The next day, when Du Xiaoxian walked into the classroom, her classmates looked at her strangely again. But this time, it wasn’t contempt, scorn or disdain, but envy, jealousy, and hatred. Their burning and direct gazes did not affect Du Xiaoxian at all. Whether it was contempt or envy, it did not make any difference to her at all.
This was the first time that Yang Liying had put down her arrogant attitude to speak to Du Xiaoxian in a fawning tone, “Xiaoxian, who were those guys with you last night?”
Du Xiaoxian thought for a moment and said softly, “Some friends.”
“What friends? Are they all your friends? Who are you closest to?” Yang Liying’s eyes lit up as she asked.
Du Xiaoxian pursed her lips and didn’t say anything. She didn’t know how to answer such a question.
Yang Liying said, “Xiaoxian, we are good friends, why are you keeping it a secret from me? Just tell me. Actually, I know all those people. They were Gu Nianbin, Jiang Kaiwei, Shen Li, and Shao Boqing, am I right?”
Du Xiaoxian was surprised. She opened her eyes wide and looked at her, “So you really know them?”
“Of course,” Yang Liying said with a little pride, “my family also has a reputation in G City. When I’m eighteen, I’ll have the chance to attend the balls for adults and get to know them.”
Du Xiaoxian said, “Then you don’t know them yet!”
“I’ll get to know them soon,” Yang Liying said. “Next month, my father will hold a coming-of-age dancing party for me. Perhaps they will be the guests! You can come as well by then.”
Du Xiaoxian smiled and said, “Alright.”
Yang Liying continued, “Bring all your friends there.” With Yang Liying’s family’s status in G City, they couldn’t even invite Shao Boqing over, let alone Gu Nianbin and Jiang Kaiwei. Yang Liying said that, but she didn’t have any confidence in her heart, so it would be more realistic to ask Du Xiaoxian to invite them over.
Du Xiaoxian shook her head. “I’m not familiar with them very well either.”
How could she be not familiar with them? Yang Liying clearly saw that they were all standing around Du Xiaoxian. Shao Boqing and Shen Li were smiling at her. Jiang Kaiwei also had a faint smile on his face. Only Gu Nianbin’s expression was a little serious. Even if Du Xiaoxian might be unfamiliar with some of them, she must be very familiar with some others. Yang Liying felt that Du Xiaoxian was deliberately trying to keep her in suspense, and Yang Liying was a little angry again for a moment. Yang Liying secretly snorted in her heart and thought to herself, what are you so proud of? If they knew me, they wouldn’t be friends with you. Yang Liying had a sweet face. When she smiled, two big dimples would appear at her mouth. She also had many pursuers in the school. However, she was proud and arrogant so that she didn’t like any of them. She only hoped that she could quickly grow up and enter the upper-class social circle to make friends with those noble young masters high above.
She liked all four of them last night. Shen Li was gentle and refined, Shao Boqing was handsome and funny, Gu Nianbin was calm and reserved, and Jiang Kaiwei was arrogant and imposing. Of course, this was all hearsay. In fact, she didn’t know what kind of character the rich young masters really had.
After class, Wang Qian and Liu Tiantian also came to inquire about what happened last night. Du Xiaoxian kept her mouth shut. Liu Tiantian felt that Du Xiaoxian was deliberately teasing them and was not happy either. Only Wang Qian did not mind and stuffed a piece of chocolate into Du Xiaoxian’s hand. “You left early last night and didn’t eat anything. I specially left this for you.”
Du Xiaoxian said thank you and carefully put the chocolate into her schoolbag. She wanted to bring it back to Gu Nianbin, showing to him that her friend finally gave her a present.
Shen Li crossed his legs and took a sip of the glass of red wine in his hand. Suddenly, he smiled. “Kaiwei, why are you so happy? Do you feel like that you’ve found Gu Nianbin’s weakness?”
Jiang Kaiwei leaned back in his chair and shook the glass of red wine in his hand with a faint smile on his lips. “Don’t you see?”
