After leaving, the man with golden-rimmed glasses sensed something was off.
He stopped walking and said to his two companions, “I feel like we’ve been used. An Siyao seemed impatient; he came over and drove us away, and gained favor instead, right?”
“Then shall we go again and be ridiculed once more?” one companion replied.
“We couldn’t gain any favor by approaching her, how could he possibly succeed? An Siyao will get annoyed with him soon enough,” the other companion said.
The three stood aside, watching the direction of Xia Yu and An Siyao, waiting for Xia Yu to be rejected by An Siyao.
However, Xia Yu did not persist like they had. After greeting her, he simply turned and left.
“This guy actually retreated to advance; now An Siyao will only have a better impression of him,” the man with golden-rimmed glasses realized his naivety.
“He’s a pro. Let’s not mess with him,” the two companions gave up on approaching.
To them, maintaining face was the most important; they needed to avoid embarrassment promptly.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu left An Siyao and returned to stand beside Zhong Yunze.
“You don’t happen to have a crush on her, do you?” Zhong Yunze asked Xia Yu.
“No,” Xia Yu replied.
“Good. Those idiots thought An Siyao was from an ordinary family, but she’s actually the daughter of An Tianfeng, owner of the An Corporation!” Zhong Yunze’s voice carried a hint of sourness.
“How do you know that?” Xia Yu asked curiously.
“My family’s company had business dealings with the Ans. When my father was still alive, I even attended An Siyao’s birthday party,” Zhong Yunze explained.
When his father was still alive? That meant he hadn’t attended recently? Had Zhong’s family business declined, or had An Siyao stopped hosting public birthday events?
It wasn’t relevant to him for now, so Xia Yu decided to store that information for possible future use.
Gathering various pieces of information was one of Xia Yu’s hobbies.
“Also, don’t be fooled by An Siyao’s gentle appearance; she’s actually quite fierce!” Zhong Yunze added.
“How so?” Xia Yu already had a guess but still asked, wanting to know Zhong Yunze’s perspective.
“You know my sister, right? The troublemaker who’s given our mom headaches for years? Even she was completely tamed by An Siyao at school,” Zhong Yunze marveled. “Truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Even when my father was alive, he couldn’t control my sister very well.”
Hearing about his own accomplishments from someone else’s mouth felt strange to Xia Yu. At the same time, he confirmed how tight Kong Hanyue’s lips were—she hadn’t told Zhong Yunze, so others wouldn’t have known either.
Just like before, she was someone trustworthy.
Her personality was a bit childish, but that was also her charm.
After chatting with Zhong Yunze for a while, Xia Yu noticed someone approaching An Siyao again.
Beautiful girls always attracted attention.
After swiping the screen twice, Xia Yu clicked on An Siyao’s slot and entered the game.
Just after switching bodies, his center of gravity felt unstable, but Xia Yu skillfully steadied himself.
“What’s wrong with you?” the two boys who had approached An Siyao noticed Xia Yu’s stumble.
“Nothing,” Xia Yu replied expressionlessly.
The two boys were momentarily stunned. Just now, An Siyao had spoken so softly, so why did she suddenly seem so cold?
Placing the juice on the nearby table, Xia Yu started walking.
The two boys hurriedly followed.
After walking four or five steps and seeing they hadn’t given up, Xia Yu said, “I’m going to the women’s restroom. Are you going to follow me in there too?”
“Oh, no,” the two boys stammered. Under Xia Yu’s sharp gaze, their hearts tightened—they actually felt a bit scared.
This was because Xia Yu had used intimidation.
Watching from the side, Zhong Yunze grabbed Xia Yu’s arm: “See what I mean? Look at their expressions! I don’t know what An Siyao said, but she scared them like that!”
“Mmhm,” Xia Yu nodded.
After intimidating the two boys, Xia Yu continued walking.
He wasn’t lying—he genuinely needed to use the restroom.
After coming out of the stall, Xia Yu washed his hands while teasing An Siyao.
“If I hadn’t come, would you have gone back to wash your underwear?”
“Of course not! I would’ve come myself!” An Siyao defended.
Not wanting the girl to feel too embarrassed, Xia Yu didn’t dwell on the topic: “Why did you bother with those people? Just refuse them directly.”
The girl remained silent.
“Alright, I know you can’t bring yourself to do it.” Xia Yu reached out and pinched An Siyao’s cheek, dried his hands, and walked directly toward the elevator.
At the entrance of the grand hall, he encountered a girl coming out.
Noticing the direction Xia Yu was heading, the girl called out, “The grand hall is this way!”
Xia Yu turned and smiled at her: “I know. I’m just leaving by elevator.”
Then he continued walking.
This girl was among the few who felt uneasy at the banquet. She looked at the two boys in the hall laughing about their posture with their cups, gritted her teeth, and followed Xia Yu from behind.
She had always hidden in the corners, procrastinating, never thinking she could simply leave early.
Inside the elevator, she still felt uneasy.
Xia Yu had already guessed her feelings. He comforted her: “It’s nothing serious. Just a banquet. You can always say you weren’t feeling well.”
“Thank you!” Seeing Xia Yu’s calm demeanor, the girl’s anxiety eased.
Xia Yu’s floor arrived first, and he stepped out of the elevator.
After the doors closed, the girl still had his image in her mind.
So cool!
An Siyao also felt cheerful. Pointing the way, she said, “It’s the room just ahead. I don’t have the key, but the teacher is inside.”
Xia Yu knocked on the door, and an elderly woman opened it.
“Why are you back so soon?” the old woman asked in surprise.
“I didn’t feel like staying there anymore, so I came back,” Xia Yu replied, stepping into the bedroom.
Left alone in the living room, the old woman stood there, stunned.
The logic of leaving because you’re unhappy seemed reasonable, but if An Siyao had said it, it would sound completely different.
So this girl was actually such a unique child?
Ignoring the old woman’s shock, Xia Yu entered An Siyao’s room and continued discussing the earlier events with the girl.
He felt the need to teach An Siyao how to deal with those with ill intentions.
“If anyone bothers you again, just say you’re not feeling well and need to rest quietly,” Xia Yu began coaching An Siyao on her lines.
…
The next day, as the competition was about to begin, everyone headed to the venue together. Xia Yu unexpectedly met An Siyao.
“Good morning,” Xia Yu greeted.
“Sorry, I’m not feeling very well.”
“???”
I told you to say that when someone is bothering you, not just to greet me!
I noted it down.
Without speaking further to An Siyao, Xia Yu arrived at the theater and first drew his competition number. His number was ten—quite an early position.
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