With Xu Ke’s assurance, the ssenger felt at ease and turned to ask He Chen for the compensation money.
After all, with Xu Ke taking the bla, he was just a small employee following orders.
He Chen reluctantly gave the compensation at Shenghao, although he had co today to deal with the pig trying to snatch away his family’s little cabbage. He had hoped to calm his irritated heart but ended up feeling even angrier, his chest burning with a fla he couldn’t vent. It was truly unbearable.
He Chen returned ho with a stomach full of anger, and as soon as he entered, he saw his sister, who should be asleep, sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed. Her usually charming face bore no expression at all, and she had the look of soone ready to demand accountability, causing He Chen to slightly pause upon entering.
He Chen suspected that He Qing already knew about him secretly warning Xu Ke to leave, but he still held a sliver of hope that perhaps she just couldn’t sleep and was waiting for him for other reasons, though he hadn’t considered why she would have such an expression.
"Shouldn’t you be asleep by this ti? Why aren’t you in bed yet?" He Chen asked, changing his shoes, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Where did you go?" Instead of answering, He Qing asked him with a stern face.
Though calm on the surface, He Chen’s heart raced, yet he spoke evenly, "What else could I have done, I was handling company matters."
"Brother, you know how much I hate being lied to. I’m giving you one more chance to honestly tell who you went to see," He Qing said, looking at He Chen with suspicion.
The atmosphere between the siblings suddenly froze.
"You’re still trying to deceive at this point? I stayed up waiting here to talk to you like this. Do you think I wouldn’t know anything? Or do you think I’m just being silly at this hour?" He Qing said to her brother.
"You’ve misunderstood ," He Chen said, seeing He Qing’s expression, knowing things weren’t good. Despite being as careful as possible to hide the matter from her, she still found out. Thinking of this, He Chen gritted his teeth and blad it on Xu Ke. anwhile, at Shenghao, Xu Ke sneezed unexpectedly.
"Misunderstood you about what? Didn’t you go to Shenghao to see Xu Ke? What did you go there for? I already told you, my feelings for him have nothing to do with him, he doesn’t even know," He Qing said, looking at her brother with a hint of complaint in her eyes.
"If he knew, it would be too late! Even not knowing, you’re already bewitched enough to forget about your brother. If he found out, I’d probably be getting a brother-in-law," He Chen said, his tone sowhat unpleasant.
He Qing blushed at the ntion of getting a brother-in-law, her tone becoming shy. "What are you talking about? There’s nothing between us. We’re just friends."
"Let be clear, Xu Ke is not a good person. I forbid you from contacting him anymore," He Chen gave his little sister an ultimatum, seeing her naive infatuation.
"How is he not a good person? Didn’t he save us? How could you forget that?" He Qing protested, unhappy to hear her brother speaking ill of Xu Ke again and began defending him.
Her defense only fueled He Chen’s anger.
"If he were a good person, he wouldn’t have told you about my visit to see him, reporting back on . Did he also tell you that I asked him to get out of Ning City?" He Chen smirked with inexplicable sarcasm.
"What? You asked him to leave Ning City? Why? Just because I like him? That’s unfair! Don’t you realize how unreasonable you’re being?" When He Qing heard this, her face turned pale, tears brimming in her eyes, making her look pitiful.
He Chen was stunned to realize his sister didn’t know this, but after the shock, his sarcasm only intensified, and his impression of Xu Ke worsened, seeing him as a complete villain.
"Yes, precisely because you like him, I want him gone. You’re the daughter of the He family; you can like anyone else but not Xu Ke. I don’t agree and won’t allow it," He Chen said to his sister, his voice low and bitter.
"Why? Why such animosity towards Xu Ke? Why is he the exception when I can like anyone else? He’s upright and kind, not swayed by money or beauty. Besides, he didn’t tell anything. I paid soone around him to get this information. Xu Ke is the most innocent in this whole matter, unaware of everything. He ca to Ning City alone to develop, and you want to drive him away. Have you forgotten how he saved you and helped ? How can you be so cold-hearted?"
"Do you know that because of you, Xu Ke no longer answers my calls? He has blocked all my contacts. He must hate now and never want to see again." He Qing started off strong, but as she continued, she began to cry, tears streaming pitifully and silencing anything He Chen had left to say.
Seeing his sister like this, He Chen felt both heartache and anger. "Stop crying, you’ll hurt your eyes. What then?" He Chen grabbed so tissues and gently wiped He Qing’s face. She tried to dodge initially but soon let him continue.
The argunt had subsided, bringing a silence between the siblings and easing the prior tension.
As the atmosphere settled, He Qing felt her earlier words were too harsh, and she tugged on He Chen’s sleeve, softly saying, "I spoke a bit too harshly earlier, don’t take it to heart, I was just too anxious."
"From childhood till now, haven’t I considered everything for your sake? Yet just now, you argued with over an outsider, and my heart is shattered," He Chen replied, seeing He Qing relent, acting sorrowful to make her even more guilty.
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