Li Nuxie's eyes almost bulged when Xu Ming lowered himself in the passenger seat of her own car. She was already seated at the driver's seat when the car door opposite her side opened.
"Uhm, excuse me? This is my car," Li Nuxie said with eyebrows furrowed.
Xu Ming fastened his seatbelt. "I know. That's why, I'm letting you drive," he said, matter-of-factly. "Let's go to your favorite coffee shop now," he leaned back on the seat.
Li Nuxie could not do anything except turning the engine on. The things she does to gather information. She shook her head inwardly as the car vibrated before moving slowly towards the main gate of Xu compound.
The guards were all attention as the car zoomed past the guard house. "It's a good thing we let her in," the first guard said. His forehead was marred with sweat.
"That NU C bag was actually her pass," the other guard said before going back inside the guard house.
The first guard followed behind. "Say, who's more powerful? The CEO of Li Textile or that Madam?"
The other guard shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We are here to ensure the security of the Xu Compound. Not gossip about these people," he clapped his hands. "Time to work!"
=0=
Li Nuxie brought Xu Ming to her favorite coffee shop, the One Cup Coffee. The barista's mouth broke into a smile when Li Nuxie entered the coffee shop.
"Miss Nuxie, long time no see," he greeted while wiping the counter.
Li Nuxie gave him a tight smile. "Same order. Thanks."
Xu Ming was still outside, taking a call which seemed to be emergency based on how he paced back and forth. When he took a step inside, the barista straightened his back. Xu Ming nodded slightly before taking a step towards the table where Li Nuxie was currently occupying.
Her face seemed different now that she was not wearing her eyeglasses. The straight back denoted her regal bearing, as if observing her lowly subjects from an elevated area.
There were few people inside, most were caught in their own thoughts. It was a weekday. The majority of the patrons were still in their own offices, praying for the weekend to come faster. A waitress swayed her way towards the table of Xu Ming and Li Nuxie. She stopped at the side of Xu Ming, in her hand was the coffee shop's menu.
The waitress fluttered her eyelashes before putting behind her ear the hair she was imagining to escape from her ponytail. "Would you like to order now, Sir?"
Li Nuxie grimaced as the shrilled voice of the waitress assaulted her ears. Li Nuxie stared at Xu Ming's face. His defined jaw became even more define when he clenched it. The coffee shaker grasped by the barista behind the counter went still in the air. He left his mouth open when he realized what the waitress had done.
Faster than a bat of an eyelid, the barista went to Xu Ming's side instantly. "I'm sorry, Sir. She was new here," he said before glaring at the waitress. He didn't know whether she forgot the briefing or she did not listen in the first day.
It was a capital rule inside the coffee shop. No one was allowed to approach Mister XM aside from the manager who happened to be the barista. Did she not learn from previous employees who were ambitious enough to get closer with the man?
Xu Ming leaned on his seat, inclining his head. "Settle her salary," he said nonchalantly.
The waitress' eyes widened. Her eyes darted back and forth from the barista to Xu Ming.
The barista's shoulders went slump but nodded. "Right away, Sir." He pulled the waitress away but she slapped his hands.
"N-No. No! This is against my worker's rights. Who are you to fire me?" Her chest heaved up and down.
Li Nuxie's expression remained calm. As the Young Miss Li, she was all too familiar with the scene unfolding before her eyes. Her grandmother used to fire people at her whim, not even considering if the person has a mouth to feed at home. This was the harsh reality of the people born from the upper echelon of the City S.
They treat power as a normal thing. For them, they are the gods and goddesses of the common people. At least she didn't grow up as a guy who was expected to take over the CEO position. Rich families like the Triad were lenient with women. The training was harsher with men.
Hence, Li Nuxie can perfectly understand how Xu Ming was behaving. In fact, she was more wary of him compared to his brother. As they say, beware of a smiling man for he can be your worst enemy.
The aura inside the coffee shop suddenly dropped, sending shivers to Li Nuxie's spine.
Xu Ming tapped his fingers on the edge of the table as a few people started to look at their direction. Hushed voices started to fill the air.
"Expect my lawyer to pay you a visit today," he said.
Li Nuxie pressed her lips as she gave the waitress a sideway glance. A lawsuit coming from the Xu Family practically meant the end of someone's life. The Xu Corp.'s legal team was considered to be the best in the world, not losing even one administrative case.
The waitress opened her mouth to speak but Li Nuxie waved her hand dismissively. "If you know what's good for you, better shut your mouth." She then stared back at Xu Ming. "Stop wasting your resources. She's not worth it."
Xu Ming arched his eyebrow. The corner of his lips rose. No wonder her grandmother didn't choose her to be the CEO of their company. She was too soft-hearted! He glanced at the barista. "Take her out," he said with finality.
