Xiao Su flinched after hearing her recount the incident that night; he was indeed holding on to her tightly and in the end, she could only squat next to the couch to get some sleep. Her legs ended up going numb. Yet, he even blamed her when he woke up. At this point, Xiao Su felt remorseful. It seemed that agreeing to her request right now was his only choice to redeem himself.
“I understand.”
Hearing that, a smile flashed across Jiang Xiaobai’s face. I knew he would agree to it. It seems like he still feels sorry for what happened. It was just a passing comment; I didn’t know it would work so well.
Very quickly, they arrived at the Jiang residence. While the two were getting out of the car, Jiang Xiaobai was seen reminding Xiao Su a few things.
“Do you remember everything that I’ve told you? My birthday, my friends, and—”
Xiao Su stared at her like she was an idiot. “Do you really expect me to remember so much in such a short time?”
This silenced Jiang Xiaobai. “Are you saying you can’t remember anything?”
Xiao Su remained silent. To be honest, he had forgotten everything, as he was completely uninterested in the personal information of a mere acquaintance. While she was talking to him, he was not paying any attention at all; instead, throughout the whole time, he was thinking about another woman.
Yan… I heard she went on a trip with Han Qing. She must be happy now, right? Her dreams have finally come true. The bitterness in Xiao Su’s heart began to resurface, expanding and spreading gradually.
As a sensitive person, Jiang Xiaobai spotted the look on Xiao Su’s face. She squinted and contemplated for a minute before yelling angrily, “What the f*ck! You’re ridiculous! How could you possibly be thinking about your ex when I’m talking to you?”
Her voice brought Xiao Su back to earth. He gave her a perplexing look and replied, “She’s not my ex.”
“What? Not your ex? Then who was she to you?”
Xiao Su remained silent, which prompted Jiang Xiaobai to realize something. Her mouth then twitched. “You… didn’t manage to date her, did you?”
Unfortunately for Xiao Su, she was spot on. Refusing to speak with her, Xiao Su responded blandly, “I’ll try my best when we’re with your mother and I promise I won’t let her find out that I’m a fraud.”
“Sigh. This is sad, isn’t it? You ended up heartbroken before she could even become your girlfriend and you’ve been carrying a torch for her, haven’t you? Sigh… I was able to figure out the details by some random guesses last time. I think I could be a fortune teller someday,” Jiao Xiaobai continued, not wanting to let him go so easily.
“Do you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend, or not? Otherwise, I’m leaving now.” As he finished, he turned around, but right when he was about to leave, Jiang Xiaobai grabbed his arm. “Hold on; I was just joking. Why so serious? Of course, I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend and we’re going to do it now.”
“Let go,” Xiao Su pointed out in a callous voice.
Jiang Xiaobai did not let go; she, in turn, wrapped her arms around him tightly and gave him a serious look. “How can I? We’re here already, and perhaps my mom’s watching us from upstairs. If I were to let go now, we might get exposed. From now on, we’re a couple; it’s all or nothing. Don’t let me down!” Afraid that Xiao Su would not give her his full cooperation, she added, “You’ve already ripped out a chunk of my hair, so you’re not allowed to let me be pressured into getting married. If I’m pressured again, I’d lose more hair, along with the patch of hair ripped off by you that would never grow back. You won’t be able to forgive yourself for the rest of your life by then!”
Xiao Su was rendered speechless. This woman… is a total rascal. And yet, there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Ha, let’s go!” Jiang Xiaobai held his arm intimately and started walking.
When they were at the elevator, they ran into a woman who lived across from them in the neighborhood. When she saw Jiang Xiaobai holding a man, she stared at her with astonishment. “Xiaobai, is this your boyfriend?”
Jiang Xiaobai was now holding Xiao Su’s arms even tighter, and her head leaned intimately on his shoulder. She nodded with a sweet look in her eyes. “Yes. I’m bringing home my new boyfriend. Madam. Xu, did you just get back from the store?”
Madam Xu’s eyes were fixated on Xiao Su—as if she was screening him from head to toe. She made him extremely uncomfortable. However, Jiang Xiaobai understood these neighbors well—as soon as someone’s daughter was seeing someone, they would stick their noses in, even though it had nothing to do with them. So, she kept quiet and let her continue with what she was doing. After all, Xiao Su was tall and good-looking, though the scar of his face made him appear slightly unfriendly and threatening.
Jiang Xiaobai was right. At this point, she saw Madam Xu’s gaze fall on the scar on Xiao Su’s face before inquiring, “Eh, what’s wrong with your boyfriend’s face? Did he injure himself before?”
Jiang Xiaobai secretly rolled her eyes at Madam Xu as she heard this. Since she had only met Xiao Su a few times, she hadn’t had the intention to ask him about the scar on his face—even this time around when he was pretending to be her boyfriend. After all, it might not be proper to ask someone about a scar on their bodies. Little did she expect Madam Xu to do just that. Moreover, she did it openly in front of so many people in the elevator.
This annoyed Jiang Xiaobai to no end. The sweet smile on her face had gradually diminished. Refusing to answer her question, she responded with another question, “Madam Xu, I haven’t been around for some time. I heard your daughter-in-law ran away?”
As soon as Madam Xu heard this, the look on her face changed. “W-Where did you hear that from?”
Feigning innocence, Jiang Xiaobai continued, “Many people have been talking about it here. Is that true? Personally speaking, I don’t believe it. Your daughter-in-law is pretty, capable, and well-educated; she doesn’t look like someone who will abandon her husband and children.”
Madam Xu’s expression began to look awful. “Xiaobai, how could you say this? Did your mom tell you these behind my back? Both you and your mother are horrible people! All you do is talk behind people’s back everyday!”
Remaining calm, Jiang Xiaobai let out a smile. “That’s not true. We are nothing compared to you, Madam Xu.”
Jiang Xiaobai only purchased a house much later after Mrs. Jiang had started urging her to get married. So, for her sanity and peace of mind, she had moved out of her mother’s place. When she lived here, she had always heard about the gossip and horrible things that Madam Xu spread.
“You!” Madam Xu was upset and snorted. “I can’t believe that you’re still the same after all these years! And your mother, too! Clearly, she doesn’t know how to raise her own daughter properly! Why would someone ever marry you? I hope someone would hear me out when I say this—when you get a wife, marry one with virtues and integrity! Don’t just fall for appearances!” Madam Xu was trying to send out a message as she turned to Xiao Su when saying these words.
