“Young Master Qin, how many times do I have to tell you? We’re not familiar, could you please call me by my name?”
“Once strangers, twice familiar. We’ve known each other for two years, so we’re old acquaintances now.”
“Is something wrong?”
Han Xiao also covered her nose and took a small step back, giving him half a body’s worth of space.
Having a man beside her at this moment made her feel exceptionally safe.
Aside from their initial misunderstanding, this was the first time Han Xiao had been so close to him.
She could clearly see the outline of his ear and the fine fuzz around his hairline on his neck.
The man had lost his ability to stand, his entire body collapsing towards the wall.
He struggled to stand straight, only to fall again the next second, his words slurred, “I… I was at a party nearby, someone said they saw you carrying a big bag… going into the orphanage. I immediately thought it was charity! How could you not tell me about such a great thing? I have connections, I can promote it for you in minutes, guaranteeing no one will talk bad about you. So I immediately came looking for you, and I actually found you, what a coincidence!”
Han Xiao felt a headache coming on, thinking, Next time I come, I’ll have to be fully armed.
She hadn’t expected there to be “informants” even in such a secluded place.
If Xu Huo and Jiang Ran weren’t here today, what would happen to a weak woman like her encountering such a drunkard?
Wouldn’t she be in trouble?
“Let’s go… Xiaoxiao, I’ll take you home!”
“You’ve been drinking.”
Rejected, the man looked at Han Xiao with a pained expression and explained, “Only two bottles… I’m not drunk at all… You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I’m not worried about you at all, I’m worried about myself. Can’t you see I’m… strolling with my girlfriend?”
Han Xiao reached out and pulled Jiang Ran closer to her.
She originally wanted to say “with my boyfriend,” as true masters go straight for the kill.
But considering her relationship with Xu Huo, it wasn’t appropriate to drag him into it.
However, the man completely ignored Jiang Ran, his gaze falling on Xu Huo, a hint of wariness adding to his smile, “And who is this? Also Xiaoxiao’s friend?”
To show his closeness with Han Xiao, the man addressed her directly by name in every sentence.
As he spoke, he twirled a keyring in his hand, his gaze subtly sizing up the other man.
You’re just an ordinary person…
And I, I drive a luxury car, wear a suit.
This is a dimensionality reduction strike.
This was an implicit provocation.
“My girlfriend and her brother, is something wrong?”
Han Xiao rolled her eyes, utterly annoyed with him.
The guy in front of her was named Qin Yi’an.
After their first meeting, he had started a frantic pursuit of her.
Seriously!
She hadn’t even had her 18th birthday yet, strictly speaking, she was still a minor.
But in his pursuit, whenever he found an opportunity, he would stick to her like a leech, refusing to give up, even after repeated rejections.
What Han Xiao didn’t know was that the more she refused, the more Qin Yi’an enjoyed it.
He was already prepared for a long battle.
[Not forcing] was his moral bottom line.
[If a woman rejects me, I fawn; if a woman fawns on me, I reject] was his dating motto.
Persisting in hooking up with the prettiest girls and offering a DNA package was his consistent life attitude!
Things like [stealing someone’s partner], [seducing someone’s partner], [group exchanges]… and so on, were highly unlikely to happen with him.
FALL…
When he first met Han Xiao, he found out she was an ungraduated high school student and new to the industry, and even privately didn’t have a boyfriend.
It was like all buffs were maxed out, and he immediately got excited.
But now, after two years of pursuit, there had been no progress at all, she was harder to conquer than he imagined.
But it didn’t matter, as long as there were no competitors, he felt his future was bright.
But Xu Huo had his own understanding…
Prodigal sons were usually overconfident and lacked vision; true idiots were rare.
And this one in front of him, whether it was because he was drunk or not, didn’t seem too smart.
“It’s nothing, nothing. Your girlfriend is my girlfriend, and your girlfriend’s brother is my brother…”
Qin Yi’an shuddered, as if remembering something terrifying, suddenly shut up, then felt a wave of nausea, bent over, and threw up in the bushes.
Han Xiao rolled her eyes, “Bye-bye!”
With that, she turned to leave.
