After Xiang Xueyuan put on the coat handed to him by the butler, he walked straight to Xia Qingyu's side, bent down, and pointed at the bouquet of flowers in Xia Qingyu's hand, saying, "It needs some more trimming here."
Xia Qingyu's movements paused slightly; she was still not used to Xiang Xueyuan being so close to her.
"Your mother used to cut them like this," Xiang Xueyuan added, "She was very good at it."
"She was good at many things," Xia Qingyu then continued to trim the flower branches. "Mom also makes excellent cakes. My sister and I loved her small pastries. Her voice was lovely when she read poetry, and she also made leaf bookmarks. Her bookmarks were the flattest and most beautiful."
"Yes... she was very good," Xiang Xueyuan's gaze shifted slightly. He vaguely remembered that when he was still a teacher, Liu Nuoran had also given him a bookmark she had made herself.
A tiny one, exquisite and beautiful, just like her.
"Sir, the car is ready," a servant said respectfully. "We can depart at any time."
"Understood," Xiang Xueyuan replied, then put on a gentle smile again. "Qingyu, I hope you have a pleasant day today."
Xia Qingyu ignored him. Xiang Xueyuan didn't mind. After casting a deep look at Xia Qingyu, he walked straight out.
After Xiang Xueyuan left, Xi Fu's lips turned downward. She looked at Tarik and said, "Tarik, don't you think there are too many flowers? The strong scent is a bit off-putting. I've lost my appetite."
"Then you can go back to your room and eat," Tarik stood up directly, leaving only a sentence, "I've eaten my fill," before heading straight for Xia Qingyu.
Watching Tarik's retreating back, Xi Fu gritted her teeth, her gaze towards Xia Qingyu filled with resentment.
This woman had only been here for one night and had stolen the two most important people in her life.
Xia Qingyu, you deserve to die!
Xi Fu trembled with anger but dared not make any rash moves.
After all, Xia Qingyu was her adoptive father's biological daughter.
For this reason alone, she could not harm Xia Qingyu, or her adoptive father would make her pay a price she couldn't bear.
Having been by Xiang Xueyuan's side for so many years, she knew too well how dangerous this man was.
And Tarik...
Xi Fu raised her hand and lightly touched the side of her neck. She still remembered Tarik's warning from last time.
If only... Xia Qingyu would be sensible and die on her own.
At this thought, Xi Fu's eyes lit up, and a new idea began to form in her mind.
Not long after, a phone call summoned Tarik away from the living room.
Xi Fu knew this was a perfect opportunity.
She immediately got up and went behind Xia Qingyu. Looking at Xia Qingyu's fair neck, Xi Fu's eyes were as dark as a predator's stalking its prey.
"Something wrong?" Xia Qingyu turned to look at Xi Fu. Xi Fu's gaze made her a little uncomfortable.
"Nothing really," Xi Fu immediately put on a smiling expression and approached Xia Qingyu. "I'm just curious about what you're doing. Do you like flowers very much?"
"So-so," Xia Qingyu replied casually and then lowered her head to continue trimming the flower branches. The shears in her hand made a "ka-cha" sound.
"Qingyu," Xi Fu beckoned, and a servant immediately placed another chair next to Xia Qingyu. "Do you like it here?"
"So-so." "Ka-cha."
"Do you like me then?" Xi Fu made another gesture, and all the servants withdrew from the living room.
"So-so." "Ka-cha."
"Do you like Tarik?"
"So-so." "Ka-cha."
"Do you like Father?" Xi Fu was slightly annoyed by Xia Qingyu's perfunctory attitude.
"..." Xia Qingyu did not answer Xi Fu directly. She looked up at Xi Fu. "What exactly do you want to say?"
"I do think it's a bit much for Father to keep you here like this, without considering your feelings at all," Xi Fu then showed a troubled expression and said, "I know he's wrong to do this, but... he's my father after all, and I can't go against him."
Hearing Xi Fu's words, Xia Qingyu's expression softened slightly.
"I can actually understand your suffering," Xi Fu said, her tone calming down, while her fingertips tapped rhythmically on the edge of the table. "Your original life was so happy, wasn't it?"
"Mhm..." For some reason, Xia Qingyu suddenly felt a sense of calm at this moment.
"It was happiness you worked hard to attain, so you must be unwilling for it to be ruined like this." Xi Fu's voice remained the same, but the sound of her fingertips tapping the table gradually became more rapid. "Why should it be like this? Why? Your happiness is also important. It must be painful to have something you finally grasped snatched away like this."
"Mhm," Xia Qingyu responded, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.
"If you're unwilling, then take revenge!" Xi Fu's voice was extremely infectious and full of allure. "Let those people be trapped in pain forever, let them live their lives in regret and suffering."
"Revenge?" Xia Qingyu murmured, "How... how do I take revenge?"
"How do you take revenge?" Xi Fu's lips curved into a perfect arc. She reached out, turned the sharp shears in Xia Qingyu's hand, lifted her arm, and pointed the sharp tip towards Xia Qingyu's throat. "Poor you, you have no suitable opportunity, nor the ability to avenge yourself. You... only have your life left... What can you use to take revenge?"
"Use... my life?" Xia Qingyu murmured, tightening her grip on the shears.
"Yes, that's the only way left," Xi Fu's smile grew brighter and more radiant. Her eyes gleamed, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "With your life, what are you waiting for? As long as you avenge yourself... you can make them suffer for a lifetime."
"Suffer... a lifetime..." Xia Qingyu slowly raised her head, a cold glint flashing from the shears in her hand.
"Yes! Use your only life to punish them, make them suffer their entire lives, make them pay the price they deserve!" Xi Fu's eyes grew more excited, and she began to urgently tempt Xia Qingyu. "The people around you will be proud of you. They also really hope you can get revenge. Remember your sister? She's proud of you!"
Xi Fu knew how much Xia Qingtian meant to Xia Qingyu, and she intended to use Xia Qingtian to provoke Xia Qingyu.
Tarik had only been called away by a phone call and would return soon. She had to resolve everything before Tarik returned.
Hypnosis was her last trump card, a secret that even Tarik and Xiang Xueyuan didn't know she possessed.
If it weren't for this troublesome bitch Xia Qingyu, who absolutely had to die, Xi Fu would never have dared to risk using this trick at this time.
"Sister..." Xia Qingyu's gaze flickered, and it seemed as if Xia Qingtian's voice echoed in her ears.