TDLWTAHATD CHAPTER 44

The atmosphere between them had grown awkward. Nan Xiao racked her brain, trying to find a topic to smooth things over, when Xie Chengyu suddenly remembered something. He turned and went into the bathroom.

A few seconds later, he came back holding a green snake, dangling it right in front of Nan Xiao.

Nan Xiao screamed, stumbling backward in panic.

“Don’t be afraid.” His voice carried a trace of laughter. “It’s fake.”

“……”

Nan Xiao froze, still stuck in an awkward, half-crouched pose.

Quickly, she realized and glanced behind.

Xie Chengyu held the snake by its tail. Its body arched upward stiffly, an odd posture unlike any real serpent.

Looking closer, the shimmering green scales seemed lifelike, but the beady eyes were dull plastic.

Her eyes widened. “This is… remote-controlled?”

“Most likely.”

He set the snake on the floor, fiddled with its head, and popped out two batteries. Immediately, the “snake” went limp and lifeless.

Relief washed over her, then gave way to anger. She gritted her teeth. “This must be Nan Qingqing!”

Nan Qingqing knew she feared snakes—she had even used a real one to scare her before. With Xie Chengyu present, she must have switched to a fake this time.

Xie Chengyu nodded. “I think so too.”

Such pranks were easy to trace. Feng Yun might be scheming, but Nan Qingqing was foolish—this was exactly the kind of thing she’d do.

After a few taps on his phone, evidence soon arrived from Zhou Wen. Snake in hand, Xie Chengyu went straight to Nan Fengguo’s study.

“Dad.”

He explained how he’d found the snake in the bathroom—leaving out, of course, the “incident” with Nan Xiao—and showed the proof.

“Nan Xiao has a real fear of snakes. This prank crossed a line. My assistant traced it back to this.”

He placed the screen before Nan Fengguo, who immediately erupted in fury, veins bulging at his temples.

But with Xie Chengyu present, he couldn’t unleash his temper outright. His voice came harsh: “Don’t worry, Chengyu. I’ll see Nan Xiao gets justice!”

Nan Xiao had followed quietly. At last she lowered her head and said softly:

“Dad, please don’t be too angry. I’m used to this sort of thing… I just worry about Qingqing-jie. She’s grown, yet still plays such tricks.”

“If it happens at home, fine—we can treat it as a family prank. But outside? If she pulls stunts like this, she’ll suffer real consequences.”

Her words were earnest. Nan Fengguo’s frown deepened. He stared out the dark window, then back at her, his tone softening.

“Nan Xiao, you’re a good child.”

A hidden smile curved her lips behind her mask.

Of course, Feng Yun and Nan Qingqing’s spies had overheard. Before long, both mother and daughter came hurrying over, guilt all over their faces but too nervous to step forward.

Nan Fengguo noticed but ignored them, raising his voice deliberately:

“I had planned to give you and Qingqing ten percent of the company shares each. But now… I see no reason. When I finalize the transfers next week, you will receive fifteen percent.”

Out of the twenty percent total, that left Nan Qingqing with just five.

Hearing this, Nan Qingqing could no longer stay hidden. She rushed out, aggrieved. “Dad, only five percent? That’s far too little…”

“Shut your mouth!”

Nan Fengguo roared, face darkening. “You should be grateful for even that! With the way you bully your sister, you don’t deserve a single share. Stop whining and get out of my sight!”

His obsession with appearances made such public embarrassment infuriating. That his stepdaughter dared speak out in front of Xie Chengyu drove him nearly mad.

Dragged away by Feng Yun, Nan Qingqing seethed, on the verge of cursing aloud. Nan Xiao, meanwhile, smiled faintly once more.

The next morning, after washing up, Nan Xiao and Xie Chengyu went down to breakfast with the family.

Nan Qingqing wore a floral dress. Seeing Nan Xiao arrive, she smirked. “Sister, so late? Father was already here earlier. If not for waiting on you two, we’d be finished by now.”

Nan Xiao was about to point out that it was barely eight o’clock, a perfectly normal breakfast hour, when Xie Chengyu said lightly:

“After all, they’re a married couple. For them, this is already early.”

The dining room fell silent for a beat.

Nan Xiao, slow to catch on, suddenly blushed crimson. Nan Qingqing’s face twisted with rage, her eyes flicking again and again toward Xie Chengyu, her desire plain.

Why hadn’t the Xie family chosen her for the marriage?

Both daughters of the Nan family, and Nan Xiao was the disfigured one—of course she had been selected for “chongxi.” But Qingqing, as the stepdaughter, was also a convenient choice. Why not her?

Grinding her teeth, she said bitterly, “Sister, eat more later. Yesterday, behind that mask, you hardly touched anything. Take it off and eat properly.”

“No need.” Nan Xiao’s voice was cold. She shot her a glance. “Just looking at you makes me sick. I couldn’t eat.”

“You—!”

It was the first time Nan Xiao had spoken so directly. Nan Qingqing stared, stunned, hardly believing her ears.

At that moment, Nan Fengguo entered. Conversation ceased instantly. Everyone straightened in their seats as he took the head of the table.