♡ Chapter 17 ♡

“I didn’t…” Yu Xia didn’t want to admit how timid she was. She closed her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and pressed her lips to his, trying to show that she could still take control. However, her slow, gentle kiss did not satisfy the man. As she shifted and tried to figure out how to deepen the kiss, he bit her lower lip gently, pried her lips apart with his tongue, and forcefully kissed her, reclaiming the initiative.

Outside the window, people were coming and going, cars driving in and out until the two cars parked beside them finally left.

His fingers traced the back of her ear and through her hair, causing a slight shiver in her body before he restrained himself and stopped. Yu Xia opened her eyes with a slight tremor, looking down at his shirt button, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

Lu Yanzhou released his hand from her face and fastened her seatbelt again, his warm breath falling on the top of her head as he chuckled softly. “Ms. Sanxia, I hope your initiative lasts until tonight.”

“……”

His words were full of suggestiveness, and Yu Xia suddenly recalled that night in Guangzhou when she had tugged at his sleeve and said, “It’s not impossible.”

Ahhh, he’s so bad.

He remembered her words so clearly, even calling her by the fans’ nickname for her.

Her face turned red as she made a soft sound, turning her head to look out the window.

Lu Yanzhou leaned back in his seat, started the engine, and glanced at her reddened ears, curling the corners of his lips. He drove off, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to eat.”

Yu Xia muttered a few “mm-hmms” before turning to look ahead.

“Do you want to listen to music?”

“Yes…”

Lu Yanzhou didn’t have the habit of listening to music, he usually listened to the radio. “I may not have the kind of songs you like. Should I connect to your Bluetooth?”

“Okay, I’ll do it myself.” Yu Xia leaned forward and connected to the Bluetooth herself.

By this time, it was just the right time for the evening rush hour. They arrived at the restaurant around six, right on time.

When they walked into the restaurant, Lu Yanzhou had expected her to be nervous, but when he looked at her face, she seemed calm and composed. He was a bit surprised. “Aren’t you nervous?”

He may not know his girlfriend as well as he thought. Though Yu Xia was a bit of a homebody, she wasn’t socially anxious. After all, she frequently attended comic conventions and could easily catch any inside jokes from her readers. The world of anime fans was broad, and they weren’t shy about saying anything. As a prominent figure in that world, Yu Xia wasn’t one to shy away either.

“It’s fine… They’re your friends, right? They should be easy to get along with,” Yu Xia said, smiling up at him. “With you here, I won’t feel awkward.”

Lu Yanzhou raised his eyebrows slightly, clearly pleased by her words.

As they opened the door to the private room, three people inside turned to look at them. Their gazes fell directly on Yu Xia.

Lu Yanzhou had already introduced her to the people she would be dining with on the way here: his business partner, Zhuo Sheng, and his girlfriend. A high school classmate, Gao Xiyuan and a childhood friend with a crew cut, whose features were easy to recognize. Yu Xia immediately recognized everyone.

Sitting closest were Zhuo Sheng and his girlfriend, and the man in a black shirt and jeans was Gao Xiyuan.

The childhood friend with the crew cut hadn’t arrived yet.

“Yu Xia, sit here!” Zhuo Sheng’s girlfriend waved at her.

Yu Xia smiled and followed Lu Yanzhou to the empty seat next to her. Zhuo Sheng’s girlfriend sat on her left. She was an outgoing and friendly girl and introduced herself. “I’m Lin Su, from Suzhou.”

“Did your parents combine their surnames?” Yu Xia asked with a smile.

Lin Su laughed. “Yes, that’s right.”

“This is my boyfriend, Zhuo Sheng.” She pointed to the man beside her.

Yu Xia looked at him and smiled. “Thank you for the wheelchair.”

“You’re welcome,” Zhuo Sheng replied, then casually pointed to Gao Xiyuan. “This is…”

Gao Xiyuan interrupted him. “Gao Xiyuan, your wedding house’s designer.”

“……???”

Yu Xia blinked in confusion. Did she hear that right?

wedding house?

She doubted herself for a moment, turning her head to look at Lu Yanzhou, completely stunned.

Her unspoken thoughts had been exposed, and for a brief moment, Lu Yanzhou seemed less calm than usual. Without looking at Yu Xia, he coldly glanced at Gao Xiyuan. “It’s not a wedding house.”

Though Yu Xia couldn’t fully understand what was going on, the mention of a “wedding house” was enough to make her heart race.

“It’s not? But it could be.” Gao Xiyuan ignored the warning and smiled at the confused Yu Xia. “He has a house that is being renovated. Two nights ago, he suddenly told me that he wanted to change the design of the study and change it to a double study. I just wanted to ask you, do you have any preferences and requirements for the study?”

Yu Xia, who had been holding the conversation earlier with ease, was now completely flustered. She stammered, “I… I… like big desks, and it’s better if there’s a bookshelf and display shelves nearby. I have a lot of books and figurines…”

Her hand was suddenly grasped.

The man’s hand was warm and large, his thumb gently rubbing her hand, calming her. His voice was calm. “We’ll talk about that later. Let’s order first.”

Gao Xiyuan wisely fell silent and handed over the menu. “You girls can order.”

Lin Su took the menu and placed it between her and Yu Xia. “Xia Xia, go ahead and order. We’ll leave it to you.”

“…Alright.” Yu Xia was still in shock and confusion, responding slowly, even failing to notice the familiar nickname.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly cleared her thoughts.

