"Just ask him what he wanted in a future partner."
As if grasping at a lifeline, Bai Le hurriedly repeated the question.
The students around them were a little disappointed. Compared with earlier questions like "Do you have a girlfriend?" this one was far too reserved.
Xi Yan kept his gaze fixed on him, and his expression barely changed when he heard the question.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly as he stared straight at Bai Le.
"Someone who doesn't lie to me."
Bai Le and the others were the last to leave the auditorium. By then, the crowd had mostly dispersed.
His face still looked awful, and he couldn't shake the nausea. Bai Yin noticed too and patted him on the back worriedly.
"Brother, are you okay? Do you need to throw up?"
Bai Le crouched by a flower bed and retched a few times, his voice a little hoarse.
"Go buy me a bottle of water." Bai Yin hurried off to get it.
Bai Le was left alone, crouching pitifully in a corner of the flower bed. Retching had brought tears to the corners of his eyes. His peach blossom eyes looked misty, their outer corners slightly red.
After crouching there for quite a while, his feet began to go numb. Just as he was wondering whether to stand up, a cool, deep voice sounded behind him.
"What are you doing?"
Bai Le turned around and saw Xi Yan being pushed along behind him, his dark eyes fixed on Bai Le with what seemed to be a hint of puzzlement.
The author has something to say: University students really do get their parents called in. I haven't just seen it in the news—my youngest uncle had his parents called in a few years ago because he played games and hardly ever went to class. Even now, we bring it up and laugh at him over New Year's Eve dinner, haha.
PS: Regular daily updates start today. Sorry for the long wait! There are red packets for those who comment today~ Thanks to the little angels who gave me Overlord Tickets or irrigated me with nutrient solution between 2020-02-09 20:31:34 and 2020-02-12 21:22:03~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated me with nutrient solution: A Jie Zui Hao, 2 bottles;
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep doing my best!
Chapter 12
When Bai Le turned around and Xi Yan got a clear look at his face, he paused too. He frowned slightly. "Were you crying?"
Bai Le felt a little embarrassed. Of course he hadn't been crying, and he hurriedly shook his head to clear up the misunderstanding.
"No."
But trying so hard to hide it only made him look more suspicious. Xi Yan's hand moved slightly on his knee.
"Who bullied you?"
Bai Le gave him a puzzled look. What, if someone really had bullied him, would Xi Yan stand up for him? He was a little surprised that Xi Yan had asked.
"I'm not a child. Who could bully me?" Bai Le stood up, feeling a little dizzy, and his face looked even worse.
Seeing this, Xi Yan frowned more deeply and stared at him, as if afraid he might faint.
But after Bai Le shook his head, he felt much clearer. His blood sugar was probably a little low.
Bai Yin still hadn't returned, and Xi Yan showed no intention of leaving. Bai Le muttered to himself inwardly but let none of it show on his face. He chatted with Xi Yan about trivial things, just to keep the conversation from dying.
Just as he was running out of things to say, Xi Yan, who had been listening silently to his rambling, suddenly spoke.
"You seem to care a lot about Ye Feifei?"
The abrupt change of subject caught Bai Le off guard. "Huh? What?"
Xi Yan repeated himself with uncharacteristic patience. "You care a lot about Ye Feifei?"
Bai Le understood, but he stumbled over his words, unsure how to answer.
Of course I care, but I care about both of you.
After hesitating for a long time, he decided not to lie after all. Xi Yan might be able to tell.
When Bai Le nodded, Xi Yan's eyes darkened and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, but there was no warmth in his smile at all.
"Is that so?"
Bai Le scratched his head again and honestly added, "But I care about you too."
Xi Yan paused.
"Brother!" Bai Yin returned with the water. Seeing Xi Yan there, she hurriedly greeted him with proper respect.
Xi Yan's expression had already returned to normal. He nodded to her, then let his secretary push him away.
After he left, Bai Yin asked curiously, "Brother, how did you get so close to him?"
Bai Le unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and shook his head.
Now that she had started talking, Bai Yin eagerly continued gossiping. "But what do you think Fourth Master Xi meant by that? I thought he'd give some standard answer, like someone kind, lively, and filial."
Bai Le said, "How would I know?"
"Was he deceived by a woman? If he was, that's surprisingly innocent of him."
"Impossible," Bai Le denied flatly. He couldn't imagine Xi Yan being deceived by a woman.
"Then could it have been a man?"
Bai Le choked, remembering what had happened that night and how he had lied about liking Xi Yan to save his life. He felt a little guilty, but then he thought it was unlikely. How could it have left such a lasting shadow so easily?
He was just about to speak when his gaze happened to fall on Ye Feifei. This time, however, there was an unfamiliar young man beside her.
Bai Yin curiously followed his gaze. When she saw Ye Feifei, she curled her lip disdainfully.
"Brother, if you like Ye Feifei, I advise you to give up on her now."
This time, Bai Le didn't rush to deny it. Instead, he asked, "Why?"
Bai Yin hesitated for a while. After all, talking badly about people behind their backs really wasn't her style. But in the end, she gritted her teeth and said, "Forget it, I'd better tell you. What if you fall into a ditch?"
"If you got together with her, the moment someone better off than you came along, she'd kick you aside."
"How do you know?"
"Because it's happened before, of course, and more than once. What bothers me most is how she treats guys from ordinary families that she doesn't like. She won't turn them down outright, but she'll happily enjoy how well they treat her."