Chapter 156: Weakness

Ultimately, Rong Xian still ended up taking a taxi back with Xiao Mingyu.

She had checked his temperature; his forehead was indeed burning to the touch.

Inside the taxi, only the sound of the wind sweeping past the vehicle could be heard.

The two sat side by side in the back seat, neither of them speaking a word.

Every now and then, only the sound of Xiao Mingyu's suppressed coughing broke the silence.

Although Rong Xian was usually demanding and harsh toward him in every possible way, she was, at her core, a woman of delicate feelings—tough on the outside yet tender within.

She turned her head to look at the man beside her, and her heart inexplicably softened.

At this moment, the man was resting his head against the neck pillow behind him. His sharp, handsome features were cast in a faint, dark crimson flush, and his eyes were half-closed. His breathing was uneven, adding a touch of fragile helplessness to his usual striking good looks.

Rong Xian had always known that Xiao Mingyu was handsome; otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen for him in the first place.

Yet, in her memory, he was always a reckless and unruly scoundrel. He had almost never shown such a haggard side, making Rong Xian feel even more uneasy inside.

She sighed silently, felt around in her bag for her phone, opened her contacts, and made a call. "Doctor Shen, please come over to my apartment. It's a fever caused by catching a cold..."

Before she could finish, the phone was snatched away.

Watching Xiao Mingyu hang up her call, an unnameable anger flared up within Rong Xian. "What are you trying to..."

"No need to call a doctor. I'm not going to die."

The man's voice was noticeably hoarser, and the breath he exhaled as he spoke was hotter than usual.

"Xiao Mingyu, you..."

Before her reprimand and mockery could leave her lips, the man's body leaned to the side, resting directly against her shoulder. With his eyes closed, he murmured, "Babe, I feel awful."

Rong Xian's throat caught, all her words blocked in her windpipe, unable to utter a single syllable.

Just as men love it when women act spoiled, women are equally defenseless against men who do the same.

Especially when a man who was usually strong-willed and imposing occasionally revealed a vulnerable demeanor—the impact was imaginable.

Rong Xian sat with a rigid posture, unable to recover for a long while.

She didn't even know what she was thinking.

She sat there in a daze all the way to their destination. As the sky grew dim, Rong Xian finally recognized the building before them.

Camphor Joy Mansion.

She certainly didn't think the driver had taken the wrong route, because when they got in, Xiao Mingyu had entered the back seat first, and he was the one who had given the address.

"Why did we come here?"

Rong Xian gave Xiao Mingyu's head a push, only to find that his forehead was even hotter than before.

The man exhaled a wave of scalding heat and rubbed his temples. "I had the chef cook extra for our dinner. Since I'm sick, there's no way I'm going back to your apartment to eat unnutritious takeout."

Rong Xian didn't cook; she usually either ordered takeout or went to restaurants.

Listening to Xiao Mingyu's absurd logic, she was furious, but upon meeting his dark-red eyes, she felt too stifled to retort.

This feeling was actually quite terrible, carrying a sense of helplessness at being manipulated and controlled.

Unwilling to get out of the car, Rong Xian wore a cold expression and taunted, "Does eating takeout wrong you that much? Driver, make a U-turn ahead, go to... Xiao Mingyu, let go of me."

Even while ill, the man still held a natural advantage in physical strength.

Rong Xian was pulled out of the car by a combination of his arm around her waist and a tug, her luggage was retrieved from the trunk, and then she was forcibly held close as he walked her into the villa.

As soon as they stepped inside, the aroma of food filled the air.

An Tong and Ling Qi were sitting in the living room, casually discussing the operational methods of their app.

Catching sight of the two of them walking in together, An Tong raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Big Sister, why are you back?"

Rong Xian didn't want outsiders to laugh at her, so she shrugged off the arm Xiao Mingyu had draped over her shoulder and forced an awkward smile. "Something came up suddenly, so the trip is off."

