The lively dinner was finally over, but even after leaving the table and the hot pot restaurant, the aunt still pestered Lu Zhe with questions, trying to find an excuse to chat even though there was nothing to talk about.
Lu Zhe's face was practically frozen from smiling. Luckily, once he got in the car, he was in the front passenger seat while his aunt sat in the back, unable to see his face, so he didn't need to force a smile. Although his nerves were still on edge during the conversation, at least his facial muscles could relax and rest.
Then, Xia Xiaobing dropped her mother off at home, leaving only her and Lu Zhe in the car. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"That house we just saw, Sister Xia, was it the one you bought in Rongdu?" Lu Zhe suddenly asked after the car started moving again.
Xia Xiaobing: "That's right, a regular apartment of just over 100 square meters, isn't that a bit beneath your notice?"
Lu Zhe: "How could I possibly look down on something I can't afford?"
“Can’t afford it? You don’t need to buy it,” Xia Xiaobing glanced at him mischievously. “As long as you follow me obediently, half of these things will be yours.”
Lu Zhe immediately shut his mouth, unable to resist turning his head to stare at her. However, after that brief glance, Xia Xiaobing continued driving straight ahead. Unable to see her eyes, it was impossible to tell whether she had been joking or serious.
The car was quiet for a while until the phone rang, breaking the silence.
Lu Zhe took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and was even more astonished—it was Xia Xiaobing's mother calling!
He glanced at the mature woman beside him, answered the call, and politely asked, "Auntie, is there anything I can help you with?"
The auntie said warmly, "Oh dear, I just saved your phone number, so I'm just giving it a try. Oh, by the way, would you like to come visit Chongqing during the Chinese New Year this year?"
Lu Zhe: "Well... there's still about half a year to go. I think, uh, let's talk about it then. I've been quite busy with work lately, and a lot of things haven't been decided yet."
Auntie: "Isn't that brat the one who assigned you tasks? I told her to give you less work!"
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Lu Zhe's forehead: "That won't be necessary, Auntie. This job is quite important."
“Work is important, but isn’t the New Year important too? Xiao Zhe, anyway, your relatives…” At this point, the aunt was careful with her words to avoid being too blunt, “You don’t have anywhere to go for the New Year, so come to our house! Xiao Bing is going home too, so you can come with her, it’s settled!”
Lu Zhe: "Uh, wait..."
Before I could even say a word, the other party had already hung up the phone.
Lu Zhe, holding his phone, stared blankly at the mature woman beside him.
At this point, the car came to a crossroads, encountered a red light, and stopped.
Xia Xiaobing's hands remained on the steering wheel, but she could relax her attention a little. She looked at the bewildered boy and smiled, "Now you understand my mom's impatience, right? She always says I have a bad temper. Ha, it's already quite an achievement that I've managed to cultivate the manners I have now, given the genes I inherited from her."
Lu Zhe: "No, this..."
Xia Xiaobing: "But to be honest, you really don't have much to do during the Spring Festival, right? With such a long holiday, there's nothing wrong with coming home with me."
Lu Zhe took a deep breath and asked, "Is your aunt particularly anxious, eager to see you get married?"
Xia Xiaobing said leisurely, "Yes, I used to face my parents' pressure to get married all by myself. From now on, you can help me."
Lu Zhe recalled the promise this woman made a few days ago and couldn't help but question, "Didn't we agree at the beginning that you'd only be a shield once?"
Xia Xiaobing smiled slyly: "The beginning was the beginning, and now it's the present. The situation is different. What, are you going to deny it now that you've brought it up?"
Lu Zhe was speechless.
Indeed, their relationship has already made a substantial breakthrough, and it would be too outrageous to insist on using someone as a 'shield only once' now.
————
As night deepened, the city was brightly lit everywhere.
The living room of that apartment was as bright as day. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling was on, as was the large television, and Tang Qi was playing games on the sofa. Xue Xiaodie sat at the dining table, a floor lamp beside her, drawing with her laptop and digital tablet.
The atmosphere was quiet, but the quiet was unsettling... until the door opened and the person returned.
Subconsciously, Xue Xiaodie stopped painting, but her body remained frozen in place.
Without hesitation, Tang Qi dropped the game controller and jumped up, heading straight for the entrance. She almost buried her face in Lu Zhe's arms—luckily, the young lady remembered that Xue Xiaodie was also in the room, and suppressed the urge to hug her.
After all, although Xue Xiaodie said she would withdraw from the competition, Tang Qi still felt that it was wrong to so arrogantly rub salt into someone's wounds. Intimate moments like these are more convenient when the two of them are alone behind closed doors.
Tang Qi stopped in front of him and couldn't help but smile, "You're back!"
Lu Zhe smiled somewhat naturally: "Yeah, what are you doing?"
Tang Qi: "Of course, we play games! Play with me!"
Lu Zhe: "Specifically? What kind of games?"
"I was playing Assassin's Creed just now, but if I'm with you..." Tang Qi thought for a moment, "How about we mess around in the kitchen?"
Lu Zhe: "Well, I'm fine with that, as long as you don't burn the kitchen down again."
"Hey—it's not that easy to burn down the kitchen! I'm not an arsonist. Come on, let's start playing!"
Tang Qi grabbed his arm and excitedly pulled him toward the sofa.
As she passed the dining table, the young lady subconsciously shrank her neck and loosened her grip on Lu Zhe's hand slightly. But then, noticing that Xue Xiaodie seemed to be engrossed in her drawing and hadn't noticed her and Lu Zhe, she relaxed.
However, amidst her joy, the young lady couldn't help but feel a touch of melancholy. Witnessing a girl give up her love was bound to evoke some additional emotions in another girl—of course, Tang Qi's sympathy for Xue Xiaodie was predicated on the latter having already given up the competition and no longer posing a threat.
However, when Tang Qi pulled Lu Zhe to sit on the sofa, she didn't notice that Xue Xiaodie's hand holding the digital pen seemed to be gripping it with unusual force.
Apart from that, there were no other visible signs. Xue Xiaodie seemed to be busy painting, looking completely absorbed.
————
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