She smiled faintly, her silken hair falling smoothly to either side, her arched eyebrows framing a pair of lovely almond-shaped eyes. Her nose was high-bridged, her red lips curved in a perfect arc. Situ Jun leaned back, appraising the woman who entered, but unlike his usual boisterous self, he frowned slightly. This style of dress and demeanor, wasn't it exactly like... A chill ran through him. Before he could say anything, he heard Wen Xuanyuan's gasp.
"Xia Wanfu, how could it be you?"
Xia Wantang was even more stunned, completely unprepared to run into Xia Wanfu here. Even more unexpected was that she would be with Ling Yucheng's childhood friend.
Xia Wanfu's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. Jiang Zexi was from one of the four great families and his close relationship with Ling Yucheng was normal. While encountering Xia Wantang here was unexpected, it wasn't particularly strange. Jiang Zexi glanced back at her, asking with a hint of confusion, "Do you know each other?"
"Yes, she's my sister's best friend, and that's my sister." Xia Wanfu's expression had already returned to normal, and she generously admitted her relationship with Xia Wantang. Jiang Zexi was a bit surprised but still nodded. So Ling Yucheng's wife was his girlfriend's sister. What kind of fate was this? They had found two sisters. But when he looked at Ling Yucheng, he saw his expression was chillingly cold. And the woman beside him had turned her head away with a blank expression. He then realized that the atmosphere between the sisters seemed somewhat unusual. Li Bowen and Situ Jun exchanged a look, neither daring to speak rashly. This situation was truly delicate!
"Let's go, let's sit down first." Jiang Zexi took Xia Wanfu's hand and led her to a seat. Wen Xuanyuan snorted with clear displeasure. She turned to Xia Wantang and said, "Move over a bit." Xia Wanfu was sitting on her other side, which made her very unhappy, not wanting to be close to her at all, as it spoiled her appetite. Xia Wantang frowned and leaned in to whisper, "Don't make it too ugly, there are so many outsiders here!" "Mm, I understand." Wen Xuanyuan didn't want to make things difficult for Xia Wantang, so she directly picked up her bag and stood up. The only remaining seat at the entire table was between Ling Yucheng and Li Bowen. She took her bag and sat down there directly. Xia Wanfu felt a moment of awkwardness, inwardly cursing Wen Xuanyuan for being meddlesome. What was supposed to be a harmonious gathering had turned into this. Because of Xia Wanfu, Ling Yucheng was even less inclined to interact with Jiang Zexi. He simply felt Jiang Zexi had poor judgment, choosing such a calculating and malicious woman. Even the usually talkative Situ Jun couldn't liven up the atmosphere in the room. The server brought out the dishes, a table full of delicacies. Jiang Zexi acted as if he didn't notice the strange atmosphere, speaking softly to Xia Wanfu. He even served her food, showing great tenderness and attentiveness. Ling Yucheng was the same, his eyes only on Xia Wantang. Wen Xuanyuan was a person of genuine emotion, occasionally glancing at Xia Wanfu with disdain. She was convinced Xia Wanfu must have used some despicable means to ensnare the young master of the Jiang family. She hadn't seen Xia Wanfu like this before; where was this ladylike and gentle demeanor? The more she looked, the more displeased she became. If she could see Xia Wanfu's transformation, how could Xia Wantang not? Xia Wanfu seemed like an entirely different person from head to toe, only her face remained the same. Her entire demeanor, her clothing, her hairstyle, everything had changed. The transformation was indeed significant. But it had nothing to do with her; she no longer had any ties to the Xia family. The two sisters acted as if they had an agreement, treating each other as air. The meal was eaten in silence, with no one speaking. Even Situ Jun was quiet and unobtrusive. After the meal. Situ Jun and Li Bowen looked at each other, exchanging glances and signaling with their eyes. The original plan was to go camping at Linglu Mountain, but it was uncertain if that would still happen. Especially seeing Ling Yucheng's icy expression, no one dared to bring it up. Among the four of them, Ling Yucheng and Jiang Zexi had the most peculiar temperaments. One was perpetually cold-faced, the other perpetually smiling, making it almost impossible to fathom their thoughts. At this moment, Ling Yucheng's brow was furrowed with sharp coldness, his narrow eyes as deep as a swallowing abyss. Jiang Zexi, as always, wore a faint smile, his peach blossom eyes twinkling with amusement, the corners of his mouth forever upturned. When everyone had put down their chopsticks, Situ Jun finally smiled and said, "We're full and satisfied, shall we all go camping? What do you say?" Linglu Mountain had a semi-developed area designated for camping and enjoying the night view, though it wasn't open to the public. From the mountaintop, one could overlook the entire capital, and viewing it at night offered a unique charm. Especially when the stars were dense. The starry river in the sky connected with the lights of myriad homes, like a brilliant Milky Way. "Sounds good," Jiang Zexi chuckled. "We haven't been camping in a while, the last time was..." Before he finished speaking, his smile remained, but his gaze seemed to falter for a moment. Situ Jun's smile began to falter. Li Bowen's lips curved slightly upwards, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were calm. He looked at Ling Yucheng and asked, "Yucheng, what do you think?" Ling Yucheng didn't answer, he merely lowered his gaze to ask Xia Wantang. "Do you want to go?" "Yes, why not." Xia Wantang hadn't spoken, but Wen Xuanyuan chimed in, raising her voice deliberately, "We are above board and act with integrity, why shouldn't we go." It was obvious who she was targeting, and her words carried a lot of unspoken meaning! Xia Wanfu's expression remained unchanged, her eyes like calm water showing no emotion. But inwardly, she was not as indifferent as she appeared. Because she had something to hide. How she and Jiang Zexi had gotten together was known only to her and Wu Jiajia. The tense atmosphere in the room grew heavier. Xia Wantang said calmly, "Then let's go, I've never been camping before anyway." Since Wen Xuanyuan had agreed to go, it wasn't appropriate for her to refuse. "Alright then, we'll rest for a moment and then depart." Situ Jun breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried they would start arguing. If Ling Yucheng and Jiang Zexi also quarreled, he and Li Bowen would be caught in the middle like a sandwich. Now, everyone could see that these two sisters were hardly like sisters, more like sworn enemies. No one knew what had transpired between them. After resting for a while and having a cup of tea, the group set off. Seven people, two couples. Jiang Zexi and Li Bowen, the two single dogs, stuck together. Wen Xuanyuan, on her own, felt a bit forlorn. She now regretted agreeing to go camping, just to spite Xia Wanfu.