C15 They Did Not Trust Each Other!

"Do you have anything else?" Elder Ji looked at her meager luggage. Weren't girls supposed to have a lot of stuff?

"Not for now. These are all I need," Xia Nannan shook her head. Most of her belongings were still at her adoptive parents' house. This rental was mostly filled with the landlord's things, none of which belonged to her.

When Xia Nannan returned to the house, Deng Yu'er was happily watching TV on the couch, occasionally bursting into laughter.

"Nannan, I want an apple. Peel one for me," Deng Yu'er called from upstairs. Xia Nannan quietly sat at her desk, pretending not to hear. They barely had water, let alone apples, and she wasn't a servant.

"Nannan," Deng Yu'er raised her voice again. Why wasn't she responding?

"If your legs work, get it yourself," Xia Nannan replied irritably. She couldn't focus on her drawing with Deng Yu'er around. It seemed like she wasn't planning to leave anytime soon.

"Weren't you fine when you went out earlier? Is this how you treat guests?" Deng Yu'er complained. If she ended up with a scar, she'd hold Xia Nannan responsible.

"Is this how you act as a guest? Stop bothering me. If you need something, go ask Zheng Yizhou. You all haven't even acknowledged me as the owner of this house," Xia Nannan said, covering her ears in frustration. With Deng Yu'er around, concentrating on her art was impossible.

"Alright, enough. There's nothing to eat here. What do you want? I'll go get it for you," Zheng Yizhou said impatiently. He couldn't focus in his study with all the noise. Couldn't they just be quiet?

"Am I bothering you? Never mind, I don't need anything. Go back to your work," Deng Yu'er said, pushing him gently, trying to appear considerate. If Xia Nannan had said that, her tone would have been completely different.

"I'm done with my work. What do you want to eat? Just let me know," Yizhou said, frowning. It was obvious to everyone that Yu'er was deliberately making things difficult for Nannan.

"Are we going out to get something? I want to come too," Nannan said as she came downstairs. She didn't want to be alone with Yu'er, especially when Yizhou wasn't home. Who knew what kind of trouble Yu'er would stir up for her?

"Then I'm coming too," Yu'er quickly chimed in. She couldn't let them be alone together, not giving them any chance.

"Yu'er, your foot's injured. You should stay home. Let Nannan come with me."

"Exactly, you should just stay here," Nannan quickly agreed, eager to escape the tense atmosphere. As long as Yu'er was around, Nannan couldn't have a moment of peace. If she couldn't confront her, she could at least avoid her.

"Alright then, you two go and come back soon." Seeing that Yizhou had spoken, Yu'er couldn't argue further. She glared at Nannan, as if she wanted to devour her.

"Phew..." Nannan exhaled heavily, feeling a sense of relief. Being around Yu'er felt suffocating, and she couldn't understand why Yizhou kept such a troublemaker around.

"Yizhou, are you out of your mind, leaving such a big problem at home?" Nannan said irritably. The house felt like it was filled with toxic fumes, suffocating her the moment she stepped in.

"She wanted to stay. What could I do? Besides, weren't you the one who got her into this mess? Taking care of her is the right thing to do," Yizhou replied matter-of-factly.

"So you still think I spilled that hot water on purpose, huh? Fine, I did it on purpose to wash away her stink," Nannan retorted defiantly. Since no one believed her, why bother explaining? Let the storm rage on.

“Don’t you feel embarrassed?” Yizhou retorted, questioning her motives while she flaunted an anklet like it was some kind of treasure.

“Don’t talk to me.” Nannan turned her head away. If he didn’t trust her, why pretend to care about her injuries? It felt so fake. Any goodwill she had towards Yizhou had completely vanished.

Yizhou fell silent, picking up some groceries on his way back. He hadn’t been visiting often, but things were different now. He bought enough food to fill the entire fridge.

Once home, Nannan stormed upstairs in a huff, refusing to take any food despite her growling stomach.

“What’s with her? Isn’t she eating with us?” Yu'er asked, hearing the door slam shut. It was like she’d come back with a chip on her shoulder.

“Just ignore her. Let’s eat.” Yizhou carefully peeled an apple, pondering Nannan’s intentions. Who had given her that anklet?

“Okay.” Yu'er nodded, secretly pleased with the tension. The more they argued, the happier she was, hoping Yizhou would soon kick Nannan out.

“Are you okay on your own? Need me to feed you?” Yizhou asked, noticing her swollen hand. He quietly sliced the apple and offered her a piece.

“Thanks.” Yu'er took a bite, surprised by Yizhou’s sudden tenderness. She’d never imagined he could be so gentle. Was he finally realizing her sincerity?

“Wait for me a moment.” Yizhou sighed, still worried about Nannan. Her hand was injured, and she hadn’t eaten.

“Yizhou.” As he headed upstairs, Yu'er quickly called out. She had just begun to enjoy his rare warmth and didn’t want anyone else to take him away.

Zheng Yizhou ignored her and headed upstairs. As soon as he pushed the door open, he found Xia Nannan hurriedly wiping away her tears.

"Why are you crying?" Zheng Yizhou asked, puzzled. She was fine just a moment ago, and now she was in tears.

"What, are you going to control even my crying now?" Xia Nannan snapped back. Why give her a sweet treat only to prick her with a needle? She'd rather not have the treat at all.

"No, don't cry," Zheng Yizhou said as he sat down, gently wiping her tears away. Seeing her cry softened his heart unexpectedly.

"I don't need your fake sympathy. Get out," Xia Nannan shouted, pointing to the door. She didn't need anyone's pity; it only made her feel more useless.

"Please stop crying. I was wrong, okay?" Zheng Yizhou said softly, gently patting her back. He had thought she was strong, never expecting to find her crying alone in the room.

"Go away," Xia Nannan turned her head, refusing to acknowledge him. Zheng Yizhou must have been sent by fate to torment her. She had only approached him for the sake of revenge. If she could, she'd rather not know him at all. No amount of money could change the fact that he was just a jerk.