Chapter 263

Suddenly it started raining outside; Xia Xi hadn't checked the weather forecast, went out without an umbrella, pulled out her phone and opened a ride‑hailing app.

Lu Mingji: "I'll send you home."

Xia Xi looked up; his face showed no disappointment, just as usual—warm, amiable, and reliable. She glanced at the two empty wine glasses on the table: "You've been drinking."

"I called a designated driver to take you home first." Lu Mingji took their coats from the waiter, handed Xia Xi her coat, and said, "It's still early; it won't matter if I head back later."

Xia Xi stopped protesting, put her phone in her bag, put on her coat, and walked out with Lu Mingji.

The sightseeing elevator descended floor by floor, shifting lights playing across their faces; no one spoke.

Even though they had talked it out, it was hard to pretend nothing had happened in the short term. Xia Xi knew Lu Mingji only seemed fine on the surface; inside he wasn't as indifferent as he appeared. He stayed calm out of consideration for her, not wanting to burden her psychologically.

What remained could only be left to time.

In the underground parking lot, the designated driver had arrived; Lu Mingji opened the rear car door, where a bouquet sat on the seat—bright yellow roses wrapped in milky parchment, blooming to the fullest in the dark corner.

Xia Xi froze for a moment, then looked at Lu Mingji.

"Better safe than sorry," Lu Mingji joked with a smile, "Just in case you say yes, it wouldn't look good without flowers."

Saying that, he bent over, took the bouquet out, looked around for a trash bin, found none, and shoved the flowers at Xia Xi: "You might as well hold onto them. Take them home as a decoration for a few days; they mean nothing else."

"Thank you."

Xia Xi reached out, embraced the bouquet, bent slightly as she got into the car; the soft petals lightly brushed her chin, and the rich fragrance lingered around her nostrils.

Lu Mingji then got into the car.

Xia Xi gave the driver Xu Yanfeng's address.

Raindrops slapped the window glass in a chaotic rhythm; Xia Xi stared at the blurred glass, street neon smeared into a blot, the rain seeming heavier than before.

The car drove slowly, taking over half an hour to arrive.

Lu Mingji grabbed an umbrella, intending to get out and walk her to the door, but she stopped him: "It's just a few steps; you don't need to get out."

As his words fell, she pushed open the car door, one arm holding the bouquet, the other shielding her head, jogged up the steps, stood under the eaves, turned and waved at the person in the car, then went inside.

Lu Mingji stared deeply at her retreating back for a few seconds, then told the driver, "Let's go."

Xia Xi didn't treat Xu Yanfeng's residence as a place she could come and go freely; when someone was home, she habitually rang the doorbell before entering, waiting for a response. If no one answered, she would unlock and go in.

Xu Yanfeng was sitting in the sunken area of the living room reading when the doorbell rang; a sudden flash of unnamed anger rose in his heart. She had entered her fingerprint into the lock—she could clearly come in on her own.

No one had ever seen someone ring the doorbell to enter their own home.

Zi Heng ran to open the door, greeting her with a smile: "Mom, you're back!"

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

After all his calculations, he had overlooked little traitor Zi Heng.

Xia Xi turned to close the door, kicked off her shoes, ruffled her son's hair: "How come it's just you?"

"Youyou's gone wild playing in her room."

"I mean…" where's Xu Yanfeng?

She hadn't finished speaking when Zi Heng understood, tugging her hand and pointing in a direction, whispering: "He's over there reading. He barely ate dinner, he's sulking."

Only then did Xia Xi notice Xu Yanfeng's figure. The sunken lounge area consisted of several arc-shaped sofas surrounding a marble round table, slightly lowered; the man wore a black shirt and trousers, legs crossed, reclining in a black leather sofa, almost blending into the background, hard to spot unless you looked closely.

"Why is he sulking?" Xia Xi lowered her voice to ask.

Zi Heng shrugged, offhandedly guessing: "Maybe the food didn't suit his taste."

Xia Xi wasn't convinced: "... Really?"

Zi Heng's small hand touched the flowers Xia Xi was holding: "Mom, are these the flowers Uncle Lu gave you?"

Xu Yanfeng's gaze, fixed on the book, flickered slightly; out of the corner of his eye he glanced over, a patch of bright yellow filling his sight—not bright, but glaring.

