Judging from the various sensory information gathered, Xiang Kun knew that Ms. Yang would soon find an excuse to end the blind date, so he also "had a moment" to glance at Lao Xia sitting not far away.
Then, just like their first chance encounter in the coffee shop, Xiang Kun's eyes met Lao Xia's again in mid-air.
However, it wasn't the kind of casual eye contact between opposite sexes that sparked a connection; it was something inexplicable and eerie.
Xiang Kun's eyes first searched, then showed surprise, while Xia Libing was first bewildered, then confused.
Xiang Kun withdrew his gaze, because Ms. Yang began to speak, "Mr. Xiang, I think..."
Just then, Xia Libing suddenly got up and walked over.
Xiang Kun looked up at her, puzzled, not understanding what she was trying to do.
"Are you finished chatting? Let's go buy groceries," Xia Libing said.
Xiang Kun stared wide-eyed, his mind filled with questions. Lao Xia wasn't the kind of person who couldn't read the situation.
"And who is this?" Ms. Yang glanced at Xia Libing, then at Xiang Kun, who stood up with a surprised expression, and also stood up. She didn't quite understand who this pretty girl in flat shoes, who was taller than her in high heels, was to Xiang Kun.
"My sister." Although he didn't understand Lao Xia's intentions, Xiang Kun still couldn't let Ms. Yang misunderstand. If she mistook Lao Xia for his girlfriend, it would be difficult to explain to Aunt Qiu. And if his mother misunderstood that he had a girlfriend, it would be equally troublesome.
However, as soon as he spoke, Xia Libing also said to Ms. Yang, "Friend."
Then the two looked at each other, and Xiang Kun said again, "My friend's sister." Xia Libing replied at the same time, "Sister."
The two looked at each other again. Xiang Kun was helpless, and Xia Libing was bewildered. Then he understood what Lao Xia was looking at him—"I'll just shut up."
Ms. Yang laughed, "I understand, she's your friend's sister, so she's practically your sister too."
Xiang Kun immediately replied, "Yes, she hasn't been in Citong City for long and isn't used to the food here yet. I happen to have a little bit of cooking skill, so I thought I'd cook her a meal while I was here. We agreed to buy groceries tonight..."
Halfway through his sentence, he also felt something was off; it was clearly nothing, but it sounded like there was something going on.
"Don't worry, I understand. I won't tell my aunt. I'll just say that we didn't click and it wasn't a good time for us," Ms. Yang said with a smile.
Xiang Kun sighed helplessly. It seemed that he had been misunderstood after all. However, as long as Ms. Yang didn't tell Aunt Qiu, Aunt Qiu didn't know, and neither did his mother, then there was no problem.
After a brief chat, Ms. Yang. Yang said goodbye to the two men, took her bag, and left the coffee shop.
Actually, when Ms. Yang saw Xia Libing come over and say those words, a whole bunch of melodramatic scenarios popped into her head. She thought that Xiang Kun's girlfriend, whom he was secretly dating, had discovered that he was going on blind dates without her knowledge, and then came to deliberately "sabotage" the relationship.
But the feeling between Xia Libing and Xiang Kun was very strange. They didn't seem like ordinary friends or siblings, but her intuition told her they weren't lovers either.
Before becoming the president's assistant, she had worked in the sales, administration, and human resources departments. She considered herself to have a good eye for people and could tell at a glance who was secretly dating whom in the company. There was no spark or affection between the two of them, yet there was some inexplicable connection. She couldn't find any comparable examples in her experience or memory.
Only after getting into her car in the parking lot did Ms. Yang stop speculating. Oh well, it had nothing to do with her anyway. But that girl was really tall and beautiful, it's a pity she was dressed so casually. If she dressed up, she would definitely be even more stunning...
Inside the coffee shop, after Ms. Yang left, Xiang Kun looked at Xia Libing helplessly. "Why did you suddenly come over and say that?"
Xia Libing asked curiously, "Didn't you give me a look, signaling me to come and interrupt your blind date?"
Xiang Kun was even more puzzled. "I don't think I ever told you I was on a blind date?"
Xia Libing said, "You and she are clearly not very familiar with each other. Your conversation was a bit too polite and distant, as if you wanted to leave but were too embarrassed to. Considering your age and your background as an only child, there's a high probability that you'll be set up on a blind date after you come back."
"Hey, not bad, you're pretty accurate. But why did you think I glanced at you just now so you'd come and interrupt me?" Xiang Kun thought to himself: He's not accurate when he should be!
Xia Libing replied, "You usually don't change your posture frequently when you're sitting, but you changed your posture twice in a short period of time before you looked up at me, indicating that you were preparing to leave. In addition, you and that lady both seemed uninterested in each other's conversation, so you looked at me, which means you wanted me to ask for help and end this boring meeting. Am I misunderstanding something?"
Xiang Kun was taken aback. Recalling his own state just now, he realized that he had indeed judged that Ms. Yang had no intention of continuing the conversation and that the conversation was about to end. His body unconsciously showed a slight tendency to get up and leave. This girl's eyes were indeed quite accurate, and she also knew his habits quite well!
My ability to read eyes is terrible! I can't tell the difference between a pleading look and a bored look!
"Alright, alright, don't make decisions on your own next time. Let's go buy groceries." Xiang Kun glanced at the time; it wasn't even four o'clock yet, so there was plenty of time.
"Shouldn't you be at work right now?" Xiang Kun asked.
As he expected, Xia Libing's answer was, "I've taken leave."
Xiang Kun was naturally more familiar with Citong City than Xia Libing, and knew where was a good place to buy groceries nearby, so he took her directly onto the bus.
"Don't you like Nana?" Xia Libing, who was sitting next to Xiang Kun on the bus, suddenly asked.
Xiang Kun understood what she meant and said, "Uh, we're just ordinary friends."
"Didn't you two meet through a blind date? You don't dislike her, and she doesn't dislike you. You seem to have a lot of fun together, and you're both single," Xia Libing asked again.
"That's true, but... how should I put it, I'm not ready for a relationship right now," Xiang Kun said after a moment's thought.
Xia Libing didn't ask why it wasn't suitable, but nodded. "I understand. You're not ready to be in a relationship right now, but it's inconvenient to tell your friends and family the reasons. So when they introduce you to potential partners, even though you're not interested, you can't find a reason to refuse, so you have to go along with it."
"Yes, that's what I mean."
"What ingredients do we need to buy later?" Xia Libing didn't continue with the previous question.
Xiang Kun first asked Xia Libing what kitchen utensils and seasonings were available at her current residence, and what she was missing. Then he made a list of items that needed to be purchased and told her about them one by one.
Next, following the layout of the RT-Mart Supermarket I remembered, I assigned her to buy part of it, while I went to buy the other part.
So what might have taken two people thirty minutes to shop together, they split up and finished in thirteen minutes.
When the two of them met at the checkout counter, pushing their shopping carts and confirming that they had bought the correct items, they both expressed their satisfaction with each other's efficiency in completing the purchase.