Shen Li said, “What? That little girl? Come on, she’s just a little doll. Gu Nianbin’s wife won’t be her.”
Jiang Kaiwei snorted, “For so many years, he has kept his private life a secret. He never dated the same woman twice in a row, but he treats this maid differently. He even gave her a Black Card. With such trust, do you think she’s as simple as a little doll?”
Shen Li said, “He won’t forget Xia Xiaowan.”
Speaking of Xia Xiaowan, Jiang Kaiwei’s eyes turned cold. After a moment of silence, he said, “I’m afraid in Gu Nianbin’s heart, she’s already in the past.”
Shen Li said, “Not necessarily. A while ago, Gu Nianbin went on a blind date with a girl. According to Shao Boqing, the girl looks very similar to Xia Xiaowan, and she even has the same name as Xia Xiaowan. Shao Boqing was shocked when he saw her. What does this mean? It means that Gu Nianbin is looking for a girlfriend just like Xia Xiaowan for himself.”
“But he fought with me last night for that little girl.”
“Without that little girl, don’t you have to fight when you meet each other?”
Jiang Kaiwei shook his head. “I believe in my own instincts. The little girl is his weakness.”
Shen Li said, “Even so, so what? Are you going to separate them? Or are you going to snatch that little girl over? Don’t tell me, you’ve taken a fancy to that Du Xiaoxian too.”
“Her name is Du Xiaoxian?” Jiang Kaiwei shook his head. “The name is so rustic.”
Shen Li said, “Looks like you’re not interested in her. You don’t even remember her name. However, what do you want to do? If you threaten him with a little girl, people will laugh at you!”
Jiang Kaiwei snorted. “Everyone says that Gu Nianbin is of great patience. This time, I want to see if he is really as calm as the legends say!”
Shen Li shook his head and said, “I don’t care if you two fight how fiercely in business, but you want to use that little girl, that’s not … what a gentleman should do.”
Jiang Kaiwei took a sip of red wine and smiled. “I am not a gentleman, but Gu Nianbin is.” His fingers gently tapped on the table. Over the years, under Gu Nianbin’s management, the Gu’s Group developed very quickly. Everyone had a good impression of him. He was said to be modest, polite, and composed. He won people by virtue and had a good reputation. On the other hand, Jiang Kaiwei relied on his family’s great undertakings to be arrogant and domineering, and his reputation was inferior to Gu Nianbin’s.
In Jiang Kaiwei’s eyes, Gu Nianbin was indeed like the rumors had it. He was neither arrogant nor impetuous. He acted in a reserved manner and had quite good nature, which was the exact point that made Jiang Kaiwei uncomfortable. Jiang Kaiwei did not believe that Gu Nianbin had no weaknesses. He had been observing Gu Nianbin all these years, speculating about his thoughts, and trying to understand all aspects of him. However, the more Jiang Kaiwei knew about Gu Nianbin, the more disappointed he became. Gu Nianbin was like a seamless box without even leaving him a crack to peep. But last night, Jiang Kaiwei felt that he had found Gu Nianbin’s crack.
“Just wait and see.” Jiang Kaiwei raised his glass to Shen Li. “The good show is about to start.”
Jiang Kaiwei was not a person who only talked but did not do anything. Therefore, at noon, Du Xiaoxian was surprised to see Jiang Kaiwei in the school cafeteria. The little girl was very impressed with him because he was someone who and the Young Master repelled each other.
Jiang Kaiwei smiled and greeted Du Xiaoxian before nodding warmly to her companions. Yang Liying and the others were instantly shocked and felt extremely flattered. With their faces flushed red, they wanted to cover their mouths and scream, and they also wished they could rush over to introduce themselves. In the end, they didn’t do anything, because they felt it was better to be reserved.
