Chapter 217 Choosing Battle Robes

If the other party hadn't been a guest, Qi Xi would have rolled her eyes to the heavens.

Are they acquainted?

This was their first meeting, and at first Tang Shi didn't even recognize her.

After being introduced by others, he immediately called her Xiao Xi affectionately, making it seem like they were very close.

In reality, they didn't say more than two sentences in total.

Besides, if he's my uncle's friend, then he's a friend. Why do we have to add "we grew up together" before that?

It's as if everyone present didn't grow up with Qi Chenyan, and that she's the only one who did.

Besides, a woman's intuition is usually very accurate.

Based on Tang Shi's actions just now, Qi Xi keenly sensed that the other party probably had ill intentions.

So she deliberately raised her voice so that everyone present could hear her.

"Those who came today are all my good brothers who grew up with me. Please come in."

Qi Chenyan was still adding charcoal to the fire.

Add the glowing charcoal into the grill one by one.

Upon seeing them arrive, he merely looked up and said indifferently, "You're here. Let me help you."

The other two weren't visiting Qi Chenyan's place for the first time either, and they naturally rolled up their sleeves to help skewer the barbecue.

Tang Shi, on the other hand, had a very clear goal: to head towards Qi Chenyan.

Qi Xi moved with incredible agility, flashing into view of Tang Shi while simultaneously handing her a bamboo skewer.

"Miss Tang, timing is everything. Everyone's busy, why don't you join us for some barbecue?"

Tang Shi accepted the hand, but still moved closer to Qi Chenyan.

Qi Xi couldn't directly stop her anymore, so he could only watch helplessly as Tang Shi approached the oven.

"Brother Shen Yan, it's been a long time."

Before Qi Chenyan could even look up, he heard a soft "ouch" from not far away.

He immediately turned his head and saw that Yu Li had somehow accidentally spilled the juice she had been drinking.

There was sticky juice stain on her skirt. She was getting up and reaching for a tissue to wipe it off.

Qi Chenyan immediately put down what he was doing and walked over quickly.

"Don't move, I'll do it."

He took the juice from Yu Li's hand while simultaneously grabbing a tissue.

Because Yu Li had soiled the hem of her skirt, Qi Chenyan naturally bent down and knelt on one knee to wipe the sticky juice off the hem with a tissue.

However, once the juice is applied, it is very difficult to clean it off.

"It's not very clean anymore, shall we go upstairs and get a new one?"

Yu Li originally wanted Qi Chenyan not to wipe it, but he moved too quickly. Before she could speak, he had already knelt down on one knee.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were on her.

Especially Qi Chenyan's brothers, who were as excited as if they had discovered a new continent.

But they didn't dare to cricket in front of Qi Chenyan. However, some were bolder than Tan Mo, who took out their phones and happily took pictures.

Yu Li hummed in agreement, grabbed Qi Chenyan's arm and pulled him up, urging him to get up first.

After throwing the soiled tissue into the trash can, Qi Chenyan naturally took Yu Li's hand and called to Tan Mo, "Go add more charcoal. I'll take Lili upstairs to change her clothes first."

After Qi Chenyan led Yu Li upstairs, Tang Shi looked in their direction and said with a smile, "You guys said before, Tan Mo, that Brother Chenyan doesn't understand romance, but I see that he is very considerate and thoughtful towards Miss Yu."

Before the others could speak, Qi Xi chimed in, "Dr. Tan and the others all call Lili 'sister-in-law.' Isn't Miss Tang my uncle's childhood friend? Why do you call my uncle 'Brother Shen Yan,' but call his wife 'Miss Yu'?"

Tang Shi's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure: "It was my oversight, I'm sorry."

Qi Xi generously replied, "It's okay. Just know you were wrong and don't call me by the wrong name again."

Tang Shi's usually bright smile faltered a little.

Another person chimed in with a joke: "No wonder everyone says that married men are different. Even our Lao Qi couldn't escape becoming a henpecked husband."

"Yes, yes, we were worried before that with Lao Qi so devoted to his work and determined to dedicate his whole life to diplomacy, we were worried that he would die alone."

"It seems that the young couple has a great relationship now, while we single people are probably going to be fed a lot of dog food today."

A few jokes effectively eased the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Yu Li was still choosing her battle outfit.

That's right, it's a battle robe.

She never expected that Tang Shi, who was supposed to be on the other side of the ocean, would also be there for this ordinary dinner with friends.

They were both women, and although the other party didn't explicitly say so, it was clear that they had ill intentions.

Yu Li was originally planning to stay home and comfortable today, but Tang Shi's bright red lips and even her hair were exquisite.

Anyone who didn't know her would think she was the lady of the house, dressed so meticulously and outshining everyone else.

Although Yu Li wasn't afraid of being outshone by Tang Shi, she still had to act like the lady of the house.

But Yu Li doesn't intend to go for a glamorous style; she knows her strengths and weaknesses.

Her appearance leans towards the gentle and graceful style of Jiangnan, while Tang Shi has a more aggressive beauty, like the kind of bright and beautiful woman in the entertainment industry who stands out at first glance.

Therefore, Yu Li plans to play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses, and follow a style that suits her.

She opted for a gentle style, choosing a white Chinese-style long dress and pairing it with a pink embroidered long-sleeved jacket.

Then let her waist-length black hair down, securing it with a pearl hair clip on one side, and add large pearl earrings.

Looking in the mirror and fixing her hair, Yu Li was quite satisfied.

She pushed open the door to the walk-in closet and turned around in front of Qi Chenyan.

"Is this outfit okay?"

Qi Chenyan didn't give a perfunctory answer. He looked you over carefully and gave his approval: "Very traditional Chinese style, pink suits you very well."

Who doesn't like to be praised? Especially in front of their own husband.

Yu Li jumped up and down, "Since you have such good taste, I'll secretly tell you another little secret."

“Xixi said that I look best in green and yellow, because they suit my skin tone.”

A smile rippled across Qi Chenyan's eyes. "But I think you look good in anything."

Yu Li seriously suspected that he had secretly enrolled in some kind of class behind her back to be so eloquent. He was nothing like the stereotypical straight man who was abstinent and clueless about romance.

"But speaking of which, wasn't Minister Tang's daughter studying in Germany? When did she return to China?"

Yu Li's seemingly casual question was actually a test for Qi Chenyan.

Although she trusted Qi Chenyan, trusting him was one thing, but whether Qi Chenyan had kept it from her because of Tang Shi was another matter entirely.

“I don’t know either, but she did call me a few days ago, but I was busy and didn’t answer.”