White Lotus 26.2

26 | Twenty-six Roses (2)

This time, he had changed his avatar; it was no longer a pomelo, but a white bunny.

Tang You clicked on his homepage.

He hadn’t posted any Weibo posts, and had very little attention; the only follower was the Newbie Guide.

It should be a secondary account.

This secondary account made Tang You inexplicably feel a little uneasy, and she immediately shared it with Miao Jiaxi.

Miao Jiaxi thought nothing of it at all, “You’re making a fuss over just a secondary account, are you too free now?”

“The problem is not that it’s a secondary account. Jiajia… the name of this account has “Tang” in it, and the avatar was previously a pomelo!”

Miao Jiaxi guessed, “Could it be a classmate of yours? Or some big brother? He has a crush on you?”

Tang You felt that it was unlikely.

“Ah, right,” Miao Jiaxi thought of something. “Wen Ling’s gym was investigated by the Trade and Industry Bureau, it seems like there was tax evasion, and issues with receipts and what not… tsk, I can’t quite remember.”

Tang You commented, “You reap what you sow.”

If Wen Ling herself hadn’t done anything illegal, she wouldn’t have been reduced to this state.

“She even attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. When I went to the hospital today, I saw Xiao Weijing take her for a check-up.” Miao Jiaxi sighed, “What to say, as long as one establishes one’s persona well, one would be fine no matter what evils they commit. Sigh… Say, why does Xiao Weijing treat her so well? It’s a good thing you and Xiao Weijing have broken off the engagement, that was a hellhole!” 

Tang You also didn’t know why Xiao Weijing could be so good to Wen Ling.

Tang You and Wen Ling had known each other since they were young. Wen Ling was two years older than her and was from a poor family. The coach who taught Tang You to swim at that time saw Wen Ling’s talent and gave her full sponsorship, letting her attend lessons for free.

Tang You was taught by her grandfather from a young age to care for those who were weak; this was the responsibility and duty of the rich, and they had to give back to society and not just enjoy themselves. Tang You felt sorry for Wen Ling, and would share her snacks with her.

Sometimes, when buying new clothes, thinking that Wen Ling’s clothes were quite old, she would also buy a set for her.

They were the closest when they had just started junior high. Tang You took the initiative to give Wenling extra lessons, hoping that Wen Ling could get into the same high school as her. Wen Ling’s family conditions were poor, and in the hot summer days, Tang You would bring Wen Ling to her house to study, and even allowed her to nap in her bedroom.

They were like how many close friends were.

Tang You had sincerely regarded this somewhat tomboyish girl as a close friend, and a playmate since childhood.

——This was all before Wen Ling attempted to tear off her clothes and even wanted to strangle her.

“Forget it,” Tang You smiled indifferently, “Perhaps Wen Ling is now holding onto the script of ‘The Domineering CEO Fell in Love with Me’.”

She played until noon, but Xiao Zexing still didn’t return, so Tang You had to start struggling with what to choose for lunch.

The hotel offered a variety of set meals to choose from, but for Chinese tastebuds, it was difficult to choose something from the selection that would both be safe and also suit her tastes. 

Tang You lay on the sofa with her fingers propping up her chin. She had yet to make her choice when she heard the sound of the door.

She propped herself up and looked up with great effort.

Xiao Zexing immediately caught sight of Tang You, who was lying on the sofa reading the menu.

The pale green skirt was wrapped tightly around her body, and her waist was as slender as a willow that just grew out in early spring. Because of her posture, he could clearly see the large expanse of snowy white and delicate tenderness at her neckline.

She was entirely oblivious, and greeted him with a smile, “Second Uncle!”

Xiao Zexing’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he shifted his gaze. “Youyou, do you want to go out for some good food?”

Tang You sat up on the sofa excitedly, “Really?”

Her eyes sparkled, “Won’t this hold up your work?”

“No,” Xiao Zexing smiled, “I have time this afternoon.”

Tang You was extremely happy; she put on her shoes at top speed and followed Xiao Zexing out while being completely unguarded.

The restaurant that Xiao Zexing took her to was quite famous. Xiao Zexing made a reservation much earlier on and had chosen a window seat so Tang You could look at the scenery outside while eating.

