Chapter 26
Have You Practiced Before
After Kong Xiangxiang left the noodle shop, Shi Yan and Jiang Rui continued eating.
Shi Yan drank some porridge, opened the pastry box, and ate two more pieces of pastry. When she was almost done eating, Jiang Rui glanced at the mess that Xuan Liuying had cleaned up in the noodle shop.
She hesitated and asked Shi Yan, “Little Yan, I see that your skills are not bad. Have you practiced before?”
Jiang Rui had wanted to ask this question earlier. She was born in the Jiang family of Sea City, so naturally, she had to receive corresponding training since she was young. However, her focus was not on martial arts, so she could barely protect herself.
However, this did not affect her eyesight.
She could see that Shi Yan’s flash and kick had a knack for it.
“When I was young, I practiced military boxing with the elders of my family for a few years.”
Jiang Rui thought that her question would put Shi Yan in a difficult position, but she did not expect Shi Yan to answer so calmly, as if she was not afraid of being doubted by others.
After all, there were too many things that did not match her background and her appearance.
After being slightly stunned by her calmness, Jiang Rui did not ask any more questions. She only smiled and said, “As expected, I knew that you must have practiced it, since you were so good.”
“By the way, I saw that you and Xuan Wan Rou seemed to know each other just now. How did you two meet?”
“Not really. I met her once at a restaurant when I was out shopping when I first arrived at Sea City.”
“She’s so hostile to you just because you met her once? Did you two have a grudge?”
Without waiting for Shi Yan’s reply, Jiang Rui continued to say, “With your personality, you probably wouldn’t take the initiative to have any interaction with Xuan Wan Rou. She must be looking for trouble again.”
After being together for so many days, Shi Yan gave Jiang Rui the feeling that she was not only gentle and polite to others, but also Buddhist.
Yes, she was Buddhist!
She did not have any other hobbies other than reading books, and she did not have any special requirements for life. Whether it was eating in a top restaurant or a small roadside shop, wearing top-class high-quality clothes or ordinary clothes, living in a top-class mansion or a small farm house, she was able to deal with it calmly.
With her temperament, she really did not seem like a young person of the present age.
Shi Yan smiled faintly and did not say anything, which could be considered as a tacit agreement of Jiang Rui’s words.
She really did not take the initiative to have any interaction with Xuan Wan Rou. She did not know where Xuan Wan Rou’s inexplicable malice towards her came from.
She knew that Xuan Wan Rou’s malice toward her was not because she had caught the mother-daughter argument, and clearly understood that Xuan Wan Rou was not as glamorous as she appeared on the surface. It was because before that, when she had been eating in the restaurant, she had felt Xuan Wan Rou’s malicious gaze.
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Rui thought to herself that it was indeed so.
“In my opinion, Xuan Wan Rou is simply mentally ill. You don’t have to pay attention to her.”
Before saying this, Jiang Rui first looked at Xuan Liuying, who was cleaning, and made sure that she could not hear their conversation from such a distance.
When a mother heard these kinds of words, she would definitely feel uncomfortable in her heart.
“Okay,” Shi Yan smiled and responded.
In fact, if she had not met her again today, she would not have remembered who Xuan Wan Rou was at all.
Seeing that the porridge in Shi Yan’s bowl was almost bottomless, Jiang Rui hesitated for a moment and said, “Xiao Yan, my mother…
“My mother was actually not such a difficult person to get along with in the past. She must have heard those groundless rumors outside and thought too much.”
“It’s fine,” Shi Yan said.
Although she didn’t know what the rumors were outside, it wasn’t difficult to guess.
Her gaze fell on the pastry box that she had closed again, and there was a faint smile in her eyes.
“It’s just a rumor. One day, it will come to an end.”
Following Shi Yan’s line of sight to the box of pastries, Jiang Rui raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Yes, it’s just a rumor. One day, it will come to an end.
“You don’t have to worry too much about my mother. You can ignore whatever she says if you want to. If you don’t want to, just ignore her words. I’ll find an opportunity to communicate with my mother.”
Shi Yan actually wanted to say that she didn’t really care about the thoughts and opinions of others. When she looked up and saw Jiang Rui’s sincere expression, as if she was afraid that she would really be wronged, she smiled faintly and said, “Thank you for your help, Rui’er.”
“It’s not a big deal. Besides, you were also given an undeserved disaster in the first place.”
The two of them chatted for a while more. After finishing their food, they got up and left.
The noodle shop owner waived the bill, but Shi Yan still gave money.
Just as she walked out of the noodle shop and was about to walk to the car, parked by the roadside not far away, she was stopped by someone.
“Please wait a moment.”
The two of them turned around when they heard the sound.
They saw Xuan Liuying, who had changed out of the waiter’s clothes.
The clothes on her body were visibly old, but they were very clean. Her hair was also combed properly. Although she looked haggard, she did not look sloppy at all.
She gave people a good impression.
“Auntie, what’s the matter?”Jiang Rui asked.
“I’m sorry about what happened just now,” Xuan Liuying said apologetically.
They had already apologized, and they had also said that they would not pursue the matter. This auntie was still so guilty, and her personality was really very different from Xuan Wan Rou’s.
How could such a mother have a daughter like Xuan Wan Rou?
Jiang Rui could not understand.
“That was not Auntie’s fault in the first place. Moreover, the matter is already in the past. Auntie doesn’t have to keep apologizing. If there’s nothing else, we will leave first.”
“Wait!”
Jiang Rui stopped again, only to see Xuan Liuying staring at Shi Yan.
Her gaze moved between the two of them.
Just as she was puzzled, she saw Xuan Liuying say gratefully to Shi Yan, “Young lady, thank you for the medicine you bought for me last time. If it’s convenient, can you leave me your contact number? I’ll give you the money for the medicine.”
“No need, it didn’t cost much,” Shi Yan said and gave Xuan Liuying a faint nod before turning around and leaving.
Seeing this, Jiang Rui didn’t stay any longer. She nodded at Xuan Liuying and followed Shi Yan.
Seeing them leave, Xuan Liuying finally couldn’t help but squat on the ground and cry.
She actually wanted to pay back the money in person, but she didn’t have any money. She had to contact her first and pay back when she had the money.
Then she thought of a stranger. A strange girl about the same age as her daughter who had cared about her, but her daughter..
She could not hold back her emotions.
Jiang Rui, who had walked far away, turned around and saw Xuan Liuying, who was squatting there and sobbing. She was a little moved.
“Xiao Yan, that Auntie…”
Shi Yan also turned around and glanced at her, but did not say anything.
Jiang Rui continued, “Xuan Wan Rou’s looks and grades are not bad. Even if her family background is not good, others will not look down on her because of that. If someone does not want to be friends with her because of her family background, such a friend is not worth making friends with, right?
“What do you think Xuan Wanrou is after? Her mother is like this. Even an outsider like me doesn’t feel good when I see her like this. She’s really heartless.”
Shi Yan looked at Xuan Liuying, who was not far away, and retracted her gaze.
“Who knows,” she said.
Then, the two of them got into the car that was parked by the roadside.
As soon as they got into the car, a person appeared beside Xuan Liuying, who was squatting on the ground and crying.
However, Shi Yan did not see it.
“Why are you doing this?”
Xuan Liuying heard the voice and looked up. She saw a woman who was about forty-five years old standing in front of her. She was wearing a professional suit and looked very capable.
With tears on her face, she smiled and said, “It’s you, Su’er.”