Chapter 222: Chapter 220 Tea Art Master
Throughout the meal, Jian Mingcheng was once again unresponsive.
Wan Yu felt like she was being jerked between fire and ice—first lifted high, then cruelly dropped.
"Auntie, I won’t stay the night. I should get going."
She waited, hoping Jian Mingcheng would offer to see her home.
Instead, she just heard him say, "Drive safely then."
Jian Xi couldn’t help but roll her eyes. What a blockhead.
Drive what, seriously! Can’t he see I’m waiting for him?
Jian Xi walked Wan Yu out.
Wan Yu’s eyes were already red. "You see? I keep telling myself not to get my hopes up, and then he gives me a reason to hope."
She sobbed. "I’m never bothering with him again."
After speaking, she got into the car, then suddenly rolled down the window. "Do you want to join me for a drink?"
Fearing Jian Xi would refuse, she quickly added, "I’ll have alcohol, you can have orange juice. And if Si Yuhuan calls you, I promise I’ll let you go."
"Seriously? Am I the kind of woman who ditches a friend for a man?"
「Inside the bar.」
There were countless handsome men and beautiful women, but none were as captivating as the sight of Jian Xi and Wan Yu.
One was fiery like a sprite, the other elegant like a princess.
Their mere presence was eye-catching.
A few brazen men approached, trying to look cool. One playfully flipped his hair and said, "Hey beauties, care for a drink?"
Wan Yu gave him a seductive smile. The man felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
"Can’t you see we’re on a date?"
The smirk on the man’s face froze. He twitched the corner of his mouth, glanced at Jian Xi, then at Wan Yu. "Damn, what a waste."
He walked away, annoyed.
Jian Xi burst out laughing at Wan Yu’s clever tactic.
"You’re really something else."
"You’ll get used to it. This is all a piece of cake for me." Wan Yu handled all sorts of tricky situations with ease. To her, this was nothing.
Wan Yu was hell-bent on getting drunk, downing one bottle after another until her vision blurred and she started spouting nonsense.
"Yu Yu?" Jian Xi patted her face.
"Ugh, I’m not *that* drunk! I can handle ten more bottles!"
She slammed a stack of cash on the table. "Waiter, more drinks!"
In a decadent place like this, money could buy anything.
"You can’t drink anymore. If you have any more, you’ll really be drunk."
Wan Yu, looking utterly dejected, slurred, "Being drunk would be great. Then I wouldn’t have to think about that damn jerk anymore! *Sob*, why is he so dense? I’m the one with sky-high emotional intelligence here! He’s blind, totally blind!"
When Jian Mingcheng received Jian Xi’s text message with the address, he immediately rushed to the bar.
As soon as he entered, he heard Wan Yu cursing him out.
Not a single good word about him. That little girl has really grown up and gotten bold!
He strode over.
Seeing him, Jian Xi said, "Bro, she’s all yours. I’m heading out."
She yawned; she’d been exhausted by everything lately.
"Alright."
As she walked out, Jian Xi was surprised to see her brother, usually so stern and aloof around women, actually pick Wan Yu up in his arms.
She curled her lips into a smile. It’s not that he doesn’t like her, she thought, he’s just scared.
Jian Xi walked aimlessly down the street alone.
The lingering smell of alcohol made her a bit dizzy.
She took out her phone and saw Si Yuhuan had called her dozens of times at some point.
"What is it?" Jian Xi snapped into the phone.
Si Yuhuan was practically choking on his frustration. "I’m injured! And it’s because of you!"
"Are you trying to guilt-trip me?" Jian Xi retorted.
"What’s gotten into you? Did you eat gunpowder or something?"
Jian Xi paused. Maybe I am a little envious, she realized, and I’m taking it out on him.
"No. Just say what you want to say." She sounded impatient.
Si Yuhuan took a deep breath. "My leg hurts. Come back and rub it for me."
"Seriously? Don’t they have nurses at the hospital? Today it’s my head, tomorrow my back. What am I, your personal nanny?"
