Since that had been said, no one said anything more.
Xu Chun looked at Jiang Xiuyan. He had come here because Xie Jianyuan had invited him; Jiang Xiuyan was most likely here at Mother Xie's invitation.
Before long, the conversation at the table turned to Xu Chun. Mother Xie elegantly wiped her mouth with her napkin and said with a smile, "I hear Jianyuan has been busy filming with you lately. What's the show like? Can you tell me about it?"
Xu Chun's expression turned a little strange. He glanced at Xie Jianyuan and found him looking back. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and in the end, both silently chose to say nothing.
Xu Chun stared at the dishes before him, listening to Xie Jianyuan smoothly change the subject. I can't exactly tell her I'm filming scenes where I sleep with her son, can I?
After the subject changed, Mother Xie seemed to remember something else and asked Xu Chun eagerly, "Bai Lingling is your girlfriend, right? I really like her. Could you get me her autograph?"
Xie Jianyuan's expression darkened.
Xu Chun was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "Auntie, I can ask her for an autograph for you, but she isn't my girlfriend."
"What?" Mother Xie looked astonished and asked suspiciously, "But weren't there photos of you two on a date? How could it be fake?"
"The media just made that up."
Seeing that Xu Chun didn't look as if he was lying, Mother Xie sighed. "The entertainment industry is such a mess."
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something else and warned Xie Jianyuan, "You mustn't date anyone in the industry, understand?"
Xie Jianyuan was peeling shrimp for Xu Chun. He gave no response to her words, simply placing the peeled shrimp in Xu Chun's bowl and raising an eyebrow indifferently without saying a word.
Jiang Xiuyan watched this and lowered his head slightly, hiding the complicated look in his eyes.
"You child, did you hear me? And don't spend all your time filming. I know quite a few ladies whose daughters are your age. You should meet them sometime."
Xu Chun heard no response from Xie Jianyuan beside him, and seeing that Jiang Xiuyan's expression had turned rather ugly, he made an awkward attempt to talk Mother Xie around, saying that Xie Jianyuan was still young and there was no rush for him to date.
Mother Xie's brows shot up. "How is it too early? I want to have a grandchild sooner rather than later." After saying that, she seemed a little annoyed that Jiang Xiuyan wasn't on her side. She turned to Xu Chun in a huff, seeking his agreement.
"Xu Chun, tell me, am I right or not?"
Seeing everyone staring at him, Xu Chun glanced at the silent Jiang Xiuyan and suddenly broke into a smile.
"Auntie has a point." If Xie Jianyuan started dating soon, perhaps Jiang Xiuyan would give up his obsession and stop pestering Xie Jianyuan.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Chun felt the pressure beside him suddenly drop. He turned and found himself looking into those dark, narrow eyes.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds. After an indeterminate length of time, a smile finally appeared at the corners of Xie Jianyuan's mouth, but there was no trace of amusement in his beautiful eyes.
"Brother Chun, is that what you think?"
Chapter 29: Heh, Men
Xu Chun was slightly taken aback. For a moment, he froze, too stunned to know how to answer.
After hesitating for a moment, he carefully chose his tone. "Auntie only wants what's best for you. All parents are like that; they all want grandchildren sooner rather than later. But don't think too much about it. I'm sure Auntie also hopes you can find someone you like."
Xu Chun thought his words were flawless, with nothing wrong in them, but not only did Xie Jianyuan's expression fail to improve, it grew even uglier.
Seeing Xu Chun back her up, Mother Xie became even more confident. "Xu Chun understands me. Look how sensible someone else's son is. You have to meet those girls sometime. I'm telling you, every one of them is a beauty..."
Before she could finish, Xie Qianqian interrupted her, speaking in a tone that was half cajoling, half joking. "Auntie, Brother rarely gets a chance to come home. Don't talk about these things. He knows what he's doing when it comes to finding me a sister-in-law."
Father Xie also spoke up at the right moment. "Let's eat."
Seeing that the head of the family had spoken, Mother Xie had no choice but to suppress her dissatisfaction. She muttered a few words before awkwardly dropping the matter.
Xu Chun remained distracted throughout the meal. Beside him, Xie Jianyuan was uncharacteristically quiet too, his head lowered as he idly played with his teacup.
"Xu Chun, have some of this." Mother Xie knew how to treat a guest and warmly picked up some food for him.
Xu Chun smiled and was about to accept it when he heard Xie Jianyuan say mildly beside him, "He doesn't eat spicy food."
Everyone present, Xu Chun included, was slightly taken aback.
Jiang Xiuyan felt a faint stab of pain in his heart. He looked at Xu Chun and Xie Jianyuan with a complicated expression, his thoughts unknown.
"I see..." Mother Xie smiled awkwardly and started to withdraw her hand.
"It's all right, Auntie." Xu Chun smiled as he reached for the food she had picked up.
Xie Jianyuan frowned slightly and glanced at the dishes on the table. Most were spicy, presumably because Mother Xie had ordered according to his tastes. With a dark expression, he called a waiter over and ordered several more mild dishes.
Anyone could see from his expression that he was in a bad mood. Everyone guessed that what Mother Xie had brought up earlier had probably upset him. After all, Xie Jianyuan's career was on the rise, and it was only natural that he didn't want to date.
But they had only guessed half the truth. The real reason Xie Jianyuan was angry was Xu Chun's answer.
After the meal, Xie Jianyuan drove Xu Chun home. Since they lived together and neither had any plans afterward, they went back together.
After fastening his seat belt, Xu Chun watched Xie Jianyuan press the accelerator, and the car slowly pulled away.
The atmosphere was quiet throughout the drive.
Xie Jianyuan rested a hand on the steering wheel. Seeing a red light ahead, he stepped on the brake and brought the car to a stop.
To cover up the stifling silence, Xu Chun reached out and turned up the music on the stereo.
Xie Jianyuan propped his cheek on his left hand, the fingers of his right hand slightly curled as he idly tapped the steering wheel. Suddenly, he asked, "Brother Chun, what kind of girl do you like?"