The eyes that were observing them slowly withdrew their gazes.
"You need to toughen up," Xu Ming told the woman in front of him. She will soon be the First Young Madam of Xu Family. Sooner or later, she will face a lot of scorned women and enemies the Xu Family made as they maintained their social and economic standing.
Li Nuxie sneered. "You haven't seen my vicious side yet."
Crossing his arms, Xu Ming laughed. "Oh? Did you kill a person?"
She curled her lips. "Kill? That's way too easy. I prefer to torture them mentally. The mind is a powerful tool that can make or break a person."
Xu Ming nodded. The barista took steps towards them, a tray was on his hands. Placing their orders on the table, the barista bowed before leaving them.
The two of them sipped their own coffee, inhaling the aroma that came from it.
Seconds turned into minutes. The two people, who were practically strangers except for a few interactions, contentedly enjoyed their cakes and coffee.
"So, Second Young Master Xu, I am actually looking for a boyfriend. Can you recommend someone?"
Xu Ming was trained to withstand surprises but at that moment, Li Nuxie witnessed how he blew the coffee from his mouth. Good thing, his reflexes were fast. He blew it on the floor. Shock clouded his eyes as he cleared his throat.
"You want me to recommend someone I know as your boyfriend?" Xu Ming's voice was not particularly loud. But judging from how a certain man clenched his jaw as he walked towards them, Li Nuxie was sure he heard Xu Ming.
She smirked inwardly. Want to play a game with her? She always made sure to make her opponents eat dust.
Xu Ming raised his head when he felt someone's presence. He almost jumped from his seat when he caught the full profile of the person.
"E—. I mean, Black Emperor, he he," he scratched the back of his head. "Nice seeing you here." Did his elder brother hear him?
Xu Wei nodded before pulling a chair from another table. He sat as his eyes bored into Li Nuxie's face.
Li Nuxie felt that her intestines started twirling. Damn, okay. She was not very good with adjectives but why this man can send shivers down her spine? The type that made a person addicted to it?
She averted her eyes from Xu Wei and reached for her cup of coffee. Meanwhile, Xu Ming occupied his seat. He glanced at his brother before setting his eyes to his future sister-in-law. "So, Young Miss Li, back at what we were talking –"
"What did you talk about?" Xu Wei's voice cut him without looking at him. He was still staring at Li Nuxie.
Xu Ming cleared his throat. "Well, she wanted a boyfriend."
Li Nuxie finally raised her gaze, landing at Xu Wei's face. "If Mister Wei would be accommodating, please recommend someone," she tightened her grip on the cup's handle.
"I recommend myself," Xu Wei declared, titling his chin.
Xu Ming dropped his jaw. Elder bro, you are Black Emperor today, if you forgot, he whined silently. How could he compete with his other persona? Crazy elder bro, he ranted in his thoughts.
Li Nuxie raised an eyebrow as she leaned on the table, closer to Xu Wei. "Really? State one reason why should I should I choose you?"
"I am everything a woman can ask for a man."
Li Nuxie just wanted to throw the cup at Xu Wei's face. And he chose to play games with her? Okay, let them see how this jerk can beat her. "How so? I don't see anything interesting," she taunted.
Xu Ming saw from the corner of his eyes how Xu Wei straightened his back. Future sister-in-law, you're asking for a beating. He just wanted to raise a white flag on behalf of Li Nuxie. His brother was not the type to be lenient. He only knew one thing.
Subjugate.
But Li Nuxie was not the type to cower. She always faced her battles head-on. Who cares about the consequences? She wanted to teach this man a lesson he will not forget.
Xu Ming raised his hand. "How about taking a break first? The two of you looked like soldiers on the frontline." Sadly, he was ignored.
Li Nuxie smiled. It was so sweet it looked like a fake smile. "Okay, I accept it."
"What? You accepted it just like that?" Xu Ming wrinkled his forehead.
Xu Wei turned his head towards his brother, glaring at him. He just wanted to smack this insensible brother of his.
Xu Ming closed his mouth tightly. He didn't say anything, all right?
"Then, from now on, we're a couple?" Excitement flowed through Xu Wei's words.
Wait till I court your other persona! Li Nuxie screamed in her head but her lips was curved into a smile. "Yes, of course."
Xu Wei stood from his seat. Li Nuxie's eyes followed him and she almost got up from her seat too. However, he was faster and smarter than her. Grasping her shoulders, Xu Wei leaned over and put a peck on her lips. It was faster than five seconds yet it felt like forever. The warm feeling slowly spread in every fiber of her being. She nearly touched her lips but remembering the two men in front of her who spelled double trouble, stopped on time.
"That's our first official kiss as a couple," he said.
Li Nuxie didn't answer. She just gave him a tight smile.