After the White Lotus Fell of the Horse - Chapter 31
Xiao Zexing and Tang You's handshake lasted only for a moment.
His body temperature was slightly higher, and his palm was large enough to almost engulf her entire hand in his.
Fortunately, he let go quickly.
In front of Meng Yuan and Ah Mai, Tang You felt her scalp tingle. Her polite smile was almost impossible to maintain, so she turned around stiffly and sat down properly.
As she sat down, Tang You couldn’t help but adjust her dress awkwardly.
Suddenly, she regretted wearing such a short skirt.
For some unknown reason, in front of Xiao Zexing, Tang You felt like a teenager caught up in puppy love despite never having a crush in her life.
Meng Yuan, unaware of the undercurrent between the two, smiled and began asking Tang You multiple questions.
Thankfully, Tang You had prepared answers to all the questions and responded honestly.
Ah Mai had been listening on the side, and his heightened sensitivity made him realize that something was off.
Ah Mai had a limited social circle; her daily life consisted of staying home and taking photographs. Apart from shooting and editing, she was indifferent to everything else. She didn't know Xiao Zexing, and she had no idea about the conflict between him and Tang You. She simply thought that this man was handsome.
If they weren't discussing serious matters at that very moment, Ah Mai might have considered capturing this man’s beauty on camera.
As Ah Mai continued to observe while appreciating his beauty, she noticed that Xiao Zexing's gaze was hardly leaving Tang You.
At one point, Tang You made a small mistake in her words and quickly corrected herself. Xiao Zexing chuckled at her slip-up, and a faint dimple appeared on his cheek.
Ah Mai was utterly dumbfounded.
In a daze, Xiao Zexing glanced at him, his smile unchanged. However, his gaze shifted slightly, losing the gentleness he had when looking at Tang You.
Startled, Ah Mai quickly lowered her head, not saying a word.
Beside him, Tang You was still trying her best to ignore Xiao Zexing.
After Meng Yuan finished asking his questions, he grinned and said, "Miss Tang, regarding your proposal, we need to discuss it internally in our company. If everything goes as planned, we'll provide you with a response next Monday."
Tang You stood up and beamed gratefully. "Thank you."
They shook hands to bid farewell. When it was Xiao Zexing's turn, he shook her hand calmly and gracefully.
Ever since the formal meeting, Xiao Zexing had remained silent. At this moment, he finally spoke up. "I'm very interested in Miss Tang's proposal. Would it be convenient to arrange another meeting to discuss it further?"
Meng Yuan, who had been smiling all along, sensed a subtle shift.
He couldn't help but raise his head to look at Xiao Zexing.
Xiao Zexing held about 13% of Hua Lun Entertainment's shares, making him the second-largest shareholder. However, he rarely visited the company. His sudden appearance today for an inspection had already surprised Meng Yuan, not to mention his specific interest in Tang You's proposal.
Perhaps it was due to a strict family upbringing, but the members of the Xiao family were generally free from rumors of romantic involvement or other scandals. With what Meng Yuan wished to know, this was the information available to him.
Xiao Zexing's reputation for integrity was also well known. In a previous instance, someone had tried to set him up, but that attempt ended up being a total failure.
Meng Yuan understood what was happening and glanced at Tang You.
Her appearance was truly outstanding.
No wonder Xiao Zexing was moved.
Tang You held the handle of her bag tightly.
Asking her if she had any private time right in front of Meng Yuan seemed a bit too audacious for Xiao Zexing, right? After all, it was through Huo Xunan’s referral. Tang You maintained a polite smile and responded, "I do have some free time next weekend."
Xiao Zexing flashed a pleasant smile. "Then, let's arrange to discuss it another day."
"Alright." With a promise in place, Tang You felt a bit dazed even as she got into the car.
Ah Mai asked with caution, "Youyou, are you acquainted with Mr. Xiao?"
It was as if a battle had just ended. Tang You slumped into the back seat of the car as she removed her high heels. "He’s the uncle of my ex-fiancé."
Ah Mai was surprised by this answer and let out a short "Ah."
Still puzzled, Ah Mai continued, "But the way he was looking at you… Well, it didn't seem like how an elder would look at a junior."
Tang You, feeling a bit worn out, asked, "Then, what did it seem like to you?"
