"Yes, I bought it." Chen Xiao gave a wry smile: "I was very excited when I bought it, but after calming down just now, I realized how stupid I was."
He stood up, his expression excited, and pointed to the lawn: "The lawn here used to be very neatly trimmed. There was a rocking chair in the yard, which I used to ride as a rocking horse when I was a kid. There was also a shelf with a car tire on it, which could be used as a swing. Hmm, the wooden walls on both sides of the porch by the entrance were painted green. Inside the living room, there was a large, soft sandbox where you could roll around, and there was also a single sandbox where you could curl up comfortably... All the furniture was custom-made from abroad..."
After a pause, Chen Xiao suddenly sighed, her enthusiasm fading: "I even gave the real estate agent extra money just now. I wanted to prepare a list and have him restore everything in this house to its original state. Even a table, a sofa, a chair, a desk—I wanted to buy an exact replica of everything! My thinking was very simple… I just wanted to make it just like before, just like my old home!"
Xiao Qing looked into Chen Xiao's eyes but didn't say anything.
"But after I calmed down, I realized I was wrong, terribly wrong." Chen Xiao's eyes reddened again, and his voice became low:
"I suddenly realized. Even if I spend a lot of money to renovate this house and put all the furniture back exactly as it was, even if every single plant and tree is exactly the same as before, what then? This... is no longer my home! It's no longer my home!"
His voice began to tremble...
“Before, I lived here, and even though it was lonely, I was willing to stay here because I knew that as long as I stayed here, Mom and Dad would always come back…” Chen Xiao’s voice became nasal, and his breathing became rapid. “But now… even if the house is exactly the same, even if I move back in and wait… no matter how long I wait, Mom and Dad will never come back! They are dead! Dead…” His emotions poured out like a tidal wave. His body finally relaxed. Xiao Qing stood by, quietly watching him. Seeing the sadness in Chen Xiao’s eyes, she unconsciously reached out and gently hugged Chen Xiao’s shoulders, while using her other slender hand to gently stroke Chen Xiao’s arm, as if trying to soothe the sorrow in Chen Xiao’s heart with this gentle gesture.
Chen Xiao was lost in thought for a moment. After calming down, he felt Xiao Qing holding him. He suddenly raised his head and looked at the familiar face so close to his face. He felt a little dazed, but then he suddenly realized that the girl holding him was not Phoenix!
Xiao Qing caught the fleeting daze in his eyes before his eyes cleared. She forced a smile, released Chen Xiao, and said casually, "What? Are you looking at my face and thinking of that girl who looks a lot like me... Hmm, I remember you said her name was Phoenix, right?"
Although she tried her best to appear nonchalant, the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her true feelings.
Chen Xiao wasn't stupid. He had naturally noticed Xiao Qing's gradually changing attitude towards him over this period of time. He also vaguely understood that it seemed that when he faced Xiao Qing, he was thinking about another girl, which was somewhat disrespectful to Xiao Qing.
"Xiao Qing... I'm so sorry..."
This "I'm sorry" doesn't seem to be a simple apology for thinking of someone else while looking at her; it seems to also carry a subtle, implicit meaning of rejection.
Xiao Qing shook her head, feigning ease with a smile, "There's nothing to apologize for. Hmm, speaking of which, I've never actually seen that phoenix. You always confuse me with her; do I really look that much like her?"
Chen Xiao sighed inwardly: You two are twins, it's just a pity that Lao Tian told me not to tell anyone.
He shook his head vigorously and smiled, "No, actually you and she are very different. She certainly has her strengths, but you also have your own strengths. You are an outstanding girl, and a unique and wonderful girl."
Xiao Qing felt a pang of bitterness in her heart, but her face remained bright with a smile. She patted her pants and stood up, her hand reaching for the document hidden in her pocket. Looking at the sincere smile in Chen Xiao's eyes, her heart suddenly softened, and she couldn't help but blurt out, "Chen Xiao, actually, I just came here..."
"What?" Chen Xiao stood up.
Xiao Qing suddenly hesitated. She bit her lip and didn't say anything. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she changed them and said with a smile, "...When I came here, I saw an ice cream shop at the intersection. It's so hot, let's go get some iced soda!"
As she spoke, she seemed to be smiling happily. She gently tugged at Chen Xiao's arm, then started running off. After a couple of steps, she turned back and laughed, "Hurry up, it's so hot here! Let's have a race to the ice cream shop. The loser has to pay!"
Chen Xiao paused for a moment, then smiled and strode after him.
Xiao Qing only ran two steps before deliberately slowing down, allowing Chen Xiao to run ahead of her and gain a lead.
Watching Chen Xiao's retreating figure, a single, helpless thought suddenly flashed through Xiao Qing's mind...
Chen Xiao, I like you, I really like you...
Chapter 217 of the main text: [The Xu Family Banquet]
Chen Xiao naturally lost the final bet, paid for Xiao Qing to have some cold drinks, and then the two returned to the city together. Xiao Qing went back to her place, while Chen Xiao went back to his hotel.
The Xu family's banquet that evening was held at the Xu family mansion.
