Mr. Liang, you mustn't covet other people's fiancées!

In the latter half of the night, after confirming that Liang Chaoxu's fever had subsided, Wen Li left the Yuhe Mansion.

The next morning, Wen Li had just arrived at the company when she received an assignment to go on a business trip—a three-month on-site investigation of the Yongqing Linxi Valley resort project.

Tian Miao looked at the notice, filled with righteous indignation: "The Spring Festival holiday is just around the corner, what does it mean to send you on a business trip alone for three months?!"

Wen Li couldn't understand why they were in such a hurry when the resort project hadn't even reached the stage of on-site investigation and research.

Just after lunch break, Wen Li took a break to go home, checked the water and electricity, and then headed straight to the high-speed rail station with her suitcase.

On New Year's Eve, Wen Li went out early to the supermarket to buy ingredients and pick up the local specialties that Tian Miao had sent her from Qucheng.

After leaving the post station, Wen Li called Tian Miao: "Miao Miao, I received the things. Please tell your uncle and aunt for me."

As the two chatted, Wen Li went into the supermarket again. When she came out, she was carrying bags of drinks and snacks.

Wen Li has a temporary dormitory in Yongqing. Although it is a bit old, it has all the necessary items.

The only downside is that there are no neighbors. Wen Li leaves quietly every morning and comes back with music playing in the evening.

There was no sound, and I was a little scared.

Wen Li returned from the supermarket and had just reached the door when she heard someone call her. She turned around and saw Jiang You.

He waved the things he was carrying at her with a beaming smile: "I've come to spend the Spring Festival with you."

Wen Li was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, Jiang You had already walked over and taken all the shopping bags from her hands.

He turned to look at the bare walls on either side of the door frame, and raised his chin: "Luckily I bought some Spring Festival couplets, we'll put them up in a bit."

The two entered the room, and Wen Li, while tidying up the ingredients, said, "Senior, you should rest for a while and then go back. Otherwise, Madam Jiang will worry."

On the way from Jingzhou to Yongqing that day, Wen Li suddenly realized something. Her impromptu business trip was very likely at Madam Jiang's behest.

That night at Jingchen Hall, she offended Madam Jiang. Furthermore, Madam Jiang already disliked her getting too close to Jiang You.

It's highly likely that they can't control her son, so they can only try to control her.

Jiang You was unpacking the Spring Festival couplets without looking up: "I've taken care of everything, don't worry."

Wen Li pursed her lips, not daring to say anything more.

After a short rest, the two worked together to paste the Spring Festival couplets. Jiang You, standing on a chair, held up the horizontal scroll and asked, "Is it straight?"

Wen Li took a few steps back and looked up: "A little bit to the left."

Jiang You shifted slightly: "Like this?"

"Again..." Wen Li took two steps back, then suddenly stepped on something. She paused, then turned to look.

Liang Chaoxu stood behind her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Happy Chinese New Year."

"Why are you here too?" Wen Li moved her feet aside and looked up at him.

"You're actually a step behind him." Liang Chaoxu said, looking up at Jiang You, and said seriously, "This position is perfect now, we can put it on."

Jiang You slapped the horizontal scroll flat and pasted it on twice, jumped off the chair, turned to look at Liang Chaoxu standing in the doorway, and said in a rather unfriendly tone, "Why aren't you home for the New Year? What are you doing here?"

Liang Chaoxu smiled indifferently: "If you can come, why can't I?" After saying that, he walked past him and stepped into the house.

Although the two didn't get along, neither was willing to fall behind, and they both rushed into the kitchen, vying to find work to do.

Jiang You grabbed the apron and muttered, "Trying to show off, huh? I can cook too, so give it to me."

Liang Chaoxu ignored him completely, gripping the apron strap tightly: "The food you made looks and tastes terrible, let go."

When Wen Li heard the noise in the living room and turned around, the two immediately fell silent and started politely deferring to each other as if nothing had happened, their tone excessively polite: "You come, you come."

The three of them worked hard for most of the day and finally managed to put a table full of dishes on the table.

Jiang You heated up a pot of rice wine, poured half a cup for each person, and muttered, "This is to warm you up."

Liang Chaoxu sat opposite her, casually picking up a piece of sweet and sour pork rib and putting it into Wen Li's bowl: "Eat."

Not to be outdone, Jiang You immediately picked up a shrimp and placed it over: "Try this, I made the sauce."

