Chapter 28 Fear of Men

Xia Li stared intently at the newcomer, still stunned and unable to react.

She saw Ji Ling exchange pleasantries with that person, but after a few words, the person walked behind him to greet the others.

Ji Ling also noticed Xia Li's dazed expression and her gaze lingering on someone else. He turned his head and averted his gaze, his cold eyes meeting hers: "What are you looking at?"

Xia Li stared blankly for a few seconds, her body swaying almost imperceptibly. Her previously vacant gaze suddenly found its focus. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and replied, "I didn't see anything."

Ji Ling's brows furrowed as she finished speaking, his eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a straight line, conveying a mixture of scrutiny and dissatisfaction at being brushed off: "Really?"

Then he leaned closer, whispered in her ear, and with a voice only the two of them could hear, his expression darkened, and he said angrily, "Then why are you staring at him? Have you taken a fancy to him? He's the groom today, don't even think about it."

He even offered an explanation, extinguishing all thoughts.

Xia Li lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, then relaxed them, even her breathing became softer, and said with a hint of helplessness: "I know he is today's groom."

Ji Ling gave up and stopped arguing. Instead, he leaned back in his chair with a sense of self-abandonment, shifting his gaze from Xia Li's face and staring blankly ahead: "Then why are you still looking?"

It seemed that the two didn't get along, and the atmosphere around them had dropped to freezing point, stiff and cold. No one dared to greet them at this moment.

However, in reality, their hands were still tightly clasped together, never separating since they got off the bus, exchanging body heat and feeling the most basic emotional exchange between them through their actions.

Even though Xia Li had tried to ease the tension by hooking her fingers together not long ago, she still had to use the only connection between them to gently hook her fingers together again, with a cautious and tentative touch.

She glanced up at his tense jaw before quickly looking down again, her movements becoming lighter as well.

"Don't be angry anymore, okay?"

Ji Ling looked at him coldly, his eyes narrowing slightly in his panic, his lips moving slightly: "I'm angry?"

Xia Li's voice was extremely soft, with a barely perceptible softness at the end: "You're really not angry?"

Ji Ling raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over her indifferently before settling on her. The coldness faded, but his tone remained deep and hard: "See if I'm angry or not."

Unable to speak fluently, Xia Li worried that if she continued to communicate like this, Ji Ling might really ignore her. So she honestly told Ji Ling her concerns.

“I’ve met the groom before.” As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Ling’s gaze came over, scrutinizing and wary. Xia Li noticed his gaze, hesitated for a few seconds, thought about her words, and continued, “Back then, he was Meng Qianqiu’s boyfriend.”

Ji Ling was the first to deny it: "Impossible, you've mistaken me for someone else."

The rejection was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Xia Li was genuinely suspicious after hearing his words and began to wonder if she had mistaken him for someone else.

She thought and thought, all of this happened not long ago, and the two faces could be completely superimposed. She insisted on standing on her side, turned her head to meet Ji Ling's gaze, and said to him, "I didn't mistake you for someone else."

Are you sure?

"I'm sure."

To everyone's surprise, Ji Ling suddenly smiled with relief, but the pressure in his eyes did not diminish at all; instead, he stared straight at her.

Xia Li felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, so she looked away and unconsciously tightened her grip on Ji Ling's hand.

Ji Ling suddenly said, "You really pay attention to him. You can remember him clearly even though you only met him once."

The tense atmosphere suddenly dissipated at this moment. Xia Li was completely confused by his inexplicable words and couldn't understand what the person in front of her was concerned about.

She frowned slightly, her voice soft, her gaze fixed on him, and patiently explained, "It happened not long ago."

She was about to say that they met on their wedding day, but then she thought better of it and decided there was no need to bring it up.

Ji Ling paused after hearing this, pondered for a moment with a hand on his forehead, and then explained, "The person you met might be his younger brother."

Xia Li asked in confusion, "Younger brother?"

"Yes, twins."

"I see." After receiving the explanation, she had nothing more to suspect and was not interested in other people's affairs, so she did not inquire further.

Ji Ling didn't stop talking. Seeing that she didn't speak, he mistakenly thought she was thinking, so he answered her question and explained: "In the previous generation of the Xu family, the relationship between the parents was not good. They said they were husband and wife, but in reality, the woman was abroad and rarely came back, while the man was still in China. They had two children, the older one lived with the father and the younger one lived with the mother. The one you saw the other day was probably the second son of the Xu family. The one getting married today is the eldest son."

Ji Ling explained it clearly, and it all made sense now. Xia Li had just been worried about Jiang Xue, fearing that Jiang Xue would have a one-night stand with a scumbag. But it seems that she was overthinking it.

The air conditioning in the banquet hall was blasting, and Xia Li's shoulders ached from the cold. She unconsciously rubbed them. Ji Ling noticed her discomfort and was about to take off his suit jacket and hand it to her when Xia Li immediately stopped him, saying, "No need."

Ji Ling's thin lips pressed into a straight line, his tone icy: "Shaking like this? Still not using it?"

Though his words were chilling, his gaze remained fixed on her. His hands, which were wrapped around his back, unconsciously moved closer together, his fingertips curling at his sides, as if he could gather warmth and bring her some comfort.

