Chapter 15: Birds of A Feather

The royal blue sports car was moving along the road, but shortly after hitting the road during the evening rush hour, it was caught in the midst of traffic. At such times, no car could speed through this oppressive city.

“I feel like eating something spicy,” Guan Xi leaned her head and turned to look at the endless traffic ahead.

Their car was close to the one in front, but there was a huge gap behind them. The distance between their car and the one behind could fit another large off-road vehicle, yet no driver dared to recklessly squeeze in. The drivers behind all knew how much they would lose if they brushed against this royal blue car.

Wei Xiuyang glanced at the rearview mirror and nodded, “Like what?”

Guan Xi hesitated, struggling between her taste buds and her calories, and finally said, “How about hot pot? It’s been a while since I had it.”

Wei Xiuyang always listened to her, “Sure.”

Today, Wei Xiuyang happened to have a meeting nearby with a business partner. Seeing Guan Xi’s WeChat Moments, he learned she was in the area for a meeting and invited her for dinner.

Half an hour later, they sat down in a hot pot restaurant in a nearby shopping mall because they didn’t want to endure the slow progress on the road. The hot pot restaurant served the dishes quickly. Once everything was served, Wei Xiuyang took the ladle, willingly taking on the responsibility of picking up and serving the dishes.

“How have you been getting along with Guan Ying lately?” Wei Xiuyang asked.

Guan Xi replied, “Hmm… so-so.”

“Doesn’t she find you difficult to get along with?” 

Guan Xi almost choked on a piece of lamb roll, raised her eyes, and gave him a glare, “What do you mean? Why don’t you ask if I find her difficult to get along with?”

“I don’t know if she’s difficult to get along with, but with your daily demeanor, wouldn’t people who just met you turn away?” 

Guan Xi: “…” Ongoing indifference.

Wei Xiuyang pretended not to notice and ladled some fatty beef into her bowl, “Your temperament, only I… those who have known you for many years can tolerate.”

“Geez.”

Wei Xiuyang chuckled, “Oh, by the way, Guan Ying often goes to visit grandpa and Grandma, you know.”

His grandpa and grandma, that would be her maternal grandparents.

“Oh, so what?” 

Wei Xiuyang said, “Isn’t it strange? Grandpa and grandma have a pretty indifferent relationship with you. You hardly see each other throughout the year. But when it comes to Guan Ying, they seem to be quite fond of their granddaughter.”

Wei Xiuyang was puzzled, but what Guan Xi heard was crystal clear. She didn’t know why her grandparents didn’t like her before, but now it was very clear. They haven’t cared much for over twenty years because they knew she wasn’t biologically related.

So what? Perfectly normal.

“Maybe she’s well-behaved, fits their preferences,” Guan Xi said casually.

Wei Xiuyang was even more puzzled, “Really?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Enough, don’t talk about this. Quickly call someone over to cook the shrimp for me.”

“Okay.”

…

Guan Xi had a small appetite, and after eating for a while, she felt full. She put down her chopsticks, waiting for Wei Xiuyang to finish his meal while chatting with him.

“Sir and Miss, this is our special dessert. Please enjoy.” Suddenly, a waiter handed over a plate of small desserts.

Wei Xiuyang stopped his chopsticks and looked at the dish. The dessert was arranged with sweet sauce drawing a heart on the blank space.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the waiter, “Sorry, we didn’t order this dish.”

Wei Xiuyang, being good-looking, caused the young girl to blush when he glanced at her, “Oh, it’s a gift for you. Today is White Valentine’s Day, and couples usually give gifts.”

“Couples?” Guan Xi, sitting across the table, chuckled. “How do you determine if people are a couple? Is it just because a man and a woman are eating together?”

The young girl seemed embarrassed, “Ah? You two… aren’t a couple? I’m sorry, I’m sorry. So, about this dish…”

“Just leave it. Let’s just pretend we are a couple,” Wei Xiuyang smiled at the girl. “Thanks.”

The girl blushed and couldn’t resist his smile as she walked away.

“Gather yourself, your forehead is almost asking to be written with ‘I’m flirtatious’ in three words,” Guan Xi commented.

Wei Xiuyang ignored her, looking at the dish, “Looks pretty good.”

Guan Xi said, “This shameless dish, treating us as a couple? Who told them that? Taking advantage of the discounts at the hot pot restaurant.”

Wei Xiuyang said, “Free extra dish.”

Guan Xi gave him a sidelong glance, too lazy to scold him, “It looks overly sweet, I won’t eat it.”

Wei Xiuyang picked up a small fork and took a bite of the mini cake, “I’ll eat.”

—

On the second Saturday of the second week, the countdown to the opening of the Zhong Lingfan Bar was seven days. They specially invited a large number of friends to come for a party celebration.

Jin Kaicheng indulged his wife by letting her own a bar, just to let her pass the time. His wife enthusiastically wanted to prepare a party, so he had the bar set up as a party venue and invited many influential people in the capital to join the festivities.

