Lu Xi likes dating.
Before marrying Xie Yizhao, she had never been in a formal relationship, but she had gone on dates with boys who had pursued her and with whom she had had a brief attraction. Although none of these relationships worked out for various reasons, the dates themselves were always enjoyable.
But dating Xie Yizhao—this was the first time.
“Sure,” Lu Xi thought for a moment before responding, “I want something lighter.”
She was used to giving the other person a range of options. As for which restaurant to choose, that was up to the man. If a guy couldn’t even make this decision, he should just give up on pursuing her.
Xie Yizhao’s reply was also decisive: “Okay, I know a place that serves drunken crab. Want to go?”
Drunken crab!
Crab is already delicious, but when it’s marinated in authentic yellow wine, it’s even more flavorful. Lu Xi really liked that taste.
It was a bit of a coincidence, though.
Before she had that dream, her last meal had been drunken crab. Not long ago, the fresh, sweet taste was still vivid in her mind.
Lu Xi agreed happily.
Xie Yizhao said, “Alright, I’ll pick you up at 5:30 PM.”
Lu Xi paused for a moment. She remembered that Xie Yizhao’s company usually finished work at six o’clock. Even if he didn’t have any social engagements or overtime, the earliest he would come home would be around 6:30. But today, he was leaving an hour early…
Could it be that he was taking the time off to go on a date with her?
Lu Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
The men who had pursued her either spent money if they had it, or time if they had it. But only Xie Yizhao made her feel true sincerity.
“Mm.”
After hanging up, Lu Xi looked out the window at the spacious courtyard bathed in afternoon sunlight, squinting her eyes with pleasure.
The older him… he really knows how to do this.
She quickly got to work, picking out clothes, heading to a nearby shop she frequented to get her hair done. She didn’t fuss too much, just a small change to refresh her mood.
For a date, there naturally needed to be a sense of occasion—not to please the other person, but because it made her feel good.
She got back home around three o’clock.
She had eaten some snacks while doing her hair, so she didn’t ask the kitchen to prepare afternoon tea. Then she remembered something and went straight to her study.
On her desk, there was a notebook that she occasionally used.
As for Xie Yizhao’s computer, she never touched it. Even though he didn’t hide it from her, she didn’t want to accidentally delete anything important—especially if there were business secrets inside.
Lu Xi opened a folder, which contained more than a hundred pictures.
They were all her past design drafts.
Although Lu Xi had never formally studied design, she had majored in art in college, and her drawing skills were more than sufficient for design drafts. She loved beautiful clothes, and initially, it was just out of interest. Whenever she had an idea, she’d sketch it.
When she got to college, she met a few friends in the design department who shared her interests, and she began turning her ideas into actual items.
She still remembered the first piece of clothing she made—it was just a simple oversized dungaree dress, not technically complex.
But she felt a great sense of accomplishment!
That dress became one of her favorite items to wear in that spring. Unfortunately, that year, while at her Uncle’s house, it was ruined when a child from her Aunt’s family spilled a drink on it. The light-colored fabric wouldn’t come clean, and it was ruined.
She was so upset at the time.
Later, she sketched more designs whenever inspiration struck, but she rarely made them herself. She saved all her drafts on her phone.
Xie Yizhao was very punctual.
He arrived at 5:25 p.m.
His car was parked outside the courtyard, not driving in. Li Xiao was about to enter to ask the butler to bring Madam out, but Xie Yizhao stopped him. Instead, he took out his phone and called her himself.
Lu Xi almost felt like she was back in her student days.
Back then, on dates, you definitely couldn’t go into each other’s houses; you’d wait outside to pick her up, and she wouldn’t come out until she got the call.
Because of this, when she went downstairs to leave, her mood felt even lighter.
The butler, knowing she wasn’t having dinner at home, saw the relaxed smile on her face and kindly asked, “Are you going out for dinner with friends, Madam?”
“No, it’s with Xie Yizhao.”
The butler froze for a moment. So, it’s a date with Master…
At that moment, Xie Heng happened to return home, holding a paper bag from Song Siyang’s house, containing the homework assigned to him by Xu Jiaming.
This had to be hidden away, it couldn’t be discovered.
Just as he arrived at the house across from his, he saw his Dad’s car parked outside. Then, Lu Xi came out and got into the car.
?
Where are they going?
The car quickly drove off, as if they didn’t even see him.
Xie Heng felt something was off. Why would his Dad come back from the company at this hour?
He quickly went home and saw the butler by the door, so he asked.
The butler smiled and said, “Master and Madam went out for dinner. Young Master must be hungry too, right?”
“…”
Xie Heng was stunned for a moment.
They’re going out to eat and didn’t take him? But she ate with him yesterday!
Once inside the car, Lu Xi had just sat down. Before she could even take a good look at Xie Yizhao, he leaned forward, picked up a bunch of fresh flowers from the passenger seat, and handed them to her.