As she spoke, she covertly swept her gaze around the living room, glancing at the corner of the sofa several times as well, but there was no sign of her passport anywhere.

An Tong's eyes flickered with a knowing look as she smiled and invited them, "Then would you like to join us for dinner? The food was just served on the table."

Even though Rong Xian harbored a great deal of displeasure in her heart, she still nodded in agreement. However, just as she was about to move, she remembered something. "An'an, is there any fever-reducing medicine at home?"

"There should be. I'll go check."

An Tong stood up, went over to the cabinet to rummage through the first-aid kit, and quickly pulled out some cold and fever medicine, handing them to Rong Xian. "There's also a thermometer here. After taking the medicine, you can check his temperature after a while."

She didn't ask too many questions, but her thoughtful and meticulous behavior made Rong Xian feel deeply comforted.

Before long, Xiao Mingyu took a fever-reducing pill, and the four of them took their seats at the dining table.

Ling Qi temporarily acted like a diligent little bee, helping them hand out bowls and dish up rice.

Everyone ate very demurely. Aside from the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, not a sound was heard at the table.

After a brief moment, An Tong was the first to put down her chopsticks. Looking at Rong Xian's slightly tense expression, she spoke calmly, "Big Sister, the rooms for you and Mr. Xiao have already been prepared—the guest room on the left side of the first floor."

Rong Xian's chopsticks paused mid-air as she picked up some food. "What kind of room are you preparing for us? We can just go back to our own apartment tonight."

An Tong smiled without speaking, her gaze shifting instead toward Xiao Mingyu.

Rong Xian caught on immediately. She cast a side-long glance at him, her tone unfriendly. "What kind of trouble are you stirring up again? Isn't bothering me alone enough, that you also have to come over and disturb my An'an?"

Xiao Mingyu seemed to have a poor appetite. He put down his chopsticks and said lazily, "I'm sick. Bothering her is still far better than being driven out of your home to sleep on the streets."

Rong Xian: "..."

An Tong's eyes rolled slightly, and she stepped in at the right moment to smooth things over. "Big Sister, the rooms on the first floor are all empty and no one has lived in them yet. Ling Qi and I sleep on the second floor, so we won't get in each other's way. If Mr. Xiao has nowhere to go, it's fine for him to make do here for a few nights."

Ignoring Rong Xian's sour expression, Xiao Mingyu nodded obligingly and said, "Thank you, Madam Rong."

An Tong's ears heated up, and for some reason, she found that title exceptionally pleasant to hear. A faint smile touched her lips. "You're welcome."

Rong Xian hadn't expected Xiao Mingyu to be so thick-skinned and wanted to retort a few more times, but the man stood up with a weary air, dropped a "Please enjoy your meal," and headed straight for the guest room on the left side of the first floor.

"An'an, you really shouldn't have taken him in."

Rong Xian drank a spoonful of soup, finding it tasteless, her pent-up frustration lingering.

An Tong leaned back against her chair, her clear and gentle voice neither intrusive nor undulating. "Don't be upset, Big Sister. With Ninth Brother away, the house is indeed a bit lonely. If you don't mind, why don't you stay as well? I can tidy up another room for you. With more people, it'll be livelier."

Rong Xian wanted to refuse, but upon second thought, what on earth was it for that utterly shameless scoundrel Xiao Mingyu to be living at her brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house?

Even with Ling Qi keeping company in the house, it wouldn't sound good if word got out.

With that in mind, Rong Xian sighed. "I'll... have a chat with him later, and then we'll decide."

An Tong nodded with a smile, and after finishing their meal, the group left the dining room separately.

Upstairs, An Tong walked into the study, picked up her phone, and sent a WeChat message to Rong Shen.

AN: Big Sister might stay as well. [Snicker]

The message was sent, and the other person replied instantly with a voice message.

An Tong tapped the screen, and the man's magnetic, steady tone sounded beside her ear: "The two of them frequently bicker. You don't need to get involved or pay it any mind. If they disturb you, you can tell me."

(End of this chapter)