The chopsticks in Tang You’s hand clattered to the floor with a sharp clack.
The entire table fell silent.
Xiao Zexing continued speaking in his calm, measured tone: “Not only is my place close to Yuyou’s school, it’s also not far from Weijing’s company. Moreover, Yuyou’s grandmother, Madam Meng, happens to live in that area as well. There are plenty of rooms, and all the facilities are complete. It would be perfectly suitable for Yuyou and Weijing to move in together.”
The dark, menacing look in Old Master Xiao’s eyes eased slightly.
Tang You’s wildly pounding heart settled a little—
Thank goodness, thank goodness. It was moving in together with Xiao Weijing.
She had been scared out of her wits just now, thinking Xiao Zexing meant only she would be moving in.
But that was impossible.
What could Xiao Zexing possibly gain from that?
Zhao Manlan thought for two seconds before chiming in: “I think it’s fine. After all, Yuyou is still in school.”
She was actually worried that Xiao Weijing and Tang You would keep arguing and fighting if left alone.
Xiao Zexing had a steady temperament and was the most reassuring presence in the family. With such an elder supervising, any conflicts between Yuyou and Xiao Weijing could be mediated in time.
As for Xiao Zeyan, he had no objections and cheerfully agreed: “What Zexing says makes sense.”
Old Master Xiao stared fixedly at Xiao Zexing. The two walnuts in his hand stopped turning; he gripped them tightly.
Xiao Zexing sat with perfect posture—calm, unruffled, showing no trace of anything unusual.
After a moment, Old Master Xiao asked in a low voice: “Weijing, what do you think?”
Suddenly called on, Xiao Weijing pursed his lips before finally speaking: “I have no objections either.”
Now all eyes turned uniformly to Tang You.
…Xiao Zexing said he would help her break off the engagement—he wouldn’t lie to her, right?
Besides, he surely wouldn’t arrange for her and Xiao Weijing to live together.
Tang You steeled herself and spoke weakly: “I’ll follow Grandpa’s arrangements completely.”
Old Master Xiao sealed the decision with one hammer blow: “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow or the day after, find a time for Yuyou and Weijing to move over to Zexing’s place.”
Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
A few of them had still been worried that Tang You or Xiao Weijing might refuse—but managing to get Old Master Xiao to change a decision he had already made was unprecedented.
The only person who could make Old Master Xiao reconsider was probably Xiao Zexing.
The moment Tang Xiao heard that Tang You was moving out, he threw all concern for appearances aside. With his injured eye still swollen, he rushed over and earnestly told Tang You: “I heard your Second Uncle has a pretty good temper. Now that he’s helping, you must get along well with Weijing—whatever you do, don’t make him angry again!”
Tang You responded absently.
Tang Xiao didn’t notice anything off about his daughter’s expression and continued: “Next week is your aunt’s birthday. We won’t make a big fuss—just a family dinner—”
“Next week?” Tang You said. “We’ll see how things go.”
She didn’t really want to go.
To be precise, she didn’t want to see Jiang Tao and her daughter.
If Tang Nan was openly malicious, then Jiang Tao was covertly vicious.
Tang You had suffered more than a few losses at their hands in the past.
Back then, because her mother’s Qixing company was still in Tang Xiao’s hands, Tang You had swallowed her anger many times.
But from now on, she would no longer let those two run rampant.
Tang Xiao was completely oblivious to this shift.
His attention rarely lingered on family conflicts.
In Tang Xiao’s eyes, aside from a brief “rebellious phase” at the beginning, Tang You had always been a pretty, soft little ball.
His marriage to his ex-wife hadn’t been very compatible—Su Yuan was wooden and dull, and the daughter she bore was the same. Fortunately, Tang You’s face was good enough to bring him massive benefits in exchange.
Compared to her, he doted far more on Tang Nan—the child born to Jiang Tao, who shared his temperament perfectly.
Not long after Tang Xiao left, Tang You was about to call the housekeeping company when she unexpectedly received a message from Xiao Zexing.
