"Don't like it?" Ye Chenhan's lips curled upwards. "How could that be? What I like, my mother will definitely like too."
Yu Xixi pushed his arm away. "Don't try to fool me. If your mother liked me, she wouldn't have been so cold to me, nor would she have said those things."
"Impossible!" Ye Chenhan dropped his playful demeanor and asked seriously, "What did my mother say to you inside just now?"
Shen Meixiu's body was in the living room, but her heart was still in the kitchen. She craned her neck, her gaze fixed on the kitchen.
"It's nothing. Perhaps I was mistaken," Yu Xixi said, no longer arguing with him.
Their differing statuses made arguing pointless.
Ye Chenhan watched her walk out dejectedly, dropping the spoon in his hand and following her out uneasily.
"Xixi, didn't you get some soup?" Shen Meixiu stood up from the sofa as she saw them emerge.
Faced with the question, Yu Xixi turned to look at Ye Chenhan, who was empty-handed, feeling at a loss.
Neither of them had brought out any soup.
"Mom, Xixi doesn't have a very good appetite, so I didn't have her drink any. We'll have it during the meal," Ye Chenhan explained.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Meixiu's expression immediately turned cold. "Is it a lack of appetite, or disdain?"
Her words were filled with reproach, and Yu Xixi's head immediately drooped. She feared that if she met Shen Meixiu's gaze for another moment, she would be unable to resist arguing with her.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere between them, Ye Chenhan immediately walked over and put his arm around Shen Meixiu. "How could Xixi not like the soup you personally cooked? She's just feeling a bit unwell after the car ride and doesn't have much of an appetite. Once she feels better, she'll drink two bowls."
"That's enough. I wasn't blaming her, so you don't need to cover for her." Shen Meixiu flicked Ye Chenhan's hand away and turned to look at the reserved Yu Xixi. "If you're not feeling well, would you like to rest in the guest room?"
"Thank you, Auntie. No, I'll be fine in a little while," Yu Xixi replied politely.
The more Yu Xixi behaved, the more Shen Meixiu disliked her. Especially with Ye Chenhan's protection, she had already begun to see Yu Xixi as an adversary.
Ye Ziyu observed all of this impassively. When Yu Xixi sat on the sofa, she moved closer to her. "Would you like to go out for a walk to clear your head?"
"May I?" Yu Xixi's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Accustomed to a pampered life, always being held in the palm of their hands, she had never been treated like this before. She was very unhappy, and she was even reconsidering her relationship with Ye Chenhan.
Ye Ziyu stood up from the sofa first and said to everyone, "It's Xixi's first time at the Ye residence. I'll take her out for a stroll. You all continue your conversation."
"I'll accompany her!" Ye Chenhan quickly stood up to offer.
If he couldn't even sense her mood, how could he help her resolve her inner turmoil?
Ye Ziyu refused, "No need. I happen to have something to say to Xixi."
Yu Xixi followed Ye Ziyu, not sparing Ye Chenhan a glance.
Their actions left Ye Chenhan bewildered. "Did I upset her?"
His words landed in Shen Meixiu's ears, and she glared enviously at the two walking away.
Stepping out of the living room, Yu Xixi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She tilted her head back and took in deep breaths of air.
"Did Aunt Shen make things difficult for you in the kitchen just now?" Ye Ziyu asked with concern.
Yu Xixi listened to Ye Ziyu's address and thought about her relationship with the other members of the Ye family. After some consideration, she nodded. "Yes, she doesn't seem to like me."
"That's normal. With her temper and personality, she probably wouldn't like any woman entering the Ye residence," Ye Ziyu said with a teasing smile.