These words seem to say that even if I am wrong, it is a matter between me and Hanami-kun, and it is none of your business.

Even though he had already guessed it, a strong sense of jealousy swept over Xiangzi the next second.

This woman actually dared to kiss her, Yana Miyu! She actually did it, that bitch!

Before Aine could react, Xiangzi suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Aine's wrist, and pulled her close. In Aine's bewildered gaze, Xiangzi lowered his head slightly and kissed her lips without hesitation.

"Huh?!" Aine's eyes widened instantly, completely stunned, her mind blank. The soft touch and unfamiliar scent on her lips made her stiffen, forgetting even to struggle.

The kiss was brief, yet it was filled with intense possessiveness. Xiangzi quickly released her, a haughty and jealous smile playing on his lips, his eyes sharp as knives: "You kissed his lips, and I've already taken them away."

She spoke each word with unwavering conviction and an undeniable domineering air: "Yana Miyu is mine, and only mine! His soul, his love, every inch of his skin—all are mine! No one can take them away, not even you!"

After a brief moment of surprise, intense anger welled up in Aine's heart.

She took a sudden step back, wiping her lips vigorously, her cheeks flushed red with anger.

"You've gone too far!" Ai Yin glared at Xiangzi and shouted, "This isn't how you show affection! You can't possess someone in such a domineering way!"

She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with stubbornness: "I admit that what I did before was wrong. But I will not give up on liking Hanami-kun because of your threats! I will like him and protect him in my own way, and I will never do what you did!"

Hearing her words, Xiangzi was not angry at all. Instead, he raised his chin triumphantly, as if declaring victory: "Whatever. Anyway, the only person that Banami Yuu likes the most is me. Whatever you do is in vain."

Ai Yin didn't want to argue with her anymore. She glared at her fiercely, turned around, and quickly left.

Xiangzi stood at the door, watching Aiyin's figure gradually disappear into the distance. The smugness in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a complex emotion.

She wasn't as calm as she thought she would be, because she was now completely certain that Chihaya Aine in this state could really make Hanami change her mind.

Her thoughts began to shift to how to deal with the pink-haired girl and how to hold the man tightly in her hand.

If we can't be husband and wife, we can't become enemies either.

At the very least, he should be made into a puppet that I can completely control.

However, neither Xiangzi nor Aine expected that Nagasaki Motoyo was hiding at a corner not far from the Toyokawa family's gate, and they were completely dumbfounded.

She never expected to witness such a shocking scene—Xiangzi actually kissed Aine!

Su Shi's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, and she froze on the spot, her mind blank. She felt as if her worldview was about to collapse.

She had already imagined countless scenarios in her mind of confronting Aine's adulterous lover. But she never expected that Aine's new love interest would be... her favorite, the one she desperately wanted to win back, Saki-chan?!

Chapter Twenty-Three: My Dear, Beloved

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the morning light shone through the windows of the old rental house, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

A soft sound came from the kitchen. Banami, wearing a brand-new apron, was focused on preparing breakfast.

The sizzling sound of the hot iron pot, mixed with the soft sound of egg liquid being poured into it, added a touch of warmth to this simple little house.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Banami paused, turned off the gas stove, and turned to walk towards the door. His gait was somewhat unnatural; his left leg was slightly bent, and each step was accompanied by a slight limp—although Xiangzi's kick hadn't broken any bones, it had caused considerable bruising, something that wouldn't heal overnight.

He walked to the door and habitually looked through the peephole. When he saw who was standing outside, a clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he reached out and turned the lock.

Standing at the door was Aine. Her long pink hair was covered by a fluffy knitted hat, with a few soft strands peeking out from the brim, making her already round face even more adorable.

The girl was carrying a transparent plastic bag. The morning light outlined her bright eyes and smiling lips, while the rising sun in the distance behind her cast a warm golden halo over her, making her look exceptionally energetic.

"Good morning, Hanami-kun!" Aine raised her face, her voice as clear as a morning wind chime.

