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墨書 Inktalez
"Ah? Is that so? Thank you!"
Zhang Mei's face flushed at my words. I continued with my charming smile, "You're welcome, I just spoke my mind."
After I finished speaking, Zhang Mei's face turned even redder. Honestly, if I hadn't done some research on her and learned a bit about her, I wouldn't have dared to flirt with her so boldly. Zhang Mei had a free-spirited nature, but after all, she was Xiong Li's mistress. The kind of man she needed was exactly the one I was portraying at that moment—wild and carefree!
It was clear that she needed someone who could enjoy life without any strings attached. Zhang Mei was looking for a man like that.
"Hey, you're quite interesting. You helped me pick up my wallet, and now I don't know how to thank you," she said playfully.
Zhang Mei was being forward, throwing me a lifeline with just a couple of words. I smiled in response, maintaining my nonchalant demeanor. "I know a great dessert shop that I think you'll love. How about you treat me?"
I looked at Zhang Mei with a grin, having picked up her Chanel wallet; it wasn't too much to ask for her to buy me dessert. As long as she didn't dislike me too much, she would likely agree. Besides, she seemed quite taken with me at the moment.
"Ah? That sounds good! I could go for some dessert myself," Zhang Mei replied with a smile.
I nodded like a gentleman and said, "Alright then, I'll wait for you here until you're done with your yoga class."
"No need for that! How could I let you wait? Let's just go eat dessert first. I'll change my clothes quickly," she said before turning to head to the changing room.
A smile crept onto my lips as I took out my phone and dialed Xi Xiang's number, asking him to find an excuse to bring Lu Qiang to the shop. Xi Xiang didn't quite understand what I was up to, but he didn't ask questions either; he was an honest guy like that and simply agreed.
Once Zhang Mei had changed her clothes, we left Shangling Yoga Studio together. I didn’t have a car, so she drove her Audi while I directed her to Xi Xiang’s pastry shop.
On the way there, Zhang Mei chatted with me quite a bit. She asked what I did for a living, and I told her about my old profession—I sold houses. Conversations are always reciprocal; I had no ulterior motives and simply asked what she did.
However, she lied and told me she was an accountant. Perhaps she used to be one, but not anymore. Neither of us was being truthful, but there was no need for honesty between us.
"Flying chubby guy?"
When we arrived at Xi Xiang’s pastry shop and saw the sign outside, Zhang Mei paused for a moment before bursting into laughter—an entirely normal reaction.
"Are you imagining all sorts of things about the owner?"
I asked with a smile as Zhang Mei nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Then I said I'd show her around and led her into Xi Xiang’s pastry shop.
"Hey! My brother is here!"
"Two black forest cakes; no need for extra words—thank you."
I interrupted Xi Xiang mid-sentence. He looked momentarily stunned but quickly recovered; one of his good traits was that he listened well—at least when it came to friends and girlfriends.
"Oh," he replied before turning to prepare the pastries.
The shop wasn't very crowded at the moment, so I found a quiet spot for us to sit down. Zhang Mei kept smiling at Xi Xiang as if he were some sort of pet.
"He's kind of like a big teddy bear, right?"
I joked, and Zhang Mei nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yes! He really is! I feel like pinching his cheeks and rubbing his belly!"
Ha ha!
I laughed heartily. After all, I'm nearly thirty; is this how you behave? Just wait, I'll go talk to him and let you give it a try!
I got up and headed towards Xi Xiang. Honestly, I was curious to see how Xi Xiang would react when Zhang Mei pinched his face. I knew it would be quite entertaining!
"Hey, buddy, from now on, pretend you don't know me, okay? Don't say too much," I said as I walked past Xi Xiang. He looked at me and smirked, "What's up with you? Are you embarrassed to be seen with your buddy while trying to flirt? I'm not your dad; I'm just your friend. You don't need to hide your true self like that!"
What the hell!
"Fatty, what are you talking about? Have some shame!"
I was momentarily speechless. Xi Xiang's round face broke into a mischievous grin as he said, "With a face this big, losing a bit of pride doesn't matter!"
"Get lost! You're overthinking this. You don't understand what's going on here. I just don't want you to blabber too much. Remember, when Lu Qiang arrives, you don't need to say anything; he probably won't have time to pay attention to you anyway."
I told Xi Xiang. The reason I didn't want him to know me was simple: I didn't want him getting involved. I had just started interacting with Zhang Mei, but I instinctively felt that she had a good impression of me. After eating this pastry, I thought things would progress! If Zhang Mei found out that Xi Xiang was my friend, she might come looking for me here.
If this situation got discovered by Xiong Li, it would drag Xi Xiang into it.