Whether or not it was a wedding house, the house Gao Xiyuan mentioned signified that Lu Yanzhou had already included her in his future plans.

She looked up and found Lu Yanzhou watching her, his gaze open and sincere.

That small feeling of confusion was unexpectedly soothed. She smiled at him, her eyes turning into crescents. “What would you like to eat?”

Lu Yanzhou stared at her expression. Aside from the initial fluster and confusion, she didn’t seem repulsed or displeased. He relaxed and softly said, “Pick what you want to eat.”

Yu Xia nodded and turned to discuss the menu with Lin Su.

Just after they had placed their orders, the door to the private room opened.

A man with a buzz cut entered. His gaze scanned the room and landed on Yu Xia, as he explained, “Sorry I’m late, there was a traffic jam.”

Yu Xia realized he was talking to her and quickly responded, “It’s okay.”

The man was slightly shorter than Lu Yanzhou, but he was solidly built. He sat down beside Lu Yanzhou and handed Yu Xia a black card. “A gift for you,” he said.

“?”

Yu Xia panicked. She looked up at Lu Yanzhou—why was there a gift? She hadn’t prepared anything! Why was her boyfriend’s friend giving her a gift?

Lu Yanzhou clicked his tongue in annoyance, took the card from her, and placed it on the table.

Lin Su laughed loudly. “Take it, it’s a VIP lifetime membership card for his gym. We all have one.”

Yu Xia then realized that Lu Yanzhou’s friend owned several gym chains in Jiangcheng, the most famous ones in the city.

The card was quite valuable.

“Thank you…” Yu Xia sincerely expressed her thanks.

Lu Yanzhou’s friends… each one seemed more interesting than the last, and they were all quite capable.

Zhuo Sheng had the waiter open two bottles of red wine, and everyone casually ate, chatted, and drank. Yu Xia and Lin Su exchanged WeChat contacts. Girls got familiar with each other quickly, and Lin Su began browsing her Moments. “Ah, you’re an artist?” she asked.

She had seen the posts Yu Xia had shared about a comic exhibition.

Yu Xia smiled. “I draw comics.”

“Wow, that’s impressive! I can’t draw at all.”

Yu Xia modestly replied, “I’ve liked drawing since I was young, and it eventually turned into my career.”

Lin Su looked at her. “Can I know your pen name? If it’s not convenient, it’s fine.”

There was no reason to hide it. Since it was Lu Yanzhou’s circle of friends, they would probably meet more often. Moreover, Lin Su was a girl, and they had exchanged WeChat.

Yu Xia quietly told her her pen name.

Lin Su looked puzzled after hearing it, furrowing her brows. “Why does this name sound familiar?”

Yu Xia suddenly realized, and panic swept over her.

Oh no!

She had forgotten about her comic trending on the hot search!

“Ah, you’re the one! Your comic was on the hot search?” Lin Su, being a social media pro, quickly recalled this. As Zhuo Sheng’s girlfriend, she had heard about Lu Yanzhou’s move and knew the exact timing. With that in mind, she quickly connected the dots. Lin Su looked at Yu Xia, then at Lu Yanzhou, “So, so… the comic’s inspiration was you two?”

The man beside her asked, “What comic inspiration?”

Gao Xiyuan also turned his attention to them, clearly unaware of the situation.

Yu Xia quickly interjected, “It’s nothing, really.”

Lin Su gave her a knowing glance. She understood Yu Xia didn’t want to talk about it, so she changed the subject, “Nothing, we were just chatting.”

Zhuo Sheng looked confused. “What inspiration? What are they the inspiration for?”

“Ah, don’t ask,” Lin Su waved her hand, “It’s just girl talk, men should stop prying.”

“…Alright.” Zhuo Sheng shrugged.

Yu Xia let out a sigh of relief and gratefully glanced at Lin Su. If the guys had found out about her comic, they would have teased her endlessly.

Lin Su leaned in closer, whispering, “So, did I guess right?”

“Ha ha…” Yu Xia gave a nervous smile, silently admitting it.

“That’s so romantic.”

Yu Xia blinked. “Romantic?”

Lin Su looked at her and whispered, “Isn’t it romantic? You met the right person even though you got the wrong one first. Isn’t it fate?”

Fate, huh?

That question lingered in Yu Xia’s mind long after the dinner was over. As the group waited for the designated driver by the door, Yu Xia was still thinking about it. Lu Yanzhou didn’t hear much of her conversation with Lin Su and assumed she was just a bit tipsy when he saw her in a daze.

He handed the car keys to the driver and led her to the back seat.

As the car drove off, Lu Yanzhou cracked the window open for some air. Yu Xia curled up in his arms, looking up at his handsome face. The man lowered his head and gently asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Xia shook her head. “I’m not drunk. I have a decent tolerance. Two glasses of red wine won’t get me drunk.”

“Impressive,” the man chuckled softly.

“…”

She thought for a moment and said, “I bought you a gift in Hong Kong.”

Lu Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. “Why are you buying me a gift?”

“It’s not something expensive, just something I thought was right when I saw it. I’ll bring it to you when we get home.” Yu Xia straightened her back to meet his gaze, “When we get home, will you wear that white windbreaker for me again?”

Lu Yanzhou froze, not expecting such a request.

After a moment of silence, Yu Xia reached up and gently touched his face, repeating seriously, “Will you wear that white windbreaker again for me?”