Ah Mai thought for a while before answering earnestly, "Let me give you an example. My favorite things to eat are cream puffs and milk beer. The way Xiao Zexing was looking at you is like how I'd look at a tray of freshly baked cream puffs or a fridge full of milk beer."
Tang You sat up abruptly, staring at Ah Mai. "What do you think my gaze toward Xiao Zexing was like?"
Ah Mai was very straightforward. "It's kind of like how you look at hotpot."
Hotpot was only third on Tang You's list of favorite foods.
Tang You couldn't understand, and while she was pondering over this, another message from Xiao Zexing arrived.
She held her phone and lay on the back seat of the car, feeling a bit hesitant to look.
What if that old fox teased her again? What would she do?
Tang You could almost imagine the kind of things the old fox would say.
He would probably mock her for being so fierce in her text messages but timid in person when shaking his hand.
Hmph.
Tang You remained glued to the back seat of the car, and she stared at the blinking indicator lights for a long time before picking up her phone with heavy reluctance.
If the old fox said anything strange, she would immediately block his contact without hesitation.
Tang You unlocked her phone.
Xiao Zexing: Don't worry about the studio. I was feeling unwell yesterday and couldn't help you immediately. Sorry.
Xiao Zexing: I've already hired a lawyer for you. Don't pay attention to the things being said online.
Xiao Zexing: I’ll be on a business trip for about a month due to work. I won't be able to jog with Huhu for a while. Sorry.
Tang You stared at the screen for a long time.
There were three messages, and he had apologized twice.
Tang You's focus was on the words "feeling unwell."
Was Xiao Zexing sick?
He seemed perfectly fine that day and the day before.
Before she could come up with any reasoning, Xiao Zexing's call came.
This time, she didn't hesitate.
Tang You answered the call. "Uncle Xiao?"
The way she addressed him had reverted.
Ah Mai, sitting in the front, perked up his ears and listened carefully.
Xiao Zexing didn't correct her at this moment: "Feeling better now?"
"Okay," Tang You snorted, lifted her legs, and continued in a lazy demeanor, "I just didn't expect you to have a day when you'd be humbling yourself."
On the other end, it was very quiet, and she could even hear footsteps.
She could hear someone greet him though it was faint. "Mr. Xiao."
He chuckled. "Didn't I apologize yesterday? You didn't respond."
Tang You racked her brain. "Really? When did you apologize? Did you send me a message?"
"On WeChat. Didn't you see it?"
Tang You was certain that she hadn't received an apology on WeChat.
She opened her chat history, scrolled through it, and found nothing. "You're lying. At least try to make it believable. I didn't receive anything from you."
To be more convincing, Tang You even snapped a screenshot and sent it to him as evidence of her innocence.
After about ten seconds of waiting, Xiao Zexing suddenly asked, "Yesterday morning, was it Jiang Chenting who picked you up and brought you home?"
Tang You felt suspicious. "Yes, what's the matter? Are you going to suggest my brother interfered with the signal?"
"Not at all." Xiao Zexing chuckled. "It’s just a casual question."
"If there's nothing else, then I'll hang up. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After ending the call, Tang You caught Ah Mai staring at her with a strange look. Unable to resist, she reached out and touched her face, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Ah Mai paused for a moment and continued, "I just have this premonition that you and your uncle are heading down the path of deceiving teachers, betraying ancestors, and acting against righteousness."
Ah Mai's premonitions were often accurate.
Last time, he had a premonition about Tang You's cactus’ inability to survive for three months, and indeed, in the third month, the cactus died due to excessive watering.
Tang You's hand trembled in shock. "We're not blood-related. You don't have to make it sound so horrifying."
Besides, she wouldn't marry him.
Tang You silently made a conjecture in her mind.
If Xiao Zexing really proposed to marry her, Xiao's old man would probably direct his rage at him and yell at him for being shameless since the situation was like robbing the cradle and then proceed to give him a good beating.
The old man would definitely be the first to disagree.
The incident of Cherry Xiao Xuemei1 tearing Yuko apart had reached its peak on the second day after it erupted.
Yuko herself hadn't responded to any of it, but the marketing accounts under "Turtle Culture" were busy tweeting every day. Just as they were beginning to establish a rhythm and hadn't even had the chance to enjoy the fruits of their victory, a piece of news landed on them like a bombshell.
