The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 630 - 545: The Contradictory Man

Nan Zhan looked over, his voice cold as he said, "None of your business."

This time, it was Jian Si who was stunned. Her movement of tying on her apron halted, "What do you mean?"

She normally liked to ask him before cooking, and depending on his mood, he would request different dishes. To satisfy his often strange and unusual appetites, she had even downloaded a recipe book on her phone.

Like that snowflake mutton he mentioned last time, or the three-course duck from Saturday—both were dishes so troublesome they could make anyone want to give up in minutes.

But his sudden "None of your business" today completely baffled her. Had she offended him?

"Nan Zhan, what’s wrong with you?" Jian Si walked over, not too politely, "If you don’t want to eat, then don’t. I’ll make it for Zhengzheng."

Nan Zhan narrowed his eyes, "Did I say I wasn’t going to eat?"

"You’re really contradicting yourself. You clearly said it was none of my business?"

"What does ’none of your business’ have to do with whether I’m eating or not?" Nan Zhan tossed the real estate agent brochure onto the coffee table, "Aren’t you moving out? Then why do you care about whether or not I eat?"

Jian Si was initially taken aback, but she quickly grasped the crux of the matter. Seeing his eyes aloof, as if saying you can leave if you want, she couldn’t help but laugh.

When Nan Zhan heard the inexplicable laughter, he glanced at her sideways, "What’s so funny?"

"Laughing at you," Jian Si said, sitting down on the sofa next to him, "Are you angry?"

"Angry?" Nan Zhan showed an expression as if she was joking, "Why would I be angry?"

Jian Si pointed to the discarded property listings, "This."

"Oh, you want to find a place and move out. What do I have to be angry about? You’ve been disturbing me for so long here, I’ve been looking forward to you leaving as soon as possible." Nan Zhan huffed disdainfully, "Whenever you go, the sooner the better."

His words seemed to be hurrying her to leave, but his tone didn’t quite sound right; it sounded more like he was grumbling about her departure.

"Zhengzheng and I staying here all the time will disturb you." Jian Si tried to reason with him in a calmer tone.

"Is that so? Is that really the reason?" Nan Zhan suddenly looked over, his deep gaze like a spotlight shining directly onto the secrets at the bottom of her heart.

Jian Si believed her expression was impeccable, but in front of Nan Zhan, she still felt somewhat uncertain, even though this was as calm as she could be.

"Of course, if not that, what else could it be?"

Nan Zhan’s gaze at her gained a meaningful intensity before finally he picked up the phone.

He ordered takeout!

Was he trying to draw clear boundaries between them starting now?

Jian Si, long immune to his unpredictable moods, went to the kitchen to cook as if nothing had happened, even humming a popular song cheerfully.

Perhaps she was too comfortable, and soon after, she heard the sound of the door slamming shut. Nan Zhan had left.

Jian Si glanced at the tightly closed door, switched off the range hood, and the roaring kitchen suddenly quieted down.

Jian Si leaned on the counter with both hands, lowering her head to take a deep breath.

She felt Nan Zhan had discovered something and seemed to be taking action, so, before he could fully uncover the truth, she must leave with Zhengzheng.

In this world to her, only Zhengzheng was irreplaceable.

"Where’s big brother?" Zhengzheng came out holding a book, "I have a question to ask him."

Jian Si snapped back to reality and turned on the range hood again, "He won’t be dining at home tonight, I’ve made your favorite seafood fried rice."

"That’s awesome." Zhengzheng smiled and lifted the book in his hand, "I’ll continue reading then."

The watermelon that Jian Hedong sent a few days ago was still in the fridge. After dinner, Jian Si cut some watermelon for Zhengzheng and took it to his room, then she took two pieces back to her room to continue drawing portraits.

In these past days, she had been sketching different characters based on the testimonies of witnesses, and had already drawn nearly a hundred portraits. These portraits were sent to those witnesses, including the spicy hotpot restaurant waitress, the victim’s colleagues...

Piaopiao called after 10 PM; she had just rented a house and had already moved in.

"Sisi, I’m at the gate of your community, come down for a bit." Piaopiao’s voice was somewhat hoarse, not as lively as usual, which made Jian Si immediately put down her paintbrush, instructed Zhengzheng briefly, and hurried downstairs.

Piaopiao wore a white ankle-length dress with a clean plaid shirt, pure and innocent like the girl-next-door.

This was completely different from Piaopiao’s usual attire; there were no high heels,

In a daze, Jian Si felt as if she saw Piaopiao at thirteen, beautiful like a pink rose blooming at dawn—a testament to the boundless power of love that could transform a troubled youth overnight into an innocent sister.

Yet, pretty as Piaopiao was, her face didn’t show much happiness. Her expressions were downcast, laden with worries.

