"Alright, alright, I'm shameless, you're pure. Let's go, let's go, go out and take the call, I'll put in a good word for you with President Chu. I'll take you back."
President Chu had always liked Liang Bo. Hearing that Chu Xi was with him and having a good time, and that nothing had gone wrong, finally put her at ease.
Liang Bo said he would take her back immediately, and President Chu agreed. The two waited by the door for a designated driver.
Liang Bo lit a cigarette. Looking at Chu Xi from the side, her hair slightly messy from her hairstyle, a little sweaty, her overall look a bit wild, he couldn't help but smile again.
Chu Xi glanced at him. "What? Why do you keep smiling at me secretly? Are you mocking me?"
"No. What's there to mock about you?"
"Hmph! You know yourself!"
To be honest, Chu Xi felt a bit embarrassed.
She always felt that after seven years with her boyfriend, she still hadn't been "given away," and in his eyes, she was somewhat unusual.
Liang Bo, afraid she would get angry, gently coaxed her, "I'm really not mocking you. I just think you're cute."
Growing up, everyone praised her for being beautiful, noble, and intelligent. It seemed Zhan Jingrui had never complimented her on anything.
This was the first time in her life someone had called her cute.
People are strange; when they hear the word "cute," they instinctively want to do cute things.
Chu Xi pouted, walked up to him, and stared at him with wide eyes.
"I'm cute? Do you know that calling a woman cute means she's not beautiful?"
Liang Bo lowered his gaze to meet hers, the cigarette clamped between his lips looking incredibly manly.
"Who says? Can someone who isn't beautiful be called cute?"
"So, are you saying I'm both beautiful and cute?"
"Exactly, both beautiful and cute."
"Like a doll?"
"Like a doll."
"Then do you like this type?"
"I do."
Zhan Jingrui had left certain parts of her empty, but Liang Bo's words filled them.
Chu Xi seemed to regain some confidence and thanked him sincerely.
"Liang Bo, you're a good person."
Suddenly being so serious made Liang Bo feel awkward about smoking in front of her.
He stubbed out the cigarette, stood up straight, and looked at her. "You're a good person too."
"Beautiful and cute, intelligent and wealthy, a perfectly good person. There's no need to negate yourself because of one relationship. Ninety percent of men in the world would long to have someone like you."
Liang Bo escorted her to her doorstep. President Chu and Mrs. Chu were waiting at the door.
Seeing the two of them so giddy, Chu Xi smiled happily and didn't blame them.
As it was late, Liang Bo prepared to leave after they said their goodbyes. Before Chu Xi went inside with her parents, she called out to him again.
"Liang Bo. Can I still come to see you in the future?"
"Of course, you're always welcome."
"Will it interfere with your work?"
"It might a little. But you can compensate me with business."
"Hahahaha." They both laughed.
Liang Bo waved goodbye and got into the car. "Go on, cheer up."
It was Chu Xi's first time drinking so much. Even when she was showering, she felt lightheaded. Lying in the bathtub, she was still humming a tune.
Mrs. Chu and the nanny helped her, and they couldn't help but feel good along with her.
After showering, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep, waking up naturally.
Recalling yesterday's events and the things she said to Liang Bo, as well as her brothers' teasing, Chu Xi couldn't help but smile.
But no matter how good her mood was, she still remembered the matter between Zhan Jingrui and He Yao.
So, she called Zhan Jingrui. Before he could say anything, she asked directly.
"Do you know where He Yao is now? I want to go and see her."
Zhan Jingrui had just come out of He Yao's place and paused slightly. "Why do you suddenly want to see her?"
"It would be rude not to visit her after knowing she's injured. Send me her address once you find it."
Chu Xi hung up the phone.
After hanging up, she started changing, putting on makeup, and eating breakfast.
Around ten in the morning, Zhan Jingrui sent her He Yao's phone number.
She called He Yao, and they arranged to meet at a coffee shop.
He Yao wore a long black wig, a fisherman's hat, a loose hoodie, jeans, and sneakers.
She looked like a spirited, ethereal young girl.
When Chu Xi saw her at the coffee shop, she felt a pang of intense jealousy.
No wonder everyone at school had spread rumors about her beauty, and no wonder Zhan Jingrui hadn't been interested in anyone else, but had liked her for so many years.
She was truly a hidden gem.
Chu Xi's mood had improved, and she wasn't going to dwell on Zhan Jingrui, but that didn't mean she could let He Yao off the hook.
In Chu Xi's deeply ingrained perception of marriage, she could lack a dazzling academic degree or a particularly impressive career.
But she couldn't lack a happy marriage.
Her future husband had to be capable, wealthy, and from a family of similar standing, as well as handsome and loving.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never lost to any woman in any aspect, and she couldn't possibly lose to He Yao, who only had beauty, in the matter she valued most.
Therefore, she had to win this round.
Since Zhan Jingrui hadn't ended up with He Yao back then, it meant he was very aware of the gap between them.
After he returned, they hadn't done anything intimate immediately, and the fact that he was still hiding it from her now meant that Zhan Jingrui still cared about her, feared her anger, and was still wary of her family's influence.
If that was the case, it meant Zhan Jingrui didn't desperately need He Yao.
Then, getting rid of her would be quite easy.
Chu Xi sat down, took He Yao's hand, and smiled sweetly and charmingly.
"You're so beautiful. I'm relieved to see you've recovered so well. That hit from Liang Bo that day really scared me. What did the doctor say? Will the wound cause any lasting problems?"
He Yao said no and then explained why she was wearing a wig.
After some small talk, Chu Xi invited her to go shopping.
"Jingrui and I are getting married soon, aren't we? I want to buy some gifts in advance to give to his family. Will you come with me?"
"He has two sisters and one brother. They're quadruplets. Do you know his family?"
He Yao, of course, didn't know.
Although she and Zhan Jingrui had shared intimate moments, in this regard, she was indeed inferior to Chu Xi.
"We've known each other for many years. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving, we return from abroad and visit each other's families."
"His family likes me very much, and my family likes him very much. Do you know how funny his two sisters are? They started calling me 'sister-in-law' six years ago. I was so young then, and hearing that address made me so shy."
Chu Xi told He Yao a lot, dragging her around luxury boutiques, and generously bought a famous bracelet for each of his two sisters, a necklace worth hundreds of thousands for Jiang Nan Fang, and a designer tie and scarf for Zhan Bei Jue and Zhan Jing Yu respectively.
In one afternoon, Chu Xi spent nearly 3 million yuan.
3 million yuan was just for gifts for his family during one shopping trip.
But it was an astronomical figure in He Yao's eyes.
Based on this alone, she knew she wasn't qualified to marry into a wealthy family.
This show of force was incredibly effective.