The contract between Cherry Xiao Xuemei2 and S&C had been terminated.
Right before receiving this news, Cherry Xiao Xuemei3 had just posted a new update on her social media account, telling everyone that she was happily going to class.
With over a million followers, she had deliberately cultivated the image of a top student. Coupled with the fact that the school was mainly focused on the science and engineering sector and that there were more male students than females, Cherry Xiao Xuemei4 had always attracted a lot of attention.
In these few days, the situation between her and Yuko had also been a hot topic by the company. Although it hadn't lasted long, it still earned Cherry Xiao Xuemei5 quite a bit of attention.
On her way to class, she could clearly feel that many people were watching her.
Plopping onto her seat, Cherry Xiao Xuemei6 opened her book. She hadn't even flipped through a few pages when her phone rang.
It was S&C calling.
The classmates nearby noticed and teased, "Could it be that S&C is noticing your popularity now and wants you to be their brand ambassador?"
"How could that be?" Cherry Xiao Xuemei7 replied in a sweet tone, "They usually don't go for internet celebrities. Song Yu is an exception."
However, what if they did?
Cherry Xiao Xuemei8 was thinking with glee that perhaps the people at S&C had noticed her recent surge in popularity.
With the classroom full of people and the overwhelming bustling noise, she walked out and went to the stairwell to take the call.
Cherry Xiao Xuemei9 answered cheerfully, "Hello."
"Is this Miss Ying?" On the other end, the voice sounded somewhat mechanical and devoid of human emotion. "Because you violated our contract by prematurely announcing the unreleased products online, according to the terms of the contract, our agreement is hereby terminated. Additionally, you will need to compensate us for the breach of contract, totaling…"
Cherry Xiao Xuemei10 was dumbfounded and hurriedly interrupted, "But I didn't leak anything!"
"On your live broadcast in the month of X, you filmed our unreleased products. This is a severe breach of contract."
Cherry Xiao Xuemei11 panicked. "I didn't do it on purpose."
The person on the other end didn't listen to her explanation and simply notified her once again before hanging up.
Xu Mao issued a statement, and there was no room for negotiation.
Cherry Xiao Xuemei12 was at a loss.
Her fingers trembled as she attempted to dial the same number again. She managed to get the call through twice, but the response on the other end was identical.
They were absolutely resolute.
Class was about to start, so she had no choice but to return to the classroom.
Her classmates were still teasing her. "What's up, big future star?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she remained seated in a daze.
The opportunity with S&C was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It was a good chance for her to rise, but now, it had been snatched away.
How could this happen all of a sudden?
What made Cherry Xiao Xuemei13 even more anxious and uneasy was that an hour later, S&C released a new promotional poster.
In the new poster, her figure was nowhere to be found.
Cherry Xiao Xuemei’s14 classmates had been waiting for the S&C official account's post, ready to enthusiastically inform her. However, what they found was that she was nowhere to be seen on the poster.
Under the Weibo post were related articles from a marketing account, and they clicked on them to read.
They analyzed the reasons for the termination of the contract between S&C and Cherry Xiao Xuemei15…
The classmates were stunned and put their phones away discreetly as they looked at Cherry Xiao Xuemei16. She silently shoved her textbooks into her bag and stood up to leave.
This time, Turtle Culture, the company Cherry Xiao Xuemei17 was signed, was also dumbfounded.
The promotional articles were all prepared. They were waiting for S&C to release the poster, and once that would happen, they were ready to swarm in, forward, comment, and take the opportunity to stomp on Yuko once more.
Now, the poster was out, but there was no sign of Cherry Xiao Xuemei18 at all!
Instead, the news about Cherry Xiao Xuemei19 being dropped by S&C due to contract violations spread widely.
Misfortunes never came alone. Several major accounts under Turtle Culture started to crash and get banned. They were in a panic. Since they didn’t handle that well, they received a number of legal letters because some of the "original articles" published by a few accounts were actually copied and pasted, and several original authors were no longer willing to tolerate it, therefore joining forces to file a lawsuit.
Even Yuko, who humiliated and brought Cherry Xiao Xuemei20 to her demise, had her account completely banned in this "battle."
