While having breakfast, Lu Xi finally found out what had happened.
She was almost at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Xie Yizhao, that old fox… he was really too cunning and sly, wasn’t he?!
She had thought he would send someone to follow her, seeing how calm he looked. She almost believed that he wasn’t jealous at all.
But then, when she turned around, he immediately sent his own son to go meet his love rival. His intentions were so clear.
Lu Xi didn’t know what to say.
Well, she could give him a shallow compliment. He was really clever, no doubt about it.
As for Xie Heng, he seemed quite happy, eating more than usual for breakfast. He wasn’t even unhappy about being sent by his Dad to do errands, which was rather unusual.
Lu Xi lifted her eyelids and popped a strawberry into her mouth, puffing her cheeks as she asked, “How much did your Dad give you as a bribe?”
Xie Heng stiffened. His eyes widened in confusion. “What? Money? I wanted to come with you on my own.”
The little brat still wouldn’t admit it… Lu Xi couldn’t be bothered to expose him, lazily asking, “Do you know who I’m going to meet?”
Xie Heng shook his head, his face showing complete ignorance.
But soon, he reacted, saying seriously, “Whoever it is, I don’t mind, just as long as I’m with you.”
Lu Xi furrowed her brows but couldn’t help but smile. She felt a little helpless with this kid.
She knew it was pointless trying to shake him off today.
Lu Xi didn’t really mind. To avoid any misunderstandings, even if Xie Yizhao hadn’t arranged for anyone to follow her, she would’ve brought a bodyguard or simply called up her assistant.
Xie Heng… He was a bit of a nuisance, but he was bearable.
Before they left, Lu Xi still gave him a warning. “Stick with me, don’t run off, don’t speak recklessly when you meet people, behave, okay?”
Xie Heng looked exasperated, almost rolling his eyes.
He couldn’t hold it in and, as they got in the car, he grumbled, “I’m grown up, I know that red lights mean stop and green lights mean go. I know to use the crosswalk when crossing the road, thank you.”
Lu Xi : “…”
She still thought bringing him along might have been a mistake.
However, she suddenly felt a bit happy. The little rascal had been so well-behaved lately, much unlike the rebellious kid who always argued with her at the beginning. She’d felt a bit disappointed at first, thinking maybe Xie Heng had been discouraged by her a few times, and his rebellious spirit was gone. It had gotten a little boring with him always obedient.
Indeed, a rebellious kid should have the demeanor of a rebellious kid.
Lu Xi looked out the window and casually said, “Xiao Heng, now that I’m basically your half-boss, you better behave, or I’ll dock your pay.”
Xie Heng twitched the corner of his mouth.
Seriously… She couldn’t play around with him. Not only did she not give the money promptly, but now she was threatening to dock his pay.
When it came to money, she really should learn from his Dad.
While complaining in his heart, Xie Heng was quiet on the outside, but still curious. He wondered who Lu Xi was meeting that would make his Dad pay to have him follow her.
He had thought about it last night. Was she going somewhere dangerous? If that was the case, he thought, it would be better to bring more bodyguards.
Xie Heng couldn’t figure it out.
But soon, he found out who Lu Xi was meeting.
Xie Heng stared at the large building in front of them. Wasn’t this the fashion company they had visited together the other day?
So, was she meeting that guy today?
Xie Heng suddenly realized something, as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head.
If that was the case… No wonder his Dad wanted him to tag along. To monitor Ms. Lu meeting his Dad’s love rival, while also showing off in front of the said love rival, making the said love rival uncomfortable. That must be the idea, right?
Feeling excited, Xie Heng also felt a bit disgruntled.
Five thousand yuan for this job? His Dad was really clever! No wonder the money came so easily.
Damn capitalist.
Lu Xi had no idea what her son was thinking. She had arranged to meet Ye Sisheng last night, so he was prepared on his side. Her car parked in the underground garage, and Ye Sisheng’s assistant was already waiting there.
