Chapter 13 Who is Rival to Whom

xi especially well.Yan Luoxi ate at Aunt Liu's place and lingered until dusk before reluctantly making arrangements to go home. Zhou Guangtao naturally went downstairs to see her off.Sitting in the so...Chapter 13 Who Is the Love Rival

"It's just as well that Big Brother didn't come. He always likes to boss us around. Now Junhe is here, we can still have our fun," Ming Zixi smiled happily with a dimple showing while hugging the lady by his side. His looks were ninety percent inherited from his beautiful mother, so every time he got into trouble and was scolded, his father would make him kneel down and spank his bottom, not out of concern for his son but because Ming Zixi resembled his wife’s face too much.

As they were chatting and laughing, the door opened and Wu Tiantian walked in.

Wu Tiantian was slim and tall, with delicate features and fair skin. Her smile had an indescribable sweetness to it, enhanced by her gentle personality and graceful demeanor. A woman like her could easily set off a storm of desire among men. Today she wore a pink dress that complemented her radiant smile perfectly.

"Tiantian, I've missed you so much," Shao Meizhuo exaggeratedly gave Tiantian an embrace.

"Is it necessary You just came back three days ago," Li An glared at the back of Shao Meizuo's head.

Wu Tiantian leaned on He Yufan’s shoulder, gazing tenderly at Li An and smiled.

"Mind your own business," Shao Meizhuo released Wu Tiantian, not forgetting to quarrel with Li An. "Come here, Tiantian, sit by me." She pulled Wu Tiantian over to sit next to her, cleverly separating them from Li An.

Li An was naturally aware of Shao Meizhuo’s intentions but didn’t bother to clarify it. He wouldn't befriend neither Shao Meizhuo nor Wu Tiantian and would certainly not marry any of them.

The two girls were excellent company, young and beautiful. Even Ho Yufan, who often quarreled with him, only had a bit of a spoiled princess attitude; they all came from somewhat simple-minded families, like most well-off children. Although some were spoilt to be arrogant, their hearts weren't evil and they didn’t have any major flaws.

But he knew that he wasn't someone good-natured himself. He was no good, not the kind of man who would treat women kindly or know how to love them. He had no intention of dating them, didn't want to hurt them, and couldn’t convince himself to fall in love with any of them. The thought of marrying or sleeping with them made him feel nauseous as if it were incest. There was nothing about growing up together like siblings that he could relate to.

Everyone was present now, and the dishes began to arrive, a colorful array that looked very appetizing. The women serving them had clear features and fine figures; they truly deserved their reputation as high-end club waitresses.

Sitting by the side, Shao Junhe stood up when he saw one of the waitresses bring a steaming pot over, wanting to lend her a hand. But when he看清了服務員的臉，不由一愣，喃喃地問道：“你……你叫什麼名字？”

the waitress lowered the pot and blushed while looking at Shao Junhe with painted eyebrows, softly answering: "My name is Shi Xuemei."

The women working in this club were all of marriageable age and beautiful. The men who came here were wealthy, so these young ladies often caught their attention. Some lucky ones could soar to a better life like phoenixes; others at least lived comfortably.

Seeing the handsome Shao Junhe, the waitress's heart raced wildly, thinking she had finally won a big prize!

Lian saw Douzi acting foolishly again and looked up, surprised. This woman really looked very much like Yan Luoxi.

Like Yan Luoxi, she had a small face, a sharp chin, and big dark eyes. However, her eyes did not emit the stubborn light that was present in Yan Luoxi's eyes. She was taller and more curvaceous than Yan Luoxi.

If he hadn't been certain that Yan Luoxi was sitting right outside his office at this moment, he would have thought that five years had worn down her sharp edges, made her grow taller and fatter, leading him to make the mistake of mistaking her for someone else.

"Brother, what are you doing She's not Luoxi! Luoxi has a mole above her eyebrow!" Shao Meizhu looked at her silly brother angrily, then raised her chin and glanced arrogantly at the server. "Go away! Why are you still standing here He only mistook you for someone else!"

Shao Junhe's surprised expression gradually turned into a faint sadness under his sister's reminder. His gaze remained somewhat distant as he watched the server leave, and it took him a while to realize that he had been acting out of character. He cleared his throat and asked his sister, "How did you remember Luoxi having a mole above her eyebrow" It was such an unusual spot for a mole that most people wouldn't notice.

Lian also found it strange; he had interacted closely with Yan Luoxi many times before but never noticed the mole above her eyebrow.

Shao Meizhu smiled without answering and began chatting and drinking with Ming Zixi beside her.

These men wouldn't know that a woman dealing with her rival would often have an extraordinary level of insight and psychological analysis.

She would keep questioning herself, pondering what exactly was better about the other woman. In the end, Shao Meizhu discovered that Yan Luoxi had one more small mole above her eyebrow than she did!

