Chapter thirty-four

The economic situation of the Kaylee's family can only be considered as comfortable. Although Kaylee is deeply loved by her father, due to her poor physical health, her expenses have always been average.

Wang Hui married Kaylee's father, which was considered a marriage below her social status. Having lived a wealthy life before, she has developed a certain elegance.

Zoe, a girl who has been spoiled with luxury since birth, actually surpasses Kaylee in every aspect in the Kaylee's family.

Initially, Kaylee disliked Wang Hui, and later, she讨厌Zoe.

She dislikes the elegance bred by Zoe's upbringing as a rich girl and envies the good life Zoe has had in the past. Therefore, she now competes with Zoe in everything.

She is delighted to see that Zoe has no one around her, no one loves her, and no one likes her, leaving her alone.

So she tries hard to show off, just to let Zoe know that you're nothing now, you even don't have a mother anymore.

Occasionally, she would create some trouble to annoy Zoe.

Girls' vanity knows no bounds. They always want to show off the latest season's trends and popular items to each other.

Naturally, Kaylee would want to show off more when facing Zoe, even for a lipstick, which is a big deal for her now.

However, Zoe never responds to her comparisons, sometimes even ignoring them.

At this moment, Zoe suddenly replied to her WeChat message.

The photo of eight lipsticks arranged together stung Kaylee's eyes.

If she posted these eight lipsticks on her social media, some of her classmates would envy her.

Zoe actually has so many!

She clutched her phone tightly, her body trembling.

Due to excessive anger, she suddenly started coughing.

Wang Hui, who was talking to Zoe on the phone, heard it and immediately told Zoe to hang up.

She quickly ran into the room to find Kaylee, but was startled by her red-rimmed eyes.

"Are you okay, child?" Wang Hui immediately took out an asthma spray for her.

Kaylee threw away the spray and coughed continuously. She asked, "Does Zoe still have a lot of money?"

Wang Hui was stunned for a moment.

Kaylee's face hardened: "Why did your mother's money end up in Zoe's hands?"

This is Wang Hui's pain.

Wang Hui didn't speak for a long time...

Zoe was almost softened by Wang Hui's persuasion over the phone. Wang Hui had been talking kindly to her, saying that she had nothing to do after the new year and would drive over to see her, bringing her some food and necessities. She even mentioned buying clothes for Zoe, who was starting to soften her heart. However, a coughing sound brought Zoe back to reality. She knew it was Kaylee's asthma acting up again.

Without waiting for Zoe's answer, Wang Hui hung up the phone immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Zoe sat on the sofa, holding her phone tightly, feeling empty and lost.

Anytime something involves Kaylee, she would be discarded.

A candy was put in front of Zoe's lips. She looked up and saw Nick stretching his long legs lazily against the coffee table, with a candy wrapper pinched between his fingertips. "Want some?" he asked.

Holding back the tears in her eyes, Zoe opened her mouth and bit into the candy. It was too sweet, difficult to taste. However, she didn't spit it out.

After a while, Zoe noticed Nick playing on his phone and asked, "Will you be eating here tonight?"

Nick sat beside her, his hand resting on the back of her chair, appearing from afar as if he were embracing her. He smirked and replied, "I'll spend the whole day with you."

Zoe's mouth opened, but she couldn't find the words to tell him to leave. Instead, she said, "Then go downstairs and buy some soy sauce."

Nick raised his eyebrows, "You're ordering me around?"

Zoe retorted, "No soy sauce, no dinner."

Nick chuckled and leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear, "Alright, I'll go get it for you. Do you need anything else?"

Zoe's eyes flickered, and she said, "Get some beer too."

"Okay."

After listening, Nick stood up, grabbed his phone, and headed out.

Once the door closed, Zoe sat for a while, holding her legs. Her tablet had run out of battery while Nick was playing on it. She bent down, found the charging cable, and plugged it in.

Then she stood up and went to change her clothes. The ones she was wearing had a slight sweat from sleeping in the afternoon, and they smelled of cooking oil from cooking lunch.

After changing, she turned around and saw the beautiful box containing eight YSL lipsticks placed on her dressing table by Nick.