Scum Xiao: “At home right now?”
Scum Xiao: “I’ll send someone over to help you”
Tang You replied with an OK-hand emoji.
She set her phone down and rubbed her brow.
Her small face scrunched up like a bitter melon.
Miao Jiaxi sat beside her, sharing her friend’s worries: “My sweet little Yuyou, can you really handle two men?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Tang You couldn’t resist giving her a hard flick on the forehead: “What kind of dirty things are you thinking about in that little brain of yours every day?!”
Miao Jiaxi clutched her forehead, stood up, took a step back, and said with utmost sincerity: “You have to forgive a veteran pervert. While other people our age can only drool over pictures on their screens, you’re about to live under the same roof with two top-tier male gods. Truly, the drought kills some while the flood drowns others.”
“…I don’t think that last phrase is used quite like that?”
Miao Jiaxi pattered over to the fridge, took out two ice creams, and handed one to Tang You: “So what are you thinking?”
Tang You answered very earnestly: “Same as before—break off the engagement without offending anyone.”
“Neither of them?”
“Neither,” Tang You said with a laugh. “Are you crazy? Going after an elder?”
“There’s no real blood relation anyway! If you trace it back, at most it’s just that your grandpa and his grandpa knew each other,” Miao Jiaxi said carelessly, crossing her legs as she sat. “He’s not even a proper elder—what are you afraid of? Come to think of it, there’s only an eight-year age gap. Calling him ‘big brother’ would be more accurate.”
Tang You nibbled at her ice cream in tiny bites.
The ice cream was very cold—she shivered from the chill. The sweet, creamy taste melted on her tongue, spreading and diffusing.
Miao Jiaxi was right about one thing.
He really wasn’t a proper elder.
This elder was quite improper.
The people Xiao Zexing sent arrived quickly. After getting Tang You’s permission, they began packing things up in an orderly manner.
Because of her work in front of the camera, Tang You had an enormous number of clothes and shoes—but she didn’t plan to take everything. She only selected a few pieces.
After all, Ah Mai’s situation was special, so most of the time they still chose to shoot the photos here.
Tang You hadn’t planned on staying long-term at Xiao Zexing’s place anyway, so she hadn’t brought much. On the other hand, Tang Huhu’s dog food, snacks, toys, and so on filled up a huge pile.
A dedicated car came to pick her up. She slept the whole way in the car and was finally gently nudged awake by Tang Huhu’s muzzle.
They had arrived.
She had been here once before—the car hadn’t been allowed to drive in last time, but this time it went straight through without any issue.
The place where Xiao Zexing lived was very close to Meng Yunqiu’s residence, though the surroundings were quieter. Behind it lay a wide, open lake, and beyond that the national forest park—lush and green, with slender-beaked white waterbirds occasionally gliding lightly past.
Tang You got out of the car and immediately noticed the roses blooming wildly in the courtyard.
Xiao Zexing really did love roses to an extreme degree.
The butler in charge of managing the villa was surnamed Zhao—an elderly man with a kindly smile and strands of silver in his hair, dressed in white gloves, a gray suit vest, standing in the courtyard to greet her.
He spoke with great respect: “Miss Tang, Sir is at the equestrian club this afternoon and is expected back after dinner. Mr. Weijing called earlier to say he’ll arrive at six. Would you like me to give you a quick introduction first?”
Tang You smiled: “That would be very kind of you.”
Uncle Zhao showed her around one by one—the dining room, study, and so on—making a special point to explain: “Mr. Xiao had the guest room directly opposite your bedroom converted into a walk-in closet. It was done in a hurry, so we didn’t have time to prepare everything perfectly. I hope you won’t mind.”
Tang You waved her hands repeatedly: “How could I? Second Uncle is already being incredibly generous by letting me stay here.”
Tang You’s room was arranged at the very end of the second-floor corridor, with two large balconies. To her surprise, the decor and furnishings suited her tastes perfectly—not the overly princess-pink dreamy style, but a clean, elegant, minimalist look in both the wallpaper and bedding that she genuinely loved.
