When they arrived at Pingyang, it was already past four in the afternoon. The two of them took a cab and went straight to the residential complex where Xu Yingying lived.
After getting out of the car, Xu Yingying looked at Li Yifei and said, "Now you must remember that you are my boyfriend, not a security guard anymore."
Li Yifei stood tall and responded loudly, "Yes, I will make sure of it."
Xu Yingying's brows immediately furrowed, and she said, "Is that how a boyfriend should talk?"
"Oh... right, I am your boyfriend, not your subordinate, I am your boyfriend, not your subordinate," Li Yifei muttered to himself a few times, then straightened up, picked up the suitcase, and said, "Let's go, dear."
Xu Yingying's face darkened. No man had ever talked to her like this. Li Yifei quickly said, "See, as soon as I call you that, you turn on me."
Xu Yingying's mouth twitched slightly, saying, "I'm not turning on you. I just haven't gotten used to it yet. I'll get used to it soon. Just remember to jump into your role."
"Really? Dear?" Li Yifei cautiously tried calling her again.
"Mhm." This time a smile actually appeared on Xu Yingying's face, so natural that Li Yifei couldn't spot any reluctance. To have come this far in her career, her social skills were definitely not weak, which made adjusting her attitude for something like this not difficult for Xu Yingying.
"Phew... now I can rest a little easier," Li Yifei exhaled in relief.
Xu Yingying lived in a high-rise on the sixteenth floor. As they entered the elevator and stood facing each other, Li Yifei smiled at Xu Yingying, his gaze directly on her beautiful face that dazzled people, perhaps only Sun Mengxin, whom he had protected during a mission, could be a bit more beautiful than her.
In the company, no man had dared to look at her like that. A sharp glare from Xu Yingying was enough to make male subordinates keep their distance, especially when she wasn't wearing those black-framed glasses, the stunning effect was even more dazzling.
Xu Yingying, looking at Li Yifei, said in an even tone, "When we are at home, you can't look at me with that kind of gaze. If I bring you home, it means we've been together for a while and our relationship is already very intimate. If you keep looking at me like that, it means we are not that close yet."
"So, it needs to be more natural, as if... I'm very familiar with your body already, right?"
This made Xu Yingying uncomfortable, but she still nodded, saying, "That's what I mean."
"Oh, but that's quite challenging. I'll do my best."
Feeling Li Yifei's gaze becoming more natural, Xu Yingying nodded at him in approval and then said, "I think my parents are fairly easy to fool, but my sister is clever. You should be very careful with her, try to avoid contact as much as possible, or she might easily uncover us. She always sides with my mom and will definitely tattle."
"Oh, that sounds a bit troublesome. It seems normal for a little aunt to make trouble with her brother-in-law. Isn't there an old saying, 'the little aunt owns half of the brother-in-law's backside'?"
"Hm?" Xu Yingying's face immediately fell, and she said coldly, "Let me tell you, you are not allowed to have any ideas about my sister."
Li Yifei gave a bitter smile and said, "Yingying, we're a couple now. You get upset over a joke, that's not very convincing. If you mess this up, you can't blame me and you can't dock my bonus."
"Joking has its limits. It's fine to joke about others, but joking about my sister is not okay."
"So, should I just act indifferent when she talks to me? Am I supposed to keep a straight face?"
"Just try not to engage her too much."
"All right, you're the boss, whatever you say goes." Li Yifei shrugged his shoulders and said no more. In the documents, he had also seen the profile of Xu Yingying's sister, Xu Shanshan. Surprisingly, she was Xu Yingying's twin, but their personalities were polar opposites. Xu Yingying was rather aloof, whereas Xu Shanshan was lively and active, a dance teacher at a school, also without a boyfriend, yet her parents were not worried about her marriage prospects.
At that moment, the elevator arrived, and they stepped out. Xu Yingying went up and knocked on the door.
The door opened promptly to reveal a woman in her fifties who still maintained her charm.
"Yingying, you're back, ah, and this is..." The woman startingly called out upon seeing Xu Yingying, then her gaze landed on Li Yifei.
"Hello, Auntie, my name is Li Yifei." Li Yifei immediately greeted the woman with respect.
"Ah! Good, good! Come in quickly. You girl, bringing someone home without a word, I wasn't prepared at all." The woman, clearly caught off guard, ushered them in and began to complain to Xu Yingying.
Hooking her arm through the woman's, Xu Yingying gently rocked it and cooed, "It was just decided on the spur of the moment. Yifei is usually so busy with work and wouldn't have had time, but he took leave at my strong insistence to come back with me. You guys pressured me; otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to bring him back so soon."
Li Yifei's eyes almost popped out of his head. Was this the same Xu Yingying he knew? Was this the 'Ice Lady' from the office? Even if he described Xu Yingying's current demeanor to his colleagues, they likely wouldn't believe him. This was such a stark contrast that it was hard to believe.
A sharp pain in his arm brought Li Yifei back to reality. He quickly said politely, "Auntie, I'm truly sorry for not visiting you sooner. I hope you won't take offense to this sudden visit."
Xu Yingying's mother was initially puzzled about who Li Yifei was, but after Xu Yingying's introduction, she realized he was her daughter's boyfriend. Her gaze promptly focused on Li Yifei, and she chuckled, "Not at all abrupt, not at all. But you two, why didn't you tell us in advance? Old man, come out here, Yingying brought her boyfriend home." Clearly, the first impression had left her quite satisfied with Li Yifei.
"I'm in the middle of something here. Woman, can't you let a man have a moment of peace?" With that complaint, a man in his fifties emerged from a bedroom. Upon seeing Li Yifei and Xu Yingying, he laughed heartily, "I said we shouldn't worry. Just look, Yingying brought someone home by herself."
Li Yifei hurriedly stepped forward, bringing his heels together in a standard military salute, "Hello Uncle Xu, I've heard from Yingying that Uncle is a retired military officer. Seeing you today, you indeed have the bearing of a soldier. Sergeant Li Yifei at your service, sir."
Li Yifei's remark had Xu Yingying's parents laughing out loud, "Good lad, you really have a knack for flattery, hitting the nail right on the head. Looking at your stature, I'm already satisfied. I was worried Yingying would bring home some Pretty Boy. Men should possess a man's fortitude and bearing, not those slick pretty boys – I despise those the most."
"Haha, Uncle Xu, then I won't have to put on an act in front of you. Actually, I'm quite rough around the edges. If there's anything unsuitable about me, just say it outright, treat me as one of the soldiers you've commanded, and a green one at that."
"Very well! Come, have a seat, let's have a good chat."
With those words, Xu Yingying's father pulled Li Yifei over to the sofa to sit down.
Although Xu Yingying was all smiles on the surface, inside she was extremely astounded. Typically, a mother would be more involved in a girl's search for a partner, but in this household, it was Xu Yingying's father who was the decisive voice. Being a retired military officer, he wasn't someone just anyone could impress. Yet here, Li Yifei had just arrived and was already getting on famously with her father; it was nothing short of miraculous.
As a general manager, Xu Yingying quickly thought of many things. Li Yifei was displaying such adept social skills that being a mere security guard certainly didn't do him justice. Observing him for a couple more days, if he truly was a talent, then she would have to consider promoting him properly.