Chapter 196

Liu Tianxian spoke playfully, hiding behind Xu Liyun; the two had been sitting side by side, with Xu Liyun in between them.

Her words made Xu Liyun feel comfortable, and she defended: "It's just a video of you dancing—haven't seen you being proper all along."

"Mom, it seems I'm the one who's actually your biological child," Fang Hong said.

"What does biological or not have to do with it? If you're wrong, of course I stand on the side of reason," Xu Liyun said with full conviction.

"I'm wrong?" Fang Hong was stunned, as if he were the victim.

"You are wrong—what's the harm in watching? Did you lose a piece of flesh?" Xu Liyun retorted.

Her righteous demeanor left Fang Hong speechless; he realized you can't reason with women.

His mother was also a woman—also impossible to reason with.

"Auntie Xu, you're absolutely right."

Liu Tianxian giggled and turned the tables: "Let me tell you, he's always this unreasonable—I always have to give in to him."

She said this without a shred of guilt.

"Don't worry—if he bullies you again, tell Auntie, I'll stand up for you," Xu Liyun patted her chest.

Liu Tianxian nodded, pouting, eyes wide and innocent, leaning slightly against Xu Liyun with a touch of timidity and fragility.

She gave Fang Hong a playful wink.

She played the part perfectly—her acting in daily dramas never showed such skill.

"Fine, you're both right, I'm wrong," Fang Hong said, sounding aggrieved.

He didn't want to argue anymore—in the face of absolute authority, arguing was pointless.

"You're a man—you should be magnanimous."

Xu Liyun went on lecturing: "Come on, apologize to Yifei."

"I have to apologize to her?" Fang Hong was reluctant.

Is the world really this upside-down? "You're wrong, you took Yifei's phone—of course you have to apologize," Xu Liyun said as if it were obvious.

"Oh Auntie, if he doesn't want to, don't force him—men care about face," Liu Tianxian said with understanding, like a gentle bunny.

And Fang Hong, wronged, became the villain.

"It's fine for men to care about face outside, but why care about face at home? Yifei, don't speak up for him," Xu Liyun said with full conviction.

Liu Tianxian put on a look of hesitation: "But, but…"

"No buts—he should apologize to you."

Xu Liyun patted her hand warmly, what a sweet girl, even defending her son.

Then she turned to her son: "Xiao Hong, apologize quickly."

Fang Hong, seeing the two women in perfect sync, sighed helplessly and muttered to Liu Tianxian: "I'm sorry."

"Be serious," Xu Liyun said, seeing her son's reluctance.

"Miss Liu, I'm sorry," Fang Hong bowed.

"Alright, I forgive you," Liu Tianxian put on a magnanimous air.

"See how generous Yifei is—unlike you," Xu Liyun said.

"Yes yes yes, I'll learn seriously from her."

Fang Hong's attitude was proper—he accepted whatever his mother said without argument.

Liu Tianxian tilted her head slightly, looking smug.

This farce ended with Fang Hong's apology, crushed under Xu Liyun's authority.

Next, the two women chatted like close friends, still talking about how graceful and seductive Fang Hong's dancing was.

They occasionally burst into "gigglegigglegiggle."

This laughter was clearly Liu Tianxian's—Xu Liyun's laughter remained restrained.

Fang Hong watched helplessly beside them, utterly confused—what had he done wrong?

But he said nothing—this might be the happiest his mother had been in a year, with her son beside her and her "daughter-in-law" too.

In the past, working alone away from home, they'd never been so united.

As for the video, he'd only sulked at first, but then thought—what did it matter? As long as his mother was happy and Liu Tianxian was happy, it was fine.

Liu Tianxian arrived in the afternoon and stayed chatting until nightfall—when she wanted to talk, she had endless topics, having read so much.

When she didn't want to talk, not a single word.

Since they'd already eaten New Year's Eve dinner, no more meals were needed—just fruit would do.

Night fell, the weather still cold; a chill wind blew, and Fang Hong took off his coat and draped it over Liu Tianxian.

"Oh, so thoughtful," Liu Tianxian tugged at the coat on her shoulders.

Her tone carried teasing.

"If I don't keep you happy, I'll lose all my standing," Fang Hong said.

"Good, you finally get it," Liu Tianxian preened.

"You're pretty good—you won over my mom in one go," Fang Hong complimented.

"Your mom likes me, that's all."

Winning over his mom was too easy—just be nice to her.

Liu Tianxian grew more serious and added: "But honestly, you should spend more time with your mom—she's too lonely."

She could feel Xu Liyun's loneliness.

"I know—I rarely travel, I come home every day—but I'm still a man, and as a son, many things are different from how girls interact," Fang Hong explained.

Except last year, this year he barely went anywhere—even when he went to South Korea, he returned after two days.

Liu Tianxian understood his meaning—activities like shopping, afternoon tea, casual chats—these feminine social rituals didn't suit a big man like Fang Hong.

Chatting as they walked, they reached the Ferrari. Fang Hong opened the door: "Drive safe, and call me when you get home."