In the past, Tang You had never really paid much attention to what she ate. However, after this period of Xiao Zexing’s “feeding”, Tang You was a little sad to find that she seemed to like eating more and more.

Moreover, Second Uncle was really good at choosing food!

Whether it was the snacks he brought her in the past, or the restaurant he chose now, they were all super to her liking.

Just after she had her fill, a fragrance suddenly floated over; Tang You looked up and saw a familiar face.

Song Yu.

She was wearing a goose-yellow dress, smiling gracefully and reservedly. “Mr. Xiao, Youyou.”

Tang You greeted her with a smile, “Hello Sister Song Yu.”

Song Yu pulled out a chair naturally and sat down, smiling, “When I saw you guys in here from afar, I thought I was mistaken.”

——In actuality, she had already been watching from the side for nearly twenty minutes.

She watched as Xiao Zexing ate with Tang You.

As he talked to her with a smile, chatting patiently.

The tenderness on his face was unconcealed.

Song Yu had liked Xiao Zexing for so many years, and knew that he was pure of mind and was not one to be led by desire. Even in foreign countries where the attitude towards sex was more open-minded, he never had a sexual partner or a girlfriend.

No one knew what was Xiao Zexin’s type.

There were many who had thrown themselves into his arms or were delivered to his bed, but Xiao Zexing did not touch any one of them.

Now, Song Yu had a bold and absurd thought.

She couldn’t resist walking over, wanting to seek confirmation. “I didn’t expect to meet you here, what a coincidence.”

Xiao Zexing said mildly, “Indeed.”

Song Yu asked, “What is Youyou doing here?”

Tang You remembered that she and Song Yu were still being compared with each other on Weibo, and didn’t want to reveal that she was Yuko right now, so she smiled and said, “I came to take a break. What about Sister Song Yu?”

Song Yu toyed with her earring, “s&c invited me for a photoshoot. The shoot just ended, and I will be going back tomorrow.”

As she spoke, she stared at Xiao Zexing fixedly. Xiao Zexing put down the napkin, not sparing her a glance, and said with an indifferent expression, “Youyou, we should be heading back.”

Tang You bade her goodbye with a smile. When she stood up, a corner of her skirt was slightly curled up——

Under Song Yu’s astonished gaze, Xiao Zexing calmly smoothed it down. 

Song Yu’s smile froze on her face, while Xiao Zexing gave her a cold look.

Song Yu felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Tang You was walking in front and did not notice the expressions of these two people at all.

Outside the restaurant, vehicles were forbidden on that street, and they still had to walk for five hundred metres to the car.

It was nice and sunny, and the sunshine made one warm and comfy all over. Tang You was afraid of the sun, so she wore a goose-yellow fisherman’s hat as she always did.

Her head was too small, and the hat slipped down a bit, so she had to hold it with her hand.

Tang You couldn’t help asking, “Second Uncle, why were you so cold to Song Yu just now?”

Xiao Zexing adjusted her little hat to a good angle and said carelessly, “In order to reassure my future wife, I think it’s necessary to take the initiative to keep a distance from the opposite sex.”

Tang You was overcome with emotion, “If Xiao Weijing had your awareness, you might really have become my Second Uncle in six months.”

Xiao Zexing was silent for two seconds, then smiled, “I’m really glad he didn’t.”

Tang You kicked a fallen leaf.

There was a little sour feeling rising at the bottom of her heart.

She was suddenly envious of her future Second Aunt.

Probably because of the failed marriages between her parents and grandparents, Tang You did not harbour much expectations about marriage. 

Perhaps, not getting married, and being alone and free, would be pretty good too. 

As she was walking distractedly, Tang You suddenly heard Xiao Zexing ask, “What is your type? Maybe I can help you keep a look out.”

Tang You said without any hesitation, “Mature and steady!”

From high school to now, this standard had never changed.

Xiao Zexing was still waiting for her to continue.

But Tang You said no more.

A falling leaf fell slowly and leisurely onto the brim of her hat, and was swept down by the wind again.

Xiao Zexing laughed. “So simple?”

“It’s not simple at all,” Tang You was a little vexed, and started to complain bitterly, “It’s very hard, you can tell by just looking at Xiao Weijing. Although he is older than me, I feel like he does things very impulsively, and is also easily fooled…”

Tang You was used to being well-behaved in front of her elders, but Xiao Zexing was different.