Originally, Xu Ershao invited Chen Xiao to this dinner party, intending to invite Ya Ya, Bai Cai, and others as well. Xu Ershao's main target was naturally Bai Cai. This kind of occasion was practically a disguised "meeting the parents." By creating this fait accompli, even if the girl was unwilling, she would gradually become half-willing and half-willing. This kid had a good plan.
Unfortunately, if it weren't for the "comic book" incident during the day, Bai Cai might have really been fooled by him. These past few days, Bai Cai felt that she and Chen Xiao were drifting further and further apart. Although Chen Xiao was still very kind and affectionate towards her, that obviously friendly affection was actually disheartening. Gradually, Bai Cai's heart had indeed grown colder. Occasionally, when Xu Ershao teased her a little, she would blush.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, reading those comics caused Bai Cai MM to drift further away from Xu Ershao, leading to many hardships between them. If Xu Ershao had known this would happen, he probably would have taken a knife and attacked Chen Xiao, who gave him the comics.
As a result, Bai Cai firmly declined Xu Ershao's dinner invitation. Since Bai Cai wasn't going, Ya Ya hesitated for a moment before telling Chen Xiao that she wanted to stay at the coffee shop with Bai Cai, and surprisingly, she didn't go either.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ershao sighed, but also felt somewhat worried. He had originally hoped to invite more people, hoping that a large gathering would prevent his elder brother from arguing with the elders about arranged marriages. However, this plan ultimately failed, and he could only smile wryly, saying, "Xiao Wu, my brother trusts you the most. You even saved him last time. Could you quietly persuade him for me later? Don't confront the elders directly. If all else fails, you can outwardly comply while inwardly resisting..."
Chen Xiao smiled and punched Xu Ershao lightly: "Every time something happens in your family, I have to be the one to put out the fire."
Xu Ershao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "It's strange. It seems like you and our family have a special connection. The old man admires you. My eldest brother is close to you. The old lady met you once last year. She almost took you in as her godson. It seems like you're liked wherever you go."
When visiting the Xu family, Chen Xiao naturally wouldn't bring the Takeuchi sisters with him—he was troubled. Having two sisters around was rather inconvenient. Well… although having a pair of beautiful women by his side wherever he went looked quite stylish, Chen Xiao didn't like being stared at like a giant panda.
As Xu Ershao drove, his face showed some worry: "My eldest brother is too stubborn. Sigh. It's probably going to be difficult to get him to obediently get married. His relationship with Father has only recently improved slightly. I'm worried that this matter will cause them to..."
Chen Xiao nodded in agreement. Indeed, people like Young Master Xu are truly rare. As the son of a wealthy family, he has billions in assets but chooses not to pursue them, preferring to be involved in the underworld—have you ever seen someone with billions in wealth who goes out in the street with a long knife to kill people?
The car drove into the Xu family mansion halfway up the mountain. As they got out, Xu Ershao suddenly said, "Chen Xiao, you… about what Father told you last time about sending us away from K City to abroad…"
Chen Xiao nodded: "I've thought about it myself. I have some money now. It's not a big problem where I go."
Xu Ershao smiled and said, "If we're going to school, it'll be more fun if we're together. Otherwise, I'll be too lonely by myself." He paused, his expression showing some worry. "Father's been acting strange lately. He seems to have something on his mind and doesn't seem happy. He's mentioned leaving K City to me twice. He might talk to you about it tonight too."
Chen Xiao nodded, keeping Xu Ershao's words in mind.
Upon entering the Xu family mansion and approaching the living room, Chen Xiao saw Xiao Qing sitting on a single sofa, holding a book in her hands. Although she was holding a book, she was clearly lost in thought. As Chen Xiao and Xu Ershao entered, Xiao Qing stood up, glanced at the two of them, and finally looked at Chen Xiao, smiling gently, "You've arrived."
Looking at Xiao Qing's gentle smile, and noticing that Xiao Qing's gaze was fixed on Chen Xiao, Xu Ershao's expression became somewhat strange. He tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help himself and suddenly laughed, "Huh? Master, you've never smiled at me so kindly before."
Xiao Qing blushed at first, then glared at Xu Ershao, put on a stern face, snorted heavily, and said in a very serious tone, "Are you kidding me?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Young Master Xu quickly shrank back.
Xiao Qing was dressed simply, in a white, casually styled Chinese-style jacket, paired with soft-soled cloth shoes. Her ponytail was now coiled up, revealing her long, fair neck. This old-fashioned attire, however, possessed a certain rustic elegance on her. Chen Xiao glanced at her and noticed that even the book she was holding was a thread-bound edition; a quick glance at the cover revealed it to be "The Essence of Chen-Style Tai Chi."
She looks exactly like a kung fu beauty.
The two had met at Lehu Lake earlier that day, and in his excitement, Chen Xiao had confided many of his innermost thoughts to Xiao Qing. They had also shared cold drinks together, seemingly bringing them even closer. Upon seeing Xiao Qing, Chen Xiao smiled broadly: "You're here too?"
Xiao Qing nodded: "The old lady has arrived. She's all alone, so I'll move in and stay with her for a while."