The CEO’s Cannon-Fodder Ex-Wife (6)
Dinner was at a newly opened Japanese restaurant in the city center.
The private dining room was secluded, completely shutting out the noise of the outside world.
Ning Xin was eating small bites of botan ebi sashimi while Jiang Xiao sat opposite her, carefully removing the crab meat from the legs for her.
His fingers were long and nimble. The crab shell made soft cracking sounds in his hands, and soon the intact crab meat had been picked out and placed on the plate in front of her.
“Not bad.”
Ning Xin gave her verdict.
Jiang Xiao looked up, amusement in his eyes.
“Thank you for the compliment, Madam.”
He placed another piece of crab meat onto her plate.
Ning Xin lowered her head and tasted it, enjoying the service of the man in front of her.
The system could not help sighing.
【Host, just look at what you’ve turned him into after only a few days.】
“A man who loves his wife prospers. Haven’t you heard that before?”
The crab meat was fresh and sweet, especially delicious with just a little bit of ponzu sauce.
Halfway through the meal, Jiang Xiao’s phone vibrated.
He glanced at the caller ID and frowned almost imperceptibly, but still answered.
“Mom.”
Hearing the way he addressed her, Ning Xin also put down her chopsticks and looked at him.
“…Mm, I know.”
“Tomorrow? Sure.”
“She’s right beside me… Okay, I’ll ask her.”
Jiang Xiao covered the microphone and looked at Ning Xin.
“Mom wants us to go back to the old house for dinner tomorrow.”
Ning Xin nodded.
“Okay.”
Jiang Xiao returned to the call.
“Then we’ll come tomorrow… No need to prepare anything special. Ning Xin isn’t picky… I know.”
After hanging up, the system immediately gave Ning Xin a reminder.
【Host, I just received some news. The Jian family will also be going to the Jiang family’s old residence tomorrow.】
【Jian Wei’s father, Jian Heng, has just returned from overseas. He has a project to discuss with the Jiang Corporation.】
Ning Xin’s expression did not change. She picked up a piece of grilled eel.
“Got it.”
*
At three the next afternoon, Jiang Xiao still had an international video conference, so Ning Xin went to the Jiang family’s old residence alone.
The car entered a villa district in the western suburbs. In the late autumn, the plane trees had only sparse yellow leaves remaining.
The Jiang family’s old residence was a three-story French-style villa surrounded by an expansive garden. In an area like this, the property itself represented status and wealth.
The butler had already been waiting at the entrance.
“Young Madam, Madam has been waiting for you.”
Ning Xin got out of the car carrying a gift box.
Inside was a set of antique tea ware she had bought at an auction the previous month. Jiang Xiao’s mother liked collecting things like this.
When she entered the living room, Jiang Xiao’s mother was sitting by the window arranging flowers.
She was in her early fifties, well-preserved, wearing a mauve knitted sweater and carrying herself with elegant dignity.
“Mom.”
Ning Xin walked over.
“Xinxin, you’re here.”
Jiang Xiao’s mother put down the flower scissors and smiled warmly.
“Where’s Jiang Xiao?”
“He still has some work. He’ll be here later.”
“That child. His work is never-ending.”
“Once he gets busy, he forgets everything else.”
She pulled Ning Xin down to sit beside her.
“But things are better now that he has you to keep an eye on him.”
The words sounded completely natural.
Ning Xin handed her the paper bag.
“I saw this tea set a couple of days ago and thought you would like it. Since I was coming for dinner today, I brought it along.”
Jiang Xiao’s mother opened the box, and her eyes immediately lit up.
“Qianlong-era famille rose… It’s rare to find one in this condition.”
“You’re such a thoughtful child.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Just as they were talking, the sound of a car came from outside.
The butler entered to announce:
“Madam, Mrs. Jian and Miss Jian have arrived.”
Jiang Xiao’s mother stood up, and Ning Xin followed.
When they reached the entrance, Jian Wei’s mother happened to be walking in with Jian Wei on her arm.
“Mrs. Jiang, it’s been such a long time!”
Mrs. Jian smiled brightly.
“Oh, Xinxin is here too! I only saw you from a distance at the wedding. You’re even prettier up close.”
Jian Wei stood behind her mother, wearing a light pink sweater and a long white skirt. She had clearly dressed up especially for the occasion, but her gaze was somewhat unsettled.
When she saw Ning Xin, her smile froze for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
“Hello, Auntie Jian.”
Ning Xin greeted her politely, then looked at Jian Wei.
“Hello, Miss Jian.”
Jian Wei pressed her lips together.
“Sister Ning Xin.”
The group returned to the living room and took their seats.