"Why...did you come here?" Banami stepped aside to let her in, his voice still tinged with surprise. He thought that after yesterday's misunderstanding, Aine would most likely not approach him again.

Ai Yin picked up the convenience bag in her hand, walked quickly to the center of the living room, and shook the bag with a smile: "I've come to make you breakfast! I thought your leg injury must make it inconvenient for you to cook and do housework, right?"

Banai's surprise deepened. Before he could speak, Aine quickly added, "Ah... because! Because of me, Miss Shoko misunderstood and you got hurt."

So at least until your wounds are completely healed, I must take on the responsibility of caring for you! It's what I should do!

Aine spoke urgently, and Banami was not entirely oblivious; he couldn't possibly be unaware of Aine's feelings. However, after his marriage to Shoko and subsequent forced divorce, his heart had become as cold as ashes, and he no longer wanted to touch any emotions.

He originally wanted to say something decisive to make Aine give up all hope and stop wasting her time on him.

But when he met Ai Yin's bright smile and saw the timid expectation hidden in her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say the hurtful words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He probably isn't very good at hurting others.

"Come in." After a moment of silence, he finally said softly, his tone carrying a hint of compromise that he himself was unaware of.

Upon hearing this, Ai-yin's eyes lit up instantly, and her smile became even brighter, like a child who had received candy. She quickly grabbed the bag and rushed into the house, unable to resist giggling. She walked briskly around the living room, curiously looking around.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Banai asked, "Uh, didn't you know the spare key was under the threshold? Why did you ring the doorbell?"

Aine turned around, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said somewhat shyly, "But I need to make sure that Hanami-kun is home alone. What if there are other people inside? Wouldn't it be very awkward if I suddenly opened the door and went in?"

Upon hearing this, Banami instantly recalled the day she brought Xiangzi back to her rented room and happened to bump into Aine. It seemed that scene must have been a rather "profound" and embarrassing memory for Aine as well.

He nodded slightly and didn't ask any further questions.

"Or is it that you, Yana, are willing to give me the spare key?" Aine suddenly changed the subject, teasingly asking in a light tone, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Uh..." Banai was taken aback by the question and was momentarily dumbfounded. She opened her mouth but didn't know how to respond. Refusing would be too hurtful, but agreeing would obviously be inappropriate. She could only stand there, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Seeing his troubled expression, Ai couldn't help but cover her lips and laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners: "Just kidding!"

However, this statement was not entirely a joke.

Ai Yin thought to herself quietly.

But she didn't want to put him in a difficult position, so she could only hide her feelings in jokes.

Just then, Aine smelled a faint aroma of food coming from the kitchen, turned her head towards the kitchen, and asked, "Hanami-kun, are you already making breakfast?"

"Yes, it's almost ready." Banami nodded.

"Then stop what you're doing!" Ai Yin immediately grabbed a convenience bag and strode into the kitchen. Without a word, she snatched the spatula from his hand and pushed him toward the sofa in the living room. "Go rest on the sofa. Don't walk around with your leg injured. I'll take care of breakfast!"

As she spoke, she skillfully took Banami's apron from the hook and tied it on. The large apron looked somewhat comical on her petite frame, but the way she picked up the spatula and carefully examined the stove made her look every bit the little cook.

Banami was pushed to sit on the sofa, but her gaze involuntarily fell on the busy figure at the kitchen door.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her, outlining her soft features. In a daze, he seemed to see the shadow of Xiangzi cooking for him here in the past.

Not long after, Aine's slightly confused voice came from the kitchen: "Hanami-kun, where is the soy sauce? I've been looking for it for ages and I can't find it."

Hanami suddenly snapped out of her daze and quickly stood up, saying, "Oh, we ran out of soy sauce yesterday, and I forgot to buy some. I'll go to the convenience store downstairs to buy some now."

