During the kiss, Youyou’s hands remained hanging at her sides, trembling uncontrollably.
She was extremely nervous.
Even after Xiao Zexing released her, her heart continued pounding wildly out of control.
Compared to the sudden kiss last time, this one was almost perfectly in line with her teenage fantasies.
Gentle and lingering.
Of course, it would have been even better if she knew the man’s true identity.
From the brief lack of oxygen, Youyou’s cheeks were flushed—not just red, but hot.
An indescribable panic.
A soft “beep” notification sound broke the room’s silence.
Youyou stepped back. Her voice trembled: “…Then you have to keep your word.”
Xiao Zexing smiled: “I’ve never gone back on anything I’ve promised.”
Youyou was still dizzy. She nodded, turned to leave—then was called back: “Youyou.”
She turned around.
Xiao Zexing stood in the warm lamplight, motionless. He smiled: “You haven’t eaten yet. Aren’t you hungry?”
Youyou hadn’t felt hungry earlier.
With one shock after another, she had felt full.
But now, reminded by Xiao Zexing, she realized… maybe eating something to fill her stomach wouldn’t be bad.
She sat back down obediently. Xiao Zexing pressed a button.
Within five minutes, a server pushed in a dining cart and respectfully served the dishes.
One after another—each portion small, but there were fully eighteen different courses, varied flavors, covering the entire table.
As for the yellowfin tuna sashimi Deng Jue had raved about, Youyou only tasted a tiny bit before setting down her chopsticks.
She still wasn’t used to raw food—and for the same reason, she rarely ate steak.
Though gourmet critics praised medium-rare, in Youyou’s eyes, anything less than fully cooked was simply untouchable.
The other dishes, however, tasted quite good.
Youyou ate until she was satisfied.
She asked: “There are only two of us—why did you order so much? You’re not plotting something, are you?”
Xiao Zexing elegantly poured himself another cup of sake. Hearing her, he raised an eyebrow with a smile: “Then what kind of plot do you think I have?”
Youyou thought for a moment: “Maybe you don’t want me to figure out your tastes—so I can’t narrow down your hometown?”
Xiao Zexing asked casually: “And have you figured it out yet?”
“No.”
Xiao Zexing hadn’t really touched his chopsticks much.
Youyou held her chopsticks hesitantly. “Aren’t you hungry?”
Xiao Zexing gazed at her steadily and smiled: “Beauty is feast enough.”
Boom.
Youyou considered herself no longer a naive seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, yet this sudden remark still set her face ablaze, leaving her flustered and at a complete loss.
Even after returning to her room, the heat in her cheeks refused to fade.
Youyou hugged her pillow, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
It suddenly hit her.
She hadn’t figured out this man’s tastes at all.
But he had already mapped out her food preferences with perfect clarity.
Youyou realized with a jolt that in this game of wits with him, she seemed to have zero chance of winning.
The next day, quite a few people invited Youyou to join them for activities. She turned them all down.
She had no phone now, no guest list to reference. At this point, the situation had become a dead end. The yacht would leave the island by evening. With the bet about to end in her loss, Youyou was secretly relieved she hadn’t agreed to any penalty for losing.
Still, she couldn’t resist video-calling Miao Jiaxi on WeChat.
After hearing the whole story, Miao Jiaxi was just as confused: “What on earth does this guy want by going to all this trouble to play games with you?”
Youyou thought for a moment: “At first I thought he wanted to sleep with me.”
Miao Jiaxi tensed up: “And then?”
“Then I realized he doesn’t seem to have that intention.”
In the end, Xiao Zexing had only taken a kiss.
Miao Jiaxi suddenly grew excited, hitting the nail on the head: “He’s not trying to pursue you, is he?”
Youyou shot it down immediately: “Probably not.”
Thinking back carefully, her behavior these past few days had been extremely two-faced. Forget everything else—even her current act of saying one thing to his face and another behind his back was plain for him to see. Unless he had some special kink, there was no way he’d fall for her.