Fresh and pure.
Tang You couldn’t help but sincerely praise it—the Xiao family’s private properties really were outstanding, and their aesthetic happened to hit exactly on her preferences.
The walk-in closet was far from the “hurriedly prepared” one Uncle Zhao had described. When Tang You saw the rows upon rows of clothes and shoes inside, she was stunned.
She hesitated, turned around, and asked the butler with a doubtful expression: “Uncle Zhao, are these… things left behind by Mr. Xiao’s ex-girlfriend?”
Uncle Zhao smiled warmly: “Sir has never had a girlfriend. All of these were selected by him according to your measurements.”
Tang You froze.
It wasn’t just that Xiao Zexing had been thoughtful enough to buy her clothes—but—
He had seriously never had a girlfriend?!
Although Tang You didn’t have a very wide social circle, the few boys her age that she knew had long since said goodbye to their virginity during their school years—some had even indulged in all sorts of wild parties and spa escapades. Even the relatively self-disciplined ones had gone through several girlfriends.
With Xiao Zexing’s conditions, it was unbelievable that he had never dated a woman.
Inconceivable.
Perhaps… he really wasn’t interested in women at all?
Amid her shock, Tang You directed the staff to put away everything that had been brought over. After feeding Huhu, she sat on the bed and finally had time to check her unread messages.
Almost all of them were from Jiang Chenting—
Jiang Chenting: “How could you move in with Xiao Zexing?”
Jiang Chenting: “That man is very dangerous”
Jiang Chenting: “I’ll be back in the country in the next couple of days. You must protect yourself”
Jiang Chenting: “Make sure to lock doors and windows tightly at night”
…
Jiang Chenting was usually a man of few words. For him to send so many nagging messages in a row, he must have been truly furious. Even through the screen, Tang You could perfectly picture his exasperated, angry expression.
Tang You replied: “Don’t worry, I’m fine”
“He can’t exactly eat me alive”
Jiang Chenting replied almost instantly: “Why couldn’t he?”
Tang You roughly understood what Jiang Chenting meant.
Xiao Zexing had been able to “seduce” her like that before—he must have had ulterior motives from the very beginning. Jiang Chenting’s concerns weren’t unfounded, but after thinking it over, Tang You figured Xiao Zexing probably wasn’t so depraved as to actually make a move on her, right?
After all, at the start he had behaved quite properly—though he did tease her by sending her study guides…
Tang You vaguely remembered that back then Xiao Zexing had even said something like “don’t waste your time on me.” Unfortunately, she hadn’t understood the subtext at the time.
She had once been unwilling to give her first time to Xiao Weijing and had tried to throw herself at Xiao Zexing—only to be firmly stopped by him.
And now the butler said Xiao Zexing had never had a girlfriend.
Looking at all the signs, this Second Uncle didn’t seem particularly lustful at all.
After seriously considering it, Tang You’s wariness toward Xiao Zexing eased a little.
Besides, Xiao Zexing had said he would help her break off the engagement now—as an apology.
This was such a private matter that Tang You didn’t dare tell Jiang Chenting. She had a strong feeling that if Jiang Chenting found out Xiao Zexing had kissed her, he would be furious enough to go beat him up.
Back when Tang You was in junior high and had once been followed, Jiang Chenting had seen it, rushed over, and fought the guy. Both ended up in the police station, and in the end Tang Xiao had to go bail them out.
Jiang Chenting really was a good big brother.
Tang You typed back to him word by word: “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself”
Jiang Chenting: “Be extremely careful with Xiao Zexing”
Jiang Chenting: “He is not a good person”
Tang You ate dinner alone.
Xiao Weijing, who was supposed to return at six, didn’t show up on time. The butler received a phone call and told Tang You with an awkward expression: “It seems Mr. Weijing went to accompany Miss Wen Ling.”
