In the private dining room of the restaurant.
A square table sat in the middle of the private dining room. Lu Xi and Xie Yizhao sat side by side, while Xie Heng sat across from them.
More than twenty minutes had passed since they placed their order.
Lu Xi glanced uneasily at the door, resisting the urge to go out and urge the waiter to hurry up with the dishes, because the atmosphere in the room was just too awkward!
Her joke in the car earlier had naturally been ignored. She had known it wouldn’t be taken seriously; she had only said it to lighten the mood. After all, this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with a fight.
At this moment, both Lu Xi and Xie Heng were absorbed in their phones. One expressionless, the other with a subtly complex look.
Only Xie Yizhao appeared completely at ease, sipping his tea and gazing out at the night view as if he had nothing to do with the awkward tension in the room.
Sometimes, Lu Xi genuinely admired his composure. No wonder he was the big boss—just one sentence from him could send his son straight into an emotional slump. And she wasn’t spared from the collateral damage either.
She had been to this restaurant a few times before and liked it because they usually served food quickly and with great presentation. But today, for some reason, the service was dragging.
Noticing Lu Xi’s small fidgeting movements, Xie Yizhao raised an eyebrow slightly. “Everyone’s hungry, right? I’ll call them.”
Just as he was about to press the service button, a knock came at the door, and the waiter entered with dishes.
Xie Yizhao calmly reminded, “Please serve the dishes faster.”
The waiter nodded and explained that since it was the weekend, the restaurant was packed, but they would do their best.
Xie Heng clenched his fingers slightly.
What was up with his Dad? Why was his Dad doing this again—dealing blows without explanation, acting so indifferent? Couldn’t his Dad at least tell him why?
Xie Heng fixed his gaze on Xie Yizhao and muttered, half in defiance, “Thanks, but I’m not hungry. I’m already full, full of frustration.”
Xie Yizhao gave him a calm look, raising an eyebrow as he countered, “If you’re not hungry, then why did you come?”
Lu Xi : “…”
Sensing that father and son were about to clash again, Lu Xi cleared her throat and smiled at the waiter. “Do you have anything to help cool tempers? Stir-fried bitter melon? Chrysanthemum tea? Lotus seed tea?”
The waiter, subtly aware of the tense atmosphere, immediately responded, “We have braised bitter melon salad and chrysanthemum tea.”
Lu Xi nodded. “Great, we’ll add those.”
After the waiter left, she reached into her small bag and pulled out a pack of mint candies. Taking out two, she placed them in front of Xie Yizhao and Xie Heng.
“Here, one each. Cool down a little.”
Xie Yizhao glanced at her, half amused, half helpless.
Xie Heng frowned at the mint candy in front of him. He didn’t even like mint, and right now, he didn’t feel like eating candy at all. He wasn’t a three-year-old. Did Ms. Lu really think a piece of candy could make everything better?
But in the end, he ate it.
After all, she wasn’t the one who made him angry today. He had to give her this bit of respect.
Besides, he was curious. If he ate the candy, would she try to persuade his Dad to reconsider?
Xie Yizhao, on the other hand, had no such complicated thoughts. He simply wouldn’t refuse something Lu Xi gave him.
Almost simultaneously, the two unwrapped the candies and put them in their mouths.
The mint was cool and refreshing, with a hint of jasmine.
So far, so good. Even for two people who didn’t usually eat mint candy, the flavor was acceptable.
But then, after the delicate jasmine scent faded, a strange, overpowering taste emerged.
Durian.
Xie Heng’s face scrunched up immediately. “What the hell did you give us? Poison?”
Lu Xi couldn’t help but look at him with amusement. “Come on, if I wanted to poison you, I would’ve done it long ago.”
Xie Heng : …Thanks, that was not reassuring.
“Xiao Xi…” Even Xie Yizhao’s expression darkened, though his reaction was much more restrained. There was a mix of amusement, helplessness, and something he couldn’t quite put into words.
Lu Xi blinked. “What’s wrong?”