Miao Jiaxi struck a thinking pose like Ikkyū-san, tapping her head: “I still don’t fully understand the situation, but Youyou… I have this feeling you’ve gotten yourself tangled up with someone really formidable.”
Youyou let out a muffled sound.
To this day she still didn’t know the man’s true identity.
His brows and eyes resembled Xiao Weijing’s closely, so he had to be connected to the Xiao family somehow. Since he had said he wasn’t Liang Yan, that ruled out Liang Yan. She could also exclude several elders like Xiao Zenian, Xiao Zezhi, Xiao Zexing, and so on.
He claimed he could help her break the engagement, so his status couldn’t be too low. Judging by his appearance, he wasn’t much older than her—probably around Xiao Weijing’s age. He hadn’t been in the country for the past few years…
She listed the conditions one by one. Sitting on the sofa, Youyou stared at her notes in dejection.
She began to regret not paying more attention to the Xiao family’s relational web earlier. Now, even with these clues, she was completely stuck.
When boarding the yacht to leave the island, Youyou was still listless.
She scanned the crowd but didn’t see Xiao Zexing anywhere.
Why hadn’t he come?
Come to think of it… he hadn’t sought her out at all today.
While she was lost in thought, Deng Jue came over with a grin: “Little Youyou, what are you looking for?”
The “sis-in-law” title was finally gone.
Youyou withdrew her gaze and answered coldly: “Nothing.”
“You’re looking for my Ge, aren’t you?”
“No!”
Deng Jue grinned, showing a full set of white teeth: “He had something urgent and left early this morning. Before he went, he told me to take good care of you. Didn’t expect you to stay inside all day… What’s wrong? Feeling unwell? You didn’t even go swimming?”
Youyou said: “I’m afraid of water.”
Deng Jue was taken aback, genuinely surprised: “Afraid of water? Didn’t you win the Xijing City Youth Swimming Championship in junior high?”
“That was just amateur level,” Youyou explained. “There was an accident afterward, so I never went in the water again.”
As she spoke, Deng Jue studied her expression.
Throughout the conversation—except for the slight excitement when mentioning Xiao Zexing—her tone remained perfectly flat, as if she were talking about something utterly ordinary.
The sea wind was salty, carrying a faint fishy scent.
Her phone chimed. Youyou took it out, tucked a strand of wind-blown hair behind her ear, and looked carefully.
She had forgotten to change Xiao Zexing’s contact name. It was still “Scum Xiao.”
Scum Xiao: “Still haven’t found the answer?”
Youyou thought for a moment, then carefully typed out every clue she had gathered so far.
At the end, she added: “I don’t know what your identity is. Since I’ve lost, I won’t ask anymore. Just one thing: please keep your promise and keep everything confidential.”
Whoever this man really was, Youyou no longer had the energy to dwell on it or dig deeper into his true identity.
She no longer pinned any real hope on him helping her break the engagement. As long as he didn’t leak what had happened recently, that would be enough.
After all, she had no intention of marrying Xiao Weijing. Her future interactions with the Xiao family would likely be minimal.
They probably wouldn’t cross paths again.
The message was sent. Less than a minute later, a reply came.
Scum Xiao: “Don’t worry.”
Scum Xiao: “Perhaps we’ll meet again soon.”
Youyou stared at the message for a long time before replying politely: “I’d rather we never meet again.”
Youyou didn’t get to go straight home.
After disembarking from the yacht, Old Master Xiao had the driver take her directly to pick up Xiao Weijing, insisting she return to the old residence for dinner that evening.
Hearing the order, Youyou could only laugh bitterly.
He really was sparing no effort to matchmake her and Xiao Weijing.
After getting a new phone, Youyou called Old Master Xiao as instructed.
His voice boomed with energy: “Youyou, I’ve already disciplined Weijing. That brat was just confused for a moment. For Grandfather’s sake, forgive him one more time, alright?”
Youyou answered softly and sweetly: “Grandfather, I’m not angry.”