***
“Qin Yi’an also couldn’t bother throwing up, squeezing in a shout, “Don’t go! I know you find me annoying, but it’s so late now, let me take you back.”
“I told you, I don’t need it.”
“Then stay with me for a bit, it’ll help me sober up. I’ll leave the car here and have someone drive it tomorrow.”
Qin Yi’an couldn’t hold it in and ran back to the bushes to retch for a while.
When he stood up again, his body swayed.
Principles, they’re meant to be chipped away at, little by little.
Today he could walk her home as her protector, tomorrow he could be her dedicated driver.
Han Xiao still wanted to refuse, but she felt that even if she did, he’d persistently cling to her.
She felt a sudden helplessness and instinctively looked at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo followed Han Xiao’s gaze to behind him, then paused, turned back, and met Han Xiao’s eyes again.
Neither of them spoke, yet they understood what the other wanted to say.
“Help me!”
“How?”
“You figure it out.”
“You’re asking too much.”
The light in Han Xiao’s eyes dimmed.
She truly didn’t want to deal with this kind of person; communicating with him was a complete waste of time.
If Xu Huo didn’t intervene, then the last part of her walk home after everyone parted ways would be very painful.
Thinking of this, her small face looked distressed…
Xu Huo had no choice but to sigh.
He walked up and slung an arm around the man’s shoulder, “Friend, you can barely stand. Why don’t you sit in the car for a bit?”
An unprecedented light shone in Han Xiao’s beautiful eyes.
This man, he had some conscience after all.
“Who are you? What’s it to you? Hurry up and take your sister home! I’ll take Xiaoxiao!”
“How can you say that? Don’t you see Han Xiao isn’t too keen? You’ll have a better chance if we’re nearby.”
“Oh?”
Two strangers suddenly saw eye to eye.
Qin Yi’an lowered his voice, “You’re going to help me?”
“It’s clear at a glance that Big Brother isn’t an ordinary person. A talented man and a beautiful woman are a match made in heaven.”
Qin Yi’an’s face was flushed from drinking, utterly drunk, half-collapsed on Xu Huo.
He said generously, “I like what you said. What’s your name? Follow me from now on!”
“How could I be so bold…”
“Looking down on me, are you? With me covering you, who in S City wouldn’t give you face?”
“No, no.”
The two loudly conspired, leaving Han Xiao with a look of utter confusion.
If Jiang Ran hadn’t been by her side, assuring her that no matter how shameless Xu Huo was, he wouldn’t sell her out in front of his sister, she would definitely have questioned him right then.
But Xu Huo had his reasons.
To befriend such an idiot, you had to lower your stance initially, give them full face, then retreat half a step.
When he tried to talk as equals, you’d say you were just a small fry, unworthy of friendship.
Then, he would grandly wave his hand and say things like, “I never look at a friend’s status; anyway, no one has the same status as me.”
“So, shall we take Han Xiao home?”
Xu Huo put his arm around Qin Yi’an’s shoulder and laughed heartily, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on my sister… I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you on the way.”
Hearing this, Qin Yi’an nodded, thoroughly satisfied.
It had been a long time since he’d met someone so agreeable…
The next second, Xu Huo pushed Qin Yi’an towards Han Xiao.
Han Xiao was utterly incredulous; she hadn’t expected Xu Huo to be so shameless.
But before Qin Yi’an could get close, Xu Huo furtively latched on, then suddenly delivered a swift chop to Qin Yi’an’s neck.
He immediately went limp and fell, caught by Xu Huo.
“Why are you both just standing there? Give me a hand! I’ll get his car keys… you find a designated driver to bring his car downstairs. Tomorrow morning, just say he fell asleep after dropping you off.”
Han Xiao’s mind went blank, “No, you’re just going to do this?”
“What’s the point of reasoning with a drunkard? Anyway, he won’t remember clearly. He’ll even thank you for reclining the seat so he could sleep comfortably… Otherwise, if we really let him follow? I thought you were about to cry just now.”
“Hey!”
Han Xiao suddenly straightened her back, puffed out her cheeks, and protested very seriously and solemnly, “No I wasn’t! You must be seeing things!”
Xu Huo sighed.
Turns out she was quite tsundere.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.