Chapter 48

The diners at the table next to them might not be used to using dining knives, as the clattering sound of knives and forks against the plates was a bit jarring.

Song Chao gently caressed the wine glass in his hand, the cool, smooth feel quickly making the slight stir of emotions inside him disappear. "Oh?" His voice was lazy and hoarse, making it hard to detect any deep emotions.

Yanxi saw his reaction and became even more certain that he didn't like her at all. If someone truly liked another person, they would inevitably pay more attention to anything related to her. Gentleness can be feigned, consideration can be feigned, but true affection cannot be faked.

She didn't understand Song Chao's intentions. Her attitude toward him was hardly polite. Even if he was just playing around, given her distant attitude, he should have lost interest by now. Why bother? When Wei Xiaoman used to say that she didn't understand men, she would scoff at it, but now, she truly didn't understand men.

Men always say that women are complicated and hard to understand, but in reality, they are just the same.

The human heart is like the sea—it knows no gender.

Song Chao observed the woman in front of him carefully. Her skin was fair, her brows like willows and her eyes like apricots, her nose straight, and her lips small and rosy. Her features combined gave her a slightly pitiful and innocent look. Her hair was stylish but not exaggerated, accentuating her delicate face. Her hands were slender and fair, with neatly trimmed nails, no manicures, but with nail care polish. These were hands that had been well taken care of, even worthy of being called hands that never touched a drop of spring water.

She was a delicate beauty, like a fragile little flower, but he was surrounded by beautiful women, and Yanxi's appearance wasn't enough to make him gasp in awe.

He didn't understand how Yuan Yi could fall for such an ordinary woman. But remembering Yuan Yi's past habits and behaviors, Song Chao felt that if Yuan Yi liked such a woman, it might just be because she seemed weak and easy to manipulate.

A woman who looked so easily manipulated was just the right match for someone like Yuan Yi, wasn't she?

"I didn't expect that love letter to never reach Miss Yanxi," Song Chao said with a slightly disappointed smile. "All these years, I thought Miss Song didn't like me and rejected my confession. I didn't realize it was all a misunderstanding."

"Wait," Yanxi interrupted Song Chao rudely, as he was about to bring the topic back to feelings. "Mr. Song, even if the letter had reached me back then, I would still have rejected you."

"Oh?" Song Chao smiled, his demeanor gracious. "I have no appeal in Miss Yanxi's eyes?"

"No," Yanxi shook her head. "I just wasn't planning on having a romantic relationship at that time. I was only fifteen years old, still a minor."

Song Chao: ...

He thought Yanxi would refuse him in a more elegant, gentle way, but she ended up saying something like that. It felt as though he had entered a high-end restaurant, only to find they were serving lamb skewers and stinky tofu—so absurd that it took him a moment to react.

"Miss Song is even more interesting than I imagined," Song Chao chuckled. "You've made me more reluctant to give up on pursuing you."

"I understand," Yanxi wiped the corner of her mouth. "But in life, it's important to have things that are unattainable to make it interesting. Mr. Song, you should try this feeling. It might offer you a new life insight."

Song Chao smiled lightly and didn't comment. His posture was like that of someone tolerating a spoiled child. Yanxi thought that his demeanor, his charm, nearly fit her image of the perfect man—if he hadn't mentioned her father or half-forced her into this meal.

Rather than saying Song Chao had charm, it seemed more like he considered her the only type of woman worth dealing with using such methods.

"I heard Mr. Song's father has been doing charity work in a poor mountain area and received praise from the relevant departments?" Song Chao looked at Yanxi gently. "A friend of mine admires your father's righteousness. He's got a big project developing the western district. If your father is interested, he could join in."

This project was quite well-known. Yanxi had heard her father mention it. Recently, many big companies were bidding for it, including one of Yuan's companies, but in the end, a second-tier company won the bid. Her father had said that this second-tier company must have some backing, or else they wouldn't have dared to take on such a big project.

Now hearing Song Chao mention it, she had a bold guess. Could it be that Song Chao was the real supporter behind the scenes?

This project was a piece of juicy meat, and many people wanted to latch onto it for a taste. Song Chao now casually brought it up, showing that everything was under his control, giving him the confidence to make such an offer.

This sweetened cannonball was moving, but who knew if the sugar coating was hiding filth or poison?

"This project is too amazing. Our family is only in small business, we probably don't have the ability to participate," Yanxi smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Song."

"Miss Yanxi, if you don't manage the company, how would you know that your father's company isn't capable? Why not ask your father?" Song Chao didn't believe any businessman would remain indifferent to such huge benefits.

"No need. My father only has me as his daughter, and he respects my decisions," Yanxi rested her chin on one hand, her tone light. "Mr. Song, although I don't understand why you insist on getting close to me, as a noble son of the Song family, if you don't like a woman, why pretend to care? Isn't that just a disservice to yourself?"

This wasn't an outright insult, but it made Song Chao's expression change. He sneered. "Miss Yanxi, sometimes women who are too clever don't tend to attract men."

