Chapter 57: Xia Rui Falls for the Trap

That damned girl must have done it on purpose! Relying on Xia Rui’s current favor, she opposes me at every turn!" Tan Li trembled with rage, flinging the objects in her room about at random.

Watching Tan Li suffer losses everywhere, Tan Xue was beyond delighted inside, yet on the surface, she still put on the appearance of a good younger sister, consoling Tan Li: "Sister, you shouldn't always lose your temper. Doing this will only make your brother-in-law find you more and more unpleasant. You are carrying a child in your belly, after all. Didn't the old lady say last time not to let yourself get angry anymore?"

Not mentioning the old lady would have been better; at this moment, Tan Li was even more infuriated. That old hag really did not leave her a single shred of family assets. Aside from some jewelry and accessories, she had actually taken away all her savings and cash! The Xia family might be short on money right now, but they were certainly not short enough to pillage her!

"It's all because of that little bastard! Ever since she came home from that car accident, Xiaoyu and I have had nothing but bad luck. That damned girl looks indifferent to everything on the surface, but she is extremely cunning. We mother and daughter have been reduced to such a state all because of her! I won't let her off easily!"

While Tan Li indulged in empty threats, Tan Xue kept every word to heart. She probed tentatively, "Then how does Sister plan to deal with her?"

"I clearly deployed so many plans in secret, yet in the end, it's always Xiaoyu and me who suffer bad luck. I think she must have sensed something in advance. To be victorious in every battle, one must know both the enemy and oneself. Tomorrow, I'll have someone watch her and then look for an opportunity to strike. That damned girl has done so many bad things behind the scenes, I refuse to believe I can't catch her weakness!"

Tan Xue smiled with ambiguous meaning, then went along with her words: "That is indeed not a bad method. However, I think Sister's most urgent task is to quickly find a way to mend your relationship with your brother-in-law. As long as Brother-in-law is willing to stand on Sister's side, then anything can be easily handled."

Tan Li felt that her words made sense. After deep reflection, she also figured it out: she must never act in front of Xiasheng again, otherwise it would certainly be ruined. Moreover, recalling what she had heard outside Xiasheng's room today, she had an idea and said, "What gives Xia Rui the biggest headache right now is purchasing the land. If I can help him with that, he will definitely look at me with new eyes!"

A cold sneer arose in Tan Xue's heart: Just by her?

An ignorant woman who only knew how to dress up and primp, what capability could she possibly have!

"Buying land is a major event. Can Sister really help? If you need me to do anything, just command me." Only then could she stir up trouble from within; otherwise, if Tan Li actually managed to pull this off, she wouldn't even have a place to stand.

"How would I have any ideas? But doesn't that damned girl have them?"

"Sister, you mean—" Secretly stealing Xiasheng's achievements?

How truly despicable!

Tan Xue kept her composure on the surface, even praising it as a marvelous idea. The moment she turned around, however, she reported Tan Li's words word-for-word to Xia Rusheng.

"Miss Tan is indeed full of sincerity." After learning of Tan Li's intentions, Xia Rusheng was not very surprised. Since Tan Li had been caught red-handed eavesdropping in the morning, she didn't believe that what Tan Li had overheard was valueless.

Now that Tan Li had gained some awareness, she would undoubtedly turn from passive to active.

"Since she is already impatient, let's make our move early as well. Today presents a rather good opportunity, Miss Tan, make sure to seize it." Thinking of the way Xia Rui had looked at Tan Xue earlier, Xia Rusheng felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach. Disgust aside, however, the more promiscuous Xia Rui was, the more openings she would have to exploit.

Tan Xue naturally understood what Xia Rusheng meant, and her face flushed instantly.

At dinnertime, Xia Rui suddenly heard that Xiasheng had a stomachache, so he hurried upstairs to check on his daughter. At that moment, Xia Rusheng was lying in bed, her complexion looking somewhat pale. Seeing this, Xia Rui asked with concern, "How did your stomach start hurting all of a sudden? Has the doctor been by to see you?"

"It's nothing major. The doctor said I ate something bad, but—"

"But what?" Xia Rui asked anxiously.

"I had originally made an appointment with the jewelry store to go pick up some newly released bracelets tonight, but now I can't go. Those particular bracelets are in high demand; I'm afraid someone else will pick out all the pretty ones by tomorrow. Miss Su invited me to a fashion show next week, and I was planning to use one of the bracelets as a gift for her." Xia Rusheng spoke as if she were truly distressed, her pretty little face scrunched up into a ball.

Hearing her spoiled, pleading tone, Xia Rui was immensely pleased and said with a smile, "Your father thought it was something major. This is easy to handle; how about Dad goes in your place personally later?"

Hearing this, Xia Rusheng's eyes lit up, but her mood quickly dimmed again as she pouted, "You're a man, and you don't understand a girl's aesthetic. Can whatever you pick possibly look good?"

At this moment, Mother Chen suddenly chimed in, "You silly girl, wouldn't it be fine for the Chairman to take someone who understands along with him? It's not like there are no women in our house. Miss Tan is only a few years older than you; her taste should be about the same as yours."

Xia Rui actually felt that Mother Chen made sense. Although Tan Xue came from a humble background, her taste was worlds apart from Tan Li's, and her eye for things was definitely not bad—it was just that she never asked him for anything.

"You rest well, Dad and the young aunt will make a trip and definitely bring back something that satisfies you. If we really can't pick anything out, worst comes to worst, Dad will buy them all back, as long as my Xiasheng is happy."

"Thank you, Dad!" Xia Rusheng feigned happiness and sweetly called Xia Rui "Dad."

Having heard this form of address after such a long time, Xia Rui was instantly stirred with excitement, unwilling to waste even a minute. He hurriedly called Tan Xue to go out with him.

When Tan Li heard that Xia Rui was going out again at night, her heart tightened slightly. However, upon learning that Tan Xue was tagging along as well, her mind was set at ease. Before leaving, she specifically instructed Tan Xue to keep track of Xia Rui's movements and not give him a chance to slip away alone.

Tan Xue agreed readily and then went out with Xia Rui. Looking down from upstairs, Xia Rusheng happened to see Tan Li's smug expression and couldn't help uttering a sarcastic remark: "Your daughter is practically starving to death, yet you still have the leisure to care whether my father went out to look for other women. Such a profound love is truly touching."

With that, she returned to her room to continue resting, while Tan Li's complexion turned pale once more: Xiaoyu had already been locked in the study by the old lady for a full day and night, literally left starving for a full day and night without any exaggeration. She had tried pleading with the old lady several times, but this time the old lady was truly set in her ways!

Gritting her teeth, Tan Li walked up to the study where Xiaoyu was locked up and called out to her through the door.

Hearing her mother's voice, Xiaoyu immediately responded and asked, "Mom, when is Grandma ever going to let me out?"

Hearing the hoarse and feeble tone in her daughter's voice, Tan Li felt a pang of heartache and coaxed her, "Xiaoyu, your grandmother is serious this time. Listen to Mom, humble yourself and go apologize to that stinking girl. We have to swallow this loss whether we want to or not. But Mom will help you get your revenge sooner or later. Will you listen to Mom this once?"