Ning Xin had the servants bring out tea and snacks. Only then did Jiang Xiao’s mother remember that she had forgotten to have tea served.
She smiled at Ning Xin.
“You’re always so thoughtful.”
Ning Xin smiled.
“Mom had everything prepared in advance. I only had to say a few words, and I still get a compliment from you.”
“Then I really got a good deal.”
Her words made Jiang Xiao’s mother laugh even more.
“You’re the only one who knows how to talk.”
Mrs. Jian smiled along from the side, while Jian Wei lowered her head and held her teacup, her fingertips turning slightly pale.
【Host, the original Ning Xin wouldn’t have known how to flatter her mother-in-law like this.】
“Is there an OOC warning?”
【No abnormalities so far.】
“Then that’s all that matters.”
The atmosphere in the room looked harmonious on the surface, but beneath it, undercurrents were already surging.
Mrs. Jian tried several times to steer the conversation toward Jian Wei.
She mentioned that Jian Wei had recently been learning flower arranging and asked Ning Xin what hobbies she usually had.
She talked about how hard Jian Wei had been working at the Jiang Corporation and how she had suddenly become so ambitious.
She even brought up some stories from Jian Wei’s past with Jiang Xiao, deliberately leaving out the presence of other people at the time.
Every sentence sounded casual, yet each one carried an underlying meaning.
Ning Xin maintained a perfectly measured smile throughout, occasionally responding but mostly listening quietly.
She noticed that Jian Wei barely touched the snacks.
She would lift her teacup and put it back down, while her gaze repeatedly drifted toward the entrance.
She was waiting for Jiang Xiao.
Ning Xin spoke to the system in her mind.
“Looks like this entire family knows how their daughter feels.”
【In the original storyline, the Jian family did indeed do everything they could to encourage the female lead to marry into the Jiang family.】
The sound of an engine came from outside.
The men had returned.
Jiang Xiao’s father, Jian Heng’s father, Jian Heng, and Jiang Xiao entered the living room one after another.
Jiang Xiao took off his suit jacket and draped it over his arm. The moment he entered, he saw Ning Xin sitting beside his mother.
He walked over and naturally bent down to kiss her lightly on the temple.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not really.”
Ning Xin gave him a reproachful glance. He really did not pay attention to where they were.
But she also noticed the faint fatigue between his brows.
“Did the meeting go well?”
“Mm.”
Jiang Xiao sat down beside her.
Mrs. Jian laughed.
“It’s good for young people to focus on their careers. Jian Heng, you should learn from Jiang Xiao.”
Jian Heng did not respond to his father.
He stood behind the others, his gaze moving between Ning Xin and Jiang Xiao before finally settling on his younger sister.
Jian Wei was looking at Jiang Xiao, and the emotions in her eyes were almost impossible to hide.
He secretly sighed.
Dinner was arranged in the small banquet hall.
The long table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, while the crystal chandelier reflected warm light.
The seating naturally divided into two sides.
Jiang Xiao sat on one side of the head seat, with Ning Xin on his left.
Jian Wei sat opposite Ning Xin, while Jian Heng sat beside his sister.
The conversation at the table moved from overseas markets to domestic policies and finally, inevitably, turned to the newly married Jiang Xiao and Ning Xin.
“Seeing how well you two get along, I’m relieved.”
Jiang Xiao’s mother smiled affectionately at Ning Xin.
“Now all we’re waiting for is for you two to give me a grandchild.”
“Your father doesn’t say it, but he’s hoping for one too.”
Jiang Xiao’s father gave a light cough. He did not deny it, merely lifting his wine glass and taking a sip.
The table fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Xiao put down his knife and fork.
“No rush.”
Almost at the same moment, Ning Xin lightly kicked him under the table.
Jiang Xiao glanced sideways at her.
She gave him a small glare.
Jiang Xiao immediately understood what she meant—the agreement they had at home.
He let out a quiet laugh.
That silent exchange was noticed by everyone else, and they interpreted it in an entirely different way.
Mrs. Jian smiled.
“Look at you two. The newlyweds are still shy.”
Jiang Xiao’s mother also laughed.
“Alright, alright. You young people have your own plans. We won’t pressure you.”
Only Jian Wei sat there with her fingers gripping her knife and fork so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She watched the fleeting indulgence in Jiang Xiao’s eyes whenever he looked at Ning Xin.
She watched the unnatural flush at the tips of Ning Xin’s ears.
She could not tell whether it was embarrassment or annoyance.
Suddenly, the piece of steak in her mouth felt like wood. She could neither swallow it nor spit it out.
Throughout the meal, Jian Wei barely ate anything.
She watched Ning Xin naturally serve soup to Jiang Xiao.
