Two men turned to look.
Shao Cheng was stunned and blurted out, "Holy shit!"
Lou Yuming, on the other hand, remained indifferent and composed, merely raising an eyebrow in surprise at Song Xi's appearance.
Their eyes met. The woman's exquisite makeup was dazzling, and coupled with her gentle attire, it was evident she was dressed up for an occasion.
For some reason, Lou Yuming was suddenly reminded of what someone had said earlier about a female celebrity being confessed to.
A ripple finally appeared on his calm face. As she ignored him and walked past, he reached out and grabbed her fair wrist.
Shao Cheng took on the role of a bodyguard, warily scanning their surroundings, afraid someone might approach.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Let go." Song Xi's tone was cold. "Do I need your permission to go out to dinner?"
Lou Yuming's dark brows furrowed. "Which private room are you in?"
"What's it to you!"
Song Xi didn't want to get entangled with him any further; it would be bad if they were discovered.
Seeing that she couldn't break free from his grip, she decided to take advantage of his inattention and stomped on his foot.
With a five-centimeter heel, even the usually unflappable Lou Yuming's face turned pale.
He let out a muffled groan and released her.
The woman left decisively, her black hair whipping around her in a spirited display.
Shao Cheng turned back and saw Lou Yuming hunched over, beads of cold sweat on his forehead. He was shocked. "What's wrong!"
Lou Yuming remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
Shao Cheng looked down and saw an indentation on his expensive leather shoe. He understood instantly and sighed, "Don't provoke women. What you said earlier was too heartless, and she's angry."
Lou Yuming's jawline tightened. He gritted his teeth and defended himself, "That was her intention!"
"Ah?"
Song Xi returned to the private room. Lu Chenyu took the most beautiful of the ninety-nine roses and presented it to her.
A hint of sadness was in his eyes. Perhaps out of guilt, Song Xi accepted it.
"Thank you."
On the way back, Song Xi voluntarily got into Ge Baitao's car.
They didn't speak a word. After an unknown amount of time, at a red light, Ge Baitao finally broke the silence. "Xixi, I'm sorry."
Song Xi, clutching the rose in her hand, asked with a slightly cold voice, "When did this happen?"
"Today!" Ge Baitao raised her hands to admit her mistake. "I saw you asking Uncle Lou about his girlfriend today and thought you still couldn't let him go. So I egged on Lu Chenyu. I just wanted you to be happy!"
"Ge Baitao."
She hadn't called her by her full name in a long time, which made Ge Baitao realize the seriousness of the situation.
She looked at Song Xi nervously, her fingers twisting restlessly.
"Do you know how awkward it was today?"
For the first time, Song Xi's tone was solemn. "You can't do things like this under the guise of wanting what's best for me. Lu Chenyu and I could have become good friends, but now we'll probably have to keep our distance. Is that what you wanted to see?"
"No! I didn't!" She was at a loss, having not thought things through.
"I'm sorry Xixi, I won't do it again... I'm sorry..."
Her voice choked, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.
Song Xi had always been swayed by gentleness rather than harshness. She reached out and patted Ge Baitao's head. "Okay, don't cry. Don't do this again in the future."
"Wuwuwu Xixi, I'm sorry, I just wanted to make you happy..."
Unexpectedly, she cried even harder.
Song Xi smiled helplessly. "Okay, I know you meant well, but this method was very inappropriate. Relationships are personal matters. Put yourself in my shoes: if your grandfather forced you to go on blind dates and date other people, would you be happy?"
Ge Baitao shook her head vigorously, sniffling. "I understand Xixi... I won't bring it up again!"
Song Xi smiled with relief and then said, "There's also something I think I should tell you."
Ge Baitao was still crying profusely. She asked, "What?"
"Lou Yuming's girlfriend is me."
Ge Baitao: "??????!!!!!!"
That evening, as Song Xi was sleeping soundly, she felt someone tugging at her ankle.
She jolted awake with a fright and met the man's dark, brooding eyes.
Song Xi was truly startled, cold sweat breaking out on her back.
"What are you doing!"
*Swish—*
The bedroom light was turned on. Lou Yuming had obviously just returned. He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the bed, which was uncharacteristic of his usual fastidious habits.
Song Xi disdainfully kicked the jacket away with her foot, frowning. "It's dirty."
"Dirty?"
Upon hearing the word, Lou Yuming raised an eyebrow and sneered. "I see you've been quite temperamental lately. Do you know who you are?"
He was clearly still holding a grudge about the day's events. Song Xi sat up in bed, scanned him from head to toe, and finally noticed the bandage on his foot, freezing for a moment.
Lou Yuming's thin lips uttered four words: "Thanks to you."
Song Xi guiltily averted her gaze and argued, "I told you to let go, and you didn't."
"So you stepped on me?"
He leaned over, cupped her chin, and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Who gave you the guts? Do you think I've been too easygoing lately and are getting carried away?"
"...I didn't."
"You didn't?" he scoffed. "Give you two more days, and you'll be climbing the roof."
"Then what do you want?"
Her tone was as cold and hard as stone.
Lou Yuming gazed down at her condescendingly and suddenly asked, "Did you step on me because you heard I was meeting another woman and got jealous?"
"What?" Song Xi said. "No."
"Say that again."
Song Xi's voice was firm. "I said, no!"