The Number Is His

"Hello, I'm Xiao You and Xue'er's brother."

The two young men quickly extended their hands.

"My name is Chen Xin. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Yang Sheng. I've heard so much about you."

They had long heard that An You and Xiao Xueer's entry into the company was arranged by Manager Song, and the connection came from An You's brother. Now that they finally met him in person, they dared not be careless.

For Manager Song to specifically set up two idle positions in the company to settle two young girls—this kind of person was either extraordinary in status or had an extraordinary relationship with Manager Song. Either way, they couldn't afford to provoke him.

A flicker of disgust passed through An You's eyes as she subtly turned her head away.

Xiao You...

Xue'er...

Tch... How affectionately he said that!

An Yang reached out and shook hands with each of them, smiling. "Over these past two months, my sister has been in your care. I hope she hasn't caused you too much trouble."

Chen Xin quickly replied, "Not at all! Xiao You and Xue'er are both smart and beautiful. We all like them too much to find them troublesome!"

An You's eye twitched again.

Hypocrite!

They didn't sit down until the seat of honor, and after half an hour of tea, the dishes finally started arriving. By then, the sky had already darkened.

An You didn't mind, since she had nothing better to do anyway.

Well... supper was meant to be eaten at this hour.

Chen Xin raised a glass of baijiu and said to An Yang, "We're Xiao You's friends. Since you're her brother, I'll call you Brother An. Come on, down this glass."

It was clear he was a veteran of the drinking table, skilled at getting close.

An Yang lifted his glass, squinting at him. "Don't. You might be older than me. Let's keep things separate."

Yang Sheng also raised a glass and toasted him.

Two full glasses of baijiu went down, but each of them had only drunk one. No matter how much they urged, An Yang refused to drink anymore.

Seeing him focus on eating, with a seemingly mild temper and no arrogance, Chen Xin and Yang Sheng's minds began to stir.

Ordinarily, Xiao Xueer was already quite alluring. Strictly speaking, her body was still in a youthful stage—many parts were still tender and soft—but her figure was incredibly hot and tempting, and today's outfit was especially captivating. How could they not be tempted?

And from casual conversation, they knew Xiao Xueer came from a good family. If they could win her over, wouldn't that mean ten fewer years of struggle!

As for An You, who was usually just pretty, they hadn't expected that with a bit of dressing up, she'd become something else entirely—a true noble princess. And she was at the most tender, softest age, not even starting university yet!

Most importantly, both were still pure, untouched girls—first-timers with no experience!

If they could charm them, what couldn't they do later?

Back in the office, there was never a chance. But now wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

Chen Xin and Yang Sheng exchanged a glance, then looked at An Yang. Emboldened by the alcohol, they flipped over the upside-down glass cups in front of Xiao Xueer and An You and poured half a glass for each.

"You're girls, sure, but you've been at the company for over two months. Now that we're parting ways, just drinking tea won't cut it. You've got to show a little gesture, don't you think?"

An You's face showed hesitation. She couldn't drink, but facing a superior and a colleague who had always been kind to her, she didn't know how to refuse.

"Um... I can't drink. Can I substitute tea for wine?"

"No way!"

"Brother Xin's right. After this, we might not see each other again. We've spent over two months together—this one glass, no, this half glass, is only right and proper!"

Seeing Chen Xin's face already flushed red, Xiao Xueer, more worldly-wise, knew it was hard to refuse and looked to An Yang for help.

An Yang stared at the two men, frowning. "Girls shouldn't drink."

"Can't say that outright. It depends on the occasion." Chen Xin frowned, then turned to Xiao Xueer, reeking of alcohol. "Don't you think so, Xue'er?"

An Yang applied a bit of force, setting his ceramic teacup down on the table with a crisp sound.

"Clink."

The tipsy Chen Xin and Yang Sheng were startled.

An Yang fixed his gaze on Chen Xin and said calmly, "You're drunk."

Chen Xin shuddered. Meeting An Yang's eyes, he felt his hair stand on end, like a sheep facing a blood-mouthed predator. The little alcohol he had left evaporated by eighty percent.

It seemed using drink to stir emotions, get close, or take advantage was off the table. He could only hope to stay in touch and strike when the chance came.

Chen Xin, seasoned and shrewd, quickly adjusted and removed the girls' wine.

"Brother An's right. Tea instead of wine, then. Tea instead of wine."

An You sat in a daze, silent. In that moment, many thoughts seemed to flash through her mind. But Xiao Xueer smiled sweetly, raised her ceramic teacup, and said, "Thank you, Brother An Yang. Then Xiao You and I will toast with tea, thanking Manager Chen and Brother Yang for your care."

An You also raised her tea. Just as she set down her cup, she noticed a rather handsome young man walking over from across the room. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, his face flushed red, holding a bottle of beer. He stopped in front of Xiao Xueer.

