Chapter 016: Xue Zheng, You and She Are Not Right for Each Other—Break Up Sooner Rather Than Later

Shi Runrun slept for a long time. By the time she awoke, darkness had already settled deeply outside.
As she regained her senses, she realized she was in the bedroom of the villa.
What was going on?!
Hadn’t she gone with Xiao Xuezheng to pick up his aunt? How did she end up sleeping in the bedroom?
While she was still puzzling over this, there was a knock at the door.
Grandmother entered carrying a bowl of hot soup. “Runrun, you’re awake.”
“Grandmother.”
Shi Runrun wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, hurriedly got out of bed, and took the soup from her hands.
Grandmother looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. This little girl was so sweet and charming—she really did suit Xuezheng’s cold demeanor.
That the two of them could come together was fate indeed!
“You must be hungry after sleeping so long. Dinner is ready downstairs, but drink this sweet soup first. I made it especially for you—it’s good for your health, and for the baby.”
Shi Runrun felt a warmth bloom in her heart and quickly agreed, finishing the bowl of sweet soup in one go.
It was sweet, warming her stomach and her heart alike.
…
Downstairs in the living room, a document had just arrived on Xiao Shujing’s phone.
She opened it, eyes widening in shock, her face changing instantly.
Her hand trembled so much that her phone slipped and fell onto the carpet.
“Aunt?”
Xiao Xuezheng noticed her strange expression, bent down to pick up the phone for her, and asked, “Aunt, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Shujing came back to herself, hurriedly hiding her reaction and the turmoil within, mustering all her strength to appear calm. “Nothing… nothing at all…”
“Xuezheng, why don’t you go upstairs and check if your wife is awake? We’re about to have dinner and I’m a little hungry.”
Xiao Xuezheng frowned slightly, glanced at her, but thought nothing more of it. He nodded and went upstairs.
Once he was gone, Xiao Shujing’s hands shook as she opened the document again.
The information displayed there, every word and sentence, pierced her eyes with undeniable truth…
She could hardly believe what she was seeing…
So it was true, after all…
…

It truly was a cursed fate… a terrible fate…
…
Grandmother went downstairs first, heading to the kitchen to bring out the old hen soup she’d prepared—she remembered her granddaughter-in-law loved it.
The old woman always felt that if her granddaughter-in-law liked it, then her precious great-grandchild must like it too. She had even asked her friends to buy lots of old hens so she could stew soup for her every day, hoping that her beloved great-grandchild would be born fair and plump!
When Shi Runrun came downstairs, Xiao Shujing was sitting upright at the dining table.
Shi Runrun remembered her own rudeness when picking her up earlier, so she greeted her respectfully, “Aunt.”
But Xiao Shujing did not respond, only turning to look at her with a complicated gaze.
There was regret in those eyes, and Shi Runrun was momentarily stunned by it.
It was only much later, when she was torn apart with grief after separating from Xiao Xuezheng, that she finally understood why Xiao Shujing had looked at her like that.
But by then, it was far, far too late…
Seeing no response, Shi Runrun thought her aunt hadn’t heard, so she greeted her again after walking closer.
Yet still, there was no reaction. Shi Runrun furrowed her brows and glanced at Xiao Xuezheng for help. He stepped in and said, “Aunt, Runrun is greeting you!”
Only then did Xiao Shujing nod slightly to Shi Runrun, but immediately turned her gaze away.
Her coldness left Xiao Xuezheng puzzled and made Shi Runrun very uneasy.
Had she offended her aunt somehow?
Why was she being treated with such indifference…
The atmosphere at the dinner table was strained.
Even though Grandfather and Grandmother were present and kept trying to make conversation, happy about the pregnancy,
the more cheerful things became, the worse Xiao Shujing’s expression grew.
From start to finish, she barely looked at Shi Runrun—her attitude completely different from their first meeting at the airport.
With the situation as it was, Shi Runrun could only avoid her, eating her meal in silence, feeling a little wronged and uncomfortable inside.
It was said that in the Xiao family, Xuezheng’s aunt had raised him herself, like a mother. If she didn’t like her, how could she ever feel at home here…
Shi Runrun dared not dwell on it.
Perhaps she really had done something wrong today.
She resolved to find a chance later to talk with Xiao Shujing and apologize for her behavior.
After dinner, Grandmother pulled Shi Runrun to watch television with her.
…

Although elderly in years, Grandmother loved to follow TV dramas, which happened to be Shi Runrun’s area of expertise.
She recommended several completed dramas—like “Empresses in the Palace” and “Love Between Fairy and Devil”—and, to her surprise, the old woman loved them all. Even Grandfather, sipping tea by the side, was soon smiling at her coaxing.
Watching his grandparents so happy, Xiao Xuezheng suddenly felt that this marriage wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
But then his gaze shifted to Xiao Shujing, standing alone in the courtyard, her figure lonely and desolate.
He pressed his lips together, falling into deep thought as he watched her.
His aunt’s behavior today had been far too strange; she was clearly showing her dislike for Shi Runrun.
But why?!
He had been raised by her since childhood and knew she was not one to look down on others for their backgrounds. Besides, Shi Runrun was pregnant with his child—she had no reason to dislike her.
Thinking this through, Xiao Xuezheng strode out into the courtyard, coming to stand beside Xiao Shujing.
She sensed his presence, turned to look at him, and sighed with a frown: “Xuezheng, you might not like hearing this, but I must say it. You and Runrun are not suited for each other. You should separate as soon as possible.”
Xiao Xuezheng was silent for a moment.
“Why?! Aunt, why would you say that?!”
He frowned deeply, his voice dropping, for the first time speaking to his respected aunt in a less than pleasant tone.
She looked at the child she had loved and protected all these years, and the memory of that terrible night flashed before her eyes. Unable to face him, she turned away, tears silently falling where no one could see. Then, composing herself, she said coldly, “There’s no reason. Just assume I don’t like that child. Listen to me and leave her.”
With that, Xiao Shujing brushed past him and went back inside.
Xiao Xuezheng stood behind, watching her pull her fur coat tight around her. He wanted to call after her, to ask more, but in the end, the words caught in his throat.
But he was sure—something must have happened behind all this…
Why was her attitude toward Runrun so drastically changed?!
He couldn’t make sense of it, and when he looked back inside at the cheerful girl making his grandparents laugh, his heart clenched.
Separate…
Impossible…
Not only was she carrying his child—even if she weren’t, he had never intended to let her go.