Chapter 131: Chapter 29: I Always Feel Like I’ve Been NTR’d

"What are you saying, Eldest Young Master Huo? We’re buddies. It’s just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks."

"Haha, then I won’t stand on ceremony."

Huo Shaoqi subtly glanced at the beauty sitting quietly to the side. "I can’t believe this kid actually managed to bag Xia Xiqing. They weren’t just putting on an act at the banquet the other day," he thought. Naturally, he wasn’t tactless enough to crowd the other man’s woman, so he took a seat next to Zhang Yan.

Seeing that Huo Shaoqi had no intention of speaking first, Zhang Yan had to take the initiative so he could get rid of the guy sooner. "I still need to thank you for having my back at the last banquet, Eldest Young Master Huo. I was planning to treat you to a meal afterward, but since we ran into each other today, consider this meal an early treat."

"Zhang Yan, you’re being too polite! We’re buddies. Backing you up is only natural!"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Huo Shaoqi finally got to the point. "Speaking of which, I’m the one who brought you here, aren’t I?"

"Yeah, indeed. If Eldest Young Master Huo hadn’t brought me here, I truly wouldn’t have known that Meng City was hiding such a paradise."

"I remember the first time our group of friends was chatting, someone mentioned a few things about me and the boss lady here. We weren’t familiar with each other back then, so I put a stop to it. Now that we’re good buddies, I should tell you everything, my brother."

Zhang Yan didn’t reply, simply adopting a posture of attentive listening.

"My mother passed away when I was very young. I don’t even have a memory of what she looked like." Huo Shaoqi told such a tragic story with a completely calm expression, making Zhang Yan feel too awkward to keep eating. "I don’t know if that’s the reason, but I’ve always had a special preference for older women. So, I am currently pursuing Sister Mei."

His words seemed reasonable on the surface, but Zhang Yan hadn’t forgotten that Sister Mei was only thirty-three. If Huo Shaoqi really had an Oedipus complex, shouldn’t he be going after someone in her forties? However, Zhang Yan didn’t understand this kind of niche fetish, so he refrained from passing judgment.

"So, that group of thugs I accidentally chased off earlier was arranged by you, Eldest Young Master Huo?"

"Exactly! I originally set that up so I could play the hero saving the damsel in distress, but I didn’t expect you to swoop in and steal the glory, Zhang Yan. Haha, little brother Zhang Yan, you ruined my good deed. Shouldn’t you penalize yourself with a drink?"

"Then I really should apologize. But not for ruining your good deed, Brother Huo, but for accidentally reaping your rewards."

He had assumed this was just a minor issue that would be brushed off once cleared up, but upon hearing Zhang Yan’s response, Huo Shaoqi paused. "What do you mean?"

"We’re good buddies, so I won’t hide it from you, Brother Huo. I’m actually pursuing Sister Mei too, and I just made a bit of a breakthrough!

"We are technically competitors, but I ended up taking advantage of your setup, so I owe you an apology."

Huo Shaoqi understood every single word spoken, but why couldn’t he comprehend them when put together? As if to confirm something, he took another look at Xia Xiqing sitting next to them. She was still as aloof and ethereal as ever, like a goddess from the heavens who paid no mind to mortal trivialities. She didn’t seem to have any reaction to Zhang Yan’s outrageous statement.

"It’s not a hallucination. Xia Xiqing is sitting right there. What does Zhang Yan mean? Does he really want to have his cake and eat it too?" he thought. "Forgive my presumption, Miss Xia, but do you have no objections to what Zhang Yan just said?"

Xia Xiqing cast a cold, detached glance at Huo Shaoqi and said with a placid expression, "No."

Zhang Yan was just putting on an act with the boss lady. This had nothing to do with her, Xia Xiqing, so why would she have any objections?

"Badass!" Huo Shaoqi bluntly gave Zhang Yan a thumbs-up. "You’re truly a badass, little brother!"

"Just par for the course, haha."

Zhang Yan naturally knew that Huo Shaoqi had misunderstood. He had even factored Xia Xiqing’s personality into his calculations; this little misunderstanding between both parties was entirely intentional on his part.

It took Huo Shaoqi quite a while to fully process and digest this shocking information. For people like them, it was perfectly normal to fool around outside, and having multiple mistresses was commonplace. But to have the woman acting as the "primary wife" or "matriarch" openly approve of your fooling around—to sit right there and have absolutely no objections—that was truly impressive. In his mind, Xia Xiqing was definitely the type of woman Zhang Yan would pursue to be his official wife. Given her status, it was impossible for her to accept being the other woman.