Tang You felt a secret surge of satisfaction inside, but on the surface she remained perfectly calm: “Thank you, I understand.”
Eating alone was so freeing!
She sincerely hoped both Mr. Xiao gentlemen would skip dinner altogether.
After finishing her meal and just setting down her chopsticks, Tang Huhu—who had been lying obediently at her feet—suddenly stood up and barked twice toward the door.
Tang You assumed Huhu was still adjusting to the new environment and hadn’t gotten used to the unfamiliar place yet.
She crouched on the ground, hugging Tang Huhu’s neck reassuringly and whispering softly: “Huhuhu, don’t be scared, it’s okay, it’s okay.”
Just as her words fell, the sound of the door being pushed open came.
Xiao Weijing stood at the doorway in a suit and tie, his gaze landing on Tang Huhu at her feet. He frowned: “You actually brought the dog here?”
Tang You’s heart leaped with joy.
Could it be that Xiao Weijing didn’t like dogs?
She pinched one of Huhu’s little paws, lifted it high, and waved it toward him: “Huhuhu, come on, say hi to big brother.”
Tang Huhu was very obedient: “Woof~”
Xiao Weijing’s frown deepened: “I’m not about to call a dog my brother!”
“It’s sister,” Xiao Zexing stepped inside and spoke casually. He removed his gloves, revealing a pair of long, slender hands. “Huhuhu only got spayed not long ago.”
Xiao Weijing: “…”
For a moment he had the strange illusion that his second uncle was teaming up with Tang You to bully him.
Xiao Weijing glanced at Tang You, who was still on the floor, then asked Xiao Zexing: “Second Uncle, where are my things?”
Xiao Zexing handed his gloves to a nearby servant and took off his coat. The smooth lines of muscle under his shirt shifted fluidly: “I think they’re arranged on the third floor. I don’t remember exactly—ask Uncle Zhao to take you.”
As he spoke, he walked over and scratched under Tang Huhu’s chin. Huhu still remembered him and happily wagged its fluffy big tail, letting out a contented rumble from its throat.
The pleasant scent on Xiao Zexing drew near, encroaching on the sweet territory.
Because of Tang Huhu, the two of them ended up unusually close. Tang You could even clearly see the bob of his Adam’s apple. The proximity made her breathing feel a little uneven.
To cover her discomfort, Tang You said: “Huhuhu has gotten so fat lately. I don’t know if it’s time to put her on a diet.”
Xiao Zexing gave Huhu two more gentle strokes and teased: “Could this be the legendary ‘cute to the point of膨胀’?”
Tang You realized something: Xiao Zexing’s mouth was lethal when it turned sharp-tongued, and just as lethal when it turned sweet.
The former made people angry; the latter made them melt.
Xiao Weijing stood off to the side with a cold expression and finally spoke, cutting through the oddly family-like atmosphere: “Tang You, I have something to say to you.”
Hearing her name, Tang You stood up, looking a little flustered: “What is it, Brother Weijing?”
Xiao Weijing turned his face away, refusing to meet her eyes.
He cleared his throat and said: “I’m telling you clearly: our engagement will definitely be broken off. You are not my ideal wife. Right now I’m still in the stage of convincing Grandpa. Don’t harbor any illusions about me. From this moment on, we each find our own partners. We have nothing to do with each other.”
Tang You’s heart soared with joy. She fought hard to keep from laughing and instead put on a pitiful look: “Did I do something wrong?”
Xiao Weijing had expected this reaction. He gave a light snort, his voice icy: “Slapping Wen Ling in public, Tang You—stop pretending to be gentle in front of me.”
Tang You thought to herself:
With Xiao Weijing’s emotional intelligence, he had basically said goodbye to surfing the internet forever.
She bit her lip lightly and looked up at him with big, pitiful eyes, as though tears were shimmering inside, trembling.
Xiao Weijing kept his face cold: “You know perfectly well the bad things you’ve done. Stop acting so fragile and helpless here. Don’t think that living under the same roof means you can get the upper hand. I’m only staying here because of Grandpa and Second Uncle.”
