Chapter 42: Meeting the Rival

Xu Xingtao’s gaze lingered on Qin Zhiyi for a moment, then met the other man’s sharp eyes.

His eyes paused slightly, then the phoenix eyes behind his glasses narrowed slightly, a sharp light flashing in the corner of his eyes.

Perhaps there was an innate aura between rivals that allowed them to be recognized at a glance.

In any case, even though they were meeting for the first time, both of them felt an instinctive alertness and hostility towards the other.

The confrontation was only a fleeting moment, and no one noticed anything amiss.

Liang Yu had already pulled his friend over quickly.

He was used to Xu Sangluo having different people with her every day.

“Chen Comrade, we meet again. Who is this?”

Xu Sangluo was about to introduce Qin Zhiyi to them.

But Qin Zhiyi stood up first, “Qin Zhiyi, nice to meet you. I’ve heard Sangluo mention you often. Sangluo has been taken care of by you two recently, thank you very much.”

He extended his hand generously.

Xu Sangluo was a little surprised. This was the first time she had heard Qin Zhiyi speak so formally, it was a little novel.

Xu Xingtao looked at the extended hand, then at Qin Zhiyi, who was tall and imposing as he stood up, his eyes dimmed slightly.

Then he also put on a warm smile and reached out to shake his hand, “Qin Comrade, you’re too kind. We are friends with Sangluo, it’s only natural to help each other.”

Liang Yu, who hadn’t noticed the undercurrents between the two, also reached out to introduce himself, then asked curiously, “Hey, your name sounds like Xiaoyu and Xiaofeng, are you the older brother Xiaofeng mentioned?”

Qin Zhiyi nodded, “Yes, the two children are not well-mannered, they might have said something inappropriate, please forgive them.”

Liang Yu’s expression faltered.

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but it felt like something was off about that statement.

He quickly dismissed the doubt and smiled, “No, they are both very well-behaved and sensible.”

Just then, the waiter started serving the dishes, and Xu Sangluo smiled and said, “Okay, let’s sit down and talk.”

There were many people today, so Xu Sangluo ordered a lot of dishes, filling the table.

She said a few polite words, and the atmosphere eased.

But then Qin Zhiyi did something that made the atmosphere freeze for a few seconds.

Qin Zhiyi naturally reached out and refilled her half-empty water glass.

Then he took her bowl and added half a bowl of rice, then took a spoon and scooped a spoonful of shrimp and loofah soup to pour over her rice.

This was something Xu Sangluo had

It was a habit she had at home.

She didn’t like eating dry rice first, so she liked to pour something over it.

Sometimes it was braised broth, sometimes soup, sometimes stir-fry sauce.

But to be polite, she didn’t do it outside.

Qin Zhiyi’s movements were smooth and natural, as if he had done it countless times.

In fact, he had, so Xu Sangluo didn’t notice anything wrong, she just smiled and thanked him.

The other three men looked at each other with different expressions.

Even Chen Tao, looking at Qin Zhiyi and then at Xu Sangluo, raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was thinking.

Qin Zhiyi didn’t just add rice for Xu Sangluo.

He also scooped a full bowl of rice for the other three, and then added some for himself.

It made his previous actions seem less different.

But everyone knew whether there was a difference or not.

Seeing that the atmosphere suddenly became a little cold, Xu Sangluo thought it was because everyone was meeting for the first time and felt a little restrained.

She smiled and greeted them, throwing out a topic, “By the way, Xu Ge, how about the fabric matter?”

Xu Sangluo’s words were casual and natural, without much politeness or caution, which made Xu Xingtao feel a little better.

He smiled, “I’ve already spoken to the sales department, you can go directly to talk to them in the afternoon, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Xu Sangluo smiled even wider, “That’s great, Xu Ge has helped me a lot again.”

Xu Xingtao smiled, didn’t continue to be polite with her, and said, “Oh, also, you said you wanted to buy yarn last time, it will arrive tomorrow. The factory bought a lot of new styles this time, you can come and take a look when you come.”

“Okay, I’ll come over tomorrow morning, will I be bothering you?”

“No, I’ve already spoken to the purchasing group, it’s a small matter. If you feel bad, just treat me to another meal.”

“That’s a must. Even if it wasn’t for this, I should treat you two to more meals, don’t be polite with me.”

Xu Xingtao smiled, then his smile faltered.

Xu Sangluo also caught a glimpse of something, she lowered her head and saw a peeled shrimp in her bowl.

She turned her head and saw Qin Zhiyi picking up another shrimp.

He peeled the shrimp quickly and efficiently, he didn’t even need to use his hands, he just pressed down on the shrimp tail with one chopstick, and with another chopstick, he didn’t know how he hooked and flicked it, the whole shrimp shell was peeled off.

Then he used another

He simply put the clean shrimp into her bowl.

Qin Zhiyi had shown this skill when they were eating shrimp at home last time, and he had peeled shrimp for Qin Mama, her, and Xiaoyan.

So, she didn’t think anything was wrong, she just smiled and said, “I can do it myself, you eat too.”

She returned the favor by picking up a piece of braised beef that suited his taste and put it in his bowl.

Her movements were just as natural as Qin Zhiyi’s.

Qin Zhiyi didn’t stand on ceremony, he picked up the braised beef and took a bite, nodding.

“It tastes good, but it’s not as good as yours.”

Being praised for one’s cooking skills was naturally a pleasant thing, especially when it came from someone as reserved as Qin Zhiyi.

She couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s good, we can buy some beef when we go back today, I’ll make some braised beef tonight.”

Qin Zhiyi replied softly, “Okay.”

Xu Xingtao’s hand holding the chopsticks tightened unconsciously.

Even Liang Yu finally noticed something was wrong.

He looked at the two of them, their actions natural, their tone obviously more familiar, and the atmosphere harmonious.

Then he looked at his friend, who was frowning and pursed his lips, and his heart suddenly sank.

Damn, they had been guessing that Xu Sangluo might be a cousin of the Qin family.

Now, looking at them, he suddenly remembered that there might be another possibility.

Mainly because the two children kept calling her “Sangluo Jie.”

Thinking about that possibility, he couldn’t help but swallow, and cautiously glanced at his friend.

He thought for a moment and decided to ask tentatively.

If she really had a boyfriend, it would be better to give up early, to avoid getting too deep and not being able to pull out later.

He knew his friend’s personality very well, once he was determined, it was hard to change.

Fortunately, they hadn’t known each other for long.

He smiled, “By the way, you seem to be very close, are you related? Xiaofeng said you’re staying at the Qin family now.”

Qin Zhiyi paused, looked up at him.

He didn’t know why, but Liang Yu instantly felt like he was being stared at by a wolf.

Xu Sangluo didn’t notice anything wrong.

She didn’t need to put on the act of being a fake couple outside, and she also considered them friends, so she wouldn’t lie to them.

So, she smiled and shook her head, “No.”

But those two words made Liang Yu’s heart sink, he immediately turned his head to look at his friend.