Chapter 162: I Just Can't Stand Her Face

Xu Yanfeng hadn't answered yet, but Xia Xi first denied her own words: "That shouldn't be. Even if you didn't tell him, Fu Li is from Nan Da; everyone at the school should know—didn't Fu Li tell him?"

Xu Yanfeng indeed hadn't specially told his few childhood friends; he wasn't the type to broadcast his private affairs everywhere, but he wouldn't deliberately conceal them either—given time, they'd figure it out on their own.

For example, today he brought Xia Xi over and didn't keep distance from her; he held her hand, and his few childhood friends, as long as they weren't blind, could immediately see the clue.

Xu Yanfeng pondered a moment and formed a guess: "Fu Li knows; he even came to me to confirm. But he's tight-lipped, rarely gossips with people, so I doubt he told anyone."

Xia Xi nodded, understanding.

Under the outdoor parasol, Ling Yan had already risen, her complexion shifting several times, her gaze fixed straight on Xu Yanfeng and Xia Xi's clasped hands. Her two female companions were equally astonished, leaning toward Ling Yan and pulling her arm: "How could this be? When did Xu Yanfeng start dating that girl? What's he thinking—could he really have been bewitched by a fox spirit?"

They'd been friends with Ling Yan for years, knowing her feelings for Xu Yanfeng, so they naturally took her side without reservation, feeling indignant on her behalf.

"That girl is clearly a seductress; no matter how sharp Xu Yanfeng is, he probably hasn't seen those tricks before and was just momentarily deluded. Once he clears his head, he'll know who truly is his good match."

"Yan Yan, don't be upset—maybe he's just playing around; you and he are actually the best match. You're from equal families, you've grown up together since childhood—what's that girl?"

"Exactly, try to be more open-minded."

The two female companions chatted with Ling Yan, trying to console her, afraid she'd lose composure and become a laughingstock.

Ling Yan propped one hand on the nearby white folding wooden table, barely steadying herself. She drew a deep breath, but couldn't suppress the sour surge in her chest; a mist quickly filled her eyes, and the skin around them turned red.

"Don't cry." The female companion panicked, stepped in front of her, cupped her face to wipe her tears, "If people see you like this you'll lose face—you're the Ling Family Eldest Miss; how can you be weak in front of that girl? We've only just begun; I don't believe they'll really end up together—it's whoever laughs last who wins, and you haven't lost yet."

It must be said, Ling Yan's female companions are skilled at comforting; after a few sentences, Ling Yan's emotions stabilized largely, and though tears threatened, they were forced back and didn't spill.

She also cared about face and dignity, unwilling to make a mess of herself in front of Xia Xi and be looked down upon.

Ling Yan forced out a smile uglier than a cry: "I'm fine."

She simply couldn't understand why it had to be Xia Xi.

In her mind, Xia Xi's failed confession meant elimination; yet somehow, after all the twists and turns, it turned out to be her.

Last time at Xu Yanfeng's villa, she had devoted herself to finding the girl he liked, first ruling out Xia Xi—but after observing to the end, besides Xia Xi there was no second girl who made Xu Yanfeng break his pattern.

He jumped into the water to save her, took her to the private area upstairs, personally drove her over… all these signs already indicated the problem, but she covered her ears and stole the bell, unable to see reality.

Thus the scene before her caught her off guard, leaving her completely unprepared mentally.

Among those present, besides the two parties Xu Yanfeng and Xia Xi, only Fu Li knew the truth. Tang Yizhou and Luojinnan were hardly less surprised than Ling Yan, but they lacked her complex state of mind—they were merely surprised.

Tang Yizhou pointed his cue at Xu Yanfeng: "You… and her…"

Xu Yanfeng introduced openly: "Xia Xi, you know her. She's my girlfriend."

Tang Yizhou found it hard to link Xu Yanfeng with the words "my girlfriend"; such a lofty flower as him actually having a girlfriend was practically a miracle. He glanced again at Xia Xi, his eyes taking on a deeper meaning, lacking much goodwill, subjectively guessing she was scheming—otherwise it'd be impossible to win over someone as difficult as Xu Yanfeng.

"Had I known you'd bring your girlfriend, I would have brought mine too." Tang Yizhou chuckled, "You show up as a couple, making everyone else look like lonely bachelors."

