Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Today’s meal was unexpectedly harmonious.

Xia Wanzhi didn’t eat spicy food, and as it happened, Xie Qiyan didn’t either.

Xia Wanzhi hated cilantro, and Xie Qiyan just so happened to avoid it as well.

They were surprisingly in sync.

Xia Wanzhi felt that this hot pot meal was full of surprises.

It was a series of unexpected discoveries.

The combination of hot pot and ice-cold fruit beer was truly captivating. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was talking and no one was paying attention, Xia Wanzhi couldn’t resist sneaking a few sips.

It was delicious-she couldn’t help herself.

Xia Wanzhi checked the alcohol content and figured she wouldn’t even get tipsy after ten cans of this.

But she was afraid of getting scolded.

So, she stood up, quietly slipped into the kitchen, opened a can from the fridge, and poured it into her thermos.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Yun Li asked with concern when she saw her return with the thermos.

Xia Wanzhi feigned composure. “No, I’m just drinking some water.”

Xie Qiyan, sitting beside her, glanced at her for a moment but said nothing.

When they were almost finished eating, the fruit beer in Xia Wanzhi’s thermos had also reached the bottom. She felt a bit dazed. Resting her arms on the table, she leaned forward slightly. As she raised her hands to prop up her chin, her elbow brushed against Xie Qiyan’s shoulder.

She didn’t notice, but Xie Qiyan caught it out of the corner of his eye.

“Do you want more?” Yun Li was worried that Xia Wanzhi shouldn’t drink too much since she had just recovered from a cold, so she had specifically told her she could only have a little. Seeing Xia Wanzhi’s somewhat wistful gaze, she handed over the remaining half-can she had.

Xia Wanzhi smiled with half-lidded eyes. “Sure.”

She had already had her fill earlier, so she took one sip, set it down, and continued to sit quietly, listening to Yun Li and Jiang Baichuan talk.

Actually, Jiang Baichuan and Yun Li were quite a good match.

Much better than Liang Jing.

Yun Li had only started dating Liang Jing this year. The two had met through a blind date. Yun Li’s mother had taken a liking to Liang Jing’s status as a civil servant and forced them together.

Liang Jing had treated them to a meal once, and Xia Wanzhi had sat across from them then, too.

But it was obvious that Yun Li wasn’t happy when she was with Liang Jing.

In contrast, there was no sense of discord when she sat with Jiang Baichuan.

What a handsome couple.

Xia Wanzhi sighed inwardly and habitually picked up the fruit beer to her right for a sip.

Blueberry flavor.

Xia Wanzhi frowned and instinctively turned her head. “Why did the taste change?”

“What do you think?” Xie Qiyan looked down at her slightly hazy eyes.

The light was very bright, and Xia Wanzhi was sitting right next to him. At this distance, he could even see the fine peach fuzz on her face.

“I don’t know…” Xia Wanzhi tilted her head, holding up the can of fruit beer and staring at it blankly.

Her voice trailed off with a soft, lingering lilt.

A smile inexplicably played at the corners of Xie Qiyan’s mouth. After just a second, he regained his composure and said deeply, “You grabbed the wrong one. You’re drinking mine.”

Xia Wanzhi’s disconnected brain suddenly snapped back into gear.

“You, you, you…” Xia Wanzhi stammered, “I drank the wrong one?”

Xie Qiyan corrected her: “You grabbed the wrong one.”

“What’s the wrong one?” Yun Li and Jiang Baichuan looked up in unison.

Xie Qiyan leaned back against the chair, his fingertips brushing against Xia Wanzhi’s peach-flavored fruit beer. His tone took on a hint of playfulness. “She drank my beer.”

Yun Li slapped the table. “Whoa, an indirect kiss!”

The words slipped out, and everyone else present looked over in shock.

A bolt of lightning seemed to strike Xia Wanzhi’s mind, and her brain crashed once again.

After a long while, under the watchful eyes of the others, she turned her head and bravely took responsibility: “I’m sorry!”

Xie Qiyan’s fingers, which showed faint veins, tapped against the beer can. He said casually, “It’s fine.”

Xia Wanzhi pursed her lips and dizzily handed his can of fruit beer back to him.

Xie Qiyan raised an eyebrow slightly.

