The Overnight Chosen Wife: Darling, Kiss Me Deeper

"So they are twins." Uncle Yun didn't look relieved. Because, whether it was Lanni or her sister, his daughter had indeed been robbed of the opportunity to be with the man she loved. 

"Dad, let's go home first. You must have had a long flight." Xiaoshi hooked her arm around her father's to avert the argument that was about to break out. 

When he entered the car, Xiaoshi stopped Xiehan, looking aggrieved. "I'm sorry, cousin. I had always rattled to him about how I felt. When I found out that Xingyu is engaged, I told him about it too… I didn't know he would blame Lanni." 

Xiehan studied his cousin and wondered whether she didn't deliberately say something misleading to her father. Her expression was filled with sadness but not an ounce of guilt, so he believed that it was Uncle Yun who had overreacted on his own. Besides, he knew the girl well enough, and he knew that she was not the type to forcefully hog on what did not belong to her. As for how Uncle Yun got a picture of Xingyu's fiancée, he could have done some digging. Xingyu's and Luna's engagement party was so grand. Countless media outlets had written articles in magazines and published videos on their websites. Hence, he patted her head. "It's okay. As long as you know your place." 

Seeing that her cousin did not misunderstand her, she was relieved. "I know." 

… 

Lanni did not understand why Uncle Yun seemed to be hostile towards her. Even so, she remained polite to him and stuck to Xiehan's side most of the time. 

The middle-aged couple was tired, so the servants prepared refreshments. 

"What are you busy with, recently?" Uncle Yun asked Lanni, out of the blue. 

It was a normal question, so Lanni politely answered, "I work at a news agency." 

As soon as she spoke, the man's eyes furrowed. "So you're a reporter. I heard reporters earn more money if they publish huge scandals, so they usually make up fake tales just for traffic." 

"That's not true. In every field of work, there are deceptive individuals, but that doesn't make everyone else evil." She forced a smile. 

The man grinned. "While that may be true, I think every reporter is a liar."

She was yet to respond when he asked, "What family are you from?" 

"Uhm…" This was a complicated question. She thought about it for a moment before saying, "My father's surname is Xia while my mother's is Li." 

"So you took your mother's surname." He smirked indifferently as took a sip of his tea. 

Although she was uncomfortable, she held onto Xiehan's hand as she nodded. "Yes." 

He look in her direction sharply. "I heard that women who let their children take their own surnames are either unscrupulous or they pretend to be strong when they're not. No matter what category she falls under, I wonder what type of daughter she brought up."

"You cannot say such things about my mother!" Lanni lost her temper on the spot and shot up, glaring daggers in Uncle Yun's direction. 

Xiehan patted her hand and pulled her back to the seat, before glancing at his uncle. "What do you think you're doing?" 

The man laughed. "I'm just teasing your girlfriend a little. Who would have thought that she was so temperamental? One word and she is already exploding, how will she be able to take care of the Ji family in future?" 

Lanni shook her head at the ridiculous joke. "Call…" 

Xiehan patted her hand, and she glared at him before she continued, "Call it a joke, a test or whatever. I will never be able to sit by and let anyone insult my mother. For a man to be able to say such things about a woman, it makes one wonder whether your mother's teachings went to waste, or whether she bothered to teach you at all." 

When his expression darkened, she raised an eyebrow. "You may be an elder but I will only respect you if you deserve it. Excuse me." She left the room when she was done speaking. 

Xiehan stood up and faced his uncle. "What I was about to say is, it was never her responsibility to take care of my family. If that was a joke, it was not funny. Stick to your lane, uncle."

… 

Xiehan looked for Lanni until he eventually found her sitting in the gazebo. He walked over and sat beside her. 

"I'm sorry I lost my cool." She dipped her head into his chest.

He tousled her hair. "It's okay. You don't need to hold back against anybody. No matter who tries to bully you, you have every right to retaliate." 

Hearing his words, Lanni tightened her arms around his waist, feeling much better. "What does he have against me anyway? We only just met." 

He knew that she would remember it sooner or later so he explained, "It's about Xingyu." 

She rolled her eyes helplessly. "Are you kidding me? Is he going to mess with the whole family just because my sister got together with Xingyu? What a lame excuse to do stupid things! I will put him in his place if he tries to mess with me again!" 

He chuckled at her counternance that looked like an angry cat. "I'll do that for you. You don't need to dirty your adorable little claws." 

"Claws?" She hit his shoulder with an annoyed expression. 

He laughed as he defended himself. "Who is to blame? It's just that when you're angry, you're so adorable that it makes one think of a kitten. Hey, don't hit me there!" 

"I'm going to hit you!" She threatened. 

Grabbing her little hand, he placed it on his chest instead. "You will need it later."

She blushed furiously. "You won't ever stop being a pervert, will you?" 

___

Meanwhile, in the living room. 

Ji Meiling took her tea silently as she suppressed her emotions. In the end, she shot a glare at her husband. "What the hell is wrong with you! Xiehan loves this girl very much and she is very obedient and kind. Yet, instead of trying to help her feel comfortable, you are targeting her?!" 

"Why are you speaking up for outsiders instead of your own daughter? Do you know what she has been through?" He glared at her. 

Xiaoshi couldn't watch it anymore. "Dad, I'm really okay now. Besides, it's no one's fault and…" 

"You shut up. Don't think I don't know that you tried to have your memory erased!" He bellowed. 

Ji Meiling was just about to scold her husband when she heard his words. She was stunned. "She did what?" 

She looked at her daughter in disbelief. "Shishi, is this true?" 

Since it had already been found out, Xiaoshi couldn't try to hide it anymore. She sighed. "Yes mom. But, I was just silly for a while and wanted to forget everything. However, I have given up on that thought." 

Ji Meiling's eyes darkened, sadness seeping into her heart. Her baby had suffered so much. Even so, she glared at her husband. "Shishi is our daughter and we want her to have everything she wants. However, that does not excuse your behaviour towards Lanni. After all, neither Lanni nor Luna broke up an existing relationship. It was all our daughter's one-sided feelings." 

The man was furious. "How can you say such heartless things? What kind of mother are you?!" 

"One who will tell her daughter the truth no matter what. Although I want her to be happy, I don't want her to ruin her life by spending all of it chasing after things that will never belong to her. Besides, so what if you break Jiang Xingyu and Lanni's sister apart? If he didn't like Shishi in the past, will he notice her now? 

He won't! You will only cause misunderstandings between Lanni and Xiehan while at it." 

"Insolence!" Uncle Yun exploded. 

Xiaoshi bit her lip tightly. She already knew. She knew that Xingyu would never like her. But hearing it from her mother, it still hurt so much that she almost couldn't breathe. However, she knew that although her mother's words were cruel, they were true. She patted her father's arm. "Daddy, mom is right." 

Uncle Yun's heart softened when he saw how ad his daughter looked. "My poor baby. You have suffered so much." Don't worry, daddy will make things right for you. 

… 

The following day, in Xiaoshi's apartment. When she woke up, she was conflicted. Should she make lunch for the doctor or not? 

It wasn't that she was afraid he would go hungry if she didn't—after all, he had not been starving before she started making him bentos. However, she was worried that if her father found out that he was the doctor she had asked to erase her memory, trouble might erupt. She didn't want to do anything that would cause trouble to the handsome doctor. Hence, she gave up on the thought and went to work. 

The result was her being unable to concent rate on her work and thinking about him all morning.