AERHABDAW 30

Chapter 30: Family

Fu Xingyan’s light laughter sounded above Shao Leyan’s head.

“Heh! Did my brother leave you so exhausted yesterday that your legs went weak?”

Shao Leyan froze for a moment. It took her a while to understand what he meant. The shyness she had just overcome returned in full force, mixed with a hint of indignation at being teased. She tried to push Fu Xingyan away.

But Fu Xingyan held her even tighter, one hand cupping her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze.

Shao Leyan struggled in vain, her eyes reddening as she glared at him. Yet her delicate, still-flushed face, paired with those tear-brimming, defiant eyes, only made her more captivating.

Fu Xingyan’s heart skipped a beat. His usually dark gaze softened as it lingered over her face, pausing longest on her lips.

Fortunately, her lips bore no injury.

Relieved, Fu Xingyan’s gaze lingered a moment longer, recalling the softness of her lips and the sweetness of her mouth from their last kiss. In the quiet of the night, those few sweet memories had been the only things sustaining him through waves of loneliness and longing.

“You know? Yesterday was the first time my brother actually laid a hand on me.”

Shao Leyan was startled. She stopped resisting Fu Xingyan and turned to look at the hand that Fu Xingchen had electrocuted yesterday, holding it carefully, her eyes full of concern as she examined it.

“You went to the hospital already, right? It’s not too serious, is it?”

Fu Xingyan was pleased by her worried expression. He softened the grip of the arm holding her and leaned closer to her small, delicate face. “You care about me this much? Then you must like me!”

Shao Leyan froze, shocked that her guilt and sense of responsibility were being interpreted as flirtatious affection. She hurried to retract her hand, only to have Fu Xingyan grasp it in return.

Now even more flustered, Shao Leyan’s eyes blinked rapidly.

“I was just feeling guilty for affecting the relationship between you two brothers. And I am Xingchen’s wife. You are my little uncle by marriage, so naturally you’re also family. It’s normal for me to care about you.”

With every word Shao Leyan said, Fu Xingyan’s expression darkened.

By the time she fell silent, he was gritting his teeth, letting out a cold, bitter laugh.

“Little uncle? So you mean your concern for me is… just family concern?”

Seeing that Fu Xingyan finally understood, Shao Leyan’s eyes shone with hope, and she nodded firmly.

“Yes. I don’t want you two fighting because of me. If that happened, I’d feel like a criminal.”

Fu Xingyan raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want us to fight? Isn’t that easy enough?”

Seeing his attitude soften, Shao Leyan’s face lit up with joy. “You’re willing to talk properly with your brother?”

Her smile bloomed like a flower, enchanting and radiant. Fu Xingyan stared at her unblinkingly, wishing he could pull her into his eyes and keep her bound to him forever.

His smile deepened, admiration and desire clear in his eyes. His fingers on her waist began to drift lower.

“I don’t need to talk to him. I’ll talk to you instead.”

Shao Leyan was momentarily stunned. “Talk… to me?”

Fu Xingyan nodded solemnly. “Yes. You call yourself my sister-in-law, don’t you? So it’s only natural that I seek comfort and compensation from my sister-in-law for the grievances I suffered at my brother’s hands, right?”

Shao Leyan considered that it would be good if she could help manage this scheming younger brother for Fu Xingchen’s sake, but she wasn’t confident in her own abilities.

“So… how exactly do you want me to comfort you? I should warn you—I won’t do anything excessive.”

Seeing the innocent “white rabbit” unknowingly walk into the trap, Fu Xingyan was overjoyed inside, though his smile remained calm. He leaned closer to Shao Leyan and lightly tapped her smooth, flawless cheek with his finger.

“Fine. Then start by giving me a little kiss!”

What?

Shao Leyan’s eyelids twitched violently, her heart a mix of shock and anger.

Fu Xingyan and Fu Xingchen looked exactly alike—so why was the younger brother so much bolder?

But what could she do? The fact remained that Fu Xingyan was her brother-in-law.

Shao Leyan braced herself and refused. “I can’t kiss you. We’re uncle and niece-in-law. This kind of intimacy isn’t appropriate.”

Fu Xingyan’s smile stiffened. The light in his eyes dimmed bit by bit, but it didn’t last long. The corner of his lips curled into a grin again.

“Just a comforting peck on the cheek isn’t allowed? Or… do you have some improper thoughts about me, and any contact makes you react differently?”

Shao Leyan’s eyes widened in alarm.

How dare Fu Xingyan talk such nonsense! Pouring all that dirt on her!

She lightly tapped his shoulder, frowning so tightly it could crush a mosquito.

“What nonsense are you talking? When have I ever had improper thoughts about you? You’re the one always hugging and kissing me. I keep my distance because I’m afraid you might try something—how can you twist it like that?”

Fu Xingyan grasped Shao Leyan’s small hand and leaned close to her slightly reddened ear, deliberately speaking in a low, ambiguous voice:

“It seems my sister-in-law has no feelings for me but still wants a good relationship with me. I haven’t asked you to kiss me or hug me. So is a kiss on the cheek considered improper?”

Shao Leyan’s heart tightened at his words. Her mind raced for a solution, and her large, bright eyes darted around.

In her world of high society, cheek kisses were nothing unusual—they were just a form of etiquette.

But a few days ago, she had shared more intimate contact with Fu Xingyan. Now their statuses had changed, and any close touch made her scrutinize her own behavior, worried it might be inappropriate.

Almost as if possessed.

Shao Leyan lowered her eyes, thinking for a moment, then carefully lifted her head and asked, “If I just kiss your cheek, you’ll reconcile with your brother, and we can get along like before… right?”

Fu Xingyan’s eyes brightened. He suppressed his laughter and nodded eagerly.

Taking a deep breath and aiming for a swift resolution, Shao Leyan targeted the soft flesh of Fu Xingyan’s cheek, leaned forward, puckered her lips, and pressed them to him in one go.

Peck!

Shao Leyan had expected to kiss the delicate softness of his cheek—but her lips touched something soft and slippery. Not a cheek… a mouth!

Now, their eyes were only two to three centimeters apart. She could clearly see the dark depth and indulgent pride in his gaze.

Heat shot to her head. Her face flushed scarlet, and she raised a hand to slap Fu Xingyan.

But her palm was soft and weak; it barely made a difference, causing no harm at all.

Having done something mischievous, Shao Leyan covered her mouth, leaning back in shock, trying to put distance between them—almost falling off her chair in the process.