Zoe was stunned. When did he put them there?

She touched the lipsticks with her fingertips, and the smug tone of Kaylee's social media post flashed through her mind again.

Just as she was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door. Zoe snapped back to reality, pulled her clothes straight, and walked out.

Assuming it was Nick, she pulled the door open directly. Instead, Leo stood there with a bag of snacks, fruits, and a bottle of red wine, raising his hand and cheerfully saying, "Hey, Yi Yi, Happy New Year!"

Zoe replied, "Happy New Year."

"Oh, it suddenly got cold outside this afternoon, and I forgot to wear more clothes when I went out. I'm freezing."

Leo was wearing a deep gray sweater and black jeans. Without waiting for Zoe to respond, he squeezed into the house, put the items on the coffee table, and flexed his muscles.

Zoe glanced outside, noticing that Nick had not returned yet. She went back to the living room, poured Leo a cup of hot water, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Leo sat on the sofa, smiling brightly, "To spend the New Year with you."

Knowing that Zoe was alone, he had been looking for an opportunity to come over, but his family's affairs had kept him busy until today.

Zoe hesitated and said, "Thank you."

Leo took a sip of the hot water, feeling comfortable, and said, "Can I have dinner here tonight? Do I need to go buy groceries?"

Remembering Zoe's cooking skills, Leo's eyes sparkled, as if he wouldn't accept a refusal.

Zoe hesitated, then said, "No, you don't need to."

Since there was already Nick, one more person like Leo wouldn't make a difference.

Her mood was indeed not great, so she thought an extra person would add some liveliness to the evening.

"Let's open that bottle of red wine later," Leo gestured to the bottle on the table.

Zoe nodded and stood up, saying, "You can sit here, I'll go prepare in the kitchen."

"Sure."

Originally, she had only planned for two people, but now there were three. Zoe had to take out some more ingredients and then set up a hot pot, deciding to have a hot pot dinner instead.

Ten minutes later, the key turned in the lock. Nick walked in with the beer and soy sauce, his gaze immediately meeting Leo's surprised expression.

Leo was full of surprise.

After a second.

"Why are you here?" they asked simultaneously.

Nick saw the bags on the coffee table and his face darkened. He walked in, giving Leo a cold stare, bent down to put the beer in the fridge.

Leo looked at Nick's casual demeanor and felt a pang of anger rising.

"When did you arrive?" Leo asked coldly.

Nick sneered, closed the fridge door, reached down to pick up the bottle of soy sauce, and with a flick of his long fingers, the cap popped open with a bang.

Leo cursed inwardly.

It was obvious that Nick had arrived earlier! And he had even bought soy sauce.

For a moment, Leo felt a bitter taste in his heart, cursing Nick for being a sneaky wolf.

Zoe had finished washing some vegetables and heard the commotion outside. She peeked out and saw Nick holding the bottle of soy sauce, squinting at her. "Why did you let him in?"

Zoe took the bottle of soy sauce from him, feeling a bit unnerved by his gaze.

She said, "He's eating here tonight."

"Tell him to leave." Nick's face was full of anger.

Zoe glared at him, "You tell him to leave. If he does, that's your accomplishment."

After that, she closed the kitchen door and didn't look at the two of them again.

Soon, muffled arguing sounds came from outside, followed by some other noises. Zoe was afraid they would damage her furniture, so she quickly opened the door.

Nick was gripping Leo's collar, looking ready to fight.

Zoe roared, "If you want to fight, do it outside! Don't come back in after."

The two men froze for a moment.

With a bang, Zoe slammed the door closed, giving off a somewhat fierce vibe.

Nick: "..."

Leo: "..."

After a second, Leo said, "It's just dinner. Why are you being so petty?"

Nick glared at him and let go with a jerk. Leo's sweater was tugged, and he spat out a curse.

The temporary truce was established.

Although hot pot is convenient, the preparation takes quite a while. Zoe prepared the ingredients while asking Nick or Leo to go out and buy anything she needed.

After an hour or two of busy work, the soup base was already boiling, and as night fell, the house filled with the aroma of the rich broth. It was very appetizing.

