It was visible to the naked eye—the girl’s expression instantly turned fierce and irritated.
But the moment she saw Xu Nian, it vanished just as quickly, leaving behind only a pitiful, helpless look.
“Excuse me, we’ve brought the extra chair you requested. Is it alright if we place it here?” The nearby server spoke with a tone of respect and caution, as if Xu Nian’s earlier words had made them feel this table’s guests were not easy to deal with.
One side of the table was against the wall and window, while two seats faced each other at the front. The added seat was placed to the side of those two facing seats.
Xu Nian glanced at the short-haired girl, who looked aggrieved, as if waiting for his decision.
Then he tilted his chin toward the newly added chair.
The request for the extra seat had been made after Xu Nian spotted Yang Shuli.
There were multiple reasons behind this decision.
Originally, Xu Nian had planned to leave immediately. But then he saw Yang Shuli.
For others, this situation might have caused confusion, but Xu Nian was very clear about what he wanted.
There was no way he would let the current Yang Shuli leave like this.
Since this person had already shown up, there was a chance they would meet again in the future. Rather than letting things remain ambiguous and potentially problematic, he would rather bring Yang Shuli into the restaurant now and clearly explain their relationship in front of her.
He would not allow a hidden risk like this to linger.
At the same time, he also wanted to give Yang Shuli enough reassurance.
Another reason was that this meal was being treated by the other party. Otherwise, Xu Nian would have simply asked her to sit at another table.
Xu Nian considered himself fairly gentlemanly and polite.
The short-haired girl seemed slightly dazed as she looked at Xu Nian. Then, biting her lower lip, she moved to the added chair with a pitiful expression.
Yang Shuli also returned to her seat and handed the candied hawthorn in her hand to Xu Nian.
One stick—yes, just one.
Because Yang Shuli knew she couldn’t finish an entire stick herself, she usually bought only one portion and shared it with Xu Nian.
After all, snacks like this were just for the taste, not meant to be a full meal.
This simple, unremarkable habit between the two—something that didn’t even need mentioning—made the short-haired girl’s eyes widen.
It was very simple.
Xu Nian had never been this close with anyone else.
Nor had he ever shown such a genuine, gentle smile.
“You still haven’t told me—who is she?” Yang Shuli’s voice remained soft and sweet, but there was a faint sharpness in her tone.
Xu Nian suddenly realized something.
Previously, through watching movies, he had tested what kind of emotions could trigger Yang Shuli’s so-called self-protection mechanism through eating. The conclusion had been that almost all negative emotions could do so.
But he had overlooked one thing.
Among those negative emotions, some were special—like windows that could directly reach Yang Shuli behind her mental walls, allowing her to briefly drop her foolish facade and self-numbing behavior.
And now, he was witnessing one of them.
‘Loss.’
He knew that, due to various factors—including him not choosing to eat with her today and the presence of someone who could be considered an old acquaintance—Yang Shuli must have developed a feeling she herself might not even fully understand.
A fear of losing.
In this state, he could see Yang Shuli shedding her usual foolish exterior. This also gave him a chance to better understand her and address her psychological issues later.
So he chose to quietly and carefully observe her behavior and changes.
“Someone I used to know. Barely counts as a person. She asked me to meet today to catch up,” Xu Nian gave a relatively formal answer.
“Brother Xu!” the girl called out softly, “Don’t joke like that in front of others.”
Joking—such things usually implied a certain level of closeness, a sign of a deep relationship.
Yang Shuli’s expression didn’t change. She simply stared at Xu Nian without blinking.
“Let me introduce myself. You can call me Xiao Yue. I’m an old friend of Brother Xu.” She extended her hand, as if to shake Yang Shuli’s. “And you are…?”
“I’m from the class next to Xu Nian’s.”
The outstretched hand then shifted naturally to the wine glass on the table, gently tracing its rim.
The movement was smooth, without any trace of performance or affectation.
Yang Shuli’s gaze locked onto Xiao Yue’s fingers holding the glass.
Then she glanced at Xu Nian, signaling him to notice that not-so-innocent hand as well.
Everything was communicated through their eyes.
Xu Nian gave a faint nod.
“Actually, I came today to meet Brother Xu because I wanted to express my feelings. I’ve always…” Xiao Yue’s voice carried just the right amount of shy hesitation. Even without finishing her sentence, the meaning was already clear.
Both of them understood exactly what she meant.
Xu Nian didn’t believe a single word.
Because they were old acquaintances, he knew her well enough.
She was someone who could abandon everything for her own selfish interests.
Her purpose today was likely to bind him through so-called emotions—whether driven by some recent stimulus or simple greed. Either way, it wasn’t anything sincere.
But precisely because she was so greedy, she was easy to control.
Xu Nian rarely judged people so definitively, but in this case, he had evidence.
Back when he was still involved with those people, as their core leader, he had already noticed that although Xiao Yue’s abilities were mediocre, she was like a ticking time bomb early on. He had heard multiple times that she met privately with rivals, chatted happily, and even booked hotel rooms with them.
Yes—while everyone else was risking everything and following Xu Nian to tackle difficult challenges, she was playing both sides for her own benefit.
Xu Nian didn’t tolerate it. He turned her into bait, feeding her information that was always slightly different from the truth.
Even after Xu Nian withdrew, she never realized she had been used as bait. Instead, she believed Xu Nian was incredibly capable—able to turn the tide time and again despite having someone like her acting as a double agent.
Eventually, no one trusted her anymore, assuming she was deliberately spreading false information.
By that time, Xu Nian had already secured his position.
Out of consideration for their early days of hardship together, he had only instructed others not to let her starve before leaving—and nothing more.
Now, it seemed she had been living quite well. Someone kinder than him must have taken care of her.
“Is she here to confess to you?”