Chapter 348

After finishing the last episode, Xia Xi had free time, so she invited Zhao Lei to go shopping; Liang Yuan happened to be free, so she also called her along.

Xia Xi drove and agreed to meet the two at the mall.

When they were in school, Zhao Lei had already met Xia Xi's friend Liang Yuan, so she wasn't a stranger. Before Xia Xi arrived, the two started chatting about entertainment gossip, beauty, dramas, and so on.

The sultry air invaded, making the whole city feel like a steamer.

Xia Xi messaged Zhao Lei and learned they were at the Starbucks on the first floor, one level up from the underground parking garage, so she went over to find them.

After they met, Liang Yuan handed her a drink without coffee: 'You've quit coffee, right?'

Xia Xi smiled and hummed in agreement.

Zhao Lei rested her chin on her hand, looking at Xia Xi, her hand on the back of the chair behind her: 'Spill it, what's up?'

Xia Xi took a sip of her iced drink, composed herself, and said: 'I invited you to go shopping—what else could it be?'

'Don't beat around the bush.' Zhao Lei poked her, 'I don't believe you messaged me so seriously on WeChat just to have me keep you company while you shop and have afternoon tea.'

Xia Xi tilted her head, feigning calm: 'Was I really that serious?'

Zhao Lei said with absolute certainty: 'You were.'

Liang Yuan happily dangled a straw from her mouth while watching the show.

'Alright, there is something.' Xia Xi's eyes darted, her voice sounding a bit muffled, 'You're married, so you must have experience meeting parents—I wanted to pick your brain.'

Although Xia Xuan was also married, her in-laws were impossible to describe, so they weren't a useful reference.

'Huh? Just that?' Zhao Lei was indignant, tilted her head and coughed violently twice, then burst out laughing, almost spitting, 'I thought it was something big.'

Liang Yuan interjected: 'Xu Yanfeng is going to take you to meet his parents?'

Xia Xi leaned forward slightly, both arms resting on the table: 'Sometime soon.'

Liang Yuan laughed until her gums showed: 'No way, my Xi Xi, you who fear neither heaven nor earth, are afraid of meeting parents?'

Xia Xi corrected her: 'I'm not afraid; I just don't want to go into battle unprepared.'

The three sat at Starbucks for a while, then took the escalator upstairs to shop; as they walked, Zhao Lei passed on her experience, starting with attire, with utmost sincerity.

'Did Xu Yanfeng not prepare a gift? Do you still need to put in the effort?' Faced with the dazzling array of merchandise, Liang Yuan's eyes glazed over, 'Do you know what his parents like?'

'He probably prepared something; I didn't ask.' Xia Xi picked up a sample perfume bottle, sprayed it on a test strip, and smelled it, 'But I can't be completely indifferent, after all, it's me meeting the parents, not him.'

Liang Yuan gave a mischievous smile, leaned in to sniff the perfume with her: 'Our Xi Xi is quite virtuous.'

'Get lost.' Xia Xi shoved her away with her elbow.

Liang Yuan turned serious: 'The perfume you picked smells nice, the scent is subtle, suitable for mothers' age.'

Xia Xi had the salesperson wrap it up, then went to the neighboring store to browse and picked out a few gifts.

After the round, Xia Xi was carrying five or six shopping bags, while Liang Yuan and Zhao Lei also bought some for themselves.

Zhao Lei glanced at what Xia Xi had bought—all women's items: 'You didn't pick anything for Xu Yanfeng's father?' She paused, pulled out her phone to check the time, 'Or should we keep browsing? It's still early.'

Xia Xi hadn't gone shopping in a while and found it more tiring than exercise; she just wanted to find a place to sit and rest: 'Let's stop shopping, I'll treat you to afternoon tea.'

Zhao Lei: 'Ah?'

Xia Xi glanced over: 'The rest can be left to Xu Yanfeng.'

Zhao Lei nodded: 'That works. Actually, I'm not great at picking gifts for men, especially middle-aged ones; I usually just give my dad money.'

Liang Yuan shook Xia Xi's arm, smiling mischievously: 'I know a place with especially good afternoon tea, the decor is very atmospheric—shall we go there?'

Xia Xi had no opinion anyway, so hearing that, she naturally agreed.

Liang Yuan blinked her eyes, a bit embarrassed: 'It's a bit pricey.'