The bar was located in a bustling area. A long staircase descended from the first-floor hall, leading down to two more levels below. The unique stone walls would give an illusion of entering a fairyland when officially opened for business.

However, this would be a party scene instead of a bar setting, with bright lights and melodious music, not as intense as a bar atmosphere.

At nine o’clock in the evening, the party was already lively, with people gathering in small groups, enjoying food, drinks, and conversation. At a booth in the bar, Guan Xi and Zhong Lingfan were sitting and chatting with others.

“Your sister… When did she become so close to Wei Zihan?” Zhong Lingfan gestured towards the direction of the bar.

Guan Xi glanced over. “Guan Ying has been visiting my grandparents’ place frequently lately, and she might have accidentally gotten involved with someone surnamed Wei.”

The news about Guan Ying had come out recently, and Zhong Lingfan was aware of it. However, since she was newly married and Guan Xi didn’t want to bring trouble to her, Zhong Lingfan was still unaware of Guan Xi’s adoption matter.

Zhong Lingfan commented, “Xi Xi, does your sister not know that you and Wei Zihan have been at odds for years?”

Guan Xi shrugged, “Who she befriends is her freedom. Why should I make her take sides?”

“But we can’t let her be influenced by Wei Zihan,” Zhong Lingfan said. “Really, I didn’t invite Wei Zihan; it must be that Jin Kaicheng sending invitations on behalf of the Wei family, not using his brain and even inviting her.”

Guan Xi waved her hand, “Whatever, I’ll endure it today and not argue with her.”

Guan Xi was well-connected in the social circle of the capital, and with many familiar faces present, people kept coming to talk and greet her. After exchanging pleasantries, she slipped away and went to the quieter area near the bar.

At the bar, she asked the bartender to make her a margarita.

“Miss Guan.”

Guan Xi turned around and saw a familiar face sitting in a chair across two bar stools. After recognizing him, she politely said, “Mr. Xie, long time no see.”

This person was Xie Yan, whom she had met at Song Li’s birthday party. On that day, she had jumped into the pool to save his phone. Since that incident, they hadn’t met again, although they had exchanged WeChat. However, they only greeted each other briefly when adding contacts, changed their display names, and hadn’t talked since.

However, she had always planned to have a chat with him because there was something she needed to collaborate on.

“It has been a long time, Miss Guan. How have you been recently?” Xie Yan politely asked.

“Just the usual,” Guan Xi thought for a moment and walked over. “What about you? Have you been busy lately?”

“Not too busy.”

“Well, that’s a coincidence. I have something, don’t know if you’re interested?” Guan Xi said.

Xie Yan initially greeted her out of courtesy when he saw her approaching, not expecting her to actually have something to discuss. He was somewhat surprised, “You have something to discuss? What is it?”

Guan Xi thought for a moment and said, “I’ve heard that you excel in interior design, and I also saw some of your recent works that I really liked.”

Xie Yan’s expression remained mild, neither too pleased nor too indifferent, “Is that so? It’s my honor.”

“Don’t say that. The thing is, our company has a project for a vacation resort, and we need someone for the interior design of the resort. I was thinking of inviting you to give it a try.”

Guan Xi was straightforward, with no unnecessary preamble.

Xie Yan hesitated, “I haven’t taken on such projects recently.”

Guan Xi understood that while Xie Yan had a strong background in design, his main focus was on the management side of Xie Corporation. Design, at most, was considered his advanced hobby. If he liked it, he would take it; if not, he wouldn’t. It had no impact on his livelihood.

Guan Xi said, “It’s okay, no need to force it. I just wanted to give it a try. Perhaps I’ll send you some information later, and you can see if you’re interested?”

Xie Yan gave a faint smile, “Sure.”

“Really?”

Xie Yan nodded, quite straightforwardly, “Just send me a message on WeChat when you have the details.”

“Alright! I’ll send it to you tomorrow.”

…

“Guan Xi! Come over here, Wei Xiuyang refuses to admit that he lost to me—” After chatting for a while, Lang Ningyi suddenly shouted from not far away.

Guan Xi waved in that direction and turned to Xie Yan, “I’ll go over there first. We’ll talk about the project later.”

“Sure.”

Guan Xi didn’t expect Xie Yan to be at the party too, and now she had also resolved the issue of the resort’s design, making her very pleased. Holding her margarita, she walked towards the private booth.

“Having a good time chatting with Xie Yan, huh?”

Passing by a scattered table, she encountered an adversary.

Guan Xi glanced at Wei Zihan, remembering the “not arguing with her” flag she set against Zhong Lingfan today. Choosing to remain silent, she walked past without acknowledging.

“Well, of course, you would have a good time with him,” Wei Zihan extended her hand to stop Guan Xi, slightly tilting her head to look at her, and said slowly, “After all… you two are of the same kind, birds of a feather flock together.”

Guan Xi suddenly stiffened and turned to look at Wei Zihan, “What do you mean?”

Wei Zihan smiled, a hint of deadly venom in the mockery in her eyes, “Guess what I mean.”

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