Ning Xiaoyu took a while before squeezing out a sentence. “Of course.”
“I will definitely get along well with him.”
At that time, neither I nor Ning Yiheng realized the seriousness of the problem. Ning Yiheng also had no suspicion, temporarily believing Ning Xiaoyu’s words.
“How about this,” I kindly suggested, “Since we still have time today, I’ll invite Xiao Ming to have a meal together. I’ll treat everyone today.”
Ning Xiaoyu seemed quite concerned about Li Xiaoming, so it wouldn’t hurt for them to meet first.
Ning Xiaoyu coughed suddenly and said hesitantly, “Cough, cough… Well…”
Ning Yiheng said, “En, then let’s ask Li Xiaoming.”
Ning Xiaoyu replied, “That’s actually pretty good…”
I’ve already dialed Li Xiaoming’s number. “Xiao Ming, want to go out for a meal?”
Ning Xiaoyu: “Um, sister-in-law, I think…”
When Li Xiaoming heard that it was my treat and it wasn’t just Ning Yiheng, Li Xiaoming agreed. When I glanced back, I saw Ning Xiaoyu’s face turn pale, his fingers trembling as they tapped the steering wheel.
I asked, “Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Ning Xiaoyu swallowed and said, “I actually haven’t mentally prepared myself yet.”
Ning Xiaoyu’s reaction was akin to a fan meeting an idol—Oh my, did he admire Li Xiaoming this much?
Ning Yiheng finished him off, “What mental preparation is needed for just having a meal?”
I said, “Xiao Ming is a very nice person. Haven’t you met him once before?”
Even though they had only exchanged a few words…
Ning Xiaoyu said looking extremely restless, “En… well, it’s like this.”
Seeing Ning Xiaoyu’s uneasy reaction, it was rare for me to find him a bit more pleasing—Although I hadn’t forgotten his teasing, things were going smoothly between Ning Yiheng and me, so I didn’t dwell on his actions.
But seeing him suffer, I couldn’t help but feel a bit satisfied.
I carefully observed Ning Xiaoyu’s expression, feeling more and more that something was amiss.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“You don’t have a crush on Li Xiaoming, do you?” I asked seriously.
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He genuinely seemed to idolize Li Xiaoming.
However, if I were to meet the original author of the “League of Maidens” manhua, I might not be as composed as Ning Xiaoyu. I’m afraid I’d be so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even speak.
“It’s okay, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” I said firmly, “I understand.”
–
As soon as Li Xiaoming arrived at the restaurant, he naturally sat next to Ning Xiaoyu. He looked at Ning Xiaoyu’s face under the sunglasses with a puzzled expression and then greeted, “Hello, I’m a friend of Cheng Huai Xiu’s. And you are…?”
Li Xiaoming obviously forgot who Ning Xiaoyu was.
Ning Xiaoyu didn’t say anything, and after a while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence. “My surname is Ning.”
To be fair, they only met a few months ago, and with Ning Xiaoyu’s sunglasses covering half of his face, it’s normal for Li Xiaoming to not remember him.
I can’t recall exactly how they introduced themselves at the time, but I remember how earnestly Ning Xiaoyu played a trick on me.
If it weren’t for holding grudges, I probably wouldn’t even remember who Ning Xiaoyu was.
Li Xiaoming also didn’t care what his name was, and perfunctorily exchanged pleasantries, “Oh, hello, Mr. Ning. My surname is Li, I’m a friend of Cheng Huai Xiu.’
Ning Xiaoyu dryly replied, “… Hello.”
He paused, and then said, “You… You don’t remember me?”
Li Xiaoming: ?
Li Xiaoming asked, “Have we met before?”
“No,” Ning Xiaoyu immediately denied, “We haven’t met.”
Me: ?
I said, “But previously…”
“Cough, cough, cough… let’s order first,” Ning Xiaoyu interrupted me. He interlocked his fingers, placing both hands elegantly on the table. “Since Xiu Xiu is treating us today, we should have a good meal.”
