Chapter 34

"Original Xiao Er..." Zhang Wang's voice sounded a bit airy, and his gaze at Yuan Yi was as if he were looking at a fool. "How many women have you had this kind of reaction to?"

"One is already enough for me, and you want me to deal with more?" Yuan Yi rubbed his nose, looking a bit tired. "Do you still remember when I was publicly criticized by the school leaders for bullying girls?"

"I have some impression. Wasn't it a pretty big deal back then?" Zhang Wang vaguely remembered. They were in their senior year at the time, and somehow the teacher had made a public announcement that Yuan Xiao Er had been bullying younger girls at school. Apparently, the girl transferred the next day, and many classmates said that Yuan Xiao Er had bullied her into leaving. "What made you bring this up now?"

At the time, they thought it seemed unlikely. Yuan Xiao Er didn't seem like the type to bully young girls. But except for their close friends, everyone else thought it wasn't surprising that Yuan Xiao Er could do something like that. After the incident reached the ears of Aunt Xu and Uncle Yuan, Yuan Xiao Er was severely punished. He had a major fallout with his family, and though outsiders didn't know the details, after that, Yuan Xiao Er started attending school more obediently, no longer skipping classes, but his relationship with his family became more and more distant. Over the years, it had become rare to hear him mention his parents.

"She was that girl from back then." Yuan Yi picked up a piece of food and spoke very calmly.

Zhang Wang saw Yuan Yi eating a dish he usually didn't like and immediately knew that Yuan Yi was distracted. "Did she recognize you?" he asked. After all, Yuan Xiao Er looked completely different now than when he was dressed like that back then. Even his own parents might not recognize him, yet that girl managed to recognize him?

Yuan Yi paused with his chopsticks, and after a while, he said, "No."

The food at this restaurant was poorly made and hard to eat.

"Buddy, let me ask you something out of genuine concern," Zhang Wang saw that Yuan Yi's face didn't look too good. "Is it possible that you... have fallen for this girl?"

Fall in love?

Yuan Yi felt like he had been punched in the chest. He immediately refuted, "What are you thinking? How could I possibly fall for her?"

A woman who pretends to be indifferent, who is rough and doesn't match her appearance at all, a woman who can't even keep her succulents alive and likes to argue with him—he wasn't crazy enough to fall for someone like her.

Zhang Wang didn't expect Yuan Yi to have such a big reaction. He looked at him thoughtfully. "If you really don't care about her, and she got you falsely accused back then, shouldn't we teach her a lesson now? It would be like avenging the injustice you suffered."

"It's been so many years, what's the point of avenging it?" Yuan Yi looked at Zhang Wang seriously. "Wang Zi, don't do anything stupid." He realized his tone was a bit harsh and added, "None of us should bully a woman over some petty old grudge."

"Are you really just going to let it go?" Zhang Wang smiled slyly as he poured himself a glass of juice. "If you think it's hard to take action, we can help you..."

"Wang Zi, don't touch her," Yuan Yi stared at Zhang Wang. "Back then, she was the one who kept explaining for me. No one believed her, and no one believed me either."

Zhang Wang fell silent. He lowered his head and looked at his juice, then laughed. "Yuan Xiao Er, are you stupid?"

He couldn't believe Yuan Yi didn't realize it himself. As the saying goes, 'the heart is messy when you care.' Did Yuan Xiao Er really not know that he had feelings for that girl? If it was true, this joke would be enough for him to laugh at Yuan Xiao Er for a lifetime.

He was usually such a smart person, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was worse than a primary school kid. These days, even some primary school kids would confess to their crushes, but Yuan Xiao Er, a grown man, still couldn't figure it out.

"Go away, who had a higher score than mine in the college entrance exams?" Yuan Yi dismissed him. "You guys are all academic failures, and you dare call me stupid?"

"There's also something called 'high scores but low intelligence,'" Zhang Wang put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth clean, and said, "Yuan Xiao Er, let me ask you a question. Could you accept this girl marrying another man?"

"Who she marries is none of my business," Yuan Yi dropped the food he was holding, growing increasingly impatient as he threw his chopsticks onto the table. "I'm not her father, why should I care who her boyfriend is?"

"If you're not upset, why are you acting like this?" Zhang Wang crossed his arms. "Yuan Xiao Er, just keep being stubborn. Don't wait until she's really with someone else and then realize that you've already fallen for her. By then, my brothers won't be helping you steal the bride. We're all well-known figures in the capital, and we can't afford to lose face."

"Get lost, I would never do something like that in this lifetime," Yuan Yi stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm done eating. I'm going to pay the bill."

Zhang Wang watched Yuan Yi's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

Maybe those who have never been loved just don't know how to love others, and may even reject emotional needs deep inside.

Yuan Xiao Er really did have a problem, a psychological one.

"Yan Jie," Xiao Yang looked at the blue fairy lily in the corner. "This bouquet must cost a lot of money. Is it okay to just leave it here?"

Yan Xi tapped on the keyboard, not looking up. "So it can stay in my office."

Instead of the trash can.

She didn't believe for a second that Song Chao truly liked her. Nine years ago, Song Chao was just seventeen or eighteen years old. Even if he had some vague crush on the fifteen-year-old her, after so many years, he must have forgotten. All this talk about not forgetting for ten years and rekindling old flames—it only happens in novels. She didn't think she had that kind of charm to make a rich young heir remember her for so long.

If she believed that, then she was a fool.

It was just a rich young heir who had a temporary fancy and was probably just playing with her. She had met a few small rich heirs before, and around them, there were always handsome men and beautiful women. Someone like her—who came to work as a small-time host—was considered out of place and not someone they would associate with.

