Song Anran’s face lit up with a surprised smile as she saw Chen Xiao approaching from a distance.
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear! He's here!"
Finishing her words, she waved her hand and shouted, "Hey, Chen Xiao, I'm over here!"
The man also saw Chen Xiao, his eyes filled with a complex emotion.
Chen Xiao walked over, and Song Anran playfully complained, "Why are you so late? I've been waiting for you for ages!"
As she spoke, she linked her arm with Chen Xiao's, her ample bosom brushing against his arm without any pretense.
Chen Xiao remained impassive, but his mind was clear.
It was obvious that Song Anran was using him as a shield.
He could tell from the man's gaze, a look that could kill.
Chen Xiao replied calmly, "There was traffic on the way, so I was a bit late."
The man sized up Chen Xiao with a glance, disdain flashing in his eyes.
Who was this penniless nobody? His entire outfit probably wouldn't fetch more than a thousand yuan.
How did Song Anran get involved with someone like this?
He said with a forced smile, "Anran, is this your male companion?"
Song Anran giggled, "Yes, he's not just my male companion, he's my boyfriend!"
The man's eyelids visibly twitched, and the muscles in his jaw bulged noticeably.
However, he was a tough character. He suppressed his anger and extended his hand to Chen Xiao, forcing a smile.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Wei Ranqiu."
Chen Xiao smiled faintly and extended his hand to the man as well.
"Hello, I'm Chen Xiao."
As their hands clasped, Chen Xiao's gaze turned sharp.
Because Wei Ranqiu, foolishly, gripped his hand with all his might.
A sinister grin spread across Chen Xiao's lips, and he suddenly increased the pressure.
The man yelped in pain, his entire face flushing red.
Chen Xiao then released his hand, saying with a half-smile, "Sorry, did I hurt you? I didn't realize your hands were so delicate."
Wei Ranqiu hid his hand behind his back, forcing a smile to avoid losing face in front of Song Anran.
"It's nothing, my stomach just acted up."
Chen Xiao found it amusing and didn't expose him. Just then, the ferry arrived.
Song Anran and Chen Xiao boarded the ferry hand in hand.
Wei Ranqiu watched Chen Xiao's retreating back, his eyes filled with malice.
He then looked down at his hand, almost crying out again.
Damn it, it was almost crushed into a chicken claw.
"Wooo..."
The ferry let out a whistle and slowly sailed towards Jiangxin Island.
Song Anran nestled closely beside Chen Xiao and whispered, "Thanks for earlier."
Chen Xiao rubbed his nose. "No need for thanks. In the future, please don't think of me for this kind of favor."
Song Anran chuckled, her body shaking with laughter.
Chen Xiao could clearly feel several strange glances directed their way.
Some were looking at him, but more were looking at Song Anran.
The gazes directed at Song Anran were all lecherous.
The ones looking at him were mostly filled with jealousy.
"Who is that Wei Ranqiu? I offended him today, will there be any trouble?"
Chen Xiao asked with feigned concern.
Song Anran pouted. "Hmph, stop pretending. You weren't even afraid of Long Qianzhan, who else could you be afraid of?"
Chen Xiao: "..."
Then Song Anran whispered, "However, the Wei family is a bit more powerful than the Long family. They're in real estate, with assets in the tens of billions. Wei Ranqiu himself is a professor at Jiangcheng University."
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback. A university professor? No wonder he looked so refined.
In that case, Song Anran and Wei Ranqiu were quite a good match, even their names sounded compatible.
Then Song Anran gritted her teeth and said hatefully,
"He's just a wolf in sheep's clothing. In two years, he got three female university students pregnant and still wants to chase me. I feel sick just looking at him!"
Chen Xiao was speechless and chuckled. "He really is a wolf in sheep's clothing..."
Before long, the ferry docked.
Everyone disembarked onto the island. In front of the beach was a wide, circular plaza paved with white marble.
And in the very center of the circular plaza stood the island's sole structure, the main building of Jiangxin Pavilion.
Jiangxin Pavilion, from the outside, appeared to be an ancient-style tall building, exuding an antique charm.
Carvings of dragons and paintings of phoenixes adorned the facade, giving it a distinct character.
Guests formed a long queue, waiting to enter.
Several security guards stood at the entrance, checking each guest's invitation.
Wei Ranqiu was the last to disembark from the ferry, his face ashen and his eyes cold.
Throughout the journey, Chen Xiao and Song Anran had been chatting and laughing, their demeanor extremely intimate.
In his eyes, it made him gnash his teeth in hatred.
As soon as he stepped off the boat, two young men approached him.
One, with slicked-back hair and an unruly demeanor, slung an arm around his shoulder.
"Professor, why are you so late?"
Wei Ranqiu replied absentmindedly, "It's nothing, I was delayed by something at school."
The other, with a buzz cut, immediately chimed in, "Stop fooling us. It's Sunday, what could possibly be happening at school? And why does your face look so bad?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Wei Ranqiu nodded towards the front. "You can see for yourselves."
The two followed his gaze.
They saw Song Anran standing with Chen Xiao, chatting and laughing, clearly enjoying each other's company.
The slick-haired man sneered.
"Professor, you're still hung up on this woman? I advise you to give up. This woman is already taken, you'd best not touch her!"
"Why? Look at that kid, how is he any match for me?"
Wei Ranqiu frowned, his face full of defiance.
The slick-haired man let out a disdainful laugh. "This insignificant character is naturally unimportant. I'm talking about someone else."
"Who?"
"You don't need to ask. In short, I'm doing this for your own good!"
Wei Ranqiu said unhappily, "Jiang Zhenlin, what do you mean? What's our relationship that you're being so secretive with me!"
The slick-haired man, Jiang Zhenlin, shook his head and said, "It cannot be said, it cannot be said. But you don't need to worry, you'll know soon enough."
As they were talking, another man of similar age walked over with a fawning smile.
"Haha, the three brothers are all here! We, the Four Young Masters of Jiangcheng, haven't gotten together in a while!"
If Chen Xiao were present, he would have exclaimed, "What a small world!"
Because this man was none other than Lin Zhiyin.
Upon seeing Lin Zhiyin, the expressions of the other three became noticeably less warm, offering only perfunctory smiles.
Lin Zhiyin was unfazed and shamelessly joined their circle.
"Hey? Ranqiu, why the long face? Who upset you?"
Perhaps Wei Ranqiu's expression was truly terrible, as even Lin Zhiyin used him as an opening.
Wei Ranqiu couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him, saying coldly, "It's none of your business!"
Lin Zhiyin chuckled awkwardly. "Look, it wasn't me who upset you, so why are you taking it out on me?"
The buzz-cut man, being kind, said, "Professor Wei is troubled by love. Hey? Lin Zhiyin, isn't Song Anran from your hospital? Do you know her boyfriend?"
Lin Zhiyin was puzzled. "Song Anran has a boyfriend?"
The buzz-cut man pointed. "Look, it's that kid!"
Lin Zhiyin followed the direction of the finger and was immediately stunned.
Then, a cold sneer spread across his face.
"This is truly bizarre. Talk about running into an old enemy!"