Fate Trading System – Chapter 307

Plan A

Running with the Ball 11

The current situation at the table was this: the original wife, Su Xin; the little three, He Qin; the scumbag, Feng Linhan; and Bai Jianglan, who held certain unspeakable thoughts about Su Xin.

Two women were sparring verbally, Bai Jianglan was observing from the sidelines, and Feng Linhan was bewildered, troubled, and irritated, ultimately choosing to play dumb.

“It certainly is blissful. It’s been tough on him, having to look after me for these past few years. If you like it, eat up. You probably won’t have many chances in the future. After all, your cousin is very busy. If you miss his cooking, just come to our home for a meal. We’ll welcome you with open arms.”

Su Xin’s expression didn’t change as she smiled cheerfully, just like a gentle big sister from next door.

Unlike the dolled-up He Qin and Bai Jianglan, Su Xin was dressed casually at home, seeing no need for makeup or any other fuss.

She wore a simple knit sweater and jeans, her hair loosely tied up with a few strands falling to frame her jade-like neck, giving her an incredibly elegant air.

Even with a bare face, she looked several degrees more beautiful than the meticulously made-up He Qin.

“No need to come over for a meal, how could I impose? There will always be opportunities.”

He Qin shook her head in refusal, but her words hinted at something else.

There will always be opportunities. What kind of opportunities? Everyone present knew perfectly well.

“Don’t just talk, come on, eat. The food’s going to get cold.”

Feng Linhan felt uncomfortable all over, as if the words of these two women were laced with thorns that pricked his entire body.

“This is pretty good, I like it.”

Su Xin picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and placed it in Bai Jianglan’s bowl. Bai Jianglan took two bites and nodded.

Su Xin would occasionally exchange a few words with Bai Jianglan, and the air would quiet down, leaving only the sound of chopsticks clinking.

What was rather awkward was that Su Xin’s and He Qin’s chopsticks happened to land on the same piece of food. Su Xin released her chopsticks first, and a second later, He Qin did as well.

“If you like it, go ahead and take it. I can have Linhan make it again tomorrow.”

“No, no, you take it.”

“The guest comes first, we can’t be poor hosts. Linhan, what are you waiting for? Hurry and serve your cousin.”

Su Xin shot a smiling glance at Feng Linhan. With a mechanical motion, Feng Linhan picked up that piece of food from the plate and placed it in He Qin’s bowl.

He Qin ate it, struggling to maintain a natural expression on her face. Chewing the food in her mouth, she found it completely tasteless.

Every time He Qin tried to embarrass Su Xin, Su Xin would deftly deflect it, or she would shift the focus of the awkwardness by striking up a conversation with Bai Jianglan. In the end, it was still He Qin who lost.

He Qin felt that she had been in a suppressed state from the very beginning, constantly being led by the nose by Jiang Xiao, yet she was unable to counter-attack effectively and could only passively receive the blows.

It was truly infuriating. Who was to blame but Feng Linhan for being at this dinner table, forcing the two of them to put on an act? But Jiang Xiao seemed to be quite enjoying the performance.

“Cousin, have some food. I feel like you haven’t eaten much today. I remember this is your favorite.”

He Qin served Feng Linhan some food, and Feng Linhan nodded with a smile.

“Oh right, cousin, do you remember that one time we went out to play…”

He Qin began to reminisce with Feng Linhan at the dinner table about their ‘past,’ which was a true story, though their relationship wasn’t exactly that of cousins.

He Qin’s words stirred some fond memories in Feng Linhan, but when he saw Su Xin’s smile, his heart felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cellar.

Was he going too far, openly reminiscing about sweet nothings with another woman in front of his wife at the dinner table? Feng Linhan had a guilty conscience, and the thought that his wife was carrying his child made him feel even more ashamed.

The moment Feng Linhan paused, He Qin knew what he was thinking.

He Qin stopped talking. She knew that pressing the issue like this would make Feng Linhan unhappy and put him in a difficult position, but she didn’t want to admit defeat in front of Jiang Xiao. Jiang Xiao was clearly trying to make her lose face.

“Why did you stop? I found it quite interesting. But cousin, you must be in your twenties, right? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“I do.”

He Qin smiled. Of course I do, they both knew in their hearts. My boyfriend, isn’t he your husband?

“That’s good, a girl shouldn’t let her youth be wasted. It’s good that you have a boyfriend. When you get married, don’t forget to invite your cousin and me. It’d be nice to give some gift money¹.”

“Of course, of course.”

He Qin’s smile became much brighter. How could she possibly forget Jiang Xiao at the wedding? Even if Feng Linhan was unwilling, she would never forget to send her a wedding invitation. She hated Jiang Xiao, had hated her for many years.

Feng Linhan’s body had already gone rigid. His mind was a chaotic mess. Jiang Xiao was asking He Qin when she was getting married, and He Qin was smiling as she replied, but there was definitely a deeper meaning.

If He Qin were to marry someone else, Feng Linhan felt he wouldn’t be able to bear it, but on Jiang Xiao’s side… it was just so chaotic.

Feng Linhan wished he could just roar for them all to shut up, but he couldn’t. The situation would absolutely worsen, and he couldn’t afford those consequences. So he could only listen stiffly, a smile on his face, silently eating on his own.

