I Said You Slept with Me

"..."

And here she had been worried about him being alone.

He actually dared to show up at her house himself!!!

Wasn't he afraid her parents would read too much into it?!!!

Only after Xi Jin went into the inner room and greeted Liu Meili did Nan Xingyu calm down. She poured a cup of hot tea and set it on the coffee table with both hands.

She did her best to give him a natural smile.

"Please have some tea, Young Master Xi."

"Thank you."

Xi Jin wore the air of a cool, noble young master, even the degree of his nod elegantly measured to perfection.

Pah.

What a phony.

"Don't stand on ceremony with us. A young master like you personally brought Xiaoyu's mother home. I've been meaning to find a chance to thank you properly."

Nan Zhiping sat on a stool across from Xi Jin, grinning from ear to ear.

"Today's the perfect chance. You're working away from home even during the New Year, and you're so driven at such a young age. That's really rare."

He pointed at Nan Xingyu. "Xiaoyu, you're the same age. Look how capable Young Master Xi is. You should learn from him."

"Mm-hmm."

Nan Xingyu forced a stiff smile.

She grumbled inwardly, Learn what? How to force someone to love me?

Xi Jin was polite and modest, exchanging a few pleasantries with Nan Zhiping.

Nan Zhiping then got up to prepare the vegetables, but before leaving, he reminded her, "Xiaoyu, keep putting up the couplets. Just let Young Master Xi sit and wait for the meal."

Nan Xingyu said, "Okay," and turned to leave the living room.

She returned to the courtyard and continued brushing on paste.

Before long,

Xi Jin came out and sat down on a chair beside the table. Seeing her puffed up with anger, he said,

"What? I'm not welcome?"

"You didn't say anything out of line to my dad, did you?"

Nan Xingyu asked in a low voice.

Xi Jin looked at her, a meaningful smile curling his lips. "What counts as out of line?"

He paused, then said flippantly, "I said you slept with me. Does that count?"

"..."

Nan Xingyu reached out to cover his mouth and growled, "Shut up!"

She looked back in a panic, checked that Nan Zhiping was still in the kitchen, and warned him through gritted teeth:

"Xi Jin, if you dare say one more word out of line, I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?"

Xi Jin caught her wrist and gently stroked it with the pad of his thumb, a teasing, wicked smile filling his eyes.

"Let's see if you can threaten me."

"I'll run far, far away, and you'll never find me again!"

Nan Xingyu shook off his hand. "Scared now?"

Xi Jin looked at her, pressed his tongue against his cheek, and let out a soft scoff. His eyes held the frustration of wanting to deal with her but being unable to do anything about her.

He was extremely displeased.

He rose slowly, hands in his pockets. "Your dad seems pretty talkative. I'll go have a nice chat with him."

He drew out the words "have a nice chat."

A blatant provocation.

Then he strode straight toward the kitchen.

Nan Xingyu thought, This is bad.

What is this ancestor up to now?!

She hurried after him.

In the kitchen,

Nan Zhiping was wearing an apron and preparing vegetables by the sink.

Xi Jin took off his coat and walked in, casually rolling up his shirt sleeves to reveal his well-defined forearms.

He said politely, "Uncle Nan, let me help."

"Oh, no need, no need."

Nan Zhiping hurriedly waved him off. "You're a guest. Just sit and wait for the meal."

"It's all right."

As Xi Jin spoke, he had already deftly taken a pot out of the cupboard. "I often cook at home too."

Nan Zhiping praised him. "So few young people can cook these days, and you come from a wealthy family, Young Master Xi. That's rare. Really wonderful."

"Uncle Nan, just call me Xi Jin."

"Oh, all right, all right."

Nan Zhiping sized up the handsome young man, liking him more the longer he looked. "Then I won't stand on ceremony, Xi Jin."

Xi Jin glanced at the counter and asked, "Uncle Nan, do you have any Shaoxing wine at home?"

"Shaoxing wine? Yes, yes, we do."

Nan Zhiping took a bottle of Shaoxing wine from the cupboard. "What do you need it for?"

"I'd like to make drunken giant river prawns with Shaoxing wine."