However, the poster of Yuko that was released immediately caught people's attention.
A custom-made S&C mask covered half of her face, leaving only her bright eyes exposed.
With such beautiful eyes, how ugly could the person herself be?
Even if it was about her face, her figure was also quite remarkable.
S&C released a short video clip showing Yuko standing next to Hua Jiuxiang. Her waist was so slender, a delicate willow as if it could snap with just a touch. She was incredibly gentle and beautiful.
Perhaps Cherry Xiao Xuemei21 had intentionally used Yuko's fame to increase her own, and now, it backfired.
Well, the show was just beginning. Now that the first step was done, it was time for the second one.
There was no need to wait for any twists. After all, Miss Yuko had a great figure…
…
In the midst of all this, the person in question, Yuko, only retweeted S&C's Weibo post on the day the poster was released and didn't go online the rest of the time.
Even her outfit updates were temporarily suspended.
Tang You had been busy with the affairs of her personal studio.
Meng Yuan quickly responded, stating that Hualun would provide the necessary platform.
Despite Yang Mingwei's assistance, Tang You still found herself with a bit of a headache. They had just submitted the registration application and were awaiting approval.
Jiang Chenting's project, which he was in charge of, suddenly encountered issues. Their plans to hang out were now canceled.
"Tang Tang, I'm really sorry about this time." Jiang Chenting's voice was heavy with fatigue. "Can you wait until I'm done with this busy period before we catch up?"
"It's okay." Tang You was completely unfazed. "You should focus on your work instead."
Even if Jiang Chenting had time now, Tang You wasn't really interested in going out to play anymore.
The preparations for her personal studio had completely depleted her entire being.
As summer swiftly went by and the beginning of autumn arrived, people around her began wearing thick coats.
The French plane trees along the green avenues had turned a rich shade of yellow, their leaves falling to the ground after a bout of autumn rain.
Since Xiao Zexing had left, the two of them hadn't contacted each other again.
His name continued to lie quietly in her contacts.
However, Miao Jiaxi couldn't resist her hobby of gossiping and asked Tang You about her true thoughts.
Tang You held a bottle of milk beer and shook it. "I think I’m just infatuated with Xiao Zexing's face and body."
There was no need to mention his face; he perfectly matched her aesthetic criteria.
Tang You had a thing for men in formal wear, and Xiao Zexing looked particularly dashing in suits and shirts.
He exuded a strong sense of masculinity.
His physique was also excellent, but he was just too tall, which made it a bit tiring to talk to him.
Miao Jiaxi asked curiously, "How did you come to this conclusion?"
It was because Tang You had dreamed every possible dream related to Xiao Zexing, all of which would get locked if she wrote them down, never to see the light of day.
Of course, she couldn't directly tell Miao Jiaxi that, so Tang You analyzed earnestly, "You see, during the time he was absent, I hardly thought about him. After all, it's only been a little over two months since I met Xiao Zexing. If we remove that month without any contact, the time we really spent together added up to probably just a few days.”
Miao Jiaxi disagreed with her perspective. "Shakespeare once said that the length of time you spend together has no direct connection to love. When you fall in love with someone's body, it also means you'll quickly fall in love with their soul."
Tang You took a sip of her milk beer and stared at her skeptically. "Did you make up the second half of that quote?"
Miao Jiaxi smiled. "No, I made up the whole sentence."
"Woof!”
Early in the morning, Tang You heard Tang Huhu's lively, excited barking.
Tang Huhu had never barked like this before.
Tang You was extremely sleepy. She stroked Tang Huhu's neck as it nudged her, and she ruffled her face against its fur. "Good girl. Let me sleep a while longer, just a little while…”
Little did she know, Tang Huhu tugged her blanket from her body, bit onto the corner of her clothes, and pulled downwards while its tail wagged wildly.
Tang You had no choice but to stifle her yawns and follow Tang Huhu downstairs, still in her pajamas.
Since Meng Yunqiu never invited guests to her home, there wasn't much to be exposed about her pajamas.
As Tang You followed Tang Huhu absentmindedly, she caught sight of Xiao Zexing.
He wore a light gray shirt without a tie and a black trench coat over his casual attire. It was rare to see him without a suit.
His hair seemed to have been recently trimmed. It was even shorter than when he left.