Xu Yanfeng took the cue from the caddy's hand, casually swung a shot, and even without warming up he was already very accurate: "It's not too late to call someone over now."

Tang Yizhou: "Not really necessary."

Xu Yanfeng picked up another cue, weighed it in his hand, patted Xia Xi's back, and asked softly: "Shall I teach you?"

Xia Xi didn't want to disturb his mood: "You go ahead and play; I'll have you teach me later."

"Sure, call me if you need me."

Xia Xi stepped back a few steps, turned, and walked toward the parasol.

Ling Yan had already calmed her emotions, her face showing nothing unusual; she sat in a chair, her two female companions crouching left and right like guardians. Despite having met a few times, Xia Xi didn't ignore them, waved a finger, and greeted naturally: "Hi."

Ling Yan's gaze lingered on Xia Xi's jacket, she tugged at her lip as a response. Her two female companions, indignant, rolled their eyes behind Xia Xi's back and muttered: "What's with the attitude…"

Xia Xi didn't hear, pulled out a chair and sat, legs crossed, elbow on the armrest, watching Xu Yanfeng play.

The sunlight wasn't strong, blocked by thick clouds, yet his whole person seemed to sparkle. Xia Xi rested her chin on the back of her hand, watching him entranced, occasionally raising her phone to take photos.

Ling Yan's female companions couldn't stand Xia Xi's calm composure, feeling the more she acted that way the more she was showing off: "Are you Xia Xi? I recall seeing you before, also at this court, where you were a caddy. I'm curious—how did you manage to climb onto Young Master Xu?"

Xia Xi's good mood faded a little; she slowly turned her head toward the speaking girl—only a fool would miss the contempt hidden beneath her smiling eyes, not to mention her words: "What does 'climb onto' even mean?"

Ling Yan nudged her companion's arm, chiding her for speaking out of turn, then gave Xia Xi an apologetic smile and explained bluntly: "My friend is blunt-spoken, with no ill intent—don't take offense."

"Not that I mind." Xia Xi gave a light laugh, her smile not reaching her eyes: "I'm just worried about polluting the air."

"You!" The girl exclaimed, indignant, her face flushed with anger.

"Hu Xin!" Ling Yan grabbed her hard, desperately giving her a look: "Don't say more."

If a fight really broke out, there's no doubt Xu Yanfeng would side with Xia Xi. Hu Xin provoked first; as her good friend, she'd also be dragged in and scolded by Xu Yanfeng—a scene she most wanted to avoid.

So she chose to restrain Hu Xin, to keep the peace.

Different paths, no plot together—Xia Xi hadn't really wanted to befriend them either, so she naturally held back nothing, turned her gaze away, and continued watching Xu Yanfeng play.

Xu Yanfeng's gaze happened to sweep over, he waved and called: "Xia Xi, come over."

Xia Xi directly ignored those rich young ladies, stood up, and walked toward Xu Yanfeng.

As soon as she left, Ling Yan's face darkened; she glared at her friend: "Just now you were advising me, yet you're so impulsive—what are you arguing with her about? You're losing face."

The girl named Hu Xin curled the corner of her mouth: "Quite right, I shouldn't have stooped to her level. I just can't stand seeing that alluring face of hers—I acted on impulse."

Xia Xi didn't know what they were saying behind her back, nor did she want to; she stopped in front of Xu Yanfeng, hands slipped into her pockets, wearing a bright smile with no trace of worry: "What do you need?"

"Teach you to play pool—what else could I do?"

Xu Yanfeng picked a suitable cue for her, waited until she had it, then from behind took hold of her hands and gradually corrected her stance.

Feeling his breath brush past her ear, leaving a scorching warmth, Xia Xi's originally soft body gradually stiffened, her heart pounding—she hadn't expected his 'teaching you to play' to be like this. Her back pressed firmly against his solid chest, his long, strong arms enveloping her, as if embracing her, giving a unique sense of security.

Xia Xi no longer had the mind to play; all her attention was on her boyfriend. She turned her head to sneak a glance at him, the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifting—she tried not to grin too wildly, forcing it down.

Xu Yanfeng lowered his eyelids, his expression solemn, his voice stern: "Don't look at me, look at the ball, focus."

Xia Xi wanted to shout, "How could I possibly focus?! I just want to kiss him! I can't think of anything else!"

This is deadly.

If I kiss him now, will he smack me with the cue? Probably not… Or… should I try?