Never use true love to test human nature. In the end, the truth would reveal that the other person was not even human.

"Mr. Song," a man in a jacket with messy hair entered, holding a folder in his hand. "I've found the information you asked for."

Song Chao took the folder from him and nodded slightly. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Just doing my job," the man stood up. "You're always welcome."

Song Chao smiled without saying anything.

After the man left, he opened the folder, which contained a thick stack of photos. Each photo was of Yan Xi after she entered university—smiling, eating, reading, and even playing with her phone secretly in class.

Song Chao casually pulled out a photo. In it, Yan Xi was lying in a car, and Yuan Yi was bending down to hug her.

He tore the photo up, turned his chair around, gazed out the window at the sunlight, and called his assistant. "Miss Yan doesn't seem to like the blue fairy lilies. From tomorrow, we'll switch to another flower."

"What does she like?"

"I don't need to know what she likes," he smiled slightly. "I just need to know her weaknesses."

After hanging up, Song Chao leisurely adjusted his bowtie, looking like the most perfect gentleman in the world.

Years had passed, and the heart of the secret admirer remained unchanged, until the meeting when he finally gathered the courage to pursue her. It was such a beautiful love story.

"Look at this almanac. I think two days later is a good day, suitable for moving," Yuan Yi threw the almanac that Zhang Wang handed to him onto the table and looked around the small apartment. "Isn't this apartment too small for you?"

"I think it's perfect," Zhang Wang took a bottle of wine from the cabinet. "Just right for living alone."

Yuan Yi frowned. "No garden, no swimming pool—how is this perfect?"

"This is a bachelor apartment, not a luxury villa," Zhang Wang poured himself a glass of wine and handed it to Yuan Yi. "Wouldn't a bigger house feel too empty if you lived alone?"

"I drive later, so I'm not drinking," Yuan Yi didn't take the wine. "I prefer big houses."

"Well, if you're not drinking, you're not drinking," Zhang Wang noticed that Yuan Yi had no intention of leaving and casually turned on the TV. "Why don't you just stay here tonight, and don't go back?"

"I choose the bed," Yuan Yi grabbed the remote and expertly tuned the channel.

"You're young but have a lot of issues," Zhang Wang got up, went to the kitchen, and brought out a plate of fruit. "Tell me, what's that woman like who often makes you angry?"

"Why are you asking about her?" Yuan Yi turned his head in surprise. "Are you interested in her?"

"Who would be interested in someone like her?" Zhang Wang sat back down and crossed his legs. "I mean, you must know that no matter how much time passes, some things will always remain."

Yan Xi hung up the phone and had just put on one shoe when she sensed something was wrong. Her dad was drunk and there was a driver with him. Even if the driver weren't there, the hotel would arrange a professional service to send him back, so it made no sense for her to go pick him up.

She called Song Hai again, but no one picked up.

When she checked the address provided, it turned out to be a highly reputable, high-end hotel. This hotel was a property under the Changfeng Group, and it didn't seem like a place where anything illegal would occur. Her mind settled. Whether there was a plot or if she was just overthinking, she knew that in a hotel with good security conditions, nothing too dangerous could happen.

Thinking about the influential person she had recently met, Yan Xi hesitated for a moment but decided that her father's safety took precedence and chose to call Yuan Yi.

After several rings, Yuan Yi finally answered. His first words were, "Make it quick. I can only stop here for two minutes."

Was he pulling over to take the call? What a law-abiding citizen.

Yan Xi quickly explained the situation, and after a brief silence, Yuan Yi said, "I'll wait downstairs at the hotel. I'll go with you."

"Thank you, Yuan Xiao Er. You are the most handsome and righteous young master in the entire capital!"

"Tsk, you're flattering me too much. It's better not to flatter me at all," Yuan Yi responded without any sign of being flattered.

"If I don't flatter you a bit, how can I show my overflowing gratitude?" Yan Xi put on the other shoe, grabbed her car keys, and rushed out the door.

The night air was cool. Yuan Yi got out of his car and exchanged pleasantries with the hotel manager who had come to greet him, then stood at the entrance without moving.

The senior hotel staff were all confused. The second young master, Dong, had specifically gone to stand outside. Was he there just to enjoy the view?

"Yuan..." Yan Xi panted as she ran over. Seeing that there were quite a few hotel managers in suits standing behind Yuan Yi, she barely stopped herself from calling out "Yuan Xiao Er" and instead said, "Yuan Yi."

Calling him "Yuan Xiao Er" in front of all these subordinates seemed a bit disrespectful.

"You got here pretty quickly?" Yuan Yi frowned. "Did you speed?"

"No, I was lucky and didn't hit many red lights." Yan Xi caught her breath and said, "Shall we head up now?"

"Mm," Yuan Yi turned to the hotel manager. "Where's the 'Wealthy Flower' suite?"

The manager hesitated, "Mr. Yuan, is something wrong?"

"No, my friend's father is drunk, and I'm here to help her pick him up," Yuan Yi said, then turned to Yan Xi, motioning for her to follow. "Let's go."

"Alright, big brother!" Yan Xi smiled as she followed behind Yuan Yi.

Yuan Yi lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "You're really sucking up."

"No, I'm speaking from the heart with respect and admiration," Yan Xi said, her eyes full of sincerity. "Look at my genuine eyes." She winked at Yuan Yi, hoping to convey her sincerity through the windows to his soul.

However, the only response she got was Yuan Yi quickly turning his head away.

"Your makeup's smudged."

Yan Xi: ...

What a humiliation!