Chapter 61 Discussion
"Yi-Yi likes to joke around with her friends, as long as you don't mind."
Jiang Yu smiled, carried the plate to the table, bent down and put it down. The apple cake, which had been baked to a caramel color, was specially cut into small round pieces.
The housekeeper appeared at the right time, served a pot of freshly brewed black tea, and poured two cups.
Jiang Yu stopped him from pouring the third cup and gestured for him to put the teapot down.
"Just leave it there."
Facing the butler's questioning gaze, Lian Yi slightly raised her chin, then sat back down on the sofa and looked at Xie Ling, "You sit down too, no need to be so polite."
Xie Ling nodded, pursing her lips as if she wanted to say something, when Jiang Yu lifted the lid of the teapot to examine it, and smiled faintly as he spoke.
"Since you're Yi-yi's friend, you can relax in front of us... You and Yi-yi probably haven't known each other for very long, so you might feel a bit reserved if you don't know each other well. Actually, we're very casual with our friends."
He spoke in a gentle tone, and Lian Yi didn't see anything wrong with it.
Jiang Yu has always been like this, treating everyone with courtesy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so thoughtful as to ask Xie Ling to talk about the details to pay attention to at the banquet.
She simply watched him bend down to serve tea, his movements unhurried and utterly devoid of any worldly airs.
The apron had been taken off, and as he bent over, the shirt clung to his back, revealing its smooth and even lines all the way down to his waist before being gathered at the waistband.
Xie Ling sat upright, her eyelashes fluttering slightly upon hearing this.
If the feeling at first can be called an illusion.
What about this time?
Out of politeness, he suppressed the strange feeling rising in his heart and calmly said, "I'm sorry, maybe I'm not used to expressing too many emotions, which caused you to have this misunderstanding."
“Lian Yi has a cheerful and lively personality. I think few people would feel restrained in front of her.” Xie Ling looked at Lian Yi with a cool gaze, her hands on her knees unconsciously tightening slightly.
He paused, noticing the surprised look in Lian Yi's eyes.
"Moreover, whether or not one understands a person cannot be determined by the length of time spent together."
After steeping the tea leaves in hot water for another ten or twenty seconds, Jiang Yu slowly poured them out.
The cup of black tea, whose color was noticeably richer than the other two, was placed in front of Lian Yi by him.
"Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense." Jiang Yu smiled slightly at him, pointed to a cup of tea, and gestured, "Please have some tea."
Lian Yi held the teacup, still somewhat surprised by Xie Ling's praise earlier.
If I heard correctly, these words really did come from Xie Ling's mouth?
While marveling at it, she took a small sip of the black tea. The strong aroma of the tea was slightly bitter, but then quickly turned sweet on her tongue. It was her favorite flavor, but also a flavor she hadn't tasted in a long time.
"Little Jiang, your tea is still the best."
Lian Yi usually doesn't care much about these culinary desires; she eats and drinks when she has them, and doesn't care when she doesn't.
But no matter where she went, the tea served was always brewed using the best method, but it wasn't the kind of bitter tea that stimulated her taste buds that she preferred.
It seems that apart from Jiang Yu, no one else noticed her little quirk.
Jiang Yu naturally sat down next to her, put a piece of apple cake on a small plate, turned his head to watch her slowly sip her tea, and said gently, "Don't just drink tea on an empty stomach, eat some cake to fill your stomach?"
Seeing that Lian Yi nodded indifferently, he smiled, poked off a small piece with his fork, and then presented the plate to Lian Yi.
Only then did he seem to remember the person on the sofa beside him.
Jiang Yu's smile faded slightly as he looked at Xie Ling and said politely, "Xie Ling, please make yourself at home. As I just mentioned, we tend to be more casual when we're with friends."
"……Um."
Xie Ling's gaze was less directed at Jiang Yu and more directed past him toward Lian Yi.
What bothered him was not the subtle hostility emanating from the young man before him.
Rather, it was Lian Yi's familiar and natural ease in dealing with young people.
She sat beside the young man, relaxed, perhaps unaware of her own trust in him. She casually leaned back on the sofa, holding a teacup in one hand and taking a bite of cake from the plate in his hand with the other.
Even though Lian Yi's gaze was calm... Xie Ling pursed her lips tightly, her slender fingers resting on her knees unconsciously tugging at the fabric.
Jiang Yu's dark eyes, gleaming with a faint smile, took in these subtle changes.
Two bright red beauty marks at the corners of her eyes seemed to lift slightly, almost like an illusion.
"Oh, right."
Lian Yi was enjoying this morning tea, which was neither breakfast nor lunch, when she looked up at Xie Ling, but the words she wanted to say lingered in her mouth.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Xie Ling and Jiang Yu, her brows furrowing slightly with a hint of doubt.
There's something off about the atmosphere between these two.
She blinked, holding her fork. In just a short while, the feeling from before seemed like an illusion. Xie Ling looked at her calmly, her gaze slightly questioning.
Jiang Yu, who was standing next to her, also moved the plate closer, gesturing for her to continue eating.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.
"No, didn't you say you wanted to talk to Xie Ling about things to keep in mind at the birthday banquet? Hmm... and help him pick out an outfit." Lian Yi pondered for a moment, then called out towards the living room, "Butler, has my outfit for Grandpa's birthday banquet been ordered yet?"
"Miss, we've already ordered three sets. Would you like to take a look now?"
The butler swiftly appeared, expertly carrying a tablet, and walked to a distance that was neither too close nor too far from her, bending slightly to hand the tablet over.
"Let Xiao Jiang take a look and see if he can match it." Lian Yi tilted her head towards Jiang Yu.
