Chapter 20: It's That Simple

"Do you have a grudge against your phone?" Yuan Bo came home from work and found Yuan Yi staring at his phone, gripping it tightly. "It's already 8:30, aren't you planning to wash up and go to bed?"

Bending over, Yuan Bo picked up the remote control. Without even looking at the TV, he threw his suit jacket aside and sat down on the couch.

Yuan Yi heard a familiar voice coming from the TV and looked up. He remained silent as he watched the screen. On the TV, Yan Xi was introducing the donations that the welfare center had received and how the funds would be used. She then showed the dining hall and accommodation facilities of the welfare center, all neatly arranged. In order to protect the children's privacy, none of the children's faces were shown, and even when they were accidentally filmed, their faces were blurred, and their voices were altered in post-production.

It was Saturday, and the show was a rerun with no new content. Yuan Yi stared at the TV with a blank expression until the program ended, making up his mind.

Since this woman was so charitable, he decided to remind her.

Mr. Zhou's gathering had been a great success, and with Song Chao present to give him face, he had received a lot of praise. Having had a few more drinks than usual, Mr. Zhou was feeling more confident in his speech.

Song Hai was busy mingling with fellow businesspeople. Worried that his daughter might tire from following him around, he told her to find a place to rest and not feel obligated to stay by his side. Yan Xi understood that such events often involved business conversations between the adults, so she obediently retreated to a corner. The chefs at this gathering were hired at a high price by Mr. Zhou, and both the appearance and taste of the food were commendable.

Yan Xi took some food and sat down in the corner. At such gatherings, the role of the hostess was important, but since she was young and didn't fit into the category of a "madam," most people only greeted her without engaging in business talk.

"Miss Song," Song Chao came over with a glass of wine and sat across from her. He glanced at the plate of food, noticing it was already finished, and saw that her lipstick had faded a bit, probably because she hadn't had time to touch it up. "Sorry to bother you."

Yan Xi waved to have the empty plate taken away and smiled politely at Song Chao. "Mr. Song, would you mind if I went to the restroom to touch up my makeup?"

"There's no need to go so far, Miss Song. There's no one else here," Song Chao gestured with his hand, "Unless, of course, you mind my presence?" He then shifted slightly to the side.

Yan Xi wasn't sure how many people were paying attention to Song Chao right now, or if his actions might be misinterpreted. But given that such a handsome man was taking the initiative to approach her, she didn't feel at a disadvantage. As for what others thought, as long as it didn't harm her, she was indifferent.

Everyone daydreams from time to time, doesn't it?

Song Chao observed the woman before him and couldn't help but recall the past, nine years ago. Back then, he was under a lot of academic pressure and, for some reason, developed a faint crush on a first-year female student. At that time, he was overly naive and, following what he thought were the methods other students used to pursue girls, wrote her a love letter.

Later, the girl never replied, nor did she show up at the meeting spot he had written in the letter. He waited there like a fool for half the day. When he went to find her again, he heard that she had transferred schools that morning.

Nine years had passed, and he could barely remember the girl's face, only that she had been sweet, gentle, and pure. But he clearly remembered the feeling of waiting under the sun for half the day, from hope to disappointment. It was the only failure of his youth, the silly thing he didn't want to recall, so he didn't like thinking about it.

He thought he had mostly forgotten about it, but when he saw that girl again, he instantly remembered her appearance. She seemed just as pure and delicate as before, and even her eyes, which were still full of innocence, reminded him of a little rabbit that had been bullied.

But that was all she was.

She was just an ordinary woman, busy fixing her makeup, smiling when she was in front of him.

Yan Xi wasn't a fool and had long noticed that since Song Chao sat down, he had been studying her. She put down the small mirror and met his gaze. "Mr. Song, may I ask if there's something you need?" She pointed to the corner of her lips. "If a handsome man like you keeps staring at me, I'm afraid I might accidentally smudge my lipstick onto my teeth."

"Sorry," Song Chao smiled as he took off his glasses and set them down on the table. "It's just that you resemble my first love, so I couldn't help but take a few more glances. I haven't seen her for nine years, and I don't know how she's doing now."

"Any girl who was liked by Mr. Song must be outstanding, so you don't need to worry. I'm sure she's doing just fine," Yan Xi closed her mirror, put her lipstick and mirror into her bag.

This wasn't some kind of idol drama. First loves, nine years without meeting—this kind of line was something even third-rate novels wouldn't dare to write. Did he really think she had never seen a man? It wasn't hard to see that Song Chao looked good, but his thoughts weren't exactly as clean.

He couldn't be trying to use his charm to fool her just because she had a pretty face, could he?

"Miss Song..."

Yan Xi's phone rang, and she seized the opportunity to stand up, apologizing with a smile to Song Chao, and walked to the corner. Taking out her phone, she was surprised to see that the caller was Yuan Xiao Er. She looked back at Song Chao, who had already put his glasses back on and was getting ready to leave, before answering the call.

"Mr. Yuan."

