novelraw Chapter 214 : No Longer the Same as Before
Chapter 214 : No Longer the Same as Before
Xia Hongxuan looked at the girl blocking in front of his sister and furrowed his brow.
He didn't need to ask. Just from her tone and behavior, he could tell what this little girl was thinking in her heart.
She didn't want him talking to his sister?
Heh.
Xia Hongxuan laughed coldly inside.
He was no innocent little lamb. As the top decision-maker of a listed company, he had done many things that went against people's wishes to manage the company well.
Now that someone dared to stand between him and his sister, he had plenty of ways to deal with her.
"Recently something happened at our home. I need to talk to Xiarou about it. Little sister, could you step aside?"
His stern face showed no trace of anger or joy, only an expressionless, indifferent look.
"I won't!"
"I can see Sister Rou is in trouble. You must be planning to do something bad to Sister Rou!"
Qin Yuanyuan faced the man who towered over her by who knows how much, yet her tone remained firm.
Even though she had to tilt her head back nearly 180 degrees to look at him.
"Heh? Something bad? Little sister, you might have misunderstood something."
The usually calm Xia Hongxuan's tone instantly became much colder upon hearing such words, and the surrounding air was permeated with an icy aura.
As long as it didn't affect his interests, he wouldn't care what others said, because he didn't want to bother with such people.
But if it concerned his sister, sorry, that was different.
"I'm her biological older brother."
"If one day one of us had to 'leave,' I would unhesitatingly leave in my sister's place."
"Tell me, can you do the same?"
Xia Hongxuan lowered his head to question the petite girl, his cold, handsome face full of indifference.
But silly Qin Yuanyuan couldn't understand such a look.
At the same time, Xia Hongxuan's question also stumped her.
"I..."
"Heh, as expected."
"If you can't, then you have no right to interfere in my sister's and my affairs."
"Get out of the way."
"I can!"
Just as Xia Hongxuan was about to forcefully pull the girl aside with his hand, she loudly shouted out her thoughts.
That sharp, high-pitched girl's voice echoed through the spacious hall, even piercing through the glass to the green plant area outside.
The maids in the villa rushed out of their rooms at the sound, standing alertly behind Xia Hongxuan.
Some with quick reflexes even grabbed small knives from their rooms, ready to save their young lady.
Because the maid with the highest combat ability had gone to care for the second young lady, the remaining three seemed somewhat outnumbered.
But three against one should be manageable, right?
"Heh, is this how you treat guests and someone's older brother?"
Xia Hongxuan shook his head disdainfully.
He really wasn't afraid of this situation.
As a child, to keep his sister from being bullied, he had specifically trained with people. He could knock down one of these maids with a single punch.
Not to mention the maids, even yesterday when facing men taller than himself, he knocked them out one punch each.
Facing three unexpected maids, Xia Hongxuan raised his fist and bent his legs slightly, taking on a stance as if preparing for battle.
Seeing what had been a warm scene turn into such a tense confrontation, Xia Rou was so surprised she opened her mouth wide.
She looked at this man with a dangerous gaze as if he were a stranger.
Her brother wasn't like this before...
Her brother was very gentle and kind. He could even get scalded while cooking and collapse, needing her to help him up. How could such a clumsy brother possibly hit someone?
Or was it... for her sake...
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"They're all my friends!"
Xia Rou opened her frail arms and resolutely blocked in front of the man. Her sickly pale face also showed some fear.
"Uh..."
His sister rushed in front of him, and the girl's slightly trembling voice brought Xia Hongxuan back from his anger.
He...
"I'm sorry. I was a bit out of line just now."
Xia Hongxuan lowered his fist and bowed sincerely to the maids and the little girl beside him to apologize.
This was the first time he had ever been so humble and submissive to anyone besides family.
"Xiarou, come home."
"If you don't want to go to the hospital, I'll find the world's best doctor to come to our house to treat you."
"Once I think of a better solution, we'll go to the hospital, okay?"
"In the meantime, I'll take care of you."
Xia Hongxuan looked at his sister with sincerity, his eyes visibly filled with longing, making no attempt to hide it.
"Brother, this... might not work."
"I want to stay here."
The girl's pure, clean eyes looked at Xia Hongxuan as she spoke, then she slowly retreated back to Qin Yuanyuan's side.
She gently held Yuanyuan's small hand.
Carefully feeling it, one could sense the other's body trembling.
Sigh...
"Sister Rou, your brother is so scary..."
The warm closeness finally made Qin Yuanyuan lose her resistance. She weakly hid behind Xia Rou.
Her voice trembled, as if she might cry at any moment.
"Yuanyuan, don't be afraid."
Xia Rou used gentle words to comfort her, reaching out to gently stroke Yuanyuan's small head.
"Hng, with Sister Rou here, I'm not scared... so, Sister Rou, are you leaving?"
"No, I promised to stay with you, so I won't break my promise."
"Hey, I knew Sister Rou was the best."
Xia Rou's back was rubbed by Yuanyuan's soft head, tickling her.
Yuanyuan was just like Little Orange, always liking to rub against people.
Thinking this, a beautiful, happy smile appeared on the girl's face.