"No, no!" Aine immediately poked her head out of the kitchen and waved her hands repeatedly. "How can you go out looking like this? I'll go buy it! You stay on the sofa and wait for me, I'll be right back!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Aine took off her apron and threw it on the sofa, picked up her small backpack, and rushed out the door. She came in a hurry and left in a rush, like a light breeze, but it quietly warmed the quiet heart of Banami.

The girl was rather absent-minded—she was so busy rushing to buy soy sauce that she completely forgot to turn off the low flame on the gas stove. Banai shook his head helplessly, limped to the kitchen, turned the flame down, and continued watching the food in the pot by the stove.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Thinking it was Aine returning from buying soy sauce, Banami walked to the door without stopping, and as she opened it, instinctively asked, "You bought the soy sauce?"

However, it was not Ai-yin who appeared at the door.

Standing outside the door was a figure he knew all too well—Toyokawa Shoko.

The girl wore a well-tailored light gray trench coat, her hair was neatly combed, and she wore delicate makeup. She still had that aloof and noble air about her.

Xiangzi's previously calm expression instantly turned ugly upon hearing Banami's subconscious question. Her eyes turned cold, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips, and she said in a sour tone, "Darling, did I come at the wrong time?"

Chapter Twenty-Four: Dunlun

"Hanami-kun, I'm back from buying soy sauce! You know what? I found out there was a buy-one-get-one-free deal on yogurt at the convenience store, so I bought two extra cartons. We can have them as dessert later!"

Aine's voice was filled with joyful excitement. She was waving a soy sauce bottle in her hand as she pushed open the door, subconsciously wanting to share this little fun with Hanami.

But she stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, frozen in the doorway as if a pause button had been pressed.

At the dining table, Toyokawa Shoko sat elegantly in her chair, her fingertips holding a silver knife and fork as she slowly and deliberately cut the fried egg on her plate. Sunlight fell on her delicate profile, making her appear even more regal.

"W-why... is Miss Xiangzi here?" Aine's voice trembled slightly, full of surprise.

Upon hearing her voice, Xiangzi gracefully put a small piece of fried egg into his mouth. After chewing, he slowly raised his eyes, a clear mockery and sarcasm curling at the corner of his mouth: "Isn't it a perfectly normal thing for an ex-wife to visit her ex-husband?"

Is this...normal?

Ai Yin was speechless when asked the question and couldn't find the words to refute it for a moment.

But soon she realized something more important—she had gotten up early this morning to prepare two breakfasts, one for Banami and one for herself, hoping to spend a romantic and pleasant morning with him while having breakfast together.

But now, her carefully prepared breakfast has been eaten by Miss Xiangzi without any hesitation!

"Uncle can tolerate this, but aunt cannot!" Ai Yin gripped the soy sauce bottle tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Before she could even begin to argue, Xiangzi raised his chin first and casually ordered, "Oh, you bought soy sauce? Perfect, add some for me, the fried eggs are a bit bland."

"I'm not your servant!" Aine walked angrily to the dining table, slammed the soy sauce bottle down on it, pulled over the chair next to Banami and sat down, her eyes full of grievance and dissatisfaction, and she looked at Banami with a hint of resentment.

When Banai met her gaze, a troubled expression immediately appeared on her face.

He glanced at the furious Aine, then at the nonchalant Shoko, and finally just sighed softly, pushing his almost untouched breakfast towards Aine: "Eat up, I'm not hungry. Miss Toyokawa came over suddenly, and I didn't have time to make another one."

Seeing his actions, Aine's aggrieved expression vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised joy.

Actually, she didn't really care about the breakfast; what she cared about more was Banami's attitude.

I don't want money, I just want to see your attitude.

Aine smiled sweetly, pushed the breakfast back, and said softly, "It's okay. Right now is the time when you need to replenish your nutrition the most. You eat it. I'll make something else later."

"Heh." Xiangzi chuckled beside him, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm. "He doesn't need to perform the rites of conjugal relations lately, so why would he need to supplement his nutrition?"

"The rites of 'Dunlun Zhi Li'? What is that?" Ai Yin blinked, her face full of confusion. The term sounded very literary.