Then, as if remembering something, she quickly checked the candy’s packaging. Her expression shifted.
She bit her lip and pulled out another pack of mint candies from her bag.
One was mint-jasmine. The other… was mint-durian.
She had bought them both at a convenience store earlier, purely out of curiosity. She hadn’t expected to accidentally subject them to this.
“I grabbed the wrong one.” Lu Xi blinked innocently.
She took out two napkins and handed them to them. “Go ahead and spit it out. I promise I won’t be mad.”
Both men had been fully prepared to do just that.
But now, with an inexplicable sense of stubborn pride, they changed their minds in unison and silently swallowed the durian-flavored abomination.
Lu Xi was speechless.
What was even the point of this?
Sometimes, she couldn’t help but find it amusing. These two were always at odds, never able to get along.
Yet in so many ways, they were so alike.
From their looks to their tastes, right down to their shared, deeply ingrained stubbornness.
They might not even realize it themselves.
Lu Xi originally didn’t want to get involved in the conflict between father and son, but after thinking about it, she found it impossible to stand by and do nothing. The way they were acting was seriously affecting her appetite!
She turned to Xie Heng. “By the way, you haven’t asked for my opinion yet.”
He was slightly taken aback. “Opinion on what?”
“On whether I agree with you becoming a police officer in the future.”
Xie Heng instinctively replied, “There’s no need to ask. You wouldn’t disagree, right?”
He couldn’t quite explain why, but he had always felt that Madam Lu would support his decision. Even though she had never explicitly said so, he had a strong, unshakable belief that in this family, she would always stand by his side.
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What if I don’t agree?”
“Why not? Give me a reason and convince me.” Xie Heng crossed his arms, looking unconvinced.
Lu Xi shrugged at him. “See? The moment I say I don’t agree, you immediately ask me why. But why haven’t you asked your Dad?”
Xie Heng was momentarily speechless.
He frowned and rubbed his ear.
If he had to explain… he supposed it was because he didn’t think his Dad would give him a proper explanation. Instead, he expected the usual dismissive phrases that parents used with their children—things like ‘You’re still young, you wouldn’t understand’ or ‘You’ll get it when you’re older.’
But lately, his Dad had been surprisingly reasonable.
Xie Heng suddenly felt a bit annoyed.
Yeah, why hadn’t he just asked directly? Why was he waiting for his Dad to bring it up first?
Before Lu Xi could say anything else to Xie Yizhao, the waiter arrived with the dishes. In addition to the what they had ordered earlier, there was now a plate of chilled bitter melon salad and chrysanthemum tea.
The waiter poured tea for all three of them, and Lu Xi added a piece of bitter melon to each of their plates.
“Here, cool down a bit. Xiao Heng, tell your dad why you want to be a police officer. Xie Yizhao, tell your son why you disagree. Over.”
Having forcibly assigned speaking roles to both men, Lu Xi focused on her meal and refrained from interfering further.
One was an adult, the other was half-grown. They needed to learn how to have a proper conversation.
Xie Yizhao glanced at Xie Heng and let out a silent sigh.
Truthfully, even without Lu Xi mediating, he had planned to have a talk with Xie Heng, just not right now.
He could tell that his son was in a stubborn and impulsive state of mind, prone to tunnel vision. When he was like this, nothing anyone said would get through to him. That’s why Xie Yizhao had planned to wait a few days, let him cool off, and then have a calm discussion.
That would be much more effective.
But then he thought about tomorrow’s exam. If this issue distracted Xie Heng and affected his performance, that would be a real loss.
After a moment of contemplation, Xie Yizhao finally spoke in a measured tone. “Actually—”
“Wait a minute.” Xie Heng raised a hand to cut him off. “I want to ask something first. If that day I had managed to fight you to a draw, would you still oppose it?”
Xie Yizhao lifted his gaze slightly, looking at Xie Heng with mild surprise.
Adjusting his posture, he leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on the table and tapping it lightly. “To be honest, your physical ability is indeed one of my concerns.”