Even without formal wear, that air of nobility about him was still unfaltering.
It was as if he had only been away for a few days.
Tang You instantly came to her senses.
Xiao Zexing was focused on looking at the painting on the wall.
The painting had just been hung up last night, seemingly bought at a high price by Meng Yunqiu.
She hadn't taken a good look at it yet.
Tang You couldn't help but lean closer. Unexpectedly, Xiao Zexing took two steps back, accidentally bumping into her nose. Tang You winced in pain as she covered her nose.
Xiao Zexing turned around and lowered his head to look at her. "Tang Tang? Sorry, you're quite short. I didn't notice you."
Wait a minute, is he speaking human?
She was a normal adult woman with a height of 162cm. How did she become "quite short" in his eyes?
Tang You rubbed her forehead and retorted indignantly, "What's wrong with being short? It's not like I'm eating your family's big—"
At this point, she stopped.
No, she had indeed been eating their food.
She had eaten several times.
Tang You quickly changed her phrasing. "I might be short, but I won't burden the earth. With your height, what's the use? Are you a giraffe? Does it feel easier to reach the leaves?”
Xiao Zexing chuckled, revealing his shallow dimples. "Why are you so fired up? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Tang You huffed. "It's just morning crankiness."
Finally releasing Tang You's pajamas, Tang Huhu ran over, wagging its tail and excitedly rubbing its head against Xiao Zexing's leg as it made enthusiastic noises.
Tang You finally understood why Tang Huhu had been disturbing her earlier.
Tang Huhu had been bribed by this old fox!
What a cunning old freak, coaxing Huhu with taking her on a run just to win her heart.
Tang You sat on a nearby chair, poured herself a glass of milk, and tried to calm her anger.
Xiao Zexing bent down and patted Tang Huhu's head. "Good Huhu, do you miss Daddy?"
Daddy?
Was he going to take advantage of her even in terms of addressing him?
Tang You remained seated on the chair. Hearing Xiao Zexing shamelessly refer to himself as "Daddy," she immediately slammed her glass down. She slightly bent over and leaned forward as she opened her arms towards Tang Huhu, her face stern. "Huhu, come here."
Responding to the call of its master, Tang Huhu reluctantly circled around Xiao Zexing twice before finally walking over to Tang You's side and obediently squatted down.
Tang You pointed at Xiao Zexing, her expression serious as she instructed her dog, "That's your second grandfather. Go on, call him Second Grandpa."
…
Tang Huhu obediently squatted and barked. “Woof!"
Xiao Zexing rubbed his temples and chuckled. "Didn't we agree you'd call me Zexing-ge?"
Tang You held her milk and stared at the ripples inside it. She was unwilling to admit it. "When did we agree on that? I don't remember."
Upon seeing how she was pouting, Xiao Zexing didn't push it further. He walked a few steps closer to Tang Huhu and stroked its neck a few times.
Tang Huhu’s tail began to wag like crazy.
Seeing Tang You yawn again, Xiao Zexing asked, “Are you worn out from work recently?”
Troll22 Tang You replied, “Are there any jobs that aren’t tiring? Only those who live off of their parents can have it easy; for me, there are no parents to live off of.”
She’d just finished speaking before Xiao Zexing was calmly standing before her with an outreached arm.
He had a large frame and sturdy wrists with faint veins protruding beneath his skin.
His black trench coat revealed a glimpse of his white shirt underneath.
Tang You was taken aback by his actions.
What? Was this old freak interested in her pajamas again?
Was he planning to secretly touch the tail and ears of her pajamas?
Instinctively, she covered the long tail on her pajamas, clutching it in her hand, and looked at him warily. "What are you doing?"
"You just called me ‘old’ a moment ago, didn't you?" Xiao Zexing lowered his gaze to look at her, smiling gently. "You said I'm old enough for you to leech off me."
Hmph, this man was always twisting her words to tease her.
Tang You turned her head away in refusal. "No, thanks. You're too old. I'm afraid you'd be hard to chew."
Coincidentally, Meng Yunqiu appeared, and she witnessed the scene. She greeted Xiao Zexing as she walked by. "Aunt Meng."
Meng Yunqiu's gaze moved from Tang You's pouty face to Xiao Zexing. She flashed a knowing smile. "Oh, by the way, Tang Tang, weren't you learning to swim recently?"
