White Lotus 23.1
Twenty-three Roses (1)
There was a minute-long silence.
Elder Xiao asked, “Have you no shame?”
Xiao Zexing did not say anything.
On the chessboard, the winner had already been decided.
It was an overwhelming defeat for white.
Elder Xiao stood up angrily and flipped the chessboard. “How can you, as an elder, have such filthy thoughts!? Huh!?”
Black and white go pieces clattered noisily as they bounced wildly off the floor.
On the table, on the carpet, and on the stool, they fell everywhere. Some even bounced onto Xiao Zexing's shoes, causing his trouser legs to flap.
Elder Xiao's face had gone completely red; his voice rang loudly as he pointed at him and admonished, “How old are you? How old is Youyou? You can even think of laying your hands on such a young girl?”
Xiao Zexing was calm and collected, “We are only eight years apart.”
Elder Xiao sucked in a breath of cold air, clutched his chest, and said tremblingly, “Have you already laid your hands on Youyou?”
“No.” Xiao Zexing smiled, the dimples on his cheeks flashing. “She doesn't know anything.”
Elder Xiao took two steps back and fell into a chair, his fingers squeezing the chair handles tightly.
Xiao Zexing leaned down to pick up both white and black pieces at his feet and threw them into the corresponding chess box.
“I just knew you didn't have good intentions in the first place,” Elder Xiao's gaze was gloomy. “I didn't expect you to have made such a plan.”
Xiao Zexing stood up and poured a cup of hot tea for him, offering it with both hands. “Father, have some tea.”
“Don't think that I will arrange for you and Youyou to be married!” Elder Xiao stared at him for a long time, but finally took it from him reluctantly, though he did not drink it, and just held it in his hands. He scolded angrily, “I'm not that thick-skinned! I still want to preserve my dignity!”
“I'm not saying all these to let you make another mistake.” Xiao Zexing smiled, “There’s no need to force Youyou to do anything again. You only have to nod your head and agree to let Youyou and Weijing break off their engagement. As for the rest, I won’t trouble you with it.”
Elder Xiao was so angry that he refused to drink; the flesh on his cheeks were trembling violently. He closed his eyes and breathed out a long sigh, “I’ve really let Old Tang down. This is such a joke; to think that you’ve actually fallen for a junior…”
He looked darkly at Xiao Zexing, and set the teacup heavily on the table, causing two drops to splash out. “Go back for now. Let me think about it.”
Tang You had long been sitting at the dinner table, waiting for Xiao Zexing.
She would usually eat first, but today was a little different.
Xiao Zexing had called in the evening and said he was going to see the old man that night and might be back late.
He said he would help her to explain.
Because of this, Tang You had been so nervous that she didn't even take a nap, and the photoshoot that was originally scheduled for the afternoon had also pushed back by two days.
When she finally heard the sound of footsteps approaching steadily, Tang You immediately stood up excitedly, pushed her chair away and ran over to greet him. “Second Uncle!”
The door opened, and the man looked slightly stunned.
It was Xiao Weijing who entered.
Xiao Weijing's hand was still on the doorknob; he looked at her unnaturally and smiled. “Tang You.”
Tang You: “Oh.”
She dragged her feet and walked expressionlessly to the dining table, sat down, and continued to wait.
The room had been fitted with warm yellow lighting. Tang Huhu lay by his mistress’s feet; he had his own little blanket, which was embroidered with several paw prints.
It was Xiao Zexing who had gotten someone to deliver it.
Xiao Weijing walked across from her, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Tang You did not look at him, as if he was just air.
She was really pretty when she was quiet. Part of her hair was tied up in a small bun, and there were two small transparent balls on her hair tie. Xiao Weijing couldn't recognise the specific material it was made of, but he felt that it looked really like candy, clean and sweet.
There were a few small patches of fluffy, fine hair on the forehead next to her ears, which gave her an air of endearing childishness.
Xiao Weijing coughed; without being aware of it, his voice grew gentle, “I’m sorry. All these while… you’ve suffered.”
As soon as he said this, Tang You's eyelids twitched, and she looked at him warily. “What do you mean?”
It can’t be that Xiao Weijing had changed his mind, and didn’t intend to break off the engagement anymore, right?
Please, no.
Xiao Weijing tried explaining himself to her for the first time. “Wen Ling and I are not what you think we are. In the past, she had saved——”
“I don't care about the relationship between the two of you,” Tang You interrupted. She was not smiling, and was so calm that Xiao Weijing felt rather at a loss. “I've already told Grandpa Xiao, the two of us are really incompatible.”
Xiao Weijing wanted to say something else when he heard the sound of the door. He turned around and saw Xiao Zexing walking slowly towards them.
Xiao Weijing called out, “Second Uncle.”
Xiao Zexing loosened his tie and cast him a light glance. “Why are you back so early today?”
