"You don't live alone, who are you living with?"
Zhao Shuyao remained silent. "Have some water and change your shoes, sit down. I'll make a call."
She walked out to the balcony and called Xiang Liang.
The man likely knew she was busy and didn't answer, but he called back a minute later.
"What is it, my dear?"
"...Dr. Xiang, my sister has come to the capital. She insists on staying at my place. Would you mind staying in a hotel for a few days? I'll pay. I'll pack some clothes for you later." Xiang Liang paused, "What?"
His tone clearly showed displeasure. Having known him for so long, this was the first time Zhao Shuyao heard such a tone from him; he was always gentle.
Zhao Shuyao's heart clenched. "It's only for a few days, Dr. Xiang, please. My sister is used to her own bed and dislikes hotels. She's just borrowing a place for a few days. If you don't mind, you can still come back, but I'm afraid it might be a bit inconvenient..."
It wasn't that she minded Xiang Liang coming back, but it would be awkward for a man and woman to be alone in the same room.
"She's used to her own bed? If you're on a business trip outside the capital next time, will she also need you to warm her bed? Zhao Shuyao, she's your sister, but you don't owe her anything. Don't let her make you compromise yourself." "Dr. Xiang, are you angry?"
Zhao Shuyao didn't understand why the man was reacting so strongly.
"I'm not angry. Forget it. Tell me when she leaves, and also tell her not to call me again."
Xiang Liang gritted his teeth, not uttering the words he wanted to.
It was so annoying.
He wondered how Le Yanran managed to trick this fool, Zhao Shuyao, into getting his phone number.
Xiang Liang glanced at the dozens of missed calls on his phone, let out a faint chuckle, and then added the number to his blacklist.
Zhao Shuyao stood on the balcony for a while. When she entered the living room, she saw Le Yanran sitting on the sofa, seemingly on the phone with someone, but no one was answering.
"Yaoyao, you called Dr. Xiang, why isn't his phone going through?"
Le Yanran heard footsteps and looked up in Zhao Shuyao's direction.
"I don't know, Dr. Xiang is very busy, maybe he's occupied... Sister, didn't you say you just wanted to contact Dr. Xiang? What are you looking for him for?"
Zhao Shuyao clutched her phone, recalling Xiang Liang's words. Her gaze towards Le Yanran became more scrutinizing.
Even though she wasn't sensitive about relationships and was a bit dense, she could tell.
Le Yanran asking for Xiang Liang's contact information was more than just simple gratitude.
"I... you don't need to worry about this. Dr. Xiang has been kind to our family. I was just checking in, showing concern, nothing else. What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Le Yanran stared intently at Zhao Shuyao, her eyes filled with hostility, trying to catch Zhao Shuyao's expression.
Zhao Shuyao sighed. "Sister, do you have feelings for Dr. Xiang?"
"I don't. What nonsense are you talking about? How could I have feelings for Dr. Xiang? Besides, even if I did, what of it? I'm single, and Dr. Xiang is also single. You just got divorced, so don't get too close to Dr. Xiang. You know yourself, you and Qin Yusheng were together for three years. Dr. Xiang is a good person, he shouldn't be the one to pick up the pieces."
"Pick up the pieces?"
Zhao Shuyao couldn't believe her ears.
How could her own sister say such a thing?
"I'm not talking to you anymore. I need to rest. Don't disturb me."
Le Yanran got up, went into her room, and slammed the door.
Zhao Shuyao stood in the living room for a while. As she helped Le Yanran with her luggage, she discovered Le Yanran had bought a very expensive bag.
She had seen this bag before. When she was Mrs. Qin, she had bought one, a limited edition that cost over a hundred thousand yuan...
Le Yanran had just graduated, how could she have so much money?
While artists could earn a decent salary, could she buy such a bag after less than a month of work?
Thinking about the one million yuan she had given Le Yanran a few days ago...
Zhao Shuyao made a call home. Li Huiyun answered.
"Yaoyao, have you eaten? How have you been? Your sister said she's coming over. Your sister was always pampered and delicate, so be patient with her. If she bullies you, tell me..."
"Auntie, did the family receive any money?"
Zhao Shuyao asked indirectly.
"Money? What money? Your father just found a job and hasn't been paid yet. What's wrong, do you need money? I still have two thousand yuan for living expenses. Your sister gave it to me a few days ago, I'll send it to you..."
Zhao Shuyao's heart was filled with mixed emotions in an instant.
After hanging up, she looked at the bag in front of her, then at the closed bedroom door.
She took a few deep breaths, but still suppressed the urge to rush in and confront Le Yanran.
Since Le Yanran was staying in her bedroom, Zhao Shuyao had to sleep on the sofa.
The next day at breakfast, Le Yanran suddenly asked, "Why aren't you sleeping in there? I saw there was another room."
"That's my roommate's."
"Why is it a man? Those shoes at the entrance, they cost tens of thousands on the market. How can this man wear such expensive shoes and still be your roommate?"
Le Yanran's suspicious gaze fixed on Zhao Shuyao. "Who are you rooming with?"
Zhao Shuyao instantly lost her appetite. She took a sip of soy milk and stood up. "I'm done eating. Sister, you eat slowly."
"Wait, you haven't answered my question. Why are you so rude?"
Le Yanran's displeasure was evident on her face as she persistently questioned.
Zhao Shuyao was about to lose patience, but she took a deep breath and suppressed her annoyance. "I haven't met him either. We don't see each other much."
"Really?" Le Yanran scrutinized Zhao Shuyao suspiciously for a few moments. "Alright, I get it. You should go to work."
Hearing this, Zhao Shuyao grabbed her handbag and walked out.
During lunch, Zhao Shuyao was eating with her head down when someone suddenly sat in front of her.
A mouthful of rice got stuck in Zhao Shuyao's throat.
She looked up and saw Xiang Liang, and finally managed to swallow the rice.
"Eat slowly, I'm not Sheng Jing."
Xiang Liang placed his hands on the table, clasped them together, and rested his chin on them.
"Cough cough... How do you know."
Zhao Shuyao drank some water, her chest heaving, almost choking.
"It looks like you didn't sleep well last night." A hint of something flashed in Xiang Liang's eyes as he glanced at Zhao Shuyao's dark circles.
"I wasn't used to sleeping on the sofa last night..."
"You slept on the sofa, and she slept in the bed?"
The man's brow immediately furrowed.
"She was more delicate before. It's fine, I'm used to hardship."
Zhao Shuyao didn't mind sleeping on the sofa.
Although Le Yanran was only Li Huiyun's adopted daughter, Li Huiyun must have treated Le Yanran like her own child over the years. It was out of guilt towards Li Huiyun that she tolerated this.
Otherwise, given her personality, she wouldn't have endured it for so long.
Xiang Liang raised his hand and pinched Zhao Shuyao's cheek.
"Bun."
"What?"
"I said you're a pushover. Le Yanran is your sister, and I know you want to take care of her, but you don't need to do this."
"Dr. Xiang seems to really dislike my sister. She seems to have feelings for you."
"I wouldn't be interested in a woman like her, unless... it was you."
"Ugh..."