"OK."
The butler nodded politely, then opened the picture and softly introduced it to Jiang Yu: "Mr. Jiang, this dress and matching jewelry were worn by Miss when she accompanied Mr. Lian to an event..."
Jiang Yu put down the empty plate, and seeing Lian Yi wave her hand, he smiled and listened attentively to the butler's introduction.
"The second outfit and jewelry set is what Miss will wear when she accompanies Mr. Lian to receive greetings after the birthday banquet begins. This outfit and jewelry set was originally designed for Mr. Xie. Do you have any different suggestions?"
"Okay." Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression very serious.
"Lian Yi—"
Xie Ling stood up, called her name, and then looked at Jiang Yu. "Excuse me, Lian Yi and I have something to say to each other. Thank you for your kindness, but could we pause for a moment and continue after we've finished talking?"
Seeing the tacit understanding between the two, Xie Ling suddenly realized something clearly.
Some things, if not said first, may never have the chance to be said again.
Lian Yi glanced at him, then her gaze met Jiang Yu's, who was waiting for her reaction. "Hmm... then you can wait a bit."
“Okay, you two can chat at your leisure.” Jiang Yu smiled and nodded, then reached for the tablet in the butler’s hand and gestured to her, “Let me take a look at your outfit from that day.”
Only after Lian Yi and Xie Ling left the living room one after the other did he slowly lower his eyes, looking at the clothes and jewelry with bold colors on the tablet, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"Speak."
Lian Yi didn't take Xie Ling very far. Next to the main hall was a side hall used for entertaining guests.
She pulled up a chair and sat down, then leisurely raised her eyes to look at Xie Ling. She could tell that Xie Ling was different today than usual.
Beneath his aloof and handsome face lay a strange and inexplicable heaviness, quite different from his usual nonchalant demeanor, where he only considered what he thought was most important.
She didn't like to guess what others were thinking, so if Xie Ling didn't want to talk about it, that was fine with her.
But since he was going to say it, Lian Yi was happy to listen.
The boy stood, clearly having no intention of sitting down.
His clear black and white eyes stared at Lian Yi for a while, and just as she was about to lose her patience, he said, "Lian Yi, I don't need his help."
Lian Yi was stunned for a moment, then laughed in anger at his words and scoffed.
"Xie Ling, what exactly are you trying to do by going back and forth like this? Since you've already agreed to cooperate with me in this role, then don't do it in front of me..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lian Yi saw him calmly squat down, his back still very straight. He slightly raised his eyes, his expression focused and serious.
"Don't be angry."
His cool voice remained calm. Ever since Lian Yi met him, except for one or two times, Xie Ling seemed to have always been this composed.
She took a breath, and because of Xie Ling's sudden action, she managed to have a little more patience. "Okay, go on."
"I don't think I need to learn any social etiquette."
Xie Lingwei paused for a moment, then lowered her voice slightly, "There's no need for an outstanding outfit to match you for the banquet."
“There are people around you who are more outstanding than me, like the one in the living room. I believe he would also be willing to accompany you to your grandfather’s birthday banquet, but you still chose me.”
"Because you need a male partner who, in the eyes of others, is not good enough for you in any way, and I am the best choice. Only in this way can you maximize their reaction to your rebellious attitude and also mock what they want to do."
"..." Lian Yi frowned slightly.
Xie Ling looked at her calmly and said, word by word, "To them, I have no other merits besides my grades. So there's no need for me to show my best self at the birthday banquet; it won't help you."
“You know perfectly well that I’m using you…” Lian Yi paused, “Xie Ling, are you out of your mind?”
"Even if you want to repay a debt of gratitude, there's no need to debase yourself like this."
"It's not about demeaning yourself."
Xie Ling looked at her seriously, "Lian Yi, I know what I'm doing."
When Lian Yi first asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, Xie Ling had a hard time understanding why she wanted to do it.
Until I saw how her family treated her.
Xie Ling did not lie to Lian Yi; he was indeed very clear about what he was doing.
If he didn't want to, he clearly had countless opportunities to refuse.
From the very beginning, he could have refused to cooperate with Yi Hualianyi, refused to tutor her, refused to go home with her, and refused her requests again.
Xie Ling couldn't discern the thoughts hidden beneath her resistance, but when she said she liked her, she easily pushed her away.
“Rather than making me perform better at the birthday banquet… I’d rather just appear here with you like this.” He closed his eyes briefly, then looked away without flinching, and said calmly.
"I don't need to remind them how snobbish they are, do I?" Lian Yi looked at him with amusement.
"Even if you just make a single expression, they can find something to despise about you. As for whether anyone will criticize you at the birthday banquet, or even make sarcastic remarks about your family background, I can't guarantee that."
"Besides, this is my grandfather's birthday banquet. Even if you are wronged, I will not stand up for you, and I will not allow you to do anything out of line."
Now that things were out in the open, Lian Yi didn't mind telling him something more realistic.
She scrutinized Xie Ling, trying to find even the slightest resistance or aversion on his face.
"Lian Yi, as I said, from the moment I agreed to your request, I knew very well what role I could play for you." His eyes were clear, his black and white pupils cold and pure.
I don't want to gain anything by trampling on my self-respect.
He could only see Lian Yi's situation and understand why she did what she did.
When the opportunity presented itself, only one thought immediately came to Xie Ling's mind—
He didn't want to see Lian Yi isolated and helpless, even if that was all he could do.
Lian Yi stared intently at Xie Ling, then smiled slightly, her eyes crinkling.
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Xie. You really surprised me."
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