Xie Chengsi smiled warmly, his gaze lingering on her face for two extra seconds.
There was something strange about the way he looked at her.
Li Yang could not quite put her finger on it. It just felt as though there was a trace of scrutiny in his eyes when he looked at her.
And perhaps… a little satisfaction?
“Come, come, come. Head inside and take a seat. The old master has been talking about you for ages.”
Xie Chengsi enthusiastically led them inside.
Li Yang followed along, but her gaze unconsciously drifted to the side.
That seat was already empty.
At some point, Xie Zongxu had left.
Li Yang could not describe how she felt.
She let out a sigh of relief.
Suppressing the strange feeling, she focused on following Li Luqian farther inside.
At the main table, Old Master Xie had already spotted them.
The old man called out energetically,
“Luqian! Come over here, come over here! Sit here!”
Li Luqian walked over with a smile, and Li Yang followed behind him.
“Old Master Xie, happy birthday.”
Li Zhengping bowed slightly and spoke respectfully.
“I wish you blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains.”
“Good, good, good. Sit down, all of you.”
Old Master Xie waved his hand before his eyes landed on Li Yang.
Immediately, they lit up.
“This is… Yangyang?”
“Hello, Grandpa Xie.”
Li Yang greeted obediently.
“Oh my, it really is Yangyang!”
Old Master Xie was so delighted that he could barely stop smiling.
“It’s been so many years. You’ve grown up so much. Come here, come here. Let Grandpa have a good look at you.”
Li Yang stepped forward.
Old Master Xie held her hand and looked her over from head to toe.
The more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
“Good. Very good. Truly good.”
He repeated the word several times before turning to someone beside him.
“That old fellow Li is truly blessed. His granddaughter is so beautiful. No wonder my grandson—”
Before Old Master Xie could finish speaking, he stopped.
Li Yang’s heart tightened.
No wonder what?
The people around them laughed and chimed in.
Feeling slightly embarrassed under everyone’s attention, Li Yang lowered her head, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
“Come, come, come. Sit here.”
Old Master Xie pointed to the seat beside him.
“Sit next to Grandpa and keep me company.”
Instinctively, Li Yang glanced at Li Luqian.
Li Luqian smiled and nodded.
Only then did she sit down.
The moment she settled into her seat, she felt someone’s gaze on her.
She looked up and met a pair of eyes.
At some point, Xie Zongxu had returned.
He stood on the other side of Old Master Xie, looking down at her.
His gaze appeared calm, yet carried an indescribable meaning.
Li Yang immediately felt her ears soften with heat and hurriedly looked away.
Old Master Xie spoke.
“Zongxu, why are you standing there? Sit down.”
“Mm.”
Xie Zongxu responded before pulling out the chair beside Li Yang and sitting down.
Li Yang: “…”
Why was he sitting here?
She felt as though the entire right side of her body had stiffened.
She barely even dared to breathe too hard.
Unfortunately, Old Master Xie continued talking to them.
She could not ignore him, so she could only maintain a calm appearance while answering the old man’s questions and secretly paying attention to the person beside her.
Meanwhile, Xie Zongxu appeared completely at ease.
Leaning against the chair, he sat in a relaxed posture.
Occasionally, he picked up his teacup for a sip.
Occasionally, he joined the conversation with a brief remark.
Throughout the entire time, he never once looked in her direction.
It was as though she were nothing more than an ordinary guest.
Li Yang could not explain how she felt.
While she was relieved, she also sensed that something was not quite right.
But soon she had no time to dwell on it.
The birthday banquet officially began.
One exquisite dish after another was brought out.
Servers moved continuously between the tables.
Glasses clinked together, and laughter filled the hall.
Li Yang kept her head down and focused on eating, doing her best to minimize her presence.
Unfortunately, while she wanted to stay low-key, others would not allow it.
“Yangyang, right?”
A richly dressed madam leaned over and asked with a smile.
“How old are you this year?”
“Twenty-one.”
Li Yang answered politely.
“Twenty-one. Such a wonderful age.”
The madam nodded.
“Studying at Jinghua University?”
“Yes.”
“What major?”
“Chinese Language and Literature.”
“Oh my, that’s a wonderful major. Very nice.”
The madam appeared even more satisfied.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Li Yang and Xie Zongxu.
Her intentions could not have been more obvious.
Li Yang felt unbearably awkward.
Yet she could not say anything, so she pretended not to understand.
The entire meal felt like sitting on a bed of needles.
Finally, when the banquet was nearing its end, Li Yang used the excuse of visiting the restroom and escaped from those subtle but persistent gazes.
The restroom was located at the end of the corridor.
She stayed there for a while, reapplied her lipstick, and deliberately lingered for several extra minutes before pushing open the door.
The corridor was quiet.
The noise from the banquet hall had become distant, leaving only faint traces of sound.
Li Yang sighed with relief and slowed her pace as she walked back.
Just as she reached a corner, a hand suddenly reached out from the side.
It grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the nearby emergency stairwell.
Li Yang had not even managed to cry out before someone pressed her against the wall.
“Don’t make a sound.”
A deep voice sounded above her head.
Li Yang looked up.
She met a pair of light brown eyes.
Xie Zongxu.
The stairwell door closed softly behind them.
Only a dim emergency light overhead remained, casting an ambiguous glow over the small space.
Li Yang’s back pressed against the wall.
Her wrist was still held in Xie Zongxu’s grasp.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t be nervous.”
Xie Zongxu released her wrist and stepped back half a pace, giving her a little room.
But only a little.
He still stood in front of her.
His tall frame completely blocked the stairwell exit.
Instinctively, Li Yang tried to move to the side.
She quickly discovered that the corner was far too cramped.
There was nowhere for her to escape.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her face to look at him.
“If you have something to say, couldn’t you say it outside?”
“Mm.”
Xie Zongxu answered steadily and without hesitation.
Lowering his eyes, he looked at her.
The emergency light shone from the side, casting faint shadows across his face and making his eyes seem even deeper.
“I have something I want to tell you.”
Li Yang looked at him.
She vaguely sensed what he wanted to say.
Yet she did not dare believe it.
“What is it?”
He said,
“Today was Grandpa’s birthday banquet. Do you know why your family was invited?”
Li Yang’s heart skipped a beat.
The strange look in Xie Chengsi’s eyes when she entered.
The satisfaction in Old Master Xie’s gaze when he saw her.
The subtle scrutiny from everyone during the banquet.
A thought emerged from the depths of her heart.
Then she forcefully suppressed it.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Suppressing the pounding in her chest, she said,
“Because your grandfather and my grandfather are old comrades-in-arms. Our families have always kept in touch. Isn’t it normal to invite old friends to a birthday banquet?”
“That’s normal.”
Xie Zongxu nodded.
“But your father brought you here today.”
“So what?”
“He has never brought you to an occasion like this before.”
Li Yang opened her mouth, intending to argue.
Yet she realized she had no rebuttal.
Li Luqian rarely brought her to events like these.
Today had been the first time.
She had assumed he merely wanted her to broaden her horizons.
But now that she thought about it—
“Li Yang.”
Xie Zongxu suddenly called her name.
Not “Student Li.”
Not “Miss Li.”
Just “Li Yang.”
Those two words sounded different when spoken by him.
His deep voice carried a faint lingering note, brushing against her ears like a feather.
The roots of Li Yang’s ears immediately grew hot.
“Y-you shouldn’t call me like that…”
“Did I call you incorrectly?”
He took a step forward.