The young man froze. The dim lighting earlier had only shown him a beauty from afar, but up close, Xiao Xueer was even more stunning. Glancing to the side, An You also dazzled his eyes.

"Um... miss, can I buy you a drink?"

Xiao Xueer froze, her face suddenly turning pale.

A scene like this... reminded her of the day on the bus when she encountered those thugs.

But perhaps because her deskmate An Yang gave her a sense of security, or maybe because her beauty had made her no stranger to such situations, she quickly realized this wouldn't repeat that day's events. She shook her head and said, "Sorry, I don't drink."

The young man froze. It was clear he was shy—even drunk, he lacked courage. His original pickup line suddenly turned into a plea.

"Uh... miss, can you help me out? Just one drink, that's all."

Xiao Xueer shook her head again.

"I don't drink."

An Yang turned to look beside him. A group of awkward young men sat at a table, many craning their necks to watch this way. Excitement and jeering were written on their faces.

He understood immediately.

It was right after the college entrance exams—a time of liberation and separation. Many young men, filled with the melancholy of parting, came out to drown their sorrows in alcohol, indulging themselves. This was a common sight.

"Kid, come here."

The young man looked embarrassed but still walked over to him.

One glance told him this was likely the girl's older brother or something. Already shy in front of a pretty girl, facing her brother made him even more nervous.

Typical teenage boy thinking.

An Yang asked, "What, lost a game?"

The young man grew even more awkward and nodded. "Yeah..."

An Yang was in a good mood today and wasn't about to get angry over childish antics like this. Especially since this boy seemed well-behaved—clearly a good student fresh out of exams, much more honest than An Yang had been at his age.

"Alright, I don't want you to lose face in front of your friends. My sister really doesn't drink, so I'll take this drink for her. That way, you have something to tell your buddies."

The young man paused, then quickly nodded. "Okay, thanks, big brother."

The young man went back. Xiao Xueer continued gazing sweetly at An Yang, occasionally breaking into heartfelt smiles, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. Her usual coldness and pride were completely gone, and she looked stunning.

An You's heart sank, a bad feeling rising within her.

She even forgot the sourness she'd felt earlier when the young man approached Xiao Xueer instead of her.

The table of high school graduates grew more and more drunk. Soon, another young man came over. This time, he had a different target—An You.

"Uh... miss, can you do me a favor? I just need to ask for your info, say a few words to get by. Otherwise, I'll have to crawl under the table when I go back."

An You was already annoyed. Indifferently, she said, "Then go crawl under the table."

The tall, skinny young man blinked, at a loss for how to respond.

Unlike those who used bets and games as excuses to hit on girls—and despite Xiao Xueer and An You being extremely beautiful—his main goal was just because he'd lost the game. Normally, he'd be too shy to approach girls.

Xiao Xueer chuckled. "Xiao You, just say a few words to him."

The tall, skinny young man shot Xiao Xueer a grateful look and nodded. "Yeah, right."

An You was silent for a moment. Without a blush or a racing heart, she lied effortlessly: "My name is Fu Ni. I'm twenty-one, and I work at Mingyang Group. Is that enough?"

The young man looked relieved but still a bit awkward. He hadn't expected An You to be so old.

"Uh... thanks, Sister Fu Ni."

He was about to leave when An Yang grabbed him. "Kid, drink if you want, play games if you want. But if you've had too much, just sit and chat. I've been there too. After graduation, it's hard to find time to drink and talk like this again."

The young man immediately understood his meaning. Looking embarrassed, he apologized before turning to leave.

"Sorry."

Only after he left did Xiao Xueer laugh out loud. "Hello there, twenty-one-year-old Sister Fu Ni."

That girl An You didn't change her expression. She nodded and said, "Hello, Sister Xueer."

An Yang's words had their effect. From then until the meal ended, the group of high school graduates didn't bother them again. It wasn't until they were paying the bill that the young man who'd first toasted Xiao Xueer shuffled over hesitantly.

"Uh... miss, my name is Chen Mo. Chen as in Chen Guanchen's Chen... ah no, Chen as in Chen Shimei's... uh, Chen as in Chen Qiao'en's Chen. I'd like to be friends with you. Can I get to know you?"

Xiao Xueer chuckled lightly, hesitated for a moment, then said, "My name is Xiao Xueer."

Chen Mo recited a string of numbers and pulled out his phone. "This is my number. Can I... can I have yours?"

Xiao Xueer glanced at An Yang, paused again, then said, "Alright, my number is..."

As she recited a string of numbers, An You twitched the corner of her mouth, barely holding back a laugh.

It seemed Xiao Xueer's talent for deadpan lying wasn't bad either.

But An Yang was stunned.

Because... that string of numbers was his!