Chapter 156: Treasure

"Let me catch my breath first." Xia Xi, gasping, slowly stepped forward, dragged out a chair and sat down, boneless, softly slumping against the backrest, hands spread and resting on her thighs.

She ran too hard, her brain a little oxygen-deprived; she recovered for a while, then upon speaking felt her mouth dry, picked up the empty cup on the table and handed it to Wu Qinglu: "Pour me a cup of water, thanks."

Wu Qinglu willingly took the cup to fetch water, placed it on the table, stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

Xia Xi felt so comfortable she narrowed her eyes.

"Feeling better? If you are, speak quickly." Wu Qinglu patted her, "I'm dying of curiosity."

She thought Xia Xi wasn't so stupid as to still be tricked even knowing Zhou Xiaoyu's plan in advance, and Zhou Xiaoyu wasn't that clever either, able to lure Xia Xi to the poolside.

What on earth is going on?

Xia Xi took a few sips of water to moisten her dry throat: "I deliberately fell into the pool, and as you saw, Xu Yanfeng jumped in, hugged me out, and draped a bath towel over me. What you didn't see was him leading me upstairs, taking a comfortable bath in his room, putting on his clothes, while he had the chef brew ginger tea for me and asked the housekeeper to dry my clothes."

Recalling these details, Xia Xi had to overturn her earlier belief that tonight was an ordinary night; tonight was anything but ordinary, practically brimming with dreaminess and sweetness.

She now feels it's hardly real.

Xia Xi cradled the cup, her whole face filled with a smile.

Wu Qinglu understood: "You're turning the tables on them?"

Xia Xi nodded.

Wu Qinglu: "You still have one question unanswered."

Unable to answer that remaining question while sitting calmly in the chair, Xia Xi solemnly set down her cup, shifted slightly to stand, cleared her throat, like a leader announcing an important matter.

"Friends, congratulate me—I've caught Xu Yanfeng!" After saying that, she herself went wild with joy, stomping her feet repeatedly in place.

Zhao Lei, on her sickbed, bolted upright, clutching the bed's rail and peering out: "Really?!"

Wang Qiuyu deliberately opened her phone to check the date; today is March 28, just a few days from April Fools' Day: "Quick! Lay out the details! How did he just agree?!"

Zhao Lei immediately let her imagination run wild: "As mentioned earlier, Xi Xi fell into the water, Xu Yanfeng jumped in to save her, both soaked and clinging, Xu Yanfeng's heart fluttered, and he couldn't hold back……"

"Stop!" Xia Xi jumped up to stop her from continuing, "Xu Yanfeng isn't that shallow. If he were someone who could be tempted just by looks, I would have seduced him eight hundred times already."

"That's true too."

"He already liked me, just never admitted it; I happened to ask him again today, he might have felt the timing was right? So he agreed."

Overwhelmed with excitement, Xia Xi's mind was a bit muddled; before Xu Yanfeng agreed, he seemed to have asked her something like "eternal loyalty," a strange question, she gave an affirmative answer without thinking, and then he relented.

This year's birthday wish has come true.

"Xia Xi, you're really awesome! You're my idol! If you can snag Xu Yanfeng, what can't you do!" Zhao Lei, after taking painkillers, her stomach no longer hurt, she shouted excitedly from the bed.

Xia Xi looked at her, then suddenly exclaimed "Ah": "I forgot to bring you the clay pot soup!"

On the way back, she only looked at Xu Yanfeng, her thoughts all about him, and indeed she tossed aside Zhao Lei's parting instruction.

Wu Qinglu weakly raised her hand: "I forgot too."

Zhao Lei didn't mind: "No problem, the cafeteria hasn't closed yet; I'll grab something later."

"That won't do, you need to eat something good to make up for your period, can't just grab anything." Xia Xi immediately thought of a way to make up: "It's not too late, I'll go buy it for you, just a few steps away, it'll be quick."

Zhao Lei hastily waved her hand: "Really, no need."

Wu Qinglu: "Lie down, I'll accompany her."

Xia Xi quickly took off her dress, put on thick clothing, grabbed her phone, and left with Wu Qinglu.

Zhao Lei reluctantly lay back down.

