Chapter 157: Don't Call Me That in Public

Xia Xi had taken only two steps when Xu Yanfeng's message came back.

The person who says one thing but means another: "Change the way you address me."

Xia Xi chuckled; he really did mind that nickname, so she not only refused to change it, she doubled down: "What's wrong with calling you my treasure? You are my heart and soul, my treasure. Treasure, treasure, treasure."

The person who says one thing but means another: "Xia Xi."

Calling her name is meant as a warning, hoping she'll understand.

Xia Xi wasn't intimidated by him; if they were face‑to‑face she might have acted meek under his pressure, but online she wasn't afraid: "Fine, I'll change the nickname right now. Treasure, stay safe on the road and call me when you get home."

Xu Yanfeng stopped replying because the light turned green, the cars behind were honking, he had to put down his phone, and his usually expressionless face grew two shades annoyed.

Xia Xi considered that he was driving, so she didn't send another message to bother him.

She looked at the nickname she had set for Xu Yanfeng, found it unpleasant, and since he was no longer the "say‑one‑thing‑mean‑another" type but her boyfriend, she almost didn't think and just gave him a new note.

"Watch the road, don't play with your phone." Wu Qinglu worriedly pulled Xia Xi back; a moment later she would have tripped over the flowerbed ahead.

Xia Xi slipped her phone into her pocket, was honest for a couple of minutes, then suddenly said: "I haven't told my childhood friends yet, but I'm with Xu Yanfeng. I need to let them know."

Others don't need to be specially informed, but childhood friends must not be omitted, otherwise they'll come to settle scores and scold her for being inconsiderate, even over something like this.

Xia Xi tossed a message into the three‑person group: "Ahem, I have a couple of things to say."

Zhou Du: "?"

Liang Yuan: "Go ahead."

Xia Xi: "I've caught Xu Yanfeng."

Xia Xi: "I'm not joking, nor am I talking nonsense."

Liang Yuan: "Holy crap! You actually snagged that fairy‑like guy?"

Zhou Du: "I underestimated you."

After chatting with them a while, Xia Xi thought that since she'd told her childhood friends, it wouldn't be right to keep it from her own sister, so she called Xia Yue and, lowering her voice as if sneaking, asked: "Are you at your own place, or at our parents' house?"

"At our parents' house," Xia Yue said. "What's up?"

"Is Mom beside you?"

"No, she's watering the flowers."

"All right then." Xia Xi finally stopped lowering her voice: "I'm in a relationship! It's the Xu Yanfeng I mentioned before—I'm with him. Don't tell Mom yet; I'm afraid she'll make a fuss, call and bombard me with questions I can't handle. I'll find a time to tell her myself later."

Xia Yue congratulated her: "I keep saying my sister is so beautiful, gentle, graceful, generous, understanding, sensible, clever, and smart—no boy could dislike her."

Xia Xi felt embarrassed by the praise, covered her face, and said: "I just wanted to let you know, nothing else. Rest now, bye, talk later."

Wu Qinglu, forced to hear the whole saga of messages and calls, finally suggested to Xia Xi: "Should you let your dog know?"

Xia Xi blinked: "We don't have a dog."

After saying that, she realized Wu Qinglu's subtext, lunged over and grabbed her neck: "Nice one, you—usually you look so honest, turns out you're quite good at teasing people."

"Stop, stop, stop, I'm wrong—if we keep going the soup will spill." Wu Qinglu couldn't win, she shrank her neck away while begging for mercy.

Xia Xi let her go, hopping and skipping beside her, occasionally leaping high to slap a low‑hanging branch by the road.

Wu Qinglu could see she was really happy.

The two returned to the dorm; Zhao Lei got out of bed to eat the hard‑won lotus root and pork rib soup; Wang Qiuyu had showered, sat on her bed calling family; Wu Qinglu went to the bathroom to wash up; only Xia Xi sat in a chair, chin propped on her hand, dazed, waiting for Xu Yanfeng's call.

About twenty minutes later, the phone on the table rang; Xia Xi, not wanting to disturb the others in the dorm, took it to the balcony.

The others said they actually wouldn't mind listening.

The call connected, but no one spoke on the other end.

Xia Xi frowned at the screen—this was indeed Xu Yanfeng's WeChat, the note still the one she'd changed not long ago: "Hello? Why aren't you saying anything?"

After about ten seconds of silence, just as Xia Xi thought the network had failed, a low, calm male voice came from the other end: "I don't want to deal with you. You said you'd call when you got home."

The two sentences were unrelated, but Xia Xi understood. He had promised to call when he got home, kept his word and made this call—yet because that nickname annoyed him, he didn't want to talk to her.

Good thing she hadn't drunk water, or she would have laughed herself silly.

"Xu Yanfeng, how are you so… uh… cute." She knew saying that would probably make him angry again.

Sure enough, his tone sank a notch: "I'm hanging up."

Xi Xi had her own way of dealing with him: "On the first day of dating, you hang up on your girlfriend—do you think that's appropriate?"

She used to provoke him now and then, making him angry yet unable to stay mad; there's no reason a girlfriend should always have to be meek, and she also wanted to taste the feeling of being spoiled and arrogant.

Moreover, before she couldn't read his feelings, but now he's agreed to be her boyfriend—if it weren't because he truly likes her, what else could it be?

If you like her, you have to tolerate her.

Otherwise, what kind of liking is that?

Xu Yanfeng was stopped by her words, closed his eyes, calmed for a few seconds, and said: "Don't use that nickname; everything can be discussed."

"No, I insist on calling you that—treasure, treasure, Xu Yanfeng." Xia Xi wore a "what can you do about it" look, turned, leaned her back on the railing, propped her elbow on her hand, and said: "You don't expect me to call you Xu Er or A Feng, do you?"

She just wants to be special, to be favored, to stand out.

At the other end of the line, Xu Yanfeng pressed his temples, a little headache forming—was he the one who found a girlfriend, or had he found trouble?

Xu Yanfeng stepped back: "Don't call me that in public."

Xia Xi laughed, satisfied: "All right! Treasure, what are you doing?"

Xu Yanfeng could barely keep his mouth from twitching: "... talking to you on the phone."

Xia Xi: "Treasure, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Xu Yanfeng: "... I told you, I'm going to the company tomorrow."

Xia Xi tried not to laugh, almost hurting herself inside: "Oh."

Xia Xi didn't fall asleep until 4 a. m.; she thought that once her wish was fulfilled she'd have a peaceful, beautiful night. In fact she couldn't sleep at all, wanted to chat with someone, but since others needed rest she had to stay awake too, so she passed the insomnia by playing with her phone.

She browsed every social platform, then returned to WeChat, opened Xu Yanfeng's avatar, reviewed their past chat history, checked repeatedly that he really was her boyfriend and not just her imagination, and only then put the phone down.

After putting the phone down she still didn't fall asleep right away, her mind wandered through many future matters, her thoughts drifted, imagining how handsome Xu Yanfeng was—any future child of theirs, boy or girl, would certainly not be low‑looking…

Ah, save me, what nonsense am I thinking!

Xia Xi pulled the blanket over their head, forced themselves to fall asleep quickly, couldn't think anymore.

After falling asleep, not knowing what time it was, upon waking, it was broad daylight, they reached for their phone and saw it was almost ten o'clock; Xia Xi felt guilty about wasting time, sat up and leaned against the headboard.

The first thing was to send a message to Xu Yanfeng.

WeiaiXYF: "Are you really my boyfriend?"