When he heard that Li Xiaoming didn’t remember him, Ning Xiaoyu instantly returned to his original state. His face regained color, he spoke confidently, and even lightly teased me by calling me ‘Xiu Xiu.’
To be honest, I still don’t understand what Ning Xiaoyu is thinking.
I don’t like him calling me ‘sister-in-law,’ not because of the term itself, but because of Ning Xiaoyu as a person.
I dislike it even more when he calls me ‘Xiu Xiu.’ Hearing my nickname spoken so flippantly by him feels like being soaked in oil, making it greasy and unpleasant to accept.
Ning Xiaoyu took a sip of lemonade.
Ning Yiheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly embraced my waist tightly.
Fortunately, I had enough composure, gripping the edge of the table firmly to steady myself; otherwise, I would have almost lost my seat and fallen into his arms.
Ning Yiheng tightened his fingers.
“Li Xiaoming, my brother likes you a lot,” Ning Yiheng said as if nothing had happened, “Maybe you’ve met before, but you just forgot.”
Ning Xiaoyu nearly choked on that sip of lemonade at this.
“Like…?” Li Xiaoming couldn’t hide the strange expression on his face. He subtly moved a bit farther away, saying, “I really don’t remember.”
Ning Yiheng replied, “It’s okay if you don’t remember now. You’ll get to know each other in the future. You’ll have plenty of time to spend together.
Li Xiaoming: ?
Me: …
Ning Xiaoyu visibly wilted.
Although Ning Yiheng didn’t say anything else, I suddenly felt like my boss was quite scheming…
In our 2D terms, this is probably what they call ‘black-belly.’
But I’ve always thought Ning Yiheng was a ‘natural airhead.’
The atmosphere remained relatively calm afterward. Ning Xiaoyu became considerably quieter.
Every time he cut into his steak, he viciously peeped at Li Xiaoming, as if he was cutting into Li Xiaoming himself. But as soon as Li Xiaoming noticed, Ning Xiaoyu immediately averted his gaze, pretending nothing had happened.
Love turns to hate, I think. Although I don’t know the exact reason, Ning Xiaoyu was probably turning from a fan to an anti-fan.
The meal was eaten without any turbulence. Ning Xiaoyu stopped pestering Ning Yiheng about transferring to our department. He kept expressing admiration for Li Xiaoming, but in the end, he didn’t even exchange a few words with him.
As the brothers chatted, the conversation shifted to their meimei. When the topic touched upon her wedding, Ning Xiaoyu’s usual awkwardness disappeared. He had a rare moment of being a normal brother.
I couldn’t join in the conversation, so I exchanged glances with Li Xiaoming, and we silently started texting each other on our phones.
Li Xiaoming: Cheng-ge, why is boss’s brother wearing sunglasses indoors ah?
I remembered the bruise around Ning Xiaoyu’s eyes, and I didn’t know how to answer for a while.
I said: His face seems to be injured.
Li Xiaoming: Oh.
Li Xiaoming: This person is so strange. I don’t like him… Never mind.
Li Xiaoming: During the time you were away, I encountered a bit of trouble.
Me: What kind of trouble?
Li Xiaoming: Someone acted inappropriately towards me.
Li Xiaoming: But don’t worry, I’ve already handled it. Clasped fist\Clasped fist\Clasped fist\
Me: …
I don’t want to know how he solved it.
All I know is that anyone who provokes Li Xiaoming must have a death wish.
I subconsciously glanced at Ning Xiaoyu wearing sunglasses. Ning Xiaoyu shivered slightly, then glanced faintly at Li Xiaoming, who was concentrated on his phone.
Ai ya, this matter clearly has nothing to do with Ning Xiaoyu. He’s really a sensitive guy.
10 bucks the guy LXM settled with his fist was the slimeball sitting next to him 🤭
Oh yes, now we know everything~
Thank You for the new chapter ( ˘ ³˘)♥
Lmao that’ll teach you to not be so handsy with xiaoming without permission little brother 😜
How does he misunderstand the signs for everything?!
Thank you for another chapter.
missing brain circuits?? I like his sense of humour but he is really dumb.
Mhm… It’s the NYH who’s the airhead, absolutely not you!