TDLWTAHATD CHAPTER 41

Chapter 41 – Why Don’t You Dare to Fight Back

The night before, Nan Fengguo had said over the phone that in half a month the Nan Corporation would hold a shareholders’ meeting, and depending on circumstances, he would divide some shares between his two daughters.

Nan Xiao knew better than anyone that her father valued “family stability” above all else. That was why she needed Xie Chengyu to act close to her—so she could leverage that intimacy into more benefits.

Anyway, the divorce cooling-off period wasn’t over. She could use this window to secure shares, then separate from him afterward.

Xie Chengyu didn’t know any of this. To him, her request was a trivial favor. He was about to agree when he suddenly paused and said instead:

“Why should I help you?”

“…”

So it was true—asking for help was hard.

She thought for a long time, unable to come up with anything worthwhile to offer, her expression awkward.

Seeing her tied in knots, he couldn’t bring himself to tease her any further. “Alright, stop worrying. I’ll agree.”

“Really?”

Her eyes lit up, surprised by how quickly he’d yielded.

“Of course,” he said with a faint smile. “Send me whatever I need to prepare.”

There wasn’t much to prepare—just gifts. Nan Xiao had already readied some; with Xie Chengyu by her side, that was enough.

When she left the office, she bumped into a familiar figure: a refined woman walking toward her. Both froze for an instant.

It was Xu Ruoxin.

Nan Xiao quickly schooled her face into neutrality and walked past without expression.

Xu Ruoxin, however, blocked her path. “What are you doing here?”

“None of your business.”

Nan Xiao had no patience to spar with her. She sidestepped and left.

Watching her cool, unbothered back, Xu Ruoxin clenched her teeth, then entered the CEO’s office.

“Chengyu.”

She noticed him leafing through documents while nibbling on pastries, but didn’t comment. Instead, she asked lightly: “Did Miss Nan just stop by? What did she want?”

Her tone was casual, almost chatty—she knew pressing would only put him off.

“Nothing much. Just some matters.”

He gave no details, and she, perceptive enough, didn’t push. Still, her eyes flickered.

She needed to plant an informant inside Xie Corporation.

…

Two days later, Nan Fengguo’s birthday arrived. Xie Chengyu and Nan Xiao went to the Nan estate together.

Nan Xiao was startled to find that he’d prepared a lavish, tasteful gift for her father. She could already imagine how pleased Nan Fengguo would be.

Feeling a pang of gratitude, she said softly, “Thank you for preparing something for my father.”

“No need for thanks,” he replied with a sidelong glance. “He’s my father-in-law.”

Father-in-law. The words pricked her heart. Yes… for now. But soon, not anymore.

She shoved aside the thought and climbed into the car with him.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Nan villa. Zhou Wen followed behind with the gifts while Nan Xiao and Xie Chengyu walked side by side.

Just before they entered, she hesitated, then slipped her hand through his arm.

The sudden gesture made him stiffen, and he instinctively glanced down at her.

Embarrassed, she was about to apologize when he unexpectedly removed her hand.

Her heart chilled—hadn’t he promised to act close? Did he find even this unbearable?

But then, the next second, his arm slid firmly around her waist.

His palm gripped her slender waist tightly, heat burning through the thin fabric, sending her heart racing.

“This looks more intimate,” he said matter-of-factly, leading her inside.

“By the way, I haven’t told you about my family,” Nan Xiao said, forcing her pounding heart to calm as she directed Zhou Wen to hand the gifts to the servants.

“What about them?”

“My mother passed away when I was very young. My father later remarried—a woman named Feng Yun. She’s been a full-time housewife ever since.

“She brought a daughter with her, originally Feng Qingqing. When she came here, she changed her name to Nan Qingqing. She’ll probably be here today too.”

Her tone cooled at the mention of Nan Qingqing.

It was Nan Qingqing who had ruined her face.

“Well, if it isn’t the ugly freak, back again.”

A mocking voice drifted from upstairs.

Nan Xiao looked up instinctively and saw a delicate-looking woman leaning against the second-floor railing, gaze full of contempt.

When their eyes met, the woman in the red dress descended the stairs, smirking.

“Still hiding behind a mask, I see. Afraid that hideous face will frighten everyone? How very considerate of you.”

As she spoke, a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen. She carried the air of a well-kept society lady and bore a distinct resemblance to Nan Qingqing—her mother, Feng Yun.

Feng Yun was in her fifties but looked barely over forty, her beauty far surpassing her daughter’s. Nan Qingqing had inherited only a fraction of it.

While Qingqing openly taunted, Feng Yun merely stood by smiling faintly, saying nothing—but her eyes gleamed with disdain.

Nan Xiao’s gaze swept coldly over mother and daughter, frost gathering in her eyes.

It had always been like this. Qingqing mocked, Feng Yun condoned. Only when Nan Fengguo was present did Feng Yun put on the mask of a “kind stepmother.”

“You—”

Seeing them brazenly humiliate her, Xie Chengyu’s face darkened, ready to speak up.

But Nan Xiao clutched his arm and murmured, “Don’t. We’re about to eat.”

His brows furrowed. An excuse. She simply didn’t want to confront them.

She was the true daughter of this house, the one wronged, and now he was here to back her—so why wouldn’t she fight back?

“Well, well, isn’t this brother-in-law?”

Nan Qingqing wasn’t surprised at Nan Xiao’s meekness; she’d always been a punching bag. But the moment she saw Xie Chengyu, all her scorn evaporated.

She had glimpsed him once, at their wedding, but from a distance. Now up close, she realized—he was even more devastatingly handsome than she had imagined.