Chapter 103: Revenge on the Sister-in-law

’Smooth and tender...’

The moment Yang Xun’s hand landed on Xu Qian’s thigh, those were the words that popped into his head.

He had to admit, his sister-in-law really took care of herself. Her skin was as delicate as a peeled, hard-boiled egg—warm, supple, and incredible to the touch. It was even a bit more tender than Huang Qi’s.

However, Xu Qian’s eyes instantly widened, her face a mask of disbelief.

She never imagined this guy would be so audacious, daring to grope her leg in public, right here in the Xu Family Villa!

"Are you crazy? We’re at home!"

Xu Qian hissed, shoving Yang Xun’s hand away forcefully.

’Holy shit!’

Yang Xun snapped back to his senses, instantly realizing what a stupid thing he’d just done.

This wasn’t his sister-in-law’s apartment; it was the Xu Family Villa.

Xu Yue and Meng Qiaofei were busy in the kitchen just a few feet away. If they weren’t careful, they’d be seen!

He quickly scooted over, cleared his throat, and said with poorly concealed guilt, "Sorry... I’m just used to touching you. It was a subconscious reaction. I couldn’t help it."

"Asshole!!"

Xu Qian spat viciously, shot him a look of utter disgust, and stormed off to the kitchen without a backward glance.

Yang Xun watched her figure disappear from view, then lowered his head in frustration and slapped the back of his own hand hard.

’What a perverted hand. Groping at every opportunity. This is going to cause a disaster sooner or later!’

He warned himself through gritted teeth, but the lingering warmth in his palm stubbornly refused to fade.

’But damn, his sister-in-law’s leg... it felt so good to touch!!’

...

Dinner was served, but only four people sat in the vast dining room.

Yang Xun, Xu Yue, Meng Qiaofei, and Xu Qian sat around the large, round table. A feast of fragrant, steaming dishes covered the table, and in the very center sat a strawberry cream cake.

Xu Yue had specially ordered it. The cream piping was exquisite, and "Happy Birthday" was written on top in chocolate syrup.

Meng Qiaofei spoke first, holding her wine glass with a gentle smile on her face. "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to celebrate my birthday. I’m truly touched. Thank you, Yueyue, for making this dinner. Thank you, Qianqian, for the shoes. And thank you, Xiaoxun, for the watch. Having a family like you all makes me very happy. Thank you... I’ll drink to that!"

With that, Meng Qiaofei raised her glass, signaling for everyone to drink with her.

"Cheers!"

The glasses clinked, the crisp sound echoing in the dining room.

However, after taking a sip, Xu Yue’s brow quietly furrowed. Her gaze instinctively flicked to the empty chair beside Meng Qiaofei as she asked in a low voice, "Where’s my brother? It’s your birthday. Where is he?"

Meng Qiaofei’s smile faded slightly. "He went out," she said calmly. "Said he had something to do."

Hearing this, Xu Yue’s expression grew heavier. She put down her glass and said gravely, "Sister-in-law, you need to keep a closer eye on my brother lately. Don’t let him run around so much. A friend told me a couple of days ago that he seems to have gotten involved with some people from a casino. I’m a little worried..."

"I can’t control him either."

Meng Qiaofei sighed and shook her head helplessly. "You know your brother’s temper. Even if I say something, he won’t listen."

The two of them exchanged a look, their eyes filled with worry and their faces with helplessness.

"Alright, enough about him. It’s our sister-in-law’s birthday, let’s talk about happy things!"

Xu Qian set her chopsticks down on the table, raised her glass to interrupt the downer of a topic, and threw back a large gulp of wine.

The mood at the table lightened up again. The four of them chatted back and forth, clinking glasses, and the atmosphere was reasonably lively.

However, as more wine was consumed, the layer of restraint on Xu Qian’s face seemed to soften bit by bit, as if steeped in alcohol, becoming harder and harder to maintain.

She shot a sidelong glance at Yang Xun, who was quietly picking at his food across from her. A mocking smile touched her lips as she suddenly said, "Sis, how did you end up marrying a man like him? He just loafs around at home all day without a proper job, doing nothing but mooching off the family..."