Xia Xi rubbed her palm on Liang Yuan's face: 'Don't worry, sis brought enough money; I won't leave you there washing dishes.'

Zhao Lei let out a puff of laughter.

Xia Xi wasn't familiar with the route; Liang Yuan sat in the passenger seat, opened the navigation, the phone voice gave directions, Xia Xi followed them to a standalone three-story building; looking through the glass windows, the interior was exquisitely decorated, the style turned up to the max.

After finding a parking spot, the three went inside and went up to the second floor.

On a square table covered with a white tablecloth sat fresh-cut flowers, the air filled with a sweet fragrance. A waiter brought a silver stand holding delicate pastries; they also ordered black tea, coffee, and juice.

What met the eye was a European courtly vibe, retro and luxurious.

'Let's eat later; I'll take a few photos first.' Liang Yuan had just snapped many pictures of the second-floor decor, now her gaze fell on the pastries on the table.

Zhao Lei was also infected, pulled out her phone to take a few shots, did a quick edit, added a filter, and posted them to her Moments.

'Xi Xi, when are you and Xu Yanfeng planning to hold the wedding?' Liang Yuan, having taken enough photos, put down her phone, sipped her coffee, turned her head and said solemnly, 'You must give me half a month's notice so I can free up my schedule.'

Xia Xi bit into the pastry, almost choking: 'We haven't even discussed this yet.'

'No way, you've already met the parents—isn't the wedding coming soon?'

'Actually.' Xia Xi paused, then said, 'I find it troublesome, I'm not keen on having a wedding, but Xu Yanfeng insists on it, so I have to go along with him; thus the wedding will likely follow his preferences, and naturally the timing will be up to him as well.'

Liang Yuan: '……'

Zhao Lei: '……'

As if they'd heard a lame joke, the two stared at each other in silence for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Zhao Lei leisurely remarked: 'I think you two might have gotten the wrong script.'

Xia Xi shrugged: 'Maybe, who knows…'

Before her words had even faded, several glamorous women were led by a waiter into view around the second-floor corner, approaching from afar; Xia Xi wasn't unfamiliar with any of them, and one was especially familiar to her.

Ling Yan was not in high spirits, wearing a fisherman's hat, eyes downcast, blending in with the group. Since posting an apology video online, she had been holed up at home, not going out; today, a few childhood friends came to her house to invite her for afternoon tea, saying there was a shop with high online ratings, perfect for photo check-ins. She didn't want to go out, but her mother stood by, urging her to get some fresh air, so she reluctantly agreed.

She never expected to run into someone she dislikes here.

She inadvertently lifted her eyelids and collided with a striking face. Xia Xi's appearance was so eye-catching it was hard to ignore. She wore a blue spaghetti-strap dress printed with floral patterns, the dress clung to her curves, flaring at the ankles with a wide ruffled lace trim; her exposed neck and arms were snow-white, her black hair swept to the side and placed in front, she wore very light makeup, but her facial features were clearly advantageous.

'What are you looking at?'

Liang Yuan and Zhao Lei both noticed Xia Xi staring in a direction for a long time, curiously followed her gaze, and froze.

'Fate has a funny way of crossing paths.' Liang Yuan let out a low scoff.

Ling Yan wanted to call her friend to stop and go somewhere else, but they had already scattered, holding their phones and taking pictures everywhere, even handing the phone to the other person so they could help take a photo of her with the background.

At this point, turning and leaving would seem affected, so Ling Yan found a seat, took off her fisherman's hat, turned her head to communicate with the waiter, and ordered some pastries and drinks.

Being in the same space as Xia Xi was suffocating; Ling Yan had no appetite at all, only drank a few sips of coffee, lowered her head to look at her phone, pretending that person didn't exist.

The friend invited her to take a photo together, she wasn't interested, and she refused in a bland tone.

Xia Xi and her group arrived relatively early, sat for a while, had eaten pretty much everything, Liang Yuan suggested leaving. Xia Xi then called the waiter for the bill, then went to the restroom.

Liang Yuan and Zhao Lei had gone to the restroom when leaving the mall, so they didn't accompany her.

Xia Xi came out of the stall, stood at the washbasin washing her hands, while checking her makeup in the mirror, she saw Ling Yan walking in, her gaze paused, then she lowered her head as if nothing, took a paper towel and wiped her hands.