Jian Xi hung up directly.
When Si Yuhuan called back again, she simply turned off her phone.
Si Yuhuan was completely baffled. Was it wrong to want to see her?
His handsome face turned dark and gloomy. Yan Qing, standing beside him, immediately turned and fled. When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer!
Left with no other choice, Si Yuhuan took out his phone and posted a question on Baidu: "What’s the best way to win a woman back?"
He deleted it immediately after posting, but not before a few instant replies popped up. He scanned them.
"A good woman can’t resist a persistent suitor. Cling to her!"
"Throw money at her!"
"Of course, show her some tender loving care."
These answers plagued him like a persistent nightmare.
Having spent the past few days constantly with Jian Xi, Si Yuhuan, now alone, suddenly found everything in the hospital room unbearable.
In the middle of the night, he discharged himself from the hospital.
He drove to Fuyuan Official Residence, where Jian Xi lived.
The lights were on. She must be inside. A shadow moved about, looking busy. What is she doing? he wondered.
Si Yuhuan’s deep gaze lingered on the silhouette moving inside.
"Si Yuhuan, we’re divorced. We’re ex-husband and ex-wife. You really need to get your attitude straight." Her words echoed in his mind, shattering the courage he had mustered to knock on the door.
A low-key sports car drove up and parked by the entrance.
Fu Shengyuan got out, holding a bouquet of flowers.
He rang the doorbell.
Jian Xi was in the middle of her prenatal exercises.
Startled by the doorbell, she quickly turned off the screen mirroring display and hurried to open the door.
The main door swung open.
Fu Shengyuan saw her in workout clothes that perfectly accentuated her figure. Her graceful, swan-like neck made her look like a princess, but there was an out-of-place jacket tied around her waist.
"What are you up to?"
Seeing him, the momentary panic in Jian Xi’s eyes was quickly replaced by composure. She had hastily grabbed a jacket to cover her small belly. She’d thought it was Si Yuhuan at the door. She hadn’t expected him.
"Just getting some exercise. What brings you here so late?"
Fu Shengyuan held up the flowers. "Here, for you."
Ha! Jian Xi thought. He knows I’ve been with Si Yuhuan lately, yet this man is so ’magnanimous’ he doesn’t ask a thing, even bringing flowers to my door with a smile. A faint smile touched Jian Xi’s lips as she mentally acknowledged this ’Patient Tortoise.’
"They’re beautiful," she said, taking them.
She stood in the doorway, clearly not intending to invite him in.
Fu Shengyuan adjusted his glasses slightly. "It’s only been a few days, but you seem much more distant towards me."
Jian Xi feigned ignorance. "Is that so?"
With his deep cunning, I’m no match for him, Jian Xi thought. Better to keep my distance.
"Xixi, you’re being so cold right now. It’s like you’re trying to push me a thousand miles away. It... scares me a little."
"Mr. Fu, are you kidding me? Me, scare *you*?" He’s surprisingly good at playing the innocent card, Jian Xi thought. He sounds just like Jiang Qimeng. If they hadn’t supposedly never interacted, I’d suspect they’d coached each other on this innocent act!
"Alright, it seems you’re not in a good mood, so I won’t disturb you any longer," he said, turning to leave. But at the door, he paused and looked back. "Xixi, I went to the hospital the other day."
Jian Xi watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"You’ve been with Si Yuhuan recently, I know. I heard he was seriously injured because of you."
Jian Xi raised an eyebrow. He certainly knows a lot.
"I like you, so naturally, I pay attention to you," Fu Shengyuan declared, his voice full of deep affection. "Actually, when I found out, I felt quite uncomfortable and sad. But I can understand. Love isn’t a game; it’s a serious wager on each other, a commitment made in earnest. I’m willing to bet everything on you. No matter how Si Yuhuan competes, I will never let go."
"Is that so? Then I’ll be very interested to see that," Si Yuhuan’s sharp voice cut in.
He approached, one hand casually in his pocket.