Chapter 37 Old Song, if you keep being so reserved, then…

Jiang Mei's solo art exhibition opened, and Tang Ran received an international order from Tang Wanru, instructing her to attend.

Tang Ran ordered two flower baskets and had them delivered to the art exhibition a day in advance.

Before retiring, Jiang Mei was a professor in the Department of Chinese Painting at the School of Fine Arts of Jiangnan University, and also a famous ink landscape painter.

With the added advantage of being Mrs. Song, on the opening day of the art exhibition, traffic congestion near the Jiangcheng Convention and Exhibition Center extended to two blocks away.

Tang Ran arrived after the opening ceremony and ran into Xia Xin'er and Xia Mo when she got off the bus.

"Sister Ranran."

Xia Xin'er, dressed in a haute couture gown, happily jogged towards Tang Ran when she saw her.

After Tang Ran helped deal with the two women with freckles at the last event, Xia Xin'er was extremely impressed with Tang Ran.

After the event, she created a small group chat with Tang Ran and Qiu Yuan.

Qiu Yuan and Xia Xin'er share fun stories and Jiangcheng's food, drinks and entertainment in the group every day. Tang Ran can often see 99+ message notifications when she opens the green bubble.

Tang Ran stopped and waited for her with a smile. Xia Xin'er naturally took her arm. "Knowing you would come, I had my sister go and pick you up."

Xia Mo is known for spoiling her younger sister, and all the girls in the industry envy Xia Xin'er for having such a good older sister.

"Having an older sister is a blessing."

Tang Ran smiled and said, her gaze falling on the woman who walked closely behind Xia Xin'er.

This person is tall, with short, neat hair, sharp eyes, and well-defined forearm muscles.

Xia Xin'er then introduced the woman behind her. She was a bodyguard that Xia Mo had specially hired for Xia Xin'er. Her name was Zhang Bai, a retired soldier, and a world-class Sanda champion.

An ordinary person might only be frightened when being tricked, but Xia Xin'er has a heart condition and could be seriously frightened.

Xia Mo felt that the two girls who didn't get the phone last time were probably still resentful.

If we meet again at future events, it's possible they might seek revenge.

Tang Ran recalled Xia Xin'er's experiences in her previous life and felt that she really needed someone like Zhang Bai to protect her.

Xia Mo is very perceptive and can see the big picture from small details, taking precautions in advance.

Tang Ran couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

What these big shots think and do is to be one step ahead of others.

As they were talking, Xia Mo had already walked up to them. She greeted Tang Ran with a smile, "Miss Tang."

“Miss Xia,” Tang Ran replied with a light smile.

"Are you two having some kind of business meeting? Why are you being so polite?" Xia Xin'er said with a smile.

Her eyes swept over the two of them and then lit up.

Tang Ran and her sister look quite well-matched standing together.

Xia Xin'er reached out and pulled Xia Mo over, her eyes shining, and said to Tang Ran, "My sister is your sister, and Sister Ranran can also call me sister just like me."

Xia Xin'er has poor health and has been particularly perceptive of other people's attitudes since she was a child.

She had also heard about Song Wuqi's fight at the bar, and she had a feeling that Tang Ran and Song Wuqi's relationship wouldn't last long and that breaking up was only a matter of time.

She really liked Tang Ran, and it would be wonderful if Tang Ran could become her sister-in-law.

“Sister Xia.” Tang Ran readily agreed.

She considers Xia Xin'er a good friend and doesn't mind getting closer to Xia Mo.

Xia Xin'er looked at her older sister happily.

Xia Mo looked at Xia Xin'er with affection, his smile warm, and asked Tang Ran for her opinion.

"Then I'll call Miss Tang Ranran, just like Xin'er?"

Xia Mo was deeply impressed by Tang Ran when she cornered that assistant in the closet for several hours, finding her quite interesting.

Lately, she often heard her sister praise Tang Ran, which made her even more interested in learning more about Tang Ran.

Xia Mo spoke in a gentle tone, much like Song Zhixu.

Actually, the two of them give off a similar vibe; they both seem to be the gentle and easy-going type.

The only difference is in appearance; Xia Mo has a neat, shoulder-length short haircut, which makes her look more capable and elegant.

Tang Ran nodded. The nickname "Ranran" wasn't anything special; all her friends called her that.

Xia Xin'er was very satisfied with the two's cooperation. "Sister Ranran, my sister is also very capable. You can ask my sister for help with anything in the future. She can handle everything."

