Xue Xiaodie's prediction was indeed correct; it was basically a one-sided victory.
The opposing group of middle-aged men weren't very fit, and their skills were average, so they posed little threat. On the other hand, as soon as they intercepted the ball, they immediately handed it to Xia Xiaobing. Xia Xiaobing wouldn't dribble; she would simply pass it forward to Lu Zhe. Lu Zhe, receiving the ball in the attacking third, would then dribble past one or two players before shooting.
Out of ten shots, six or seven might go in, and that's without putting in too much effort. On the other hand, out of ten attacks, only two or three could barely create a shot, but they either went wide or were blocked.
Twenty minutes later, Xia Xiaobing and Lu Zhe exchanged glances and tacitly slowed down their pace.
Xia Xiaobing stopped passing the ball to Lu Zhe as much, and Lu Zhe stopped dribbling and shooting when he got the ball. He started playing a more relaxed game with the older guys – after all, if they didn't restrain themselves and made the others angry, the friendly match would turn into a friendship-ending game.
Lu Zhe was strolling around the field when he turned his head and suddenly noticed Xue Xiaodie pointing her phone at him from the sidelines.
So he asked, "Are you filming a video?"
Xue Xiaodie laughed and said, "Yes, it's a pity we were too slow to react. We missed capturing those first few amazing goals!"
Lu Zhe had never enjoyed the privilege of having a live cheerleading squad recording a video. He waved his hand somewhat embarrassedly and went to grab the ball again.
Clearly, with Xue Xiaodie filming, he put in even more effort this time. He intercepted the ball, turned and dribbled past two defenders, and finally beat the goalkeeper to put the ball into the empty net.
Turning around, Lu Zhe saw Xue Xiaodie's slightly admiring smile and couldn't help but feel happy.
But just then, he felt a cool sensation on his cheek.
Xia Xiaobing looked up and said, "It's raining."
Mao Kai laughed and said, "A battle in the rain feels even better."
However, the opposing goalkeeper immediately said, "Forget it, getting soaked in the rain is too uncomfortable. How about we leave it at that for today?"
Before he could finish speaking, the opposing men unanimously agreed, quickly deciding to end the friendly match. Moreover, the rapidly intensifying rain made it difficult for Mr. Xia to object.
In the blink of an eye, the light raindrops turned into a dense curtain of rain, and everyone left the stadium and ran towards their cars.
Lu Zhe and Mao Kai were on their way to the company car. But before they even got in, they heard Xue Xiaodie call out from behind:
"Hey, weren't you supposed to be coming with us?"
Lu Zhe looked around and saw that Mao Kai and the other guys had already gotten into their cars, while a little further away, President Xia's BMW was parked.
Should we tell Mao Kai and the others?
Lu Zhe hesitated for a moment, but still headed straight for President Xia's car.
Out of habit, he opened the passenger door. Only then did he realize that Xue Xiaodie was sitting in the back seat.
So when Lu Zhe was fastening his seatbelt, he couldn't help but ponder a question—was Xue Xiaodie deliberately leaving the passenger seat for him, or did she want him to sit in the back with her?
It seems like it should be the latter, right?
Lu Zhe glanced back and saw that Xue Xiaodie still had a calm expression, but there seemed to be a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
However, Xia Xiaobing didn't seem to notice these details. She simply started the car, stepped on the gas, and asked, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
Lu Zhe turned back and replied, "I definitely can't eat before playing football, that would be too easy to get a side stitch."
Xia Xiaobing: "Xiaodie, what about you?"
The girl answered softly, "I didn't eat either."
Xia Xiaobing smiled and said, "Then let's go eat. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Lu Zhe: "I'm fine with anything."
Xue Xiaodie: "I'm fine with either."
Xia Xiaobing: "Don't be like that, you should give me some suggestions..."
Just then, Lu Zhe suddenly remembered something and said, "Let's invite Tang Qi along. She probably hasn't eaten yet, so why don't we ask her what she wants to eat?"
As the words fell, silence descended upon the car, broken only by the noise of the engine and tires, and the sound of rain outside. Neither Xia Xiaobing beside her nor Xue Xiaodie in the back uttered a sound for over ten seconds.
This made Lu Zhe somewhat uneasy.
Fortunately, the silence only lasted for about ten seconds before Xue Xiaodie replied, "Okay, then I'll call her now."
Xia Xiaobing smiled silently, glanced at the rearview mirror, and exchanged a meaningful look with the girl.
So Xue Xiaodie picked up her phone and made a call.
"Hey, Little Rainbow Candy, you haven't eaten yet, have you... Yes, we've already sorted it out and are discussing what to eat. Do you want to come with us? Don't worry, we haven't forgotten you. We're on our way to pick you up. Think about it, what do you want to eat? Okay, come downstairs and wait for us. We'll be there in a bit."
After finishing her conversation with the young lady, Xue Xiaodie hung up the phone.
Then the girl said to the two people in the front row, "She suggested grilling the meat without any hesitation."
Xia Xiaobing smiled and said, "As for what to eat, it all depends on Miss Tang's enthusiasm..."
Xue Xiaodie also laughed and said, "Yes, at least in this respect, she has always been very opinionated."
The two beautiful women started talking about Tang Qi, while Lu Zhe silently turned his head to look out the window, not joining the conversation.
Although they both wore smiles, he instinctively sensed that the atmosphere in the car wasn't as harmonious as it seemed. Beneath their radiant smiles, something seemed to be brewing beneath the surface.
An undercurrent of something called 'anger' or 'displeasure'.
He looked out the car window and saw raindrops falling on the glass, sliding down, and then, driven by the car's speed, leaving streaks of water diagonally downwards. Those streaks then broke apart, leaving behind many fine and messy little water droplets.
As they chatted, Xue Xiaodie suddenly sighed, "I'm a little damp and don't feel quite right... What do you think, Mr. Xia?"
Xia Xiaobing didn't seem to care much: "I often get like this after playing football, and sometimes when I work out too hard. It's just that today, what I'm covered in isn't sweat, it's rainwater."
Xue Xiaodie: "Don't you feel uncomfortable?"
Xia Xiaobing: "It's alright, it just feels a little damp, but not really soaked..."
Hearing them say that, Lu Zhe couldn't help but recall the time when he first met Tang Qi. That night, he had practically fallen into the water and was almost soaked, yet Tang Qi had excitedly dragged him out to eat steak. Luckily, he was wearing quick-drying clothes that day, and he gradually dried out as they walked down the street.
"Achoo!" Xue Xiaodie suddenly sneezed.
Xia Xiaobing casually turned off the car's air conditioning: "Sorry, I forgot to turn this off."
Xue Xiaodie shook her head: "Hmm, it's okay..."
Then, all three of them fell silent. Lu Zhe looked out the window, Xia Xiaobing was busy driving, and Xue Xiaodie quietly scrolled through something on her phone.
Although the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air, the car was clearly not warm.
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