Chapter 99: I said I'm Young Master Xu's girlfriend

Xia Xi heard that tone laced with mockery, lifted her gaze, and saw a girl in white sportswear, wearing a vented sun hat, light makeup on her face, staring at the lake that glittered gold in the sunlight, not even giving her a proper look.

Knowing her skill was lacking, Xia Xi didn't retort; she looked at the boy who had spoken earlier: "Do we need to keep playing?"

Tang Yizhou stared dumbfounded at a row of holes on the lawn; after a moment, his gaze shifted to Xia Xi's face: "Little sis, are you playing golf or tilling the field?"

Xia Xi was a bit annoyed; she had never been like this when practicing at the club. She could already hit the ball successfully! She didn't know if it was because the venue changed or because she wasn't used to these clubs.

Being stubborn and unwilling to lose, she swung the club to hit another ball, but Tang Yizhou, having snapped out of it, stopped her: "Forget it, forget it—you could plow two mu of land swinging a club here all morning; I'm afraid you'll dig up the course."

Xia Xi: "……"

The others burst out laughing; only Xia Xi sullenly picked up her club and stepped aside, giving Xu Yanfeng a resentful look. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be here being laughed at.

A strong-willed Chinese woman, how could she allow herself to be mocked?

He must bear full responsibility.

A chilly gaze pinned on his face; Xu Yanfeng noticed, turned his head, and met Xia Xi's eyes, feeling puzzled—her poor golf game had nothing to do with him.

That look of hers seemed to blame him for her bad play.

Is this person unreasonable? Xu Yanfeng didn't want to talk to her, but for some reason he couldn't curb his curiosity, leaning on his club, he asked softly: "How did you get hired?"

With her skill level, being hired was practically a miracle, so he wondered what method they used.

Xia Xi had been scowling, but as soon as he spoke to her, her sullen, annoyed, resentful feelings all blew away, leaving only delight. She thought quickly and blurted out a lie: "I said I'm Young Master Xu's girlfriend, secretly came with my boyfriend, wanting to pose as a caddy to surprise him, so they agreed."

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

He's despicable; he shouldn't have pried, knowing she never speaks the truth.

Seeing Xu Yanfeng pull a long face, Xia Xi was in high spirits, giggling: "Don't be mad, I was lying to you. They just happened to be short-staffed and gave me a chance to fill in."

Xu Yanfeng looked at her, a hint of teasing in his eyes; she also knew she was just making up the numbers.

Ling Yan watched the two exchange glances, chatting back and forth, feeling breathless. She had to do something to separate them: "That Xia… Xia Xi, right? Give me the club."

Xia Xi dutifully remembered her caddy responsibilities, ran over and handed Ling Yan a club.

Ling Yan frowned, criticizing: "Look properly—I'm not teeing off, why give me this? I need the number eight."

Xia Xi swapped in an eight-iron for her: "Sorry."

Ling Yan gripped the club, took her stance, swung smoothly; the clubhead struck the ball, emitting a crisp, bright sound, the ball flew up, landed perfectly, and rolled into the hole.

Tang Yizhou clapped from behind and whistled: "Nice!"

Ling Yan's brows danced with pride as she glanced at Xia Xi sideways: "What good is looking pretty? Some things are innate, like family background. She's studied golf since childhood; today she can stand here as a member and swing freely, playing well, while Xia Xi can only stand behind her as a tiny caddy, serving her."

They are destined to be different.

With that beautiful shot sinking, the tightness in Ling Yan's chest eased considerably.

"I'm tired." She casually passed the club to her side.

Xia Xi immediately reached out with both hands to catch it, but before she could touch the club, Ling Yan let go and it fell to the ground. Xia Xi didn't mind, squatted, picked it up, gave it a quick clean, and stashed it in her bag.

Ling Yan caught sight of that figure squatting then standing by her feet out of the corner of her eye, the corner of her mouth twitching up: "Go get me a bottle of water."

"Sure."

Xia Xi walked over to the nearby outdoor parasol, where white folding tables and chairs were set for players to rest briefly; several bottles of mineral water sat on the table, she took one, thought about it, and picked up another.

The few of them had come seriously to play golf; Xia Xi's appearance was just a minor interruption, and they quickly returned to the game, with occasional thuds of ball strikes echoing across the course.

