Chapter 3 Casting Pearls Before Swine

• Bai Yu had had his neck cranked as he watched the numbers on the elevator’s display panel change. He twisted his head towards me abruptly when he heard my question.
• “What?”
• “You were on top, so you should be the top. But Xi Qingchuan doesn’t seem like the sort who’s a bottom,” I muttered to myself.
• His face was as red as Chinese rock star Cui Jian’s infamous blindfold. I couldn’t see beyond the red. It colored my sight and my world.
• He licked his lips, his breath stuttering as if he were breathless.
• “Miss Xiao, it’s not what you think it is…”
• “Stop right there. That’s not what I’m trying to say,” I explained hastily. “I don’t care what’s going on between you and Xi Qingchuan. Besides, my relationship with Xi Qingchuan isn’t what you imagine it to be. You don’t have to worry at all. I was just curious.”
• “Miss Xiao…” His cheeks were flushed, and his ears had turned red.
• He looked like a ripened tomato. Fine, I’ll stop asking questions then.
• The elevator doors opened. Bai Yu slipped out immediately, looking as if he had just escaped death.
• The way he was walking looked rather odd though. It looked as if he was hurting.
• An idea popped into my head as we approached the ward. Did some strenuous activity they had engaged in lead to discomfort in some part of his body? I jogged over, then poked the small of his back with my finger.
• He turned around.
• “Miss Xiao.”
• I pulled out a tube of Vaseline from my purse and handed it over to him. He took it unthinkingly, then gave me a look of confusion.
• “This is…”
• “It’s really effective. Abrasions, cuts, even minor tears in the anus,” I whispered,” it’ll work on them all. Just apply it a few times a day. You’ll recover in no time.”
• Bai Yu gripped the tube of Vaseline in his hand tightly. He seemed to be at a loss. It was then that Xi Qingchuan appeared at the entrance of the ward, shouting loudly.
• “Xiao Sheng, what the hell are you doing?”
• I shuddered frightfully, then hastily waved goodbye to Bai Yu.
• “Remember to use it!”
• Xi Qingchuan was frowning as I ran over. He glared at me.
• “What did you give Bai Yu?”
• “Vaseline.”
• “What’s that?”
• “It’s a moisturizer. You can use it as a lubricant as well, when the situation calls for it.” I couldn’t be more earnest. The look on Xi Qingchuan’s face was so thunderous, you’d think a storm was around the corner.
• “Do you think this is funny? Xiao Sheng? You think you have something on me now?”
• “I wouldn’t dare.” I raised my hands in surrender immediately. I looked into the ward. Granny was resting in a separate room inside while people crowded outside the room.
• They were all from the Xi family. Xi Qingchuan’s brothers and sisters, their wives and husbands, the entire gang filling up the entire private ward.
• He gripped my wrist tightly and led me through the crowd. His eldest and second eldest brothers greeted him. He appeared not to have noticed them.
• This was the kind of man Xi Qingchuan was, with an arrogance that distanced him from his very own brothers.
• He pulled me to Granny’s bedside. She had a blood clot. It wasn’t anything serious. But recently, she had given into her cravings and secretly eaten more slices of shortcake than she was allowed. That had led to sudden light-headedness, which had been why we had sent her to the hospital.
• She looked fine now. She began dabbing at her tears when she saw Xi Qingchuan.
• “My darling grandson, why didn’t you come sooner? A moment later, and you would’ve missed me.”
• “Granny,” Xi Qingchuan said in a rare, gentle tone as he sat down by her bedside, “that’s complete nonsense. You just need to watch your diet in the future, and you’ll live to two hundred years old!”
• “Won’t that make me a demon? Besides, where’s the fun in living if you only get to eat the boring stuff?”
• Granny held onto Xi Qingchuan’s hand. Her eyes suddenly turned towards me.
• “Hm? My dear Sheng Sheng wasn’t wearing this dress when you left! Why did you change out of your clothes?”
• “Erm.” I didn’t expect Granny to be so observant. I was at a sudden loss for words, unsure of how to explain myself.