A moment later, he took it back and, as if nothing had happened, took a sip.
Xia Wanzhi’s face felt a bit warm.

It was the alcohol going to her head, she thought.

After the dinner wound down, Jiang Baichuan crossed his arms and studied Xie Qiyan meaningfully. He called him out, saying, “You drank from the same glass she did. Tit for tat-are you trying to make this ‘indirect kiss’ charge stick?”

Xie Qiyan lifted his eyelids slightly, sounding perfectly justified. “Is the ‘crime’ mine?”

After all, Xia Wanzhi was the one who had drunk his wine.

Jiang Baichuan chuckled, nodding repeatedly as he pondered. “Fine, I can’t win an argument with you.”

After everyone returned to their respective homes, Xie Tan stared at Xie Qiyan with a mischievous, shifty look. “Brother, I heard everything! You two were secretly kissing!”

Even the most serious person would have trouble keeping their expression from twitching upon hearing that.

“Are your ears growing inside your brain? You just believe whatever you imagine,” Xie Qiyan said, feeling more and more that Xie Tan had been talking too much lately.

Xie Tan giggled. “As long as you know what I’m thinking.”

Xie Qiyan shot her a look.

Indeed, Xie Tan’s thoughts were as clear as day.

In the week following that dinner, Xia Wanzhi didn’t see Xie Qiyan once.

*Alcohol leads to trouble, alcohol leads to trouble.*

After that meal, Xia Wanzhi had picked up a pen and written “alcohol leads to trouble” a hundred times as a warning to herself not to be so greedy for a drink next time.

She was a lightweight, but she loved the stuff.

It was a bright, sunny day, and Xia Wanzhi’s work was back on track. She wasn’t sure why, but everything regarding her career had become much smoother after calling off the engagement with Zhou Yu.

With plenty of clients commissioning art, Xia Wanzhi’s schedule was fully booked until the end of August.

This made Xia Wanzhi even more convinced of one truth-men were merely stumbling blocks on a woman’s path to success.

At 11:30 PM, Xia Wanzhi finished her last painting. She had just finished tidying up and was about to leave when she received a call from an unknown number.

Subconsciously assuming it was a client, she answered.

“Do you like kids?”

Xia Wanzhi paused in her tracks. It was hard to judge the voice at first.

Asking if she liked kids right off the bat-how presumptuous.

It took only three seconds for Xia Wanzhi to determine that it was Xie Qiyan’s voice. His deep tone sounded a bit more magnetic through the electronic device; it was slightly different from his voice in person, yet somehow the same.

However, having Xie Qiyan’s voice right against her ear felt incredibly strange.

So, Xia Wanzhi turned on the speakerphone, letting Xie Qiyan’s voice resonate throughout the entire Studio.

“What are you trying to do?” Xia Wanzhi asked guardedly.

“What are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat you.” Xie Qiyan curled his fingers, twirling the invitation in his hand.

Xia Wanzhi played it safe. “They’re alright.”

To say she didn’t like them would be lying. But if she said she did, what if he shot back with a comment about her having his children?

After all, Xie Qiyan had no sense of propriety when he spoke; he just said whatever came to mind.

“Jiang Baichuan’s niece is having her third birthday party tomorrow. Take Yun Li along for some fun,” Xie Qiyan said, finally getting to the point.

Xia Wanzhi’s lip twitched slightly. “Are you notifying me or asking for my opinion?”

Xie Qiyan replied, “Jiang Baichuan is begging you.”

Jiang Baichuan, who was waiting on the side: “…”

Xia Wanzhi gave a half-smile. “Then President Jiang owes me a favor.”

Jiang Baichuan naturally took the phone. “Of course.”

With the matter settled, Jiang Baichuan hung up and handed the phone back to Xie Qiyan with both hands. “Great kindness needs no words of thanks.”

Xie Qiyan gave him a cold sidelong glance.

“I’m telling you, who calls a girl and immediately asks if she likes kids? You scared her so much she didn’t even dare say she liked them.” Jiang Baichuan was in a good mood, crossing his legs and leaning back comfortably.

Xie Qiyan took a sip of his coffee, sounding righteous. “What if she did say she liked them? Is she afraid I’d make her have mine?”

Jiang Baichuan looked at him with an expression that was hard to describe.

Look at that. Someone really ought to sew that mouth shut.