Bored after watching TV for a while, Xiang Ri felt his stomach growling and approached the door of the beautiful Chu:
"Hey, girl, I'm going out to eat. Want to join me?"
"Wait a moment, I'll be right there!" A rustling sound came from inside, and after a good while, Chu Chu finally emerged, dressed in fresh clothes.
Gone were the short sleeves and cropped pants, replaced by a sleeveless dress adorned with cute little flowers, paired with high-heeled sandals that made her bare legs look even longer and more graceful.
Her face had a faint blush, enhanced by light makeup, making her appear even more delicate and lovely.
"Not bad, you look quite camera-ready!" Xiang Ri looked her up and down, genuinely admiring her appearance.
"None of your business!" Chu Chu shot him a glance, though a hint of delight sparkled within her.
"Let's go." Xiang Ri sighed heavily, knowing that this girl was probably quite pleased with herself inside.
"Hey, why are you sighing? You've got a great beauty accompanying you to dinner, and yet you still act ungrateful," Chu Chu complained.
"It's precisely because you're here that I have to sigh."
"What do you mean by that?!" Chu Chu's eyes widened in frustration.
"Nothing much," Xiang Ri sighed again. "I was just wondering when I'll finally get you into bed. It's torture having something so tempting but not being able to enjoy it."
"Hmph!" Chu Chu turned away, muttering something under her breath.
Xiang Ri didn't quite catch her words, but he was sure it had something to do with the word "bastard."
"Here we are, girl!" Not far from the apartment, there was a small restaurant where Xiang Ri stopped.
"I have a name, stop calling me 'girl' all the time," Chu Chu complained, clearly displeased with how he addressed her.
"Alright then, beautiful Miss Chu, time to eat!" Xiang Ri led the way into the restaurant.
"Ugh, you're impossible! Next time you call me 'girl,' I'll start calling you 'jerk,'" Chu Chu followed, threatening him.
"Hello, just the two of you? There's an empty table over here," a cute girl of about fifteen or sixteen came forward to greet them.
"Seems like it's quite busy," Chu Chu frowned, clearly unused to places like this.
"Of course, my dad's cooking is that good!" The girl stuck out her tongue, showing no embarrassment at her not-so-humble brag.
"Sit!" Xiang Ri pulled out a chair.
"Thank you!" Chu Chu was pleasantly surprised and just about to sit down.
"Not for you. That's my seat. You can pull out your own chair," Xiang Ri quickly sat down.
"You stingy jerk!" Chu Chu cursed softly under her breath.
The young girl watching them was a little confused. She had thought they were a couple, but now it seemed more like enemies than lovers.
"Hey, girl, hand me that menu," Xiang Ri stretched out his hand.
"Oh," the young girl, clearly displeased, hated being called "girl" as much as Chu Chu did.
"How can you be so rude?" Chu Chu couldn't help but interject.
"Exactly!" The young girl grumbled, casting a grateful glance at Chu Chu. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"Yes!" Chu Chu answered bitterly.
"Huh?" The girl's brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment. How could it be? Such a beautiful woman being this rude guy's girlfriend? Her gaze turned sympathetic toward Chu Chu, sensing that this man must treat her poorly.
"Enough with the 'huh,' I'm ordering now, pay attention." Xiang Ri listed off a few dishes and handed back the menu.
The girl jotted down the order and walked away with a cold huff.
"What's with the attitude?" Xiang Ri muttered, not understanding how he had offended her.
"She's just a kid, why are you taking it so seriously... Hey, I didn't even get to order!" Chu Chu finally realized the issue.
"I thought I was the only one eating," Xiang Ri scratched his head, uncharacteristically sheepish.
"You... completely ignored me? Ugh, I can't believe this!" Chu Chu was seething with rage.
"What now? Planning a rebellion? Fine, next time you can do all the ordering," Xiang Ri replied.
"That's more like it," Chu Chu muttered, still dissatisfied but letting it go.
Before long, the dishes were served—four plates and a soup. The young girl helped serve the rice, placing a bowl gently in front of Chu Chu with a bright smile, "Sister, this is for you."
The dish intended for Xiang Ri was slammed down with a heavy thud, accompanied by a frosty expression: "Yours!"
"This is mine? Why is there so little?" Xiang Ri glanced at the heaping bowl of rice before the beautiful Chu and compared it to the measly portion in his own, which was barely a quarter of hers.
"Too little? Go serve yourself!" The young girl shot him a cold glance before walking off.
"Girl? Did I offend her somehow?" Xiang Ri asked, confused, turning to the lovely Chu.
"You offended me!" Chu Chu said blankly, though inwardly, she was gloating.
Just then, a voice brimming with excitement suddenly rang out, "Chu Chu, it really is you!"
Chu Chu instantly froze as if she had swallowed something foul, hurriedly burying her head in her food, pretending not to hear. Xiang Ri followed the voice and saw a man in a suit, despite the sweltering heat, striding over. He was in his twenties, hair slicked back, decent-looking, and flanked by two burly men in black suits.