“Eh,” Old Master Xiao sighed. “Our Youyou is such a good girl. Weijing’s just temporarily blinded. Don’t worry—give it another year or so. Once he’s tired of playing around and comes to his senses, he’ll naturally come back to our Youyou.”
Youyou listened with growing discomfort.
She gripped her phone, hesitating: “Grandfather, since Weijing-gege already has someone in his heart, why not—”
“Youyou!” Old Master Xiao’s voice turned stern and commanding, his tone shifting sharply. “Don’t think about such nonsense. Come over tonight—we’ll discuss your wedding date with Weijing properly.”
His voice softened slightly: “Don’t worry. No matter how much trouble Weijing gets into outside, his wife can only be you. Grandfather knows you’re a good girl—don’t do anything to disappoint me.”
Youyou’s smile faded bit by bit until she forced a cheerful tone again: “Mm-hmm.”
Her dejection lasted no more than five minutes. She rubbed her face, quietly cheering herself up.
Don’t lose heart!
All those failed attempts at racking up disgust points earlier were just experience points.
Maybe if she acted spoiled and dramatic a few more times, she could force Xiao Weijing to propose breaking the engagement himself!
Xiao Weijing had recently been assigned by Grandfather to train at a subsidiary under the group.
Who would have thought the very first project he handled would run into trouble? Still young and inexperienced, he had no choice but to call in Xiao Zexing, who had been on vacation.
Right after finishing a meeting, the two were discussing in the office when a knock came at the door.
Xiao Weijing said: “Come in.”
His personal assistant entered hurriedly, glanced at Xiao Zexing, then hesitated before speaking: “Miss Tang Youyou is here. She says Grandfather sent her to pick you up and return to the old residence together.”
Xiao Zexing sat calmly, sipping his tea without haste.
Xiao Weijing frowned, his expression darkening: “Tell her to wait. I’m working—how can I leave now?”
The assistant ventured: “Then should we invite Miss Tang upstairs—”
“Since she’s so free, let her wait at the front desk,” Xiao Weijing said irritably. “If she doesn’t suffer a little, she’ll really think this place is somewhere she can throw tantrums.”
The assistant nodded meekly and turned to leave. Xiao Zexing shifted slightly and spoke to Xiao Weijing: “Making a young girl wait around like that… isn’t that a bit too harsh on her?”
Xiao Weijing’s pen paused mid-stroke.
The tip lingered on the white paper, leaving a deep blot of ink.
Xiao Zexing lifted the porcelain lid, blew away a wisp of steam, and lowered his gaze casually: “Since you think having her come to the company is inappropriate, isn’t there a café right next to the building? Have Miss Tang wait there for a while.”
The assistant looked to Xiao Weijing. He said: “Fine.”
After the assistant left, Xiao Weijing couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. He asked: “Second Uncle, I’ve never seen you so protective of a woman’s feelings before.”
Xiao Zexing took a sip of tea.
Xiao Weijing didn’t particularly like tea and wasn’t skilled at appreciating it. Xiao Zexing was the opposite—he enjoyed strong liquor and fine tea alike.
The office was always stocked with excellent tea. Xiao Weijing often couldn’t taste the subtle differences and had self-deprecatingly called himself a cow chewing peonies—wasting fine things.
Xiao Zexing said: “The engagement was Grandfather’s decision. If you’re angry about it, take it up with him. Tang Youyou is innocent—you shouldn’t vent on her.”
“Who said she’s innocent? If she hadn’t made a fuss, Wen Ling wouldn’t have had to quit the city swimming team.”
Xiao Zexing set down his teacup, interlaced his fingers, and smiled: “Wen Ling told you that?”
“Of course not,” Xiao Weijing denied flatly. “Wen Ling would never speak ill of anyone behind their back.”
“Hearing isn’t always believing.”
Xiao Weijing didn’t agree.
Back then, Wen Ling had risked her own life to drag him out of the water. A girl like that—bold, straightforward, never crying or acting delicate—would never spread rumors or stir trouble behind someone’s back.