Her ugly side had already been seen by him from the beginning, so now, Tang You didn’t regard him as a proper elder.

He was like an elder brother with whom she could speak from the heart, and also like a teacher who had always cared for her.

Tang You couldn’t find a suitable term to describe him, so she could only use “elder” to define him for the time being. 

Although no elder would kiss their junior like he did.

However, Tang You couldn’t find a more appropriate identity than this one.

The current relationship between the two was a little delicate; Tang You’s ostrich mentality was acting up, and she wasn’t willing to look into the root cause.

To be precise.

It was after the rainy night when the car accident almost happened when Tang You began to truly respect Xiao Zexing.

Before that, Xiao Zexing had deceived Tang You for so long, and she only felt that this Second Uncle was not only improper, but also a little… terrifying.

But that night, Xiao Zexing helped her to question Wen Ling and taught Xiao Weijing a lesson—this gave Tang You an infinite sense of trust in him.

Forgetting about his drunken kisses and ambiguous behaviour, under normal circumstances, he was indeed an impeccable elder.

But those things… Tang You was still unable to forget them.

Tang You had dreamt about their first kiss before, and unlike reality, Xiao Zexing did the rest of what naturally followed.

This made her doubt herself for a long time after she woke up.

She tried hard to control the evil thoughts in her heart and slightly suppressed her wishing thinking.

After all, the status between the two of them was indeed awkward.

Seeing Xiao Zexing’s silence, Tang You suddenly remembered something and brought it up unhesitatingly, “Ah, right, when we were at the polo club last time, you also said that I could treat you as my dad.”

Tang You felt like she could understand Xiao Zexing’s thoughts.

People at Xiao Zexing’s age would more or less want to have children, and would have a loving heart. But Xiao Zexing had never had a girlfriend and was not lustful, so in the short term, it was unlikely that he would have children. 

Plus, he had been feeding her with good things for so long, was so caring, helped her to break off the engagement, and would also guide her like a life mentor——

Wasn’t this him projecting his emotional needs onto her?

As for those two kisses before.

After careful consideration, Tang You attributed them all to Xiao Zexing having had too much to drink.

It could just pass as drunken misbehaviour?

During the first kiss, Xiao Zexing was drunk, and perhaps didn’t even clearly see who she was. After knowing her name, he had immediately backed away. As for the second kiss, he had also been drinking while playing dice. 

Last night’s incident also proved one thing again: when Xiao Zexing was drunk, it seemed like he would be prone to doing some inappropriate actions.

He became completely different from his usual calm and rational self.

This was probably the legendary loneliness of empty nesters.

Moreover, when he was sober, although Xiao Zexing would tease her verbally, he had always taken good care of her.

After formally revealing his identity to her, he had hardly ever gone beyond the bounds.

He had always remained single, and it didn’t make sense that he would have any thoughts about her, who was a junior… right?

Tang You came to this conjecture herself, and didn’t dare to harbour any ideas about him. 

Xiao Zexing’s expression underwent some kind of subtle change.

After a long while, Xiao Zexing stretched out his hand, placed it on her velvety hair, and sighed softly, “Youyou.”

“What’s wrong?”

Xiao Zexing said, “It feels to me like this little friend of yours is a little inappropriately slow.”

Tang You held back the subtle discomfort and asked, “What?”

Xiao Zexing said slowly, “Don’t look at me like that—— That look of yours will make me suddenly have a sense of guilt as though I’ve defiled the flowers of the motherland.”

Tang You was vaguely aware that there seemed to be some kind of problem in the communication between herself and Xiao Zexing.

But she didn’t understand where exactly the problem lay. 

After she returned, Xiao Zexing helped Tang You set the TV in Chinese, and found some classic comedy movies. Tang You sat on the sofa and watched them all afternoon, laughing until she exploded.

Xiao Zexing had a dinner party that evening, so he changed his clothes.

He turned back and saw Tang You, then said, “Youyou, come and help me put on a tie.”

Tang You immediately wiped her hands clean and walked over quickly.

Xiao Zexing was too tall, so it was a little hard for her to keep her hands raised, and her arms would also become sore.

Xiao Zexing sat on the sofa with his legs apart so that Tang You could stand between his legs as she fiddled with his tie seriously.

For Tang You, tying a tie was a piece of cake.