Xi Jin took the wine and spoke neither loudly nor softly, just enough for Nan Xingyu to hear.

"Xiaoyu likes it."

"..."

Nan Xingyu's heart nearly jumped out of her throat.

What on earth is he trying to do?!

Nan Zhiping was thick-skinned and didn't notice the "nickname" Xi Jin had used for his daughter. He was merely surprised.

"Even I didn't know Xiaoyu liked that dish. Xi Jin, you and our Xiaoyu..."

"We're not close!"

Nan Xingyu interrupted in time.

Seeing her reaction, Xi Jin couldn't hold back a muffled chuckle.

By the time Nan Zhiping turned to look at him, he was once again the picture of gentle refinement, as if all was peaceful in the world.

Nan Xingyu explained clumsily, "It's just... we had a meal together once before, at a Peking University mixer. He happened to find out I like this dish. We're not really close."

"Xiaoyu, that's where you're wrong. Why act like such strangers? You did grow up at the Xi Family Manor, after all, and you and Xi Jin are the same age. It's fate that brought you together."

Xi Jin chimed in, "That's right. Fate."

As he spoke, he glanced at her.

Nan Xingyu wanted to poison him mute.

Xi Jin called out to her without the slightest reservation. "Xiaoyu, sorry for the trouble, but could you hand me the giant river prawns I brought?"

"..."

Nan Xingyu quickly glanced at Nan Zhiping.

Nan Zhiping smiled. "Silly child, what are you looking at? Go get them."

"Oh."

Nan Xingyu turned away and heard Nan Zhiping continue:

"Xi Jin, you're really thoughtful. You only ate with Xiaoyu once, and you already know what she likes. When you have a girlfriend, you'll definitely know how to dote on her."

"Uncle Nan, I have a girlfriend."

Nan Xingyu's whole body tensed at those words.

A trace of regret appeared in Nan Zhiping's eyes, vanishing in an instant. Then he asked,

"Why didn't your girlfriend spend the New Year with you?"

Nan Xingyu returned just in time and interrupted. "I brought them."

"Thank you."

Seeing Nan Zhiping turn around to wash the vegetables, Xi Jin deliberately caught her hand as he took the bag.

Nan Xingyu anxiously tried to pull free.

The next second, his arm tightened around her waist, and he pulled her against him in an instant.

Xi Jin bent down and kissed her on the lips.

Nan Xingyu's head exploded. She shoved him away hard, and as she stumbled backward, she bumped into the bucket of fish on the floor.

It landed with a thump.

Nan Zhiping turned around and saw water splashed out of the bucket. "Whoa, those fish are lively."

When he turned around again,

Xi Jin raised an eyebrow at the red-faced woman across from him, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Furious, Nan Xingyu picked up a kitchen knife and threatened to show him a thing or two if he dared try anything again.

Unafraid of death, Xi Jin stepped forward and even offered her his neck.

Nan Xingyu: "..."

Still fuming, she pushed his face away.

He couldn't help laughing out loud.

That made Nan Zhiping turn around again, only to see the two children standing together "harmoniously."

One handed over a plate, and the other tipped out the prawns.

After washing the vegetables, Nan Zhiping asked Nan Xingyu to wash some strawberries and take them to Liu Meili.

Liu Meili chided Nan Zhiping, asking how he could really let the Xi Family's young master help with the cooking.

"He's willing. Let him."

Nan Xingyu was still simmering with anger.

Liu Meili was recuperating in bed and could only get up and walk around for a little while each day. She said,

"Honestly, child, how can you talk like that? Hurry to the kitchen and help. Tell Young Master Xi to stop working."

Nan Xingyu was pushed out of the room. She popped a strawberry into her mouth and reluctantly returned to the kitchen.

Nan Zhiping wasn't there.

Only Xi Jin was.

"Where's my dad?"

Nan Xingyu asked indistinctly, chewing the strawberry.

Xi Jin stared at her moist lips as the scent of strawberries wafted toward him. "I want some."

Nan Xingyu rolled her eyes impatiently. "Wait here."

She was about to leave when she heard Xi Jin say, "The one in your mouth."