Xiao Xun placed the heat-insulating wooden mat on the dining table, then wrapped the jar with a towel and carefully set it down on the mat.
As the lid was removed, the aroma filled the air.
Xiao Xun used a spoon to scoop the large abalone sealing the jar into Mu Jiahe's soup bowl.
"Wow! Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. You're so skillful. It must be difficult to make! You're amazing."
Mu Jiahe lowered her head and even sniffed the soup bowl.
Xiao Xun leaned against the back of his chair, smiling at Mu Jiahe. "I'm glad you're satisfied, President Mu. What are you planning to do this afternoon?"
"This afternoon, I'll look at financial statements. Nothing else. Then, a beauty sleep. I feel like I've aged these past two days." She said, cupping her face with her hands.
Xiao Xun scooped another spoonful of soup and placed it in front of her. "Then you should replenish your collagen. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Mu Jiahe put down her spoon. "Where are you going? I'll accompany you!"
Xiao Xun picked up his car keys. "The car I usually drive is in for maintenance. I might be attending a class reunion tonight, so I'll be back late."
Mu Jiahe blinked her large eyes. "Why don't I go with you!"
"If you, a public figure, go, they won't dare to eat comfortably."
Mu Jiahe said with disappointment, "Then when you come back, call your cousin over! She's never visited here as a guest."
Xiao Xun just wanted to leave quickly, so he casually agreed, "Got it."
When he reached the garage, he wondered, what's going on between them? They've become like sisters, seeing each other every few days.
He drove off in his low-key sedan. The scratch was still there, but he had forgotten about it. As he got into the driver's seat, he didn't notice it.
He drove to the entrance of Chu Ningxiang's school and took out the lady's watch he had prepared. He opened it and looked. This was the watch he had liked at first glance. He wondered if Chu Ningxiang would like it.
He took out his phone and sent Chu Ningxiang a message: "I'm at your school entrance."
The reply came instantly: "Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
There were quite a few luxury cars waiting for school girls on this road. However, there were fewer cars with drink cans placed on them, suggesting that many had already established 'cooperative relationships.'
While Xiao Xun was waiting for Chu Ningxiang, he saw the same guy who had stood up for another male student, offering to pay Xiao Xun fifty yuan per month.
At that moment, the guy was standing under a small tree by the main gate, holding a bouquet of cheap roses, fidgeting with his fingers, seemingly waiting for his target, and frequently glancing towards the entrance.
A while later, Chu Ningxiang appeared at the school gate. The guy's eyes lit up.
It was like prey spotting its prey. At noon, the school entrance was the most crowded. The guy, holding roses, appeared before Chu Ningxiang in full view of everyone.
"Chu Ningxiang, this is for you."
Chu Ningxiang was startled and took two steps back. Upon recognizing who it was, her brow immediately furrowed. Especially with a crowd of students focusing their attention here, they instantly became the center of attention. People in many luxury cars opened their doors and got out to watch.
"Li Chenggang, I told you, stay away from me from now on." After speaking, she started to walk away.
Li Chenggang blocked Chu Ningxiang's path. "A beautiful woman is sought by a gentleman. I truly like you. Even if you don't like me, please accept my affection, okay?"
Chu Ningxiang glared at him and said, "No. I warn you, if you continue like this, I will report you to the student affairs office."
Suddenly, in full view of everyone, Li Chenggang knelt down on one knee. "Student Chu Ningxiang, please accept my love and be my girlfriend!"
Many people around started to egg them on, "Say yes, say yes, say yes..."
Chu Ningxiang looked at the crowd that was happily watching the spectacle and turned around, picking up the bouquet of roses from Chu Ningxiang's hand.
Just as Li Chenggang thought Chu Ningxiang had agreed and was about to get up, Chu Ningxiang suddenly threw the bouquet of roses in his face.
Because the roses were cheap, some might not have been bought from a flower shop. The stems had many thorns that hadn't been properly trimmed.
Instantly, Li Chenggang's face was covered in blood.
He covered his face and roared, his hands covered in blood.
Many onlookers had already taken out their phones to record the incident from the beginning. After this, it immediately became headline news.
Not only social forums and major news websites but also campus forums were commenting and discussing the event.
But soon, this news mysteriously disappeared and slowly faded from people's view.
However, Chu Ningxiang couldn't ignore the surrounding discussion at that moment. She walked up to Li Chenggang. "Are you alright?"
Li Chenggang had actually only sustained a few very shallow cuts from the rose thorns. The bleeding was severe at the time, but afterward, there wasn't even a scar.
But now, he was exaggerating his pain to gain the sympathy of those around him and, at the same time, to make them condemn Chu Ningxiang verbally and in their hearts, making her feel uneasy.
It was clear his goal was achieved, especially since no matter how much Chu Ningxiang inquired, he just covered his face and cried out in pain, saying nothing else.
Chu Ningxiang was anxious; she had never seen such a situation.
She squatted down, hugged Li Chenggang's shoulder, and asked, "Are you alright?"
A new idea popped into Li Chenggang's mind. He suddenly put his hands down, turned his head, and lunged to kiss Chu Ningxiang.
Just as he was about to kiss her, a hand stopped him.
Li Chenggang looked up and saw Xiao Xun. He slapped him from behind, knocking him to the ground. "You scoundrel, what do you think you're doing?"
Li Chenggang, covering his face, saw it was Xiao Xun again, thwarting his plans multiple times.
Many 'indignant' female classmates pointed at Xiao Xun. "Why is this person hitting people so casually?"
"He's not from our school, is he!"
"Call the police! We can't let him get away."
"..."
He then stood up, pointed at him, and shouted to the crowd, "You murderer, why are you bothering my girlfriend."
Then he introduced him to those around him, "This man is the notorious murderer from our city some time ago. He killed his female assistant and was bailed out for a large sum of money. A 'rich second generation'."
After his introduction, the crowd of onlookers began to discuss. They disliked people who were rich and unethical the most.
Xiao Xun walked up to Li Chenggang. Li Chenggang lay down on the ground, covering his face. "What? Do you want to kill me too?"
"Do you know what the crime of defamation is?" Xiao Xun said lightly.
Li Chenggang frowned and lowered his voice. "What do you mean by that? You hit me, and so many people saw it. They've all recorded it with their phones. I believe you'll become a national celebrity again very soon."
Chu Ningxiang was also afraid Xiao Xun would do something foolish. She quickly came to stop him. "Don't pay attention to this lunatic. Let's go!"
Saying this, she grabbed Xiao Xun's arm and started to pull him away. Li Chenggang stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and a slight smile played on his lips, as if victory was in sight.
At this moment, a few plump women blocked them. "You hit someone and think you can just leave? It's not that easy. We've already called the police. If you leave now, it's fleeing from justice."
Xiao Xun was already furious. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? What right do you have?"
Hearing Xiao Xun's words, those women couldn't help themselves. "We are his classmates. What do you think you are, daring to act so arrogantly in front of our school..."
Then they started to 'chatter incessantly,' learning almost all the essence of abusive language.
Only Xiao Xun could endure this. If it were someone with poor psychological resilience, they would have vomited blood on the spot.
Xiao Xun's veins bulged, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Thank goodness for this civilized society!"
He felt he was about to lose control. Fortunately, the police car arrived.
The few women surrounded the police officers who had just alighted from the car, exaggerating Xiao Xun's alleged crimes and using a lot of 'uncivilized' language.
Even the police officers frowned upon hearing it. "Alright, we will handle the matter. Would you like to come back with us to give a statement?"