Chapter 7 The Wild Man Xie Tingsheng

Chapter 7: Xie Tingsheng, the "Wild Man"

A rustling sound came from the door, followed by its opening, accompanied by a bright, cheerful voice.

"I'm back—"

"Lao Xie, quick, come help me with these things. I even brought you a feast!"

Like a cooling spring washing over him, the dark thoughts that had just risen in Xie Tingsheng's mind vanished without a trace.

He sat still for a moment, then rose unhurriedly, his dark eyes landing on the girl at the door carrying bags of all sizes. The damp strands of hair at her forehead clung to her cheeks, but her bright, lively eyes sparkled as she looked at him with energy.

When she noticed his gaze, she didn’t hesitate to flash him a big smile, her arms weighed down by the heavy bags waving weakly in his direction, urging him to come help.

Xie Tingsheng swept a discreet glance at the unfamiliar young men behind her before lowering his narrow phoenix eyes. With a few long strides, he reached her and smoothly took the bags from her hands, asking calmly, "Where did you go? Are those your friends behind you?"

Hua Diao shook her numb hands, her voice brimming with excitement. "Shopping, of course! Girls have their little hobbies, you know. As for the people behind me, they’re waiters from a private kitchen. I tipped generously to have them deliver the food to our door."

Then she tugged at Xie Tingsheng’s sleeve, pulling him aside, and politely addressed the men behind her. "Come on in, no need to take off your shoes. Just put the dishes on the dining table, please."

"Of course, Miss Hua," the waiters replied courteously, casting subtle glances at Xie Tingsheng before obediently entering to set down the food.

The last one, a handsome young man with charming peach-blossom eyes, lingered at the door, holding a food container. He boldly eyed Xie Tingsheng with a flirtatious smirk and asked, "Miss Hua, is this your brother? He’s quite good-looking. I have a wealthy friend looking for a handsome boyfriend. Would he be interested—"

What the—? How dare this guy try to poach right in front of her!

Hua Diao shot him an annoyed glare. "This is my husband. Legally married, no need for a wealthy girlfriend. I can take care of my own man. Hurry up and leave after you’re done delivering."

Her tone made it clear she wasn’t welcoming him.

The peach-eyed man’s smile froze. He hadn’t expected this pampered young lady to react so unpredictably. Shouldn’t she have thrown a jealous tantrum by now? That would’ve given him the perfect opening to sweet-talk his way in.

Instead, he’d confirmed their relationship, only to be treated like a scheming homewrecker.

Wrong, wrong! His real target wasn’t the man—it was her!

But under the girl’s wary stare and the icy, murderous gaze of the man behind her, the peach-eyed man quickly backtracked. "My apologies, a misunderstanding! I’ll leave right away!"

He caved instantly.

Scrambling inside, he set down the food, grabbed the empty container, and hurried out with the other waiters. From a distance, their teasing voices could still be heard.

"Hahaha... Chu-ge, never thought you’d have a day like this! Flirting your way into trouble..."

Xie Tingsheng withdrew his gaze from the door and looked down at the dark little head in front of him. The corner of his lips curled into a faint smile.

Hua Diao huffed, then perked up immediately as she tugged Xie Tingsheng toward the dining table. "Come on, let’s eat! The service wasn't great, but Bi Xuan’s private dishes are supposedly the best in Qingcheng. I brought them back just to share with you. Oh, and there’s a bag of milk tea—I didn’t know what flavor you’d like, so I got one of each. Pick whichever you want!"

"Mm." Xie Tingsheng followed her effortlessly, carrying the bags, his deep eyes gradually softening.

Well, having a chattering little thing around to distract him wasn’t so bad. At least it kept the silence from gnawing at him.

The pristine white marble table was laden with an array of fragrant, mouthwatering dishes—crispy fried prawns, golden fish fillets, Buddha's Temptation, Manchu Han Imperial Feast pork...

Hua Diao’s eyes gleamed with hunger.

She’d been eating hastily these past two days to save time, and now, faced with such temptation, she couldn’t resist. Drooling, she eagerly beckoned Xie Tingsheng over and grabbed her chopsticks.

But just as she picked up a prawn, the door slammed violently against the wall. An elegantly dressed middle-aged woman stormed in.

The moment she saw Hua Diao and the feast before her, her face darkened. With a forced smile, she sneered, "Well, well, Hua Diao. Here I was, worried sick about you downstairs, and you’re dining with this wild man like nothing’s wrong? Is this how you repay our Cheng Ling?"

"This 'wild man,'" Xie Tingsheng, paused briefly before calmly reaching for a lamb chop. His dark eyes flicked indifferently toward the woman before settling back on Hua Diao’s face, watching her reaction with mild amusement.

Hua Diao finished chewing the peeled prawn, then finally turned to the intruder.

Blinking innocently, she asked, "Excuse me, auntie, but who are you? Do you know breaking into someone’s home is illegal?"

She sighed inwardly, regretting not locking the door in her haste to eat. She’d forgotten about the male lead's mother, who loved barging in to pick fights.

Madam Chu stared, aghast. "How dare you speak to me like this? Pretending not to know me? Do you even want to stay with Cheng Ling? Just wait till I tell him how you’ve bullied his mother!"

Realizing there was no avoiding this mess, Hua Diao sighed, set down her chopsticks, and marched up to Madam Chu. Planting her hands on her hips, she stood her ground defiantly.

"Go ahead and tell him. I don’t care. A beautiful, rich woman like me can have any man I want—why would I settle for a married one? In fact, I’d love to tell him exactly what kind of person his dear mother is—double-dealing, honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted, plotting behind his back to drive girls to suicide just to ruin his relationship with his true love. And when one girl refuses to kill herself as instructed, she has the gall to come here and pick a fight. Who’s the unreasonable one here? Who’s bullying whom?"

"You—you—!" Madam Chu shook with fury, utterly stunned that the foolish girl who’d once curried favor with her now dared to turn against her.

Then she pointed accusingly at Xie Tingsheng. "Ah! So you’ve found yourself another man and now want to cast aside our Cheng Ling, you shameless little tramp!"

Hua Diao’s brows shot up, her temper flaring. "‘Wild man’ this, ‘wild man’ that—how vulgar! This is my lawfully wedded husband. If anyone’s the ‘wild man,’ it’s your son! Honestly, what kind of mother pushes her own son into being the wild man? Out with you! Don’t interrupt our meal—the food’s getting cold!"

With that, she physically dragged Madam Chu out and slammed the door in her face.

"Pah! Ridiculous!"

Hua Diao scoffed, then perked up immediately as she returned to the table, happily grabbing a prawn in one hand and a lamb chop in the other, happily alternating bites.

Meanwhile, her "lawfully wedded husband," Xie Tingsheng, who was still waiting for an explanation: "......"