Inside the private room, Qin Feng twirled the paper straw, stirring the ice cubes in the glass. The iced Americano was almost finished, and he was considering whether to order another one.
"Come to think of it, I've always wanted to ask," Qin Feng took a sip of his iced Americano and looked at Xie Bingxia. "You were so eager to expose that woman surnamed Yuan. Is it just because you hate her?"
It wasn't just hatred; it was extreme loathing. She wanted Yuan Yiyun to be publicly shamed, for Gu Bei to officially cancel the engagement, so that the Gu and Yuan families couldn't join forces in marriage, and Gu Bei's career would come to a halt.
But on the surface, she replied casually, "She cuckolded Gu Bei, which means she cuckolded our Xie family. Don't you understand this logic? Before she and Gu Bei get officially married, I want her to withdraw voluntarily."
"So what if she cuckolded him? Anyway, Gu Bei is an adopted son. You're the legitimate heir of the Xie family," Qin Feng muttered, seemingly feeling sorry for Xie Bingxia.
"Don't you like Gu Bei?"
"If your dad had always compared you to an outsider since childhood, saying that the other kid was this good and that good, and you were inferior in every aspect, would you not hate him?"
Oh, it was the story of the neighbor's kid always being better. Xie Bingxia understood immediately but deliberately said, "You and Gu Bei are simply incomparable."
Qin Feng got anxious. "How are we not? I'm handsomer, smarter, and have a better personality than him. I'm better than him in... "Halfway through, he deflated. "I'm not... not as rich as him."
Xie Bingxia saw Qin Feng looking like a dejected puppy, looking so pitiful that she couldn't bear it. So she comforted him, "I don't care about money." As expected, Qin Feng quickly regained his energy. His starry eyes were blinking, full of gratitude.
"Humph, once I get the photos of Yuan Yiyun having an affair, I'll post them online and make that guy surnamed Gu look like a complete fool!" Qin Feng clenched his fists. Xie Bingxia immediately saw through him. "You're just talking tough. If you really wanted to do it, you would have done it already. You consider Yan Xiaoyi a good friend, so you definitely wouldn't ignore his feelings."
The intelligent and considerate Xie Bingxia had become an angel in Qin Feng's eyes, fluttering her white wings on his heart.
"Hmm?" Xie Bingxia suddenly frowned. She saw a strange figure appear in front of the counter outside. "Qin Feng, look. Is that Yan Xiaoyi?"
Qin Feng looked in the direction Xie Bingxia was pointing. Black clothes, a black hat, a black mask, and sunglasses. Wasn't this the same outfit he used to wear? The man in black seemed to be buying snacks, but in fact, he was shifting his beady eyes around, sizing up everyone.
"Doesn't look like it..." Qin Feng shook his head. "This kind of outfit is too eye - catching. He doesn't need to dress like this."
"Moreover, Yan Xiaoyi doesn't even know that we're following him. If he knew in advance, he definitely wouldn't show up." A sense of foreboding welled up in Xie Bingxia's heart.
"Is he just a weird old man?" Qin Feng anxiously ran his hands through his hair. "Did we really tip off our target?"
The man in black bought a round of snacks and took out his black card to pay. When the salesperson saw the black card, their movements became much more respectful. But the man in black didn't seem to be leaving. He started his second round of shopping. The girls queuing up behind him got annoyed and started whispering.
While the salesperson was packing the snacks, the man in black shifted his eyes to Xie Bingxia's direction. Their eyes met, and immediately the man panicked and quickly averted his gaze.
Xie Bingxia immediately stood up and grabbed Qin Feng. "Let's go."
The two of them rushed out of the store and brushed past the man in black. Seeing this, the man in black immediately said to the salesperson, "I'm not buying anymore. I'm leaving."
Xie Bingxia and Qin Feng quickened their pace, turned right as soon as they got out of the store. As soon as they stepped out, Xie Bingxia bumped into someone.
"Qin Feng?" Yan Xiaoyi was extremely surprised. Looking down, he said, "Xie... Miss Xie?!"
"What are you two up to..."
"We're on a date."
