Li Quyin's face turned ashen immediately. He quickly composed a reply, typing, "What exactly do you want?"
He hit send, but the system prompted him once again that his message had been rejected.
Although the other party had unblocked him temporarily, they immediately blocked him again after receiving the message.
Staring at his phone, Li Quyin was so furious that he felt a sharp pang in his liver.
The frustration of being scolded without any way to respond was truly infuriating.
He glanced at his phone, then at Xia Xixi, who appeared a little worried across from him. Taking a deep breath, Li Quyin tried to calm himself down.
Xia Xixi was still the better option.
Xia Xixi looked at Li Quyin, confused by his ever-changing expressions. Just as he was about to ask, Li Quyin's phone rang again.
For a brief moment, Li Quyin thought the other party had unblocked him once more. But when he picked up the phone, he saw it was a message from his assistant, asking what time he would drive over today.
He had an engagement tomorrow and needed to start preparing tonight.
The reminder made Li Quyin remember that today was the last day of his date with Xia Xixi. His mood, which had just lifted, darkened again.
After thinking it over, Li Quyin decided his assistant's bonus for next month was gone.
The reason? Interrupting his boss’s romantic time.
After replying with a time, Li Quyin put his phone away, resolving not to look at it again. He didn’t want to waste even the remaining half a day on that lunatic.
After breakfast, the two of them took a walk around the villa.
Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse. At ten o'clock, the sky suddenly darkened, and shortly thereafter, a light drizzle began to fall.
Fortunately, the two were sitting in a pavilion not far from the villa at the time, so they didn’t get too wet.
Running back to the villa, Xia Xixi brushed the rain off his body and was just about to look for a towel when one was draped over his head, covering his vision.
Li Quyin wrapped the towel around Xia Xixi's head and gently rubbed it. “Don’t catch a cold.”
Xia Xixi raised his hand, intending to take over, but Li Quyin gently pushed it aside.
He had no choice but to lower his head quietly, feeling the gentle yet firm movements of Li Quyin’s hands.
A faint scent wafted from Li Quyin—not perfume, but something like body wash or laundry detergent. It was pleasant and comforting.
As he inhaled that scent, Xia Xixi sneaked a peek at Li Quyin’s jawline through a gap in the towel.
Li Quyin and Shen Bailou truly looked remarkably alike.
If not for the fact that one always had a cold, hard expression as if the entire world owed him money, while the other rarely smiled in public but was always gentle with him, Xia Xixi might have suspected they were the same person.
“What’s wrong?” Li Quyin noticed and lowered his head slightly, peeking in through the gap.
Xia Xixi quickly shook his head, feeling a little awkward. He had actually been staring at Li Quyin in a daze.
“After lunch, I’ll take you back,” Li Quyin said, removing the towel. His raised hand paused suspiciously after the towel was gone, and a faint trace of amusement appeared in his eyes.
At first, Xia Xixi was confused, but he quickly realized why.
Li Quyin had mussed his hair until it was a complete mess. It stood up in every direction like a bird's nest.
Hurriedly, Xia Xixi tried to smooth it down with his hands, but his hair, wet from the rain and thoroughly tousled, refused to cooperate. The more he tried, the more it stuck up rebelliously.
This made Xia Xixi’s head look fluffy, like a little lion’s mane.
“Stop messing with it. It’s pretty cute like this, and the more you fuss, the worse it gets,” Li Quyin said, laughing.
As he spoke, he reached out and pressed down on two tufts of hair on top of Xia Xixi’s head that were sticking up like cat ears.
The stubborn hair sprang back up the moment Li Quyin’s hand let go.
Amused, Li Quyin tugged the two tufts upward again, making them stand even straighter, like proper cat ears.
Xia Xixi realized what he was doing and quickly covered the tufts with both hands, preventing them from sticking up any further. His gaze at Li Quyin was filled with both reproach and dissatisfaction.
It was all Li Quyin’s fault. If not for him, they wouldn’t have stuck up like that.
Though his hair was naturally thick and fluffy after being freshly washed, most of the time it behaved just fine.
Under Xia Xixi’s accusatory stare, Li Quyin only laughed harder. Sometimes, Xia Xixi was just irresistibly cute.
“How about I get you a comb?” Li Quyin offered, clearly enjoying himself as he stared at Xia Xixi’s head.
Xia Xixi, seeing right through him, refused firmly, his eyes full of rejection. “I’ll comb it myself.”
Li Quyin looked disappointed. “You really don’t want my help?”
Xia Xixi ignored him. The last thing he wanted was for his hair to get even puffier and make him look like a real little lion.
