Li Haimei thought that if she admitted it this time, Li Ke would be very unhappy, and might even drive Xu Xiuwen away.
Then she could take the opportunity to make Xu Xiuwen leave.
In this way, her purpose would be achieved.
However, what she didn't expect was that when Li Ke learned that Xu Xiuwen was the tutor, her eyes lit up with excitement.
Li Ke exclaimed, "Really? Yang Baishan, you're the tutor my mom hired? Hehe, what a coincidence."
Li Haimei, quick to react, noticed that Li Ke had called him her benefactor earlier and now was addressing him by name.
She realized that her daughter knew this man.
Li Haimei thought about the man's wild actions last night.
Although she didn't think he was a bad person, she was still nervous.
"Ke Ke, you know him?"
Li Ke nodded, "Yes, Mom, I know him."
Xu Xiuwen, noticing the suspicion in Li Haimei's eyes, quickly added, "Last time, I was the one who saved her from being cornered by thugs in an alley."
"Don't say that!" Li Ke was a step too late in stopping him.
Xu Xiuwen had already finished speaking.
Li Haimei frowned and looked coldly at the two of them, "What's going on? Thugs? Saving?"
Seeing her mother's frown, Li Ke knew things were not looking good.
It seemed she couldn't hide it anymore, so she had to tell the whole story.
When Li Haimei heard that her daughter had been cornered by thugs and nearly assaulted, her breath caught in her throat.
Only when she heard that Yang Baishan had appeared and saved her daughter did she finally relax.
But she still felt a chill thinking about what could have happened if Yang Baishan hadn't arrived in time.
Li Haimei's face darkened, "Why didn't you tell me about such a dangerous situation!"
Li Ke realized her mother was angry.
She lowered her head, stuck out her tongue, and then looked up to explain, "Mom, I didn't want to worry you."
"You're aware I'd worry, yet you stayed out late and went to a KTV with classmates. If you hadn't gone, none of this would have happened."
"Mom, I'm sorry, I won't go next time."
Li Ke quickly admitted her mistake.
So quickly that Li Haimei was somewhat unprepared.
Li Haimei had more to say but was silenced by her daughter's prompt apology.
Li Haimei turned to look at the man.
Seeing this man, who was only a few years older than her daughter, she couldn't help but think about what happened last night.
The whole night...
No, it was the night before that she had fallen into someone else's trap.
Thankfully, he appeared in time to save her.
Recalling those frenzied moments made Li Haimei feel confused.
"Um... Yang Baishan, thank you for saving Ke Ke."
"Uh~" Xu Xiuwen emitted an awkward sound.
"Sorry, Li Ke, I lied to you last time. Actually, my name isn't Yang Baishan."
"Ah, how could you do that?" Li Ke was stunned.
She hadn't thought further, such as why, if he was here for an interview, her mother would know his real name.
Xu Xiuwen awkwardly explained, "I thought we wouldn't see each other again."
Li Ke, displeased, said, "But you shouldn't have lied to me."
She finally understood why her mother's secretary, Su Luo, couldn't find anyone named Yang Baishan.
"Sorry, my real name is Xu Xiuwen."
"Shuang Xu? Or Wenwu Xu?"
"Wenwu Xu."
"Xu Xiuwen…"
Li Ke repeated Xu Xiuwen's name silently, her face breaking into a bright smile.
"Hehe, I remember your name now."
Li Ke turned to Li Haimei and cheerfully asked, "Mom, did Xu Xiuwen pass the interview?"
"No, I reconsidered and his age isn't quite right."
Xu Xiuwen quickly added, "Yes, I also think I might not be suitable for the tutor position. I actually have something else to do, so I'll be leaving now."
The tutor position was originally an excuse to mislead Li Ke.
Xu Xiuwen never had any intention of being a tutor.
Li Ke immediately grew anxious.
She suddenly stepped in front of Xu Xiuwen, blocking his way and shouting, "Don't go."
"Mom, why can't you give him a chance?"
Li Haimei was frustrated, "Ke Ke, it's not about giving a chance or not."
"I don't care, I want him to be my tutor. I wouldn't agree to anyone else."
"Ke Ke!" Li Haimei's voice turned cold.
Li Ke looked up stubbornly at her mother, showing no sign of backing down.
Li Haimei had been considering hiring a tutor for some time.
However, Li Ke had always strongly opposed having a tutor before.
Now she agreed but insisted that the tutor be this young man.
Li Haimei didn't delve deeper, instinctively feeling that Li Ke might be willing to accept him because Xu Xiuwen had saved her daughter.
