When Lei Xirui heard Lei Sanshao's words, she opened her mouth, intending to retort, but upon meeting Lei Sanshao's cold gaze, she swallowed her words back down.
Lowering her head, she softly said, "Okay."
After the car started, it headed towards the Lei family's residence.
Lei Xirui looked out the car window and happened to see Shi Xingwu meeting up with Xia Qingtian and her sister. The three of them were chatting and laughing, looking very happy.
Lei Xirui pursed her lips, her eyes filled with envy.
As the car gradually drove away, Xia Qingtian withdrew her gaze and said, "I didn't expect the Lei family to have such a cute girl like Xirui..."
She had recuperated at the Lei family's place for a while then, and felt that everyone in the Lei family seemed rather... stern.
"Siri?" Shi Xingwu blinked and said, "Isn't that just a voice assistant? Does it have a gender?"
"Haha, doesn't it sound a lot like Siri?" Xia Qingtian couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"It really does," Xia Qingyu chuckled. "Actually, her name is Lei Xirui, a student at Digao, a very outstanding girl."
"Lei Xirui?" Shi Xingwu finally remembered the girl he had just seen. As he recalled, all he could see was Lei Xirui's receding back: "This girl is too thin. If she came to my dojo, in a year... no, five months, I could train her abs. She'd get an excellent score in the 800-meter sprint."
"You should rest. Such a cute girl, why train abs?" Xia Qingtian said helplessly. "Let's not talk about this. Go call Miao Tong and the others down. I'll have the driver come over."
"Alright, I'm going right now." Shi Xingwu replied, gave a proper military salute, and then turned to dash into the hotel. His peripheral vision caught sight of the cordon line by the road, and an indescribable feeling surged within him.
Soon, this feeling was suppressed again.
A true man should be mature.
Xia Qingtian had informed Yue Chengzhong of the number of people beforehand, so the Yue family directly sent a spacious and comfortable business car with a beautiful interior.
On the way to the Yue family's home, Li Xiaozhong asked about Liao Tingting.
He had heard about it when he went downstairs, in the elevator.
He remembered Liao Tingting, the girl with the round glasses.
When Li Xiaozhong asked, Miao Tong and Xia Qingyu's expressions became a little uncomfortable. Xia Qingtian and Nie Qingkong didn't chime in, but Shi Xingwu sighed and said, "Let's not mention it. We were standing too close then. It's possible we'll have nightmares for a while."
"Are you that much of a coward?" Li Xiaozhong looked at Shi Xingwu. He might believe others having nightmares, but Shi Xingwu?
Impossible...
"I'm not cowardly," Shi Xingwu straightened his back, recalling Lei Xirui's words. "I have reverence for life!"
Hearing Shi Xingwu utter such words, Li Xiaozhong and Xia Qingyu were quite surprised.
Others might not know, but they knew Shi Xingwu too well.
He was the kind of person who, when reading aloud, could mispronounce "The Moon and Sixpence" as "The Moon and Shit-soils."
Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong exchanged glances, then looked at Shi Xingwu.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Can't I say something... particularly wise?" Shi Xingwu pouted, displeased.
"You might have a misunderstanding of what 'wise' means," Xia Qingtian interjected. "But this matter was indeed very sudden. Whether it's out of reverence for life or respect for Liao Tingting, let's not discuss it for now."
The others in the car nodded in agreement.
Miao Tong was the first to change the subject, saying, "Are we intruding by going to your maternal grandfather's place now?"
"It's alright," Xia Qingtian thought for a moment. "When I mentioned it to my second uncle before, he expressed his warm welcome."
"That's good. If there's any disturbance or offense, please tell us anytime," Miao Tong said, rubbing his hands.
Although the Miao family and the Yue family could both be considered old families in the capital, they weren't actually very familiar with each other.
The Miao family transitioned from Gu techniques to medicine, while the Yue family focused on the jewelry business.
There was no business interaction.
Moreover, the Miao family's situation was relatively unique. Although they had engaged in external activities in recent years and attended some high-society events, in the past, the Miao family only had good relations with the Tang and Lu families, and their information was relatively limited.
Some old prestigious families were quite particular about families like the Miao and Tang families.
If it weren't for keeping an eye on Xia Qingtian's next move, Miao Tong would definitely not have gone to the Yue family's like this.
In fact, it turned out that Miao Tong had worried too much.
The Yue family's attitude was very friendly.
Yue Chengzhong received them enthusiastically and had servants show them around the entire Yue family estate.
Seeing such a massive garden-style building, Shi Xingwu was also stunned: "Is this the world of rich people... I'm afraid even selling my dojo wouldn't be enough to buy the land here?"
"The land here is divided among various aristocratic families; you can't buy it even with money," Miao Tong said casually.
"Hiss..." Shi Xingwu felt that by coming along this time, he was truly broadening his horizons.
"Don't embarrass yourself," Li Xiaozhong raised his hand and lifted Shi Xingwu's chin, closing his gaping mouth.
Shi Xingwu then smacked his lips a couple of times and gave a dry laugh.
After a brief tour, the servants suggested leading the group to the guest rooms for rest.
"Qingyu will share a room with me," Xia Qingtian said to the person leading them.
"Yes, Miss Qingtian," the servant replied and continued to lead the way. After introducing the last few key areas, the servant continued, "The Yue family has prepared tea and refreshments for everyone. Would you like them to be brought now?"
"Send them all to my room," Xia Qingtian thought for a moment. "Please send everyone's luggage to their respective rooms first. By the way, is my maternal grandfather here?"
"The family head has gone to see an old friend and said he'll be back before dinner," the servant replied.
"Alright, please inform me when my maternal grandfather returns," Xia Qingtian said, and then led everyone to her room.
This room originally belonged to her mother and was still being carefully preserved by the Yue family, retaining its state and appearance from when her mother was alive.
Upon entering the room, Shi Xingwu couldn't help but exclaim again, "This is the kind of room a rich young lady should have... It's really nice! If I had a daughter, I'd let her live in such a good room too!"
"Did you skip some important steps?" Li Xiaozhong's mouth twitched speechlessly. "You haven't even had a girlfriend yet, and you're already thinking about having a daughter? Besides, a room like this requires a house like this, and all of this costs money."
Hearing Li Xiaozhong say this, Shi Xingwu deflated instantly.
That was true, he had neither a girlfriend nor money, so this was just a beautiful wish.