The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

In the following days, Yao Yingxi did not call Xi Yuanchen again.

As she got out of bed in the early morning and left her bedroom, her phone beeped with a text message.

She walked along, looking down and pressing her phone.

The text messages were from some telecommunications companies. Only after seeing the information did Yao Yingxi belatedly realize that today was the Lantern Festival—a festival for family reunion.

Yao Yingxi's dejected mood suddenly returned. She went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and found it was empty.

She closed the refrigerator and went to the dressing room to change into a red dress with a beige trench coat over it, and red high heels. Looking at herself in the mirror, Yao Yingxi nodded in satisfaction as she came out of the dressing room.

Today is a day for family reunion, and Mr. Xi may come back just like he did on New Year's Day or during the Spring Festival.

I was looking forward to going out with this in my heart.

Instead of going to the supermarket as usual, she took a taxi to buy something for Xi Yuanchen.

She had always been the one receiving gifts from Xi Yuanchen, and she wanted to take this opportunity to give him something in return.

Although it was his card that was used, he can pay it back later when he has the money.

Thinking it over, she got out of the taxi, glanced at the mall entrance, smiled, and stepped inside.

She browsed from the clothing section on the first floor all the way to the perfume section on the fourth floor before she figured out what to give as a gift.

Yao Yingxi stopped at a high-end brand counter.

The saleswoman, seeing her smart clothes and good temperament, assumed she was a socialite and approached her with a smile: "Miss, what would you like?"

Yao Yingxi glanced at the saleswoman and smiled slightly: "I'd like to buy a bottle of men's cologne. Could you please provide a label? I'd like to smell it."

"Okay, is this a gift for your boyfriend?"

Yao Yingxi paused for a few seconds, then shook her head: "No, it's a gift for a friend."

She also wanted to have a proper boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Xi Yuanchen, but how was that possible?

The sales assistant went and got several labels, which Yao Yingxi smelled. She didn't know what the perfume Xi Yuanchen sometimes wore smelled like.

She had never given any away before, so she didn't know what kind of items men liked.

So try smelling them one by one, and try to find one that suits Xi Yuanchen's cool and aloof temperament.

Yao Yingxi closed her eyes and smelled several, but was still not satisfied: "Any more?"

"Have."

Yao Yingxi smelled four or five more before getting up: "I want this one, 100ml."

The scent just now was wonderful; the cool, incense made me feel as if I were in a temple.

The sales assistant nodded quickly after seeing that she had made her selection: "Okay, is there anything else you need?"

Yao Yingxi shook her head: "No need, I'll just take this one bottle of perfume."

"That'll be two thousand eight hundred in total. Would you like to pay by card or cash?"

Yao Yingxi took out her card and handed it to the saleswoman. After swiping the card, the saleswoman returned the packaged perfume and the card to her.

Yao Yingxi was in a good mood, carrying her things, and was about to walk into the elevator.

Suddenly, a familiar figure came into her view.

She saw Xi Yuanchen walking towards her with an elegant and beautiful woman by his side.

The woman's eyes were smiling, her happiness undisguised. That smile instantly dampened her joy.

Seeing Xi Yuanchen walking towards her, she hurriedly turned around, looking around anxiously, instinctively trying to get away.

Upon seeing the emergency exit sign, I quickly ran away.

She frantically opened the wooden door to the emergency exit and ran downstairs in a panic, as if afraid that Xi Yuanchen would see her.

At this moment, Xi Yuanchen pulled his hand away from Liang Pingyin's and walked alongside her expressionlessly, his eyes darting around.

He just saw Yao Yingxi. Where did that woman go?

Yao Yingxi, looking lost and disoriented, carried a bag in one hand and her high heels in the other, seemingly oblivious to the cold, as she walked on the road where the temperature was -5 degrees Celsius.

Her gaze was unfocused, and she walked down the street like a walking corpse. The background seemed desolate and lonely.

She walked for an unknown amount of time before finally returning to her apartment. The warmth of the heater enveloped her, but her heart remained icy, as if it couldn't be warmed.

Her eyes reddened, she casually placed the bag in her hand on the sofa, sat down, and stared blankly into the distance.

The woman Xi Yuanchen was with today looked like a socialite, not someone he was keeping.

Thinking of this, she lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly. Mr. Xi must be tired of her.

So she said she was busy these past few days because she didn't want to contact her. Looking around, she breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood up from the sofa and walked straight to the dressing room.

Rows of clothes hung in the dressing room, and tears suddenly streamed down her face.

I've lived in this place for almost a year, yet nothing here truly belongs to me.

All the clothes belong to Xi Yuanchen, and everything here belongs to Xi Yuanchen.

Like a soulless puppet, Yao Yingxi emerged from the dressing room.

Tears streamed down her face as she walked barefoot to the wine cabinet, took down a bottle, and pried open the cap.

He slid down to the ground, held up the bottle, and gulped down the liquor.

She felt so bad, so very bad, as if something was pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

Yao Yingxi desperately wanted to get drunk, hoping that this would stop her from thinking about leaving herself or Xi Yuanchen. She held up the bottle and poured herself a drink.

The bitter taste slid down my throat, accompanied by a mellow aroma.

Yao Yingxi had drunk more than half of the wine, but her mind was very clear at this moment.

She finished a bottle of red wine, swayed as she got up from the floor, opened another bottle, and sat down again.

Her eyes were red as a rabbit's, and her cheeks were flushed from drinking too much.

But Yao Yingxi's mind was as clear as if she hadn't been drinking, remembering exactly what had happened that afternoon.

"Boom bang..."

The door opened and closed. Yao Yingxi put down her wine, looked up, and saw Xi Yuanchen standing at the door.

She thought she was drunk and hallucinating, so she shook her head to clear her head and saw Xi Yuanchen standing there more clearly.

Xi Yuanchen smelled the alcohol as soon as he opened the door, and frowned.

Just as I was about to take a step, I noticed Yao Yingxi sitting in front of the wine cabinet, with an empty bottle of red wine next to her and another bottle in her hand.

Her eyes were clear, and if it weren't for the blush on her face, he would have suspected that Yao Yingxi was dissatisfied and had poured her wine down the kitchen drain.

Otherwise, given his understanding of Yao Yingxi's tendency to be easily overwhelmed by a single drink, how could she have drunk a whole bottle and remained sober?

Yao Yingxi got up from the ground, probably because she had drunk a little alcohol and had become timid.

She put the cap back on the bottle and returned to the wine cabinet, heading to the bathroom without even calling Xi Yuanchen.

She was happy to see Xi Yuanchen return, but the thought that he might come back and kick her out made her heart clench with pain.

Seeing that she was ignoring him, Xi Yuanchen frowned in displeasure, stepped forward and pulled Yao Yingxi's arm, dragging her back.

Yao Yingxi was caught off guard and bumped into Xi Yuanchen's arms. She quickly got out of his arms and took several steps back.

Seeing her movements, Xi Yuanchen became even more displeased and grabbed her chin, about to kiss her.

Yao Yingxi stared wide-eyed and quickly turned her face away to avoid Xi Yuanchen's intimacy.

Xi Yuanchen's face grew increasingly gloomy, and he gripped Yao Yingxi's cheeks even tighter.

"Are you still afraid of me?"

He thought Yao Yingxi was hiding because she had seen his cruel side a few days ago.