Chapter 155: Sister-in-law

After the siblings left, the spacious villa instantly grew quiet and desolate.

An Tong was not very familiar with Xiao Mingyu, at least not to the point of being able to chat and laugh freely with him.

Fortunately, Ling Qi stayed behind, preventing the atmosphere in the living room from feeling too awkward.

"Madam, how much more do you have left on your proposal?"

Ling Qi pulled an apple from somewhere, took a bite, and asked while chewing.

An Tong replied that she would finish it tonight, and then looked at Xiao Mingyu, asking, "Mr. Xiao, are you staying for dinner tonight?"

Although she was unaware of the details, Ninth Brother had told her to turn to Xiao Mingyu if anything came up, clearly treating him as one of their own. Since he showed no intention of leaving, An Tong found it difficult to ask him to go.

Xiao Mingyu pinched the bridge of his nose, gave a couple of coughs, and said, "Mm, sorry to trouble you, sister-in-law."

An Tong: "???"

She looked at Ling Qi in total bewilderment, while the latter held her apple and spread her hands, equally perplexed.

How could he call her "sister-in-law" with such a straight face?

An Tong was not a talkative person. Although she found it abrupt, recalling the interactions between Xiao Mingyu and Rong Xian, she managed to accept it.

Soon after, the cook arrived punctually to prepare dinner.

Xiao Mingyu seemed to have drunk a little too much, his handsome face tinged with a slightly intoxicated haze.

He put down his wine glass, walked into the kitchen, said something to the cook, and then walked straight out the door.

Meanwhile, after arriving at the airport, Rong Xian and Rong Shen prepared to go through the standard check-in and security procedures.

As it turned out, to her great misfortune, she discovered that her passport was missing.

Rong Xian's expression turned extremely grim. She searched every corner of her suitcase and document holder; everything else was there, but her passport had vanished into thin air.

This was hardly an unimaginable occurrence, as places like airports and train stations probably witnessed episodes of forgotten documents every single day.

Rong Xian tossed the document holder back into the open suitcase, closed her eyes, and spoke as if forcing the words through clenched teeth, "Damn it, what rotten luck."

Even an elegant, capable, and dignified woman was prone to cursing when pushed to the limit.

There were only twenty minutes left before boarding time. Even if Rong Xian rushed back to retrieve her passport, she would definitely miss the flight by the time she returned.

Moreover, a voice in the back of her mind kept warning her that the passport... probably wouldn't be found.

She couldn't think of anyone else responsible other than Xiao Mingyu.

Rong Shen had already completed his check-in procedures. Glancing sideways at the irritated Rong Xian, he said with nonchalance, "If you find your passport, book a direct flight over yourself. I'll have someone pick you up on that end."

Rong Xian remained silent, zipped up her suitcase, and turned around to walk straight back.

She was going back to chop that bastard to pieces.

Near the VIP counter, Cheng Feng nervously fished a passport out of his pocket—Rong Xian's.

"Ninth Master... what should we do with this passport?"

Before loading their luggage into the car back at the villa, he had received instructions from Ninth Master to slip away with Eldest Miss Rong's passport.

Such a demanding mission felt entirely beneath his status as a top-tier elite student.

Rong Shen lowered his gaze to glance at the passport. "Xiao Mingyu will be here shortly. Hand it to him, then come to the departure lounge."

"Got it."

...

As Rong Xian walked out of the airport lobby, gazing at the thin, setting sun sinking behind the western mountains, an indescribable sense of annoyance weighed heavily on her mood.

Instead of rushing to hail a cab back, she pulled a cigarette pack from her bag, walked over to the smoking area to borrow a light, closed her eyes, and took a deep, fierce drag.

Sometimes she truly didn't understand what Xiao Mingyu was trying to achieve.

Clearly, they had made an agreement right from the beginning, yet he had shamelessly gone back on his word.

