Chapter 36: Laying One's Cards on the Table (Seeking Bookmarks)

  Xuan Sheng's heart secretly cried out that this girl was not good, having a composure that shouldn't be possessed at her age, and a city with extremely deep moats! Not easy to deal with! What to do now? Those girls who clung to him in the past and wouldn't break up, as long as they threw a tantrum, he only needed to pull his legs and walk away. But this kind of situation had never been encountered before... Where should he start to help Lu'er get out of trouble?

  "Cough, cough! The ice cream is here!" An Ning carefully brought in two servings of ice cream and placed them on the table. Seeing Bai Shi's expression, she quickly went out again to continue chatting with Chen Zhi Quan, Rong Rong, and Qi Xiu in the private room next door.

  Watching Lu Xiansheng hastily eating ice cream, Bai Shi couldn't help but laugh, with a hint of complacency in his smile. "Am I that scary? You didn't look so stiff when you were with the class teacher this morning!"

  "How can it be scary? It won't!" Lu Xiangsheng raised his eyes and smiled, pulling the corner of his mouth.

  "You just asked a lot of questions and said a lot of things, can I ask now?"

  "Haha! Of course!" Xuan Sheng let out a breath of relief.

  "Who is Lí Luòér?" Bái Shī asked directly.

  Xuan Sheng didn't expect Bai Shi to be so direct and natural, it seems like he has no choice but to lay his cards on the table. He calmed himself down, smiled and said: "Luo Er is the girl I like, she's the girl I want to protect, and also the person I want to guard for a lifetime!"

  "I think if you put it another way, I'd be more willing to accept it. What do you think? Should I do that?" Bai Shi remained calm, with a slight smile on her lips.

  "Let go, before it begins!" Lu Xiangsheng felt a bit anxious, but thinking about it, he just said forget it and didn't bother anyone anymore.

  "Haha, you want to strangle me in the cradle before I even start, do you think that's fair to me?" Bai Shi's smile remained unchanged, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

  "In the world of love, there is no absolute fairness. Knowing that some things shouldn't belong to oneself, yet still trying to get them, will only end up hurting oneself. And today, I came to find you for the sake of Luo Er, here, take this!" Xuan Sheng handed over a photo.

  Bai Shi glanced at the photo and smiled, saying to Xuan Sheng, "Let me tell you a story." As she saw Xuan Sheng nod slightly, she began stirring her ice cream with a small silver spoon. "When I was little, I lived in a big compound with my grandparents. Life was very tough back then. My dad was teaching in another city, and my mom was studying abroad. My grandmother loved me dearly but wouldn't buy me toys because she didn't want to spoil me. I really liked the little dog next door, so I kept asking my grandmother to get one for me. But she refused because she had a phobia of animal hair. However, the kid from that family would bring their dog over every day to play with me. Later on, I found myself disliking dogs and even hating them. One day, I took that little dog and put it in my grandmother's storage room, and from then on, no one in that compound ever raised a dog again..."

  "Outrageous!" Xuan Sheng's suppressed anger burst forth, and he stood up to slam his hand on the table. The ice cream was knocked over, spilling all over the table, dripping down the edge of the table onto his pants and shoes...

  "A little puppy can make you heartbroken? Hehe ~ I found that I like you more! Bai Shi still sat steadily as a clock."

  "I suggest you go see a psychiatrist!" Xuan Sheng stormed out, he had nothing left to say to this woman. Looking at Chen Zhiquan who was at a loss, Xuan Sheng turned around and only said one last sentence to Bai Shi: "Don't try to bully the people I love, I'm not a hero, and I will also use violence on women!"

  But when he said this, Lu Xiangsheng felt a little sad. Was it too far-fetched? Moreover, would he really be able to do it for a girl? It was somewhat laughable.

  Bai Shi looked at Lu Xiang Sheng, who was out of breath and said with a smile, "I'm really looking forward to it... But as for your life, I think I'd like to participate in it. Hopefully next time you look for me, you'll use a method that I like..."

  Lu Xiansheng's anger was like a scorching sun in the sky, burning and oppressive.

  He only realized now that the goddess-like girl he met, Bai Shi, was not someone to be trifled with, being obsessively crazy! Yet she hid her craziness so discreetly...

  Love must be obtained! Not loving, would rather perish! What kind of excessive behavior will a sick mentality exhibit? He couldn't help but worry, Lu'er, that girl with a strong exterior but fragile heart, what kind of suffering and tribulations will she face? What can I do to protect her, to guard her, my love, why is it so complicated?

  Zhi Quan looked at Xuan Sheng's forehead, which was bulging with blue veins, and couldn't help but sigh. He knew that his brother had truly fallen in love this time, and perhaps would also get hurt...

  "Phone call from Meiyu Jie!" Zhi Quan shouted to wake up Lu Xiansheng, who was still entangled.

  Xuan Sheng took over the phone and let out a long sigh, "Hello, Goddess, what are your instructions?"

  "What are you two thinking about, facing each other like that? Can't you see me? Do I really have to wear these 12cm high heels and cross the road to catch you two?" Meiyu shouted from the other end of the phone.

  Xuan Sheng held the phone with the "dudu" busy tone, looking at the school gate that had a car with a clear logo of "Fengyun Hotel", suddenly relaxed and leaned on Zhi Quan's shoulder, saying, "I forgot, we're not alone here, there's also the goddess, right?"

  Zhi Quan smiled foolishly and shook his head, "That's absolutely solid and reliable."

  Before Xuan Sheng Zhi Quan could even get close, Mei You had already opened the car door. "Hurry up and get in! Do you want me to get sunburned to death?!"

  "Isn't there air conditioning in the car?" Xuan Sheng lazily sat in the car, savoring the familiar feeling.