The Yan Luoxi with the extra mole on her eyebrow was anxiously thinking of her sweetheart at this moment. Women will do anything for love; like Yan Luoxi, in order to see Zhou Guangtao earlier, she even took the risk and called Lian proactively.

Shao Junhe's arrival made both Lian and Ming Zixi very happy; the three men were drinking heartily while the three women cheered them on, leading to a lively drinking session.

At this moment, Yan Luoxi called. So engrossed was Lian in his drink that he didn't hear her ring several times. Shao Meizhu kept an eye out for him and heard it first; she reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

Lian had secretly memorized Yan Luoxi's number and saved it under 'Little Brat' in his phone, but he was also vengeful and hadn't written her real name at the time.

Shao Meizhu saw the screen flashing with 'Little Brat', puzzling over what to do when Lian snatched the phone away. "How can you be so ignorant of protocol Don't you know that checking a girlfriend's phone is her right"

"Who cares about your stupid thing!" Shao Meizhu, embarrassed and annoyed by his words, glared at him with flushed cheeks.

Lian had never imagined Yan Luoxi would call him proactively. Drunk as he was, his reaction time was slow; he stared blankly at 'Little Brat' on the screen and just about to pick up when the ringing stopped.

;br>

"Who was the caller" Ming Zixi asked from beside.

"A brat," Shao Meizhu sneered on Li An's behalf, but unfortunately, the few at the table thought she was deliberately opposing Li An again and no one paid attention to her.

"Ah! A friend." Li An laughed awkwardly.

"What kind of a friend Girlfriend" Shao Junhe chuckled.

Looking at Douzi's smile, Li An felt somewhat guilty. "Girlfriend More like a business partner."

Shao Meizhu snorted coldly; she could sense that this call wasn't from one of Li An's business partners but the term 'brat' was too neutral to make an accurate judgment.

"Business partners don’t usually elicit such a spring-like smile," Ming Zixi had interacted with Li An frequently over these years and understood his aloofness well. This second son of the Li family didn't easily give importance to anyone.

"Ah Did I laugh" Li An touched his face dumbly, only realizing he had been laughing foolishly.

"Stop pretending! What kind of heavenly deity is she Bring her out for us to see!" Douzi was drunk today and harder to deal with; he kept prying curiously.

"Off you go, stop bothering me." Li An didn't want Douzi to meet Yan Luoxi right now. To him, the current Yan Luoxi was like a secret treasure he discovered, something he wanted no one else to know about. Sometimes, he even thought of keeping her all for himself.

Thinking of his lifetime with her, Li An's nerves jumped involuntarily as the phone rang again.

This time, Li An was smarter and seeing that it was Yan Luoxi calling, hurriedly took the call outside.

Ming Zixi and Douzi simultaneously teased him from inside. "Li An, we have a private bathroom in our room; no need to go out for such matters!"

"What's there to hide You're hiding even when you’re on the phone."

...

Yan Luoxi was terrified of him and called twice, it must be something important. Li An worried that she had been bullied by her colleagues again; he picked up the call as soon as he stepped out of the room with a tone of concern. "What's wrong Did something happen"

"N-No, nothing happened." Yan Luoxi on the phone seemed very nervous and hesitantly asked: "Mr. Li, are you coming back this afternoon"

The originally tender-hearted Li An was instantly irritated by her calling him Mr. Li; he knew that this little girl wouldn't let him have a moment's peace. He retorted sarcastically, "What do you mean Are you hoping I'll die outside!"

"…" Yan Luoxi was momentarily at a loss for words.

The two fell into an awkward silence, the only sounds being their uneven breathing through the phone.

"Well, spit it out then. What's so urgent" Li An could never quite trust Yan Luoxi completely.

"I want to... I want to..." Taking leave on her second day of work, she wasn't sure if Li An would agree and was still thinking about how to phrase it.

"You miss me!" A wave of alcohol-induced warmth made Li An's good mood return as he heard Yan Luoxi's timid voice.

Good one!

Fearing she might encourage his delusions, Yan Luoxi clarified her request: "I want to take some leave time. I'd like to leave the company two hours early when I finish work."

Li An instantly sobered up at this; he really had drunk too much if he thought Yan Luoxi would miss him. He inwardly cursed himself and asked somewhat unpleasantly, "Where are you going"

Just tell me if you're taking leave or not! You don't need to know where I'm going! Yan Luoxi gritted her teeth; she didn't dare mention that it was to see her boyfriend. She merely replied: "I have some personal matters."

"What kind of personal matters" Li An continued to pry.

"It's something a teacher at the school wants to discuss with me."

"Didn't you all leave school Why would teachers still be contacting you Why don’t they contact He Yufan or Ye Xixin instead" Even though he was drunk, Li An’s mind was still sharp.

"She just wants to ask me a small question."

"Can't she ask over the phone Why do you need to take leave for this foolish little brother was willing to spend the rest of his life with one woman, forsaking the world outside. Was it worth itLiyi didn't hear Lihao Nan's thoughts but he was very pleased with how his...