Reaching the dormitory building's entrance, Xia Xi walked while looking at her phone; Wu Qinglu first noticed the Mercedes parked outside the fence gate and tugged Xia Xi: "Isn't that Xu Yanfeng's car? Why hasn't he left yet?"

Xia Xi looked up, her steps halted—it really was his car.

How long has it been?

Just as Xia Xi was about to approach, she suddenly thought of the earlier stolen kiss, became hesitant, unsure whether to go forward and ask a question or pretend not to see and walk away. After wavering for several seconds, she ultimately chose the former.

"I'll go ask him." Xia Xi said.

Wu Qinglu nodded, standing under a roadside tree waiting for her.

With one hand behind her back, Xia Xi gently tapped the car window twice, restrained. Immediately the window lowered, revealing Xu Yanfeng's handsome face; Xia Xi's expression was a bit unnatural, but she tried to stay calm: "Why are you still here?"

Xu Yanfeng looked at her feigned seriousness, found it a bit amusing, and curled the corner of his mouth—earlier when she came back to launch a surprise attack, she hadn't been so proper.

Under his piercing gaze, Xia Xi felt a flush of heat across her face; her feigned composure burned away, somewhat annoyed: "If you won't speak, I'm leaving."

"I took a call, got delayed a bit." Xu Yanfeng lied without blushing or racing heart, refusing to admit that her not-quite-a-kiss had distracted his thoughts, leaving him unable to drive for a while; he then asked her, "Why did you come down again?"

"My roommate isn't feeling well, I went out to buy her food."

Xu Yanfeng tilted his head, pointed to the passenger seat: "Get in, I'll give you a ride."

If it were only Xia Xi herself, she would have hopped in without hesitation, but she suppressed that urge, pointing to Wu Qinglu waiting not far away: "I came out with Lu Lu, it's not far either, just across the school, no need for a car. You should head home early."

Xu Yanfeng raised the car window.

Xia Xi: "……"

The Mercedes drove past her, heading toward the school gate, kicking up dust.

Xia Xi brushed her hair, walked back to Wu Qinglu: "Let's go."

Wu Qinglu spoke: "Did you ask? What is the senior doing there?"

Xia Xi: "On the phone with someone."

Wu Qinglu: "Oh."

The two walked out of the school gate, yet saw the Mercedes that should have disappeared parked in the spot by the tree on the right side of the gate, its window half-lowered, revealing half of Xu Yanfeng's handsome profile.

Xia Xi crossed the road to a small shop opposite, ordered a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup, and requested it to be packed to go.

The shop owner nimbly picked up a damp towel, draped it over the clay pot's handle, ladled the simmered soup into a takeout box, put on the lid, sealed it with plastic wrap, poked a few air holes with a toothpick, slipped it into a plastic bag, and handed it out the window.

During that time, Xia Xi repeatedly turned her head to look outside; Xu Yanfeng's car remained parked there, unclear what he was doing.

Only when she lifted the bag and left the shop, heading toward the school, did the car's headlights come back on, it began to move, slowly merging into traffic.

Xia Xi seemed to somewhat understand his intention.

Wu Qinglu also guessed it, and spoke Xia Xi's unvoiced feelings: "Senior is worried about your safety. He deliberately stopped there, watching you enter the shop, then watching you return to school, before he felt relieved to leave."

Although that shop is only a road away from the school gate, who knows if a hooligan who failed at picking someone up and then got grabby might suddenly rush out, just like that red-haired guy we met at the barbecue restaurant last time.

Xia Xi tried to keep her lips pursed, but the corners of her mouth kept turning up; Xu Yanfeng is the type who likes to say nothing, making you guess, speculate, read his expressions, and constantly worry about him with your whole heart.

"Help me hold this."

Xia Xi handed the takeout soup to Wu Qinglu, freed her hand to hold her phone and type a message, then sent it to Xu Yanfeng.

WeiaiXYF: "Baby, stay safe on the road, call me when you get home."

When the phone chimed with a message notification, Xu Yanfeng had just stopped his car at a red-light intersection, casually picked up the phone from the center console, cleared the characters on the screen, and his brow twitched sharply.

What did she call him???