Watching from the side, Bai Jianglan actually found it quite amusing. Su Xin was controlling the situation; on the surface, she was countering He Qin, but she was also making Feng Linhan squirm on pins and needles. From her perspective as a bystander, it was truly comical.

“But I don’t know when your wedding date is. My belly is getting bigger by the day, and it’ll be inconvenient to get around. If you get married before my child is born, then I probably won’t be able to make it. I’ll only be able to have your cousin go alone. And if it’s a real rush, I’m afraid your cousin might not be able to go either.”

“Ah…”

He Qin’s smile faded. Jiang Xiao still had the child. With that, Feng Linhan would never divorce Jiang Xiao. He was probably still dreaming of some happy life as a family of three. The bigger Jiang Xiao’s belly got, the more nervous Feng Linhan would surely become.

If Feng Linhan didn’t get a divorce, what wedding could she possibly have?

How infuriating.

It wasn’t that He Qin hadn’t had some crooked ideas, but she didn’t dare act on them. Besides, what if something happened to Jiang Xiao, and her frail and weak act made Feng Linhan pity her even more and refuse to divorce?

“It’s still early, still early.”

The meal was finally over. Feng Linhan stood up to clear the dishes.

“Don’t you move. You go sit on the sofa and rest.”

Seeing Su Xin make a move, Feng Linhan quickly and nervously told her to rest well.

“I’ll do it.”

He Qin rolled up her sleeves, smiling virtuously.

“How could we let you do that?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t be a stranger. I used to help my cousin with chores all the time.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Su Xin leisurely wiped her mouth and sat down on the sofa, with Bai Jianglan sitting beside her.

The two of them had eaten well. As for the one who was distracted and the other who couldn’t stomach her food, it had nothing to do with them.

“Want some fruit?”

Bai Jianglan pointed at the fruit on the living room coffee table.

“Don’t want any, I’m full. I want to go for a walk.”

“Then let’s go for a walk. But what about them?”

“Don’t worry about them. Let them be. Anyway, I have leverage on them.”

As long as there were cameras, Fourteen could hack in and obtain evidence that could be saved.

Bai Jianglan took Su Xin’s hand in hers. Su Xin’s hands were cool, as if they were always like this.

“Why are your hands always so cold?”

“I don’t know, they’ve always been this way.”

“Linhan, we’re going out for a walk.”

“Okay, be safe.”

Feng Linhan’s voice, mixed with the sound of running water, came from the direction of the kitchen.

Bai Jianglan and Su Xin left the apartment to take a walk in the residential complex, leaving the scumbag and the little three alone in the same room.

As He Qin washed the dishes, she felt something was strange. Jiang Xiao clearly knew about her and Feng Linhan, so why would she leave the two of them alone together?

Something was up. There was definitely something up.

He Qin discreetly scanned the kitchen for anything like a hidden camera. If Jiang Xiao was doing this intentionally to let them leave behind evidence, then there was definitely something installed in this apartment.

“Why did you have to say those things just now?”

Feng Linhan asked while looking down, washing the dishes.

He wouldn’t do anything inappropriate, even if there were no cameras here. He, of all people, knew best whether there were cameras in the house. He just wasn’t willing to do anything intimate with He Qin in this apartment that belonged to him and his wife.

That felt like a kind of violation and intrusion, giving him a sense of losing control.

He had always thought of Jiang Xiao and He Qin as the X and Y axes. The only intersection of these two axes was the origin—him. But now, the X and Y axes were twisting together somewhere far beyond their origin, which was simply absurd.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

He Qin’s voice was soft and small.

“I’m not blaming you, I can understand. But you were being too reckless like that. Jiang Xiao, she isn’t stupid. She’ll figure it out.”

She already knows.

He Qin tugged at the corner of her lips but didn’t say the words out loud, because that would make the situation even more complicated. Perhaps Feng Linhan would lay his cards on the table, and she didn’t know who he would choose. Therefore, she had to play this game.

Jiang Xiao’s biggest trump card was nothing more than the fact that she had a child. If she also got pregnant, then they would be competing on a level playing field.

“I’ve actually always wanted to come into this apartment, but I never had the chance. I never thought I’d enter it under these circumstances.”

He Qin placed the plates in the cupboard, not responding to Feng Linhan’s last comment and instead changing the subject.

Feng Linhan was struck speechless. It wasn’t that he hadn’t made promises to He Qin, but none of those promises had been fulfilled.

Feng Linhan knew He Qin loved him, that she didn’t care about his salary and could tolerate his flaws. He knew He Qin’s wish was to move in here, to become the true little three of this house.

The air fell silent. He Qin turned off the faucet.

“Linhan, I can still wait. I’ve already waited one seven years, I don’t mind waiting another seven. I just hope you won’t abandon me.”

“How could I? In my heart, you will always be my wife.”

The words slipped out of Feng Linhan’s mouth. He wanted to hug He Qin, but she took two steps back, putting distance between them.

“Don’t touch me here. I know it makes you uncomfortable. Let’s wait until we’re back in our own home, okay?”

Feng Linhan nodded. He Qin really was the most understanding person in the world.

Outside, while strolling, Su Xin watched the live broadcast from Fourteen, and she couldn’t help but laugh in anger at the shamelessness of these two.

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