Zong Xuan had no idea what Xu Tang liked to eat, so he asked the chef to prepare a little bit of everything.
By the time Xu Tang finished greeting everyone and came back, Zong Xuan had already piled five plates full of food for him.
“Sit down and eat,” Zong Xuan said.
He poured himself a glass of red wine and sat at the small table, sipping it leisurely. Then, with absolutely no sense of practicing what he preached, he held his wineglass and said in a completely unconvincing tone, “Don’t drink on an empty stomach. It’s bad for you.”
Xu Tang sat across from him and looked at the wineglass in his hand.
Zong Xuan smiled and said shamelessly, “That’s an adult privilege. You’re still young, so just eat.”
Xu Tang picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of tofu-skin sushi he liked, and said softly, “I’m an adult.”
Zong Xuan raised a brow, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
“If I remember correctly, I haven’t taken your virginity yet.”
Xu Tang’s face instantly turned red enough to drip blood. He lowered his head and stopped talking.
That sudden dirty joke completely caught him off guard.
Zong Xuan badly wanted to burst out laughing, but the setting was inappropriate, so he could only suppress his amusement with a sip of wine.
Many of the things Zong Xuan had picked out were foods Xu Tang liked.
And since he really was a little hungry, he ate with full concentration.
Seeing the look of satisfaction on Xu Tang’s face, Zong Xuan suddenly felt hungry too. But he was too lazy to get up and fetch utensils, so he leaned forward a little and said, “Give me a bite.”
Xu Tang looked at him leaning closer and stammered, “W-What do you want to eat?”
“Anything.”
He wasn’t picky anyway.
Xu Tang had already used his chopsticks, so he felt embarrassed feeding Zong Xuan with them. He picked up a knife and fork instead, cut off a piece of lamb chop, and brought it to his lips.
Zong Xuan happily ate the lamb.
For some reason, the piece this little thing cut for him seemed extra tender.
This scene was witnessed just as the Xu family entered.
Xu Zhou felt fairly satisfied.
At least Zong Xuan had stayed with his younger brother instead of abandoning Xu Tang to socialize alone. That alone earned him a passing grade.
Seeing his parents and older brother arrive, Xu Tang quickly put down his utensils and stood to greet them. Zong Xuan followed.
Regarding the matter with Yu Lun, both Xu Baijun and Xu Zhou had deliberately stayed out of it early on.
They felt it was necessary to let Xu Tang handle problems himself and gain some experience.
Only later, after Kang Duo released the video, did they step in to arrange PR work so the matter could be resolved quickly.
Overall, they were very satisfied with how the situation had been handled.
Jiang Jie took Su Ling’s hand and smiled.
“What took you so long? We’ve been waiting.”
“There was traffic,” Su Ling said with a smile.
Jiang Jie came from high society. Her family background was excellent, and she had made a name for herself in fashion early on.
Su Ling was also deeply involved in fashion.
The two had worked together several times and maintained a close relationship. The collaboration between the two families was closely tied to their friendship.
“Look—this necklace Tang Tang gave me.”
Jiang Jie normally wasn’t the type of woman to get excited over material things.
But because this was from Xu Tang—and because it perfectly suited her taste—she couldn’t help showing it off.
“This design really suits you,” Su Ling said with a smile. “When I first saw photos of it, I thought you had to buy one.”
“Haha, I thought so too. Now my son bought it for me, so I saved the money.”
With that, Jiang Jie linked arms with Su Ling and headed toward a group of wealthy wives, leaving the men to their own conversations.
Zong Shi and Xu Baijun took Xu Zhou to greet acquaintances.
That left Xu Tang and Zong Xuan free again, so they returned to their table and continued eating.
Zong Xuan crossed one leg over the other.
“That necklace wasn’t cheap. You’re pretty generous.”
“It’s only once a year. A birthday gift should be meaningful.”
When he heard that, Zong Xuan suddenly realized something.
“You bought one every year?”
