Chapter 155: Chapter 155 - 155 155 A Pawn

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: A Pawn Chapter 155: Chapter 155: A Pawn Usually, as long as Xia Guoxiong was not around, Xia Cheng couldn’t stay in the office for more than five minutes; his mind was preoccupied with eating, drinking, and merrymaking. Usually, he would only put on a show of diligence in front of his father.

However, Xia Guoxiong was so busy every day that he did not truly investigate whether his only son was really as devoted to the company as he claimed to be, exhausting himself for its sake.

Xia Guoxiong sat on the sofa opposite Xia Ning, glanced over a list in his hand, and eventually pointed to it and commented, “Yi Lixing is now a rat crossing the street, already a discarded piece. Moreover, you might offend He Xing by inviting him. Why ask him for what?”

“Alright, the invitations haven’t been sent out yet; I’ll cross this one off.” Xia Cheng hurriedly took a pen out of his suit and crossed out Yi Lixing’s name, grinding his teeth and thinking to himself that he must deal severely with the person who drew up this list. Such a simple matter was not understood, causing him to make such a low-level mistake in front of his father.

Xia Guoxiong skimmed through the list at a glance and casually threw it on the coffee table. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest of the sofa, and his gaze fell on the birdcage outside the room. Two birds hopped and bounced in the cramped cage, pecking at each other and fighting incessantly.

“This year’s Xia Family banquet must be unparalleled, inviting Nangong, Huangpu, and the Li Family over for a lively celebration.”

“Dad…” Xia Cheng’s complexion changed, and he spoke with some urgency, “But the four major families are at odds internally. If we invite them all, wouldn’t there be conflicts?”

“It’s better if they have conflicts,” Xia Guoxiong laughed, his usual dignified square face giving off a somewhat sinister feeling when he smiled.

Xia Ning, who was applying an egg mask on her face, shivered at Xia Guoxiong’s words. Her mouth opened as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she obediently remained silent.

On the other side, Xia Cheng began to speak like he was presenting a treasure: “Dad, you’re really clever. Let the four families fight among themselves while we reap the benefits of the fisherman.”

“Indeed,” Xia Guoxiong looked at Xia Cheng approvingly, his thick lips moving up and down: “In the past, our Xia Family’s power was insufficient, and we could only cling to the wings of He Group. All the banquets we hosted could not invite the other three families. By inviting them now, we are sending a signal that we no longer depend on He Group.”

The father and son grew more and more excited as they discussed, their words becoming more and more hyperbolic, as though they had already reached the pinnacle of A City’s business circle and were trampling the four major families underfoot.

As Xia Ning observed her father and brother, who were spitting with enthusiasm, she couldn’t help feeling a bit bewildered. When her father and brother talked about He Xing, it was as if they were discussing an enemy or someone they extremely loathed. Yet, this person was the man Xia Ning had chosen as her future husband.

Is this the normal attitude one holds toward a son-in-law or a brother-in-law?

She couldn’t help but wonder what role she played in her father’s eyes—was she his precious princess or his weapon?

A cat was pawing at the birdcage, attempting to climb it. It was her cat named Xiao Bai, which she had raised for a year. It was a gift from He Xing for her last birthday.

It seemed that once when she went to visit He Xing, she accidentally saw a picture of a cat. Not knowing what else to discuss with He Xing and wanting to appear compassionate, she kept mentioning how cute the cat in the picture was.

Unexpectedly, for her birthday, He Xing actually gave her a cat that looked exactly like the one in the photo.

But in fact, Xia Ning did not like cats at all, especially the way cats’ eyes glowed green at night, which she found unsettling. Under the gaze of this cat, she always felt that there was nowhere to hide.

Since it was a gift from He Xing, she did indeed try to care for it for a while initially, thinking that maybe one day she would have the chance to boast in front of He Xing about how well she and the cat got along, and how compassionate she was.

However, in less than a month, her patience and curiosity were exhausted. The sight of the cat staring at her with wide eyes every morning was unsettling to think about even now.

Eventually, Xia Ning gave the cat to the family servants to take care of, with the instruction not to let the cat die. What if He Xing asked about it later?

Today’s events replayed in Xia Ning’s mind; He Xing had already agreed to have coffee with her. If it hadn’t been for Fu Han and Bai Wei, they might still be together now.

The more Xia Ning thought about it, the angrier she got. Her fingers tightened into a fist, her neatly manicured nails nearly piercing her palm.

She stood up and walked out of the villa. The white cat was still fluttering under the birdcage. She kicked the cat’s back impatiently and said, “What a stupid cat, dead stupid.”

The cat rolled on the spot after being kicked, looked up at Xia Ning, meowed twice, and ran away.

After calming down, Xia Ning regretted kicking the cat. He Xing was definitely going to attend the Xia Family’s banquet today. If she met him while holding the cat, it seemed very romantic.

Thinking this, she asked the kitchen staff for some small dried fish and tried to feed it patiently to the cat. However, the cat held a grudge, and despite Xia Ning chasing it for over two hours, it adamantly refused to let her touch it.

…

On the second day of the new year, the Li Family banquet.

Bai Wei probably got up at the first hint of dawn, as she was too excited the night before and, in a moment of thoughtlessness, drank a cup of coffee before bed, tossing and turning between sleep and wakefulness all night.

Yet, her spirits were surprisingly good. She started her morning with a rose bath, a SPA, a facial mask, and skincare treatments.

When Fu Han woke up, the makeup artist had just arrived. This was the makeup artist Bai Wei would only employ for events, incredibly expensive and very well-known in the industry.

Normally this makeup artist wouldn’t be in A City, but for Bai Wei’s sake, she came hastily. Of course, Bai Wei was very generous this time, offering a hefty price to get her makeup done.

By the time Fu Han woke up, the makeup artist had already begun. With nothing else to do, and knowing her own mediocre makeup skills, she pulled up a chair and sat beside Bai Wei to watch.

Much to behold—professional makeup artist tools were indeed endless. An entire suitcase was filled with bottles and jars. You might think they all looked the same, but each one was different.

Bai Wei’s head was covered in small clips. She eyed her freshly nail-polished fingers as she didn’t forget to remind the makeup artist, “Make sure not to give me a heavy makeup look. I want today’s makeup to be subtle and clean, as if I’m not wearing any, yet still looking fresh. Also, don’t cover up this mole on my face; it’s quite distinctive.”

Fu Han’s patience finally ran out. She waved her hand, got up, and headed out, tranquilly thinking, “Accompanying someone during makeup is the most boring job. I won’t be so silly as to ever do this again—it’s utterly dull to the extreme.”