A moment later, Wen Li looked at the mountain of food piled up in her bowl and reached out to cover the rim: "You two eat properly, and leave as soon as you're done."

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a rapid knocking at the door.

Wen Li put down her chopsticks and went to open the door.

The door had barely been opened a crack when the person outside shoved it hard, the heavy door frame slamming into her nose.

Wen Li leaned back, and a warm, sticky liquid instantly gushed from her nasal cavity, flowing over her lips and dripping onto her collar.

She hurriedly covered her nose, and instinctively bent over in pain.

Madam Jiang pushed open the door blocking her way and walked in. Just as she was about to say something, her gaze fell on Wen Li's blood-covered face, and she paused for a moment.

Liang Chaoxu had already stood up and rushed over, grabbing Wen Li by the back of the neck with one hand and covering her bleeding nose with the other: "Tilt your head back and let it catch its breath."

In just a few seconds, blood stained the space between their fingers. Liang Chaoxu turned to look at Madam Jiang, his eyes filled with icy coldness, wishing he could tear her to pieces the next second.

Jiang You also sprang up from the table. After seeing that it was his mother standing in the doorway, he paused for a moment, then walked over with a stern face: "Mom, what are you doing?"

Madam Jiang's gaze passed over her son and landed on Liang Chaoxu's hands supporting Wen Li. She then glanced at the food on the table, and her expression slowly changed from fury to a sneer.

"So that's why you didn't go home on New Year's Eve. Turns out you came here to keep someone company. Miss Wen is really something. Even after coming all the way to Yongqing, you still have a lot of tricks up your sleeve, making the Jiang and Liang families run around in circles."

Wen Li was helped by Liang Chaoxu to the restroom. Her nose was still bleeding. She covered her nose and said in a muffled voice, "Mrs. Jiang, could you please wait a moment? I need to take care of this first..."

"Waiting?" Madam Jiang sneered. "You think I came all this way just to wait for you?"

Liang Chaoxu didn't even turn his head, his tone full of anger: "Shut up, can't you see her nose is bleeding?"

As he spoke, he half-supported and half-carried Wen Li into the bathroom and then closed the door behind him.

Outside the door, the Jiang family mother and son were talking in hushed tones. It was hard to hear clearly through the door, but occasionally a few fragmented words drifted in, such as "It's the New Year" and "Are you trying to anger me to death?"

Wen Li leaned against the sink, looking up as Liang Chaoxu took a tissue and wiped the blood off her chin: "We'll go to the hospital after we stop the bleeding."

Looking at the large bloodstain on her collar in the mirror, Wen Li felt a lingering fear: "My nose bridge shouldn't be broken, right?"

Liang Chaoxu looked up, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. The fierceness in his eyes hadn't subsided, but his voice was surprisingly soft: "You're very lucky, you'll definitely be fine."

There was a brief silence outside the restroom door, followed by Mrs. Jiang's raised voice: "Jiang You, move aside, I have something to say to her..."

Then came Jiang You's voice, low but noticeably somber: "Mom, isn't it enough that you hit her like this? Tell me what you have to say, it has nothing to do with her."

Liang Chaoxu reached out and turned the doorknob, glancing back at Wen Li: "Stay here and don't move." He then opened the door to leave.

"I can do it myself." Wen Li stepped past him, holding the tissue stuffed in her nose with one hand, and pushed open the bathroom door with the other.

Jiang You subconsciously took a half step to the side, as if he wanted to block something, or as if he didn't know who to block.

When Madam Jiang saw Wen Li come out on her own, she was taken aback for a moment, then sneered, "Oh, you're out now? I thought you were going to hide inside until next year."

Wen Li didn't respond to her words. Her nose was still stuffed with blood-stained tissues, and her voice was a little muffled as she spoke: "Mrs. Jiang, if you have something to say, just say it here."

Madam Jiang took a step forward, her gaze sweeping from Wen Li's face to Liang Chaoxu standing behind her, and then back to Wen Li's face.

"On New Year's Eve, you called my son from home to spend the holiday with you. Tell me, what kind of behavior is this? You're a young woman, trying to please both sides, keeping them hanging on to each other..."

"Mom!" Jiang You interrupted her sharply, "I came here on my own initiative, it has nothing to do with Wen Li."

Wen Li sniffed, the sweet, metallic smell rising again. She paused. "Mrs. Jiang, I didn't call Jiang You over. If you don't believe me, you can check his call logs and chat history."