  "This is bad for my skin! You two idiots know nothing, except how to get me into trouble. Two people, four eyes, and 1.5 vision, yet you can't even see me! If I wasn't afraid of the sun, I would have gone over there and given each of you a kick..." Meiyou complained.

  "What's the sun compared to you, a goddess even more passionate than the sun? I think what I'm afraid of is just those 12cm high heels ~"

  "Little rascals!" Mei You tossed two neck pillows at Zhi Quan and Xuan Sheng, "Have you eaten? You're so far away from Li Lu Er's house, eating is a problem. Do you want to go to Feng Yun for lunch every day from now on, and have Uncle Zhang pick you up on time? Are you used to riding bicycles or not? If not, Uncle Zhang will take you to and from school in the future..."

  Lu Xuan Sheng looked at Mei You's serious expression and smiled, "Goddess, if mom were still alive, would she also be like you?"

  Mei You didn't say a word, covering her face with her fists, staring out of the window, with some sadness in her eyes.

  "Who can bear to cut off the bridge of love, and let the horse of passion run wild? The jade-like heart is already broken, and the golden phoenix is flying away. The beauty of the peony is fading, and the fragrance of the gardenia is disappearing. The silkworms are spinning their cocoons, and the bees are collecting nectar. The willows are swaying in the wind, and the apricot blossoms are falling. The peach blossoms are blooming, but the heart is already withered."

  "Alright, you two rascals! Who wants to bully whom? By the way, where are Lí Luòér and Shěn Xiǎoxuān? Why didn't they come with you?" asked Měi Yōu.

  "I don't know, I came with Zhi Quan to take care of something, so we didn't contact them. Luo Er should have gone to eat with her brother, right!" Xuan Sheng's eyes never left the flow of people entering and exiting the school gate.

  "How about going with me to eat?"

  "I guess I'll just go with Luo Er to eat..." Before Xuan Sheng could finish, Zhi Quan disagreed, "Ahh, come on, it won't hurt to skip one meal with her! It's rare for Mei You Jie to come, let's all go to Feng Yun and catch up, that day was supposed to be happy but who knew so many things would happen..."

  "It's settled then, you'll accompany your own sister this afternoon! And by the way, there are some things I want to discuss with you. Uncle Zhang, drive us back to the hotel!" Lu Meiyou instructed the driver without waiting for Lu Xiangsheng to say anything.

  Looking at the exquisite Shanghai dishes on the table, Zhiquan's appetite was greatly opened, and he didn't care about his image anymore, gobbling down the food. Meiyou knocked on the table, "Chen Zhiquan, can you be more refined? If Auntie comes back and sees you like this, she'll definitely say we haven't taught you anything!"

  "Hum, it's impossible, if she still remembered that I'm her son, she wouldn't have sent me to your family for over a decade! How many decades does one have in their life? And I'm only 18 years old! Just thinking about it makes me furious..." Zhiquan was filled with resentment and injustice, whenever he mentioned his mother, he had an attitude as if he were an illegitimate child.

  "Stop making excuses, Auntie calls you every week, it's you who doesn't pick up! Sigh... Born with a silver spoon and doesn't know the blessing! Xuan Sheng didn't show any mercy. It's true, thinking about not even seeing his mother's face, how can he not be sad? Only by looking at Auntie can he imagine what his mother looks like, but this kid Zhi Quan still can't understand, always arguing with Auntie, for many years, not a single word was spoken."

  "Alright, alright, you two little rascals! No respect for your elders all day long! Come and eat! By the way, I have something serious to tell you."

  "Looks like it's good news~" Xuan Sheng's mouth corners rose slightly, with a hint of anticipation.

  "I've already spoken with your school, and we'll be sponsoring 10 underprivileged students every year. We'll also be giving scholarships to the top 10 students with excellent grades, with a quota for each grade level... Your school leaders have already agreed, and they're currently drafting the list. The final list will go through our company's overall review and implementation. Logically speaking, both Li Lu'er and her brother shouldn't have any issues."

  Lu Xuan Sheng's eyes shone with an unusual light, and he rushed to Mei You's side, actually acting coquettishly, "Older sister, your efficiency is really high, no wonder you can't find a boyfriend, haha~"

  Mei You knocked a chopstick onto Xuan Sheng's hand, "What is this kid saying? Are you hoping that I'll never get married for the rest of my life? Now relying on dad, and in the future relying on you, right? Don't you plan on marrying a wife?"

  "That won't do! I still want to live in a world of two people, don't want to go anywhere with a leftover girl! However, I said you can't get married because you are too strong, all the good things are gathered on your body... isn't that right, Chen Zhiquan?"

  "Haha, of course! Just like our Lu Meiyou, she's beautiful, kind, elegant, lovely, gentle, charming, intelligent, and genuine... She's truly loved by all who see her, and wherever she goes, flowers bloom, and cars burst their tires..."

  Lu Meiyou smiled helplessly, "You little stinker, okay, okay, hurry up and eat, you can still take a nap later! It's been two months since we last met, and you're still so smooth-tongued. But what I'm curious about is, Xuan Sheng doesn't have a girlfriend because he doesn't like to talk, with your character, shouldn't you be surrounded by wives and concubines already?"

  "Ah, I remember Zhang Ailing once said a very classic phrase: No matter how bad your conditions are, there will always be someone who loves you; no matter how good your conditions are, there will always be someone who doesn't love you! Those who love me I don't love, those who don't love me are as numerous as the sea... What a dilemma~"

  Lu Xuan gave a white eye to Zhi Quan, "I think the two words 'romantic saint' suit you better!"

  "Haha, no way, no way..." Zhi Quan's laughter was always so bright and cheerful.