Xia Xi turned back holding two bottles of water, first handed one to Ling Yan, then held the other, squeezed her fingers, found a moment, and offered it to Xu Yanfeng: "Here, want me to open it for you?"

Xu Yanfeng glanced sideways at her; he was indeed thirsty, unaware of how she'd noticed. He hesitated a second, didn't refuse, took it gracefully, unscrewed the cap himself, tipped his head back, and gulped a few mouthfuls. His prominent Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on it like gold dust in the sunlight, dazzling and tempting.

Xia Xi's ears felt a bit hot; she didn't know if they were red.

"Xia Xi." Ling Yan called her.

Xia Xi touched her earlobe; she wore a tiny diamond stud, its faceted edges scraping her fingertip, sending a tingling, numb sensation all the way to her heart.

She steadied herself, ran back to Ling Yan's side: "Sorry, is there anything else you need?"

"You still know to be apologetic…" Ling Yan muttered, handing over the unopened bottle of mineral water: "They have caddies over there providing service; why do you keep hovering?"

Xia Xi: "Do you want me to open it for you?"

"I don't want plain water; go get me a cup of coffee." Ling Yan said, "I want it hot, a latte."

Xia Xi took the mineral water Ling Yan handed her, turned to look at the table under the parasol—there was no coffee, let alone a hot latte. Ling Yan knew what she was thinking: "The service area has coffee; please make a trip. We few ladies aren't playing anymore, so we don't need you as an assistant."

Ling Yan gave a glance to the other ladies.

Otherwise, how could they be good sisters? Ling Yan's glance, and they understood her meaning.

"Also get me a cup of coffee, just like Yan Yan's, thanks."

"Bring me a chocolate sundae."

"I don't want a latte; I want an Americano."

Could Xia Xi refuse? Of course not; she still had to smile while serving these ladies: "Just a moment, I'm on my way."

The distance from the course to the service area isn't short; on foot, a round trip would take less than half an hour—impossible. Earlier, a male staff member had driven her over in a golf cart, but now that person was nowhere to be found.

Xia Xi saw an empty cart parked not far away.

She had a driver's license but had never driven this type of vehicle; she got in, gave it a try, and it didn't seem too hard. She drove the little cart slowly, retracing the route she remembered from earlier.

After seeing Xia Xi off, Ling Yan and a few ladies sat under the parasol to rest, chatting idly while watching the boys play golf.

Ling Yan's gaze locked onto Xu Yanfeng, drawn to him.

When Xia Xi returns, Ling Yan still has other ways to give her trouble, hoping to get close to Xu Yanfeng here; Xia Xi's plans are likely to come to naught.

Ten or so minutes later, Xia Xi returned driving the golf cart leisurely, the cart loaded with the ladies' requested coffee and sundae, and she thoughtfully grabbed some freshly baked cookies and small cakes.

Just as Xia Xi was about to park the cart, a middle-aged man suddenly darted out in front of it; she was terrified, hit the emergency brake, then hurriedly jumped out and asked: "Are you alright?"

"How did you drive…"

The middle-aged man saw a smudge of dust on his white pant leg, flew into a rage, about to lash out, but looked up to see a young lady; despite her furrowed brows and anxious expression, her striking beauty was hard to conceal.

The man's anger instantly dissipated by half, and he never got to say the word "cart."

"Watch your driving, you're swaying left and right—you'll easily hit someone. If it were me, I'm good-tempered, but anyone else would surely give you a dressing-down." The man changed his expression, narrowed his swollen eyes, and gave Xia Xi a once-over, then suddenly grabbed her wrist, his thumb rubbing her delicate skin as he smiled and said, "Look at your outfit—are you a ball boy here? Come on, play a few rounds with me and I won't hold it against you."

The panic on Xia Xi's face from almost hitting someone faded, replaced by coldness: "Sir, please behave yourself. This is a ball field, not a nightclub."

The man's face twitched, showing a hint of displeasure: "You just bumped into me. If I went to tell your manager, what do you think would happen to you? It's just a few rounds of ball—I'm not going to eat you. Aren't you a ball boy?"

Xi frowned, eager to break free from the man's hold, but he gripped her wrist tightly.

In the tense moment, a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached out from the side, seized her arm, and pulled her free from the middle-aged man's grasp.

(End of chapter)