Inside the car, the four women saw Xu Xiuwen follow Tang Weiwei out.
Lu Xinyao asked curiously, "Hey, what do you think is the relationship between President Xu and Tang Weiwei?"
Song Xiaomi replied, "Do they have a relationship?"
Lu Xinyao laughed and said, "You're too young, you don't understand."
Song Xiaomi denied, "Who says I don't understand? And Qianqian is even younger than me."
Zhao Yatong laughed and said, "I don't know, maybe she's his girlfriend."
Lu Xinyao nudged Xu Qian and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Xu Qian, feeling inexplicably annoyed, said, "Say what?"
Lu Xinyao said, "Guess what the relationship is between President Xu and Tang Weiwei. What do you think it is?"
Xu Qian shook her head and said, "Whatever their relationship is, it's none of my business."
After speaking, she turned to look out the window.
After getting out of the car, Xu Xiuwen quickly walked around the front of the car to Tang Weiwei.
Tang Weiwei, after getting out of the car, didn't leave but stood by the roadside waiting for him.
Xu Xiuwen walked up and said, "I still need to take them back to the company dormitory, so I won't be taking you back to your dorm. Don't wander around; it's pretty cold outside. Go back and rest early."
"Okay." Tang Weiwei nodded obediently and then looked up slightly at Xu Xiuwen.
"Go on now."
Hearing this, Tang Weiwei turned and walked into the Jiangling campus.
Xu Xiuwen stood by the roadside, watching her walk into the campus before turning back to the car.
After getting in, Xu Xiuwen saw the four women still squeezed in the back seat and said with a laugh, "No need to crowd in the back. Someone come sit in the front."
After Xu Xiuwen spoke, the girls looked at each other but no one moved.
"Didn't you hear me?"
Zhao Yatong then said, "I'll sit in the front."
Zhao Yatong was already sitting on the far right, making it easiest for her to get out.
It would have been more troublesome for Lu Xinyao and Song Xiaomi, who were in the middle, to get out.
After Zhao Yatong got out and closed the door, she walked to the front passenger seat, opened the door, and sat down.
Once she fastened her seatbelt, Xu Xiuwen was about to start driving when there was a knock on the window.
Xu Xiuwen turned his head in surprise to look out the window and saw Xiao Youran.
Immediately, he also saw Cheng Lu, An Shishi, and Song Siyu behind her.
Xu Xiuwen's heart skipped a beat.
Why were all four girls from 301 here at the south gate of Jiaotong University?
And they were all together?
More importantly, what should he do now?
Xu Xiuwen felt that the current situation was terrible.
He was stuck between getting out of the car and staying in it.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen frozen in place without reacting, the four women in the car found it strange.
Xiao Youran outside also looked puzzled and knocked on the window again.
Xu Xiuwen snapped back to reality.
His mind was in chaos, but he tried to appear calm.
He had no choice but to open the door and get out.
Once out, he immediately closed the door.
Forcing a smile, he said to the four women, "What are you doing here?"
Cheng Lu had an icy expression.
Xiao Youran's face was cold, her small face taut, eyes flashing with suspicion.
Song Siyu's eyes were somewhat sharp.
Xu Xiuwen cast a discreet glance at An Shishi, sending a plea for help with his eyes.
But An Shishi's expression wasn't good either.
Still, she was Xu Xiuwen's little lover.
Though filled with questions, An Shishi restrained herself and took the initiative to explain, "Our dorm came to South Street for dinner tonight. We just finished."
Xu Xiuwen thought to himself: Bad luck!
He couldn't help but wonder, when did the girls see him? Did they see Tang Weiwei?
Stopping his thoughts, Xu Xiuwen said, "I see. It's late, you should hurry back and rest."
Xu Xiuwen noticed that after he spoke, none of the girls moved.
Each stood in place.
Xu Xiuwen pretended not to understand and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something else?"
Xiao Youran couldn't hold back any longer.
Pointing at the girls in the car, she asked, "Who are they? Why are you with them? What's your relationship with them?"
Xiao Youran's series of questions, spoken coldly, left Xu Xiuwen momentarily speechless.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he explained, "They're new employees at my company. Tonight we had a company dinner, and since I have a car, I'm giving them a ride back to the dormitory. If you're asking about our relationship, it's just a normal boss-employee relationship. What else could it be?"
Listening to his explanation, Xiao Youran immediately believed him.
The anger in her heart also dissipated.
Calming down, she realized her tone just now wasn't very good and felt a bit apologetic.
