It was not yet ten o'clock when we arrived at Xu's house, neither too early nor too late, just the right time.
As soon as the car stopped, someone came to open the door and bowed to greet us.
Xu Yanfeng nodded slightly, opened the trunk, and gave instructions. The butler took out the items inside, a huge pile of things, big and small. Xu Yanfeng had prepared gifts in advance, and Xia Xi had selected some for his mother separately. Together, they were quite a lot.
The butler could hardly hold it with both hands.
Xu Yanfeng took Xia Xi's hand. Even in such a hot day, her fingertips were slightly cool, but her palm was very warm. He squeezed it a little harder, leaned close to her ear, and asked in a low voice, "Are you nervous?"
Xia Xi looked at him without saying a word.
Xu Yanfeng's brows were tinged with smiles, and his voice was as gentle as before: "Don't worry. Ms. Zhong asked me about your tastes and preferences a few days ago. She called me an average of three times a day for several days, fearing that she would miss anything."
"I heard the car stop, why haven't you come in yet?"
The sound of the door opening was accompanied by a cheerful male voice.
After entering the house, the surroundings were so quiet that even the chirping of cicadas could not be heard. Suddenly, there was a noise. Xia Xi looked up and saw a face that was somewhat similar to Xu Yanfeng. It was his elder brother, Xu Junmo, whom he had met before.
Xia Xi pursed her lips and nodded at him: "Hello."
"Hello." Xu Junmo responded with a smile, turned his head towards the house, and reported to Zhong Yinghong, "Isn't it here?"
Xu Junmo stepped back and made room for the two to come in. He whispered to Xu Yanfeng, "Mom got up early in the morning and was busy. She even adjusted the position of the vase several times herself."
It is understandable that Zhong Yinghong attaches so much importance to this. After all, the eldest son does not want to get married, and the second son has always been pure and unselfish. Now he has finally brought a girl home with the intention of starting a family. Zhong Yinghong must not take it to heart.
Hearing Xu Junmo's shout, Zhong Yinghong hurriedly washed her hands and came over.
New slippers were prepared on the shoe cabinet, and Xu Yanfeng took them out for Xia Xi. After she put them on, she stood up and saw Zhong Yinghong, who was wearing a purple dress and had her hair half tied up in a bun. She looked very healthy and had a gentle smile on her face. She seemed very easy to get along with.
The last time they met was really unexpected and rushed. Xia Xi was not mentally prepared at all and was not in the right state of mind the whole time. Naturally, she was unable to have a good chat with the other party. This time, when facing her, her mood was completely different.
"Hello, Auntie."
"Hey, come in and sit down." Zhong Yinghong smiled kindly.
The housekeeper came in, put the things down and left.
Zhong Yinghong took a quick look and was surprised: "Why did you take so many gifts?"
Xu Yanfeng: "I don't know either. She prepared all of this and hid it for several days. She just took it out today."
Zhong Yinghong took Xia Xi's hand and sat down on the sofa, patting the back of her hand: "Just treat it as your own home. Don't bring so many gifts next time you come. If you are not busy at work, you and Afeng can come back for dinner more often."
Her tone was very similar to Su Jinru's; it came from the heart, not just a polite remark. Her hands were soft, like water. Xia Xi had experienced true family affection before, so she could tell the difference.
"Okay." Xia Xi agreed, and meant it sincerely.
The smile on Zhong Yinghong's face grew deeper.
There were several kinds of fruit on the coffee table, all pre-peeled and diced, with a few small forks conveniently placed there. Zhong Yinghong invited Xia Xi to eat and chatted with her about some ordinary topics, not mentioning the online rumors at all.
From the time he came here until now, Xia Xi has not seen Xu Guanshan, and he has always felt uneasy.
Until Zhong Yinghong also noticed that Xu Guanshan had not shown up, she called Xu Yanfeng, "Afeng, go see what your father is busy with in the study." After that, she smiled and explained to Xia Xi, "He probably didn't know you were coming."
Xia Xi smiled, but her heart tightened. The piece of watermelon she had just swallowed seemed to be stuck in her throat, unable to go down or spit out.
Ever since the last quarrel with Xu Guanshan, Xu Yanfeng hadn't met him again. He stopped outside the study, took a breath, and knocked on the door.
Xu Guanshan said in a deep voice: "Come in."
Xu Yanfeng pushed the door open and looked inside. Xu Guanshan was not busy with work. In fact, he didn't have much work to deal with. Most of the company's affairs were handled by Xu Yanfeng. Only some major decisions required Xu Guanshan's participation.
Xu Guanshan was practicing calligraphy, holding a brush and writing very attentively. Even when Xu Yanfeng came in, he didn't look up.
"My girlfriend is here." Xu Yanfeng said without emotion, "Mom asked me to call you."
Xu Guanshan had no other reaction.
After delivering the message, Xu Yanfeng did not stay in the study for long and closed the door when he left.
After waiting for a while, Xu Guanshan still didn't show up. Zhong Yinghong was vaguely dissatisfied. It was he who asked to meet Xu Yanfeng's girlfriend. Now that she was at his house, he didn't come out to meet her. What a shame.
"Xixi, sit down. I'll go see what's going on." Zhong Yinghong said, then stood up and walked towards the study.
Xu Junmo sensed a subtle atmosphere and touched his brother's arm: "I heard you got beaten up?"
Xu Yanfeng ignored him and sat down in the seat where Zhong Yinghong had just sat. He raised his chin towards Xia Xi and said, "Give me a piece of watermelon."
Xia Xi held a small fork and picked up a piece of seedless watermelon for him. He didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he lowered his head slightly and bit it with his mouth. He ate it, and the juice burst in his mouth. He smiled and said, "It's quite sweet."
Xu Junmo: “…”
He deserved the beating.
A blinding flash of light flashed by. Xu Junmo glanced over and noticed the diamond ring on Xia Xi's hand. It looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, wasn't this the one Xu Yanfeng bought abroad many years ago?
Xu Junmo raised his eyebrows: "Hey, Xia Xi, is that pink diamond ring on your hand a gift from Xu Er?"
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