This left Li Haimei in a difficult position.
She pondered for a moment and still didn't have an answer.
"Ke Ke, give me a little more time to consider this. We'll talk about it later."
Li Ke didn't speak but clearly wasn't happy.
Xu Xiuwen took the opportunity to suggest, "Well, it's getting late, so I'll leave now."
Hearing this, Li Haimei turned to Xu Xiuwen and said, "Have lunch before you leave."
"Ke Ke, you haven't eaten either. Quickly wash up and come join us for lunch."
Li Ke then noticed the four dishes and soup on the table.
She asked in confusion, "Mom, did you cook these? When did you become so good at cooking?"
Li Haimei, who usually had little time to cook due to her busy work schedule and wasn't naturally talented in cooking, felt a bit embarrassed by her daughter's comment.
She explained, "Xu Xiuwen cooked these."
"Ah? Why did he cook? He came for an interview and you had him cook?"
Li Haimei didn't know how to respond.
Xu Xiuwen quickly explained, "I said I could cook, and your mom let me try."
"Oh, I see." Li Ke didn't doubt Xu Xiuwen's words.
Li Ke smiled and said, "Xu Xiuwen, since you cooked the meal, you should stay and finish lunch before leaving."
Xu Xiuwen glanced at Li Haimei and finally nodded, "Alright."
"Then you both take your time eating. I'll be right back."
Li Ke cheerfully walked into the bathroom.
After Li Ke was out of sight, Li Haimei turned to Xu Xiuwen, her expression serious.
"Xu Xiuwen, thank you for saving Ke Ke and for helping me yesterday."
When she mentioned helping her, a hint of shyness flashed across Li Haimei's face.
Despite being a mature woman in her thirties or forties, at that moment, Li Haimei seemed as innocent and charming as a young girl.
"It's nothing, it was the right thing to do."
Li Haimei shot him a strange look.
"Let's eat."
She reminded them and then got up to go to the kitchen to serve another bowl of rice.
Soon, Li Ke returned to the dining table, freshly washed and changed.
She had put on a new outfit, completely transforming from her previous tough-girl image.
At that moment, Xu Xiuwen truly realized that Li Ke was indeed a young beauty.
The girl had long, black, and dense hair that cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall.
Like her mother, Li Haimei, she had almond-shaped eyes, with a graceful upward tilt.
Her eyes were dark brown, deep and bright, giving her a charming and affectionate look.
Her long eyelashes fluttered like a fan, stirring one's heart.
Her skin was flawless and radiant, almost glowing.
Her well-defined nose was nearly identical to Li Haimei's.
It was easy to predict that in another decade or two, she would become a mature beauty like Li Haimei.
The resemblance between mother and daughter was striking.
Li Ke had also changed into what appeared to be her school uniform.
While the top half of the uniform was modest, the bottom was a short skirt that revealed her beautiful legs.
Those long legs were pale and reflective, with elegantly rounded thighs and smooth, slender calves. Combined with her delicate, soft, and dewy skin, they were particularly eye-catching.
She wasn't wearing socks, so her toes were exposed.
They were also beautiful feet.
Each toe was round and perfect, looking dainty and cute, almost begging to be admired closely.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen's surprised expression, Li Ke felt quite pleased.
She walked in front of Xu Xiuwen, spun around, and with a cheerful smile asked, "Xu Xiuwen, do I look good?"
Xu Xiuwen honestly replied, "Yes, you look good."
Li Ke smiled even more brightly at his compliment.
Li Haimei, observing their interaction, felt an inexplicable discomfort.
She snorted coldly, "Hurry up and eat. After lunch, you need to go back to school."
"Okay." Li Ke responded and then sat down to eat.
She deliberately chose to sit next to Xu Xiuwen rather than beside Li Haimei.
Li Ke took the bowl from her mother and picked up her chopsticks, smiling as she said, "I'll try your cooking."
She reached out with her chopsticks to pick up some food.
"Wow, this is delicious, much better than what my mom makes," Li Ke marveled.
Her praise made Li Haimei blush with embarrassment.
Unable to hold back, she scolded, "Don't talk while eating."
Li Ke stuck out her tongue and promptly stopped talking.
Xu Xiuwen, seated between the two women, dared not say much.
Feeling hungry, he kept his head down and ate.
Thus, in Li Haimei's home, the three finished their lunch in silence.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
After lunch, Xu Xiuwen immediately expressed his intention to leave.
