Tong Yao, pulling Bai Xi's hand, walked along cheerfully until they reached a restaurant that, while not large, was brimming with girlish charm.
At the entrance, a large heart shape was illuminated by pink neon lights. Inside the heart, colorful fairy lights spelled out the name: "Sweetheart Rendezvous."
Bai Xi frowned slightly as she looked at the sign. "So, this is the mysterious place you wanted to bring me?"
Tong Yao beamed, looking at the sign. "Isn't it nice? It's wonderful! Before you disappeared, you promised to have chocolate fondue with me. How could you... go back on your word?"
Bai Xi was speechless. "...I just think eating chocolate fondue doesn't require such elaborate arrangements."
The dress she was wearing, though simple in design, was clearly custom-made. Moreover, Tong Yao had fussed over her face for over half an hour, all to do her makeup.
Tong Yao blinked her bright eyes and tilted her chin upwards. "I'm happy to do it."
Seeing her playful demeanor, Bai Xi finally sighed. "Alright."
After all, a best friend was meant to be pampered.
This dessert restaurant, catering to female tastes, had an entire staff of young men at the entrance. They were all good-looking and, with a little tidying up, quite a pleasing sight.
As Tong Yao and Bai Xi entered, one of the young men immediately approached them. While speaking, he subtly appraised Bai Xi and Tong Yao, his cheeks flushing. He even stammered a little. "Excuse me, two beautiful young ladies, we don't have any available seats right now. Could you please wait in the nearby lounge area?"
Tong Yao's mood brightened upon hearing this. "It's fine. I've already booked a table. It's in... there!"
She said this, tiptoeing and pointing in a certain direction.
Bai Xi followed her gaze. It was a booth, designed with semi-open latticework, through which one could vaguely see another person inside.
Could it be... Tong Yao brought her here today to meet her boyfriend?
Before Bai Xi could even ponder the situation, Tong Yao had already pulled her arm and led her to the booth. She called out to the person inside, "Ge!"
The man in the booth was dressed in a smart suit and was quite handsome and dashing. A laptop sat before him. Upon hearing Tong Yao's voice, he merely nodded slightly. "You're here. Sit down."
He said this without even looking up from his work.
Tong Yao, seeing this, was displeased. "Workaholic, can you put your computer away for a while? I brought my friend today. Your attitude is quite dismissive!"
Since Xi'er didn't like Shen Cheng, how could she not introduce her own brother?
If she could "marry" her brother to Xi'er, that would be wonderful!
Bai Xi: "..."
Her premonition was correct. Tong Yao, the expert in romance, had activated her matchmaking instincts again, this time extending her reach to her own brother.
The man seemed slightly taken aback. He quickly saved the file he was working on and then stood up. "Hello, I'm Tong Yao's brother, Tong Hua."
As he spoke, he extended his right hand politely. However, the moment he saw Bai Xi, his eyes, which shared seven-tenths of Tong Yao's resemblance, narrowed slightly. The hand he extended became stiff, and the phone he had been about to slip into his suit jacket pocket inexplicably fell into the chocolate fondue pot...
Bai Xi had intended to reciprocate the handshake but saw the phone fall into the pot. She could only point at the bottom of the pot with her outstretched hand. "Your phone..."
Tong Hua snapped back to attention, saw his phone coated in chocolate, and looked incredibly embarrassed. "My apologies, that was impolite of me..."
Tong Yao's mood, however, improved considerably. "Haha, Tong Hua, be honest. Did you stare at our little Xi'er too long, to the point you dropped your phone in the pot?"
Tong Hua was already mortified. Tong Yao's words made him wish he could disappear into a crack in the ground. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Tong Yao, shut up."
Tong Yao, however, proudly introduced Bai Xi. "Xi'er, this is my brother, the future heir of the Tong family. He just returned from studying abroad. As far as I know, he's still a virgin, with an enduring fragrance. Are you interested in taking him into your harem?"
Bai Xi: "..."
She wasn't an emperor, so where would she get a harem?
Besides, three men made a spectacle, and she didn't have the energy to deal with that.
"Tong Xiao Xiao, is it really okay to tease your brother like this?"
Tong Yao hugged Bai Xi's arms with both hands and gently swayed, pouting. "It's just a joke! Who would mind having one more friend? Besides, I actually planned to introduce you guys years ago, but my brother hadn't returned to the country then."
After appeasing Bai Xi, she turned to her brother. "Xi'er doesn't know, but my brother holds no grudges. He won't be angry, right, Ge?"
Her brother might not hold grudges, but... clearly, her brother had been captivated by Xi'er's charm. To leave a good impression on Xi'er, he would absolutely not bother her.
Tong Hua swore that if Bai Xi hadn't been present today, he would have dragged his sister home to let their mother lecture her properly. "You're right. I am the elder brother, after all. I shouldn't stoop to your level."
Seeing that everything was proceeding according to her plan, Tong Yao directly raised her hand. "Waiter, could you please change our soup base?"
The meal was quite pleasant, if Tong Yao hadn't used the excuse of needing the restroom to slip away.
Thirty minutes ago, she had said she was going to the restroom to touch up her makeup. She'd touched up, and then she'd disappeared.
If not for the clear message on her phone: "Xi'er, I ate too much chocolate and my stomach hurts. I'm going back now,"
She would have gone to the restroom to "fish" her out.
Tong Hua seemed a little at a loss. "Miss Bai, is there anything else you'd like to eat? Perhaps we could order a little more?"
Bai Xi looked at the table laden with uneaten ice cream and desserts and was somewhat speechless. "There's already a lot. Ordering more would be a waste."
Tong Hua wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Finally, he could only reply, "Mhm."
Bai Xi glanced at the time on her phone. "Tong Yao has already left. We should go back too."
After speaking, she slightly raised her hand. "Waiter, the bill, please!"
The waiter came over, not with a bill, but with a membership card. "Sir, Madam, the total bill is one thousand three hundred and sixty-five yuan. The young lady who left earlier left her membership card here. She said to use her card, and the bill has been settled. Her membership card still has a balance of thirty-four thousand two hundred and fifty-five yuan."
As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together, turning one membership card into three. "This young lady, these three cards are all from Miss Tong for you to use. She also said the password is your birthday."
Besides the restaurant's membership card, there was a VIP card for a cinema, and the last one was actually a top-up card for a hotel.
Did this woman want her to directly devour her brother?
Bai Xi smiled as she accepted the three cards and said to the waiter, "Thank you."
Then, she pushed the three cards towards Tong Hua, smiling as she said, "Thank you for today's hospitality, Xiao Xiao. Please, Mr. Tong, take these remaining cards back to Xiao Xiao. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
With that, she elegantly picked up her bag and turned to leave.
Tong Hua had intended to see her off, but upon seeing the three membership cards on the table, he truly lacked the courage to chase after her. "Tong Yao, you're dead when I get back."