With a "smack," Xu Yanfeng snapped the book shut, tossed it onto the black marble table, climbed a few steps, and walked slowly to stand before Xia Xi; his eyes lingered on the yellow roses in front of her for a few seconds, then he said in a sarcastic tone, "You bothered to come back?"

Not knowing what to answer, Xia Xi patted Zi Heng's shoulder: "Go rest in your room. Tonight, will you sleep with me or on your own?"

Youyou already sleeps in her own room; Zi Heng certainly couldn't be outdone, raising a hand: "I'll sleep by myself!"

Zi Heng shuffled back to his room in his slippers, pat-pat, and closed the door.

Only the two of them remained in the living room, standing opposite each other. Xu Yanfeng was dissatisfied with Xia Xi's ignoring him, his brows knit, his deep black eyes like whirlpools locking onto her: "Xia Xi, I'm talking to you—you didn't hear?"

Xia Xi was a bit tired today and didn't want to argue: "I heard. Well, I bothered to come back—what else do you have to say?"

When it came to being sarcastic, no one could outdo her. Xu Yanfeng alternated between looking at her face and at the offending bouquet, finally forcing out: "What's the meaning of these flowers…?"

A question mark appeared on Xia Xi's face as she calmly asked: "Do I need to report everything to you?"

"No need," Xu Yanfeng said, nodding. "I'm worried you'll affect the child."

"What have I done to affect him?" Xia Xi, not rushing back to her room, leaned against the wooden cabinet, elbows on the surface, earnestly asking him: "Come on, spell it out—what exactly am I doing to affect him?"

Xu Yanfeng kept a solemn expression, speaking slowly and deliberately: "You'll make him think you're building a new family, make him feel insecure, affect his mood, and thus his studies."

"What you're saying…" Xia Xi swallowed, forcing down the words "bullshit" and replacing them with something milder: "Is this Chinese?"

Why could she understand each word, yet together they made utter nonsense?

Xia Xi took a deep breath, still feeling he wasn't quite right: "Xu Yanfeng, did you take the wrong medicine today?"

She lifted her foot to head back to her room, but Xu Yanfeng hadn't gotten to the crux; he wouldn't let her go, stepping back a few steps to block her: "Lu Mingji gave you flowers—is he pursuing you?"

Xia Xi nearly bumped into him, hit the brakes, and the bouquet of yellow roses got squeezed between them.

Realizing she was too close, Xia Xi stepped back, narrowed her eyes, full of suspicion: "How do you know I was with Lu Mingji tonight?"

Xu Yanfeng slipped his hands into his pockets, calm and composed: "It's not me inquiring about your whereabouts—it's our son who said so."

Xia Xi blinked; she had indeed called Zi Heng earlier, telling him she'd be late and needed to talk with Uncle Lu. She didn't know how Zi Heng had relayed that to Xu Yanfeng, which made him act so oddly.

She still meant: "It seems like it's none of your business."

From her attitude Xu Yanfeng got the answer he wanted, his tone firm: "Looks like he really is pursuing you." Irritated and with no outlet, he suddenly adopted the party A stance: "Is this how you guys at Broad and Elegant operate? Is it appropriate for partners to date?"

He knew that earlier Xia Xi calling Lu Mingji her boyfriend had been fake; at first he almost got fooled, but later he saw through it. However, Lu Mingji's feelings for Xia Xi were genuine.

If Lu Mingji puts in the effort, goes all out in his pursuit, the outcome remains unknown.

He must figure out how far they've progressed.

Xia Xi accepted the flowers Lu Mingji sent—roses, no less! Could it be that she agreed?

"How did we get onto Broad and Elegant?" Xia Xi interjected, cutting off Xu Yanfeng's chain of associations, "If you're worried it'll affect the Xu Clan's project, don't be—I'm very professional at work, General Manager Xu, I won't treat my career like a game."

Xu Yanfeng stared at her, dissecting each word she said in his mind: "What do you mean, what are you talking about?"

Xia Xi remained noncommittal, still holding onto his earlier doubt, and asked, "Why wouldn't it be appropriate for partners to date?"

Neither noticed that their focus had drifted; the more they talked, the more off-topic they became, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, thick with the smell of gunpowder.

"Fine, really fine." Xu Yanfeng said coldly, "And you ask me why it's inappropriate for partners to date. It'd be best if they stayed together for life; otherwise, if they break up, the company will be in chaos—don't expect normal operation."

Xia Xi: "???"

What nonsense are you spouting? How did we even get onto this topic!