He finally made a move

Lu Kuo's face was expressionless, and there was no telling whether he was angry. He simply poured Xia Zhi a glass of red wine, then gently clinked his glass against hers.

"Since Miss Ji is busy, let's drink."

Xia Zhi tactfully poured Ji Qinghe a glass too and said with a smile,

"Qinghe, let's all have a toast."

"I'm really happy to have met you."

Ji Qinghe raised her glass too, but only clinked it against Xia Zhi's. "I'm very happy to have met you too."

Then she added pointedly, "That's the only thing I've gained tonight."

Xia Zhi stole a glance at the male lead's expression. These two were at odds; this was probably going nowhere.

Sigh.

Could the male lead still not escape the book's predetermined course?

Were all the women who appeared before the female lead just passing through his life?

Then the main villain...

Would he still fall madly in love with the female lead?

Xia Zhi felt a headache coming on and couldn't help tipping her head back and draining her glass.

When she set it down, she saw that both the others at the table were staring at her. She didn't forget to put in a good word for the male lead.

"My eldest brother has such good taste. The red wine he picks is always delicious."

"Qinghe, you should try it too."

Qinghe smiled at her. "Okay."

Xia Zhi really liked Ji Qinghe. Being around her felt so comfortable that she even thought, If I were a man, I'd definitely fall for someone like Ji Qinghe, independent and confident despite being born into a wealthy family.

Precisely because she liked Ji Qinghe, Xia Zhi didn't dare play matchmaker recklessly. If the male lead was waiting for the female lead, then it would be best if Ji Qinghe wasn't interested in him.

Although Qinghe wasn't speaking, she was chatting with Xia Zhi on her phone. She sent Xia Zhi several pieces that were fairly representative of her work.

Xia Zhi admired her from the bottom of her heart. "Qinghe, I painted two pictures before, but they might need some touching up."

"When you're free, I'll come see you at your school."

Qinghe readily agreed. "Sure."

Left out in the cold, the male lead couldn't help glaring at Xia Zhi. Was he the one on a blind date today, or was she?

A disgruntled Lu Kuo sent Xia Zhi a WeChat message.

-Isn't it time you left?

Xia Zhi raised her eyebrows. What did the male lead mean by that? Was he interested in Qinghe?

-Who told you to act so aloof at the start? You've put her off, haven't you?

-She's a genuinely great girl. I really like her.

Lu Kuo casually sent back,

-You really know what men want.

*??*

Wasn't it gentleness, good homemaking skills, and intelligence?

Besides, she was pretty too.

-What do men want? Please enlighten me, big brother.

Xia Zhi poured herself another half glass of red wine. She hadn't eaten much tonight and was determined to make up for it by drinking. She had just taken a sip when she looked down at the male lead's reply and nearly spat it out.

"Cough, cough."

Xia Zhi coughed violently, her cheeks flushing red.

Ji Qinghe hurriedly put down her knife and fork and patted Xia Zhi's back. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Xia Zhi said, "I'm... I'm fine. It just went down the wrong way. Cough, cough."

Meanwhile, the culprit sat across from her, perfectly composed, and raised his wineglass slightly toward her.

Speechless, Xia Zhi gave him a huge eye roll.

The male lead had replied with just two words-

Some meat.

Clearly, he didn't mean meat all over.

Xia Zhi couldn't help stealing a glance at Ji Qinghe beside her. She was on the thin side and didn't seem to have much meat on her, top or bottom.

No wonder the male lead hadn't looked kindly on her at first.

But what was with him suddenly trying to get rid of me now?

Had his interest returned?

Once again, Xia Zhi realized how absurd her first impression of the male lead had been. She'd thought he was a respectable man. Now it seemed that the damned pervert was far more respectable than he was.

Still, to give the two a chance to be alone, Xia Zhi took the opportunity to go to the restroom. She played a game while sitting on the toilet, planning to stay there until the two called it a night.

But before long, a familiar voice came from the stall next to hers.

"Xia Xia, what game are you playing?"

Huh?

Ji Qinghe?

Xia Zhi quickly paused it. "It's a new level-clearing game called XX. I'm not very good at it either. I'm still looking for someone to carry me."

Hearing that, Ji Qinghe said, "I know how to play! My rank is pretty high now too. I'll carry you."

"Sure!"

They chatted a little more about the game before Ji Qinghe suddenly asked Xia Zhi, "Xia Xia, tell me, what's your eldest brother really like?"

What was the male lead like?

Ji Qinghe's question really stumped Xia Zhi. "Qinghe, would you believe me if I told you I don't know this eldest brother of mine very well?"

She really didn't.

Ji Qinghe sounded puzzled. "That doesn't seem right. He looked very relaxed when he was talking to you."

Xia Zhi said, "My grandma says that too. That's just how he is. He's very casual with family, but he puts on an unapproachable face around outsiders. That's why Grandma asked me to come break the ice."

Ji Qinghe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I thought he had something against me."

Xia Zhi hurriedly said, "No, no. My eldest brother is very easygoing, but only once you get to know him."

Ji Qinghe paused briefly before asking, "Then what kind of girl does he like?"

At those words, Xia Zhi's heart gave a jolt.

Oh no, Ji Qinghe was starting to fall for him. I thought she could escape the male lead's clutches. Who would have thought?

Still, the male lead really did have a lot going for him. It was only natural for girls to like him.

But the female lead three months from now...

Previously, Xia Zhi had worried that the male lead would develop a romance with his blind date and stray from his storyline with the female lead. Now, though, she was more worried about Ji Qinghe getting hurt.

"I'm not really sure what kind of girl he likes either."

"Qinghe, don't worry. I'll find out how he feels about you later. If he likes you, then you can consider him. If he isn't interested, you mustn't fall for him first."

"As girls, we have to love and protect ourselves first."

Xia Zhi spoke earnestly to Ji Qinghe as she washed her hands.

Ji Qinghe was naturally not someone who got overly caught up in romance, but she could tell Xia Zhi genuinely cared about her, and she was very touched.

"Xia Xia, whether things work out between Lu Kuo and me or not, I'm really glad I came over tonight."

Making a like-minded friend was no small gain.

Since all three of them had been drinking, Lu Heng called a designated driver.

Xia Zhi practically scrambled into the front passenger seat, leaving the two in the back an opportunity.

But then...

Those two actually stayed silent the whole way. Xia Zhi was so anxious that she wished she could do the talking for them.

"Qinghe, my eldest brother is a little shy. This is his first blind date, and he doesn't know how to interact with girls yet."

"Big brother, add Qinghe on WeChat."

This was so frustrating.

The male lead was like a mule. He wouldn't move forward unless someone whipped him.

"Miss Ji, may I add you on WeChat?"

Lu the mule finally made a move.

Ji Qinghe said, "Sure."

Then they had nothing to say again.

Xia Zhi: "..."

There was nothing she could do. This was as far as she could help.