The year before and the year before that, his mother hadn’t even hosted birthday banquets and had spent both birthdays abroad.
Even if Xu Tang hadn’t prepared gifts, no one would have blamed him.
“Mm.” Xu Tang nodded lightly.
“My mom loves that brand. How did you know you wouldn’t accidentally buy something she already had?”
Xu Tang looked at him.
Should he call him careless?
Or just slow to catch on?
“Every year during her birthday season, Auntie basically stops buying things. That makes it easier for everyone to pick gifts. After receiving all her presents, if there’s anything she still wants but didn’t get, then she buys it.”
“How do you know that?”
“The first year after we got married, before Auntie’s birthday, I went to your house for dinner several days in a row. I noticed the bracelet and necklace she wore were still from the previous season. Same with her clothes and handbags. That didn’t seem like her style, so I guessed. After her birthday, I noticed everything she wore had switched to current-season pieces, so I figured it out.”
At that time Xu Tang happened to have fewer activities and couldn’t really refuse, so he had visited frequently for around ten days.
Compared to Xu Tang, Zong Xuan suddenly realized he had not been a very competent son.
He looked at Xu Tang, who was quietly eating.
Leaning closer, he whispered, “Weren’t you calling her ‘Mom’ earlier? Why are you back to calling her Auntie?”
Xu Tang’s face flushed again.
He kept chewing silently.
Zong Xuan smiled.
“Compared to you, I’m clearly failing.” He had never bought birthday gifts for Xu Tang’s parents. Back then he hadn’t thought much of it, but now the contrast made him feel pretty lousy. “What do your parents like?”
Xu Tang quickly glanced toward his parents to make sure they were far away, then lowered his voice.
“I’ve already sent gifts every year under your name. It’s okay. Just don’t expose it.”
Zong Xuan suddenly felt a pang in his chest.
Was Xu Tang simply too good to him?
Or had he treated Xu Tang too poorly?
Why would Xu Tang go this far for him?
The mixture of warmth and guilt made him uncomfortable in a way he had never experienced before.
It made him think—
He should pay more attention to Xu Tang in the future.
He knew far too little about him.
They had been married this long, yet all the time they had spent together combined didn’t even total a month.
Even friends shouldn’t be like this.
He really needed to pay more attention to Xu Tang’s likes and dislikes.
“Thank you,” Zong Xuan said sincerely.
Xu Tang smiled and lowered his head.
“It’s nothing.”
As they were talking, Zong Yi walked in.
The moment Zong Yi entered, he spotted Xu Zhou and smiled as he approached.
Xu Zhou stopped chatting and walked toward him.
The two moved to a corner and spoke quietly.
Judging by the smile on Zong Yi’s face, it was obvious their relationship was steady.
“You know about my second brother and your older brother, right?” Zong Xuan asked.
Xu Tang nodded and watched them from afar, feeling a little envious.
“I was pretty surprised when my second brother told me.”
“Mm. But they’re a perfect match, aren’t they?” Xu Tang smiled.
Whether in appearance or mutual affection, they fit each other very well.
Zong Xuan looked at them, then at Xu Tang.
“Yeah.”
Now that he looked at it, his two older brothers being together felt right.
At the same time, he also felt that he and Xu Tang like this wasn’t bad either.
When he was bored, he could tease Xu Tang.
When Xu Tang was unhappy, he never fought back.
He was always so quiet.
That left Zong Xuan confused—
yet oddly at peace.
After they finished eating, both of them spent some more time socializing.
Once the cake had been cut, Xu Tang prepared to leave.
Jiang Jie and Zong Shi both knew Xu Tang’s habit of sleeping early and waking early, and they approved of it, so they let him go.
Xu Baijun and Su Ling had even less objection.
They didn’t want Xu Tang exhausting himself.
Xu Tang said he could head back alone and told Zong Xuan to stay and entertain guests.
After all, he wasn’t returning to that home anyway, so there was no need to leave together.
After putting on his mask, Xu Tang headed out to call a cab.
