrows with a smirk: "..."

Rong Xian had spoken too quickly. Once she realized what she’d said, she touched her eyebrow, pulled out a cigarette case, and walked under the range hood to prepare for a smoke.

"When do you plan on quitting smoking? You’re still young, yet you always have a cigarette in your hand. What kind of look is that?"

Rong Xian lowered her head to light the cigarette, took a puff of the lady’s slim, and replied, "Didn't you just say two days ago that if I don't find a man soon, I’ll end up being a stepmother? Since you’ve already decided that being a stepmother is my only path, does it really matter if I smoke or not?"

When a woman reaches a certain age and gains enough life experience, she begins to see through many things. In youth, one always feels that love is immortal and emotions are paramount. As one grows older, one realizes that love is a gamble with no visible outcome, where victory or defeat is not in one's own hands. If you lose, you have nothing. If you win, you are left with the mundane trivialities of daily life. No matter how intense an emotion is, once it has been settled by time, it eventually turns into colorless, tasteless water. Falling in love, getting married, and having children—these processes that one can see through at a glance are the ultimate destination of love. Once you can see through it, you lose the interest to look forward to it.

Ruan Danling was completely stumped by Rong Xian’s words and couldn't help but snort. "You think being a stepmother is so easy? You’d better watch out when the time comes..."

"Mom." Rong Xian tapped off some ash and shifted the focus directly to An Tong. "You should be worrying about An An instead. Look at her, she doesn't have much energy. I reckon last night... well, she was scared half to death."

An Tong: "..."

For no reason at all, the "crossfire" had spread to her. She put down her spoon and looked at Rong Xian with a calm, serene gaze. "Big Sister, I wasn't scared half to death. It was just a small accident."

Rong Xian extinguished her cigarette and walked over to her, reaching out to pinch her soft cheek. "Still saying you weren't? When the firework box tipped over, I saw with my own eyes that you rushed forward to protect Little Nine. Tsk, what has he done to deserve a thoughtful little sweetheart like you?"

Is that how "thoughtful little sweetheart" is used?

An Tong puffed out her cheeks and asked innocently, "Was Big Sister also in the backyard yesterday?"

Rong Xian raised an eyebrow. "I was."

"Oh, I only saw you go to find Mr. Xiao. I thought you two had left first."

Rong Xian: "..."

She had the sinking feeling of having dropped a rock on her own foot. She also felt as if she had been outmaneuvered by her brother's wife. Rong Xian squinted at An Tong and patted her head with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Drink your porridge."

An Tong looked particularly quiet and well-behaved, but her words were very pointed. For instance, her mother, who was listening intently, was now smiling quite brightly; heaven knows what she was calculating behind the scenes.

An Tong continued to bury her head in her porridge, a flash of slyness flickering in her eyes. She liked Rong Xian; beneath her seemingly cool, self-possessed, dignified, and elegant exterior, she clearly hid a heart of gold. She only appeared unapproachable, but she possessed all the warmth and temperament of a woman.

...

Backyard smoking room.

The windows were open, and cold air drifted in, fluttering the thin fabric of Rong Shen’s shirt. Xiao Mingyu was smoking intensely, appearing agitated; his movements were urgent and erratic.

"You specifically asked me out—what is it you want to say?"

The man’s deep, cold voice carried a sense of detachment. Since they weren't particularly close to begin with, the tone could hardly be called cordial.

Xiao Mingyu tapped the ash off his cigarette, his teeth scraping his lower lip. "Is she still unable to forget that useless first love of hers?"

Rong Shen raised an eyebrow, his legs crossed in a posture of elegant control. "Mr. Xiao, I agreed to let you enter the Rong family, but that doesn't mean I will provide you with information about my sister unconditionally."

He enunciated the words "my sister" clearly, as if reminding him of something.

Xiao Mingyu stood by the window and glanced sideways. A smile spread across his handsome face; even in his shabby attire, the strength in his bones spilled out bit by bit. "It seems Master Nine prefers that we discuss this as businessmen?"

The man slowly curled his lips. "That would be for the best."

"I’ve long heard that Master Nine is a shrewd businessman. Indeed... businessmen value profit above all else."

Xiao Mingyu stared deeply at the flawless, handsome face before him, and a sense of mischief fueled by a wicked sense of humor welled up inside him. No matter how impressive Master Nine was, one day he would still have to call him "brother-in-law." Ha!

Thinking of this, the gloom in Xiao Mingyu's eyes dissipated, and his expression became increasingly intriguing. "I heard you want to seize control of the Rong family in Hong Kong?"

"What is it that Mr. Xiao wants to say?"

The man’s reaction was very ordinary, or one could say he remained expressionless, as if he weren't interested.

Xiao Mingyu took a puff of his cigarette and chuckled softly. "Although I don't frequent Hong Kong often, I’ve heard many things. The Rong family is now heavily controlled by capital; wanting to reclaim full dominance is not something that can be done overnight. Furthermore, by giving up the shortcut of a political marriage, you’ve effectively lost an asset."

Rong Shen didn't answer, smoking indifferently. The smile blurred by the smoke seemed unreal.

"Since Master Nine wants to seize power, you should at least know where the capital controlling the Rong family comes from, don't you think?"

Whether it was his imagination or not, Xiao Mingyu felt that after saying this, the smile on Rong Shen’s face deepened. It was meaningful, or perhaps, had an ulterior motive.

Xiao Mingyu didn't continue. The two smoked in silence for a while until the man finally spoke with rare brevity: "How did Mr. Xiao come to know about the capital group controlling the Rong family?"

With him asking that, Xiao Mingyu finally had the leverage for "negotiation."

"Naturally, from a place you haven't been able to check." Xiao Mingyu pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. "Although I am not as shrewd and worldly as Master Nine, I am, at the very least, a mature businessman. I want Rong Xian, no matter what. As long as Master Nine provides me with some convenience, I don't mind becoming an auxiliary force for you to seize the Rong family."

"So, what exactly did you find out, Mr. Xiao?"

As the man spoke, he uncrossed his legs and walked to the window. They were of similar height, equally handsome, and shared a similar temperament—one profound, the other powerful.