Having delivered his harsh words, Xiao Weijing turned and left without looking back.
Tang You stood in place, tears swirling in her eyes.
At just the right moment, Xiao Zexing handed her a tissue with a smile: “Alright, Yuyou, performance over. He’s gone far enough.”
Tang You let out a huge breath of relief, took the tissue, and carefully dabbed at her tears. She exhaled deeply and thanked him with genuine feeling: “Thank you, Second Uncle.”
Right now, she really did think Xiao Zexing was good.
Even though he himself was still single, he could understand her situation with Xiao Weijing. For the sake of both their happiness, he was willing to risk offending Grandpa to help break off the engagement.
People this selfless and loving were truly rare.
By comparison, Tang You could more or less forgive Xiao Zexing’s earlier deceptive behavior.
After all, he had already missed out on one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Tang Huhu circled her owner, wagging its tail. Tang You said goodnight to Xiao Zexing with gratitude in her heart.
Leading Tang Huhu back to the bedroom, Xiao Zexing stood up and followed behind her.
At first Tang You didn’t think anything of it, but when Xiao Zexing followed her all the way up to the second floor, she finally felt something was off.
Just as they neared the bedroom door, Tang You turned around and asked him directly: “Second Uncle, is there something else?”
Xiao Zexing looked down at her: “No. Why?”
Tang You couldn’t hold back: “Then why are you following me?”
Xiao Zexing smiled; his dimples faintly appeared. He gestured casually: “I live here.”
Tang You stared at the room right next to hers—separated only by a single wall—and froze.
Why was Xiao Weijing assigned to the third floor, while Xiao Zexing was placed so close to her?
“The three largest bedrooms in this house are these,” Xiao Zexing said leisurely. “You don’t want to live with Xiao Weijing, and you don’t want to see him. So this was the only way to arrange it.”
At that point, Xiao Zexing smiled at Tang You: “Since you want to break off the engagement with Xiao Weijing, it’s better to see as little of him as possible.”
She thought exactly the same.
Tang You felt he made perfect sense and thanked him politely: “Sorry for the trouble.”
Her voice naturally carried a soft, glutinous quality—especially gentle when she was quiet.
It was far more likable than the version she usually put on for others.
Xiao Zexing remained calm: “No trouble at all.”
The first day living under the same roof as Xiao Weijing turned out to be far more relaxed and comfortable than Tang You had ever imagined.
Senior year basically had no classes, so Tang You could sleep in until she naturally woke up every morning, then lazily head downstairs for breakfast.
By that time, both Xiao Zexing and Xiao Weijing had already left long ago.
Xiao Weijing was still angry about the Wen Ling incident and treated her like air. He deliberately ate dinner outside every evening before coming home, doing everything possible to avoid any chance of running into Tang You.
He had now made up his mind to break off the engagement—he was just waiting for the right opportunity. Thinking of Wen Ling’s injured face and her swollen, red eyes, Xiao Weijing no longer felt even half a shred of softness toward Tang You.
As a result, the dinner table that evening had only Tang You and Xiao Zexing.
Tang You no longer had to hide her true self in front of him, and she felt exceptionally relaxed and at ease.
On the second night of living together, Tang You went to bed early. At ten o’clock, she was suddenly woken up by hunger. She endured it for a while, but couldn’t hold out any longer. Familiar with the routine, she climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen to scrounge for food—
The kitchen was empty, and the lights were off.
From this, she could deduce that Xiao Zexing probably didn’t have the habit of eating late-night snacks.
Tang You turned on the light herself, rummaged through cabinets, found some noodles, and prepared to make a simple vegetable noodle dish.
At that moment, Miao Jiaxi called.
Tang You was only wearing pajamas and hadn’t brought her earphones. She set the phone on the nearby table and turned on speakerphone.
Anyway, Xiao Zexing wasn’t around tonight.
Miao Jiaxi’s voice came through cheerfully: “Whatcha doing, my sweet little Yuyou?”