"Your sister isn't Superman," Xia Mo said with a laugh, tapping Xia Xin'er on the head.

The two sisters had a very good relationship, and she could tell what Xia Xin'er was thinking at a glance.

She had a good impression of Tang Ran and did not object to her sister's actions.

As for Tang Ran and Song Wuqi.

Her younger sister had complained to her about Song Wuqi's fight, and combined with what she saw on the balcony that day, Xia Mo also felt that the two of them would never get engaged.

Inside the exhibition hall.

Jiang Mei nudged her daughter's arm. "Director Wang and Director Li are here. You're allowed to accompany Xiao Lan around for a bit, in my place."

Song Zhixu subtly withdrew his gaze from the stadium plaza and looked at Jiang Mei.

Wang Xinlan is Jiang Mei's prized student and knows Jiang Mei's paintings better than her own daughter does, so there's no need for her to accompany her shopping.

Jiang Mei's intention to bring them together should not be too obvious.

Jiang Mei coughed lightly.

This was also her first time arranging a blind date for her daughter, so she wasn't very skilled at it.

However, her daughter is always sensible and would definitely not undermine her.

Song Zhixu was indeed very obedient, and smiled faintly at Wang Xinlan, "Shall we go for a walk over there?"

"Okay." Wang Xinlan nodded with a smile.

She had met Song Zhixu a few times in the art studio before and had quite a good impression of him.

After greeting her old colleagues, Jiang Mei immediately spotted Tang Ran and her group approaching.

The smile on her face now held a genuine joy.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Xia sisters, Jiang Mei warmly took Tang Ran's hand and asked, "You look much thinner. Are you tired from work?"

"Aunt Jiang always comforts me." Tang Ran pinched her arm in annoyance. "I've clearly gained weight."

My daughter is very sensible and rarely acts spoiled.

While Jiang Mei was pleased, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Completely opposite to Song Zhixu, Tang Ran was a spoiled brat when she was young. Every time Jiang Mei saw her soft and sweet way of acting cute with Tang Wanru, she would be very envious.

"Not fat, not fat at all, I actually think you're a bit thin."

After chatting with Tang Ran for a few minutes, Jiang Mei was reminded by her assistant that a new visitor had arrived. Reluctantly, she let go of Tang Ran and, before leaving, reminded her to visit her home often.

Tang Ran used to visit Jiang Mei at Jingting often, but she hasn't been going lately because she's afraid they'll bring up the marriage.

After Jiang Mei left, Xia Xin'er took Tang Ran to browse the art exhibition. However, after only a few minutes, she received a call from Lu Shuyang.

"Ranran, you and your sister can shop around first. We'll go to Jia Hua Centre for lunch together. Your sister has invested in a Nanyang restaurant there, which is your favorite kind of food."

Xia Xin'er left Tang Ran and Xia Mo behind, then happily went to find Lu Shuyang.

In addition to her own works, some of Jiang Mei's paintings were also exhibited by her students.

Xia Mo has experience in collecting and investing in traditional Chinese paintings, while Tang Ran has some interest in them because Tang Wanru likes them.

The two walked and looked around, and their conversation was quite congenial.

After discussing traditional Chinese painting, Tang Ran took the opportunity to ask a few questions about loans.

In the previous life, the Tang family's last bank loan was delayed due to policy tightening, which is why Tang Ran sold her shares to Song Wuqi.

She couldn't interfere with the adjustments in national policies, so she wondered if she could find other ways, such as borrowing from commercial banks like Wanyuan.

Tang Ran only had this idea, but she didn't know if it would work.

She told Xia Mo that a friend of hers had encountered a situation where a bank's loan was overdue.

Xia Mo was very tactful and didn't ask for specific details. Instead, he explained the specific procedures and possible loan rejections to her in great detail.

Finally, she thoughtfully told Tang Ran that she could ask her anytime if she had any further questions.

Tang Ran readily agreed and even added Xia Mo's green bubble tea.

Behind the place where the two were standing and talking, there was a security door, and several workers were pushing a pile of exhibition props past.

When passing through the safety gate, the prop got stuck in the gate and fell down.

Tang Ran was scanning Xia Mo's phone and didn't notice.

"careful."

Xia Mo pulled Tang Ran back two steps.

The fallen prop landed on the spot where Tang Ran had just been standing, making a loud bang.

Tang Ran was startled and, still shaken, grabbed Xia Mo's arm, stunned.

