DXXZL - 49

As soon as Zhu Xingyao stepped into the house, her phone rang. It was Li Xixi calling. Sitting in the nanny car and leaning back against the seat, Li Xixi clicked her tongue a few times. “I just finished work and saw Ding Xiang’s social media post. You guys had dinner at Jiang Tu’s place tonight?”

“He just moved into a new home, so we went to warm it up for him,” Zhu Xingyao replied as she bent down to change into slippers and walked upstairs.

Li Xixi wasn’t entirely convinced. “Is this really a housewarming or just an excuse?”

Zhu Xingyao climbed the stairs, recalling how Jiang Tu had earlier coaxed—and almost demanded—that she add him on WeChat. It felt as though he wouldn’t let her leave the car until she agreed. If she had refused then, what would have happened? She thought she had been too soft-hearted and should have resisted him one more time.

After all, he had ignored her for eight years.

Eight whole years!

Feeling frustrated, she said glumly, “It was Lin Jiayu’s idea, not his.”

“Maybe he told Lin Jiayu to suggest it!” Li Xixi grabbed the fruit box handed over by her assistant, munching as she spoke. “I feel like he came back with a purpose this time.”

“What purpose?” Zhu Xingyao asked hesitantly.

“You!” Li Xixi declared bluntly.

Zhu Xingyao: “...”

Back in her room, she flopped onto the bed and asked Li Xixi, “Do you think he’s pursuing me?” Whether it was Jiang Tu from high school or the man who reappeared after eight years of silence, he had always treated her kindly. His kindness back then had been calm and restrained, but now… it was gentle yet assertive.

Li Xixi shot back with three rhetorical questions: “Do you really think Jiang Tu is reconnecting with you out of nostalgia? To reminisce about their days as desk mates? Is he that kind of person?”

Jiang Tu wasn’t.

Zhu Xingyao fell silent.

Li Xixi warned her sternly, “Let me tell you something—even if he is pursuing you, don’t fall too easily. Think about how he pushed you toward Lu Ji without saying a word back in high school, how he disappeared for eight years without contact, and... well, never mind. He deserves to be put through the wringer. Don’t go soft on him right away.”

Zhu Xingyao wanted to say that she had already softened once.

The day before Zhu Xingyao’s birthday happened to fall on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day). Being beautiful and having connections through her father Zhu Yunping, she knew quite a few eligible young men. Some even attended her concerts specifically to pursue her, and early that morning, flowers began arriving at her doorstep.

She declined all the date invitations and headed to the practice room with her cello.

She spent most of the day practicing with the orchestra members. By 4 p.m., everyone else had left—most going on dates—leaving Zhu Xingyao alone. After putting down her cello, she took a break and opened Weibo on her phone.

It had been several days since she last checked, and she noticed a strange shift in the comments. Many new fans had followed her, but their messages raised eyebrows.

For example—

“Karl suddenly started following the cello goddess. He rarely follows random people! What’s going on?”

“What’s their relationship? Could it be that Karl has fallen for Zhu Xingyao? I won’t allow it!”

“Zhu Xingyao hasn’t followed him back. Maybe it’s just one-sided admiration? After all, she is stunning...”

Who was Karl?

Confused, Zhu Xingyao scrolled through and found Karl’s profile. She realized he was a member of an esports club, and his real name was Jiang Lu—the younger brother of Jiang Tu. The comment section was buzzing with wild speculation about their relationship. If she were to follow him back, things would only get messier.

She decided not to follow him and instead sent a quick message to Lin Jiayu on WeChat to inform her.

Coincidentally, Lin Jiayu was playing a game with Jiang Lu at the moment. When she mentioned it to him, Zhu Xingyao soon received a friend request. She accepted it and was promptly dragged into a team game by Jiang Lu and Lin Jiayu to play Honor of Kings.

Zhu Xingyao had only played a few times under Li Xixi’s insistence years ago, and she had nearly forgotten the app existed on her phone. She admitted sheepishly, “I barely know how to play…”

Lin Jiayu laughed. “No worries, neither do I.”