Wasn't his goal just to use her as a stepping stone? What was the point of putting on such a deeply affectionate act?

At the same moment, a black Maserati pulled up to the second-floor drop-off zone of the airport.

The scissor door on the passenger side swung open, and a man wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses stepped into the departure hall.

When Cheng Feng saw Xiao Mingyu appear, he froze in blank astonishment for a few seconds.

Perhaps the contrast was simply too stark; even as a seasoned chief assistant, he found it hard to conceal his shock.

Barely half an hour had passed—how had Xiao Mingyu, who previously looked like a country bumpkin, suddenly transformed into a handsome and aristocratic young master?

Was he playing cosplay?

Xiao Mingyu approached Cheng Feng, raised an eyebrow, and asked in a raspy voice, "Got something for me?"

Cheng Feng silently handed over the passport. "Ninth Master told me to give this to you."

"Thanks."

Xiao Mingyu's response was concise. He took it, flipped through it twice, and turned to leave.

Believing his task was done, Cheng Feng prepared to head to the departure lounge to find Rong Shen. But then—

He watched with his own eyes as Xiao Mingyu walked away and... tore the passport apart.

He tore it into extremely tiny fragments, and then tossed them into the recyclable waste bin.

He knew enough to sort his trash, so why couldn't he act like a decent human being?

...

When Rong Xian saw Xiao Mingyu at the airport, she was surprised yet found it entirely within reason.

She kept her head down, smoking, her brows and eyes laden with weary exhaustion.

Xiao Mingyu was still wearing that black trench coat, looking at Rong Xian with a placid expression. "Your brother said you didn't bring your passport, so he asked me to come pick you up."

"Do you really think... my brother is the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people's business?" Rong Xian tapped the ash from her cigarette, her gaze sweeping past him. "Xiao Mingyu, what exactly do you want? Everything you wear and use belongs to me. You're clinging stubbornly just to squeeze more out of me, aren't you? If that's it, just name a price. How much will it take for you to walk away?"

Xiao Mingyu curled his thin lips. First, he lifted his phone and showed her the call log screen.

There really was a recent call record with Rong Shen on it.

Then, a trace of mockery crept into the man's deep, low voice. "Didn't you assume I was looking for a long-term meal ticket? Since it's a long-term meal ticket, naturally no amount of money could make me walk away."

Rong Xian massaged her temples, feeling the urge to slap him across the face, but she managed to restrain herself. "Do you really take me for a fool? My brother called you ten minutes ago; you couldn't have gotten here this fast even if you rode a rocket. Give me my passport back right now!"

"If you suspect I took it, I suggest you call the police."

Rong Xian wore a deadpan expression.

Xiao Mingyu took a step forward, suppressing the cough in his throat, and suddenly softened his tone. "I stood outside the door for nearly four hours simply because I wanted to see you. I'm not as hard-hearted as you; even knowing you find me annoying, I still wanted to see you off. Throughout the entire drive here, didn't you notice the taxi following behind?"

His expression was serious, yet tinged with a hint of self-mockery.

Coupled with these ambiguous accusations and grievances, a faint trace of guilt began to well up in the depths of Rong Xian's heart.

What a cursed feeling of guilt!

Yet Rong Xian had to admit that she was susceptible to soft tactics rather than harsh ones. Especially when Xiao Mingyu spoke to her in this tone, she couldn't help but reflect: had she truly bullied him too far this time?

"Rong Xian, do you feel no heartache for me at all?" Xiao Mingyu closed in on her again, his tone carrying a pressing, aggressive edge. "I came to the airport to see you off even while running a high fever, and instead of feeling any pity, you accuse me of stealing your passport. Am I really that vicious in your eyes?"

Rong Xian wanted to nod, but her emotions ultimately overpowered her reason and took the upper hand. "You have a fever?"

The irony in Xiao Mingyu's eyes deepened. "Can't you tell by looking, or hear it in my voice?"