She watched Jiang Xiao slightly turn his head to listen whenever Ning Xin spoke.
She watched the two of them exchange occasional glances filled with an unspoken understanding.
With every glance, her heart sank a little further.
……
After dinner, the men moved to the study to discuss business, while the women remained in the living room.
Jian Wei claimed that she had a headache and left early. Jian Heng accompanied her.
On the way home, she sat in Jian Heng’s car, watching the streetlights rush past outside the window.
Finally, she could no longer hold back her tears.
At first, they fell silently. Later, they turned into suppressed sobs.
Jian Heng watched his younger sister through the rearview mirror, his heart tightening.
He turned on the indicator and pulled the car over to the side of the road.
“Weiwei.”
He unfastened his seat belt and turned around.
Jian Wei lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.
The streetlight shone through the car window, casting fragmented shadows across her face.
“Brother…”
She choked out,
“I really… really can’t let go…”
Jian Heng reached over and gently wiped the tears from her face.
“I know.”
“I tried… I thought that with enough time, I would get over him… But whenever I see them together, I still…”
Jian Wei could barely speak through her tears.
“He has never looked at me like that… Never…”
“In his heart, I’m just a stranger.”
Jian Heng fell silent.
He remembered the way Jiang Xiao had looked at Ning Xin during dinner—focused, warm, and even somewhat indulgent.
He had known Jiang Xiao for so many years and had never seen him like that.
That was the way a man looked at his woman, completely different from the way he looked at a younger sister.
“Weiwei…”
His voice was hoarse.
“Jiang Xiao is already married. And they… have a very good relationship.”
“I know!”
Jian Wei suddenly raised her head, her eyes red.
“I know he’s married!”
“I also know that Sister Ning Xin is a good person! But, Brother…”
She pressed a hand against her chest.
“This part of me doesn’t listen to me… It hurts so much…”
She cried so hard that she could barely catch her breath, as though she were finally releasing all the emotions she had suppressed for years.
Jian Heng looked at her.
This was the younger sister he had cherished since childhood, and now she was crying as though she had lost her entire world.
He remembered how Jian Wei had followed him and Jiang Xiao around like a little shadow when they were children.
He remembered how her face had flushed the first time she admitted that she liked Jiang Xiao.
He remembered her cautious secret feelings and years of waiting.
Reason told him that he should persuade her to let go.
But emotionally…
He reached out and pulled his sister into his arms.
“Don’t cry.”
He gently patted her back, his voice low.
“Your brother is here.”
Jian Wei cried even harder in his arms.
The late-autumn wind blew through the half-open car window, carrying a chill.
“Weiwei…”
He slowly began,
“If this is what you want…”
Jian Wei raised her tear-filled eyes to look at him.
Jian Heng wiped the tears from her face, something deep settling in his eyes.
“I’ll think of a way.”
“Really?”
A faint glimmer of hope appeared in Jian Wei’s eyes.
“Mm.”
Jian Heng started the car again.
“But you have to promise me something. Don’t do anything foolish, and don’t make yourself suffer even more.”
“I promise…”
Jian Wei gripped her seat belt, her voice still choked with tears.
“Brother, thank you.”
The car drove back into the night.
Jian Heng looked at the road ahead, countless thoughts flashing rapidly through his mind.
He knew this was wrong.
He knew it might hurt Ning Xin and could even affect the relationship between the Jian and Jiang families.
But when he saw his sister’s tear-swollen eyes, all those rational considerations suddenly seemed insignificant.
He remembered something their father often said:
“Family always comes first.”
Weiwei was the younger sister he had cherished since childhood.
So…
“Jiang Xiao, Ning Xin…”
Jian Heng murmured, his expression complicated.
“I’m sorry.”
Meanwhile, at the Jiang family’s old residence, Ning Xin and Jiang Xiao were preparing to leave.
Jiang Xiao’s mother held Ning Xin’s hand reluctantly.
“You’re really not staying tonight?”
Jiang Xiao answered for her.
“Mom, I have things to do tomorrow. The old residence is too far away.”
“Fine, fine. You’re always the busiest one.”
“Xinxin, you have to come back often. Keep me company.”
“Okay, Mom. You take care of yourself too.”
After they got into the car, Jiang Xiao leaned over and fastened Ning Xin’s seat belt for her.
The position brought them very close, close enough to catch the faint fragrance on each other.
Jiang Xiao started the car.
Ning Xin leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.
The system reminded her:
【Host, Jian Wei’s emotional breakdown level has reached 90%.】
“Expected.”
Ning Xin replied mentally.
“That sister-obsessed brother is probably about to make his move.”
【What are you planning to do?】
“Wait.”
The corners of Ning Xin’s lips curved slightly.
“We’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”
