Chapter 142: Coming to Discuss Marriage

Xia Xi took off her sweater, skirt, and underwear, stood under the shower, hot water poured down, splashing on her skin; her excited brain gradually calmed, and her bodily fatigue multiplied, she closed her eyes and washed haphazardly.

The phone sat in the wall-mounted waterproof box; Xu Yanfeng was speechless for a moment, then said to her, "I'm hanging up."

Xia Xi opened her eyes, wiped water from her face, and said, "Don't go, I still have something to say."

Xu Yanfeng deliberately ignored the suggestive sound of water: "What?"

"Did you take good care of the flowers I sent you?" Xia Xi asked.

At that moment, Xu Yanfeng leaned against the headboard in a bathrobe; the room's furnishings were all in black, white, and gray cool tones, except for the bouquet on the table, which was a striking presence hard to ignore.

If someone entered his room at that moment, the first thing they'd notice would surely be that bouquet, nothing else.

As Xia Xi spoke, Xu Yanfeng glanced at the roses on the table and said the opposite: "No, I left them at the club."

Xia Xi was so angry that even her drowsiness fled; she turned off the shower and yelled into the phone, "I went to several flower shops to buy those, how could you leave them at the club?! The New Year gift I gave you, you just tossed it?! Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Xu Yanfeng said nothing.

Xia Xi let out an "oh," instantly composed, accepting the reality: "You have no conscience, so of course it doesn't hurt."

"It's getting late, go to sleep." Xu Yanfeng said.

Xia Xi took off the towel, dried herself, put on a long-sleeve pajama, took her phone from the waterproof box, and asked, "Did you forget something?"

"What?"

"I wished you a happy New Year." Xia Xi always spoke bluntly, disliking beating around the bush: "Don't you know the principle of reciprocity?"

Xu Yanfeng understood, the words rose to his lips, but suddenly he found them hard to say; even though it was just the ordinary four words, he pondered for a few seconds, cleared his throat, and said, "Happy New Year."

Xia Xi held the phone, leaned sideways against the tiled wall, and laughed like a lovestruck fool.

It was rare for Xu Yanfeng to say "Happy New Year" to her—what's the difference between that and saying "I love you"?

Xia Xi brought the phone to her lips and said slowly, word by word, "Xu Yanfeng, I love you too."

Her voice seemed magical, able to pierce the current and strike straight at the heart. Xu Yanfeng was the one she struck; even the simplest breath stopped, his whole body froze, the surroundings fell silent, only his heartbeat sounded, growing louder.

Xia Xi must be casting a spell, he thought.

After a while, Xia Xi heard no reply from him, curled the corner of her mouth, and said, "Good night."

For the first time, she actively hung up Xu Yanfeng's phone, pressed it to her chest, feeling completely satisfied and overjoyed.

Xia Xi didn't know that Xu Yanfeng, far away in Nancheng, took a long time to put down his phone, his body sinking into the soft mattress, yet he couldn't sleep; he closed his eyes, and her words "I love you too" echoed over and over in his ears.

Even if he fell asleep and entered dreamland, it was still all her.

In the dream, the scene was enchanting—a bathroom filled with mist, shower water pattering down; this time he not only heard the sound but also clearly saw her body, pure and flawless.

He didn't know how he approached her; it seemed instinctive—kissing, embracing, entwining with her, such intimacy being something he would never think of while awake, yet he experienced it fully in the dream.

The feeling was too real, making it hard to tell dream from reality; he was intoxicated, unable to extricate himself…

Xu Yanfeng suddenly opened his eyes; a single layer of curtain let daylight in, indicating it was already morning of the next day.

He closed his eyes again, arm resting on his eyelids, the dream scenes replayed clearly in his mind; he felt like he was going mad, threw off the covers, sat up, grabbed a set of clean clothes, and went to the bathroom to shower.

When he went downstairs for breakfast, Xu Yanfeng's hair tips were still damp, a fresh shower gel scent clung to him; his mother Zhong Yinghong walked past him and said, "Why are you showering so early in the morning? Watch out for catching a cold."

Xu Yanfeng gave a vague response, pulled out a chair, sat down, and spaced out.

Zhong Yinghong sat opposite him, rolled up her sleeves, every move graceful; her slender fingers pinched a spoon, she took a sip of porridge, seeing her son absent-minded, she found it odd, slightly lowered her head, examined his face, and gently asked, "Something on your mind?"

Xu Yanfeng lifted his gaze, gave a faint smile: "No."

He just… had a slight headache.