The moment he stepped outside the hotel entrance, Zong Xuan grabbed him from behind.
Xu Tang widened his eyes in surprise.
Zong Xuan smiled.
“Come on. I’ll take you home. The driver’s already here.”
He had been drinking, so he couldn’t drive and had called a driver instead.
“I can go back by myself.”
He hadn’t even specifically said goodbye before leaving.
Zong Xuan held his hand as he led him toward the elevator.
“If you’re not there, there’s no point in me staying.”
That wasn’t a lie.
After finishing conversations with acquaintances, he had gone looking for Xu Tang.
When he couldn’t find him, he asked his mother, who told him Xu Tang had just left.
Normally he probably wouldn’t have cared much and would have continued socializing.
But today, the moment he heard Xu Tang had left, he suddenly lost all interest.
He wanted to go home.
So he informed his mother and chased after him.
Fortunately, Xu Tang hadn’t gone far, and he caught him at the entrance.
Xu Tang said nothing.
In his mind, Zong Xuan was probably just tired of socializing and wanted to leave early.
The ride was silent.
The driver wisely kept his mouth shut, pretending to be invisible.
When they arrived, Zong Xuan smiled.
“Did I pass today?”
Before going upstairs, Xu Tang had asked him for help.
“Mm.” Xu Tang nodded.
Zong Xuan had been hoping for some praise.
Clearly, Xu Tang hadn’t caught the hint.
He smiled helplessly.
“This weekend I’m attending a film festival. Come with me.”
Come to think of it, they had never walked a film festival red carpet together.
Among celebrity couples, that was quite common.
Xu Tang shook his head.
“I don’t want to go.”
Zong Xuan looked at him silently, clearly asking why.
Xu Tang had drunk half a glass of wine tonight.
It gave him a little more courage.
“When it isn’t real… doesn’t acting in front of everyone get tiring?”
Zong Xuan froze.
After a long moment, he asked uncertainly,
“You want fake feelings to become real?”
Xu Tang looked at him and forced a small smile.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Zong Xuan frowned.
The alcohol was hitting him now.
His brain felt sluggish.
If you want it, say yes. If you don’t, say no. What does “wouldn’t dare” mean?
Seeing he stayed silent, Xu Tang didn’t want to make things more awkward.
“I’m going upstairs. Good night.”
With that, he got out of the car and headed upstairs.
Zong Xuan watched his retreating figure.
It felt as though something inside him had gone hollow—
desperate to be filled—
yet he had no idea how to fill it.
On the day of the film festival, Xu Tang did not appear, despite fans’ expectations.
Zong Xuan walked the red carpet alone as usual.
His fans were a tiny bit disappointed.
But they were still thrilled and cheered enthusiastically for him.
When he reached the interview area, the host looked at him with obvious excitement, as if he were the only person she wanted to interview on the entire red carpet.
Zong Xuan accepted the microphone and greeted everyone as usual.
Today he was attending as a presenter.
He had no films nominated himself.
After asking several work-related questions, the host shifted topics with a smile.
“I originally thought King Xu would walk the red carpet with you. Did you not invite him?”
Zong Xuan curled his lips into a smile.
“Tang Tang’s upset with me right now. He doesn’t want to walk the carpet with me.”
Though the topic itself sounded unpleasant, his indulgent tone made it impossible to believe they were truly fighting.
Fans instantly filled in countless imagined scenarios and nearly died from excitement.
“Wow, I didn’t expect even you and King Xu would have disagreements. From our perspective, the two of you always seem very close,” the host said with a smile.
Zong Xuan smiled.
“Most married couples argue sometimes, don’t they?”
The host nodded.
“That’s true. But can you tell us what you’re fighting about?”
“This one I can’t tell you.”
Zong Xuan acted convincingly.
And with that vague exchange alone, fans on both sides were already letting their imaginations run wild.
One by one, they were blushing furiously.
Anyone who didn’t know better might think Zong Xuan had said something extremely suggestive.