The moment she finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table instantly froze.

Yang Xun’s movement to pick up food paused for a moment. His gaze darkened, but he didn’t say a word.

Xu Yue frowned and said softly, "Qianqian, that’s enough."

But Xu Qian, as if she hadn’t heard, took another gulp of wine. She tilted her head back, pointed at Yang Xun, and continued, "Sis, just divorce him. A man like him doesn’t deserve you at all. Look at him, and then look at you. The gap between you two isn’t small..."

Xu Yue’s face had already darkened, her voice turning hard. "Xu Qian, that’s enough!"

Xu Qian shut her mouth and sullenly went back to her drinking. But her almond-shaped eyes remained sinister, and she would occasionally glance at Yang Xun with a look full of hatred.

After a moment, probably spurred on by the wine, she raised a finger and pointed it straight at Yang Xun, her face twisted in disgust. "You’re just a dog our Xu Family keeps, you know that? My sister won’t divorce you, and you have the nerve to keep freeloading off the Xu Family. Have you no shame? Ptui!"

BANG!

Xu Yue slammed her wine glass down on the table, her expression utterly livid. She hissed in a low voice, "Xu Qian, shut your mouth! Say one more word and you can forget about eating tonight!"

"Yueyue, don’t say any more!"

At this, Meng Qiaofei, feeling that Xu Yue had gone a bit too far, quickly tugged on her arm and whispered.

"Hmph!"

Xu Qian snorted coldly and finally shut her mouth, turning her face away and refusing to speak.

As for Yang Xun, he hadn’t said a single word from beginning to end.

He just unhurriedly picked up his wine glass and downed it in one, two, three gulps... then downed several more in a row.

Not only did he drain the wine from his glass, but his expression remained as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

Taking it all in, her expression growing more and more complicated, Xu Yue couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh.

...

「The dinner party broke up, and everyone returned to their rooms.」

’Dammit, that bitch! She deliberately cursed me out in front of everyone!!’

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, the anger in his chest building the more he thought about it, with no way to release it.

He had clearly promised Xu Qian he would keep what happened that night to himself, not breathe a single word of it.

But what did Xu Qian do? She turned right around and, in front of Meng Qiaofei and Xu Yue, called him a dog.

’It was obvious she was deliberately insulting me to vent her anger!!’

’I have to get revenge!!’

Yang Xun’s eyes narrowed, and a smirk formed on his lips. ’You vent your anger by cursing me in front of others, so I’ll just have to vent mine by finding you behind their backs!!’

At this thought, he quietly sat up, pushed open his door, and stepped silently into the hallway.

The light in Xu Qian’s room was off. He peeked inside and saw it was empty. The quilt was neatly folded; she wasn’t there.

Just as he was about to leave, his peripheral vision caught a sliver of warm light coming from the study at the end of the hall.

Yang Xun slowly walked toward the light.

The study door wasn’t completely shut, leaving a narrow crack.

He bent down slightly, bringing his eye to the crack to peer inside. He saw Xu Qian sitting upright behind the large desk, the warm glow of the lamp softening the profile of her exquisite face.

She had changed out of her dinner clothes and was now wearing a loose, white cotton robe.

Her long, black hair was casually tied up behind her head, held in place by a thin hairpin. A few loose strands fell beside her ear, giving her a lazy, casual air she rarely showed.

Her head was lowered, her gaze focused on the computer in front of her. She held a pen in her right hand, occasionally jotting down a few lines on a piece of paper, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration.

A cup of hot tea sat on the corner of the desk, its white steam curling up and slowly dissipating in the lamp’s halo.

The usually fierce, arrogant, and domineering Xu Qian was now, sitting under this single lamp, surprisingly quiet.

’My dear sister-in-law, I hope you’re just as aggressive in a little while as you were when you were cursing me out at dinner!!’

A slow smile spread across Yang Xun’s lips. He then raised his hand, pushed open the study door, and strode inside...