Xie Heng: “…”
How frustrating. He felt mocked, but he couldn’t refute it.
Xie Yizhao quickly continued, “But since you brought it up this way, I’m even less certain about your true motivation. Why don’t you answer your Mom’s question first? Why do you want to choose this profession?”
“…”
Xie Heng looked up, meeting his father’s gaze. He opened his mouth, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
He furrowed his brows.
That was weird. He had been so sure.
Being called ‘Police Brother’ secretly pleased him. He thought the uniform was cool. His skills weren’t as good as his Dad’s, but he was definitely capable enough to handle small-time criminals.
Most importantly, he had finally figured out his future direction, and this choice felt right for him. So what was there to overthink?
Seeing the confusion in his son’s eyes, Xie Yizhao more or less understood. His tone softened. “You can answer now, or you can take some time to think and come back to me later. As long as it’s before you submit your application, you’ll have a chance to convince me.”
Xie Heng gave a muffled “Mm,” and continued, “I’ll think about it some more.”
After speaking, he seemed a little absent-minded. He picked up a piece of bitter melon with his chopsticks, chewed a few times, and only then realized. Something was wrong.
The bitterness hit him so hard his face turned slightly green.
Spitting it out would be embarrassing, so he took a deep breath and forced himself to swallow.
Even Xie Yizhao was momentarily speechless at his son’s blunder. He exchanged a helpless glance with Lu Xi.
Clearing her throat, Lu Xi gave Xie Heng a sympathetic look.
This time, he couldn’t blame her. He hadn’t even taken the piece from his own bowl, but from the plate of bitter melon in front of him.
The poor kid was so stressed he couldn’t even eat properly.
Lu Xi, feeling both amused and exasperated, moved the plate of bitter melon aside to prevent any further accidents.
She couldn’t help him sort out this kind of life decision, and neither could Xie Yizhao. Figuring out one’s future was hard, but it was something only he could do for himself. Parents shouldn’t make the choice for him.
Still, Lu Xi wanted him to know her true feelings.
“By the way, I won’t oppose your dream, but if I ever see you get hurt, I’ll be sad, and it’ll break my heart. I might even cry.”
Xie Heng paused, startled.
Wait—so that meant… she didn’t support it either?
Lu Xi glanced at him, her voice turning gentler. “But if you’ve truly made up your mind and are determined to take this path, then I hope you grow stronger—stronger and stronger—so that you can protect yourself and avoid getting hurt.”
The boy, feeling her genuine concern, felt his ears heat up slightly. But more than that, he felt a deep warmth settle in his heart.
It felt as warm as wearing a down jacket in the winter.
After pausing for a moment, Xie Heng cleared his throat and finally curled his lips into a smile. “Got it. I’m not that weak—I won’t make you cry.”
Lu Xi beamed, raising her chrysanthemum tea to clink glasses with him. “Then I wish you and your Dad a smooth conversation. Cheers!”
Xie Heng put on an expression of ‘this is such a hassle, but I can’t do anything about you,’ the classic rebellious son look. He lifted his cup and clinked it against hers.
“You’re not joining us?” Lu Xi cast a sidelong glance at Xie Yizhao.
The latter sighed helplessly, pinched the bridge of his nose, and relented. He raised his water glass and lightly touched it to Lu Xi’s, lowering his rim slightly1.
Xie Heng suddenly caught on and, following suit, lowered his cup as well.
Lu Xi, who had the alcohol tolerance of a lightweight and zero understanding of drinking culture, didn’t notice the subtle exchange between the two men. She cheerfully tapped her glass against theirs.
Just like that, she effortlessly diffused another family conflict.
Without her, these two emotionally constipated men at home would really be helpless.
- In Chinese culture, lowering one’s glass when clinking means showing respect or deference to the other party. It could be from a subordinate to a superior, a junior to an elder, or anything else where someone’s position is lower than the other party. So in this case, Xie Yizhao is saying that he holds Xixi higher than himself. ↩︎