She walked over, grabbed Xu Xiuwen's arm, and said softly, "I'm sorry, Xiao Xu, I was too excited. I shouldn't have doubted you."
Logically, Xiao Youran believing him should have made Xu Xiuwen breathe a sigh of relief.
However, the reality was quite the opposite.
The moment Xiao Youran grabbed his arm, he instantly felt a cold gaze.
He shivered.
This gaze was easily identifiable as Cheng Lu's.
If this were last semester, Xu Xiuwen could have simply pulled his hand out of Xiao Youran's grasp without worrying too much about her feelings.
But now, their relationship made it impossible for him to do so.
He could only gently ask Xiao Youran to let go.
But before he could speak, Cheng Lu, who had been silent, walked over.
She stood in front of Xu Xiuwen, looked at Xiao Youran, and said, "Xiao Youran, I understand that you've known Xu Xiuwen for a long time and are closer to him, but please don't hold my boyfriend in public."
Cheng Lu's words instantly dropped the warming atmosphere to freezing point.
Song Siyu widened her eyes.
An Shishi started to watch the drama unfold.
Xiao Youran, who was hit by Cheng Lu's words, showed an incredulous expression.
She blinked her big eyes and asked in shock, "Cheng Lu, what did you say?"
"Didn't hear clearly? I'll say it again. Xu Xiuwen is my boyfriend. Please keep your distance from him."
Hearing Cheng Lu say this again, Xiao Youran was both shocked and angry, shouting, "Are you still asleep? Xiao Xu is clearly my boyfriend!"
Xiao Youran's words made Cheng Lu's cold expression stiffen for a moment.
She didn't know if Xiao Youran was being delusional or if what she said was true.
Cheng Lu immediately looked at Xu Xiuwen.
So did Xiao Youran.
Both girls looked at him in unison, ready to see what Xu Xiuwen would say.
Xu Xiuwen was dumbfounded.
The situation he feared the most had still occurred.
The two girls' gazes felt like needles on his face.
Even with his good mental fortitude, he was panicking.
How to explain? Or just admit it directly?
Xu Xiuwen's mind was in a mess.
Xu Xiuwen was anxious.
But someone was even more anxious.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen not speaking, Xiao Youran's heart trembled.
"Xiao Xu, say something. What's your relationship with Cheng Lu?"
Xiao Youran's voice had a hint of a sob, making it particularly heart-wrenching.
If it were just the two of them now, Xu Xiuwen would immediately pull her into his arms and comfort her.
Cheng Lu, usually confident and composed, indifferent to the outside world, was slightly surprised.
She had thought Xu Xiuwen would immediately admit their relationship.
But Xu Xiuwen was silent.
What did this mean? She didn't want to guess.
After hesitating for a moment, Cheng Lu said, "Xu Xiuwen, I'm waiting for your explanation."
Her voice's tone was slightly urgent, showing that she was not as calm as she appeared.
Xu Xiuwen still didn't answer.
At this moment, cars kept passing by.
Beijie was a four-lane two-way street, with two lanes in each direction.
Xu Xiuwen had parked his car by the roadside, and they were standing in the middle of the lane.
Every car that passed by nearly brushed against the girls, looking very dangerous.
Xu Xiuwen quickly said, "It's too dangerous to talk here. Let's find another place."
Song Siyu couldn't help but say, "Xu Xiuwen, stop changing the subject!"
Xu Xiuwen glared at her unceremoniously and shouted, "Shut up! It's none of your business!"
His words stunned Song Siyu into silence.
Xu Xiuwen thought for a moment about where they could talk.
But he couldn't think of a suitable place.
He told the girls, "I know you have many questions for me. I'll answer them later. Let's find another place first."
Maybe it was because Xu Xiuwen had just yelled.
Song Siyu was stunned.
Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran were also a bit taken aback.
The two women exchanged a glance but did not object.
Naturally, An Shishi did not object either.
Xu Xiuwen continued, "Let's go to my place to talk. Wait for me by the roadside, and I'll come back to pick you up."
After saying that, he looked at Xiao Youran's hand and said, "Youran, let go."
Xiao Youran obediently let go.
Once the girls walked to the roadside, Xu Xiuwen got in the car and started the engine.
The atmosphere in the car was extremely silent.
The four women in the car had all heard and seen what had just happened.
Xu Xiuwen didn't explain but instead said, "I'll send you back to the company dormitory first."
None of the girls said anything.
At this moment, Zhao Yatong suddenly spoke, "President Xu, can we go to your place?"
Xu Xiuwen was taken aback and instinctively asked, "Why do you want to go to my place?"