"Then I'll have to apologize to my male counterparts," Yanxi smiled mockingly at him. "After all, I can never learn to be a fool. Mr. Song, it would be better for you to stay away from a woman like me who doesn't attract you."

Cleverness can be contagious, and she didn't want to spread it to others.

"Is Miss Yanxi so confident because you have Yuan Yi backing you?" Song Chao leaned back against his chair, looking at Yanxi with a hint of contempt in his eyes. "Let's not even talk about whether Yuan Yi can protect you for life. With his ability, can he even protect you?"

Yanxi's face darkened. "Mr. Song, you probably don't look at yourself in the mirror much at home."

"What do you mean?"

"With such a big face, don't you want to try slimming it down a bit?"

Upon hearing this, Song Chao didn't get angry but instead laughed. "You think that by clinging to Yuan Yi's leg, you can become the mistress of the Yuan family? Too bad you don't know that Yuan Yi has an older brother who is far superior to him. His parents don't value him, and the Yuan family's future will never be in his hands."

"Who the Yuan family's assets go to has nothing to do with me," Yanxi laughed. "First of all, I'm not planning to become the mistress of the Yuan family. Secondly, I don't think Yuan Yi is inferior to anyone. So what if he's not the future master of the Yuan family? Who's to say he won't create his own empire in the future?"

"I've seen many people who talk tough, and Miss Yanxi is one of them." Song Chao lowered his eyelids, slightly leaning back, exuding arrogance. "But those who talk tough often end up badly."

"Then I hope to be your life's accident," Yanxi stood up, handed the waiter a card. "Check, please."

She turned back to look at Song Chao. "Mr. Song, speaking ill of a woman's friends in front of her is the stupidest way to pursue her. I hope you don't make this mistake again when pursuing other women."

"Friends?" Song Chao sneered at her. "Did Yuan Yi acknowledge you as his friend?"

"There's a saying online that perfectly sums up many things in life in just two sentences," Yan Xi raised her chin slightly, "It's none of your business and none of my business. I hope Mr. Song can understand this."

Song Chao's face darkened.

Yan Xi no longer looked at him and turned to leave, her high heels clicking as she walked away.

Song Chao stared at the meat on his plate, gripping his knife and fork tightly. After a long moment, he regained his normal expression, straightened his bow tie, and stood up to leave the restaurant.

Behind the potted plant at the next table, the agent whispered to the artist he was with, "Good thing we didn't speak earlier, otherwise it would've been awkward if someone noticed. The person who just left seems to be Mr. Song?"

"I've heard Mr. Song has been back in the country for less than half a year and has already solidified his position in the Song Group. His cousins have been overshadowed by him. I didn't expect a woman to not give him face. This young lady is impressive."

"You should look in the mirror to see your own face first. Where does your confidence come from to call her 'young lady'?" Xu Qiaosheng tugged at his hat and disdainfully picked at the vegetable salad in his bowl. "He's not impressive at all!"

The agent remembered that Xu Qiaosheng was the cousin of the two brothers from the Yuan family and smiled awkwardly. "Well, compared to the eldest son of the Yuan family, he's still a bit lacking."

Xu Qiaosheng clicked his tongue, playing with his phone on the table. "Even compared to my second cousin, he's still far off."

The agent didn't know how to respond. He only knew that there were two brothers in the Yuan family. Yuan Dong had gradually stopped managing the company's affairs. Although he still held the title of the big boss, the company was essentially under Yuan Bo's control.

There was very little news about the second son of the Yuan family. It was vaguely heard that he had invested in a film last year, and after it was released last month, it grossed 1.8 billion yuan at the box office, making him quite a bit of money.

"The second son of Yuan has a very good eye for investments."

The entertainment industry may seem prosperous, but many are losing money. For an outsider like the second son of Yuan to spot this film from all the investments shows how sharp his investment instincts are.

"That's true," Xu Qiaosheng was closer to Yuan Yi than to Yuan Bo, so he didn't like hearing bad things about Yuan Yi. He hadn't expected that he would run into Song Chao and Yan Xi on a date when he decided to eat here.

In his mind, Yan Xi was almost like a second cousin-in-law. If he said he had no thoughts about his second cousin-in-law being with another man, he would be lying.

When Song Chao's words became more and more outrageous, he almost stood up to confront him, but when he heard Yan Xi's sharp rebuttal, he hesitated.

When Yan Xi mocked Song Chao for having such a big face that it needed to be "shaved," he nearly burst out laughing. Yan Xi's tongue was truly sharp. If he were Song Chao, he would've been furious by now.

On the study room balcony, Yuan Yi was sitting in a newly made rocking chair, listening to music. His phone on the table suddenly lit up with a message from Xu Qiaosheng.

Qiaosheng: "Yi Ge, I accidentally recorded an audio clip just now, and I think you'll be interested."

Yuan: "Not interested, not listening."