"Mm!" Liu Tianxian got in the car.

Fang Hong shut the door with a "slap" and stepped back two paces.

Liu Tianxian didn't start the car, but sat inside and turned to look at him.

"Go on." Fang Hong gestured.

"Come here!"

Liu Tianxian beckoned with her hand.

Fang Hong bent closer, thinking she had something to say.

Liu Tianxian poked out her little head, kissed his cheek, then pulled back and gazed at him with a sweet smile.

"One more." Fang Hong thought it was very sweet.

"No more, I'm going."

Liu Tianxian pushed his forehead, shoving him away, then started the car and drove off.

About to leave and not even giving him a parting kiss — she still expected her to take the initiative!

Fang Hong watched the car's rear end disappear into the night, unable to fathom a woman's train of thought.

Back home, he saw Xu Liyun holding up a shiny golden necklace with an unusual, very artistic design, examining it.

He walked over: "Where did this come from?"

"Yifei gave it to me. What do you think?" Xu Liyun held the necklace against her neck.

"It's nice, let me put it on for you." Fang Hong said.

"No, no, it's too precious, better put it away." Xu Liyun still had her old way of thinking.

When she got something nice she liked to hide it away, too embarrassed to show anyone, afraid of being talked about.

"Your daughter-in-law gave it to you, you should at least wear it for her to see, and tell her how you feel about it, so she'll give you more gifts." Fang Hong said.

Mentioning Liu Tianxian, Xu Liyun fell silent, thinking it made sense.

Fang Hong took the necklace and walked behind her: "Let me tell you, Yifei has tons of jewelry, her clothes and bags can't even hold it all."

"You make your mother sound so mercenary, I'm not after her gifts."

Xu Liyun's tone sharpened a bit: "I like her as a person."

Fang Hong fastened the necklace around his mother's neck, rested both hands on her shoulders, and laughed: "The woman is mine, the dowry is yours — the two of us will split her fair and square."

Xu Liyun was amused by her son's teasing and raised a hand to pat his head.

She walked to the mirror and looked herself over: "How do I look, son? Does it look good on your mother?"

"It looks great — an elegant, noble lady."

"."

The next day, the first of the month, Fang Hong, just like last year, carried his big and small packages as usual and arrived at his "mother-in-law's home."

Liu Tianxian knew he was coming, opened the door for him, and welcomed him inside.

There were guests at home — friends of Liu Xiaoli, two middle-aged noble ladies she didn't know, the three of them chatting together and cracking sunflower seeds.

"Happy New Year, Auntie Liu, and Happy New Year to you too, ma'am."

Fang Hong greeted the other two as well, while Liu Tianxian stood beside him.

"Happy New Year!" "."

Those two middle-aged noble ladies sized up Fang Hong.

Curious, of course — anyone showing up at this hour was either a relative or a relative by marriage.

Liu Xiaoli, as always, treated him as a guest the moment he arrived, gesturing to Fang Hong: "Xiao Fang, sit anywhere you like, these are all my friends."

"Okay!" Fang Hong found an empty seat and sat down, his posture proper, unlike his usual self.

Liu Tianxian sat beside him, looking quite at ease.

One of the middle-aged noble ladies leaned close to Liu Xiaoli and whispered: "Is this the son of one of your relatives?"

"No, my daughter's friend."

Liu Xiaoli's words made the two middle-aged noble ladies even more curious, and they kept sizing up Fang Hong.

Fang Hong felt prickly under their gaze, couldn't help but straighten his back, sit up properly, and put on a very upright appearance.

"Xiao Fang, do you know how to play mahjong?" one of the noble ladies asked — she'd just heard Liu Xiaoli call him that.

"Not really." Fang Hong shook his head.

"We're short one player here, come join us."

That noble lady stood up, pulled her companion along, and whispered to Liu Xiaoli: "A person's character shows in how they play cards."

Liu Xiaoli thought that made sense too and didn't object.

"Come on, Xiao Fang." The noble lady took Fang Hong's arm.

"Ma'am, I really can't." Fang Hong declined.

"Can't play? You can learn, sitting around is so boring!" That noble lady, without waiting for an answer, pulled Fang Hong right to the table.

The "clack-clack" of mahjong tiles.

Liu Xiaoli, sitting across from him, asked: "How big a stake?"

"Keep it small." Fang Hong seemed a bit stiff.

"Then let's start at ten thousand." That noble lady said.

"Isn't that too big?"

Liu Xiaoli couldn't help clicking her tongue — starting at ten thousand, any win or loss could easily run into hundreds of thousands, and if luck ran bad, over a million.

"It's fine, just playing for fun, if you can't play you can just stop."

The noblewoman gave Liu Xiaoli a look, then said to Fang Hong: "Xiao Fang, what do you think?"

"I'll listen to Auntie, it's just that I didn't bring much money." Fang Hong let them be — they were all at the table now, no matter how much was said, they still had to play.

Besides, their words were clearly meant for him to hear — just to see if he'd lose too much, whether he'd get irritated or lose his temper or anything like that.