When the assistant saw that she had brought someone with her, the assistant didn’t say anything, politely leading them to Ye Sisheng’s office.
When they were near the elevator, the assistant suddenly asked, “By the way, Ms. Lu, what would you like for lunch? Mr. Ye asked me to arrange the restaurant.”
Lu Xi smiled at the assistant. “No need. It should be over soon.”
She wasn’t old friends with Ye Sisheng. Their relationship wasn’t the kind where they could sit down for tea and chat. Today, she was meeting him with a clear purpose, nothing extraneous.
The assistant didn’t say anything further.
Soon, they arrived at Ye Sisheng’s office.
As before, the office had a cyberpunk design. Lu Xi wasn’t fond of that style, so she didn’t feel anything special about it, but Xie Heng’s eyes lit up.
If he could, he would want to decorate his bedroom like this. So cool!
“Mr. Ye, hello.” Lu Xi spoke first.
This time, the meeting wasn’t as awkward as the last. Ye Sisheng stood up calmly and nodded at Lu Xi. “Mrs. Xie.”
He gestured for her to sit on the nearby sofa, and asked the assistant to bring coffee.
Ye Sisheng’s gaze first landed on Lu Xi’s face. His eyes seemed lost for a few seconds, but when he noticed the unwelcoming look from the boy beside her, he smiled and said, “Young Master Xie has come too?”
Xie Heng, being called out, arrogantly lifted his chin and coldly said, “Yes, my Dad sent me to protect her.”
Ye Sisheng’s lips twitched.
So, Xie Yizhao… didn’t seem like the type to care about this kind of thing, though.
“It seems that Mr. Xie really cares about you. Since he couldn’t come himself, he sent his son along,” Ye Sisheng said, his tone laced with meaning, his eyes twinkling with playful amusement.
Lu Xi smiled as well, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at Xie Heng.
Xie Heng’s gaze shifted slightly, but he didn’t say anything.
She wasn’t here to chat with Ye Sisheng this time. She took out a document from her bag, which was the evidence Ye Sisheng had brought to Xie Yizhao’s office yesterday.
Ye Sisheng frowned when he saw it.
Yesterday on the phone, Lu Xi only said she was coming to see him and didn’t mention anything else. Could it be that she didn’t want Xie Yizhao to handle this and specifically brought the evidence to return it to him?
His expression darkened, and his tone turned cold, his gaze full of resistance. “Mrs. Xie, it was just a small favor for Mr. Xie. Besides, this is a matter related to his ex-wife. Why are you so bothered about it?”
Lu Xi : ?
She had just taken out the evidence and hadn’t even spoken yet. Why did he suddenly turn against her?
Hearing such rude words from him made Lu Xi somewhat upset, but then she realized he was angry because of her, and she felt helpless.
Clearing her throat, Lu Xi tried to keep her tone calm. “I came to ask if you could testify in court.”
This time, it was Ye Sisheng who was shocked.
After a few seconds of silence, he found his voice again. “So, Mr. Xie has decided to sue Wang Qianru?”
Lu Xi : “You could say that.”
Xie Yizhao, who had arranged the lawyer for her, was also her husband, so Ye Sisheng’s assumption wasn’t wrong.
“Great, no problem, I’m willing to testify in court. Just let me know in advance,” Ye Sisheng finally smiled, his shoulders relaxing, and he looked more energetic.
Lu Xi watched him, unsure of what to say.
It was her matter, yet he seemed more pleased than she was.
It would be a lie if she said she wasn’t curious.
Lu Xi, an ordinary person, was facing such a situation for the first time and wanted to understand what her past relationship with Ye Sisheng had been like.
Xie Heng had been sitting next to her without speaking.
In his judgment, there was no danger at the moment, and this Ye guy seemed honest. His eyes hadn’t wandered and he had been discussing business with Lu Xi.
He relaxed his guard and began curiously observing the office, thinking about how to create a similar style when he returned.
Ye Sisheng noticed his gaze and smiled, asking if Xie Heng was interested in the style.
