Chapter 170: I can't bear to wrong him

On Wednesday, after finishing her afternoon classes, Xia Xi bid farewell to her roommate, went alone to the school gate to hail a taxi, and headed to the agreed‑upon restaurant.

Zhou Du and Liang Yuan were relatively free; they arrived early at the restaurant, opened a private room, ordered a plate of melon seeds and a snack platter. Before the main character arrived, they had already eaten their fill and were gossiping, of course about Xia Xi.

Zhou Du chewed on a dried sweet potato as hard as a shoe sole, holding his phone in one hand, watching someone's game livestream while speaking to Liang Yuan: "How do you want to test him?"

Liang Yuan rested her chin on her hand: "To be honest, I thought a lot before coming, but now that I'm actually here, I'm starting to have second thoughts. That's Xu Yanfeng—if I offend him, I can't even imagine the consequences."

Zhou Du scoffed, thinking she was hopeless: "What consequences could there be? If he were really that easy to anger, could he tolerate Xia Xi's temperament?"

"Why don't you do it then?" Liang Yuan urged.

Zhou Du didn't fall for her bait, eyes glued to his phone screen, he said: "I'm a guy."

"What's wrong with being a guy?"

"If I were to target him, and he got the wrong idea, thinking I liked Xia Xi and saw me as a rival, would you say that's interesting?"

Liang Yuan laughed, ha‑ha, and indeed that was a real possibility.

A few minutes later, a waiter led Xia Xi to the private room's door, knocked twice, made a "please" gesture, and smiled: "Miss Xia, your friends are in here."

"Thank you."

Xia Xi pushed open the door and saw the two lounging with their legs crossed, eating, drinking, and laughing. She said bluntly: "You two really know how to enjoy yourselves."

"Exactly! Besides that, we're first‑rate at enjoying life." Liang Yuan stood up, brushed off melon‑seed shells that had fallen on her, smiled at Xia Xi, and couldn't help praising: "Where did such a great beauty come from?"

Xi Xi didn't dress up specially today; she wore casually—a sky‑gray V‑neck chunky knit sweater, underneath a black camisole, the sweater's neckline revealing a hint of the camisole's edge, paired with a black A‑line skirt that fell just above the knees, dark gray short socks wrapping her slender ankles, and matte black leather shoes showing the leather to be very soft and comfortable.

Her face was truly overly pretty; with light makeup and a few touches, even ordinary clothes would have a striking effect.

Having known each other for many years, every time Xia Xi wore a new outfit Liang Yuan had never seen, she would exclaim in admiration.

The waiter asked: "How many of you would like to order now?"

Xia Xi said: "Wait a bit more; we're still waiting for one person."

"Okay."

The waiter, with his hands clasped over his abdomen, retreated from the private room and closed the door for them.

Liang Yuan had braced herself for a showdown, but only Xia Xi showed up. She tilted her head, looking puzzled: "Why just you? Where's your popular boyfriend?"

"What 'popular'?" Xia Xi frowned, disliking that nickname—it's too vulgar, unworthy of Xu Yanfeng's elegant, breezy demeanor.

"Haven't I told you? He's got something to do, he'll come later." Xia Xi set her bag down, pulled out a chair, sat, poured herself tea—the jasmine tea's fragrance wafted up—and took a small sip: "Don't worry, he won't stand me up."

Xu Yanfeng values time highly; if circumstances allow, he'll do everything he can to arrive early, never leaving someone waiting.

Liang Yuan wasn't as tolerant; she immediately took on the role of the bride's family and began picking at the guy: "Classes are over—what could he possibly have to be late for? This shows he doesn't care enough! This attitude is unacceptable—demerits, demerits."

After finishing a cup of tea, Xia Xi gave her a white‑eye: "I told you he's a busy person—do you think I'm joking? This isn't school stuff. He has a position at the Xu Clan Group; lately he's been involved in some project, with meetings big and small all day, and he has to work overtime on weekends."

Upon hearing "Xu Clan Group," Liang Yuan widened her eyes, shrank her neck, covered her mouth with her hand and inhaled, her voice softening: "How could I forget? He's the Young Master of the Xu Clan, the richest family in Nancheng, the future domineering CEO."