Qiaosheng: "It's about your second cousin-in-law. You still won't listen?"

Yuan: "How did you secretly record her talking?"

Qiaosheng: "Is that the key point?"

Yuan: "Yes."

Qiaosheng: "...Forget it, you'll know when you listen to it yourself."

Yuan Yi hesitated for a long time before clicking on the audio Xu Qiaosheng sent him.

When the audio started playing, Yuan Yi heard Yan Xi's voice. It was a bit faint, so he turned up the volume, barely able to make out what she was saying.

"Sorry, I didn't receive your love letter back then."

The two words "love letter" made Yuan Yi's heart heavy. Who was Yan Xi going on a date with that would make her mention love letters?

When Song Chao's voice came from the phone, Yuan Yi froze for a moment, feeling slightly irritated. He stood up, turned off the record player in the study, and then sat back down in the rocking chair. The balcony was very quiet, and the spacious villa was peaceful. Finally, he could hear all the sounds in the audio clearly, even imagining the expression on Yan Xi's face when she said each sentence.

"Your face is so big, don't you want to find a way to shave it down?"

Hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh. This woman always had a sharp tongue that could make people so furious.

"His parents don't value him, the Yuan family will never fall into his hands."

"I don't think Yuan Yi is worse than anyone else. So what if he's not the head of the Yuan family? Who can say for sure he won't create his own success in the future?"

He reached out to pause the audio and dragged the progress bar forward.

"I don't think Yuan Yi is worse than anyone else. So what if he's not the future head of the Yuan family? Who can say for sure he won't create his own success in the future?"

"I don't think Yuan Yi is worse than anyone else. So what if he's not the future head of the Yuan family? Who can say for sure he won't create his own success in the future?"

After returning home, Yan Xi washed up and comfortably lay on the bed, taking out her phone to scroll through Moments. The first post was from Yuan Yi.

Yuan Xiaoer: "Can't sleep."

The accompanying picture was of a hedgehog, one of the main characters from her movie "Little Monster."

Seeing that someone couldn't sleep, Yan Xi felt a bit of schadenfreude and couldn't resist giving Yuan Xiaoer a quiet thumbs-up.

It wasn't her fault; her hand just didn't listen to her.

"My stomach is so hungry." Yan Xi remembered that she hadn't eaten much earlier in the evening and regretted it a bit. After all, she had paid for the meal. Was it a bit of a loss? She got up and went to the kitchen to make herself a bowl of noodles, with vegetables, eggs, ham, and mushrooms—all the essentials. Thinking that many people would be hungry at this time, Yan Xi adjusted her phone to food mode and took a few photos, posting them to her Weibo account and Moments.

Seeing all the comments in her Moments and Weibo, with people complaining about being hungry, Yan Xi ate even more happily.

Posting food pictures while eating late-night snacks, knowing it would make others feel even hungrier, gave her the illusion that the food was extra delicious.

While trying to control his weight, Xu Qiaosheng saw this post late at night and felt his stomach shrink. It was just a bowl of ordinary noodles, with a fried egg at most, but it looked so delicious, and he couldn't help but crave it.

Why was Yan Xi the kind of person who posted food pictures at the slightest provocation?

Though he was frustrated inside, he only dared to give it a thumbs-up and didn't even dare to complain.

Scrolling further, he saw that Yuan Yi couldn't sleep?

It was nearly 11 p.m., and he was still awake?

He trembled slightly and left a comment.

Qiaosheng: "Yi Ge, has your account been hacked?"

Yuan replied: "No."

Oh, judging by his response, it didn't seem like his account had been hacked.

Yan Xi saw Xu Qiaosheng's comment on Yuan Yi's post and almost laughed out loud. But remembering that Song Hai upstairs was already asleep, she quickly held back her laughter and replied to Xu Qiaosheng.

Dahai, it's Xiaoxi: "Hahaha, why does being unable to sleep mean the account was hacked?"

Qiaosheng replied: Dahai, it's Xiaoxi: "Mainly because Yi Ge rarely posts on Moments. I was a bit surprised."

Xu Qiaosheng had nothing to say in response. Was he really going to tell his future second cousin-in-law that Yi Ge rarely had trouble sleeping past 11?

But thinking about how Yi Ge had already told his second cousin-in-law that he had to sleep before 11, what could he, as a cousin, say? He couldn't expose his lie.

Lying is exhausting, and no wonder some fans say his acting skills are bad. He uses all his acting skills here, leaving no energy to focus on acting properly.

After finishing her noodles, Yan Xi planned to play for another half hour before going to bed. But when she opened her chat app, she saw that Wei Xiaoman had sent her a private message through the group chat.

Wei Xiaoman: "Dahai, are you there? I'd like to talk to you. Can we meet up?"

Yan Xi calmly closed the chat window.

She wasn't the heroine of a TV drama, with someone having cheated on her and expecting her to go meet them like a summoned beast.

That would be just a ridiculous thing to do after having eaten too much.