When he reached the private room door, Xia Zichen had just raised his hand to push it open when he heard An Jing ask in surprise, “You’re saying you brought Lian Fei’er home to meet your parents?!”
Xia Zichen instinctively stopped and withdrew his hand. When he had gone out earlier, the door hadn’t been fully shut. Combined with how quiet the hallway was, it was easy to hear their conversation.
“Mm. This trip to Hong Kong was with her too,” Shen Yicheng said frankly.
“I didn’t expect you two to actually work out.” An Jing’s voice carried a faint chill.
“You heard it last time on YY, didn’t you?” Shen Yicheng clearly hadn’t forgotten An Jing entering the wrong voice channel.
“At the time, I didn’t think you’d bring her home to meet your parents.”
Shen Yicheng let out a breath. “Back when I first got together with her, I didn’t think much about it. I just thought she was pretty and considerate. It was kind of fun when she acted spoiled once in a while. But in the end, it was just a game, and we didn’t really know each other well. Later, after spending more time together, I felt she was actually pretty good. She’s bad at the game, but in real life she’s fairly ladylike and well-mannered too.”
“You could say this is fate. Her family is in real estate, very well-off, and she knows how to present herself. Coincidentally, my dad had already wanted to cooperate with her family in business, but he had some concerns. Later, when he found out we were dating, he felt more at ease discussing the deal. To reassure both sides, our families had dinner together during New Year.”
Shen Yicheng took a sip of coffee and continued, “You guys know a bit about my family situation. In the future, marriage for me will most likely be about an arranged alliance. So Fei’er and I are considered well-matched. Cooperation between our families benefits everyone, so for now, things are basically settled.”
Hearing Shen Yicheng’s words, Tang Hui frowned. “Then what exactly do you like about her?”
Shen Yicheng smiled faintly. “I can’t really say. I just feel we’re compatible in every way. Honestly, it’s not bad. Compared to someone introduced by my family, I’d rather meet someone on my own…”
Just as Shen Yicheng finished speaking, Xia Zichen pushed the door open and walked in.
Xia Zichen wasn’t surprised that Shen Yicheng would marry for alliance. Many business families did this to strengthen their position. Still, he had once thought Shen Yicheng would at least fight for his own choice, since not many young people nowadays liked following old traditions.
But clearly, Shen Yicheng wasn’t like that.
Perhaps he had naturally met Lian Fei’er, and her family background happened to be suitable, so he naturally accepted everything. Compared to those forced into marriage, Shen Yicheng’s situation was undoubtedly much better.
There was no such fate between him and Shen Yicheng, so he had let go early.
As for Shen Yicheng and Lian Fei’er becoming official, Xia Zichen felt nothing special. He was calm—almost cold. When Shen Yicheng got married one day, he would sincerely give his blessing.
“Zichen…” Seeing him walk in, Shen Yicheng’s expression tightened. He seemed to regret not ending the topic sooner.
“I heard everything. This time, congratulations for real. Love in real life is more reliable than love in a game.”
To Xia Zichen, marriage in a game was only a virtual formality with no real meaning, so his earlier congratulations had simply been courtesy. Now that they had gone from game to reality, regardless of how Shen Yicheng once insisted online relationships weren’t real, Xia Zichen felt he should sincerely bless them.
Just as Shen Yicheng himself had said—perhaps this was fate between him and Lian Fei’er.
Shen Yicheng looked at Xia Zichen seriously. After a moment of silence, he said, “I’ll introduce you to her sometime. Her real name is Fan Jiayue.”
“Mm.” Xia Zichen nodded, sat back at the mahjong table, and reorganized the tiles he had set aside.
An Jing and Tang Hui said nothing more. Shen Yicheng changed the subject, and the four continued playing mahjong.
About fifteen minutes later, someone knocked three times on the door.
“Come in,” Shen Yicheng responded.
The door opened, and a well-dressed man in a suit walked in with a polite smile. “Sorry to interrupt. May I ask which one is Mr. Xia?”
All four were stunned for a moment.
Xia Zichen stood up. “I am.”
“Hello. I’m the food and beverage manager of Linyao Club. Mr. Gu asked me to deliver afternoon tea to you. These were all freshly prepared, so some may still be hot—please enjoy carefully.”
He lightly gestured behind him, and seven or eight servers entered. In no time, snacks and drinks covered the tea table.
“I won’t disturb you any longer. If you need anything, please let us know. Mr. Gu said afternoon tea is charged to his account, so feel free to enjoy.”
After speaking, the manager left with a smile and closed the door behind him. His service was polite without being overly attentive—perfectly measured.
Being addressed so formally made Xia Zichen frown. Looking at the tea table nearly overflowing with food, he felt helpless.
Even if all four of them ate together, they couldn’t finish this much.
“What Mr. Gu?” Shen Yicheng broke the silence first.
“A friend,” Xia Zichen said lightly.
“What kind of friend sends this much food?” Shen Yicheng clearly wasn’t satisfied with such a vague answer. Even he wouldn’t send Xia Zichen an entire table of desserts for no reason.
But Xia Zichen didn’t want to explain further.
At that moment, An Jing suddenly spoke.
“Could it be that guy who treated us to cake last time?”
Noticing Xia Zichen didn’t want to say much, and also knowing who this “Mr. Gu” was, An Jing smiled and explained for him.