"Yeah, a date... Hehe!" Qin Feng chimed in and casually pulled Xie Bingxia closer to him to show their intimacy.
Yan Xiaoyi understood and said with a sly smile, "Dude, you're really fast. The new school belle already has a boyfriend. What a pity."
Qin Feng patted Yan Xiaoyi on the shoulder. "Don't be discouraged, bro. I'll introduce girls to you in the future."
"Forget it. Don't foist the ones you don't want on me." Yan Xiaoyi quickly waved his hand. Qin Feng and Xie Bingxia exchanged glances, as if asking each other what to do next.
Yan Xiaoyi sensed that the atmosphere was off and asked suspiciously, "Are you really on a date?" Then his gaze passed through them and landed behind them. "Is it fashionable to bring your big brother on a date these days?"
Xie Bingxia immediately felt her hairs stand on end. Her uneasiness had finally come true. The gaze behind them was extremely intense. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
Gu Bei's voice was cold. "Xie Bingxia, where do you think you're going?"
...
Secretary Zhang put the big and small bags of snacks he had just bought into the trunk. Then he took off his sunglasses and mask and took a deep breath. He needed to find a place to smoke. The back seat of the car was about to turn into a battlefield, and he didn't want to get involved.
In the back seat of the car, Qin Feng was on the left, Xie Bingxia on the right, and Gu Bei was sandwiched in the middle. Although the car was quite spacious, sitting three people side by side still felt extremely oppressive.
"Um..." Qin Feng couldn't help but speak first. He really couldn't stand being so close to Gu Bei. "Boss Gu, you can sit in the front passenger seat. It's more comfortable there. Why squeeze in with us?"
Gu Bei glared at him and then turned to ask Xie Bingxia, "Your little puppy love, right?"
Xie Bingxia evaded the question. "He's my classmate."
"I'm her boyfriend—" Before he could finish, Gu Bei shot him a look that was twice as fierce. Qin Feng got so nervous that he quickly added, "Future boyfriend."
Gu Bei continued to ask Xie Bingxia, "Explain."
"There's nothing to explain. You saw it all," Xie Bingxia looked rather innocent. "I'm out shopping with my classmate."
"Do you hold hands, hug, and claim it's a date just for an ordinary shopping trip?"
"Wait a minute," Xie Bingxia was dissatisfied. "We did hold hands, but which eye of yours saw us hugging?"
Qin Feng had indeed pulled Xie Bingxia into his arms just now, but to call it a hug—it wasn't quite that. "Good friends can hold hands too. I've even slept in the same bed with you!"
"Quibbling!" Gu Bei roared angrily. "Can I be the same as him? I'm your elder brother."
"We're not blood - related," Xie Bingxia said. Gu Bei almost spat out blood on the spot. The two of them stared at each other, and the tense atmosphere instantly escalated.
"Are you saying I have no right to interfere in your affairs?" Gu Bei tried hard to control his anger and asked Xie Bingxia word by word.
She mustn't let Gu Bei detect the real purpose of her and Qin Feng's outing. So Xie Bingxia had to divert the direction of the argument. "I'm just having normal interactions with my classmate. As friends, it's normal for us to go out and have fun. You're making a mountain out of a molehill."
Then she softened her tone and sounded extremely aggrieved. "You were quite supportive when I went to college to make friends... Besides, I'm not a kid anymore. I need to have my own circle of friends."
Sure enough, Gu Bei softened. The tense nerves between his eyebrows gradually relaxed. Just as he was about to speak, Qin Feng interrupted him.
"I don't want to be just your ordinary friend," Qin Feng suddenly made a passionate confession to Xie Bingxia. "Since your brother is here, I might as well make it clear. I like you, Xie Bingxia. I like you very much, especially. I want to hold you in the palm of my hand, take care of you for a lifetime, and make you happy every day."
"Be my girlfriend!"
Xie Bingxia felt as if she had been struck blind. She couldn't hear anything anymore. The fuse of the nuclear bomb that she had just extinguished was lit again, crackling and about to explode.
It was truly despairing to have a teammate like a pig.