C19 Acting
Her gaze fell on the fruit platter on the glass table in front of her, and she suddenly remembered that she used to be the only one who enjoyed such special treatment from Yichen. A flicker of jealousy passed through her eyes, but her smile grew even brighter.
"Yichen is so good to you. These fruits are incredibly rare, and only our family has access to them since we bought that orchard. No one else can get them."
"Really?" Chuman's face showed disbelief, and a shy blush appeared on her cheeks. "I had no idea. Yichen had them delivered this morning, and I thought they were just regular fruits."
Yilin watched Chuman's expression, her teeth nearly grinding in frustration, but she maintained her smile.
"I heard you're from the Bai family. Do you have a sister?"
She naturally shifted the topic, but her next words made Chuman tense up.
"I heard it was your sister who was originally engaged to my brother. I'm curious how you ended up marrying him." Her eyes seemed innocent and naive, but her words were hard to counter.
Chuman inwardly sneered. It seemed that even among siblings, there was a gap in intelligence. She was now playing the role of Yichen's beloved wife, and for Yilin to bring up such things so openly, it was unclear if she was trying to provoke her or cause trouble for Yichen.
Sure enough, Yichen was deep in conversation with Shen Wenxuan when he heard those words. He looked up at the two of them, his expression inscrutable.
It was only then that Yilin realized she had misspoken. She looked at Yichen, her face a mix of panic and uncertainty. "I'm sorry, I just heard that Chuman's sister is getting married soon, and there were some rumors going around, so I got a bit curious."
"If you know they're just rumors, it's best not to pay them any mind," Chuman advised, picking up on Yilin's hostility. Her tone was heavy with the authority of an elder. "Yichen is just recovering, after all, and he needs to be careful."
Without giving Yilin a chance to respond, Chuman continued, "Since these fruits are rare, and Yichen sent over so many today, take some with you when you leave. I can't finish them all, and it'd be a waste to just throw them away."
Yilin's face fell, her teeth biting into her lip as she glanced at Yichen, a hint of hurt in her eyes. She softly called his name.
Chuman stood up with a smile, moving behind Yichen to expertly massage his temples, her voice gentle yet laced with concern.
"Exhausted today, huh? Feeling okay? Take a break."
Yichen closed his eyes, clearly tired, and nodded. He gently patted Chuman's hand. The company staff had organized the documents and left, leaving only Shen Wenxuan and Yilin awkwardly standing there.
Yilin nervously clutched her skirt, watching Yichen allow Chuman to be disrespectful without any expression on his face, which made her feel uneasy.
"Yichen..." she called out, unwilling to give up.
Yichen opened his eyes, surprised she was still there. Seeing her expression, he suddenly understood and waved his hand dismissively.
"She's stubborn. Just let her be." Chuman playfully swatted him, and Yichen's expression softened as he squeezed her hand.
Shen Wenxuan observed their interaction and glanced at the upset Yilin, sighing softly. He walked over to her.
"We should head back. It's not good to disturb them any longer."
Yilin, with no outlet for her anger, swung her hand and slapped Shen Wenxuan. It didn't seem hard, but who wouldn't be furious being slapped out of nowhere?
"Useless!" she spat, stomping away in frustration.
Bai Chuman watched in surprise as Shen Wenxuan got slapped but still managed to smile, offering them an apologetic glance before quickly following along.
"Wow... Either this guy is a pushover with no pride, or he's a master at hiding his true intentions. Given your family's reputation, it's probably the latter," Bai Chuman remarked, watching him walk away.
Jiang Yichen glanced at her with his clear eyes, a bit surprised. "You're right. He's not simple; he's got big ambitions."
Bai Chuman thought about what had just happened and smiled.
