Chapter 321

Since seeing Xu Yanfeng, Li Tai knew that the claim that Xia Xi seduced her husband didn't hold water; no matter how you looked at it, the man before her was far superior to her husband.

They are simply incomparable.

Li Tai's palms went numb, her head felt dizzy, and she could barely stand.

Xu Yanfeng stared coldly at Li Shiguang, making the hairs on Li Shiguang's back stand on end, his heart leapt to his throat, swallowing saliva became difficult, and he was so nervous he dared not meet those eyes.

After a long while, Xu Yanfeng suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: 'You said, my wife, seduced you?' He paused three seconds before adding, 'And you touched her face?'

Li Shiguang's mouth went dry; he couldn't utter a word, a far cry from his earlier silver-tongued self.

Seeing this, Xia Xi didn't rush to leave: 'Mr. Li, what exactly happened? Please explain.'

Li Shiguang had no idea who this suddenly appearing man was; earlier he had heard Xia Xi mention she had a husband, and he subconsciously assumed the man's job was disreputable, but seeing him in person, his intuition told him this person was not simple, and making an enemy of him would bring no good.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Li Shiguang blurted after a while: 'There was dirt on her face; I was just wiping it off, not touching her. Maybe I misunderstood—she didn't seduce me. My wife also misunderstood.'

Li Tai stared at him in disbelief, her eyes reddening; just moments ago he hadn't said that—he had firmly declared that Xia Xi had seduced him and that he hadn't been bewitched by her.

Xu Yanfeng lowered his head to look at Xia Xi; indeed there was a smudge of grime on her jaw, which he brushed away with his fingertip, but he didn't naively believe the man's words: 'Finding a decent excuse for a hooligan doesn't make him any less a hooligan, does it?'

Li Shiguang panicked: 'I—'

Xu Yanfeng had no patience to listen to his further excuses; his move was so fast no one saw it clearly—like the span of a breath—Li Shiguang's face was slammed against a nearby marble column, distorting it. Xu Yanfeng twisted Li Shiguang's arms behind his back, immobilizing him; he groaned in pain, a sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Li Tai dared not step forward to help; instead she took a step back.

'If there's a next time, you know what the consequences will be.' Xu Yanfeng looked at the grimacing man with disgust.

He abruptly released Li Shiguang, even feeling a distaste for having touched the man's hands.

Seeing this, Xia Xi quickly pulled a pack of wet wipes from her bag, took one out and handed it to him. Xu Yanfeng wiped his hands clean before taking Xia Xi's hand and leaving, unwilling to glance at Li Shiguang again.

Xia Xi did turn her head back, but not to look at Li Shiguang; her gaze fixed on Li Tai's face, filled with pity.

'Don't look.' Xu Yanfeng gently tugged her hand.

Xia Xi withdrew her gaze, exhaled, letting the unpleasantness drift away on the breath: 'When did you arrive?'

Xu Yanfeng said: 'About an hour ago.'

'That early?' Xia Xi exclaimed in surprise.

'After finishing work I wanted to come see you sooner, but I didn't want to disturb your work, so I didn't say anything.' Upon reaching the parking spot, Xu Yanfeng opened the passenger door, settled Xia Xi in, rested his hands on the roof, and quietly regarded her for a moment before continuing, 'I'd been waiting a while; not seeing you come out, I wanted to sneak a peek inside. Fortunately the manor gate was open, and I heard the argument, so I hurried over.'

Xia Xi gave an 'oh', then lowered her head to play with her fingers.

Xu Yanfeng smiled: 'Aren't you going to ask what I heard?'

Xia Xi casually replied: 'What?'

Xu Yanfeng's smile deepened: 'I heard you say my husband is taller than you, better-looking than you, richer than you...'

Xia Xi suddenly lifted her head, clapped a hand over his mouth, wearing an expression of helpless amusement: 'I said how could you tell that scumbag to come pick up my wife after work.' Hearing him call her 'wife', she had been startled at the time.

Xu Yanfeng took her hand away, then kissed her palm before gripping it tightly: 'Since you already call me husband, I ought to play along.'

Xia Xi suddenly felt awkward, as if caught in the act of wrongdoing by the very person involved; she turned her head sideways, her ears burning.

'When do you plan to let me truly become your husband?' Xu Yanfeng pulled her other hand over, clasping it, forcing her to meet his gaze, his tone gentle: 'I mean the legal kind, not just in words.'

Xia Xi felt the heat in her ears spread to her cheeks, her whole face flushing; she blurted out: 'Soon, soon.'

