Chapter 370: You're really childish

Xia Xi was certain Xu Yanfeng had gotten a bit flighty; although he used to call her 'wife' before, he certainly wasn't like this now—his tone winding and full of smiles, making listeners' ears feel numb and tingly.

Xia Xi turned her face toward the window, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turning up.

"What are you looking at?" Xu Yanfeng asked her deliberately.

Xia Xi casually pointed to an ice cream shop on the roadside with a long line: "I want some."

The next second, he slowed the car, Xu Yanfeng turned the steering wheel, pulled over to the side, picked up his phone: "Wait in the car, don't get out, it's hot outside, I'll go get it for you, husband."

Not just the corners of her mouth, Xia Xi's eyes were also brimming with smiles.

The car door opened and closed, Xu Yanfeng strode toward the ice cream shop with his long legs.

Xia Xi found the seatbelt uncomfortable, so she undid it first, leaned against the seatback, and tilted her head to stare at that gradually receding tall figure—his suit had been tossed onto the back seat, he wore the white shirt and black trousers from when they got their marriage license that morning, standing in a queue mostly of girls, which felt slightly out of place. The strong sunlight poured down, he propped a hand on his waist, tilted his head to look ahead, the scene was strangely beautiful, and even that slight sense of incongruity vanished.

Xia Xi raised her phone and took a photo of his back.

Perhaps there really was telepathy, for the instant she pressed the shutter, Xu Yanfeng turned his head and looked toward her.

Though far away and separated by the car window, their gazes happened to meet.

The image froze there.

After a while, Xu Yanfeng returned with the ice cream, the car door opened, he bent to get in and handed it to her.

Xia Xi reached out to take it, but he withdrew his hand, staring at her dark, shiny eyes: "Is there nothing you want to say?"

"Say what?" Xia Xi tilted her head in confusion.

Xu Yanfeng pondered for a moment, then gave her a hint: "At lunch, you said to me, four words."

"At lunch I said a lot of things to you; how am I supposed to know which four words?"

Xu Yanfeng gave another hint: "I didn't hear clearly then; it's the four words you repeated."

Xia Xi knew what it was, she gave in, her gaze falling on the ice cream in his hand: "If you don't give it to me, it'll melt."

The tip of the ice cream was bent, some had melted and was dripping down. Xu Yanfeng ate it in one bite.

Xia Xi stared wide-eyed, reminding him: "You bought it for me."

"You said it was about to melt; I'm saving it." Xu Yanfeng said, completely justified.

"Xu Yanfeng, you're really childish." Xia Xi snatched the ice cream from him, not minding that he'd already taken a bite, she ate from the spot he'd just bitten, just as he wished, she curled the corners of her mouth and said to him, "Thank you, husband."

Xu Yanfeng felt satisfied, curling the corners of his mouth, he drove the car onto the road.

Xia Xi ate the ice cream bite by bite, when the phone rang, a scene identical to noon unfolded; she picked up Xu Yanfeng's phone from the glove compartment, this time the caller was different: "Luojinnan, answer or not?"

Xu Yanfeng said: "Don't bother."

Xia Xi thought, it should still be about the evening gathering.

"Take me home and then go." Xia Xi lowered her head to tear the wrapper off the cone, her fingers getting a bit sticky, she pulled out a tissue to wipe her fingertips: "They all know you got your license today; if you don't go, they might think I'm stopping you, which would affect my reputation."

Xu Yanfeng seemed not to have heard clearly, asking: "Affect what of yours?"

Xia Xi paused; the reason she gave really was a bit far-fetched. After a brief silence, she forced herself to repeat: "It would affect my reputation." It sounded like a joke.

When had Xia Xi ever cared about her reputation?

Indeed, Xu Yanfeng knew her well enough, he chuckled lightly: "You've ever cared about your reputation?" She doesn't even put much stock in his few childhood friends, so naturally she doesn't care what they think of her.

"Forget it, go if you want."

Xia Xi finished the last bite of the cone; the texture was no longer crisp, softened by the melted ice cream.

The two chatted all the way home; the route felt especially short. The car entered the residential compound and stopped in the underground garage. Xu Yanfeng and Xia Xi got out together, entered the elevator, and the phone rang again.