How could such an honest girl possibly lie?
After hearing the assistant’s message, Youyou was a little surprised.
She had expected Xiao Weijing to make her wait downstairs indefinitely. She hadn’t thought he’d be considerate enough to let her sit in the café.
Youyou smiled sweetly and thanked the assistant. She ordered a coffee at a window seat, picked up a random book, and slowly passed the time.
After waiting nearly half an hour, a familiar female voice suddenly sounded beside her: “Tang Youyou?”
Youyou looked up. Seeing who it was, she frowned.
Wen Ling—in sportswear—stood directly in front of her, smirking without warmth: “I thought it looked like you from outside. Didn’t expect it really was.”
Youyou had zero desire to see her.
As Wen Ling moved to sit opposite, Youyou frowned: “Sorry, just looking at you makes me want to puke. Please get lost.”
Wen Ling ignored the verbal attack and sat down anyway. Propping her chin on her hand, she smiled: “What’s wrong? Can’t the great Miss Tang handle a little pressure?”
Youyou couldn’t hold back a crude outburst: “After all, I don’t want to waste time on an idiot.”
Her disgust for Wen Ling had reached the point where one glance made her lose her appetite. Seeing Wen Ling still wouldn’t leave, Youyou closed her book and prepared to change seats.
But at that moment, Wen Ling grabbed her arm.
The instant her skin was touched, goosebumps erupted all over Youyou’s body. Her disgust hit peak level. She jerked her arm away with force, voice laced with anger: “Let go of me!”
Youyou’s strength wasn’t great, but Wen Ling seemed fragile as paper at that moment. She toppled over with the chair, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.
Youyou was stunned for a second—then saw a man with a face dark as iron push open the door and stride in.
He didn’t spare Youyou a single glance. He anxiously helped Wen Ling up, voice low and furious: “Tang Youyou, you really are too spoiled and vicious!”
Youyou—still carefully observing his appearance—suddenly brightened at those words.
This time it was definitely Xiao Weijing!
Finally, the real fiancé had appeared. Youyou could barely contain her excitement, but she still firmly remembered her white-lotus persona and began to explain: “No, it’s not like that, Weijing-gege. Please listen to me—”
“What’s there to explain?” Xiao Weijing carefully supported Wen Ling, glaring at Youyou in rage. “You’re so malicious, Tang Youyou. You knew Wen Ling just had surgery and you still attacked her at a time like this. Do you have any conscience at all? Huh? Tonight when we go back, I’m telling Grandfather everything clearly—our engagement—”
He finally got a clear look at Tang Youyou’s face.
Xiao Weijing froze instantly and released his grip.
Caught off guard without support, Wen Ling toppled sideways to the floor, clutching her abdomen. This time her pained groan sounded far more genuine than before.
But Xiao Weijing stared at Youyou without blinking.
In truth, he had never looked at Tang Youyou’s face from this close before.
He had only heard friends say she was beautiful—and he had scoffed at it. In his memory, she was just an underdeveloped, scrawny little brat.
At Grandfather’s birthday banquet, he had seen her from afar—too distant to leave any impression. Last time at the polo field under the glaring sun, he only remembered she was very fair and had pretty eyes.
As for the photos Zhao Manlan had persistently sent him over the past four years—
They were so heavily edited he couldn’t tell what she originally looked like—full-on internet-celebrity vibe.
Each one different from the last. Xiao Weijing had even suspected his fiancée was getting plastic surgery every few months.
Now, Youyou stood barely a step away—close enough that he could see the soft, fluffy baby hairs at her forehead.
Delicate little face, eyes brimming with tears, lashes damp, snow-white skin flushed faintly pink from agitation…
Completely different from the skinny, stick-like girl from four years ago.
Pitiful and captivating.
The words “immediately cancel” were on the tip of his tongue. Xiao Weijing stared at her face in a daze, but somehow couldn’t say them.
A full minute of silence.
Finally, Xiao Weijing said blankly: “…Our engagement… has been four years now, hasn’t it?”