It was just that…

This kind of distance was so vaguely romantic.

She couldn’t help feeling like a wife helping her husband with his tie before he headed out to work. 

She could see Xiao Zexing’s Adam’s apple with great clarity.

Perhaps it was because he had always been exercising, his figure could be said to be perfect. His skin was also good; although not as fair as hers, there was not a single spot or pockmark.

Tang You did not allow her thoughts to wander; she let go and said, “It’s done.”

As if being liberated, Tang You took a step back.

“Youyou,” Xiao Zexing remained in the same position, gazing at her and smiling, “I forgot my wallet in the bedroom, can you bring it over for me?”

Tang You agreed and immediately walked towards his bedroom.

It was rare to see Xiao Zexing being so careless and forgetting his things. The next time he made fun of her, Tang You could also tease him back——

Xiao Zexing’s wallet was easily recognisable; it was right next to the pillow.

On the light-coloured bedding, it was particularly conspicuous.

Tang You picked up the wallet and was just about to leave when she unintentionally caught a glimpse of the corner of a photo that was sticking out from under the pillow.

It wasn’t much, just a tiny triangle.

She could only see a gleaming white elbow and the white edges of the clothes.

The corner of the photo was crumpled.

With just this, she could still tell that it was of a girl! 

He had come all the way here, and still carried that girl’s photo with him, and even placed it under his pillow. She wondered if Second Uncle would take it out at night and secretly do this and that, and then… 

Tang You had long been “educated” by Miao Jiaxi; there were two ways in which men controlled their sexual desires—one was to watch more illegal things, and the other was to use their hands. Due to their different physiological structure and hormonal secretion, men would deal with their sexual desires appropriately and opportunely. 

Reason told Tang You that she should turn around and leave now; after all, it was Xiao Zexing’s private matter. As his junior, it was a little inappropriate for her to pry into such things. 

But she couldn’t control her curiosity; Tang You was wildly curious about who was this girl Xiao Zexing had secretly hidden away.

——She might even know her!

Just one look should be okay, right? 

The little angel and the little devil villain fought. Although the little angel kept desperately saying no, no no, but the little devil still summoned up the courage and killed the little angel with one shot.

Tang You pulled out the photo carefully.

She would just sneak a peek to take a look at just who the girl Second Uncle liked was——

It was successfully pulled out.

Tang You finally got a proper look.

In the photo was a girl with a ponytail dressed in fluffy pyjamas, sitting on a blanket and smiling at the camera.

Shockingly, it was herself. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

The author has something to say:

Sorry, it’s late again. QAQ

Although I understand that everyone wants some action, but don’t be so anxious.

Although Second Uncle is very scheming, he can actually restrain his desire out of respect for Youyou.

He will not go against Youyou’s will and force her!

At first, he thought that Youyou was his eldest brother’s adopted daughter, and Youyou showed the behaviour of “seducing him”, even if he was a little moved, he did not attack, but sensibly declined and “taught” her.

Youyou said she did not like being deceived, so he stopped deceiving her with a fake identity; Youyou liked being able to choose her own love, so he stopped the old man from interfering… 

The two’s first time will be very gentle and harmonious, otherwise, with the mismatch in hardware coupled with the psychological discomfort, Youyou will be much in pain. I love her very much, and I can’t bear for that to happen. 

Moreover, Second Uncle is older, and will be more tolerant of Youyou’s thoughts and opinions, and would guide her patiently.

As compensation for the late update, here’s a tiny little scene:

On a certain day after they got married, Youyou accused Second Uncle, “As an elder, you don’t know how to lead by example at all. You should be more decent and set a good example to the younger generation…”

Before she had finished speaking, Xiao Zexing didn’t say a word, hugged her, spread her legs, and made her straddle him.

Youyou was so frightened that her legs went limp; she pressed her hands against his chest, “What are you doing?”

Xiao Zexing kissed her on the cheek and guided her, “Good Youyou, let me demonstrate to you, what it is to lead by example*.” 

*T/N: the pun here is lost in translation. The term Youyou uses is 以身坐则, which means lead by example in meaning, but literally translated as “using your body to sit on Ze”, the Ze here being the same character as Zexing’s Ze. So, he is about to show Youyou what it’s like to “using her body to sit on Ze”…