Chapter 23 — Does he know what he is doing?
Nan Xu drifted back up to the second floor in a daze.
It took her several seconds to pull herself out of that hazy state before she turned again to glance downstairs at Xie Hejing.
He was standing below with both hands casually shoved into his pockets, his back slightly hunched, head tilted as he locked eyes with her. A mischievous, roguish grin instantly spread across his face, carrying that air of careless arrogance.
Nan Xu saw him like this for the first time and fled back to her room.
As for the photo—clearly, she could only wait for a chance to secretly take it when Xie Hejing wasn’t paying attention.
About an hour later, Nan Xu carefully cracked open her door, poked her head out, and heard the sound of a video game coming from downstairs. Keeping a calm expression, she went back to fetch a cup, then headed down to get some water.
During all this, Xie Hejing never once turned around.
Nan Xu’s heart tightened—he was too focused on his game to notice her. She quietly set the cup down, slipped out her phone, and switched to the camera. Slowly, she aimed the lens at him.
And right at that instant, he happened to turn his head toward her.
Her heart skipped. In her panic, she pressed the shutter.
“Click!” The crisp sound was immediately followed by a blinding flash that lit up the dim, empty living room like lightning.
Nan Xu froze, then hurriedly hid the phone behind her back.
At this moment, silence is golden.
“I…” She opened her mouth, but her throat felt blocked, the words stuck. Never in her life had she imagined she’d land in such an embarrassing situation.
“You were secretly taking pictures of me?” Xie Hejing’s gaze lingered lazily on her.
With every second that passed, Nan Xu’s chest tightened further. She couldn’t take the weight of his probing stare. All she wanted was to escape the mortifying moment, so she blurted something out and bolted upstairs:
“…Uh, it’s late. I’m going to sleep now. Brother, you should rest early too.”
Xie Hejing called out after her, but she pretended not to hear.
Back in her room, Nan Xu clutched her chest, her heart still pounding wildly.
Several minutes passed before she finally remembered to check the photo she’d risked so much to take.
At first glance, her face went stiff. It was blurry—just barely recognizable as a person, but the facial features were impossible to make out.
Nan Xu: “…”
She couldn’t hold back a heavy sigh.
The next day on the way to the restaurant, she still didn’t dare meet Xie Hejing’s eyes. With her head lowered, she tuned out everything else and just walked forward.
She was only two steps away from running straight into the restaurant wall when Xie Hejing reached out and grabbed the back of her collar, yanking her to a halt.
Seeing the wall right in front of her, realizing she had nearly crashed into it, and feeling his steady grip still holding her up, Nan Xu took several deep breaths before forcing a stiff smile.
“Thank you, brother.”
“You’re thanking me too soon,” Xie Hejing said, letting go of her collar. He bent down, flicked her forehead with a finger, and drawled, “You’ve been acting like an ostrich all day—not calling me, not talking at all. Were you planning on not explaining that little stunt you pulled last night, secretly taking pictures of me?”
“Hiss—”
So it had come to this after all.
Nan Xu rubbed her sore forehead, frowned, and sneaked him a glare.
But with her right under his nose, every tiny movement fell under his watchful eyes. Amused by her sulky expression, Xie Hejing chuckled.
“What, not convinced? Want to flick me back?”
He raised an eyebrow at her, his tone deliberately goading, as if daring her to try.
Nan Xu lifted her head, her eyes misting slightly, full of grievance and reproach.
“It hurts!”
Her voice was soft, the ending note trembling just enough to sound like a heartfelt complaint.
Xie Hejing froze for a moment, as if his heart had been lightly struck. Instinctively, he wanted to reach out and rub Nan Xu’s head, but the next second he snapped back to himself.
“Don’t act spoiled.”
Nan Xu stared at him in confusion, her clear eyes filled with bewilderment. “I wasn’t acting spoiled!”
But Xie Hejing ignored her, turning away first. “Let’s go.”
By the time they arrived, Qi Zhiyu and Jiang Qiyi were already there, browsing the menu. Just then, Nan Xu messaged that she was at the entrance. Qi Zhiyu instantly dropped the menu and fixed her eyes on the door.
Jiang Qiyi chuckled.
“Seriously? How handsome could he possibly be? I don’t see what’s so fascinating. Better to focus on what to eat.” He slid the menu back toward her and poured himself a cup of tea.
“This crispy pork looks pretty good.”
Just then, the two of them walked into the restaurant.
“Holy crap, a textbook heartthrob!” Qi Zhiyu exclaimed.
Jiang Qiyi snorted, glancing up carelessly—only to see Xie Hejing striding straight toward their table.