It was a thick piece of wood that fell; if someone had been hit by it, they would probably have had to go straight to the hospital.

"It's alright now." Xia Mo gently patted her shoulder.

Tang Ran came to her senses and realized that she was not only holding Xia Mo's arm, but also leaning against her.

She quickly let go and stepped back, blushing slightly.

She was so startled she was completely stunned; she was so embarrassing.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

The worker ran over to apologize.

It almost hit someone, and he was terrified.

"It's nothing." Tang Ran waved her hand, not taking it to heart.

The workers quickly packed up their things.

"Thank you, Sister Xia." Tang Ran said to Xia Mo with a smile.

"If Xin'er heard this, she'd definitely think you're being too polite," Xia Mo teased.

Tang Ran nodded in deep agreement.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Xia Mo".

A clear, gentle voice rang out.

Tang Ran's back stiffened.

Tang Ran was relieved when she bumped into Jiang Mei at the door but didn't see Song Zhixu, thinking she hadn't come.

She slowly looked in the direction of the sound.

The first thing I saw wasn't Song Zhixu, but the people around her.

With a classic oval face, simple and elegant makeup, a modern Chinese-style embroidered vest dress, and a low bun with a slight updo, she exudes the charm of a classical beauty.

Let's look at Song Zhixu next.

A cream-colored silk dress with a circle of pearls adorning the round neckline, exuding elegance and grace.

The two people were standing together.

Well……

Tang Ran only glanced at it briefly before looking away.

"I understand," Xia Mo replied with a smile.

Song Zhixu approached with a faint smile, her gaze falling on Tang Ran's face.

Her face was flushed; it was the same blushing face she had seen before, a shy look.

Song Zhixu's gaze was too direct for Tang Ran to pretend she didn't see.

She looked up and greeted Song Zhixu, but for some reason, she called out, "Miss Song."

Song Zhixu's gaze sharpened slightly, and she replied calmly, "Miss Tang."

Tang Ran was slightly taken aback, and suddenly felt a little stifled.

Then a nameless anger surged up inside me!

Song Zhixu did it on purpose, didn't he?

She just accidentally called her by the wrong name.

Song Zhixu is pretending not to know her right here!

Looking at the people around her, Tang Ran finally understood.

Song Zhixu is probably trying to take this opportunity to distance himself from her.

Oh!

I see!

She even foolishly went home to hide.

That's hilarious.

Song Zhixu probably only had a passing fancy with her, but she took it seriously.

hehe!

Xia Mo sensed something strange.

Seeing how familiar Aunt Jiang and Tang Ran are, Song Zhixu and Tang Ran shouldn't be so distant.

However, she wasn't a very curious person, and only guessed that the two were much older than each other, so they didn't have much contact.

She looked at Wang Xinlan and asked, "And who is this?"

"Wang Xinlan, my mother's student."

"Xia Mo, my friend."

"This is Tang Ran."

Song Zhixu introduced them one by one with a faint smile.

Hearing her explanation, Tang Ran became even more certain of her thoughts.

The name "Tang Ran" alone is equivalent to "nobody".

Insignificant people.

Wang Xinlan smiled gently, but when she looked at Song Zhixu, her eyes were filled with undisguised joy.

"Ranran and I will go over there and take a look."

Xia Mo roughly guessed the situation of the two people. She smiled at them and did not intend to disturb them.

Song Zhixu glanced at Tang Ran's face without making a sound, and nodded slightly.

As they passed each other, she called out to Xia Mo again.

"Let's have lunch together, about that project at Ningchuan Technology."

They don't have a high opinion of Ningchuan Technology, so there's no need to discuss it at all.

Song Zhixu was using the project as an excuse because she didn't want to continue the date.

Xia Mo guessed her intention and nodded in agreement, "Okay."

Tang Ran was too busy being angry to notice what they were saying.

When Song Zhixu arrived at the restaurant, she was discussing a trip to Turtle Island with Xia Xin'er.

"It's a pity I can't swim, otherwise I would also like to take pictures in a pretty swimsuit." Xia Xin'er said dejectedly.

She can't go into the water, and at most she can just sunbathe on the beach.

"Besides the beach, Turtle Island also has hot springs, so you can take beautiful photos there too. After we finish eating, let's go buy swimsuits together. SA sent me the new styles for this year the day before yesterday."

"Do you think this one suits you perfectly?"

Tang Ran pulled out a white Lolita-style swimsuit with a large pink bow.