This kind of thing was perfectly normal.

"It's fine, let's play first." The noblewoman said.

Liu Tianxian didn't say a word the whole time. She also knew what they were up to, but she trusted Fang Hong — he wouldn't have any emotional swings over this little bit of money or this little matter.

In her memory, Fang Hong had only ever panicked over her affairs; for anything else, he never had.

She took a wad of cash from her bag, secretly patted Fang Hong's leg under the table, and slipped it into his hand.

Fang Hong turned his head; Liu Tianxian gave him a look, encouraging him to play.

With his "wife's" support, Fang Hong held back no longer.

Liu Xiaoli explained the rules, Fang Hong committed them to memory, and then the mahjong began.

At first Fang Hong was a bit unaccustomed, looking somewhat clumsy, and quickly lost several hundred thousand — he didn't complain, didn't say a word.

He just stared intently at the tiles, and soon adapted, knowing how to play, and playing skillfully.

Actually he knew how to play mahjong, he just hadn't touched it in a long time.

One noblewoman said: "Xiao Fang, you've lost quite a lot, haven't you? Still playing?"

"Doesn't matter how much I lose, the main thing is to enjoy the game." Fang Hong said with a smile.

"Well said!"

The noblewoman praised, then looked at Liu Xiaoli — his table manners were quite good.

Liu Xiaoli gave a faint smile and said nothing.

"Hu!"

Fang Hong laid down his tiles.

The noblewoman checked the tiles: "Not bad, a big hand, you learn fast!"

"If I don't hu one hand soon, I'll have to leave the table — can't let the aunties laugh at me." Fang Hong said.

Meaning he'd lost too much, was almost out of money.

"Nice hu, keep going." The noblewoman chuckled.

This person's character was really something — open and unfeigned, said whatever was on his mind, and could even do it in a joking way.

Liu Xiaoli naturally noticed too, and felt a measure of gratification in her heart.

Liu Tianxian only watched the tiles on the side, didn't speak, didn't give any hints, let Fang Hong play entirely on his own — only when someone asked her something did she say a word or two.

"Hu!"

Fang Hong laid down his tiles again.

The noblewoman checked the tiles: "Getting more and more skilled, not bad."

"Made a little progress." Fang Hong said.

"Hu!"

"Hu!"

"."

Fang Hong hu'd several hands in a row, winning back all the money he'd lost.

"You don't seem like a newbie at all!" That noblewoman pulled out money, her expression no longer as composed as before.

Only because she'd been losing from the start.

"I used to play a bit too, just been too busy these past few years, stopped playing, that's all." Fang Hong explained.

"No wonder." The noblewoman nodded.

As time passed, the mahjong continued, and sweat had broken out on the foreheads of those two noblewomen — only because they'd been losing the whole time.

And once Fang Hong got into the groove, he kept winning! There's skill in playing tiles too — from what the opposing player discards, you can deduce what tiles they want and roughly what's in their hand.

So those two noblewomen were simply no match for him, and he didn't feed tiles to let Liu Xiaoli hu on purpose either.

So what if she's his mother-in-law? At the table, he plays to win.

Liu Xiaoli's expression was still fine — actually she still hoped Fang Hong would win; after all, Fang Hong was closer than an outsider.

"Come on, come on!"

Fang Hong reached out to both sides, scooping up money in big handfuls, and soon a thick stack of cash was piled on the table.

These noblewomen really had money — play a few more rounds and you'd be financially free, why bother working, exhausting yourself to death.

"Let's call it a day, no holding back either."

That noblewoman couldn't help but grumble, then pushed the tiles away, done playing — the pocket money her husband had given her was all gone.

They normally didn't work, and a lot of it was money their husbands gave them at home — however much they got, there was always a set amount.

"At the gambling table there are no fathers and sons — I lost, I accept it; I won, it's mine to win." Fang Hong said it as if it were the most natural thing.

This guy didn't even bother pretending — normally someone like this, at his mother-in-law's house, would put on an act, would be too embarrassed to win money.

Liu Xiaoli smiled and said nothing.

"We're off." The two noblewomen waved.

Liu Xiaoli also went out to see her two good friends off.

"Take care on the way, aunties, come again next time — if you're short a player, look me up." Fang Hong also walked them out.

Those words made both noblewomen's expressions turn awkward — next time they definitely wouldn't find this guy to play, they'd lost several hundred thousand.

Liu Tianxian asked: "How much did you win?"

"Very little, didn't win much money."

Fang Hong finished speaking and went to stuff the money into his own pocket, as if it were all his.

Seeing his actions, Liu Tianxian snatched it all away from him.

"Hey, that's my winnings," Fang Hong tried to grab it back.

"Without my capital, do you think you could have won?" Liu Tianxian pried his hand open and pulled the money to her chest.

"Fine, fifty-fifty, okay?" Fang Hong negotiated.

"No."

Liu Tianxian hugged the money and pulled out a fifty-yuan note: "Your labor fee."

"You won't even give me a hundred?"

"."

(End of Chapter)