Chapter 177: You

On Friday afternoon, the restaurant we had agreed to meet at was still the same one as last time.

Xia Xi had classes all day, and Xu Yanfeng waited for her to finish her last lesson before driving her there.

In the car, Xia Xi told him about Liang Yuan and Zhou Du: "We three have known each other since childhood, went to kindergarten together, elementary school together, middle and high school together; we were lucky that university happened to be in the same city."

Xu Yanfeng listened attentively, then asked a sudden question: "Does Zhou Du have a girlfriend?"

"No." Xia Xi misunderstood, smiled and said, "Do you want to set him up? He has high standards, is very picky—ordinary girls don't catch his eye. As far as I know, many girls have chased him, but he ignores them all."

Xu Yanfeng glanced at her distractedly, his voice somewhat distant: "Really?"

"What would I lie for." Xia Xi lowered her head to send a message, asking in the group where Liang Yuan and Zhou Du were, while replying to Xu Yanfeng, "You'd better not introduce him; he probably wouldn't appreciate it."

"He treats you very well."

Xia Xi paused her typing, finally detecting a hint of something different in his flat tone; she shifted her gaze to his profile, studying it for a few seconds, then said, "Hiss, I'm saying you're not… jealous, are you? Are you? Are you?"

As she spoke, the corner of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

If Xu Yanfeng were jealous, that would be rare; if it were true, she'd want to set off firecrackers to celebrate.

However, Xu Yanfeng was impeccable, denying it firmly: "No."

Xia Xi pursed her lips.

"He treats me well, that's because…" Xia Xi started to speak but then stopped, not intending to continue, because the truth was a bit heavy: "Nothing, we've grown up together since childhood, so our relationship is naturally not ordinary."

Xu Yanfeng's eyes darkened, but he kept looking ahead, so Xia Xi couldn't see it.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Liang Yuan and Zhou Du were already waiting in the private room. Last time they had been in the mood for idle gossip, but this time was different. Liang Yuan sat with arms crossed, silent and upright, her expression unusually cold. Zhou Du lounged, leaning half his body against the wooden chair's armrest, his hand supporting his chin.

The tea on the table remained untouched by either of them, its vapor curling delicately, fresh and refined.

As soon as Xu Yanfeng entered, he sensed a slightly heavy atmosphere.

Before Xia Xi could speak, he introduced himself first: "Nice to meet you, I'm Xu Yanfeng."

Liang Yuan straightened her back even more, assumed a poised stance, and let out a cold 'huh,' speaking in a sarcastic tone: "I've long heard of you; it's really not easy to finally meet you—I almost thought I'd have to make three visits to your thatched cottage."

This is the second time; if things go wrong again, wouldn't that mean three visits to the thatched cottage? She wasn't wronging him.

Xia Xi covered her mouth and giggled. Liang Yuan is usually cheerful and pleasant with everyone, good at livening up the mood; seeing her like this today was uncommon, so Xia Xi found it refreshing and didn't interrupt, letting her continue the act.

Liang Yuan found performing alone insufficient, so she roped in Zhou Du as her partner. Originally Zhou Du didn't want to get involved in Xia Xi's love life, lest he cause unnecessary misunderstandings that would be bad for her, but the last time Xu Yanfeng turned and walked away had indeed made people furious. Later he called Xia Xi, who didn't elaborate, merely explaining briefly that she and Xu Yanfeng had had a small disagreement, already cleared up.

He thought the matter wasn't that simple.

Don't be fooled by Xia Xi's smart appearance; she had just started dating the person she likes, is still in the honeymoon phase, easily blinded, and is covering for Xu Yanfeng.

Therefore he and Liang Yuan hit it off immediately, with no intention of welcoming Xu Yanfeng.

"Who says otherwise?" Zhou Du said, "I'm actually curious what urgent matter last time could have made Young Master Xu come to the private room's door and then leave, with our Xi Xi calling you unanswered, phone unanswered, messages unread, not even eating as she ran after you. Come, let's take this chance to talk it out properly." Zhou Du took a sip of tea, his aura even more imposing than Liang Yuan's.

Liang Yuan stared, mouth agape, envious and admiring as she watched Zhou Du's intimidating, bluffing demeanor—wondering how she couldn't pull off that kind of pressure; she'd need to practice more.

Xu Yanfeng looked at Xia Xi, who shrugged, indicating she couldn't help; she had already guessed that the two would defend her and find fault with Xu Yanfeng.

This is a hurdle he must get past; he'll settle it himself.