The table was also laden with dishes, including fatty beef, tender beef, beef slices, bean curd sticks, meatballs, and more. Zoe also stir-fried a dish of meat to go with the beer and put it on the table.

Leo couldn't stop complimenting Zoe and swallowed saliva multiple times. Nick picked up a piece of stir-fried meat, took a bite, and licked his lips.

The tableware was set, and the three of them sat down together. Zoe looked at the hot pot and remembered that when her father was still alive, they often ate hot pot together, especially on cold winter nights. It warmed the body.

She brought out the beer and placed it on the table. Nick leaned his chin on his hand and squinted at her.

Leo, unaware of the situation, just smiled and asked, "Yi Yi, can you drink beer?"

"Yes."

Just as Zoe nodded, Nick opened a bottle and handed it to her. Then, Leo opened his own bottle. Under the steam of the soup, Zoe raised her beer bottle, "Let's clink?"

"Sure."

Leo didn't hesitate and clinked with Zoe. Nick put down his chopsticks and raised his beer bottle, and the three of them clinked their bottles together.

Then Zoe picked up some vegetables and stuffed them into her mouth, taking a gulp of beer. The sour and cold liquid went down her throat, and Zoe almost choked. She wiped her lips and took another sip.

Leo also drank heartily.

Nick swayed his beer bottle and looked across the table at Zoe. She had changed into a loose white top, wearing a camisole inside, exposing one side of her fair shoulder.

In a low voice, he asked Zoe, "Can you drink?"

Zoe squinted her eyes, feeling a slight chill on her tongue tip. She snorted and said, "You think I can't drink?"

Nick casually took a bite of food and smirked playfully, "No, no, I dare not."

Generally, people who say such things are trying to get drunk, so Nick stopped trying to persuade her. After all, he preferred to see her drunk.

Only when she's drunk would he have a chance.

Leo chuckled, "I didn't expect Yi Yi to be such a good drinker."

The use of "Yi Yi" made Nick furrow his brows.

He put a piece of garlic, Leo's most disliked ingredient, into his bowl.

Leo bit into it, almost choking.

Nick chuckled derisively.

Not long after, the soup base became cloudy, and all the ingredients were put into the pot.

The meat was almost finished, and the beer bottles were scattered everywhere. Zoe's face flushed red, feeling a bit dizzy.

With one hand supporting her chin, her eyes shimmered with a watery glow.

Leo's phone rang, and he stood up to answer it, taking the opportunity to go to the balcony to clear his head.

Nick remained calm, taking a few more sips of his beer.

Just then, Zoe stood up, staggering towards the bathroom. Nick wiped the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, just as he turned his head, he heard a noise coming from the bathroom. He furrowed his brows, put down his chopsticks, and got up to go in.

Upon entering, he saw Zoe bending over, having kicked over a bottle of shampoo. She was leaning weakly against the sink.

Nick quickly closed the door, locked it, and picked up Zoe's limp body.

Zoe turned around, with a large part of her collar falling off her shoulder, revealing her snow-white shoulder. Even her black camisole was exposed, revealing the curve of her chest...

Nick licked the corner of his lips, his eyes deep and intense. He leaned down, whispered in Zoe's ear, and pulled up the corner of his lips, revealing a mischievous smile, "Drinking so much is just asking for trouble."

As he said this, his hand slid inwards along Zoe's waist, and his tongue probed into her mouth filled with alcohol. Zoe's body softened, and her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck.

Nick's heart skipped a beat, feeling a fierce animalistic desire.

He grabbed Zoe, spun her around, and pressed her against the door, kissing her while undoing her clothes.

Outside.

Leo hung up the phone and turned back to the living room. He looked around and realized that no one was there.

He was stunned for a moment, but then noticed something amiss. There was a figure in the bathroom.

Leo's blood rushed to his head, and he ran to the bathroom door, banging on it furiously, "Nick?"

"Zoe?"

"Nick, you fucking beast! Nick!"

The only sounds coming from inside were occasional clangs and vague, muffled panting.

Leo spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Fuck you, Nick!"