"Where are you? It's so noisy."

Yan Xi turned her head to glance at the people around her. Despite being quite far away, this young master could still hear everything—his hearing was impressive. "I'm at a gathering hosted by my dad's friend."

"Do you need something?"

"Can't I call you if I have nothing to do?"

They weren't exactly close, so why would she call just to waste his time? Yan Xi rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "Of course you can, you're always welcome."

"Don't worry, if I didn't need something, I wouldn't bother you," Yuan Yi sneered, then glanced at Yuan Bo who was looking at him, stepping aside to hide his expression. "Didn't I tell you I'd take you out for a meal today? As the host, I need to find out what my guest likes. Tell me, what do you like to eat, so I can make the arrangements."

"Is that all?"

Yuan Yi turned to see Yuan Bo looking at him again and shifted his position, hiding his expression. "Food is a big deal, it's important."

Who knew, Yuan Xiao Er was such a foodie.

Yan Xi almost got convinced by the other party's tone of righteous persuasion: "How about Sichuan cuisine?"

Thinking of the fiery hot chili peppers and the numbing Sichuan peppercorns that make your tongue go numb, Yuan Yi's refusal turned around in his mind for three circles before he said, "Okay, I'll arrange it properly. You just wait."

"Well... thank you?" Yan Xi hadn't encountered someone who invited her to dinner so formally and seriously for a long time, and couldn't help but laugh, "I look forward to the place you choose."

"No, no need to thank me," hearing Yan Xi's voice with a smile, Yuan Yi felt a bit of a shiver in his throat and ears. He straightened his expression, "By the way, in crowded places, drink less alcohol, and stay away from those elegant scoundrels. Some men may look good, but their hearts are darker than anything."

Although Yuan Yi didn't refer to anyone specifically, Yan Xi couldn't help but think of that young master of the Song family, Song Chao. She touched her nose and said, "Okay, thanks for the reminder."

It turns out that Yuan Xiao Er wasn't just a foodie; he was also the type to care about others, and... she really didn't see that coming.

Hearing Yan Xi's tone was a bit perfunctory, Yuan Yi's voice turned cold, "Don't take it lightly. Just recently, someone got into trouble, and it made a few families lose face."

"Okay, I'll pay attention," Yan Xi spoke into the phone, "I won't drink any alcohol."

After hanging up, she took a picture of the orange juice in her hand and sent it to Yuan Xiao Er's WeChat.

When Yuan Yi received Yan Xi's photo, his stern expression finally softened. He casually tossed the phone onto the couch and finally felt a little less suffocated in his chest.

"Who caused trouble and made a few families lose face? How come I haven't heard about it?" Yuan Bo furrowed his brows, looking at Yuan Yi, "Yuan Xiao Er, don't make up stories, if the gossip gets to those entertainment reporters, they'll make up some drama about grudges, you better be quiet."

"I'm just giving an example, not saying it's true." Yuan Yi said to the direction of the kitchen, "Aunt Li, could you squeeze me a glass of orange juice?"

"Fake, and you still speak so confidently. Second brother, you're something," Yuan Bo helplessly said, "Drinking orange juice late at night, what a weird habit."

"Orange juice can replenish vitamin C, I think it's pretty good." Yuan Yi stood up from the couch, casually put his phone in his pocket, and went to the kitchen to get the orange juice.

Yuan Bo looked at Yuan Yi's back and was speechless for a moment.

What a habit!

The wealthy families all have their own little circles. Some of the younger generation from influential families also have their own friend groups. Since WeChat became more popular, they too followed the trend and created a chat group. The group's name was high-end, but the chat content was a mess.

Things like luxury cars, famous watches, yachts, airplanes, beautiful women, and handsome men were often discussed. However, when it came to business matters, they all seemed to have an unspoken understanding to avoid them. People in their position, if they accidentally leak any information, it could affect the livelihoods of thousands, and even brothers must settle their accounts clearly. So, while they could eat and drink freely, they shouldn't speak recklessly.

While some of his friends were discussing who bought a new airplane, Yuan Yi asked a question in the group.

Yuan: Does anyone know where the best Sichuan cuisine is?

Zhang Wang: ...

Yang Yu: Is your account hacked?

Xu Qiaosheng: Hacked! We won't give you any money for phone bills, nor will we lend you anything, thanks!

Yuan Yi saw that there were over 20 messages in the group, all of them cursing him. He quickly replied with a message.

Yuan: Don't think I don't know you're just taking the opportunity to curse me, answer my question first.

Xu Qiaosheng: Bro, it's almost 10:30, and you're not sleeping yet?

Yuan Yi glanced at the empty cup on the table. After drinking too much orange juice, he couldn't fall asleep. He didn't answer Xu Qiaosheng's question and asked again about Sichuan cuisine.

Zhang Wang: Why are you asking this? Taking a girl out to eat?

Yuan: Don't overthink it. Do you think I would try to please a woman like that?

He had simply promised to do something for her, and he had to follow through.

It was that simple.