“That Mr. Gu is the older brother from Xiao Chenchen’s childhood neighbor’s family. He only recently came back from overseas. Last time he treated both me and Xiao Chenchen to cake.”
Though he also didn’t understand why Gu Xu had sent so much food, that was something he could ask privately. There was no need for Shen Yicheng to know too much.
Besides, Shen Yicheng and Gu Xu… there was really no comparison.
Shen Yicheng nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. “As long as he’s someone you know. Don’t accept things from strangers.”
Xia Zichen said nothing.
He picked hot cocoa from the many drinks and selected several desserts that didn’t look too sweet before returning to his seat to continue playing mahjong.
An Jing also picked some snacks. The iced cola naturally went to Tang Hui. Shen Yicheng didn’t touch any of the food and continued drinking his coffee.
By the time they left the club, it was completely dark.
When they reached the lobby downstairs, the food and beverage manager stopped Xia Zichen again.
“This is from Mr. Gu. He asked me to give it to you to take home.”
As he spoke, he handed Xia Zichen a four-tier wooden food box.
“Desserts?” Xia Zichen had no chance to refuse. He knew that even if he declined, this man would find some way to force it into his hands.
“No, dinner,” the manager explained. “You can also have it as a late-night meal.”
“Alright, thank you.” Xia Zichen politely thanked him. “If he’s still upstairs, please thank him for me.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll pass it on to Mr. Gu.” The manager smiled and made a welcoming gesture. “A taxi has already been arranged for you, and the fare has been paid. Mr. Gu said it’s cold tonight, so head home early.”
Behind him, Shen Yicheng had just finished paying, his expression noticeably unpleasant.
An Jing pressed his lips together, seemingly trying not to laugh. Tang Hui, though confused, could still sense something going on.
“Alright, Xiao Chenchen, head home first. It’s late—Uncle will worry.” An Jing patted his shoulder and whispered into his ear, “I’ll call you later.”
“Mm.” Xia Zichen wasn’t hungry at all, but the food was still warm, so he could bring it home for his father.
“Then I’ll go first. Yicheng-ge, Hui-ge, I’m leaving.”
“Okay. Be careful on the way,” Tang Hui said.
“If anything happens, call me.” Shen Yicheng also nodded slightly, saying nothing more.
Xia Zichen smiled at An Jing and said, “I’m leaving.”
Then, escorted by the manager, he walked out of the club and got into the taxi.
—
When Xia Yuze got home, he immediately saw the food box on the table, still giving off warmth.
Xia Zichen had just finished showering. Wearing pajamas, he stepped out of the bathroom and smiled happily when he saw his father.
“Dad, you’re back?”
“Mm.” Xia Yuze took off his coat. “You bought takeout?”
The words Linyao Club were clearly written on the food box.
Xia Yuze naturally knew what kind of place that was, but based on what he knew, Xia Zichen wouldn’t normally buy such an expensive meal to bring home. Given their financial situation, it was still rather extravagant.
“We hung out there today. A friend treated us. Since nobody was hungry tonight and we were worried there’d be nothing to eat at home, we got takeout.”
Xia Zichen made up a lie.
It wasn’t that he truly wanted to deceive Xia Yuze; it was just difficult to explain. He figured he could explain later if necessary.
“Mm.” Xia Yuze responded, accepting the explanation. “Still, this is too much food.”
Xia Zichen smiled. This wasn’t something he had controlled.
“Dad, have you eaten dinner yet?” Xia Yuze had come home earlier than expected.
“Not yet. I thought it was still early, so I planned to cook after getting back.”
“Perfect. Eat while it’s hot.”
Xia Zichen walked to the dining table and opened the food box.
He had returned quickly, and the box kept heat very well, so everything was still warm.
But the moment he looked inside, even Xia Zichen—who had claimed this was just food from friends—was speechless.
The top layer held four cold dishes.
The second and third layers contained eight hot dishes.
The bottom layer had rice, soup, and dessert.
Not only was this too much for two people to finish, one of the hot dishes was braised sea cucumber…
This clearly wasn’t the kind of food people ordered casually after hanging out.
Xia Zichen had assumed it would be three dishes and rice.
He hadn’t expected such a luxurious spread.
Xia Yuze also found it strange.
Each dish was separated in wooden compartments, so flavors wouldn’t mix, and portions were generous. Based on Xia Zichen’s usual eating habits, this was definitely far too extravagant.
Xia Zichen tugged at the corner of his mouth. “They said it was a set meal. I didn’t really check what was included.”
Xia Yuze looked at his awkward son and smiled, shaking his head.
“Check the menu next time. Even if someone else is treating, you shouldn’t let them spend too much.”
He knew very well Xia Zichen hadn’t told him the truth.
But since his son hadn’t said it openly, it was probably something difficult to talk about. He could wait until Xia Zichen wanted to confess.
“Mm.”
Xia Zichen went to the kitchen to get chopsticks, quietly wondering if the next time he saw Gu Xu, he should pay him back.
Otherwise, this favor would be far too big.
After washing his hands, Xia Yuze took the chopsticks and began eating slowly.
Xia Zichen sat across from him, chatting idly as he kept him company.
But in his mind, Gu Xu’s image kept surfacing again and again.
It lingered, impossible to shake away.