Chapter 16: Clumsy Tricks

Old Madam Xia was genuinely taken aback by Xia Rusheng’s words. After giving her a long, searching look, she returned to her room without saying another word.

By the end of the day, Xia Rusheng felt utterly exhausted. She could not be bothered to ask the hotel staff to deal with the problem of her room door again, so she went straight back to the hot-spring villa.

As she reached the entrance, she suddenly saw a man emerging from the villa. He was dressed in a finely tailored suit, and an umbrella shielded most of his upper body. His back looked tall, straight, and aloof, radiating an unmistakable air of “keep your distance.” Parked in front of him was a silver-gray Bentley.

“Him!”

Xia Rusheng remembered. The man who had given her a car drove this very model—a custom Bentley Mulsanne!

Could it be him?

By the time Xia Rusheng ran over, the man had already gotten into the car and driven away. She made a point of noting the license plate. It was registered in A City. If he really was that man, why had he appeared in H City as well—and in this villa, of all places?

Was it merely a coincidence?

Xia Rusheng was uncertain, but the man was already gone, and there was nothing she could do to ask him. There were no signs that anyone had entered the villa, yet several large shopping bags had appeared beside the place where her winter clothes were kept. When she walked over and touched them, the tightly gripped handles still held a trace of warmth, as though someone had been carrying them for a long time. Inside were several thick fur garments and two large shoeboxes.

The clothes fit perfectly, and the shoes were exactly her size.

Xia Rusheng sat there thinking for a long while before calling the private concierge.

“Miss Li? I’d like to ask who brought the clothes and shoes in the house.”

“The clothes and shoes?” Miss Li was clearly startled. After a pause of one or two seconds, she smiled politely. “Manager Yang instructed us to prepare them. He said you hadn’t fully recovered yet and was worried you might catch another chill, so he asked me to buy these and deliver them to you.”

Liar!

Xia Rusheng already knew the truth. Although Manager Yang treated her very well, he would never take such an initiative to show concern for her without reason. These clothes were plainly brought in by that man. Besides, the brands of the clothes and shoes were far beyond what someone of a manager’s or private concierge’s standing could casually afford.

She could not help recalling the man’s retreating figure. If it truly had been him, why did he care so much about her? And who exactly was he, that he could even order around the manager of the S&Y Resort?

Too many questions circled through her mind, multiplying like vines. But she did not allow herself to dwell on them for long. She had always believed that the man would eventually reveal himself. Just as she had believed he would appear again the last time, he had indeed shown up once more.

Xia Rusheng changed into her pajamas and called to order a meal. Before long, the doorbell rang. She assumed it was the delivery attendant, but when she opened the door, she found Xia Rui supporting Tan Li, with Tan Li’s mother and Xia Yu following behind them.

“Your father was worried you wouldn’t have anything to change into after coming here, so he brought you a few of Xia Yu’s clothes.” Xia Rui sounded as though he cared deeply about her, but his eyes never stopped surveying the villa.

Xia Rusheng saw that Xia Yu was indeed carrying a paper bag. She did not doubt that they had come to deliver clothes—but was it really necessary for so many people to bring over just a couple of garments?

“I think you’re worrying too much. Look at the bed—the clothes piled there are far better than what we brought.” The moment Tan Li entered, she spotted the fur garments on the bed, and her eyes filled with greed.

Xia Rui naturally saw them too, but he was a man and knew little about such things. Fur was common among wealthy women, so he did not consider the clothes particularly rare.

“Could these have been given to you by Young Master Lin?”

Xia Rusheng neither nodded nor shook her head, and Xia Rui took her silence as confirmation.

“Hmph. That fellow has always been generous, but he’s especially generous with you.” Xia Yu’s voice was thick with jealousy. She loved dressing up, and one glance was enough for her to recognize that these were all top-tier items. She walked over and picked up a price tag. This one alone cost more than a million, while the other two were even more expensive.

“These few things together cost more than your car, Sister. After all, I was practically the matchmaker who introduced you two. Since you have so many, why don’t you give me one as a thank-you gift?”

Each word that came from Xia Yu’s mouth dripped with bitterness. In her mind, if she had not voluntarily given Xia Rusheng the position of the Lin family’s young mistress, all these things would have belonged to her.

“That’s unfortunate. These things were not given to me by Young Master Lin, so there’s no share for you.” Xia Rusheng rejected her with a cold laugh. Even if she burned the clothes, she would never give them to any of them.

“Hmph! The moment I ask you to give me one, you claim they weren’t given by Brother Yichen. How stingy!” Xia Yu pouted, the mockery in her eyes unmistakable.

“I never admitted that Lin Yichen gave them to me. If he really had, I wouldn’t have accepted them.” Xia Rusheng lifted the clothes, intending to put them away in the wardrobe. But as she passed Tan Li’s mother, the garment suddenly made a ripping sound. She instinctively turned around.

“Oh dear, how did it catch on my ring? These clothes are so expensive. Xia Xia, you should be more careful!” Tan Li’s mother spoke faster than Xia Rusheng, feigning alarm.

“Yes, how careless of me.” Xia Rusheng pressed her lips together and remained calm. She had clearly walked around the woman, so there was no way the garment could have caught on her gemstone ring. This was obviously deliberate.

“But even if the garment is torn and can only be hung there, it is still mine. What belongs to me will always belong to me.”

Her words were gentle yet unyielding. The moment they heard them, Xia Yu and her grandmother knew exactly who they were meant for.

“Sister, what do you mean? I was only making a casual remark. Do you really think I covet these ruined clothes?” Xia Yu had the fiery temper of a spoiled young heiress. After Xia Rusheng’s veiled retort, she snatched the garment from her hand, seized the existing tear, and ripped it wide open before throwing the clothes onto the floor.

“Hmph! It’s only a ruined piece of clothing. I’ll compensate you with another one tomorrow!”

“Xia Yu!” Seeing her daughter’s willful behavior, Xia Rui could not help shouting.

“Dad, you’re taking her side! Sister was the one who bullied us first. She ruined the clothes herself, then mocked and insulted Grandma. I know she looks down on Grandma—and on my mother too!”

“Xia Yu, stop talking nonsense!”

Xia Rui’s expression grew darker and darker, but Xia Yu refused to listen. In the end, she let out an aggrieved scream and stormed out through the door, colliding head-on with Manager Yang, who had personally come to deliver the meal. The impact sent both him and the meal cart crashing to the floor.