'Don't think I can't tell you're placating me.' Xu Yanfeng released Xia Xi's hands, gave her forehead a light flick, then shut the car door, walked around to the driver's side, and got in.

Xia Xi fastened her seatbelt, waited a few seconds, but Xu Yanfeng didn't start the engine; she glanced at him, sensing he had more to say—was he going to ask again when she planned to meet his parents, or get married?

Xu Yanfeng turned his head, his expression somewhat stern; Xia Xi's heart gave a little jolt—was it really necessary to make the atmosphere so tense just because she hadn't given him a definite answer?

After pondering alone for a long while, Xu Yanfeng finally spoke: 'Do you often encounter such things at work?'

It suddenly occurred to him that during her years abroad, when she faced such situations, who had her back? A woman, a beautiful woman, making her way in the workplace is far from as easy as it seems on the surface.

Xia Xi's expression was one of surprise—he actually wanted to ask that? She pressed her lips together and confessed: 'Not really often...'

'That means you have encountered it.' Xu Yanfeng's Adam's apple moved slightly up and down, a feeling of blockage in his chest.

The atmosphere in the car suddenly grew heavy; Xia Xi smiled, trying to keep her voice light: 'Do you think my temperament would let people bully me, to suffer in silence? Just now, if you hadn't come, I would definitely have slapped that scumbag—I wouldn't have let him touch my face for nothing. Isn't this you helping teach him a lesson? I just didn't lift a hand.'

Not knowing whether her words were true or false, the knot in Xu Yanfeng's heart remained stubborn.

Xia Xi patted his arm: 'How much longer are we going to talk? I'm hungry.'

'Have something to tide you over first.'

Xu Yanfeng turned sideways, reached back to grab something and tossed it into Xia Xi's lap, then started the car.

Xia Xi lowered her head and saw the familiar old-fashioned kraft paper wrapping—it was from her favorite pastry shop. Undoing the string and paper revealed the chestnut puffs and mung bean cakes she liked, giving off a faint sweet aroma. She glanced toward the driver's seat; Xu Yanfeng noticed, and while waiting at a red light, he reached over to pinch her cheek: 'I picked them up on the way.'

She restrained herself to just one piece of pastry, saving her appetite for the main meal.

The road was a bit congested, barely moving, so Xu Yanfeng took the opportunity to call Su Jinru, saying they wouldn't be coming over for dinner that night and that they should eat on their own.

Xia Xi listened to his serious tone, turned her face away, and smiled silently.

Xu Yanfeng didn't take her to a Western restaurant—indeed, in her imagination, since he wanted to celebrate the holiday, he would surely have booked a romantic Western spot for a candlelit dinner. In reality, it was a completely authentic Chinese eatery, tucked away in a hidden locale, reached by many twists and turns.

Accordingly, the setting was exceptionally tranquil; as they went in, aside from the waitstaff, they saw no other customers. Xia Xi found it odd and asked, only to learn that tonight, besides the two of them, this private restaurant would accept no other guests because Xu Yanfeng had bought out the entire place.

It was just a meal; there was no need for such a fuss. Xia Xi only thought this to herself, not saying it aloud.

Naturally, all the chefs in the back kitchen served only the two of them; each dish was exquisite and to their taste, Xia Xi's appetite was stirred, their conversation frequency dropped considerably as they focused on eating.

Xu Yanfeng had drunk a bit; on the way back he hired a designated driver, then midway he told the driver to stop, opened the car door, and got out.

Xia Xi leaned against the car window to watch his silhouette as he entered a brightly lit flower shop by the road—clearly a prearranged stop—and less than two minutes later he emerged, holding a bouquet of roses.

A man in a shirt and suit walked out from amidst the blooming flowers, his arms also full of gorgeous blossoms; the light behind him obscured his face, but his eyes seemed deep and captivating, like a frame from a vividly colored film.

The car door opened, fragrance wafting out; the next second, soft petals brushed Xia Xi's chin—he had placed the bouquet in her lap.

'I'll never say you're allergic to romance again.' Xia Xi twirled a couple of petals with her fingers, speaking earnestly.

Xu Yanfeng's eyes crinkled as he leaned toward her ear, his tone soft: 'I knew it—you were spreading rumors, smearing me.'

Xia Xi: '……'

Arriving home, all was quiet and still, not a soul in sight—not even Zhangyi knew where she had gone. Xu Yanfeng pressed against Xia Xi from behind, his arm across her waist, his chin nuzzling her neck affectionately, his words soft as a breath: 'I gave Zhangyi the day off; it's rare that we have the house to ourselves.'

Xia Xi was lured, her thoughts wandering: "I remember you only had one glass of plum wine tonight—are you drunk?"