This warm scene also left Xia Hongxuan standing in front completely stunned.
Xiarou... was she afraid of him?
Xia Hongxuan's expression had never been as cold as it was now.
In other words, he had never been this calm before.
"..."
"Xiarou, I'll go back to the company tomorrow. Don't worry."
Xia Hongxuan came to stand in front of Xia Rou. He bent down to look at that cute face he thought about day and night.
"I was a bit over the line today. I'm sorry."
"If you feel any discomfort afterward, remember to tell me right away."
He gently stroked his sister's cheek, and the soft, tender touch filled his heart with joy.
It had been so long since he'd touched Xiarou's face like this.
"Yes... thank you, brother."
Xia Rou instinctively took a small step back from the sudden touch, but she didn't pull away from her brother's hand.
"Alright, the farce is over."
"Xiarou, didn't you always say the dishes I made tasted bad? These years I've worked hard to learn for quite a while."
"This time let me make lunch for you. I'll definitely change your mind!"
Xia Hongxuan stood up after speaking.
His aloof, handsome face was radiant with a smile, that gentleness unique to those who love someone was captivating.
(PS: Love can be romantic love or familial love. Here it refers to familial love.)
If there were other girls in the villa at this moment to see this scene, they would definitely fall for this handsome young man.
"Alright, stop looking at me with that expression."
"My sister will eat too. I wouldn't possibly poison you."
"If you're not comfortable, you can have your maid supervise me."
Xia Hongxuan noticed Qin Yuanyuan's gaze and spoke very casually.
"No... Sister Rou trusts you, so you're a good person..."
"Oh? Hehe."
Such innocent words actually made Xia Hongxuan laugh.
He looked at the silly little girl before him and felt relieved inside.
Even so, this little thing had just gathered her courage to block in front of him, a man.
In the end, he was the one corrupted by the mundane world, no longer possessing that pure heart from before.
He wouldn't fearlessly rush out like this for the sake of someone he loved. Everything he did had to have benefits.
Of course, if it were Xiarou, he'd be willing to try becoming like he was in childhood.
Hehe, too bad there's no chance anymore.
Xiarou is no longer the little sister who used to cling to her brother.
She's grown up.
And she already has someone better by her side.
Sigh.
But at least he could cook a few meals for Xiarou before leaving.
He studied every day whenever he had time. Today he'd definitely surprise Xiarou!
Xia Hongxuan strolled to the kitchen and tied on that unsuitable pink apron.
"Sorry, I probably won't have time to make your portions."
Noticing the maids who quietly followed, he reminded them coldly.
"Just make it for the young ladies. We don't need to eat."
The maids bowed respectfully but didn't leave.
"Young ladies?"
"Heh, then there's definitely no problem."
"Besides, I'm confident what I make will taste better than yours."
Xia Hongxuan's words were very confident, just like how he dealt with those stubborn old-timers at the company.
He ignored them standing behind him, picked up the prepared ingredients, and started cutting directly.
......
......
The evening breeze gently blew, lifting the white strands of the girl's hair, creating a beautiful snowy landscape.
Su Yun sat by the bedroom window, her head lowered in gloom.
"Creak..."
Sounds of things being organized came from outside the door.
Soon, a tall girl with a slender figure came through the door carrying books and a backpack.
She placed her things on the desk, then came to sit beside Su Yun with a mischievous smile.
"What's wrong? Jealous? You're the one who asked her to come teach me."
"You!?"
Su Yun looked up and stared at Qin Xue in surprise, then quickly lowered her head dejectedly.
What, Sister Xue was doing it on purpose...
Knowing she'd get jealous, yet still...
Su Yun's heart was nearly collapsing.
Her mind was filled with images of Sister Xue and Chu Bing leaning closely together.
Most importantly, Sister Xue had actually actively rubbed against Chu Bing's arm for a few seconds!
What happened to only she being allowed to touch her!?
Su Yun was so anxious she could barely breathe.
Though she didn't really need to breathe anyway...
"Alright, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Didn't I ask her to leave this afternoon? It was hot."
Qin Xue spoke gently, tightly hugging Su Yun from the side while burying the other's small arm between her milky-white breasts.
"But you still at the beginning..."
Su Yun's voice was anxious, so anxious she couldn't finish her sentence.
Hng, it's so soft inside... wait, no!
"I wasn't doing it to make you angry. I was trying to confirm something."
"Huh? What?"
She looked at Qin Xue's cold, serious face in surprise, and her anger instantly dissipated.
As long as Sister Xue was willing to explain, she wouldn't be upset.
Of course, she hoped it was true rather than just an explanation.
After all, Chu Bing was a real girl, with a pure and cute appearance, and a personality as beautiful as her looks.
She admitted her own introverted personality couldn't compare to the other's.
It wasn't impossible for Sister Xue to suddenly change her mind.
"This morning, I saw a few strands of hair in the bathroom."
"Oh."
Su Yun was still lost in her own thoughts and didn't hear Qin Xue's words clearly.
Hair in the bathroom, oh.
Huh?
Why does this feel so familiar?
The light returned to her beautiful pupils, and she looked at Qin Xue with a confused face.
"What do you mean?"
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[End of Chapter]