Chapter 168: The Negotiation Failed

Chapter 168: The Negotiation Failed

When Ye Xiaoxiao heard someone was looking for her, she thought it was Lu Hanchuan.

But when she went downstairs, she saw Cheng Min and another woman.

If she wasn’t wrong, the other woman was likely Cheng Min’s mother.

Mrs. Cheng was dressed to the nines and gave Ye Xiaoxiao a gentle smile.

When she saw them, Ye Xiaoxiao turned around to head back to her dorm.

"Hey, Ye, let’s chat."

"We’re strangers. What is there to talk about? Your daughter had me tailed and snapped photos of me. Are you here to talk about your daughter’s punishment?"

Ye Xiaoxiao’s words made Mrs. Cheng’s face fall.

She didn’t expect this nobody to be so sassy.

"Ye, what are you talking about? My daughter’s an angel and would never do something like secretly photographing someone."

In public, Mrs. Cheng naturally wouldn’t admit it.

Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t feel like dealing with her. "Oh really? Then what are you doing here?"

"This isn’t the place to talk. Why don’t we find a more suitable place to chat?"

"Mrs. Cheng, you’re not being honest, so I’m out."

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t about to sit and chat with them and turned to leave.

Cheng Min yelled after her, "You planned this! You went to Lu Hanchuan to tattle and wreck our family. How could you be so mean?"

Ye Xiaoxiao turned around with a smirk. "You can do shady stuff, but I can’t report it? That’s not how it works. If we’re talking about being mean, look in the mirror."

As someone who had transmigrated into this world to change her fate, she wasn’t afraid of the female lead, let alone a side character.

Cheng Min tried to lunge at Ye Xiaoxiao but froze mid-step.

Lu Hanchuan showed up out of the blue.

"Mrs. Cheng, Miss Cheng, you two really have a lot of free time to come and trouble my girlfriend. It seems my warning to the Cheng family wasn’t enough."

Mrs. Cheng didn’t expect to bump into Lu Hanchuan.

No wonder Ye Xiaoxiao thought it was Lu Hanchuan waiting for her downstairs—they had agreed to meet.

There were some things Lu Hanchuan needed to explain in person.

Mrs. Cheng’s forced smile completely froze on her face.

"Comrade Lu, you’ve misunderstood. We came here to apologize."

Lu Hanchuan gestured for Ye Xiaoxiao to come over.

Ye Xiaoxiao thought: He’s calling me like a dog!

But she still gave him face and walked over to Lu Hanchuan.

Lu Hanchuan finally asked, looking down, "Is that so, Xiao Xiao?"

Ye Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes. "Perhaps it's because I'm from the countryside and not as worldly. I didn't realize city people apologize so aggressively."

Cheng Min: "That's not true! You're the one being aggressive!"

"Minmin!"

Mrs. Cheng held Cheng Min back, realizing the situation couldn't be resolved amicably. This trip was a bad idea.

But there was no turning back now; the stage was set, and they had to see it through.

"Minmin, remember what I told you before we came? Apologize to Ye."

Cheng Min glared, her teeth clenched. "Sorry."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I won't forgive you because your apology isn't sincere."

"You!"

Cheng Min seemed ready to lunge forward again.

Mrs. Cheng quickly restrained her; the insincere apology and acceptance barely smoothed over the earlier exchange.

Mrs. Cheng said goodbye to Lu Hanchuan and left in a hurry.

Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "What did you do to make them come here?"

Lu Hanchuan's expression turned serious. "Nothing, just a routine hospital check. It's their behavior that was out of line."

Lu Hanchuan took Ye Xiaoxiao outside. They skipped the small restaurant outside; with the warm weather, it was perfect to cook at the family compound.

Lu Hanchuan: "Cheng Min and I are nothing. She checked on my grandparents once, and they liked her, but that's it. We barely spoke."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "So why is she picking on me this time?"

Lu Hanchuan thought and said, "This might be because of me."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

You sure switch topics fast.

Lu Hanchuan assured, "I'll take care of this. Let me make it up to you."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Then you owe me a great meal."

Lu Hanchuan: "Deal. Marry me, and I'll cook for you every day."

Ye Xiaoxiao pushed him. "Can we be serious for a moment?"

Lu Hanchuan hugged her tightly again. "Isn't this serious? If you're not ready to go public, we can get married first and have the wedding after you graduate."

Ye Xiaoxiao quickly shifted the topic. "I bought a courtyard."

Lu Hanchuan raised an eyebrow. "Where at?"

"It's in Lotus Lane."

Lu Hanchuan thought about the address. "It's pretty far from here. What made you decide to buy a place there?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Because it's the easiest way I could think of to make money."

Lu Hanchuan: "..."

He really wanted to say that even if the price of the courtyard skyrocketed, it wouldn’t be worth much.

But he kept it to himself, fully supporting his girlfriend’s plans.

"Our money is all yours."

He still hoped Ye Xiaoxiao would marry him.

Ye Xiaoxiao pretended not to hear. She didn’t buy it—men’s words are always full of lies.

During the relationship, it’s ‘I’ll take care of you,’ but after marriage, it’s ‘You take care of me.’

They picked up some groceries, and Lu Hanchuan cooked a meal himself.

The only thing Ye Xiaoxiao could help with was washing the veggies.

She was great at giving shots and drawing blood, but cooking wasn’t her thing.

As she ate, Ye Xiaoxiao thought to herself that she really needed to marry someone who could cook, so they wouldn’t go hungry.

But with Lu Hanchuan being so busy, it felt like having him around didn’t make much of a difference.

If Lu Hanchuan heard that, he’d be livid.

Ye Xiaoxiao suddenly asked Lu Hanchuan, “What did you think when you saw those pictures?”

Lu Hanchuan replied, picking up some food, “Not much.”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “Really?”

Cheng Min had shelled out a lot of cash just to get those photos.

Lu Hanchuan: “I don’t think the guys in the photos stand a chance.”

“You’re so full of yourself.” Ye Xiaoxiao pouted.

Lu Hanchuan: “Am I wrong? Shouldn’t a great guy be confident in himself and trust his partner? Isn’t that the foundation of a relationship?”

Ye Xiaoxiao was speechless—Lu Hanchuan had said it all.

She just kept serving Lu Hanchuan food, saying, “Eat up.”

After dinner, Lu Hanchuan did the dishes and took out the trash before heading out.

“If you don’t feel like staying at school, come over. I can help you get permission to stay off-campus.”

By sophomore year, the school stops checking the dorms, so I’ll move out then.”

The dorm’s fine, but living with so many people makes things a hassle.

Lu Hanchuan nodded. After all, Xiao Xiao had the keys—she could move out whenever she wanted.