Chapter 39: It's Hard to Hide the Child's Origin

Xu Yanfeng knew he wouldn't get the answer he wanted from Xia Xi, so after glancing at her for a moment he averted his gaze, fixed it on Zhou Du's face, looking very patient, waiting for him to answer.

Zhou Du never dared to look at Xu Yanfeng, not even a glance.

Knowing that pretending to be clueless wouldn't work, he swallowed a few times and stammered: "No, no special reason. Feelings are like the wind—they come and go as they please, and can be dismissed just as easily."

He turned to Xia Xi beside him, his facial muscles stiff, and forced out a smile: "Even if the feelings are gone, it doesn't hinder us from staying friends, right?"

Saying that, he himself lacked confidence, and didn't know whether Xu Yanfeng believed him.

Xia Xi, however, secretly breathed a sigh of relief; Zhou Du's response was adequate, he hadn't let anything slip, and regardless of whether Xu Yanfeng believed it, the topic was considered defused.

Lu Mingji looked at one, then the other, genuinely puzzled; he was in the eye of the storm yet felt excluded, unable to guess what riddle they were playing.

Zhou Du's remark "it doesn't hinder staying friends" actually gave him a clue, so had Zhou Du and Xia Xi really talked? Lu Mingji suddenly felt pressure mounting; Xu Yanfeng's demeanor made it clear he hadn't let go of Xia Xi, and they still had a child. As for Zhou Du, he couldn't yet tell what Zhou Du felt toward Xia Xi.

The atmosphere grew stiff and stiffer; Xia Xi abruptly changed the subject: "Let's eat, I have something to do shortly."

Zhou Du immediately fell in line: "Um, I just remembered I have a livestream event tonight that requires coordination; let's finish eating early and disperse early, haha, we'll get together again if the chance arises."

"Next time?" There will be no next time; he will never come to Nancheng again in this lifetime!

Having said that, Zhou Du wolfed down the pasta on his plate like a sweeping wind, ready to bolt at any moment.

Youyou, unaware of the undercurrents among the adults, poked Xia Xi's arm with her finger, pointed at the plate before her, and in a soft, sweet voice asked: "Mom, may I try a bit of your steak?"

"It's black pepper flavored, do you want some?" Xia Xi gathered her thoughts from Xu Yanfeng, lowered her head, and gently asked her daughter.

The little girl stared at the dark sauce, a bit hesitant yet eager to try, raised a finger and said: "I'll have just a small bite."

"All right, try a small bite first; if you like it, Mom will feed you more." Xia Xi cut a small piece of steak and fed it to her.

Youyou tasted it, her eyes lighting up, she wriggled in her chair, waving her arms and legs: "Delicious!"

Xia Xi smiled, cut a few more pieces and fed her; the little one ended up with sauce all around her mouth.

Zi Heng glanced at Youyou, then silently pulled out a few napkins and handed them over.

Zhou Du noticed Zi Heng's gesture, looked at Xia Xi, and felt she was playing favorites—why attend only to Youyou and ignore Zi Heng? He scooped over the untouched plate of steak, cut it into small pieces, and offered them to Zi Heng: "Come, let me feed you."

Xia Xi glanced casually, then panicked and cried out: "Don't feed him beef—he's allergic to beef, he can't eat it."

Upon hearing that, Xu Yanfeng's expression froze, and his assessing gaze swept over.

"Huh? I didn't know." Zhou Du startled, then immediately pushed the plate away.

He hadn't eaten with the two kids often, so he hadn't noticed this.

Zi Heng, wearing disposable gloves, gnawed on a fried chicken leg, his youthful face calm: "Mom, I know—I won't eat it even if you don't remind you." His mother had told him many times that eating beef would cause a rash, possibly severe enough to require hospitalization, and he remembered.

Xia Xi ruffled his head and praised: "Great job."

When Zi Heng first ate beef abroad, his whole body itched, his face and neck broke out in red welts, accompanied by diarrhea; she was nearly scared to death, took him to the hospital for allergen testing, and only then learned he was allergic to beef.

It turned out he was allergic to beef just like Xu Yanfeng. Wait! A flash of insight struck Xia Xi's mind; she jerked her head up and looked at Xu Yanfeng, only to see his gaze deep and fixed on Zi Heng, his expression thoughtful. Her heart lurched—she had rushed to warn Zhou Du purely out of instinct, without thinking further…

Xu Yanfeng sensed a gaze landing on his face, followed it back, and met Xia Xi's slightly flustered eyes.

What was she panicking about? Xia Xi turned her head away to hide it, her heart thumping.

She was certain Xu Yanfeng had arrived at the same thought as she had.

That was shortly after they started dating, at a Western restaurant; in a private room, she cut steak and fed it to him, he furrowed his brows, tilted his neck back, clearly refusing, his voice cool and clear: "I won't eat it; beef smells foul."

She found it funny—how could anyone think beef smells foul when it's obviously fragrant.

At that moment an idea formed; she glanced around and whispered: "Is there no surveillance in this private room?"

"No, why?" Xu Yanfeng didn't know what scheme she was plotting.

She smirked slyly, grabbed the steak with her mouth, twisted her body, and, with both hands on his neck, moved close to feed him another way. Xu Yanfeng was caught off guard and had to reach out to encircle her waist to keep her from falling off the chair.

He was forced to swallow that piece of beef; she raised an eyebrow, triumphant in her successful ploy: "Does beef still smell foul?"

Xu Yanfeng didn't answer her.

After the meal, his neck broke out in red welts; fortunately he'd ingested only a small amount, so no hospital visit was needed—he bought medicine at the pharmacy and swallowed it.

Afterwards Xia Xi felt guilty inside, but she didn't let him off easy, muttering: "If you're allergic, just say so; why claim beef smells foul? I thought you were just picky. Do you think you deserve this?"

After scolding him, she stole a glance at the rash still on his neck, feeling guilty, she edged closer and cooed softly: "I just finished my big assignment and have the next few days free; to make amends, may I come to your place to look after you?"

Xu Yanfeng felt itchy all over; in public he restrained himself from scratching, his mood a bit irritable, yet he didn't snap at her, half-lidded eyes coolly regarding her, too lazy to expose her motive—pretending to attend was false, the real aim was to take advantage.

Xia Xi read from the man's gaze the words he didn't speak, and knew what image she held in his mind; she couldn't blame others, it was all her own doing—her earlier over-the-top pursuit had led him to think she was fundamentally a lecher, with him only for his body.

She gave an embarrassed grin, held up three fingers, and promised: "Won't I be fine if I don't touch you? I'll wash your clothes, cook your meals, pour tea and water."

Xu Yanfeng's expression remained indifferent: "No need, I have a maid at home."

Xia Xi stared, expressing dissatisfaction, yet she adored his aloof demeanor; eventually she deployed her "annoying tactics," pestering him for a long time before he agreed to let her come over to look after him.

……

Xu Yanfeng was the first to regain his composure, suddenly curling his lips into a smile, and muttered to himself, not sure who he was addressing: "What a coincidence—this child is just like me, allergic to beef."

Xia Xi felt a tightness in her chest; she realized she couldn't have too much contact with Xu Yanfeng, or else it would be hard to conceal the child's origins.

As she racked her brain trying to figure out how to explain Zi Heng's allergy, Zi Heng reached for a napkin, accidentally knocked over the dish of ketchup, turned to Zhou Du and said: "Dad, could you ask the server for another ketchup? I still have fries left."

Zhou Du: "???"

"What did you call me?"

"He's indeed my biological son _(: з」∠) _(End of chapter)."