Chapter 7: Why not spend the night with me?

He Xiaofeng's face showed none of the surprise or anger Xia Xi had expected; he gave a low chuckle, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Miss Xia, you still have quite a sense of humor."

Xia Xi: "……"

He wouldn't think she was joking with him, would he?

He Xiaofeng shook his head, his eyes warm and indulgent, as if he felt helpless toward her.

Xia Xi felt goosebumps rising from being stared at by him.

Who said there are many oddballs in the dating market? She now believes it.

He Xiaofeng recalled his previous blind date, whose WeChat nickname was "Divorced with Two Kids"; in fact, the person was a lifelong solo, never having dated.

That girl wasn't much to look at; after chatting for over a week, he found her personality unlikable too, gradually lost interest, didn't pursue deeper understanding, only occasionally sending perfunctory messages to keep her on hold as a backup option.

Xia Xi certainly didn't know what the man before her was thinking; she patiently said, "I'm not joking with you. I have two children, both five years old this year. I don't plan to find them a stepfather, so let's leave it at that."

He Xiaofeng stared for a moment, then put on that gentle smile he thought made him approachable: "Miss Xia, don't rush to reject me. We've just met; we don't know each other well yet. Spend some time together, and you might come to like me. To be honest, I really like you; the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one I was looking for."

Goosebumps fell all over Xia Xi's body.

"Let's order." He Xiaofeng opened the menu, "How about we eat and chat?"

He summoned the waiter, didn't really study the menu, basically ordering whatever was expensive.

"Not spending on the kids means you can't catch the wolf." He Xiaofeng, to show off his wealth and sincerity, went all out. He had never ordered such expensive dishes when dining with previous blind dates.

Xia Xi didn't want to eat this meal; several times she tried to stop it, but He Xiaofeng kept interrupting with various topics.

He not only didn't think it rude, but found a pretty excuse for his behavior: "I understand women's psychology—you don't like men asking if you want something; you prefer them to just buy it for you. There's a mall nearby; after dinner let's go browse. What do you like? Bags? Jewelry? Clothes? I can get you anything."

Ordinarily, a woman hearing that would beam with delight and sparkling eyes. He Xiaofeng thought.

He Xiaofeng looked at Xia Xi triumphantly; she did smile, his heart leapt, thinking she had succumbed to his wealth—but the next second, Xia Xi wiped her smile and said, "Mr. He, I'm not playing hard to get or engaging in push‑pull; when I say no, I mean no."

She picked up her bag, slung it over her arm, pushed herself up from the table edge, and said, "I'm leaving first; enjoy your meal."

Seeing the situation turn bad, He Xiaofeng's face changed, he sprang to his feet, walked over to block her path, reached out to grab her hand, but she skillfully avoided him.

Xia Xi's face showed displeasure: "Mr. He, please conduct yourself properly."

"What do you mean?" He Xiaofeng grew a little agitated; he truly had taken a liking to Xia Xi—she was too eye‑catching, and if he missed her he might never meet such a beautiful woman again—"Did I express myself incorrectly? You can tell me."

Xia Xi felt helpless.

It seems he has no awareness of his own problem, still smugly thinking he's doing great.

People like him can't be reasoned with in a sentence or two; Xia Xi just wanted to escape this suffocating situation quickly: "No, it's my issue. I made it clear from the start—I don't want to look for a partner. Sorry for wasting your time; let's part ways here."

Both were standing, the commotion drawing a few glances; Xia Xi felt embarrassed, yet the man still firmly blocked her way. She had already spoken her piece, yet he refused to give up, trying to detain her.

In her work, Xia Xi had seen all kinds of difficult clients, but she had truly never encountered one who couldn't even grasp basic pleasantries.

*Xu Yanfeng hadn't expected to run into Xia Xi here; she seemed to be having an argument with a man. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell from her expression that she was furious.

If that man didn't know his place, given her fiery temperament, she'd likely resort to violence.

"That's... Xia... Xia..." the woman dining with Xu Yanfeng whispered instinctively upon seeing Xia Xi's alluring face, her hand under the table clutching her skirt, eyes wide open in utter disbelief.

How could this be? How could Xia Xi appear here?

Ling Yan's face turned pale, her breathing a little shallow; she furtively glanced at the man opposite, whose gaze at Xia Xi was calm and unruffled, like a pool of ten‑thousand‑year‑old dead water.

Back then, Xia Xi pursued Xu Yanfeng in a spectacular, earth‑shaking fashion; everyone at school knew, and even nearby universities had heard rumors, with curious students often running over to watch the spectacle.

Later they broke up because Xia Xi cheated.

She was there at the time and still can't forget that eye‑opening scene.

Upon seeing Xia Xi again, Xu Yanfeng shouldn't have remained so calm.

Could it be... he already knew Xia Xi had returned? Or had he completely forgotten her, treating her as a stranger?

Ling Yan couldn't read him, yet she couldn't stop her heart from racing.

Not far away, to shake off He Xiaofeng's entanglement, Xia Xi displayed her phone wallpaper—a selfie of her with her two children—"I don't know how the matchmaker described me to you, but I really do have two kids, no lie. I thought Mr. He, being so outstanding, wouldn't accept this."

Her last sentence carried sarcasm, after all, Mr. He had boasted proudly in his self‑introduction, eager to praise himself as having no equal under heaven.

He Xiaofeng looked at the photo; the little girl resembled Xia Xi a bit, the boy less so, both children snuggled in her arms. He twitched the corner of his mouth: "You're not joking?"

Xia Xi closed her eyes, her expression cold: "I've repeatedly said I'm not joking; it's Mr. He who keeps interrupting me and twisting my meaning." She put her phone away, glanced at the path he was blocking solidly, and asked, "May I please be let go now?"

"No, how could this be..." He Xiaofeng looked as if he'd suffered a major blow, mixed with reluctance and anger, his expression twisted: "You're not scamming me, are you?"

"How am I scamming you?" Xia Xi flared with anger: "I didn't even know about this blind date before coming; I just explained it to you, yet you kept talking nonstop about yourself and then blamed me."

"In short, you can't leave!"

He Xiaofeng's face flushed red as he grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving.

He had ordered so many expensive dishes plus a bottle of wine, totaling over two thousand, non‑refundable; he couldn't just eat this dumb loss for nothing—he had to recoup something.

"You're divorced with two kids—I certainly couldn't marry a woman like you. But..." He paused, then lowered his voice so only they could hear: "You're so gorgeous, why not spend the night with me? Let's forget today's affair."

The money spent would just be considered payment for her services.

With such a beauty, it's worth it.

Xia Xi picked up the unfinished lemon water on the table and splashed it straight onto the man's face without hesitation: "Get lost!"

He Xiaofeng hadn't expected her to strike; he froze there. Water wet his forehead's bangs, forming strands that dripped down, and his chest‑front clothing also got splashed.

Compared to his disheveled appearance, what he couldn't bear more was his dignity being trampled underfoot.

The woman's action was no different from slapping his face—how could he tolerate it?

He Xiaofeng wiped his face, his eyes seeming to spit fire, he raised his hand to slap Xia Xi, but someone intercepted his mid‑air hand. Before he could see who it was, his face was slammed onto the cold tabletop with a "bang," instantly numbing half his head.

Seeing a buddy ask if it's abusive.

Not abusive at all—I positioned this story as a comedy, hahaha.

Rest assured, follow along for nonstop fun~(End of chapter)