“No reason, I just came earlier.” Xiao Weijing asked, “I heard from the assistant that Grandpa met with you today?”
Xiao Zexing said casually, “We played a few games.”
As he spoke, Tang Huhu stood and ran over to Xiao Zexing, wagging his tail as he lingered around him.
They were about to eat, so Xiao Zexing didn't touch Tang Huhu. But this did not affect the large dog’s enthusiasm; Tang Huhu circled him happily. Xiao Zexing bent slightly, looked carefully at Tang Huhu, and said to Tang You with a smile, “Look, Huhu seems to have gotten fatter again.”
At that, Tang You immediately went over; she squatted down and observed carefully. “Yeah, it really seems to so.”
“It seems like dogs will gain weight after getting neutered?”
“I think so. It's not good for Huhu to be too fat, right?”
“Then you should take him out more to exercise. If you’re worried, you can let him play in the garden downstairs.”
“Really? You are too kind…”
……
Xiao Weijing listened as the two of them discussed Tang Huhu happily, and suddenly realised that he couldn't join in the conversation at all.
It seems like… he’s been left out?
For a moment, Xiao Weijing was struck with an illusion——
Xiao Zexing and Tang You were like a pair of parents discussing their child’s academic performance, while he was the rebellious son who had been kicked out of the house for his defiance during his rebellious phase.
Xiao Weijing coughed and tried to blend into the conversation. “Why did you have to have him neutered? Don't you think it's cruel?”
The smile on Tang You's face vanished without a trace. She stood up, straightened her back, and said to Xiao Weijing, “Because he has cryptorchidism. One of his testes is in his body, it would be bad for him if he didn’t do the surgery. Besides, dogs don't get pleasure from sex as humans do. Castrating a dog and castrating a human is not the same concept, you need not measure a dog according to your own standards.”
Xiao Weijing never expected that Tang You would be able to say such things so frankly.
In his perception, Tang You should be the kind of girl who would blush when talking about certain topics or even organs, the kind that would cover her ears and say softly, “Stop talking about it”.
Rather than someone who could tell him about the difference between dogs and humans when it came to sex without any hesitation.
Now that she had said it so frankly and straightforwardly, Xiao Weijing was very uncomfortable; his ears turned red, “……ah, I see.”
He didn’t know why his heart was suddenly racing.
It's not as if Wen Ling hadn't joked about such things before. But Xiao Weijing had subconsciously regarded her as a brother and of the same gender, so he had never felt embarrassed.
After all, there were really very few men who did not crack dirty jokes. No matter how pornographic Wen Ling's jokes and banter were, Xiao Weijing listened without being affected at all, at most, he would just laugh.
On the other hand, he was now blushing from Tang You's serious scientific explanation.
Xiao Weijing felt that his state at this time was not quite normal.
It really was too abnormal.
During the meal, Xiao Weijing couldn't help but frequently raise his head to look at Tang You.
He discovered that Tang You also looked very good while she was eating.
Her teeth were very neat, and she also looked really cute when chewing. A slightly larger piece of meat would be enough to fill up her mouth, causing her cheeks to bulge out slightly. While her eating speed wasn’t fast, her appetite didn’t seem to be too small…
As he lost himself in his observation, he suddenly heard Xiao Zexing's voice. “Weijing.”
Xiao Weijing returned to himself. “What's wrong?”
Xiao Zexing twiddled his chopsticks and smiled gently. “You ate very little today. Are you feeling too heaty? Lost your appetite? Next time, I’ll get the staff to cook bitter gourd for you more often, to counteract the heatiness.”
Tang You was unconcerned about their conversation; she was drinking her soup in small sips.
She didn’t know where Xiao Zexing had found the chef—every dish was perfectly in line with her preferences.
After finishing a small bowl of soup contentedly, she snuck a glance at Xiao Zexing—who happened to be watching her too.
Xiao Zexing smiled.
Tang You spied his expression and finally relaxed.
Because of Xiao Weijing's presence, she couldn't ask any more, but judging from Xiao Zexing's appearance, it should all be fine.
Second Uncle is awesome!
Following Xiao Zexing's suggestion, Tang You decided to visit her grandmother.
Knowing that she had a busy schedule, Tang You unprecedently struggled to escape her bed’s spell at 5 a.m. for the first time.
When she went downstairs, she met Xiao Zexing, who had just come back from his morning exercise.
He was finally not in a shirt; dressed in a black t-shirt and black shorts, he was wiping off his sweat with a towel. When he saw her coming down the stairs, he froze momentarily, then smiled. “Why did you wake up so early today?”
His body temperature had not entire cooled back down; in his short sleeves, the veins on his forearms could vaguely be seen.
He was too tall; standing two steps above him, Tang You barely managed to be at the same eye level as him.
Tang You leaned on the handrail of the staircase and replied, “I’m going to visit Grandmother.”
Xiao Zexing acknowledged her reply, then asked, “Not having breakfast?”