Jiang Lu chimed in confidently, “Don’t worry, Goddess Sister, I’ve got you covered.”

Some teammates gathered around Jiang Lu curiously. One of them asked, “Senior, who are you calling ‘Goddess Sister’? Is it really Zhu Xingyao?”

Jiang Lu casually replied, “Yeah.”

“Wow! You actually hooked up with her?! Zhu Xingyao! Beauty incarnate! A true goddess!” Another teammate slapped Jiang Lu enthusiastically on the shoulder and quickly pulled out his phone. “I’m following her right now. Do you think it’s too late?”

Jiang Lu hastily muted the game and shot a glare at the overly excited teammate. “What do you mean by ‘hooked up’? That sounds terrible. She’s my brother’s classmate and senior, and… well…” As Jiang Lu focused on controlling his character, he couldn’t help but ponder whether his cold, unfeeling brother might harbor feelings for the “goddess sister.” Otherwise, why would someone like him go out of his way to pick up a woman? It seemed suspicious.

At first, he didn’t dwell on it, but the more he thought about it later, the stranger it felt.

His brother actually liked someone.

And perhaps he’d liked her since high school.

That was downright terrifying.

Jiang Lu asked Lin Jiayu about it, but she claimed to know nothing… which only confirmed his suspicions!

Meanwhile, Zhu Xingyao was engrossed in the game when Jiang Tu called. Distracted, she accidentally hung up on him and was immediately killed in the match. Sighing in exasperation, she dialed him back.

When she glanced at the time, she was shocked—it was already past 6 p.m.!

She exclaimed in surprise, “I’ve been playing for over an hour?”

Jiang Tu had pulled over to the side of the road. On the phone, Zhu Xingyao explained, “Your brother and Lin Jiayu dragged me into a game.”

“You play this too?” Jiang Tu sounded surprised.

“I used to play a bit with Xixi,” Zhu Xingyao said. “They roped me in today—I’m not very good.”

Jiang Tu glanced ahead at the parked Mercedes-Benz—Old Liu’s car—and nonchalantly shifted his gaze. “If you want to learn, I can teach you next time.”

Zhu Xingyao was taken aback. “You know how to play?”

“Not yet,” Jiang Tu replied calmly, “but I’ll figure it out after a few tries. Teaching you won’t be a problem.”

Zhu Xingyao: “...”

She remembered their trip to the arcade during senior year. He could intuitively grasp gambling machines, let alone other games, mastering them effortlessly before guiding her along. Standing up, she zipped her cello case closed and murmured softly, “No need. I’m not particularly fond of gaming—it was just because they made me join in today.”

She ended the call and waited for the elevator. While waiting, she bumped into a somewhat familiar pianist. The two rode down together, and the pianist turned to ask, “You don’t have any plans tonight?”

“No,” Zhu Xingyao replied. She thought of Jiang Tu; he hadn’t mentioned making plans either.

“Well, if even you don’t have a date, then I feel better about myself,” the pianist joked lightly.

Zhu Xingyao smiled faintly and lowered her head. As they exited the building, she slipped on a mask. Walking toward the roadside, she looked up and spotted two nearly identical cars parked ahead.

The window of the second car rolled down, revealing a man reclining slightly in his seat. Zhu Xingyao caught sight of his taut jawline and prominent Adam’s apple. Her steps faltered.

The pianist noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhu Xingyao snapped out of her daze and shook her head. “Nothing. My driver just arrived.”

She never expected Jiang Tu to be waiting there for her. Glancing between the two cars, she hesitated briefly.

In the end, she walked toward the second car. The pianist followed her and, upon seeing the man inside, gasped in shock. Turning to Zhu Xingyao, she whispered, “Is your driver this handsome?”

Zhu Xingyao gave her a small smile. “I’ll see you later. Bye!”

The pianist blinked. Was this her boyfriend?

Old Liu watched in dismay as Miss Zhu climbed into the second car. Panicking, he rushed to open the door.

Miss Zhu! You’ve gotten into the wrong car!