This is also a good chance to let him know she has people backing her, so he'd better not think of bullying her in the future.

Liang Yuan cleared her throat, put on a stern face, and said, "Don't look at Xi Xi."

Xu Yanfeng felt as if he were meeting the parents, and spoke softly: "Last time was my fault; I apologize to you." He poured himself a cup of tea, using it in place of wine, and said, "I and Xia Xi had a bit of a misunderstanding back then."

Zhou Du tapped the table, demanding clarification: "What misunderstanding?"

Xia Xi interjected: "No need to say it; it's our secret."

Zhou Du glanced at her askance: "You dare to give her a cold face right in front of us; who knows what you're like behind her back…"

"No, no, no." Xia Xi denied repeatedly, lest their act go too far and hurt feelings, then quickly changed the subject: "We've had classes all afternoon, our stomachs are empty—let's eat."

She summoned the waiter and ordered a pile of dishes. Since food is heaven to people, having food as a bridge, the atmosphere finally wasn't as stiff as at the start.

Zhou Du took a dislike to Xu Yanfeng, and Xu Yanfeng also harbored some resentment toward him; overall, the meal wasn't very harmonious.

Liang Yuan is a celebrity chaser, an outright looks-obsessed fan; besides Xu Yanfeng's cold demeanor when he first entered, she soon fell for his flawless close-up handsome face, asking all sorts of questions—for example, how he maintains his appearance.

Xu Yanfeng's expression froze, and he couldn't answer for a while; considering she was Xia Xi's close friend, he didn't brush her off, but answered seriously: "I haven't done anything special for maintenance; I just use ordinary hair and body products."

Liang Yuan thought, "A young master from a wealthy family's grooming products surely aren't ordinary; even if she heard about them, she probably couldn't afford them, so she stopped asking and instead inquired whether he had any brothers who looked as handsome as he does."

Xia Xi struggled not to laugh, her stomach aching from the effort; she knew Liang Yuan's true nature—pretending to be cold didn't suit her, and her real self showed within three minutes.

Xu Yanfeng patiently replied: "I have an older brother who's been living abroad and rarely returns. He looks about thirty to forty percent like me."

Liang Yuan: "Does your older brother have a girlfriend?"

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

Xia Xi nudged Liang Yuan's head: "You're checking the household registry, huh?"

Zhou Du couldn't stand seeing Liang Yuan's fawning look, snorted in disgust—this traitor, his stance isn't firm at all.

Xia Xi pushed the glossy, oily, crispy roasted duck toward Zhou Du, cooing: "Brother, this is your favorite."

One side is a childhood friend, the other a boyfriend; Xia Xi doesn't expect them to shake hands and smile right now, since interpersonal relations depend on vibe and fate, and there's plenty of time ahead—eventually they'll understand each other's nature. But for now, at least they shouldn't make things too ugly; the situation just needs to be passable.

Upon hearing Xia Xi call him "brother," Zhou Du surrendered, his expression softening considerably; he picked up the chopsticks resting on the bowl's rim, tapped them in the dish to align the pair neatly, gave her face, and took a bite of the roasted duck.

Xu Yanfeng witnessed this, pursed his lips, stopped answering Liang Yuan's odd questions, and felt somewhat uneasy inside.

He refused to admit his jealousy in front of Xia Xi, but he truly felt sour inside.

Tomorrow is Saturday, her coursework isn't heavy, Xia Xi hasn't been to the swimming pool in a while, she wants to swim a few laps and messaged Xu Yanfeng to ask if he's free.

He originally had none, but his reply to her message conveyed the opposite: "Yes."

Xia Xi's spirits instantly rose; she dug out from her wardrobe the few sexy swimsuits she had bought at great expense while pursuing Xu Yanfeng, thinking they'd finally get to be used.

She laid out the various colors and styles of swimsuits in a row, took a photo, and sent it to Xu Yanfeng, teasing: "Baby, which one looks better? Pick one, and I'll wear it tomorrow."

After Xu Yanfeng drove Xia Xi back to school, he went to his private apartment, thinking it would be more convenient to go to the company in the morning, but he canceled that plan, deciding to go there tomorrow afternoon instead and spend the morning with her.

He took a bottle of chilled mineral water from the fridge, had just taken a sip, when he received Xia Xi's photo; he tapped to open it, saw a swimsuit with less and less fabric, and choked.

Water splashed onto his chest‑level T‑shirt; Xu Yanfeng set the mineral water aside, pulled at his clothes, and shook them twice.