“I had a glass of milk,” Tang You walked down two steps and smiled, “Goodbye, Second Uncle.”
A ‘Second Uncle’ every time she opened her mouth; she was addressing him this way more and more naturally now.
Tang You herself had also seriously thought about it; if there was no Xiao Weijing in the middle, she should actually address Xiao Zexing as ‘Brother’. After all, he wasn’t that old.
Shaking her head, Tang You refocused her thoughts on her grandmother.
——Since Xiao Zexing had said that her grandmother would meet her, there should be nothing wrong with it.
Meng Yunqiu's villa was not far from here, just five minutes away. It was still the serious-faced person who invited her in, and she was also asked to wait in the same place as the last time.
After giving her thanks, Tang You sat down in a well-behaved manner.
This time, she only waited for less than two minutes before hearing her grandmother's laughter. “Youyou, you’ve finally straightened out your thinking.”
Tang You stood.
In the next moment, she saw her grandmother, who was dressed in a houndstooth dress suit, enter.
Meng Yunqiu had just passed sixty this year. Her hair was already grey, but she was still full of vitality. She carried a pure white cat with blue eyes in her arms; with a slight gesture, the person next to her immediately took the cat over carefully.
Tang You greeted her respectfully, “Grandmother.”
“Sit down,” Meng Yunqiu sat down on the main seat and motioned for her to sit down. She said warmly, “If it weren’t for Zexing, I wouldn't have known that you harboured such intentions. I thought you were just like your mother, who stubbornly refused to turn back even after crashing into the wall.”
Tang You was stunned. “You know Second Uncle?”
Meng Yunqiu lifted her cup, brought it to her lips and blew on it. She was just about to drink when she heard Tang You’s term of address and froze momentarily. She put the cup back on the table and laughed. “You still call him Second Uncle?”
Tang You misunderstood her, and said with some embarrassment, “I got used to it.”
Meng Yunqiu was unconcerned. She crossed her right leg over her left and looked at her affectionately. “Good child, Zexing has already told me about the specifics. Since you’ve come to this decision, I’ll give you a hand.”
Tang You didn’t know that her grandmother and Xiao Zexing had such a good relationship in private, but she felt greatly relieved now that her grandmother had given her word.
“I’ll take a look at my schedule,” Meng Yunqiu smiled. “This is an important issue, and it cannot be delayed any longer.”
Meng Yunqi summoned her assistant, who diligently informed her of her schedule.
After the report, Meng Yunqiu instructed her assistant, “Call Mr. Xiao for me and invite him to dinner tonight at eight o'clock. I have something important to discuss with him.”
The assistant agreed and went out.
Tang You didn't understand why Meng Yunqiu's attitude had made a 180-degree turn. She was still in a daze when Meng Yunqiu took her hand, pinched her cheek, and asked gently, “Are you used to living at Zexing’s?”
“It's pretty good.” Tang You thought about it and answered, “Second Uncle takes quite good care of me.”
“How good?”
Tang You tried his best to recall and listed, “Second Uncle specially renovated the walk-in wardrobe for me, and the room he’s arranged for me to live in is also very big…”
“That's it?” Meng Yunqiu asked. “What about in other aspects?”
Tang You was a little confused. “What do you mean?”
Seeing her ignorant and bewildered look, Meng Yunqiu said vaguely with a smile in her eyes, “Well, he can keep his cool.”
She patted Tang You's hand. “Don't worry. Go back and wait, I'll take care of this.”
Meng Yunqiu was very busy at work. Back then, she had directly taken half of Elder Tang's assets, and had used it to grow her business bigger and bigger, eventually becoming the industry leader, proving that her abilities and skills were not to be underestimated.
Carrying her admiration for her grandmother in her heart, Tang You followed her to the evening’s appointment.
The appointment was held in a historic Chinese restaurant, which was said to be older than Tang You's.
The current building had already been refurbished for the third time.
However, the elders needed to speak alone, and refused to let her in to listen. Instead, they had Tang You sit together with Xiao Zexing again.
The two rooms were right next to each other; the connecting wall was inlaid with a huge mirror, and the reflections made the entire room gleam even brighter. However, Tang You had no time to study the furnishings in the room this time; her focus was entirely on the conversation between her grandmother and Elder Xiao.
She was not allowed to listen to what the elders were saying, and right now, it felt like the hour before receiving her college entrance examination results—waiting for results that were already set in stone, feeling on pins and needles with anxiety, yet there was nothing she could do.
Tang You was very uneasy; she asked in a low voice, “Second Uncle, why are you so sure that my grandmother will succeed in persuading Grandpa Xiao?”
Tang You was so nervous that she had no appetite.
She put down her chopsticks after carelessly eating a little.
She couldn't eat any more.
Xiao Zexing tested the temperature of the milk through the glass and smiled. “The old man was once engaged with Ms. Meng.”
