Chapter 108: Get Lost

Lin Xi knew it all too well.

Nothing good ever came of being with Bai Xu.

At times like this, no one knew better than he did how to make people feel awkward, how to ruin the mood most thoroughly. She had to admit defeat.

Cheng Si had been eating when he heard that, and his chopsticks nearly slipped from his grasp.

He looked up on instinct, stealing a glance at Qin Yu beside him, and caught only the faintest crease of Qin Yu’s brow.

Seeing that, he shifted his gaze forward to Lin Xi, hoping to break the strange silence.

“Has Song Ning been looking for you lately?”

How was Lin Xi supposed to answer that? She did not even know whether the number was really Song Ning’s. It was all based on Bai Xu’s one-sided claim, and she had no way to verify it.

“No.” She shook her head and could only say that much.

“Today, a number called twice. I missed it. Don’t know who it was.”

“Oh...” Cheng Si turned his gaze again, this time to the instigator sitting on her left.

Their eyes met in the air. After a brief exchange, Bai Xu shrugged. “I heard it from someone too. Recently Song Ning’s been asking around for her number.”

At that, Cheng Si frowned.

He genuinely had not known about this.

He had not even received word, let alone Qin Yu.

Qin Yu remained silent. Cheng Si had no choice but to make the decision for him. “Send me that missed call later. I’ll call the number back. As for Song Ning, I’ll have someone ask around.”

“Let’s eat.”

It would have been best to leave the matter there, but Bai Xu was clearly dissatisfied.

He propped one hand against his face, the bowl and chopsticks before him still untouched. It was obvious he had not come here to eat today, but rather to make trouble.

“Third Brother...” Bai Xu had barely begun when a sharp pain shot through his foot. His voice broke off at once. He lowered his gaze, a trace of amusement still lingering in his eyes, and looked sideways at Lin Xi.

She narrowed her eyes and pressed down hard on his foot, the warning unmistakable.

Bai Xu smiled faintly, as though he felt no pain at all, and withdrew his gaze with complete composure. “This Song Ning clearly...”

Before he could finish, the figure beside him suddenly stood.

The chair legs scraped over the floor with a harsh, grating sound.

Everyone at the surrounding tables turned to look.

Lin Xi gave an apologetic smile, then turned and seized Bai Xu by the collar. “Come out with me.”

“Why should I?” Bai Xu protested, saying he was still eating.

“Are you here to eat?” Lin Xi asked through gritted teeth, her lips close to his ear.

“If I’m not eating, what else would I be doing here?”

Bai Xu told her to let go at once.

The two of them were pressed close together, whispering to each other, looking almost intimate. Across from them, Qin Yu’s eyes darkened without a trace of outward change.

He set down his chopsticks with a soft click.

It was not loud, but the table had gone so quiet that Lin Xi and Bai Xu could not possibly ignore it.

They both stopped speaking and turned their heads together. The man’s dark gaze swept over them, carrying the full authority of an elder brother, and he said in a low voice, “Sit down. Eat.”

“...”

Lin Xi frowned, still wavering, when she saw Cheng Si across from her quietly shake his head. Beneath the table, he also lifted a hand and made a small, urgent gesture for her to sit back down.

Seeing her obey, the smile on Bai Xu’s lips widened. He arched a brow. “Third Brother.”

Unfortunately for him, Qin Yu did not indulge him this time either. “Do not speak when eating or sleeping. Say one more useless word, and get out on your own.”

By their understanding of Qin Yu, those words were already a final warning, leaving no room for negotiation.

By now, Bai Xu truly did not dare tease Lin Xi any further.

After several rounds of drinking, and while Qin Yu went to toast the elders, Cheng Si rose and directly dragged Bai Xu out of the banquet hall.

—

In the corridor, Cheng Si shoved Bai Xu hard against the wall.

“Are you out of your mind?” Bai Xu gasped. His shoulder blade struck the wall painfully, and for a moment he nearly fought back.

Cheng Si cursed him right back.

There was no one nearby. The corridor was spacious and empty, the perfect place for a conversation.

Cheng Si jabbed a finger at his nose, furious enough that his features twisted. “What the hell is wrong with your head this time?”

Being scolded by Lin Xi and Qin Yu, Bai Xu could still endure it. But Cheng Si was a different matter entirely.

He slapped Cheng Si’s hand away, and was just about to fire back when he heard Cheng Si ask in exasperation, “Do you even know what day it is? Do you know what kind of occasion this is?”

“What exactly are you trying to do here? What new stunt are you planning, for heaven’s sake?”

“I swear, I really don’t admire many people, but you? You’re one of a kind.”

“Can’t you look at the time before you lose your mind?”

“Today is Old Master Lin’s birthday banquet. You still want to stir up trouble on a day like this? Do you really hate seeing Lin Xi happy that much?”

What truly angered Cheng Si was that Bai Xu wanted to make trouble at an occasion like today’s.

Ordinarily, Bai Xu could do as he pleased and make as much chaos as he wanted. Cheng Si rarely interfered in his affairs. After all, Bai Xu was a madman, and people like that deserved a little more care and understanding.

That was what he always told himself.

So most of the time, Qin Yu was the one who got truly angry; the two of them would simply play the good cop and the bad cop.

But today, he really could not take it anymore.

“You’d better behave yourself after this. Everything else can wait until it’s over.”

Cheng Si warned him again and again.

Bai Xu hated it most when people spoke to him like that. Before he could flare up, though, he caught sight of Lin Xi coming from the side.

The hostility in his eyes vanished at once, replaced by a look of amused curiosity.

Cheng Si noticed the change immediately. The sound of high heels reached his ears, and he turned his head just in time to see Lin Xi approaching.

Her steps were somewhat hurried, her skirt sweeping and turning in the air.

Just like him, Lin Xi did not look pleased. She seemed to have come to settle accounts as well.

Seeing that, Cheng Si automatically stepped back and yielded the battlefield to them.

He was in no mood to play peacemaker now. In fact, he was almost hoping Lin Xi would hurry up and beat Bai Xu once.

“You’re here to scold me too?” Bai Xu at least had some self-awareness.

Lin Xi raised her hand to hit him. At first Bai Xu had not intended to dodge, but when he saw the angle, he realized she was aiming for his face, so he reached out to block it.

“Hey.” He brushed her hand aside, sounding a little helpless. “At least leave me some dignity. If you slap me now, how am I supposed to face people later?”

“You still know to be ashamed?” Lin Xi said with an angry laugh.

She was about to say more, but when she turned and saw Cheng Si, the words died on her lips.

Cheng Si met her gaze for two seconds. He did not leave, but instead stepped forward and asked, “What he said about Song Ning looking for you—was that true?”

“I don’t know.”

Lin Xi was not refusing to answer; she truly did not know whether it was true or false.

Cheng Si could not be bothered to ask Bai Xu anymore. “All right. I’ll keep an eye on it when I get back.”

“Let’s go back inside first. Be good today. Smile more.” Cheng Si did not want the two of them to keep talking either.

“Come back in with me. We’ve all come out here already. The elders will start worrying if we stay out too long.”

“Mm.” Lin Xi answered, and only after she stepped on Bai Xu’s foot one last time did she feel slightly relieved. In a low voice, she warned him, “Keep your mouth under control today.”