Chapter 163: The Lovers’ Restaurant
“Hmm?”
Cheng Si briefly doubted whether his watch was broken. He checked his seven-figure timepiece repeatedly and, seeing the hands still moving, finally said, “Isn’t there still an hour before the scheduled time?”
Lin Xi had a perfectly reasonable explanation, her face calm and steady as she replied, “Traffic can get heavy around this time. Plus, since I had nothing else to do, I came early.”
Cheng Si was speechless.
“So, how much longer until you get here?”
“About ten minutes.”
Cheng Si responded with an “Oh,” then said, “Alright, that’s fine.”
After a pause, he slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering the important matter. “Have you put on your battle attire?”
Lin Xi still found it hard to face that phrase and took a moment before answering, “Yes, I have.”
Cheng Si breathed a sigh of relief and finally smiled a little.
“Good, good! Tonight is definitely going to be a wonderful evening!”
“Xi Bao’er, I’m not demanding any breakthroughs. Take it at your own pace. No need for sudden leaps. But remember, you must relax completely and let go of all worries.”
“Keep a calm mind, keep a calm mind!”
“Don’t dwell on past matters; focus only on the present!”
Indeed, besides being overly rational, Lin Xi also had the tendency to hold herself too high.
With her background and status, accustomed to being adored by everyone, she sometimes truly found it hard to lower her guard.
But Cheng Si couldn’t say this outright.
He merely touched on the topic lightly, and Lin Xi surely understood.
“Mm,” she replied, “I’ve got it.”
“Good luck!”
After hanging up, Cheng Si still felt uneasy, hesitating on whether to secretly follow and take a look.
Just then, Bai Xu called, startling him so much that his hand trembled. He meant to hang up immediately but accidentally answered.
“What do you want?” Cheng Si’s tone was less than pleasant.
Bai Xu didn’t bother with small talk and asked directly, “Is there a gathering tonight? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Cheng Si was caught off guard and stammered, “Where did you hear that?”
“None of your business. You’re having a gathering and invited everyone but me? Cheng Si, are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Cheng Si swore under his breath and then explained after a moment, “There’s no gathering tonight, you damn heard wrong!”
Bai Xu sneered, his expression clearly saying, “Don’t think you can fool me.”
---
“I’m right here in the courtyard. Third Brother just left a while ago. I asked the old man why Third Brother left suddenly, and he said it himself—you’re the one who arranged the gathering!”
Cheng Si was speechless.
“You’re really something, Cheng Si.”
If it had been just a meal between Third Brother and Cheng Si, Bai Xu wouldn’t have been so angry.
The problem was, according to the old man, Second Brother and Lin Xi were also going. The old man even asked why they hadn’t left yet but were still at home.
What they were doing… how would Cheng Si know?
“It's not what you heard,” Cheng Si said, not wanting to argue but worried Bai Xu might cause trouble, so he explained, “Tonight I tricked Lin Xi and Third Brother to come over. I wanted them to have dinner together.”
“I didn’t invite Second Brother either, so I didn’t notify you.”
After hearing the plan, Bai Xu squinted and gripped his phone, asking, “What are you trying to do?”
His tone was as if to say, “You’re definitely up to no good again.”
Cheng Si caught that and immediately defended himself, “Who’s the one always causing trouble and scheming? You have the nerve to accuse me? This time I’m helping them!”
“This time I’m the good guy!”
Through the phone, Bai Xu rolled his eyes at him, “Tch, helping Third Brother is helping Third Brother, stop flattering yourself.”
“Bullshit, Third Brother doesn’t even know about this. I’m helping Lin Xi!”
Bai Xu was about to retort when Cheng Si added, “Lin Xi agreed herself! She’s an accomplice!”
He owned up to being the mastermind.
But as for the accomplice, it wasn’t Qin Yu this time—it was Lin Xi.
At the mention of Lin Xi’s name, Bai Xu was momentarily speechless. After pondering for a while, he finally understood what Cheng Si was saying.
“Are you serious?”
Cheng Si enjoyed teasing and, given the amount of information, Bai Xu found it hard to believe.
Or rather, he didn’t dare to believe.
“Of course,” Cheng Si said proudly, “If I’m lying, I’ll stay single forever.”
Bai Xu snorted at his vow. “Did you say something to Lin Xi?”
“Knowing her nature, how could she cooperate with you?”
“Her nature? What nature?” Cheng Si pretended not to understand.
“Quiet and reserved—just like Third Brother.”
Cheng Si’s mouth twitched sharply. “...Of course, you’re the only one who dares to say that.”
Though the description wasn’t entirely flattering, it was surprisingly accurate.
---
“No matter what, Lin Xi did cooperate. You better not try to cause trouble. This step isn’t easy for her.”
“I’ve done a lot of mental preparation, and she’s done a lot of psychological building up. You better behave tonight.”
Bai Xu raised an eyebrow and silently smiled.
Suddenly, he went quiet. There was no background noise on the call. Cheng Si thought the call had ended and glanced at his phone, still showing it was connected. He knew this guy was probably cooking up some new mischief.
“Where are they tonight?”
“What do you want to do? What do you want to do?” Cheng Si was furious, jumping up and down. “Are you just going to ignore everything I said?”
“Can’t I just come over to watch?”
After a pause, he added, “Forget about me, don’t you want to join the fun?”
Cheng Si: “No.”
Bai Xu clicked his tongue. “Fine, if you won’t tell me, I have my ways to find out. I’ll go alone then. Don’t expect to know what they’re up to tonight.”
Cheng Si was silenced by that one sentence.
“Isn’t it too dishonest if we spy on them? What if we get caught...”
“More importantly, what if we ruin the atmosphere once we’re discovered?”
Bai Xu actually listened to that.
“Then just watch for a bit, fifteen minutes.”
“Deal!”
The two quickly reached an agreement.
Indeed, mischief is always better with an accomplice.
---
True to Cheng Si’s style, the location was a newly opened lovers’ restaurant. So when Lin Xi received the address, she didn’t suspect a thing.
After she sat down and saw the rose petals scattered across the table, she was dumbfounded.
This was just too deliberate.
She hurriedly waved to the waiter, signaling to remove them. But despite that, the thick atmosphere of romance was impossible to dispel.
The surroundings were overly romantic, paired with live piano music flowing softly. Every note struck at the heart of a lover, and Lin Xi suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
She hesitated, wanting to run, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind and she stood, she bumped into Qin Yu, who had just followed the waiter up.
The man was still dressed in a sharp suit, looking as impeccable as ever. Yet, when he looked her way, Lin Xi’s breath hitched.