A Nighttime Chat in a Wealthy Family: The Demeanor of the First Wife

The air after the rain was crisp and clear, mixed with the fragrance of earth and grass.

The Ferrari was parked quietly in front of the two carved bronze gates of the Xiao family manor.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat awkward.

Xiao Hongli clutched the men's suit tightly in her hand, her gaze complex as she looked at Chen Ya in the passenger seat.

Along the way, she had imagined countless scenarios of Chen Ya making trouble.

Mocking someone for being shameless?

Angrily rebuking someone for seducing a man?

Or should we just walk away?

But none of them were there.

Chen Ya acted like an older sister who hadn't done anything wrong, and even asked Zhou Ran to stop the car and buy her a bottle of hot milk when they passed a convenience store.

"arrive."

Chen Ya unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed open the car door, and moved swiftly and decisively. Her high heels made a crisp sound as they stepped on the wet ground.

Zhou Ran turned and glanced at Xiao Hongli:

"Can you still walk?"

Xiao Hongli's cheeks were slightly flushed; the frenzy she had just experienced in the car had indeed left her legs feeling a little weak.

But she was, after all, the head of the Xiao family, and that pride remained.

She gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "No problem."

The three got off the bus.

The security guards at the entrance had clearly received the news beforehand and did not allow entry immediately.

Instead, they peered through the crack in the door, scrutinizing them with a look that was even somewhat hostile.

"Miss, the Second Master has instructed that there are distinguished guests at the house tonight, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter."

Xiao Hongli's eyes turned cold, and she was about to lash out when a warm, large hand pressed down on her shoulder.

Zhou Ran simply lifted his foot and lightly kicked the heavy bronze door.

Boom!

But the two heavy, pure copper doors collapsed inwards with a crash, splashing water everywhere.

"Now, would you consider me an outsider?"

Xiao Hongli's heart skipped a beat as she watched this scene.

This man, no matter the situation, is always so domineering yet reassuring.

The three of them stepped straight through the collapsed gate and headed towards the main house.

Instead of heading straight to the bustling main hall, Chen Ya pointed to a detached building on the side, seemingly familiar with the area.

"Is that your bedroom?"

Go and tidy yourself up first. How can you face those heartless relatives looking like this?

Xiao Hongli paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously.

Upon entering the room, a wave of warmth hits you.

Chen Ya didn't consider herself an outsider. She looked around the rather desolate room, decorated only in black, white and gray.

"This room is too cold; it doesn't retain energy."

No wonder you can't seem to suppress the cold toxins in your body.

As Chen Ya spoke, she sat down on the expensive leather sofa with remarkable ease, crossing her legs and adopting an elegant posture as if she were in her own living room.

She pointed to the chair opposite her, gesturing for Xiao Hongli to sit down.

"Hongli, let's speak frankly."

Chen Ya's voice wasn't loud, but it had a penetrating quality.

"Tonight, you were in the car not only to detoxify, but also because you were genuinely in love, right?"

Xiao Hongli had just sat down when she heard this and almost jumped up again. Her face turned as red as a ripe tomato, and she stammered, not knowing how to answer.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to interrogate you."

Chen Ya waved her hand, her expression turning serious.

"I'm a few years older than you, and I've been in this industry longer than you."

Zhou Ran is a rough gem, but his brilliance is too dazzling. In the future, more and more women will flock to him.

She paused, her gaze fixed intently on Xiao Hongli:

"I can't stop it alone, and I don't want to."

That would only push him further away.

Since you were chosen by him, from now on, we're in the same boat.

Xiao Hongli was taken aback when Chen Ya said those words.

"but,"

Chen Ya abruptly changed the subject, her tone becoming sharp.

"To be Zhou Ran's woman, it's not enough to just have a pretty face and a good body."

You have to be useful.

"it works?"

Xiao Hongli repeated it subconsciously.

That's right.

You lost badly tonight.

Chen Ya pointed out bluntly,

"You've been too focused on expanding your business empire, and you've neglected the decay within your family."

Do you think that as long as you can make money, you can shut those relatives up?

That's completely wrong.

"For those parasites, maximizing family interests is not the goal; maximizing their own interests is."

You're blocking their path to wealth, so they'll take your life.

Chen Ya stood up, walked to Xiao Hongli, and held up three fingers.

"When we go to the main hall later, remember three things."

"First, I will never try to prove my innocence."

They throw dirty water, so you throw it back.

Second, grasp the core contradiction.

Who's in charge of the Xiao family now?

It wasn't your second uncle, nor those opportunists, but the old man lying in bed.

As long as the old man has a breath left, or if you can cure him, the sky won't fall.

"Third, and most importantly."

Chen Ya pointed to the bathroom.

"Leveraging existing trends".

Now that Zhou Ran is here tonight, you're not fighting alone.

"Take the art of 'borrowing the tiger's power' to the extreme, make them fearful, make them suspicious, and make them afraid to act."

Xiao Hongli listened intently, and a light she had never seen before gradually appeared in her eyes.

She used to fight alone, feeling lonely at the top.

But now, Chen Ya's words have enlightened her.

Is this the demeanor of an "empress"?

The last trace of resentment in Xiao Hongli's heart dissipated, replaced by deep respect.

She stood up and bowed slightly to Chen Ya, saying solemnly, "Sister Ya, I understand."

Under the shower, Zhou Ran washed away the filth from his body.

He didn't eavesdrop on the two women's conversation, but with his hearing, it would have been difficult for him not to hear it.

Suddenly, a hoarse yet unrestrained laugh echoed in my mind.

Haha! That's interesting!

This little girl is interesting!

Ye Futian's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"Kid, you're really lucky with the ladies."

"This girl's temperament and skills, if she were in the cultivation world, would make her a promising candidate to manage the internal affairs of a sect."

"Back in the day, if I had such a sensible and understanding empress to manage the harem for me, I would have been able to do so."

Why should I be driven crazy by those jealous women every day?

Even in the end, in order to escape to a peaceful place, he went to the righteous imperial palace to steal that so-called goddess, but the jealous women leaked the secret, resulting in him being besieged by the nine major righteous sects...

Zhou Ran's lips twitched.

Just how much of a womanizer was this old devil in the past?

"Old Deng, did you used to get beaten up a lot?"

Zhou Ran asked inwardly.

"fart!

That's a friendly exchange!

"I disdain to stoop to their level!"

Ye Futian's voice suddenly rose, then quickly fell back down, carrying an imperceptible sense of desolation.

"However, it is true that it is a big no-no to have trouble in your own backyard."

"You're lucky, kid. These two girls, one yin and one yang, one scholarly and one martial, complement each other perfectly."

Zhou Ran didn't reply. He gently stroked the low-grade spirit stone in his pocket and the piece of bone jade he had just scavenged from Xing Lie.

Although this bone jade exudes an eerie aura, it contains a considerable amount of spiritual power.

"Kid, stop hiding it."

Ye Futian's voice became somewhat urgent.

"The spiritual energy within that bone jade is extremely mixed and impure; giving it to you would be a waste."

But for this old man, it is a great tonic.

And those low-grade spirit stones, although they don't have much spiritual energy, can still be used to stabilize the soul.

Zhou Ran narrowed his eyes slightly.

A sense of crisis.

An unprecedented sense of crisis welled up in my heart.