Xi Xiang nodded in agreement; he was honest and believed whatever I said. When Lu Qiang arrived and saw me sitting with Zhang Mei, he wouldn't bother paying attention to Xi Xiang anymore.
"Alright then, come with me and act like a pet."
"What?"
After saying that, I pulled the bewildered Xi Xiang over to Zhang Mei's side.
The boss was quite easygoing and had a personality similar to mine. After we finished talking, she said if he wanted to pinch, then go ahead.
I chuckled, and Xi Xiang looked even more confused! "What? Pinch?"
"Ah? Is it really okay? Then I won't hold back."
Zhang Mei said as she extended her delicate little hand towards the clueless Xi Xiang's face and pinched it.
Ha ha! So soft! Just as I imagined it would feel!
"If you like it, keep pinching," I said with a smile. After all, it wasn't my face being pinched. Women really do have such playful hearts! When will they ever grow up?
For the next five minutes, Xi Xiang became a toy for Zhang Mei. She really had no shame; after pinching his face, she patted his belly and then went back for another pinch. Poor Xi Xiang was completely bewildered and didn't know what to do. While he could joke around with me without issue, facing a beautiful stranger left him practically powerless—standing there with a flushed face and not daring to make a sound while being played with.
Just as I hesitated whether to let Zhang Mei stop or not...
"What are you doing?"
A woman's voice rang out as a girl in her twenties stormed in with an angry expression. This was Wei Qian—the one who constantly bullied Xi Xiang and treated him like her plaything. I've always thought her parents gave her a fitting name; she was thin and looked quite troublesome—like someone who just wanted to stir up trouble.
"Ah, Qianqian!"
Upon seeing Wei Qian, Xi Xiang instantly froze like a mouse caught in the sight of a cat, reaching the peak of confusion and not knowing what to do.
"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. He's your boyfriend, right? I just think your boyfriend is quite interesting. You can play around with him; don't overthink it. My boyfriend is still here," Zhang Mei quickly interjected. I knew she said this to avoid misunderstandings with Wei Qian, but it might also have been an attempt to flirt with me. None of that mattered, though; what troubled me was that Wei Qian had actually come here and recognized me.
"Hey!"
"Oh no!"
Just as Wei Qian was about to unleash a tirade at me, Xi Xiang hurriedly covered Wei Qian's mouth and said to Zhang Mei, "Sorry, sorry! You two continue eating." Then she dragged Wei Qian upstairs. Watching this scene made me smile involuntarily. Xi Xiang understood that Wei Qian’s personality wouldn’t say anything nice about me, especially since I had previously told him not to mention our acquaintance. So, to save face for me in front of Zhang Mei, Xi Xiang took Wei Qian away.
That was fine by me.
"Sorry about that; I was afraid that girl would misunderstand, so I said you were my boyfriend," Zhang Mei said with a shy smile. I responded with a gentlemanly smile and said I understood. After that, we chatted casually while waiting for Lu Qiang to arrive.
About ten minutes later, Lu Qiang walked in.
"Hey! Brother Xiang, you're here too!"
The first thing Lu Qiang did upon entering was greet me, but then he froze as he noticed Zhang Mei. Both of them were momentarily speechless.
Zhang Mei looked completely bewildered, while Lu Qiang glanced between her and me with surprise on his face. Then, astonishingly, Lu Qiang turned around as if he hadn’t seen us and called out to Xi Xiang, who had just come down from upstairs.
"Hey! Brother, did someone come here to check on hygiene?"
Lu Qiang asked Xi Xiang. Upon hearing this, Xi Xiang quickly replied, "Oh! Lu Ge is here! Yes, you can see the hygiene conditions here yourself, but there are always people coming to complain about my hygiene standards."
Xi Xiang hurriedly explained. Lu Qiang responded with an "oh" and continued asking who came to check, completely ignoring both me and Zhang Mei.
Zhang Mei looked a bit flustered. Xiong Li had always suspected she was seeing someone outside; what if Lu Qiang caught her out here eating pastries with another man? It was clear from Lu Qiang's earlier expression that he recognized her—what was she going to do?
"I'm sorry; just pretend you don't know me," Zhang Mei whispered to me before calling out, "Boss! The bill please!"
Then Xi Xiang came over. Zhang Mei pulled out a bill and placed it on the table before turning to leave. She was quite clever; in a pastry shop like this, it wasn't guaranteed that everyone sitting at the same table knew each other.
If she went over to explain anything to Lu Qiang now, it would only be seen as an attempt to cover up the truth. Lu Qiang wasn’t foolish; that would make things even more obvious. The best course of action for her was indeed to settle the bill herself and leave quietly since there was no substantial evidence against her. Even if Lu Qiang told Xiong Li about seeing her with another man, she could firmly insist she was just there for pastries.
But then again—what good would her insistence do? Would I admit anything?
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