Chapter 1571 - 1527: The Wicked Mother-in-law Arrives 54

Ni Si got up early and asked Xia Man to take her to get her hair done. After finishing her hair, she hurried back to change clothes and put on makeup.

At the agreed time with Li Wanping, Xi Zhenhua and Ni Si took a taxi over.

Li Wanping deliberately wore an embroidered long dress, with a light-colored long knitted sweater on top, her long hair down, and her makeup was subtle.

Back then, she loved to dress like this, her pure look attracted many boys in school to fall for her, and Xi Zhenhua fell for her because of this style.

Li Wanping thought Xi Zhenhua was still the same, liking her pure and innocent look.

She arrived quite early, and upon getting there, Xi Zhenhua hadn’t arrived yet. Li Wanping checked the time and ordered a cup of tea, quietly waiting.

She waited for about ten minutes before Xi Zhenhua came over.

He sat down and said to Li Wanping, "Couldn’t get a cab for a while, got delayed."

"It’s okay." Li Wanping smiled, her pure looks making this smile appear soft and timid.

But Xi Zhenhua no longer felt the heart-fluttering sensation.

When he was young, he liked Li Wanping’s pure white, fragile style; she was like a white camellia, delicate and beautiful.

But now, he preferred Ni Si’s glamorous allure, like a fire, also like a thorny red rose, making his heart race with every move.

"Why did you call me here?"

Xi Zhenhua asked.

Li Wanping’s hand moved slightly on the table, trying to grab Xi Zhenhua’s hand, but he quickly avoided it.

Li Wanping bowed her head, tears streaming down: "Zhenhua, I... I had no choice but to leave you back then, you know, because of your mom..."

"Sorry, I’m late."

The door to the private room was pushed open, and Ni Si slipped inside.

Li Wanping looked up upon hearing the sound and froze at the sight.

Ni Si confidently sat next to Xi Zhenhua.

Xi Zhenhua smiled, grabbing her hand: "Why didn’t you dry your hands?"

Speaking, Xi Zhenhua took a napkin to carefully wipe Ni Si’s hands: "The weather is getting cooler now, make sure to dry your hands after washing."

He not only wiped Ni Si’s hands but also took a small tube of hand cream from his pocket to apply on her: "A woman’s hands must be meticulously cared for."

Ni Si’s smile was as sweet as can be.

Li Wanping’s heart ached seeing all this.

Xi Zhenhua looked up at Li Wanping: "Oh right, I forgot to introduce."

He pointed at Ni Si: "This is my girlfriend, Ni Si."

Then he pointed at Li Wanping: "This is Jingchen’s mother."

He refrained from saying ’ex-wife,’ fearing Ni Si might feel uncomfortable.

It’s evident, when Xi Zhenhua falls in love with someone, he cares for them extremely well, not only in terms of diet and clothing but also emotionally.

That’s how he was with Li Wanping back then.

And now, he’s the same with Ni Si.

Ni Si was happy, but Li Wanping felt extremely hurt.

Li Wanping always thought, regardless of what she did, no matter how much she acted out, Xi Zhenhua’s love for her wouldn’t change; that he would always wait for her.

Now she understood, no one would always willingly wait for another without moving forward; even the deepest love couldn’t withstand the passage of time.

At this moment, looking at Ni Si, Li Wanping felt sour and bitter, not out of love for Xi Zhenhua; she simply felt like her possession had been snatched.

Even if Li Wanping didn’t like Xi Zhenhua, she had felt secretly proud over the years, knowing Xi Zhenhua’s lingering feelings for her, wanting to flaunt it.

She had long considered Xi Zhenhua her possession, not to be touched by others.

Now, someone younger and prettier was sitting next to Xi Zhenhua, which Li Wanping couldn’t tolerate.

When Ni Si smiled and spoke to her, Li Wanping calmly said, "Zhenhua, does your mom know about this?"

Xi Zhenhua was momentarily stunned before realizing Li Wanping referred to Anning as ’mom.’

He hesitated for a moment: "Ms. Li, she’s my mom; please refer to her as Miss Tao moving forward."

Li Wanping was almost angered to death by this remark.

She intentionally called Anning ’mom’ to appear close to Xi Zhenhua, but this foolish Xi Zhenhua didn’t reciprocate; instead, he countered her.

Ni Si bowed her head, smiling lightly: "Ms. Li, Zhenhua is right; you’ve long had nothing to do with Aunt Tao. It’s better not to refer to her so intimately; it could be misleading. We might be fine with the misunderstanding, but if it misleads your teacher, it wouldn’t be good for you."

Li Wanping pursed her lips, suppressing her anger, and began to cry softly again.

"Zhenhua, I know Jingchen holds resentment towards me. I didn’t mean it. I did it for his benefit; I... could you help persuade Jingchen?"

Initially, Li Wanping intended to express her feelings to Xi Zhenhua, hoping to rekindle their relationship.

But now Xi Zhenhua brought Ni Si along; she couldn’t say those things and could only use Xi Jingchen as an excuse.

Xi Zhenhua’s expression was complicated.

He looked at Li Wanping, partly incredulous, partly disgusted, and with unspeakable regret.

"Ms. Li, I am indeed Jingchen’s father, but he and I are both independent individuals. He’s long been an adult, and I shouldn’t interfere in his matters. Moreover, you hurt not only Jingchen but also Manman; your actions nearly ruined Jingchen and Manman. As for someone with a life-threatening grudge, even if it’s the biological mother, can Jingchen forgive? If I persuade him, Jingchen might disregard the father-son relationship altogether. Seriously speaking, we are already strangers; Jingchen is my own son, connected by blood, but unrelated to you. I can’t hurt him because of a few of your pleading words."

"I..."

Li Wanping continued crying: "Zhenhua, how did you become like this? Have you truly forgotten about our marriage alone? We walked from school uniforms to wedding gowns; you once promised to always love me, you..."

Xi Zhenhua’s expression changed drastically; he quickly stood up, pulling Ni Si up as well: "Ms. Li, I feel it’s best if you take some time to consider your state of mind; we have things to attend to, so we’ll be leaving now."

Xi Zhenhua dared not stay any longer.

Who knows what misunderstood words Li Wanping might say if he stays, and what if Ni Si misunderstood?

He dragged Ni Si out in a virtual retreat.

Leaving the restaurant, Ni Si observed Xi Zhenhua: "Are you truly devoid of feelings for her now?"

Xi Zhenhua was terrified.

He quickly waved his hands: "No, not at all anymore; we’re strangers, even worse than strangers; at least I don’t hate strangers, but I hate her. When she tried to harm Jingchen and Manman, I began to hate her."

Fearing Ni Si might overthink, Xi Zhenhua hugged Ni Si tightly: "My heart is only for you, and in the future, I won’t see her anymore, never again."

Ni Si chuckled lightly, satisfied with Xi Zhenhua’s behavior.

"Alright, I didn’t say much, but look how scared you were."