Chapter 31: I Don't Love You

As for Xu Yanfeng's sarcasm, Xia Xi didn't chime in.

Xu Yanfeng: "Make way."

Xia Xi instinctively stepped back upon hearing his words; Xu Yanfeng opened the car door and stepped out, giving her a once-over, just as Fu Li had said—she was perfectly fine, not injured anywhere.

"Are you here for Tang Yizhou?" Xia Xi tried to steer the conversation to the point, wanting to finish quickly so she wouldn't have to face him.

"I've already lectured him." Xu Yanfeng looked away at the swaying trees in the distance, not at her, "This time he went too far, hurting you; you can make any demand, and I won't refuse if I can satisfy it."

Xia Xi gave a wry smile; sure enough, he had come to make amends for his good brother.

"No need." She said lightly, "I also hit him."

She had trained abroad; a single woman raising two kids needed some self-defense ability—otherwise, how could she get by? In her anger, she slapped out with full force; Tang Yizhou's face would likely swell by tomorrow, and Manager Li didn't get off easy either.

She had already vented her anger, so she didn't need Xu Yanfeng to compensate her for anything.

If possible, they'd best have no further contact.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head up; you should go back soon too," Xia Xi said.

Xu Yanfeng straightened his face to look at her, the corners of his mouth slightly pursed, as if trying not to smile.

Being stared at by him made Xia Xi a bit uneasy, her heartbeat starting to falter: "... Anything else?"

"Since we've met, you always keep three leagues away whenever you see me, Xia Xi—don't you find yourself ridiculous?" Xu Yanfeng stepped closer, his toe almost touching hers; she wanted to step back, but he anticipated her intention a beat earlier and grabbed her wrist. "Look, you're still avoiding me even now. Are you ashamed to see me? How strange—you actually feel shame."

Xia Xi pressed her lips tight; whenever he brought up the past, she had nothing to say.

Xu Yanfeng really wanted to pry open her mouth, or crack open her skull, to see what was going on inside.

"Xia Xi, you owe me an explanation—when do you plan to repay it?"

"I..." Xia Xi felt a tightness in her chest, her voice hoarse, "I have nothing to explain."

"Really?" Xu Yanfeng laughed, but the fingers gripping her wrist tightened, and he said word by word, "Once you explain, we'll be even—isn't that what you want?"

Xia Xi's heart turned cold.

Xu Yanfeng continued to stab at her heart: "You don't think I still harbor fantasies about you, do you? I tell you, I don't love you; I just can't let go of what happened back then."

Xia Xi's expression dazed, Xu Yanfeng's thumb and forefinger pinched her neck and squeezed her cheek: "Do you remember what I said when I promised to be with you?"

Xia Xi's memory, prompted by his words, returned to that day—he had asked her, "Can you be forever loyal to me?" She had thought it strange at the time.

Usually, a guy before accepting a girl's confession might ask: "Will you always like me?"

But Xu Yanfeng used the two words "loyalty."

Xia Xi felt a chill all over; she had ultimately failed to be "forever loyal" to him—he had personally seen her sleeping with another man, a naked betrayal.

How she ended up back upstairs, Xia Xi herself wasn't clear; she lay dazed on the bed, and after a long while her body remained icy, she curled up with her arms wrapped around herself.

Somehow, she suddenly recalled what Fu Li had said when pleading for Tang Yizhou.

He said, Tang Yizhou saw that Xu the Second was anguished and indignant because of you, couldn't let it go, and came up with this trick to teach you a lesson.

Anguish and indignation.

As it turns out, to this day Xu Yanfeng is still anguished and indignant—not because he still loves her, as he said, but because he simply can't let go.

*The weekend flew by, feeling unreal, and before we knew it it was Monday.

The first thing Huang Shiyu did upon arriving at the company was ask Xia Xi: "I messaged you that day and you didn't reply—did Manager Li keep the appointment afterward?"

Xia Xi opened WeChat on her computer and indeed saw that Huang Shiyu had sent her several messages at 9 p. m. last Friday, but at that time she was upset and hadn't looked at her phone; the weekend had also been unpleasant for her.

"Sorry, I didn't see it."

"Haha, no worries, I guessed you might not have seen it."

Xia Xi took a sip of coffee, thought about how to explain the Manager Li matter to her, then bluntly told the truth: "Manager Li's project probably won't go forward."

"Huh? How could that be?"

When Huang Shiyu left home that morning, she was full of energy and high spirits, imagining in her mind how she and Xia Xi would accomplish great things together—only to be blindsided by reality.

Xia Xi said: "After communicating, we found it wasn't feasible, so the project fell through."

The client's lack of integrity is also a no-go; moreover, the renovation tea house was originally just an excuse Manager Li used to lure her in, and whether the project actually exists is still up for debate.

"Go tell Jiang Tian so he has a sense of it." Xia Xi, not wanting to say more, gave the order directly.

"Oh, okay."

Huang Shiyu left the office to explain the situation to Jiang Tian. Jiang Tian asked her the reason; she couldn't answer, so she borrowed Xia Xi's words, slightly embellishing them to tell him: "After communicating, we found the project wasn't viable, there's no need to continue. You should know, Xia Gong is experienced and has her own judgment."

Jiang Tian then stopped pressing.

After coming out, Huang Shiyu went to the front desk to pick up a parcel and ran into a strange man, over 1.8 meters tall, wearing an expensive suit, sunglasses and a black mask—at first glance he looked like a big celebrity stepping out.

Even though his face was covered, Huang Shiyu could still tell his face was swollen, like her grandmother's steamed buns made with fermented dough, making his face and body look out of proportion.

The man held a bouquet of flowers in his arms and carried several luxury-brand shopping bags; he glanced casually at Huang Shiyu, then turned to the front desk and said, "I'm looking for Xia Xi—please let her know."

Huang Shiyu had just picked up the parcel and was about to head back when hearing the two words "Xia Xi" made her stop reflexively.

The front desk pointed at Huang Shiyu: "This is Xia Gong's assistant—may I ask what you need her for?"

The man looked at Huang Shiyu again, cleared his throat, the mouth under his mask opening and closing, moving his facial muscles; in pain he gasped, "Just say that Manager Tang of Lofty Heaven Capital has come to visit—she'll understand."

Lofty Heaven Capital is the leader in the investment banking circle, backed by the Tang Clan; the man before them called himself "Manager Tang," his identity obvious. Realizing this, the two front-desk girls and Huang Shiyu regarded him with reverence.

Not daring to slight Manager Tang, Huang Shiyu led him straight inside.

In the lobby, all the staff watched as the man, bundled up tightly, made his way to Xia Xi's office, all wearing expressions of eager gossip.

Judging by the man's appearance, he didn't seem to be here to discuss a project, but rather to make a confession.

Thinking again about Xia Gong's stunningly beautiful face, it's only natural that admirers would follow her to the company.

Huang Shiyu first knocked on the office door and announced: "Xia Gong, Manager Tang of Lofty Heaven Capital is here to see you."

Xia Xi's mind turned a full circle before equating "Lofty Heaven Capital's Manager Tang" with "Tang Yizhou"; her face instantly went cold: "Tell him to get lost wherever he came from!"

(End of chapter)