[Ding.... You've gained 888 units of fear emotion value from Xia Mengyao....]
Xu Hao chuckled.
Just like a lover, he gently wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye.
"What are you saying? I'm not a bad person."
"Be good and listen to me. Tonight, let me pretend to be your boyfriend."
Xia Mengyao was truly on the verge of tears.
'You're not a bad person?'
'You might as well say there are no bad people in this world…'
She wanted to say something, but Xu Hao led her upstairs.
This left Xia Mengyao baffled once again.
'Is this my gathering, or is it yours?'
'How come you're more familiar than I am?'
Helpless, she had no other choice but to follow along, trembling with fear.
She regretted deeply.
If she had known this situation would arise, she would have rather canceled the plans and not attended this gathering.
...........
At the entrance—
Lin Feng was still standing there, not leaving. His brows were tightly knitted together.
Thinking about the scene just now, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Seeing such a beauty together with Xu Hao, Lin Feng couldn't accept it.
And somehow, after Xia Mengyao left, he felt a sense of loss.
As if he had lost something precious of his own.
Shaking his head, Lin Feng calmed himself down. He decided to follow along and see what was happening.
He truly didn't want to witness such a beautiful girl being embraced by someone else.
...........
Donglai Shun—
A nationwide chain restaurant that, after more than two decades of scrutiny from the market and customers, successfully established a high reputation and a distinct Sichuan-style hotpot brand.
Donglai Shun was renowned for its thoughtful service, aiming to provide customers with the most enjoyable experience.
In a spacious private room on the third floor.
Several tables were set up, and a group of people were engaged in lively conversations.
"Sigh... Today was a failure, I'm too straightforward."
This was a group of four friends, and one of them sighed.
"What's wrong? If something's bothering you, share it with us. Let's all have a good time."
Another person's interest was piqued, and they enthusiastically joined the conversation.
"You guys know that I like the neighbor's younger sister, right? Today, she asked me to bring her takeout while she was showering. So, I went downstairs and brought it up for her."
"She said she wanted to thank me by treating me to dinner tonight. I told her that instead of spending that money on a burger, it's better to add a bit more and get a serving of fish and shredded pork with garlic sauce. Burgers aren't just unhealthy, they can make you gain weight easily. But then she just ignored me..."
After listening to his story, the others seemed contemplative.
"Emmm... I think Kung Pao Chicken might be better, it has a more authentic flavor."
The last person chimed in, "Spicy and Sour Shredded Potatoes are the ultimate divine dish."
"??? Is that the problem here?"
"..."
At another table, a group of people whispered and speculated.
"Hey... It's almost mealtime, and the class leader hasn't arrived yet. Could it be that her lie is about to be exposed, so she's not coming?"
"Hehe, everyone knows the situation. Where could the class leader possibly find a boyfriend?"
"I think she's already here, maybe she didn't bring her boyfriend along, so she's embarrassed to come in..."
"I think Liu Yun is quite nice. He has looks, and he has a good body. Why can't the class leader see that? I'm really looking forward to seeing her boyfriend..."
Among the conversations, Liu Yun sat at his table, listening with a radiant smile.
He had intentionally arranged this gathering today to pursue the school beauty, Xia Mengyao.
Previously, no matter what methods he used to pursue her, Xia Mengyao ignored him or even seemed annoyed.
So, he had to think about why.
Some said it might be because he wasn't mature enough. Girls liked mature guys, otherwise, why would those older men outside be so popular?
That insight struck him, and he found it quite reasonable.
Coincidentally, Xia Mengyao mentioned that she already had a boyfriend. He decided to back off.
Not that he gave up; on the contrary, he liked Xia Mengyao even more now. He just hid his feelings.
The more unattainable something seemed, the more obsessed he became with obtaining it.
Thus, he began studying and reading business books, helping out at his own family's company.
Now, he was the manager of his family's company, having matured his appearance.
Today, he planned to restart his pursuit of his goddess by organizing this gathering.
An empty seat was beside him, right next to Xia Mengyao's best friend. It was clearly reserved for Xia Mengyao.
He was determined to win over his beloved goddess.
...
Click—
Accompanied by the sound of the door opening.
Xia Mengyao and Xu Hao entered side by side.
Swish, swish, swish...
All eyes turned in their direction.
"Look, it's the class leader. She's here. Why is she with that handsome guy? Could it be...?"
"Is this the class leader's boyfriend? His aura is so charming and irresistible!"
"Now we've got something interesting to watch. Liu Yun went to such great lengths for the class leader, but it turns out the goddess brought her boyfriend... Tsk tsk..."
Seeing Xu Hao holding Xia Mengyao, the hall buzzed with discussions.
They were right; Liu Yun's expression was undoubtedly extremely gloomy.
He knew Xia Mengyao's personality.
If it was a fake boyfriend, he wouldn't be allowed to touch her.
Seeing their hands intertwined, it was evident that their relationship was real.
His fists clenched. 'So what if she had a boyfriend now?'
'I'm still going to win her over.'
'Xia Mengyao, you belong to me.'
He composed himself, put on a smile, and stepped forward to greet her.
"Yao Yao, you're finally here..." The one to greet her first was Xia Mengyao's best friend, a mischievous girl. "Is this your boyfriend? Care to introduce him?"
She held Xia Mengyao's hand and glanced at Xu Hao from time to time, her face blushing.
'Oh my, Yao Yao's boyfriend is so handsome and charismatic! I can't help but want to steal my best friend's man, what do I do?'
However, she didn't notice Xia Mengyao's unnatural expression.
"Hello, I'm Xu Hao. I'm Mengyao's boyfriend."
Xu Hao smiled and extended his hand, introducing himself.
"Hello... nice to meet you."
The girl's heart raced as she shook his hand, hurriedly introducing herself, "I'm Li Yue, Mengyao's best friend."
Somehow, when they shook hands, her fingers lightly brushed his.
The implication was clear.
But, Xu Hao retracted his hand subtly, and ignored her.
At this moment, a voice sounded.
"Great, class leader, you've arrived! Come over and sit. We've saved a spot just for you..."
Liu Yun approached, his gaze fixed on Xia Mengyao.
Xu Hao raised an eyebrow slightly.
He was quite familiar with this part of the script.
It was designed specifically to make the main character, Lin Feng, act pretentious and then be put in his place.
Next would be the rich second generation looking down on Lin Feng in various ways.
Lin Feng, of course, wouldn't stand for it and would directly confront Liu Yun.
This would lead to the admiration of the surrounding classmates, the heroine starting to see him differently, and becoming curious about him.
Xu Hao's lips curved into a playful smile.
He wondered how this kind of pretentious face-slapping scenario, usually targeted at the main character, would play out in front of him, a top-tier handsome and wealthy villain.
Under Liu Yun's guidance, Xu Hao and Xia Mengyao reached their seats.
Only two seats were vacant, and one of them was Liu Yun's.
"Here it is, the show is about to begin..."
All eyes were now focused here, with the boys wearing expressions of anticipation.
"Sorry, this seat is reserved for Mengyao. I'm not sure if this gentleman can..."
Liu Yun finally turned his attention to Xu Hao.
However, he froze before he could say anything.