After the banquet ended, Xenia personally escorted Jake to the door, leaving others to watch with envy.
"Is this your car?" Xenia asked, standing beside Jake's car with a look of surprise. "When did you get a car? Last time we went out, you didn't have one. You even used my car. How did you manage to buy such a nice car?" Xenia was aware of Jake's circumstances, and she couldn't help but wonder how he had acquired this car. Jake was known for his barbecue stall, and she couldn't fathom how grilling meat could be so profitable as to afford such a vehicle.
"I just bought it," Jake replied with a grin.
"It's a nice car," Xenia said, though she didn't recognize the make or model of the car. All she could say was that it looked impressive.
"Thank you for coming to my birthday party today. I'm really happy," Xenia expressed her gratitude to Jake.
"You reminded me about it every day. If I didn't come, you'd probably scold me," Jake chuckled.
"Am I that scary?" Xenia asked with a mock frown. "Am I like a tiger in your eyes?"
Seeing Xenia's sultry appearance, Jake couldn't help but blurt out, "You're not a tiger; you're a fox!" The nickname "fox" was something many students used to refer to Xenia because of her captivating beauty.
Upon hearing Jake's words, Xenia blushed, but she didn't scold him. Instead, she playfully licked her lips, moved closer to Jake, and asked, "So, have you been entranced by this little fox? Be honest now."
"Ahem," Jake cleared his throat and took a step back, feeling his heart race. "It's getting late; I have to go."
"Is your home tutoring really that strict? Is she so strict with you?" Xenia asked, looking a bit disappointed.
"What?" Jake was somewhat puzzled by Xenia's question.
"Wendy," Xenia clarified. "Is she very strict with you? Are you afraid of her?"
Jake then realized that Xenia had misunderstood his relationship with Wendy. He hurriedly explained, "You've got it wrong. Wendy and I don't have any special relationship."
"Really?" Xenia seemed a bit skeptical. "Well, who do you think is more beautiful, me or her?"
With Xenia standing so close, Jake could see every detail on her face. He was feeling overwhelmed and took a step back again. "Xenia, don't tease me."
"How do you know I'm teasing? Maybe I'm serious," Xenia said as she closed the gap between them. "And don't call me Xenia classmate; just call me Xenia."
"Um, I have something to do. I should go now," Jake stammered, feeling unable to resist Xenia's advances. He quickly made an excuse and left.
As Jake departed, Xenia watched him go with a triumphant smile. When he was out of sight, she whispered to herself, "What should I do? I think I might actually like him."
Unbeknownst to Jake, Xenia was harboring such feelings. From his perspective, Xenia was incredibly captivating, but he also felt that she was too dangerous. While Wendy was equally beautiful, Jake didn't have the same overwhelming sensation when he was around her.
After seeing Jake off, Xenia returned to the mansion and found her father, mother, grandfather, and even some uncles waiting in the living room. They all turned their attention to her as she entered.
"What's going on?" Xenia asked with some confusion. She glanced at her clothes and didn't see anything wrong, so she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Jake.
"Xenia, come sit here," Xenia's father motioned for her to sit on the couch.
Xenia, still puzzled, walked over and took a seat. The way her family had gathered like this clearly indicated that something important was about to be discussed.
"Did Jake leave?" Dan asked.
Earlier, Xenia had been responsible for seeing Jake off while Dan and other members of Xenia's family bid farewell to the Celestial Moon Sect delegation and other guests.
"Yes," Xenia nodded.
"So, who is this Jake exactly?" Dan inquired. "What's your relationship with him?"
"Jake? He's a teacher at our Princeton University, so we have a teacher-student relationship," Xenia replied.
"Why did you invite him to your birthday party, and why did he give such a valuable gift?" Dan continued to press for answers. The rest of Xenia's family members also looked at her, clearly expecting an explanation.
"He is my teacher, and inviting him to my birthday party seemed quite normal," Xenia explained. "As for the gift he gave me, I'm not really sure about it."
"Are you really just teacher and student? Is he truly just an ordinary teacher?" Dan still seemed skeptical.
"We really have a teacher-student relationship," Xenia insisted. "But besides being a teacher, he has other business ventures. I heard he's about to open a restaurant."
"A restaurant? He's in the food industry?" Dan seemed slightly surprised, and the others from Xenia's family had similar expressions.
Xenia's family and Gary Elder shared similar suspicions. They believed that if Jake could casually give away a high-level martial art manual, he couldn't be an ordinary person. Perhaps he was affiliated with a prestigious martial arts school or sect. However, they were surprised to learn that he was just a teacher and was planning to open a restaurant.
"Yes," Xenia confirmed.
"Xenia, we suspect that this Jake might have an extraordinary background. Otherwise, he wouldn't easily gift a high-level martial art manual. Since you have a good relationship with him now, it might be beneficial for you and our Xenia family to maintain that relationship," Dan advised.
At this point, Xenia's grandfather chimed in, "Xenia, you're not getting any younger. Have you found someone special at school?"
"No, the people at school are all so arrogant; I'm not interested in any of them," Xenia replied.
Having been admitted to Princeton University, the students there were academically talented. However, Xenia hadn't found anyone she was interested in, and she remained single.