• Her eyes suddenly widened. She smacked her thigh loudly, as if a revelation had just dawned upon her, and then laughed cheerfully.
• “I know, I know. It’s alright to be late because of that.”
• Blood rushed to my face then.
• Granny continued teasing us while assuring us that she didn’t mind at all. Xi Qingchuan appeared visibly relieved.
• He might have many flaws, but he was at least filial. He was Granny’s favorite amongst all her grandchildren.
• The butler brought Granny’s dinner over. Plain porridge and pickled cucumber. Granny glanced at her dinner briefly, then turned her head to one side.
• “Take this garbage away and throw it to the pigs. I’m not eating this.”
• “Granny.” Xi Qingchuan’s eldest sister-in-law pushed her way through the crowd and took the thermos from the butler. “The doctor said that you almost fainted because you’ve been eating food that’s too greasy. You’ll have to keep to a healthier diet for the time being.”
• “You’re the one filled with grease. My blood pressure skyrockets at the sight of you,” Granny said, waving her arms around wildly. “Get away from me.”
• Out of all her daughters-in-law, Granny disliked my eldest sister-in-law the most. My eldest sister-in-law wasn’t very tactful. No one would enjoy listening to her when she put things across in such a manner.
• Xi Qingchuan took the thermos and shoved it into my hands.
• “Deal with this. I’ll wait for you outside.”
• As if I had a way with Granny.
• Granny was the nicest person to me in the family since I had married into the Xi family though. Her love for her favorite grandson must have spilled over to his wife.
• Xi Qingchuan left the room. Gradually, the rest followed as well.
• I twisted open the thermos and poured the porridge out. Granny’s face was dark as a thunderstorm.
• “Get someone who likes this stuff to eat it. I’m not going to eat it.”
• I held the porridge as I sat in front of Granny. Then, I scooped a spoonful up.
• “Grandmother, do you wish to see me go?”
• “What do you mean by that?” The old lady gave me a side glance. Every time she did that, one of her eyebrows would naturally twitch upwards. It was fascinating.
• “Xi Qingchuan doesn’t like me. There’s no way you don’t know that. Now he’s given me this difficult task. If you don’t help me, he’ll definitely use this as an excuse to kick me out of the family. Granny, you won’t have anyone to play with you anymore after that.”
• Granny stared at me like an owl, one eye narrowed and smaller than the other. She was probably weighing the pros and cons.
• She thought for a long while, before she finally pouted and spoke.
• “Fine, fine. It’s my fault for liking you. I’ll eat it.”
• “Awesome!” I cheered as I handed the bowl of porridge over. “Granny, I’ll sneak some meat floss in tomorrow for you. It’ll make the porridge taste better.”
• “You promise?” The old lady’s eyes burned when she heard the mention of meat.
• I had some experience with old folks. I had one in my family as well. My father’s father. He disliked everyone else in the family, but he quite liked me.
• The old lady was nearly done with her porridge. I picked up the thermos and came out from the ward.
• Xi Qingchuan’s voice suddenly rang out beside me.
• “Xiao Sheng.”
• He startled me. I froze, then turned around.
• “You nearly scared me to death.”
• “Did Granny eat her porridge?”
• “She almost emptied the entire thing,” I said, lifting the thermos up.
• His eyebrows rose.
• “I know you could deal with it.”
• I took that as a compliment. I continued down the corridor with the thermos in my hand.
• He threw something at me suddenly. I caught it without thinking. It was my tube of Vaseline.
• “What are you trying to tell me?”
• He brushed my shoulder as he walked past me, ignoring my question. I chased after him.
• “Does this mean you’re the bottom?”
• He stood at the lobby, waiting for the elevator. I thought for some time and finally decided to shove the Vaseline back into his hands.
• “There, you need this more than I do. It really works, I swear.”
• “Xiao Sheng!” He flung the Vaseline into the bin. A perfect shot. Then, he entered the elevator.
• Every time I tried to be helpful, I ended up casting pearls before swine.