Indeed, Tang You had been practicing swimming, trying to overcome her psychological barriers.
Last time, she declined Huo Xunan's invitation, earnestly explaining her current situation. Huo Xunan, however, didn't seem to mind. He smiled and told her that there was still a month and a half before shooting the promotional song, so she had plenty of time to practice.
If necessary, they could even consider changing the lead.
Tang You wanted to continue trying before the deadline arrived.
Tang You could almost guess what Meng Yunqiu was about to say next, so she quickly interjected, "I can manage on my own."
Xiao Zexing's voice was calm. "Coincidentally, I'm free today. I can accompany Tang Tang in practice."
Tang You shot him an angry look.
Did he want to accompany her in swimming practice, or was he referring to another sort of practice?
Meng Yunqiu had finished breakfast and was about to leave for work. She picked up her handbag and decided, "That's good then. Tang Tang could use some company."
No, no, no.
She'd rather have no company.
As soon as Meng Yunqiu left, Tang You put down her glass and pitter-pattered up the stairs.
She lay on her bed and took a quick nap. After she woke up, she changed into her swimsuit and headed downstairs only to find Xiao Zexing still sitting in the same spot, engrossed in a book. She was taken aback upon seeing him.
Tang You raised her chin defiantly. "I don't want you to teach me."
Xiao Zexing put down the book, unruffled. "Only children act impulsively."
Tang You retorted, "And only old men think acting impulsively is a flaw. Haven't you heard? Youthful impetuosity is a good thing!"
Xiao Zexing glanced at her puffed-up cheeks and guffawed. "You're absolutely right. I apologize for my shallowness."
She seemed to be getting angry so easily, like an annoyed pufferfish.
Xiao Zexing continued, "I swear on my life. I’ll never go against your wishes to bully you, okay?"
Tang You remained cautious and wary as she asked, "Whose life are you swearing on?"
"Mine."
Tang You stared at him for a while before huffing. "Forget it. You're not even swearing seriously enough."
Xiao Zexing grinned as he gazed at her. "Then, Tang Tang, what would be considered serious enough?"
Tang You thought for a moment, "Okay, swear that if you dare touch me, you'll live your whole life alone without ever finding a wife or having children!"
She didn't want to add more malicious vows, so she settled for this compromise.
"Alright." Xiao Zexing chuckled. "If I dare make a move on you during your swimming session, I’ll live my life alone.”
Tang You reluctantly agreed, "Fine."
Having learned from past experiences, Tang You refused to go to Xiao Zexing's house again. She insisted on using the indoor pool at Meng Yunqiu's place that had servants stationed outside and cameras for added security.
Tang Huhu was still squatting nearby.
However, her foolish son had already been successfully swayed by Xiao Zexing, and his combat effectiveness could be ignored.
Tang You didn't trust Xiao Zexing to make a move on her here.
She cautiously stood in the shallow water, trying to force herself to adapt as soon as possible. She took a careful breath and tentatively submerged her face in the water.
By the poolside, Xiao Zexing, who was seated in a chair, spoke up, "Tang Tang, your friend, Miao Jiaxi, sent you a text message."
He had placed her phone on the small table beside him, concerned that it might be urgent.
Tang You covered her chest.
Miao Jiaxi was likely contacting her about their thesis.
They had been losing clumps of hair while working on their paper.
Their group with Ah Mai was now named the "Bald Millionaires Club."
Tang You lifted her face from the water; her hair still damp as were her hands.
She gently wiped her face.
Unable to go over herself, she asked, "The lock screen password is four zeros. Can you check what Jiajia said?"
Xiao Zexing picked up the phone, read the contents, and chuckled. "Do you want me to read it to you?"
"Of course!"
"Are you sure?"
Tang You slapped the water surface heavily, clearly annoyed. "Why are you teasing me?”
Xiao Zexing sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright."
Wait a second.
Tang You looked at his behavior and suddenly had an ominous feeling.
Xiao Zexing lowered his gaze and slowly began to read, "The sweetest and cutest Huangxinyouyou in the world, please send me the same naughty pictures I sent you last time. My browser crashed."
"By the way, did Huangxinyou successfully sleep with Xiao Zexing today?"