"Wow, this looks great!" Xia Xin'er perked up. "You would look amazing in this blue and white nautical style, Ranran-jie!"

Navy style.

It's kind of cute.

But looking into Xia Xin'er's bright eyes, she simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.

After much effort, I managed to cheer her up, so I had no choice but to keep her company.

"Wearing these two swimsuits, we'll be the coolest guys on the whole beach."

Tang Ran was full of confidence, and with her chin resting on her hand, she made a very cheesy eight-character gesture.

Xia Mo and Lu Shuyang went to the restroom, leaving only her and Xia Xin'er in the private room. Tang Ran was letting loose a bit.

Song Zhixu pushed open the door and came in at that moment.

Tang Ran's smile froze on her face.

"Wow, youth is so energetic."

Murong Yi smiled and followed Song Zhixu in, with Xia Mo, who had just gone to the restroom, behind her.

Tang Ran's face turned bright red at a visible speed.

"I envy you, but I can't go back."

Xia Mo teased her, helping Tang Ran out of the awkward situation.

Xia Xin'er invited her to sit next to Tang Ran.

The waiter brought over the warmed milk, and Xia Mo naturally opened two bottles, giving one to Xia Xin'er and handing the other to Tang Ran.

When Tang Ran and Xia Xin'er were at the exhibition, Tang Ran mentioned that her stomach had been a little upset these past few days. Unexpectedly, Xia Mo remembered it and deliberately ordered two bottles of hot milk when ordering drinks.

"Thank you, Sister Xia." Tang Ran smiled.

For her thoughtfulness, and for helping her out of that predicament.

"Don't be so polite with your older sister, she's very good at taking care of people."

Xia Xin'er praised her older sister openly, and didn't forget to slip in her own opinion, quietly asking her, "Isn't my sister super nice?"

Tang Ran, unaware of her hidden thoughts, gave her a thumbs up, agreeing with her words, "Your sister is the best in the world."

The next second, Xia Xin'er stretched her head, stepped over Tang Ran, and said to Xia Mo, "Sister, Ranran said you are the best in the world."

Tang Ran blushed deeply again and patted Xia Xin'er on the shoulder.

Xia Xin'er rubbed her hands and complained to her sister, "Sister, Ranran hit me!"

Xia Mo smiled indulgently, "Eat your food properly."

Watching the interaction between the three people opposite her, Murong Yi blinked in surprise and whispered to Song Zhixu.

"Wait, what's going on?"

She and Song Zhixu were friends for many years, as were Xia Mo.

Tang Ran didn't notice Xia Mo's actions, but she could see them at a glance.

She definitely has feelings for Tang Ran.

She had only just discovered a few days ago that Song Zhixu's feelings for Tang Ran were unusual, so how could another friend have 'fallen' in the blink of an eye?

"Ask if you want to know." Song Zhixu slowly wiped his hands with a damp towel.

Murong Yi glanced at her sideways, then looked across at the other side.

The Xia sisters and Tang Ran were in perfect harmony.

"Old Song, you're in danger," Murong Yi said with a hint of schadenfreude. "So, why did you call me to come over for dinner?"

So, she was called in to ruin the atmosphere?

Murong Yi waved her hand, "I can't do this. You and Lao Xia are both my flesh and blood."

A few days ago, no matter how she asked Song Zhixu, she wouldn't budge. Now that she wants to ask her for help, she'd better put on a good show.

Song Zhixu put down the towel and said in a low voice, "I heard that the office designer is Miao Tiantian?"

Murong Yi immediately changed her attitude, "Oh, I'll help you this once, but don't let Lao Xia know."

After saying that, he couldn't help but remark, "Tang Ran is such a charming girl."

With the addition of Murong Yi, a super social butterfly, she directly dominated all the topics at the dinner table, and the harmonious atmosphere was no longer limited to Xia Xin'er and her two companions.

After dinner, Xia Xin'er dragged Tang Ran shopping, and Murong Yi also said she wanted to join them. The group shopped for a while before parting ways.

Before leaving with Lu Shuyang, Xia Xiner entrusted Tang Ran to her sister Xia Mo, asking her to make sure Tang Ran was safely delivered home.

Tang Ran initially wanted to refuse, but when she thought of Song Zhixu's presence, she agreed.

Watching Xia Mo's taillights disappear at the street corner, Murong Yi patted Song Zhixu on the shoulder.

"Old Song, if you keep hiding your true feelings like this, you'll be drinking at Old Xia's wedding soon."