She poured hot water into the pot, turned on the flame. The fire licked the bottom of the pot, making a faint sizzling sound.
Tang You replied listlessly: “Woke up starving. Gonna cook some noodles.”
Miao Jiaxi let out a series of mischievous “oohs”: “Good thing it’s ‘cook noodles’ and not ‘eat below’.”
Tang You was extremely sleepy. It took her a full five seconds to realize her friend was cracking another dirty joke.
She yawned and grumbled softly: “Every single day you’re driving. My nutrition can’t keep up.”
“It’s late at night—we should be talking about some filthy stuff,” Miao Jiaxi giggled wickedly, then asked, “So how does it feel living with two super handsome guys now, my dear Yuyou? Has ‘time together breeds affection’ happened yet~?”
She deliberately dragged out the last four words, her laughter dripping with suggestiveness.
Veteran driver Tang You kept up perfectly: “Which ‘together’? The adverb or the verb?”
“Of course the verb! I’m way more interested in the spicy progress of your love life!”
Tang You replied casually: “What’s so fun about a romance fueled by verbs? Making money is way more interesting.”
“…Who knows? Maybe a spicy romance could make you money too.”
Tang You stood by the small pot, watching the water bubble and boil, before adding: “A spicy romance that makes money? That’s called prostitution.”
Miao Jiaxi burst out laughing: “That’s so you.”
Tang You turned to grab the noodles.
Without warning, her eyes met Xiao Zexing’s calm gaze—he was standing right behind her.
His shirt was buttoned meticulously all the way to the top, Windsor knot in place. He looked as though he had just come from a meeting—serious, proper, impeccable.
Tang You froze, dumbfounded.
Miao Jiaxi, not getting a response for a long time, called out: “Yuyou? Yuyou? What’s wro—”
Tang You’s hand moved like lightning and ended the call.
She hid the phone behind her back and gave an awkward laugh: “Second Uncle, how come you’re here?”
Xiao Zexing loosened his tie as he walked closer, speaking casually: “Came to eat noodles.”
He glanced lightly at Tang You and smiled: “Noodle noodles.”
—Of course noodle noodles! It couldn’t possibly mean anything else!
At that moment, Tang You felt exactly like a primary-school kid caught secretly reading naughty books. Her hands trembled as she found the noodles and dropped them into the pot.
In her panic, she forgot to break them—just tossed the whole bundle in.
The hot water immediately softened the middle section.
Xiao Zexing had already removed his tie and shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it casually over a nearby barstool.
He rolled his sleeves up slightly, revealing a clean, neat section of wrist.
There was a small-to-medium table in the kitchen, big enough for four people.
Tang You forced herself to focus on the pot.
And on her growling, rumbling stomach.
She tried to hypnotize herself.
Xiao Zexing hadn’t heard anything… hadn’t heard anything…
In the middle of her self-hypnosis, Xiao Zexing spoke leisurely from behind: “When it comes to falling in love, you still have to follow the most basic laws, right?”
Tang You let out a breath of relief: “…Mm.”
Although it was a bit strange for Xiao Zexing to bring up this topic now, at least it seemed he hadn’t heard the earlier conversation.
He definitely hadn’t heard the “came to eat noodles” part, nor anything about “two super handsome guys” or “time together breeds affection.” He must have just seen her cooking noodles and said that—nothing to do with dirty jokes like “eat below.”
Getting caught red-handed by one of the people involved while joking filthily with her best friend was mortifying beyond words.
The noodles in the pot rolled and tumbled, gradually softening in the boiling water.
Tang You turned the heat up a little, then a little more, desperately hoping it would cook faster.
She wanted to fill her stomach and escape as soon as possible.
Xiao Zexing spoke unhurriedly: “What a coincidence—I quite agree with ‘time together breeds affection’.”
Tang You: !!!
She turned stiffly.
Xiao Zexing calmly undid the first button of his shirt.
He smiled: “The adverb kind.”