Chapter 859: Two Extremes

Chapter 859: Two Extremes

Xia Zhao was suddenly quiet for a moment before he asked, "And what differences do we have between us? Why don't I know anything about this?"

"You don't know?" she gaped at him feeling a little dizzy. What did he mean that he didn't know they had any differences? "You and I have never been on good terms."

Xia Zhao shook his head at her, "No, let me remind you. It's not that we were never on good terms. It's you who always came running to me with strange bets. Have I ever challenged you? It's always you. So, whatever differences you're talking about, they are all in your head. For me, you're still the little girl who I used to go to see with my father every weekend."

"I'm old now," she scoffed. "How can you even call me a little girl now?"

"That's not the point, Yan Zi," he sighed and rubbed his temples. He rarely felt this way but even after all the time between them, here he was feeling the same way when she was in front of him. The same feeling of helplessness that no one else could evoke in him.

Mu Chenyan thought about his words carefully and realized that he was right. A lazy person like him would never come to him and make unreasonable bets. Only she had the energy for that. His energy was always drained.

"Let's go," she said. "I was serious about the meal."

"You're paying?" he asked.

"Even if I'm not, it's not like you can't afford it," she shot back. "Besides, can't you be a gentleman?"

"I don't wanna give you the wrong impression by being a gentleman," he replied.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"I had a couple of dinners with a woman and paid the bill, she started assuming that I was interested in her."

She made a face at his statement, "This is why I told you to stop being nice to women."

Xia Zhao gave her a look, "Yan Zi? Have I ever had the energy to deal with other women apart from you? You have always been enough to suck out whatever energy I had. But seeing me acting so aloof and indifferent to other women, you told me to be a little nice. Now, you're saying I shouldn't be nice? I really want to ask where these mood swings are coming from?"

"Did I?" she scratched her cheek trying to remember it. She cleared her throat and added, "Who asked you to listen to me? It's not like I could force you."

Xia Zhao just picked up his phone from the table and stood up to leave, not before saying, "Thanks for the coffee! You pay for it as well since I'm not gonna be a gentleman now."

Mu Chenyan barred her teeth at him back as if she was gonna bite off his flesh but stopped herself and went to pay the bill. After that, when she turned he was gone. "This psycho didn't even wait! As if you can run from me!"

She hurriedly rushed to catch up and finally found him. She hooked her arm around his neck from behind as she said, "Yo! Where are you running off to, Zhao? I'm not done yet."

He pulled her off of his body and took a step away from her saying, "Respect yourself as a woman and have some respect for me as a man. Keep an appropriate distance."

Mu Chenyan pursed her lips, "Which era are you still living in?"

"No matter which era it is, you shouldn't forget to give the respect to genders they deserve," was his response.

Mu Chenyan took a deep breath, "Your thinking is still very rigid and old-fashioned." She thought of something and added slyly, "You weren't this old-fashioned when we..."

Before she could continue, he put his hand on her mouth to stop her, "Shut up!"

She pointed at his hand on her mouth and he put it down under her victorious gaze. "You shouldn't touch me so casually either."

If he hadn't reacted like this, she almost forgot that he was actually kind of a conservative person. But thankfully, he wasn't one of those people who always told her to act like a woman. Even if his ideas didn't match with hers, he didn't stop her fro

m creating trouble. Of her early childhood memories, the most striking one was the fact that he would always come to visit her on the weekend with his father.

Always! And this continued for years to the point that she actually took it for granted. However, it was perhaps because he was silent in her life that his presence in her life wasn't that striking.

Disregarding his words, she held his arm and pulled him along saying, "I'm definitely taking you out for that meal."

"I'd rather go to see Uncle Tianyu," he said. "How about you take me to him?"

"No," she replied flatly. Was she crazy? Why would she take him to Elder Xiang? That old man truly adored this junior. Even though this junior had no ambitions in life he was still one of the favorites of Elder Xiang. Why would she pick the boulder and smash it on her own foot? Taking him with her only met that she'd have to hear Elder Xiang praising Xia Zhao for weeks.

"Is there a restaurant around here?" she asked.

He pointed in a direction and said, "You let go, I'll follow you."

"What if you ran away?" she eyed him carefully. "It's not like you didn't do it before."

"At that time, you wanted to take me to a nightclub," he reminded. "Against my will to go to that debaucherous place. So, I had to run."

Mu Chenyan chuckled.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. It's funny how you still talk in the same way," she replied with a smile.

They found a restaurant and asked for a private room. Seeing him sitting there with that faint smile on his lips, Mu Chenyan sighed to herself. Indeed, he really thought he was an immortal. Well, he didn't think so, only she thought he did.

"Zhao, I thought with time you'd lose the calmness," she stated as he sat before him while he continued to choose the dishes from the tablet in his hands to order. "How come you're still as calm as ever? There is still that tranquility around you that annoys me."

"And I'm still unable to understand why my tranquility annoys you," he replied after he was done ordering the meal. He faced her and added, "But I can tell you why I'm so sober in life. It's because you have a habit of being drunk."

"What are you talking about? I don't get drunk so easily."

He shook his head at her, "No. You lose your temper faster than anything. It's because you're so hotheaded that I have kept my calm."

"You're just telling me indirectly that we are two extremes?"

"No, I'm just telling you, you can keep being drunk. I'll continue being sober."

The server first brought the tea to the room and Xia Zhao asked him to leave. He picked up the teapot and started brewing tea patiently. Mu Chenyan followed the movements of his hands as she said, "I have always been considered smart. Why do I end up not understanding even your words? Is it me or you just don't know how to talk?"

"How have you been, Yan Zi?"

"Aren't you a little too late to ask this question?" she asked him,

"I'm asking now," he replied. "You can still tell me."

"How disinterested are you in my life?" she looked so angry as she asked. "Only now are you asking me how I am? Hmph! If no one knew they'd think we are enemies. No, even enemies won't take this long to inquire about your wellbeing."

"You said so much and wasted so much energy but didn't answer the question I asked."

Mu Chenyan almost vomited blood. This man!

"Thank you very much for asking! I've been doing great! At least, better than you!"

"That's good," he replied. He could actually tell that she wasn't just saying it. She actually had been doing great or else, he wouldn't see that sparkle in her eyes when she spoke. "How is your niece?"

"Which one?"

"The one you raised." He smiled

at her as he put a cup of Longjing tea in front of her and added, "I'm very curious to know what a child you raised looks like. Did she end up getting all of your bad habits or escaped them?"

Once this topic was brought up, Mu Chenyan was like she had drunk chicken blood. She started talking animatedly, "Oh, you're asking about my Elle? She is awesome! She is the best! She is my life. Don't look at my face and think she is like me. I raised her or she raised me still up for discussion. But she definitely the lucky star of my life..."

Xia Zhao actually forgot to drink the tea in his hand as his eyes were focused on her face, she looked so excited and happy as she talked about her niece.