Xia Xi: "……"

Liang Yuan looked at Xia Xi, admiration in her eyes: "I think you're awesome now." She changed her previous nitpicking attitude: "You've snagged the future domineering CEO—what more could you want, a bicycle?"

After finishing the game livestream, Zhou Du pressed the lock screen key, tossed his phone onto the table, reached out and snapped his fingers in front of Liang Yuan, urging her to stand firm: "Whether he's a domineering CEO or a prince, as long as he's Xia Xi's boyfriend, he must bow and submit."

Xia Xi sensed something off, narrowed her eyes: "What are you planning? You're not going to mess with him, are you? I'm still here—don't cause trouble."

Zhou Du raised an eyebrow: "You're protecting him that much?"

"Of course. He's the treasure I painstakingly chased down; I myself can't bear to wrong him, so you shouldn't make things difficult for him either." Xia Xi picked a hawthorn ball from the platter, took a bite, and the sweet‑sour flavor burst in her mouth: "Besides, he treats me very well."

"Ew—" Liang Yuan shook off a layer of goosebumps, seeing Xia Xi call Xu Yanfeng "baby" in the group chat, which felt even more cheesy than hearing her say it aloud.

After finishing her second cup of tea, Xia Xi went outside to use the restroom, then returned to continue chatting with them.

Liang Yuan brought up the past: "I still remember when you made a bet with us, declaring you'd get Xu Yanfeng in three months. Back then we thought you couldn't possibly do it—not even three months, five or ten months would be a stretch. Zhou Du thought the same, and even helped you extend the deadline to a whole semester. Although you didn't succeed in the end, it doesn't stop me from admiring you. Xu Yanfeng is clearly someone hard to win over."

"Hey, why isn't he here yet?" Zhou Du changed the subject, pressed the button on the table's phone, the screen lit up—it was almost seven.

"I'll send him a message." Xia Xi hooked her finger onto the bag strap, lifted the bag onto her lap, unzipped it, pulled out her phone, and asked Xu Yanfeng where he was.

After sending the message, a clear chime sounded from outside the private room's door.

Xia Xi stared for a moment, then realized it might be Xu Yanfeng arriving. She set her bag aside, stood up to open the door—she hadn't closed it properly when she went to the restroom earlier, leaving a three‑finger‑wide gap; a light pull revealed the person outside in full view.

Xu Yanfeng had rushed from a formal setting, wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and a tie snug against the shirt; from head to toe he exuded solemn propriety. His eyes were dark, like a bottomless abyss, his complexion in the dim corridor lights showing a hint of gloom, easily evoking the calm before a storm—oppressive and suffocating.

Xia Xi instinctively sensed something wrong, her nerves tightening; she pressed her lips together before speaking: "Why aren't you coming in?"

Xu Yanfeng had arrived three minutes earlier, his hand raised to knock, when he heard a lively female voice inside the private room recounting Xia Xi's deeds—deeds involving him. He swallowed, his words crystal clear: "You made a bet with someone to get me in three months?"

That's a fact; Xia Xi had no excuse, but it wasn't what he imagined—he must have misunderstood something to react like this: "I did make the bet, but I…"

Xu Yanfeng didn't give her a chance to explain; he turned and walked away.

"Xu Yanfeng!"

Xia Xi shouted urgently; Xu Yanfeng didn't look back, his steps swift and steady, his tall figure disappearing in a blink. He pressed the elevator's down button with extreme composure, stepped inside, and vanished from her sight.

Liang Yuan and Zhou Du sensed something amiss, rushed out of the private room—only Xia Xi remained in the hallway, Xu Yanfeng nowhere to be seen.

"How could he come and then leave?" Liang Yuan stared blankly, completely baffled.

Xia Xi shook her head, no time to explain. She returned to the private room with a stern expression, picked up her phone, and dialed Xu Yanfeng—the "beep beep beep" rang on and on in her ear, inexplicably making her anxious.

She bit her nails, growing increasingly irritable as she waited.

"What the heck?"

Is Xu Yanfeng a princess with a temper? He won't listen to a single explanation, judging her to death based solely on his own imagination—there's no one like him!