Chapter 750 Fearless
An Xia heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her as soon as the words were spoken.
She quickly shut the door and locked it before turning back to the bed, pretending to have just woken up.
Bai Jingshu entered the room shortly after.
There was no trace of anger on his face, and he smiled at An Xia when he saw her sitting on the bed.
He walked toward her and sat down by the bed before reaching out to caress her messy hair. "Just woke up, did you?"
"Yeah." An Xia nodded, and she asked, "Where did you go? Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I didn't wake you because you were sleeping soundly, and it was still early."
An Xia carefully observed Bai Jingshu's facial expression as he spoke, but she couldn't see anything unusual about him at all.
She wouldn't believe that there was nothing between Bai Jingshu and Shu Yanian after hearing their conversation.
Women's instinct was infamously accurate after all.
She knew that Bai Jingshu had countless past relationships even back when she was with him.
But, none of them had ever happened without her knowledge.
It was the first time that a woman who might have had a complicated relationship with Bai Jingshu appeared so close to her, and she was in the Bai Residence of all places.
An Xia suppressed the urge to ask about that. She only asked, "Did... Did they come back?"
"Everyone hasn't returned except for my sister-in-law, Yanian." There was no trace of abnormality on Bai Jingshu's face when he mentioned "Yanian."
...
Everyone from the Bai family had returned during dinner.
The men in the house had influences in the military and political scenes, and each of them appeared even more commanding than the last.
An Xia hadn't met any of them except for Bai Yunan.
One of the young men had been scrutinizing An Xia as if he was comparing something since he stepped in the door.
He bore some resemblance to Bai Jingshu, and they looked like they were of similar ages. So, An Xia guessed that he was Bai Jingshu's elder brother, Bai Yeqi.
She had memorized a few keywords during the conversation between Bai Jingshu and his sister-in-law.
Women were sensitive by nature, and she already imagined a few old-schooled and typical scenes from love dramas in her mind.
However, it was her boyfriend who got involved in this case.
An Xia glanced at Bai Yeqi for a second before quickly averting her gaze.
Bai Jingshu introduced her to everyone in the Bai family, and she made sure to remember their names by addressing them properly.
However, Bai Jingshu's father and grandfather clearly didn't hold a favorable opinion of An Xia.
His grandfather didn't even try to hide his disapproval. The anger showed on his face wasn't well-concealed at all.
"Alright, enough of this. Let's eat!" Old Master Bai said as he picked up his fork and started to eat.
The atmosphere at the dining table was tense. Only the clinking sound of eating utensils and eating could be heard.
Bai Jingshu had told An Xia that the Bai family had a house rule of not speaking while eating.
Fortunately, it wasn't difficult for her.
Bai Jingshu was summoned into the study by Old Master Bai after dinner, and his father, Bai Mingxu also followed.
The only people left in the living room were Bai Jingshu's eldest brother, Bai Yunan, his elder brother, Bai Yeqi, and his wife, Shu Yanian.
However, no one said anything to each other. They all sat quietly on the couch, minding their own business.
Just then, Aunt Liu brought them some fruits on a tray.
"Here, please have some fruits." Aunt Liu placed the fruits down and smiled at An Xia. "Make yourself at home, Miss An. Have some fruit. Don't be shy."
Suddenly, Shu Yanian, who had been fiddling with the TV remote control, stood up and walked over to An Xia before saying, "It's fine, Aunt Liu. Miss An won't eat anything at this late hour."
She turned to An Xia after saying that. "Would you mind going for a walk with me, Miss An?"
An Xia smiled as she replied, "I'd love to."
Is she going to confront me now?
Shu Yanian smiled gently as she reached out to hold An Xia's hand.
An Xia quickly stood up and subtly evaded her hand, but Shu Yanian's expression remained unchanged as she withdrew her hand nonchalantly, and the smile on her face soon disappeared.
Bai Yunan, who had been fiddling with his phone, interjected just as the two of them were about to head outside, "Why did you ask someone out for a walk so late at night?"
He was clearly asking Shu Yanian.
Shu Yanian couldn't help but feel embarrassed, and she turned to her husband, Bai Yeqi, hoping he would speak up for her.
But, to her surprise, Bai Yeqi only glanced at her coldly before lowering his head.
An Xia noticed the awkward situation, but she pretended nothing had happened.
Then, Bai Yunan ignored the couple and looked at An Xia. "Jingshu should be downstairs soon. Aren't you going to wait for him here?"
An Xia realized that Bai Yunan was helping her at that point.
Bai Yunan always had a better relationship with Bai Jingshu. They were very much like each other be it appearance or personality.
On the other hand, Bai Yeqi was nothing like Bai Yunan despite sharing some resemblance to Bai Jingshu. He had a more delicate appearance with less masculine features.
An Xia only smiled. "It's okay. It won't be long and I'll be back soon. Please let Bai Jingshu know that I've gone out if he comes down during this time."
Bai Yunan was surprised as Bai Jingshu had already asked him in advance to look after An Xia.
However, it seemed like his naive little brother was worried for nothing. An Xia wasn't afraid of anything at all.
Bai Yunan nodded. "Okay."
He lowered his head after he finished speaking, and he continued to fiddle with his phone. But, he frowned slightly shortly after, and he appeared displeased as he was typing something on the phone.
Meanwhile, An Xia and Shu Yanian went out together.
Only detached villas were in the area. So, the security was decent.
The two ladies took a stroll after coming out of the courtyard.
There were not many people around due to the cold weather.
Neither of them said anything. It was as if the one who spoke first would somehow diminish their status.
An Xia was anxious as she was eager to know what had happened between Bai Jingshu and Shu Yanian.
However, she had to remain composed.
Although she had never engaged in a confrontation with another woman, she had witnessed how Su Yige acted before, so she still knew a thing or two when dealing with such situations.
Finally, Shu Yanian couldn't hold back any longer when they reached a shaded area.
"I know you love Jingshu very much, Miss An. But, just because he brought you home doesn't necessarily mean you can marry into the Bai family, do you understand?" She warned in a gentle tone as if she was genuinely advising An Xia.
"While it's true that one should always respect the elders, you should say those to Bai Jingshu. What others think or perceive has nothing to do with me. The only person who matters to me is Bai Jingshu."
An Xia had heard Bai Jingshu tell Shu Yanian that she had no right to interfere in his affairs.
Bai Jingshu had made that clear regardless of his past with Shu Yanian, that much was certain.
Shu Yanian fell silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "No, you've misunderstood, Miss An. I just..."
"An Xia!"
Just then, Bai Jingshu's voice came from behind.
An Xia interrupted, "Bai Jingshu is looking for me. Let's go back."
Shu Yanian was standing in the shade, but An Xia could still sense the shift in her emotion even though her face was concealed by the darkness.
Shu Yanian was furious.
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