As night deepened, Xia Xiaobing and Lu Zhe finished about half a bottle of red wine, so she poured some more into the decanter and gently swirled it.
She looked at the boy in front of her and secretly began to make plans.
The reason for maintaining the status quo and keeping Lu Zhe in the dark from Tang Qi and Xue Xiaodie wasn't just because she was afraid the two girls would become yandere. The most important reason was that she sensed Lu Zhe's hesitation.
He met three beautiful girls almost simultaneously, and the entire time only lasted about a month. For Lu Zhe, who was slow to warm up to people emotionally, this was enough time to develop feelings for them, but not enough time to fall deeply in love.
Xia Xiaobing knew very well that forcing him to leave Tang Qi and Xue Xiaodie wouldn't sever his ties with them; instead, it would plant seeds of rebellion in his heart. It might not be a big problem in the short term, but in the future, the landmine would inevitably explode.
In today's world, with such advanced communication, finding a lifelong, monogamous relationship is becoming increasingly difficult. It's better to defuse a time bomb before it explodes than to plant one in the future.
"I want you to be completely convinced of my worth, to be utterly devoted to me, and then I'll take you away..." Xia Xiaobing murmured as she swallowed another sip of fragrant red wine.
Lu Zhe didn't hear clearly: "Hey, Sister Xia, what did you just say?"
Xia Xiaobing shook her head slightly: "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask you, what time are you planning to go home tonight?"
Lu Zhe: "Uh...you're the boss, what time do you think would be best for me to come back?"
Xia Xiaobing laughed, her cheeks flushed and becoming even more radiant, and her voice became much sweeter: "Just like last night, what do you think?"
Just like last night, I'll go back in the early hours of the morning.
The reason for going back in the early hours of the morning is naturally to have something happen at midnight... but is that a good idea?
Just as Lu Zhe was hesitating, his phone suddenly rang.
When he took out his phone, to his surprise, it wasn't Xue Xiaodie or Tang Qi calling, but his college friend, Luo Qiu.
Why is that guy, who used to be a psychologist but quit to prepare for surgery, contacting me so late at night?
Lu Zhe glanced at the mature woman in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and then answered the call.
Then we heard Luo Qiu complain: "Dude, don't you check the group chat? We've tagged you so many times, and you haven't responded at all!"
Lu Zhe: "Uh, I don't think I've logged into QQ recently... Just tell me what's up."
Luo Qiu: "I'm going to the hospital tomorrow for surgery. How about we grab some skewers tonight?"
Lu Zhe: "You're going to the hospital tomorrow, and you're out eating skewers and barbecue late at night? Does your attending physician know how reckless you are?"
Luo Qiu burst out laughing: "Hahaha... Let me tell you, this barbecue restaurant is right outside the hospital, it was recommended to me by the doctor!"
Lu Zhe asked incredulously, "What is this doctor thinking?"
Luo Qiu laughed and said, "I'm going to be admitted to the hospital tomorrow, not to have surgery. I can still have a little fun. Besides, the doctor told me that since I'm going to do something reckless anyway, I might as well find a good barbecue restaurant. It won't be a loss if I die. He said this barbecue restaurant is pretty good, and he goes there often. The owner of the barbecue restaurant is even a regular customer of the hospital!"
Lu Zhe: "This doctor doesn't sound very reliable..."
Luo Qiu: "Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if you're coming or not."
Lu Zhe held his phone, looked at the alluring and beautiful older woman in front of him, and remained silent for a long time.
Luo Qiu's tone suddenly changed, and he started to play the victim: "I'm going to be hospitalized tomorrow, tonight, tonight, aren't you coming?"
Lu Zhe sighed: "Okay, send me an address and I'll come right away."
Luo Qiu laughed and said, "Alright, we've been waiting for you!"
Then the call ended.
Xia Xiaobing narrowed her eyes: "You're leaving now?"
Lu Zhe looked helpless: "There's nothing I can do. My old friend needs to be admitted to the hospital for surgery. He has a tumor, and it sounds quite serious. I'm very worried about him."
Xia Xiaobing stared at him quietly.
Lu Zhe met the older woman's gaze calmly.
After about ten seconds, Xia Xiaobing sighed softly, "Since you're a good friend, then go ahead."
Lu Zhe nodded, but then a question suddenly came to mind.
He quickly asked, "Since you've been reborn, you must know Luo Qiu, right? Was his tumor surgery ultimately successful? Did he recover?"
However, Xia Xiaobing was slightly taken aback: "Luo Qiu, who is that?"
Lu Zhe: "He's my best friend from college, and we've kept in touch after graduation..."
Xia Xiaobing slowly shook her head: "I don't know him, and of course I don't know whether his surgery was successful or not."
Lu Zhe couldn't help but ask, "So, are we married?"
Xia Xiaobing: "Of course, but the people who showed up at the wedding, besides company employees and business partners, were my relatives. You don't have any relatives, so the friends you invited were all business associates."
Lu Zhe was stunned: "No way..."
Xia Xiaobing said calmly, "That's normal. Not many friendships formed in youth can last for many years. Besides, our marriage is ten years away."
Hearing her say that, Lu Zhe suddenly realized something. Tang Qi, Xue Xiaodie, and Xia Xiaobing were of different ages, had different ways of getting to know him, and even seemed to have spent different amounts of time together.
Before his rebirth, Tang Qi seemed to have spent the shortest amount of time with him, about three or four years; Xue Xiaodie spent seven years; and Xia Xiaobing spent ten years…
"what's on your mind?"
Xia Xiaobing's voice pulled him back to reality.
He shook his head: "It's nothing, I'd better hurry over. Lao Luo is waiting for me. Sorry, Sister Xia, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, her words were cut off by fiery red lips.
Then, her warm red lips moved from his mouth to his ear, and she whispered, "It's okay, you can still come and keep me company tomorrow night, right?"
Lu Zhe nodded stiffly.
He wasn't unhappy about accompanying Sister Xia, but the feeling of being somewhat passive made him a little uncomfortable.
————
Half an hour later, Lu Zhe walked into the barbecue restaurant that was located on WeChat.
As soon as he entered, he was somewhat surprised. Because sitting at that table was not only Luo Qiu, but also another old friend, Shen Leyou.
Shouldn't this guy be studying abroad in Japan right now?
Lu Zhe walked over, raised his hand to greet them, and saw that Luo Qiu and Shen Leyou had noticed him and were stunned.
Shen Leyou slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at Lu Zhe's face and demanding, "Where have you been gallivanting off to, you brat?!"
Lu Zhe realized something was wrong and immediately took out his phone, using it as a mirror. He was even more shocked.
All I could see was a red lipstick mark covering half of my face, from the corner of my mouth to my earlobe!
He immediately recalled the farewell kiss he had given Xia Xiaobing half an hour earlier, and then muttered to himself, "Was that a mark of sovereignty...?"
————
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