"Little brother Zhang Yan, I truly couldn’t tell that you were the type to collect them all, regardless of category!

"But we have an agreement now. Since it’s fair competition, we’ll each rely on our own skills. Neither of us is allowed to trip the other up!"

Watching Huo Shaoqi treat this like a game, without showing the slightest offense at Zhang Yan inserting himself into the situation, Zhang Yan gained a rough understanding of the man’s true intentions.

"Brother Huo is truly magnanimous! However, since I took advantage of you earlier, it’s only natural that I make up for it. I’ll share a piece of information with you, Brother Huo.

"I chatted with Sister Mei just now. She is deeply disgusted by thugs causing trouble and was even thinking about calling the police.

"Moreover, she vaguely suspects that you were the one who orchestrated it, Brother Huo. If you keep playing the game this way, there won’t even be a need for this competition. You will undoubtedly lose."

Huo Shaoqi nodded. Since he was just playing around, he hadn’t put much effort into covering his tracks in the first place, so it wasn’t surprising that she had guessed it.

"Haha, you’re an honest man, little brother! If you hadn’t told me this, your big brother here really would have lost!

"Then we’ll wipe the slate clean regarding what happened earlier. From here on out, it’s every man for himself. We’ll see who wins over Sister Mei first, and the winner will treat the other to a meal."

"It’s a deal."

As the group was chatting enthusiastically, a knock sounded at the door once more before Sister Mei personally pushed a dining cart into the room. Li Huamei had clearly learned of Huo Shaoqi’s arrival from the waiters. She had deliberately given them some time, preparing several dishes to serve all at once.

"Young Master Huo has arrived as well. My little establishment is quite bustling today."

Despite learning from Zhang Yan that his little trick had been seen through, and hearing the underlying implication in Sister Mei’s words, Huo Shaoqi didn’t look embarrassed in the slightest. "Haha, I had some free time today, so I came over to crash my good buddy’s meal. This brother of mine sure is lucky to have you serving the dishes personally, Sister Mei."

"Yan has helped me a lot, so it’s only right."

Huo Shaoqi and Zhang Yan exchanged a tacit look, though their thoughts were likely quite different. Sister Mei had said this meal was on her, and it was obvious she was genuinely grateful, as she had gone all out and prepared a massive spread.

Seeing that Sister Mei was about to head back down to continue cooking, Zhang Yan hurriedly stopped her. "Sister Mei, why don’t you sit down and eat with us? The more people, the merrier."

Li Huamei didn’t hesitate for long, happily agreeing. "That works. If I’m here, I can also guide you on the proper way to enjoy each dish."

"Little brother Zhang Yan, you really have a lot of face! We’ve been eating here for so long, yet we’ve never received Sister Mei’s personal service!"

"Brother Huo, you’re truly drunk before you’ve even started drinking. What do you mean ’service’? Sister Mei is sitting with us because she treats us as friends. If we were just regular customers, I wouldn’t be able to hire her no matter how much wealth I had."

"A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue! Little brother Zhang Yan is right. I must penalize myself with a drink!"

Li Huamei cast a secret, grateful glance at Zhang Yan. In the past, she hated sitting at the same table as these rich second-generation heirs because, fundamentally, they never viewed others as their equals. Their words would often drip with an arrogance they didn’t even notice. But even if she caught it, she had to pretend she hadn’t. Now, with Zhang Yan present, her discomfort was greatly reduced. She felt a sense of having someone to rely on.

"Here, Yan. Try a piece of this black truffle cherry pork. You absolutely have to eat these together." Li Huamei picked up a piece of meat with her own chopsticks, leaned over, and brought it directly to Zhang Yan’s lips.

Knowing that they were putting on a public show for Huo Shaoqi, Zhang Yan played along, opening his mouth and swallowing the savory meat.

Watching from the side, Huo Shaoqi felt a bit sour. "At the end of the day, he only won so much of her favor by hijacking my setup. Why do I feel like I’ve been cucked?" he thought.

Everyone’s focus was on the interaction between Zhang Yan and Sister Mei, so no one noticed that Xia Xiqing was vigorously stabbing her rice with her chopsticks over and over again. For Xia Xiqing, who paid attention to etiquette in every aspect and always presented herself flawlessly, this was something that had never happened before.

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