Banami's lips moved, her face flushed slightly, but she ultimately said nothing, simply turning her head away awkwardly.

Upon seeing this, Xiangzi wore a disdainful expression that said, "Ignorance is truly terrifying," and explained in a dismissive tone, "It's about sex."

"!!!" Ai Yin's cheeks instantly turned bright red as if they were on fire, and even her ears felt burning hot.

She glared at Xiangzi with shame and indignation, and muttered under her breath, "Vulgar!"

"You can't even understand vulgar language, yet you have the nerve to call others vulgar?" Xiangzi retorted, raising an eyebrow with disdain in his tone.

That being said, Aine had to admit that, as expected of the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, she could use such elegant words to say such vulgar things without changing her expression.

Before Aine could think of a retort, Shoko suddenly reached out and pulled the untouched breakfast in front of Banami to her own side. Her movements were swift and decisive, giving Banami no chance to react.

"Ah! What are you doing?!" Aine exclaimed in surprise, standing up abruptly.

"Aren't you two not hungry?" Xiangzi picked up his knife and fork and said coldly, "I'm hungry. These two breakfasts are mine now, and no one can take them away from me."

Aine instantly recalled what Shoko had said at the gate of the Toyokawa family yesterday—"Yana Miyu is mine, mine. His soul, his love, every inch of his skin is mine, and no one can take it away."

At this moment, Xiangzi was clearly emphasizing this point again. In her eyes, not only did Banami belong to her, but everything related to Banami could only belong to her.

"Miss Xiangzi, you're being too unreasonable!" Ai Yin frowned and argued loudly.

Xiangzi completely ignored her protest, turned his head and looked directly at Banami beside him, his tone carrying an undeniable sense of pressure: "Banami Yu, I want two servings, do you have a problem with that?"

Banami's eyes twitched slightly, and his lips pressed into a straight line. He could feel Aine's aggrieved yet expectant gaze beside him, and he could also see the familiar stubbornness in Shoko's eyes.

In the end, he said nothing, but simply lowered his head in silence.

Seeing his silence, Xiangzi immediately revealed a smug look on his face and gave Ai Yin a provocative glance.

Ai Yin clenched her fists tightly, feeling both angry and anxious.

Miss Xiangzi always does this, taking advantage of Banami's guilt and past feelings for her to bully and coerce him wantonly.

Hanami-kun is so pitiful.

Just then, a firm thought rose in Aine's heart: she couldn't give up like this. The more she learned about Hanami and Ms. Shoko's past, the clearer it became how much Ms. Shoko knew how to hurt Hanami.

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became somewhat tense.

Not long after, Xiangzi finished his breakfast, took out a pack of cigarettes from his handbag, pulled out one, and offered it to Banami's lips.

She picked up a lighter, lit it with a "click," and smiled as she leaned closer to Banai, lighting his cigarette for him. Her tone carried a subtle tenderness: "Feeling down, Yu? Then have one. You used to smoke when you were feeling down, don't keep it to yourself."

Seeing that she didn't refuse, Banai let her light his cigarette and slowly took a drag. Through the swirling smoke, his eyes held a hint of sadness and longing as he quietly looked at Xiangzi before him.

Ai Yin, standing beside her, gently pursed her lips, a complex emotion welling up inside her.

Even though Miss Xiangzi's attitude towards Hanami was so domineering and unreasonable, even she couldn't deny that the one who understood this boy best was ultimately Miss Xiangzi.

But this only strengthened her resolve to protect Banami. It was precisely because Xiangzi understood him that she was able to hurt him with greater precision.

After taking two more puffs, Banai stubbed out the cigarette and shoved it into the ashtray on the table.

At this moment, Xiangzi slowly spoke, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable power: "How have you thought about the matter I asked you to consider?"

"What are you thinking about?" Aine immediately became alert and quickly turned to look at Hanami beside her, her eyes full of confusion. She had no idea what else there was to consider.

She tugged at Hanami's sleeve, wanting him to explain, but Hanami remained silent.

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