Chapter 93: Just How Many Troublesome Women Has This Man Attracted?

“Brother Xi~”

When Gu Jianing saw Sheng Zexi, her eyes lit up and she called out to him. As he approached, she immediately slipped her arm through his.

“Brother Xi, you’re back so soon?”

Sheng Zexi patted her hand, his usually sharp features unconsciously softening. “I came back right after the meeting.”

“What’s going on? At this hour, aren’t you usually still asleep? Did you dress warmly?” Sheng Zexi reached out and wrapped her coat tighter around her, fastening the buttons she’d left undone.

He even smoothed out her slightly messy hair.

Hearing this, Gu Jianing got annoyed. Exactly! She had been sleeping, only to be woken up by all the noise.

She hadn’t planned to get up, but the knocking outside just wouldn’t stop, so she had no choice. She was worried it might be something urgent.

But as soon as she got to the door, she heard a young woman outside claiming to be Sheng Zexi’s sister.

Gu Jianing immediately caught on.

Last night, Sheng Zexi had mentioned that among the performing troupe visiting from the capital, his stepsister might be there.

That was the first time Sheng Zexi had ever talked to Gu Jianing about his stepmother and stepsister.

Truthfully, Sheng Zexi didn’t want to burden Gu Jianing with his family’s dirty laundry, but he was worried that if Fang Manping showed up and caused trouble, Gu Jianing might get bullied, so he gave her a heads-up.

From Sheng Zexi’s description, Gu Jianing had already gotten a sense of what his stepmother and stepsister were like.

One was all honeyed words and a snake’s heart; the other looked timid and careful, but was actually scheming and selfish.

In short, Gu Jianing had no fondness for either of them.

Now, not only was it the annoying stepsister, but she’d also woken her up early in the morning. With Gu Jianing’s temper, there was no way she’d just let it slide.

So, as soon as she opened the door, she dumped a basin of water right on her.

Now, she put on a delicate act and complained, “Brother Xi, I don’t even know who this person is. She was standing at our door, claiming to be your sister, but as far as I know, your mother only had you.”

Sheng Zexi understood Gu Jianing’s little act and played along, “My mother did only have me. But after she passed away, my father remarried, and my stepmother brought a daughter with her.”

Gu Jianing acted as if she’d heard something shocking, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes widening as she glanced at Fang Manping and gave a little snort. “So she’s just your stepmother’s daughter? No blood relation at all. How is that a sister?”

The couple’s back-and-forth completely tore off Fang Manping’s mask and trampled it underfoot. Fang Manping’s face burned with humiliation.

“What? She’s just your stepmother’s daughter? She’s not even got the same surname as Captain Sheng, so why did she tell me she’s his sister?” Zhang Shuwan felt she’d been tricked by the young woman in front of her.

She also realized why Gu Jianing had thrown water as soon as she opened the door and why she’d been so rude.

The daughter of a husband’s stepmother—why be polite!

Zhang Shuwan had seen plenty of stepmothers and stepsisters in her time.

Sure, there were some good stepmothers, but she was convinced that seventy or eighty percent of them were bad.

She’d seen too many fathers turn into “stepfathers” after remarrying, and too many stepmothers tormenting the children left behind by the first wife, all while pretending to be kind.

Especially as a woman herself, she could see right through them. But the so-called fathers of those children either couldn’t see it or chose to turn a blind eye.

If the stepmothers were bad, how could the daughters they brought along be any better?

In any case, Zhang Shuwan had no fondness for stepmothers or stepsisters.

Right now, Fang Manping’s face was burning with shame. Under Sheng Zexi’s scrutinizing gaze, she opened her mouth to explain, “Brother, I—”

But as soon as she called him “brother,” Sheng Zexi’s face darkened.

Fang Manping instantly remembered what Sheng Zexi had told her before: Don’t call him brother, or he wouldn’t be polite to her!

Seeing his expression, she quickly changed her address, “C-captain Sheng, I just heard you got married, so I came to see my sister-in-law.”

“You didn’t tell the family about your marriage. Uncle Sheng is very angry. He was planning to set you up with Li Shuyao from the Li family.”

Fang Manping’s voice was trembling, but that didn’t stop her from stirring up trouble for Gu Jianing.

Her meaning was clear: Sheng Zexi had acted first and reported later, and his father was unhappy about his marriage to Gu Jianing—he didn’t approve of her. The “real” daughter-in-law they wanted was someone else.

Sheng Zexi frowned. He hadn’t been in touch with the Sheng family in the capital for the past two months and had no idea what was going on there.

Of course, he could guess his father’s attitude.

He’d deliberately kept it from him for fear that the old man would try to interfere.

As for being angry?

Sheng Zexi sneered inwardly. If the old man got so angry he dropped dead, all the better—he could go apologize to his mother in the afterlife!

But what did any of this have to do with Li Shuyao?

A blurry face flashed through his mind. Sheng Zexi could barely remember her, just that she’d been rather annoying.

Just then, Sheng Zexi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He winced and snapped back to attention, turning to look at Gu Jianing.

He saw his little wife’s hand at his waist, her head tilted up to look at him, a faint smile on her lips.

But to Sheng Zexi, that smile looked anything but friendly.

Gu Jianing glared at him.

First Peng Wenjing had finally given up on him, and now another Li Shuyao pops up?

Just how many troublesome women has this man attracted?

Sure, she was perfectly capable of dealing with her husband’s messy admirers, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed the hassle.

Gu Jianing looked at Sheng Zexi’s striking features and tall, upright figure. Maybe, she thought, good looks really are a curse!

Seeing that Gu Jianing was a bit angry and that he’d just been pinched for no reason, Sheng Zexi’s expression grew even colder as he faced Fang Manping.

He couldn’t help but sneer, “That’s my business. What does it have to do with you?”

“Now that you’ve seen her, you can leave.”

“And from now on, whether you have business or not, don’t come to my door. Don’t go around calling yourself my sister, either. Otherwise, even if I don’t come after you, my mother might go looking for yours—since when did she ever have a daughter?”

Fang Manping hadn’t expected Sheng Zexi to show her no mercy at all. His last words made her feel a chill run down her spine, even in broad daylight.

All she could do was give Gu Jianing a long look before fleeing in embarrassment.

She couldn’t help but mutter to herself: Sheng Zexi’s mouth is so vicious, and his behavior is so harsh—how does this woman put up with him, let alone marry him?

But then she remembered the way Sheng Zexi had just fussed over Gu Jianing, gently fixing her clothes and worrying she might catch cold, and thought, maybe Sheng Zexi really has fallen for her this time.

And this woman really is beautiful—prettier than Li Shuyao, prettier than any beauty she’d ever seen. Maybe Sheng Zexi is just as shallow as everyone else, falling for a pretty face?"