Xie Heng, embarrassed, rubbed his blue hair, nodded honestly, then pointed to a small figurine on Ye Sisheng’s desk, asking where the limited edition one had been purchased.
“You like anime too?” Ye Sisheng asked. “I have a collection room with a 1:1 scale robot version I customized. Want to see it?”
“Really?!” Xie Heng’s eyes lit up as he stood up. “Where? I want to see it.”
Ye Sisheng’s office was equipped with the most advanced smart system. He spoke an English command, and the side door suddenly played a strong sci-fi electronic music, opening in response.
Xie Heng recognized the OP from that anime and eagerly walked toward the collection room.
Luckily, he didn’t get too carried away. After walking a few steps, he remembered something and turned back to glance at Lu Xi, blinking at her.
It seemed like he was asking for her approval.
Seeing him behave so obediently, Lu Xi smiled to herself and felt a bit soft-hearted, nodding in agreement. “You can look, but don’t touch other people’s things.”
The boy tightened his grip on his backpack straps, happily nodded, and his eyes sparkled like a big dog who had been given permission to play with toys.
Lu Xi watched him enter the collection room, then turned to Ye Sisheng and said, “Thank you.”
“Thank you for what?”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Lu Xi,” she paused, raising her gaze to carefully study Ye Sisheng’s face, trying to recall any fragments of memory. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find anything.
While she was observing him, Ye Sisheng was also sizing her up.
It was truly fascinating.
This current Mrs. Xie really resembled her so much, to the point that it was almost indistinguishable. No wonder when he first met her here, he was so surprised.
Ye Sisheng had suspected before whether this Lu Xi was really her.
But he couldn’t be sure.
Besides her face, everything else about her seemed completely different from the Lu Xi in his memories.
Ye Sisheng cleared his throat and cautiously asked, “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you… are you really her?”
Lu Xi had guessed that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from asking.
If he could spend so many years investigating her whereabouts, collecting those flimsy and vague pieces of evidence with no hope, it meant she must hold a very important place in his heart.
Now that there was a chance to verify it, he wouldn’t let it slip by.
Lu Xi gently shifted her gaze and countered, “I also want to ask you, what exactly was your relationship with her?”
Ye Sisheng looked at her sharply.
After a while, he forced a light smile, and a shadow passed over his handsome face. “She was my first love.”
Lu Xi : ?
She nearly spat out her coffee.
He… me…?
No way! Wasn’t I too outrageous for having a crush on a little boy back then?
In the collection room, Xie Heng, who had been admiring the 1:1 robot from all angles, suddenly froze. The line in his mind tightened, and he clenched his fingers tightly.
What was this guy saying?
Did Ms. Lu really date this guy back then?
Xie Heng couldn’t help but grind his back teeth, his face darkening.
Ah, no wonder his Dad tricked him into coming here. It was to get this guy out of the way, this guy was trying to woo his Mom!
Lu Xi was speechless and blinked in confusion, her eyes filled with puzzlement. “When? Are you sure it was your first love?”
Either she had done something terrifying, or she had terrifyingly forgotten a large part of her memory.
Ye Sisheng looked at her strangely.
Her reaction was quite strong.
It seemed like she was sure it couldn’t have been the case.
He thought for a moment, then slowly spoke, “You misunderstood. It wasn’t that kind of first love. What I meant is, she was my first love, but one-sided. I… never had the chance to confess to her.”
Lu Xi’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.
—Why didn’t you just say that, buddy? You nearly scared me to death.
Although it still felt odd that he had a crush on her at such a young age. Wasn’t he younger than Xie Heng back then? Maybe a little too precocious?
But Xie Heng wasn’t focused on that.
He eyed Ye Sisheng with a suddenly alarmed expression, furrowing his brows with worry.
This guy… handsome, wealthy, with good taste and so many limited edition figurines. The most important thing was, he was young!
Didn’t girls nowadays like cute guys, the ‘little puppies’ and ‘little wolves’?
Crap, compared to this guy, his Dad had no advantage at all!