"Coming out so late at night, are you not used to living in the small house?" Jian Si approached her.

Piaopiao shook her head: "I see a barbecue stand over there; let’s go eat and talk."

The situation with Piaopiao indeed had to do with Jian Chuan. She mentioned that Jian Chuan seemed to have laid his cards on the table with Jian Hedong, but Jian Hedong was strongly opposed due to her past. Jian Chuan couldn’t persuade his father and, in a fit of pique, wanted to move out and live with her.

She was troubled. Once Jian Chuan moved out, the relationship between father and son would be even more irreparable. She didn’t want to be a woman who caused disharmony in their family.

"My brother is too hasty. My second uncle is very traditional; he was never too comfortable with you and me together," Jian Si sighed, "Moreover, you’re only trying to start off as friends with him, so you need time to adapt."

"It’s not his fault, I should blame myself." Piaopiao poured a glass of beer, "Sisi, for the first time, I feel regret. You know? I regret the foolish things I did in the past. If I had met Jian Chuan a day earlier, maybe I wouldn’t have turned out like that, and I wouldn’t be causing him so much trouble now."

After taking a sip of the drink, Piaopiao said: "That Ni Yuanchen is a real pervert. I don’t want his money or his house, and he’s still endlessly harassing me. He even threatened me today that if I don’t go back to him, he’ll ruin me. Is he insane? He’s so rich, he could find any kind of woman."

"Forget it, don’t stoop to his level. If you ignore him, he’ll naturally calm down in a few days."

"I hope so. I don’t want him to hurt Jian Chuan."

That night, Jian Si and Piaopiao chatted while eating, continuing until the food stand was closing.

"As for my second uncle, I’ll try to persuade him." Jian Si paid the bill, "I do hope to see you and my brother happy together."

Piaopiao wasn’t too drunk, but her face was a bit flushed. She stretched her arms around Jian Si and said with a smile: "I’ll try my best, and you too should be happy, with Lawyer Nan."

Jian Si pushed her away in annoyance: "What are you talking about, him and I barely even qualify as friends."

"I just feel you two are quite a match. This kind of man, you should grab hold of quickly. Trust your sister’s judgment in men, I won’t be wrong." Piaopiao waved her hand to her: "I’m off."

Jian Si watched her hail a taxi and as Piaopiao waved from the car window, she reminded, "Remember what I said, make a move soon."

"Nonsense," Jian Si muttered as the car drove away.

Later, Jian Si would often regret that if she had completed the portrait of the killer one day earlier, perhaps the tragedy that followed wouldn’t have occurred. After all, the likeness was always there in her mind, wasn’t it?

～ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Jian Si and Nan Zhan had been in a cold war recently.

He hadn’t come back since leaving that night.

Jian Si thought, this place was originally rented by him, he must have gone back to his own home.

Jian Si also didn’t understand what he was angry about; she had never been able to read that man’s mood, and simply stopped bothering about it, focusing solely on her portraits.

"Sis, did you and brother have a fight?" Zhengzheng hadn’t seen Nan Zhan for a few days, and couldn’t help but wonder.

"No," Jian Si was reviewing feedback from eyewitnesses.

"You think I’m three years old," Zhengzheng pouted.

Jian Si poked him on the forehead with her paintbrush: "Right, you’re not three, you’re seven."

"It’s normal. Fights can help stabilize a relationship."

Jian Si sighed: "You’re not allowed to watch trashy TV dramas anymore."

"Sis, don’t you miss brother?" Zhengzheng sat down on the chair to the side, "I kind of miss him."

"Won you over with one trip to the amusement park?"

"You always tell me, when someone gives you even a little kindness, you should return it like a bubbling spring."

"Indeed, he has been kind to us, but that’s different from dating, you understand?"

"I don’t understand," Zhengzheng shook his head, "Adult matters are complicated."

Jian Si patted his head and her gaze returned to the draft in front of her. Picking up the pencil, she suddenly lost the motivation to continue drawing.

～

Nan Zhan closed the file in his hand and leaned back in his chair, unable to concentrate anymore.

"Dammit." The irritated man suddenly sat upright again, grabbed the cigarette pack to his side, lit one, and glanced at his watch. It had been three days since he returned, yet that woman hadn’t given any sign at all.

"Bro, the faculty information from the Medical School for the past two years has arrived. I’m on a mission right now and don’t have time to look at it. I’ve sent it to your email," Nan Yu’s message popped up on Nan Zhan’s phone.

He opened the email and downloaded the information.

The structure of the Medical School was complex, so there had been quite a few staff coming and going in the past two years. Apart from the permanent teaching staff, many logistical employees were hired on a temporary basis, leading to instability.

Just as Nan Zhan was about to comb through the information page by page, an unexpected phone call forced him to put aside the task at hand.