Xia Xi was dragged out of bed by her sister Xia Xuan, much like the scene yesterday morning.

"If you weren't my sister, I'd beat you up." Xia Xi got out of bed slowly to wash up, "Being called up like this every day, who can stand it?"

Xia Xuan clung to her like a bug: "If you don't go downstairs, Mom will beat you. I'm doing this out of kindness to save you, yet you don't appreciate it."

"When has Mom ever used force?" Xia Xi wiped her face with a towel, made eye contact with Xia Xuan in the mirror, "Stop scaring people."

Xia Xuan giggled: "Today's different; relatives will come over to pay New Year calls. If you hide in your room sleeping in, just see if Mom will beat you."

Xia Xi: "Thanks, I guess."

The sisters went downstairs together; breakfast was set on the table, the others had already started eating, not waiting for them.

Xia Xi played the honest type, sat down silently to eat; after the meal she voluntarily cleared the bowls and chopsticks, took them to the kitchen to wash. Xia Xuan came over to help, but she refused and did it all herself.

After a brief rest, the younger generation went to kowtow and pay New Year respects to their grandmother, who gave them red envelopes.

Not long after, someone arrived to pay New Year calls; the living room buzzed with adult chatter and children's play. The family's true relatives were few; most of the visitors were same-surname clansmen.

Although Xia Xi was outgoing, she had little to say to them; in such gatherings she appeared quiet, sitting in a corner of the sofa playing on her phone, not expecting that the group, chatting away, would bring up her name.

They wanted to set her up on a date.

Xia Xi was utterly speechless, gave a superficial smile, and behind their backs looked for someone to vent to.

"I'm only twenty, my twenty-first birthday hasn't even come yet, and someone actually shows up at the door asking me to go on a blind date—you call that reasonable?! If my mom dared to agree, I'd pack up and run away from home right now!"

The person who said one thing but meant another: "... Don't be impulsive, speak properly."

Xia Xi's eyelashes twitched; she could hardly believe it, took a closer look, and indeed it was Xu Yanfeng.

She had meant to send it to the three-person group, but in a moment of confusion she didn't see clearly and mistakenly sent it to Xu Yanfeng; to her surprise, he actually replied.

Beside her, the annoying relative's voice droned on: "Twenty isn't young; you can get a marriage license. I know Xi Xi hasn't graduated yet, but we can start dating. Once she graduates, our feelings will be stable, we'll get the license and marry, it won't delay anything. Let me tell you, my maternal sister's nephew is truly outstanding—nearly 1.8 meters tall, though he's from a second-tier college, his job is good. Nowadays, studying isn't just to make money? I guarantee you, if Xi Xi marries him, she won't lose out."

Xia Xi has outstanding looks, a well-off family, an open personality, attends a prestigious university—excellent in every way; relatives have long inquired about her, but because she was young they hadn't spoken outright. Now the year is over; counting by lunar age, she is twenty-one or twenty-two, old enough to discuss marriage.

As the saying goes, a daughter from one family is sought by a hundred; especially for someone like Xia Xi. If not settled early, she might be snatched away by another family.

One person started, and the other relatives became even more enthusiastic, talking all at once; the living room instantly turned into a market.

"Don't rush, listen to this one—he's my cousin's son, handsome and talented, works at a state-owned enterprise, and is the best match for Xi Xi."

"I've brought the photos; Jinru, you take a look first."

"Jinru, if you nod, I'll have that young man come over tomorrow to meet Xi Xi. Photos don't show much nowadays; many people use beauty filters, so seeing the real person is more reliable."

"If you say that, I'll also have that young man come over tomorrow."

Xia Xi felt her head swelling, so she simply went along with it and started chatting with Xu Yanfeng: "I'm not impulsive; I'm now being surrounded by seven great aunts and eight great uncles."

Xu Yanfeng had never encountered such a situation, finding it hard to give her good advice.

Xia Xi had a mischievous thought, lowered her head and smiled: "According to them, tomorrow I might have to go on blind dates with four or five guys. I'm so pitiful, can't you kindly help me?"

Xu Yanfeng didn't understand, asked her to clarify: "How should I save you?"

WeiaiXYF: "Stupid, do I need to teach you this? Obviously you agree to be my boyfriend! Then I can openly tell them I have a boyfriend—whether it's Zhang San or Li Si, I don't care. If they don't believe me, I'll show your photo; you're a hundred times better than those guys, they'll naturally be convinced and won't set me up again."

WeiaiXYF: "Will you do it, senior~"