This time, Li Ke did not stop him.
However, before he left, Li Haimei asked for Xu Xiuwen's phone number.
Xu Xiuwen was surprised.
Earlier that day, Li Haimei had mentioned treating the events of yesterday as if they never happened, and that they would keep their distance, as if they were strangers.
Yet now, she was asking for his number.
Leaving Li Haimei's home, Xu Xiuwen marveled at the twists of fate.
Who would have thought that just a few days ago, he saved Li Ke, and the day before, he saved Li Haimei?
He had rescued this mother-daughter pair within days.
And thinking about what had happened with Li Haimei last night, Xu Xiuwen felt a wave of embarrassment.
The feeling of guilt was naturally because he had a girlfriend.
If any of his girlfriends found out about what happened last night, they would likely be unable to accept it.
To be honest, Xu Xiuwen himself didn't understand why he got carried away last night.
Rationally speaking, he shouldn't have agreed to such a favor.
He could only blame it on being drunk.
This wasn't about shifting responsibility.
If he had been sober, he would have firmly insisted on taking the woman to the hospital from the start, rather than sacrificing himself to help her.
Although saying "sacrifice" was somewhat shameless.
After all, he was the one who had enjoyed the benefits last night.
But that was all in the past now.
Xu Xiuwen decided to consider last night's events as an accident.
After leaving Li Haimei's home, Xu Xiuwen took a taxi to the place where they had dined the night before.
Since he had drunk too much, he had taken a taxi to drop Li Haimei off.
His car was still there.
Xu Xiuwen found his car and drove back to his apartment in Jiangning Huayuan.
The first thing he did when he got home was to take a shower and change back into his own clothes.
As for the outdated suit that Li Haimei had bought for him, he didn't throw it away but instead put it in the closet.
After changing his clothes, Xu Xiuwen remembered something.
His clothes from yesterday were still at Li Haimei's house.
He wasn't sure how Li Haimei would deal with his wet clothes.
Would she just throw them away?
Or would she wash and dry them, waiting for him to pick them up next time?
Although Xu Xiuwen had said he wouldn't have any further contact with the two beautiful women, a voice inside him seemed to suggest: it's fine to meet occasionally.
Xu Xiuwen took out his phone to check the time.
At that moment, he realized his phone was dead and had shut off.
After charging his phone, Xu Xiuwen first turned it on and then received a bunch of missed calls and text messages.
He replied to each one and explained the situation.
The girls seemed to be in class and didn't respond immediately.
After his phone was fully charged, with nothing else to do, Xu Xiuwen drove to the company.
The TV drama had wrapped up, and Hang Fei was busy with post-production.
When Xu Xiuwen arrived at the company, he saw Lu Xinyao at the front desk in her work uniform.
Lu Xinyao stood up immediately when she saw Xu Xiuwen.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Xu."
Xu Xiuwen nodded and asked, "Is Hang Fei in the company?"
Lu Xinyao nodded, "Yes, Mr. Xu."
"Okay, I understand."
As Lu Xinyao stood up, Xu Xiuwen had a clearer view of her.
Her work uniform was nothing special, but the black stockings on her legs were quite enticing.
Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but take a few more looks.
Lu Xinyao smiled and asked, "Mr. Xu, do you like them?"
Xu Xiuwen was momentarily taken aback.
He quickly realized he had been caught staring.
Feeling somewhat awkward, he had no reason to deny it.
But since this was his company, Xu Xiuwen decided to own up to it rather than deny it.
He nodded, "Yes, those stockings look nice."
But to maintain his image, he added, "You're the company's receptionist and represent the company's image. I wasn't looking at you because you look good but to ensure your attire meets the standards."
Even Xu Xiuwen thought the explanation sounded too fake.
However, Lu Xinyao didn't call him out on it.
She chuckled and played along, "You're right, Mr. Xu."
She paused for a moment, then changed the subject with a smile, "Mr. Xu, I just said the stockings look great. Xiaomi said they don't look good, though."
Xu Xiuwen realized that when Lu Xinyao mentioned "Xiaomi," she was referring to Song Xiaomi.
"You and Song Xiaomi are still living in the company dormitory, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Xu."
"If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to let me know. I'll try my best to help."
"Thank you, Mr. Xu. Actually, we do have a problem."
"Go ahead."
Lu Xinyao smiled and extended her hand towards Xu Xiuwen.
She held out her hands, palms up, and said, "Mr. Xu, when can we get Xu Qian back? Without Qianqian, the dormitory feels so dull."