He wore a black cashmere coat, the cold wind ruffling the fringe across his brow. His thin lips were pressed into a straight line, and a loose dark-gray knit scarf hung casually around his neck. The effortless, unrestrained air about him made him stand out all the more in the noisy restaurant.
“Holy—” Jiang Qiyi’s teacup froze in midair, his eyes going wide as his smile stiffened. He blinked a few times, and once he was sure he wasn’t seeing things, he jabbed his elbow hard into Qi Zhiyu.
“Fine, I admit it. Dinner’s on me.”
Seeing his sulky expression, Qi Zhiyu burst out laughing.
The moment Xie Hejing stepped inside, his gaze was drawn to Jiang Qiyi—recognizing him as the guy who had once rested a hand on Nan Xu’s shoulder.
When their eyes met, Xie Hejing’s expression darkened slightly.
Nan Xu, however, didn’t notice the sparks flying across the table. Once she and Xie Hejing were seated, she asked the question that mattered most to her: “So, what dishes did you order?”
Only then did Qi Zhiyu reluctantly pull her gaze away from Xie Hejing’s face, sliding the menu toward them. “Not yet. You two go ahead.”
Since Nan Xu had brought Xie Hejing along, she couldn’t just leave him out. Without hesitation, she handed the menu over to him. “Brother, you pick.”
Xie Hejing’s eyes swept over the dishes, and before long he looked up, his voice low and steady as he began reading out the names.
Nan Xu, half-distracted scrolling through her phone, was about to reply to Qi Zhiyu’s flood of messages. But when she heard him naming the dishes, she slowly froze.
After living in Xie Hejing’s house for so long, she had never realized he liked these dishes. Take sweet and sour ribs, for example—when Aunt Zhang made them, he rarely ate more than one piece. Yet everything he was ordering now just so happened to be her favorites.
Since Xie Hejing had chosen almost all the dishes she liked, Nan Xu simply passed the menu back across the table and sent him a message on her phone.
[Brother, just order what you like. My friends are easy to get along with.]
She figured he was a little reserved, so he’d deliberately ordered what she liked.
Xie Hejing glanced at the message, his expression unreadable. He paused for a beat, clearly baffled by her thought process, then closed his phone under her gaze.
After the food was ordered, Xie Hejing said he was stepping out to buy something. That was all the release Qi Zhiyu had been waiting for.
She rattled off excitedly: “Xuxu, this guy is seriously top-tier.”
“He looks like a movie star—and that body? He’s basically a walking mannequin.”
Nan Xu took a sip of water, a little absentminded. “Really? A mannequin? I didn’t notice much.”
“You didn’t notice? With a guy like that sitting right in front of you?” Qi Zhiyu looked at her as if she had committed a crime against humanity.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Jiang Qiyi cut in. Though he had to admit Xie Hejing was handsome, he didn’t see the need to gush so much. “I’m still here, you know. Maybe you could throw me a compliment instead of drooling over someone else? Otherwise, what’s the point of hanging out together?”
Qi Zhiyu rolled her eyes. “Tch. He’s a mannequin, you’re a wardrobe.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jiang Qiyi frowned.
“Big belly—lots of storage.”
Nan Xu couldn’t hold back her laughter. Then Qi Zhiyu turned back to her. “By the way, why did you call him ‘Brother’ just now?”
“I’ve always called him that since we were kids. It’s a habit.”
“Tsk, tsk. Such a handsome childhood sweetheart,” Qi Zhiyu teased. “Xuxu, you’ve got the best chance of anyone.”
“What do you mean, ‘the pavilion closest to the water gets the moon first’——1”
Just then, Xie Hejing returned. With his long legs, he stepped over the bench and sat down, smiling as he looked at Nan Xu. “So… which ‘moon’ are you after?”
Nan Xu was struck speechless. She had no idea if Xie Hejing had heard Qi Zhiyu’s teasing just now, nor whether he would appreciate being joked about. Given his usual aloof, cold nature, chances were he didn’t.
She pressed her lips together, about to explain—
—but Jiang Qiyi cut in. “Someone’s after Nan Xu, that’s the ‘moon.’”
“Someone…” Xie Hejing’s gaze slowly shifted to Jiang Qiyi. “Who?”
Xie Hejing’s gaze was sharp and fathomless, devoid of the slightest warmth. His half-narrowed eyes carried a hint of cutting edge, and his stare shot straight at Jiang Qiyi.
Even in the noisy restaurant, Jiang Qiyi felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Damn it, not this feeling again. He cursed inwardly.
He had meant to deflect the teasing for Nan Xu’s sake, but now all he could do was throw it back with a cowardly shrug. “Uh, it’s just some guy from our old school. He knows we’re close with Nan Xu, and since she transferred, he’s been asking us what kind of guys she likes.”