Zhao Yatong replied, "With us there, your two girlfriends might not fight too fiercely. And if they do, we can help break it up."
A few lines of frustration crossed Xu Xiuwen's forehead.
He wasn't stupid; he could see that Zhao Yatong just wanted to watch the drama.
But thinking carefully, it seemed to make some sense.
With the four of them present, Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu might hold back a bit due to the presence of others.
While Xu Xiuwen was still weighing the pros and cons, Lu Xinyao also chimed in, "Yes, President Xu. If your two girlfriends start fighting, we can help mediate."
Xu Xiuwen's mind was a mess.
Hearing their suggestions, he surprisingly agreed.
He drove to Jiangning Huayuan, handed the key to Zhao Yatong, and said, "1001, you go up first."
After the girls got out of the car, Xu Xiuwen turned back to North Street.
He parked the car.
An Shishi was the first to get in.
If she was alone, she would always sit in the front passenger seat.
But given the current situation, she knew there was no chance for her to sit in the front. So she sensibly sat in the back.
Song Siyu followed her and sat in the back as well.
As for the front passenger seat...
Cheng Lu reached out to open the door.
Xiao Youran did the same.
Their hands landed on the door handle simultaneously.
Since they hadn't yet heard Xu Xiuwen's explanation, Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu both restrained themselves.
Xiao Youran said angrily, "The front passenger seat is mine, are you even going to fight me for this?"
Cheng Lu coldly retorted, "Yours? Why should my boyfriend's front passenger seat be yours?"
Xiao Youran's eyes reddened, "Xu Xiuwen isn't yours, he's my boyfriend!"
Cheng Lu let out a mocking laugh.
Her laugh was filled with ridicule.
Watching the two women refusing to back down, Xu Xiuwen felt helpless.
He turned to An Shishi and said, "Shishi, you sit in the front, and let the two of them sit in the back."
An Shishi feigned reluctance, "Isn't it inappropriate for me to sit in the front?"
Xu Xiuwen immediately glared at her.
With his eyes, he reminded her that things were already chaotic enough, and she shouldn't add to the mess.
An Shishi chuckled and obediently got out of the car.
She walked to the front passenger seat and said to Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran, "You two sit in the back, I'll sit in the front."
Cheng Lu said nothing and directly moved to the back.
Xiao Youran looked at An Shishi angrily, "Shishi, are you going to fight me for Xu Xiuwen too?"
An Shishi thought to herself, "Fight you? I admit I'm fighting Cheng Lu because I was a step slower, but I'm ahead of you, Xiao Youran."
She explained, "It was Xu Xiuwen who told me to sit in the front."
Hearing this, Xiao Youran bit her lip in frustration but eventually gave up.
Unable to sit in the front, she had to sit in the back. Since Cheng Lu was sitting on the right side, Xiao Youran didn't want to sit with her.
She walked to the left side of the car, opened the door, and got in.
This way, Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran sat on opposite ends of the back seat, with Song Siyu in the middle.
An Shishi happily opened the door and sat in the front passenger seat.
Xu Xiuwen said nothing and drove towards Jiangning Huayuan.
As soon as they entered the community, An Shishi asked in surprise, "Xu Xiuwen, did you rent a place here?"
She acted as if she didn't know he lived there and it was her first time coming.
Xu Xiuwen ignored her.
This was Xiao Youran's first visit, and she really wanted to ask Xu Xiuwen why he rented an apartment off-campus.
But she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Cheng Lu said nothing.
She felt that if she asked, it would seem like she was at a disadvantage.
So she also remained silent.
After the car stopped.
The girls got out one after another.
After Xu Xiuwen got out, he only said, "Follow me."
Then he walked into the building.
They took the elevator to the tenth floor.
Zhao Yatong and the other three girls had already gone in, and the door was left open.
Xu Xiuwen walked into the room and changed into slippers.
Since there were no extra slippers for Xiao Youran and Song Siyu, he said, "You don't need to change shoes, just come in."
There was only a pair of pink slippers on the shoe rack, which Cheng Lu had worn before.
Cheng Lu walked over and changed into the slippers directly.
After putting on the slippers, she walked straight into the living room.
Seeing this, Xiao Youran felt a pang in her heart.
Why would there be women's slippers in Xiao Xu's off-campus apartment?
And why did Cheng Lu so naturally put them on?
Had she been here before?
Xiao Youran recalled that Cheng Lu didn't return to the dorm last night and what she said this morning.
She had already guessed something.
Her chest hurt, a sharp, throbbing pain.
But she was not willing to give up; she needed to hear it directly from Xu Xiuwen to believe it.