“For you.”
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow.
Flowers?
Xie Yizhao was really… making progress quickly.
Of course, receiving flowers made her happy. Lu Xi lowered her head to sniff them, a smile dancing in her eyes. The flowers were beautiful, but the main color was too pink, which made them look a bit tacky. She instinctively guessed that this bouquet wasn’t chosen by Xie Yizhao.
“Thank you, but who picked these?” Lu Xi deliberately asked him.
He pressed his lips together, glanced at the driver, and said, “Assistant Li picked them.”
Li Xiao suddenly got singled out and felt uncomfortable.
This… Mr. Xie is being a bit too honest, isn’t he? There’s no need to say such things out loud, it’s not very romantic!
Lu Xi smiled faintly when she heard that, saying nothing, but she extended her delicate white finger and lightly played with a pink wave-like bellflower petal.
Xie Yizhao’s gaze softened, and he said, “I was a bit busy today, next time I’ll pick them myself.”
Assistant Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Mr. Xie’s words were smooth, at least he managed to cover things up a little, but still missed the point.
Before Lu Xi could speak, Li Xiao seriously added, “Mr. Xie worked hard all afternoon, didn’t have much time to drink water, just kept working, and now he’s going home early to have dinner with Madam…”
Xie Yizhao interrupted him with a cold glance, “Assistant Li, it seems you have a lot to say today.”
Li Xiao : “…”
He suddenly felt like a servant in a palace drama, trying to help his master gain favor with the Emperor, but getting no reward for doing all the work.
His face turned awkward.
Lu Xi, however, couldn’t help but smile, glancing at Xie Yizhao, and half-seriously, half-jokingly said, “Then make sure to drink more water later.”
He could tell she was teasing him, but Xie Yizhao didn’t mind. He glanced at her indifferently.
The woman smiled sweetly and gently, the pink petals framing her face, somewhat dimming it, making it less radiant than her dazzling eyes.
Xie Yichao paused for a moment, his fingers lightly rubbing against his suit pants.
The restaurant was situated in the middle of a lake on the outskirts. After parking the car, they still had to take a boat provided by the restaurant, with both the boatman and the servers dressed in antique-style clothing.
Aside from these flamboyant touches, the restaurant itself wasn’t bad, and the view was nice.
Xie Yizhao had made a reservation in advance, a private room on the second floor with a view of the lake. The manager personally guided them.
Unexpectedly, before they reached the private room, Xie Yizhao ran into someone he knew.
The man was pot-bellied, and was intimately holding onto a young woman. When he saw Xie Yizhao, his eyes lit up, and he approached warmly to greet Xie Yizhao: “Mr. Xie, long time no see! It’s so hard to get an appointment with you…”
He paused, then noticed Lu Xi, and froze for a few seconds. He turned to Xie Yizhao with a knowing smile, one of those ambiguous, secretive smiles that only men exchange: “Mr. Xie, this is…”
Xie Yichao’s attitude wasn’t warm, in fact, it could be called cold.
He said, “My wife.”
The man was taken aback, realizing he might have made a mistake, and his expression darkened.
Lu Xi wasn’t affected much. Although she found the man annoying, it didn’t affect her mood. Once they sat down in the private room, she casually asked, “Is that your friend?”
Xie Yizhao frowned, “No, just a nouveau riche. We’ve met a few times.”
Lu Xi lazily flipped through the menu, recalling the man’s appearance, and suddenly thought of a bloated fish. She chuckled, looked at Xie Yizhao, and playfully beckoned him with her finger.
He leaned forward, complying without hesitation.
Lu Xi spoke softly but earnestly: “Xie Yizhao, promise me you’ll never become that kind of man.”
Too greasy.
If he turned into that, she would definitely divorce him.
A smile finally appeared on his face, his tone low and casually affectionate: “Okay, I promise.”
If he ever became like that, not only Lu Xi but even he wouldn’t be able to stand himself.
During the meal, Lu Xi showed Xie Yizhao the photos on her phone.
She leisurely cracked open a crab leg while watching him, as if waiting for praise.
Xie Yichao held her phone, looking at the pictures seriously, flipping through them one by one. When he reached the last one, he thought for a moment and said, “It’s all women’s clothes, no men’s clothes.”
Lu Xi : “…”
True.
This was Xie Yizhao’s usual performance.
However, men’s clothes weren’t impossible to design—if the model was someone like Xie Heng, or Xu Jiaming…
While Lu Xi was daydreaming, her phone suddenly vibrated.
A message popped up from the top of the screen.
Xu Jiaming : [Aunt, I’ve thought of something. Can you help me design a piece of clothing?]
Xie Yichao pursed his lips.
It was a WeChat message.
And he didn’t have her WeChat.