What kind of guys she likes…
Xie Hejing turned to Nan Xu with a trace of amusement. “Really? Then why don’t you tell us—what kind of guys do you like?”
The last few words lingered on his tongue, drawn out with a subtle weight.
Nan Xu frowned. Something about the way he asked felt strange, but thinking it over, it could have just been a casual question.
While she was still mulling it over, the smile on Xie Hejing’s lips slowly faded. His gaze dropped to her right hand resting under the table. Without a word, he traced a slow circle across the back of her hand with his fingertip.
The cool touch made her whole body jolt. Her other hand, halfway through lifting her teacup, froze. She looked up at him in shock, breath tightening for no reason she could name.
Noticing her sudden stillness, Qi Zhiyu asked, “Xuxu, what’s wrong? Is it too hot in here?”
“No—” Nan Xu took a quick breath and shook her head, “No.”
She darted a glance at Xie Hejing. His expression remained casual, almost indifferent, as though he were idly tracing circles not on her hand but on the wooden tabletop. Round and round, unhurried, relentless.
A faint itch spread through her chest. Nan Xu tried to quietly withdraw her hand.
But in the next second, Xie Hejing caught it. His grip wasn’t forceful, but it carried an undeniable firmness.
Startled, she instinctively tugged again, but he only tightened his hold, giving her fingertips a light squeeze—as if telling her not to move.
Eyes widening, she looked up—only to see his lips curve in a wicked smile.
“Come on, answer properly.” His fingertip tapped against her palm. “I’m curious too, little sister. What kind of guy do you like?”
Nan Xu’s ears flared scarlet.
“Go on, tell us!” Qi Zhiyu leaned in, excited. “We can help you figure it out.”
The chill of his touch lingered on her skin, and Nan Xu forced herself to stay calm, dragging her focus back to the conversation.
“I—” Her thoughts spun frantically. She had never seriously considered this before, and being put on the spot left her tongue-tied. After struggling for a long moment, she finally stammered, “I… I like…”
“…I like someone cute—” she managed at last.
Xie Hejing’s gaze flicked toward her, while his other hand clenched around the teacup on the table.
Nan Xu paused, then added, “And gentle. Not someone who’s always fierce. It’d be best if he smiles a lot.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
He wasn’t one to smile much, and she had once said he was fierce.
“I prefer someone who talks more,” she added.
Xie Hejing: “…”
The teacup in his hand landed heavily on the table with a loud clink.
The brief sound was quickly swallowed up by the surrounding noise, and Nan Xu didn’t notice. She went on, “And he doesn’t need to be very tall. Mm… 177 should be fine.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
He was 187.
With each word Nan Xu spoke, Xie Hejing’s expression grew darker. By the end, her hand was suddenly gripped tightly. His slightly calloused fingers slid against her palm.
Her heart skipped a beat. She cleared her throat. “That’s… about it.”
Perfect. Every single one of her requirements was the opposite of him.
Xie Hejing smoothed out his expression, then suddenly added, “Your taste isn’t great, is it?”
“What do you mean, ‘taste isn’t great’…” Nan Xu muttered under her breath.
Her hand had already been released. She stared at her palm, flexing her fingers a few times, unable to stop replaying what had just happened.
Xie Hejing—what on earth was he doing just now?!
Did he even realize what he was doing?
Sensing that the atmosphere was turning strange, Jiang Qiyi made an excuse about going to the restroom to slip away, then headed to the front desk to settle the bill.
But when he reached for his wallet, the staff told him their table had already been paid for. He followed their gesture—and sure enough, it was Xie Hejing.
Now he didn’t even have the chance to pick up the check. Jiang Qiyi sighed quietly and returned to his seat.
The dishes were almost all served. Xie Hejing picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour rib and placed it in front of the long-silent Nan Xu.
“Hey, don’t go falling in love too early.”
Judging from how specific she had been, he figured there might already be someone on her mind.
Hearing that, Nan Xu finally pulled herself out of her thoughts—only to suddenly recall what Nan Xiaocheng had told her back in high school:
“Daughter, never fall in love too soon. Not only will it affect your studies, but you’ll just end up getting hurt by some punk boy.”
“Brother, why do you sound like such an old man?” she muttered, pursing her lips when she saw Xie Hejing’s less-than-pleasant expression.
Still, she didn’t feel too guilty about it—after all, he had just scared her earlier.
At her words, Xie Hejing raised an eyebrow, pressed a chilled cola can to her flushed face, then glanced at her palm.
Noticing his gaze, Nan Xu quickly clenched her hand and turned her head away. The redness at the tips of her ears gave her away.
Seeing this, Xie Hejing chuckled, and with a pointed tone said, “Your heart’s beating pretty fast.”
- Those in a favorable position get advantages first. ↩︎