This time it was Fu Li.

They must have arranged it, taking turns calling.

Xia Xi glanced at Xu Yanfeng's phone screen; seeing the situation, she felt that if he didn't show up tonight, his gang of childhood friends would come to their house to round people up.

Xu Yanfeng probably thought the same; he didn't continue to ignore it, answered the call, but his gaze remained fixed on her face.

"You really aren't coming?" Fu Li asked over the phone.

Xu Yanfeng didn't answer directly, asking: "Who came up with the idea?"

"No need to ask; it's definitely Tang Yizhou. He made such a big fuss, I thought you had already agreed, but just now I and the camel pressed him for answers, and he finally admitted you never agreed—this is ridiculous." Fu Li said seriously, "Come or not, give a definite answer."

The elevator arrived with a "ding," Xu Yanfeng hooked Xia Xi's hand, held it, and led her out, casually saying to the person on the other end: "Wait."

"Okay." Having gotten a definite answer, Fu Li prepared to hang up.

"Wait." Xu Yanfeng pressed his thumb pad on the back of Xia Xi's hand, "My wife and son are coming too."

Fu Li: "……"

Xia Xi glanced at Xu Yanfeng, her eyes saying "What are you joking about?" She hadn't said she would go; Zi Heng is still a child, and it's not suitable for him to go to those entertainment venues.

After Xu Yanfeng hung up, Xia Xi's steps stopped at the doorway: "You really mean it?"

Xu Yanfeng: "Truer than real gold."

After entering the house, Zi Heng was alone in the sunken lounge area reading a book, with food and drinks set on the round table before him; seeing the two return, he closed the book, came up the steps, and called: "Mom!"

Xu Yanfeng stepped in front of Xia Xi, scooped up Zi Heng in one motion: "You only see Mom, not Dad?"

Zi Heng's slipper fell to the floor, his legs kicked twice in the air, helplessly yielding: "Dad."

Only then did Xu Yanfeng set him down: "Dad's going out to dinner with a few friends tonight; do you want to go?"

Zi Heng looked at Xia Xi: "Are you going, Mom?"

Xu Yanfeng also looked at Xia Xi, half-smiling, and said: "Ask her yourself."

Zi Heng walked up to Xia Xi, tilted his head up to look at her: "Mom, are you going?"

Xia Xi and Xu Yanfeng locked eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "Go."

Zi Heng's eyes lit up, without a hint of hesitation: "Then I'm going too."

Xia Xi tossed her bag onto the sofa, and said to the father and son: "Wait a moment, I'm going to change clothes."

She went back to the bedroom, changed into a dress, pulled off the hair tie, pulled her hair up, touched up her makeup in front of the mirror; the whole process took no more than ten minutes, and when she came out, she discovered that Zi Heng had also changed clothes.

He is still on summer vacation; usually he wears T-shirts and shorts, but now he is wearing a small white short-sleeved shirt, black long pants, and little leather shoes. At first glance he looks like a miniature version of Xu Yanfeng, although father and son don't look very alike.

Xia Xi glanced at the father and son whose attire was similar, the corners of her mouth turning up: "You changed his clothes?"

Xu Yanfeng admitted: "Is there any problem?"

"No problem." Xia Xi picked up the bag on the sofa, the curve of her lips never fading, "Let's go, your friends are waiting for you; being late isn't good."

Xu Yanfeng glanced at the address Tang Yizhou had sent him at noon on his phone; it was a new place. After getting in the car, he turned on the navigation and drove according to the indicated route, taking over half an hour.

He tossed the car keys to the parking attendant at the door; Xu Yanfeng carried his suit jacket, walking behind his wife and child.

The waiter pulled open the door for them; Xu Yanfeng asked which private room Manager Tang was in, the waiter smiled and made a gesturing invitation, leading them all the way to the outside of a luxurious private room upstairs and helped knock on the door.

Tang Yizhou went to open the door holding a cigarette, guessing it was Xu Yanfeng who had arrived, and while walking he complained to a few childhood friends: "Xu Er has really become a big Buddha, harder and harder to invite."

Another person chimed in: "What a lousy metaphor—if he really became a big Buddha he wouldn't have gotten married; he's just a love‑brain."