Jiang Kaiwei brought Lei Luo to apologize. Du Xiaoxian looked at Lei Luo’s black and blue face, feeling a little frightened. She was the one who should apologize! Therefore, when Lei Luo bowed down to apologize to her, Du Xiaoxian hurriedly stood up and bowed to him as well.
Jiang Kaiwei clapped his hands and said, “Since Miss Du has accepted Lei Luo’s apology, why don’t you shake hands and make up?”
Lei Luo immediately stretched out his hand, but Du Xiaoxian hesitated. She lowered her head and sat down slowly, preparing to have lunch. Lei Luo put down his hand awkwardly and turned to look at Jiang Kaiwei. Jiang Kaiwei said, “In order to show our sincerity, I’ll treat you to lunch.”
Du Xiaoxian raised the lunch box in her hand and showed it to him. “No need, I have food to eat.”
Jiang Kaiwei said, “Don’t eat this. I’ll treat you to good food. Your classmates can also come.”
Before Yang Liying and the others could start cheering, Du Xiaoxian already shook her head. This man and the Young Master repelled each other. She did not want to eat with him.
“Don’t be nervous, it’s just a lunch,” Jiang Kaiwei said, “I’ll send you guys back after the lunch.”
Du Xiaoxian still shook her head.
“Why?” Jiang Kaiwei asked.
“You and I repel each other,” Du Xiaoxian said.
Everyone was stunned for a moment. After carefully pondering this sentence, though, they found that the atmosphere was quite good. Why did Du Xiaoxian say that she and Jiang Kaiwei repelled each other?
Jiang Kaiwei felt that the little girl was quite interesting. She was so straightforward and frank that she expressed her dislike for him. He couldn’t find anything else to say. Standing there, he was a little embarrassed, so was Lei Luo. Lei Luo didn’t know why Jiang Kaiwei whom was admired by everyone came here and allowed himself to be neglected by a little girl.
Around the table, everyone was standing. Only Du Xiaoxian was sitting alone and eating slowly. Jiang Kaiwei was accustomed to being thick-skinned. After a moment of silence, he said, “Why don’t you treat me to lunch? We’ve come all the way here, so we’re at least the guests.”
Du Xiaoxian didn’t even raise her eyelids and said softly, “I don’t want to treat you to lunch.”
Jiang Kaiwei really wanted to say that could you not speak so straightforwardly, little girl … Although he didn’t take her seriously, she should at least give him some respect in public!
At this time, Yang Liying happily cut in and said, “Mr. Jiang, let me treat you to a lunch.”
Liu Tiantian then also said cheerfully, “And me, let me treat you too.”
Wang Qian looked at Du Xiaoxian and did not say anything, nor did she sit down.
After Yang Liying finished speaking, and seeing that Jiang Kaiwei did not refuse, she took out her own meal card and asked, “Mr. Jiang, what do you want to eat?”
“Whatever,” Jiang Kaiwei said.
Yang Liying and Liu Tiantian then went to buy food together.
Jiang Kaiwei sat down beside Du Xiaoxian and coughed twice. He tried to start a conversation out of thin air. “Is the food of your school okay?”
Du Xiaoxian was silent, so Wang Qian said, “It’s okay.”
Jiang Kaiwei smiled at Wang Qian gratefully. “Your school’s environment is not bad!”
“Yes, our school-board director is a big boss. The school’s environmental facilities and teaching quality are also not bad.”
“Who is the school-board director?” Jiang Kaiwei asked.
Wang Qian shook her head. How would she know who it was specifically?
As they spoke, Yang Liying and Liu Tiantian already bought some food back. The six of them happened to fill the table. Jiang Kaiwei lived an extravagant life with fine clothes and food since childhood. He was a little picky about his food. He picked out all the dishes he didn’t like. Du Xiaoxian raised her head to look at him, then looked at him again. In the end, she simply stopped her chopsticks and looked at him.
The little girl’s gaze was still so timid, but Jiang Kaiwei just felt uncomfortable when being stared at by her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Du Xiaoxian looked at him and said softly, word by word, “Wasting Food is a shame!”