Xiang Ri spared the bodyguards an extra glance, but only gave the young man a brief look before dismissing him entirely. Men like him had a common label: spoiled rich kids. However, Xiang Ri had always lived by the principle of non-aggression, as long as they didn't provoke him.
The rich kid seated himself without invitation, his gaze lingering on Chu Chu with an intensity that was borderline nauseating. "Chu Chu, why are you eating here? I saw you from outside and thought I was seeing things!"
"Where I eat doesn't concern you," Chu Chu replied without looking up, continuing to eat.
"How could it not? In half a month, we're getting engaged. Then, you'll be my fiancée, and it's only right for me to be concerned about you." The rich kid completely ignored Xiang Ri.
"Wu Qianyun!" Chu Chu shot a worried glance at the rascal next to her. "Let me make this clear, I will never marry you. I already have a fiancé."
"No way! I haven't heard anything about that from your father!" Wu Qianyun exclaimed dramatically.
"That's because I forgot to tell him." Chu Chu pointed at the rogue. "This is my boyfriend."
"This guy?? Come on, Chu Chu, that's a poor joke." Wu Qianyun sneered as he glanced disdainfully at Xiang Ri.
"Get lost and stop ruining my appetite!" Xiang Ri looked up and delivered the words with fierce bluntness, clearly unimpressed by Wu Qianyun's condescending tone.
Wu Qianyun's face darkened, about to explode with anger, but remembering the presence of a beauty, he restrained himself. "Take back what you said, apologize, and then disappear from my sight."
*Bang!* Xiang Ri grabbed a dish and slammed it onto Wu Qianyun's face without a word.
The neighboring tables gasped. They had never seen someone eat a dish—plate and all—so arrogantly, and even with sauce dripping all over themselves.
Chu Chu covered her mouth, utterly incredulous.
The two bodyguards finally caught on and started to move in, only to freeze as they noticed Xiang Ri's hands forming a peculiar gesture. They exchanged a glance and, without a word, stopped in their tracks.
Wu Qianyun stood there, stunned for a moment before wiping the greasy mess off his face with his sleeve. Humiliated in front of so many people, he lost all semblance of composure and kicked out in a fit of rage.
*Crash!* Xiang Ri was quicker, grabbing another dish and smashing it onto Wu Qianyun's head, sending him staggering.
"Aren't you two paid to protect me? Get him!" Wu Qianyun roared, remembering his bodyguards.
"Apologies, we're bodyguards, not thugs," one of the men in black replied calmly.
"I paid for your services! Is this how you treat your clients?" Wu Qianyun's eyes turned bloodshot, furious that the bodyguards he hired were just standing by, indifferent to his plight.
"We guarantee your safety, but since your life isn't in danger, we won't intervene," the bodyguard explained with an expressionless face.
"What a worthless security company! I'm going to sue you all!" Wu Qianyun screamed, his face contorted with rage, looking almost grotesque. He hadn't yet realized what was truly amiss.
One of the bodyguards' eyes gleamed, and he stepped forward, only to be held back by his colleague. The second bodyguard shook his head and turned to the enraged young master. "Since you've insulted our company, we reserve the right to terminate our contract. From this moment on, you're no longer under our protection. Want to sue us? Feel free to come to Zhongtian Tower, 38th floor!" With that, the two bodyguards exchanged a knowing look with Xiang Ri and calmly left the restaurant.
"Wait!" Seeing the bodyguards leave, Wu Qianyun finally snapped back to his senses. Ignoring his public humiliation, he hurried after them, regret creeping in. Damn it! How could he have forgotten that these two weren't from any ordinary security firm? Even his father wouldn't dare offend their company easily.
"You seem quite familiar with those two," Chu Chu said, glaring at Xiang Ri, who was now sipping soup nonchalantly.
"Not really." Xiang Ri downed a large gulp of soup, letting out a satisfied burp. He didn't know them personally, but he had some connections with their boss. He hadn't expected that hand gesture to actually work.
"Liar! I saw the way you exchanged glances with them," Chu Chu accused loudly.
"You must be seeing things. Funny how you didn't notice me giving you glances all this time," Xiang Ri said, giving her a lingering, meaningful look. This girl had sharp eyes, catching even his most subtle moves.
"Ugh! I'm done with you! I'm going back to school!" Chu Chu stomped her foot and dashed off. Whether she was really heading to school was something only she knew.
Xiang Ri chuckled bitterly, preparing to settle the bill and leave.
"What on earth happened here?" The young girl from earlier reappeared, looking in shock at the mess. "I was only gone to the restroom, and now it's like this?"
"I dropped it. My hand slipped," Xiang Ri replied casually.
"So it was you! Great, you broke two plates, that's a hundred per plate." The girl wasted no time gouging him, figuring there was no need to show mercy to a jerk like him.
Xiang Ri didn't mind, paying up. Before leaving, he turned to the girl and said, "Next time you come out of the restroom, make sure to fix yourself up. Don't let things hang out without noticing."
The girl blinked, then followed his gaze downward, noticing a bit of white peeking out from her waistband. Her face instantly flushed crimson, and she shouted after the departing rogue, "Pervert!"