Chapter 167

Zhi Xia still didn't know what was going on in An ZhiAng's mind. Seeing him holding her hand and looking around, she remembered how he had looked at her with such tender concern when she first returned, his hands covered in calluses and scars.

The difference now was that he seemed visibly satisfied, with a slight upward curve at the corner of his lips.

"Fourth brother, my hand has long since healed," Zhi Xia said. "And by the way, you're bombarding me with so many questions. Which one should I answer first?"

"Then let's go one by one, little sister. Stay here for a few more days. Fourth brother will take you out to have fun. Although the weather here is cold, there are still many interesting places to visit. Fourth brother will take you ice skating on the lake, and in a few days, there will be an ice fishing activity," An ZhiAng suggested. He thought that he could take Zhi Xia out to play while Pei Jing looked after the children, which would also give him a chance to assess his brother-in-law's suitability.

When An ZhiAng found out that he had gained a younger sister, he was excited. But when he learned that he had also gained a brother-in-law, he felt a little uneasy.

Especially since he had been kept in the dark about the fact that they had already had children.

"He's a good person, and he treats me well," Zhi Xia sincerely said. "So, Fourth brother, please don't make things difficult for him. He has been an elder in front of all of you for so many years, and suddenly being demoted makes him feel uncomfortable enough. Yet, you still treat him this way."

Zhi Xia felt sorry for how Pei Jing was being put on the spot.

Moreover, it wasn't his fault to begin with; it was her own.

An ZhiAng felt even more uncomfortable. He pursed his lips and said, "They say that girls are outgoing, but I only took advantage of him with a few words. Yet, he took away my precious younger sister. You feel sorry for him, but what about me? Why don't you feel sorry for your Fourth brother?"

"Of course, I feel sorry for you. I love you the most, Fourth brother," Zhi Xia hurriedly replied.

Although An ZhiAng's questions were difficult, Zhi Xia didn't mind at all. He cared for her, and that's why he worried that she might feel wronged and started nitpicking.

"Besides, it's not his fault to begin with. If we had to find someone to blame for this marriage, it would be my fault. But it's because he considered my reputation as a girl that he willingly took responsibility in front of our elders," Zhi Xia explained to someone else for the first time. Because An ZhiAng was the person she felt closest to in her life, a closeness that even Pei Jing, the father of her own children, couldn't compare to.

During those years when she was a wandering spirit, he had been her pillar of support.

An ZhiAng made her realize that there were people in this world who cared about her, loved her, and even complained because of it. He hadn't realized this fact sooner and brought her home.

But precisely because of that, Zhi Xia had a misconception.

She thought that the people in the An family would all like her because she was their biological relative, and they were simply unaware of her existence, deceived by others.

So, when she was reborn, her only thought was to go home and expose everything.

Clearly, her understanding was wrong.

Even if she was their biological relative, not everyone would like her. In fact, they might think that it was her presence that disrupted their peaceful family life.

After all, all the tragedies and pain in the past life were experienced by oneself alone. In their world, An Meiyun was their obedient daughter, and even if she occasionally made mistakes, they could forgive her.

Zhi Xia sometimes wondered why An Meiyun felt that her life was happy in the previous life, when neither of them had been reborn.

The attitude of An Meixia's parents made it clear to her that An Meiyun definitely held a more important position in their hearts, compared to herself.

Later, it was certain that An Meiyun's miserable death went unnoticed because she had done unforgivable things repeatedly, depleting all the affection.

The marriage between An Meixia and Pei Jing was arranged by their parents. They had been married for many years and had only one child, which was obviously abnormal given that there were no issues with their health and they hadn't been subjected to forced family planning.

However, Pei Jing later had multiple affairs and became even more unscrupulous, leading to the long-term separation of the couple. In the later stages, An Meixia took her son and went abroad until Pei Jing inherited billions of assets but was unable to match it, and An Meixia's son returned to take over the company.

Calculating it all, both An Meixia and An Meiyun were failures in that life. There was no one better than the other.

When she mentioned that An Meixia's life was fulfilled, it was probably in terms of wealth.

"Younger sister... younger sister..."

An ZhiAng looked at Zhi Xia, who seemed lost in thought, and waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Hmm?" Zhi Xia finally snapped out of it. "What did you say, Fourth Brother?"

"I didn't say anything. What Fourth Brother meant to say is that as long as he treats you well and as long as you are happy, I won't target him anymore," An ZhiAng noticed the disappointment on Zhi Xia's face and suddenly felt that it didn't matter who was right or wrong, as long as his sister was happy. "Zhi Xia, Fourth Brother will always stand behind you if you ever feel unhappy. You are not alone now."

He didn't know why he liked this younger sister so much, but he just wanted to protect her.

Third Brother said that some twins have a telepathic connection, and he didn't have that with Zhi Xia, but he still wanted to make her happy and bring her joy.

"Yes, I remember," Zhi Xia nodded firmly.

An ZhiAng brought back lunch from the cafeteria, and the three of them squeezed into a small room and enjoyed the meal.

Pei Jing could clearly feel that An ZhiAng's attitude towards him had significantly improved after they went out and came back.

Zhi Xia had brought a big package for An ZhiAng, filled with food. It contained meat sauce, dried meat, and some dried fruits.

An ZhiAng's training was intense every day, and his appetite had grown considerably. He especially loved eating meat. As for the dried fruits with their sweet and sour taste, he could eat one or two, but since his younger sister had specifically brought them for him, he decided to savor them slowly.

He couldn't recognize what kind of fruit was used to make them because they had been cut into small pieces. They looked like plums but weren't as sour and had a sweet flavor.

He particularly loved the beef jerky, and compared to last year, the taste had clearly improved a lot in his younger sister's cooking.

It was time for the two little ones to wake up. An ZhiAng complained and grumbled, calling it troublesome, yet he couldn't bear to let go. He even changed Pei ChenYe's diapers himself.

However, when it came to holding the children, An ZhiAng clearly favored Wanqing more, as if he was trying to find traces of Zhi Xia's childhood in her.

Unfortunately, mother and daughter didn't look alike. They didn't resemble each other like twins; they looked more like their father.

The three adults revolved around the two children, and time flew by quickly. When night fell, An ZhiAng was reluctant to leave, but he had to go.

Returning to the dormitory with his belongings, several people shared the same living space. There was no way to avoid others' eyes.

Helplessly, he had to take out a small portion of the items and share them with others. After all, when everyone received specialties from their families, it was the same.

Fortunately, he distributed only a small portion, so others simply found it delicious when they tasted it. But if they were to consume it regularly, they would definitely discover the health benefits that these meats and dried fruits provided. This resulted in only a rare chance to taste An ZhiAng's food. In the future, if Zhi Xia gave him anything, he would keep it securely hidden, making sure not a hint of abnormality was detected.