Xia Li lowered her eyes, bit her lip, and shook her head. In the dim light, it was hard to notice the blush on her cheeks. She said, "I'm going to the restroom."

Ji Ling frowned, clearly displeased.

Xia Li explained, "Go out for a bit, warm up, and come back in once you've adjusted."

It sounded reasonable, and Ji Ling didn't object, but he was still unhappy. His seemingly calm face actually hid a chill.

"I'll go with you." Ji Ling was about to get up and accompany him.

Xia Li was amused by his serious expression. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders, a smile playing on her lips, which vanished in an instant, turning into warmth in her eyes: "Really, there's no need."

Does this person treat her like a three-year-old? He accompanies her everywhere, afraid she'll get lost.

As she left the banquet hall led by a waiter, she was instantly enveloped in warmth, which slightly relieved the soreness in her shoulders.

She then went to the restroom. When she came out, she saw a familiar figure by the sink. The figure was wearing a light blue dress and had long, chestnut-colored wavy hair that was styled very smoothly and meticulously.

What she was even more familiar with was her reflection in the mirror.

Meng Qianqiu was tidying her appearance, gently tucking the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear. In the mirror, the corners of her mouth were raised in a clear smile, and she looked very satisfied.

Xia Li was surprised for a moment, then realized that this was Meng Qianqiu's boyfriend's brother's wedding. It was only natural that Meng Qianqiu would be there. It was also really unfortunate that the two of them had entered the same restroom when there were so many available.

Since it was Jiang Xue's wedding, Xia Li didn't want to argue with Meng Qianqiu. She stood there for a long time, not moving, and silently waited for Meng Qianqiu to finish packing and leave.

Meng Qianqiu applied another layer of lipstick, pursed her lips slightly, and smiled confidently again, but unexpectedly, the lipstick that had been lying on the table rolled off and fell to the ground with a thud.

Originally, there was no possibility of them meeting, at least that was Xia Li's plan. She could quietly stay in the corner and wait for Meng Qianqiu to leave.

She watched as the lipstick that had accidentally fallen rolled towards her, getting closer and closer to her shoe, then suddenly stopped, only to be picked up by a slender, fair hand with scars.

"What bad luck." Meng Qianqiu said, taking out a wet wipe from her bag and wiping carefully.

Xia Li heard Meng Qianqiu say something incomprehensible and assumed that she was complaining about their unintentional encounter.

She remained silent, determined not to argue, and prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, as Meng Qianqiu straightened up, she looked up and called out to her, her tone tinged with surprise: "Xia Li?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Li stopped in her tracks, stunned. She didn't turn around, but she could feel the person behind her getting closer and closer. Then, a face appeared unexpectedly from her side.

"It really is you." Meng Qianqiu's tone was one of surprise and astonishment, as if they had never met in all these years, as if the events of the past few days had never happened. After a short while, the astonishment in her eyes instantly turned into a gentle smile, looking extremely mild: "There's a wedding banquet being held here today. I didn't expect to see you here."

His words were polite, unlike the nitpicking he had done the last time they met.

Xia Li found Meng Qianqiu very strange. This person seemed to have a mental illness, changing his demeanor every now and then. She didn't say a word the whole time, nor did she wait for Meng Qianqiu to finish speaking. Just as Meng Qianqiu was about to speak again, she lifted her foot and left without looking back.

Meng Qianqiu's muttered voice came from behind: "Did they mistake me for someone else?"

Xia Li pretended not to hear, and her steady pace turned into a brisk walk, the sound of her footsteps on the floor becoming increasingly louder.

With her head down, she watched as the wedding was about to begin, trying to get away from Meng Qianqiu while only thinking about getting back as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, at the corner, he bumped into a short, fat, and thick-chested man.

Xia Li jolted, her supporting hand immediately snapped away, and she leaned against the wall.

She frowned and breathed heavily, her delicate face showing a hint of anger.

Then, the man who had been hit shouted in a rough, raspy voice, "Did a dog eat your eyes?"

Fortunately, no one was around, and the words spoken were extremely uncivilized. Xia Li's brows furrowed slightly, and when he saw the person's face clearly, they furrowed even more.

The middle-aged man in his thirties or forties looked up. Because he took good care of himself, his oily skin was still shiny. He looked Xia Li up and down for a long time, then rubbed his chin and clicked his tongue, saying, "Oh, an old acquaintance, you've grown so much."

Xia Li was disgusted by her nonsensical words, and her stomach churned.

The old man's eyes gleamed with excitement, and a strange smile curled at the corners of his mouth: "I saw someone who looked a lot like you at the welfare home in the northern suburbs a while ago. I thought I was seeing things."

Xia Li ignored him and prepared to leave.

Just as I took a step, I saw the greasy middle-aged man patting his belly and laughing, "I almost forgot, what's your name again? You haven't met me before."

Then he suddenly leaned closer and said mysteriously, "We almost got engaged many years ago, does that ring a bell?"

As he looked at Xia Li, Xia Li didn't show much emotion. She suppressed her nausea and avoided the old man's gaze.

Seeing this, the older man teased, "Oh, you've got a temper now. You've hooked up with someone now, but do you know that the person you've hooked up with has a family? Are you planning to be like your mother, using being a mistress to climb the social ladder?"