Ye Yuning’s scar on her knee had already scabbed over, and the pain wasn’t as noticeable. Tang Xi rarely had a day off. So, when she heard Ye Yuning mention wanting to buy a gift for her future father-in-law, she insisted on accompanying her, despite Ye Yuning’s objections. When Ye Yuning saw Tang Xi, she found her fully kitted out. "Are you comfortable in that?" Ye Yuning felt hot just looking at the head-to-toe ensemble. Tang Xi put on her sunglasses. "This makes you feel at ease, right?" "You don’t need to go to such extremes." "Oh, it’s nothing for me to sacrifice a bit if it helps you successfully assess your husband’s true nature." Ye Yuning was speechless. Xiao Linye’s true nature, huh? Thinking of Xiao Linye’s behavior in front of the office building after work yesterday, the brightly shining words for ’Gentle and Refined Scholar’ appeared in her mind, though her cynical side quickly re-captioned it ’Cultured Scoundrel.’ It wasn’t nice to think of her husband , but when he’d been so earnest while saying those things yesterday, she had almost been unable to resist. "What’s wrong?" Seeing Ye Yuning silent, Tang Xi became anxious. It couldn’t be that in such a short time, his true nature as a phoenix man was showing, could it? She’d always said that poor men couldn’t possess such good character. In many cases, human nature simply couldn’t withstand any real test. Ye Yuning asked, "Do you think a man who is very serious would speak sweet nothings?" "Sweet nothings? Your husband said them to you?" Did what happened yesterday count? Ye Yuning wasn’t so sure. But she was usually the straightforward one with others. Yesterday, when Xiao Linye had suddenly been so direct with her, she’d almost lost her composure. What did ’it’s okay when no one is around’ even mean? He’d said it with such a serious face. Could he possibly be unaware of the implicit meaning of that phrase? Anyone who could say something like that had to know what it implied! Tang Xi, seeing her silent again, quickly pinched her. "You’d better wake up! Phoenix men are best at deceiving people with their gentle exteriors. You absolutely must keep your guard up at this stage!" "Is that how you were deceived by Jiang Bo?" "Don’t bring him up; we’re talking about you," Tang Xi huffed. The mere mention of Jiang Bo made her stomach churn with anger; she’d lost so much money because of that jerk. Although she had recouped a fair amount by now. But it was like throwing delicious meat buns at a dog—a surefire way to feel the sting of loss. Ye Yuning said, "He wasn’t like that before, but these past two days, it seems like he’s been a bit like that." "A bit of what?" Tang Xi’s tone tightened instantly. She was truly afraid this girl would end up like her. Ye Yuning ventured, "Deliberately trying to close the distance between us?" It seemed to be the case, right? Tang Xi said, "In any case, you need to stay clear-headed. You can’t truly see a man’s character clearly without at least a year or a year and a half." Previously, Jiang Bo had won her over in just over a month. The series of events that followed had made her understand clearly: if you don’t see through a man’s true nature, you’re bound for suffering later on. "Speaking of which, his father doesn’t like you. Did his family come to Upper City after Xiao Linye’s father left?" "No," Ye Yuning shook her head. Ever since Xiao Linye’s father left, his family seemed to have vanished without a trace. This made Tang Xi even more displeased. "It seems they really don’t approve of you as their daughter-in-law. You’d better be extra cautious. Buying gifts this time is also a way to test their attitude." "If they give you a gift in return, it means they aren’t so opposed to you and that man of yours. If they don’t give you a gift in return, you should be wary," Tang Xi explained. When it came to these social niceties, she was undoubtedly more knowledgeable than Ye Yuning. Hearing this, Ye Yuning had a clearer idea and nodded. "I understand." The two started shopping. It was originally just about buying something for Xiao Linye’s father, but on Tang Xi’s suggestion, they also bought something for his mother. They even bought gifts for his siblings. Since they didn’t know exactly how many there were, they bought some extras. Afterward, Ye Yuning looked at the trunk of her car, her mouth twitching. "Doesn’t this seem a bit like trying to ingratiate myself?" Tang Xi said, "This is testing." What started as an apology to Xiao Linye’s father turned into a test for his entire family. After all, his father had visited the other day, so his family must surely know he had a wife. Seeing her bewildered look, Tang Xi felt a headache coming on. "With this carefree attitude of yours, how are you going to avoid being taken advantage of in the future?" "Sorry, I don’t like being taken advantage of," Ye Yuning said without thinking. Tang Xi was speechless. Right! She had never been taken advantage of before. Hearing her say this, Tang Xi wasn’t worried about her anymore. The two hadn’t seen each other in so long, and today’s shopping had been a blast. However, as soon as Ye Yuning got into the car, she received a call from Chen Wei. On the phone, Chen Wei said, "Assistant Lai is here again." At the mention of Lai Shuo, Ye Yuning’s tone rose significantly. Glancing at the time on her wristwatch, it was nearly noon, and she had planned to have lunch with Tang Xi. Chen Wei said, "He’s been waiting for you." Ye Yuning was rendered speechless. When will this ever end?