By the time Xia Xixi managed to press down the tufts of "cat ears," it was already past eleven in the morning.
The rain outside continued to fall, so they could only stay indoors. The two of them headed directly to the dining room. After lunch, they waited until the rain eased up a little before setting off.
On the way back, Li Quyin briefly mentioned that he would be busy for the next few days.
He had interviews lined up and a variety show to shoot, keeping his schedule packed. The next time he’d have free time to meet Xia Xixi would probably be at least a week later.
Additionally, there was the matter of that lunatic, which he still needed to deal with. Just thinking about it made Li Quyin feel a splitting headache coming on.
“It’s fine. I’ve got some things to take care of too,” Xia Xixi said understandingly.
He hadn’t been to the exhibition venue in a while, so this would be a good chance to make an appearance.
Three hours later, Li Quyin stopped the car at the entrance to Xia Xixi’s residential complex. “Is here fine?”
He glanced at the neighborhood in front of him. Judging from the exterior, it seemed like a high-security complex, with professional guards at the gate and surveillance equipment. It wasn’t a place an outsider could casually enter.
Li Quyin took a moment to look but didn’t dwell on it.
Although he also lived in this city, he wasn’t very familiar with it.
For him, his house in the city was little more than a temporary stopover. As an entertainer, he spent most of his time traveling with production crews.
“I’ll go up by myself,” Xia Xixi said, raising the bag in his hand. He had only brought two sets of clothes and didn’t need anyone to escort him.
“Keep in touch,” Li Quyin said, leaning out of the car window to wave at Xia Xixi.
After saying goodbye, he reversed the car and drove away.
Xia Xixi stood at the entrance of the residential complex, watching until Li Quyin’s car disappeared from sight before heading inside.
On his way home, Xia Xixi was in a good mood. Although there had been a few unpleasant moments during this trip, overall, he had enjoyed himself.
After entering his apartment, Xia Xixi set his bag down. He was just about to brew some coffee when a knock sounded at the door.
Wearing his slippers, Xia Xixi shuffled to open it. Standing there was an elderly man with white hair but sharp, lively eyes.
It was the same “young old man” who had called him earlier. His surname was Liao, and everyone called him “Old Man Liao.”
Xia Xixi gave him a glance before turning around and heading back to continue making coffee.
Old Man Liao let himself in, changing into a pair of slippers with practiced ease, as though it were his own home.
Once inside, he settled himself on the couch in the living room.
“Where have you been these past few days?” he asked.
Xia Xixi brought over the freshly brewed coffee, placing a cup in front of Old Man Liao as well.
“You’re still drinking this stuff? Only young punks drink this. If you’re going to drink something, drink tea—that’s the essence of our culture,” Old Man Liao grumbled, glancing disdainfully at the coffee. He had no fondness for the bitter, acrid brew.
“You said you’re still young, didn’t you? A young old man,” Xia Xixi replied, taking a seat across from him.
He took a small sip of his coffee, savoring the sweetness. A faint smile appeared on his face.
“I am young! You haven’t seen Old Man Wang. He’s so old he’s losing his teeth. Just a short while ago, I heard that he secretly got porcelain crowns,” Old Man Liao said smugly.
He even clicked his tongue a couple of times in satisfaction, clearly proud of his own still-intact teeth.
Xia Xixi didn’t understand the old men’s obsession with comparing the state of their teeth, but he was used to it.
After all, this group of men in their fifties, sixties, and seventies often competed over who had better teeth, a stronger stomach, or even who secretly dyed their hair. Even their preference for coffee versus tea divided them into factions, giving them endless reasons to banter.
“Did you come to see me for something?” Xia Xixi asked.
Hearing that, Old Man Liao’s smugness only grew. He leaned back on the sofa, holding his coffee, ready to play coy.
But the moment he took a sip, his smug expression twisted into one of utter pain. He had forgotten how sickeningly sweet Xia Xixi’s coffee always was.
“Other than you, I doubt anyone else can drink this stuff,” Old Man Liao said, swallowing the coffee with difficulty and resolutely refusing to touch it again.
Watching his expression, Xia Xixi’s thoughts suddenly drifted. For a moment, Li Quyin’s face flashed in his mind.
“If you can’t drink it, don’t waste it,” Xia Xixi said dryly.
Li Quyin had claimed it was delicious.
Old Man Liao angrily put the coffee back on the table. Even if he wanted to drink it, he had to be able to swallow it first.
“Enough chit-chat. I came here to tell you something important. Don’t go out alone for the next little while, and try not to go out at all,” Old Man Liao said suddenly, his tone turning serious.
“What’s happened?” Xia Xixi raised an eyebrow. Teasing aside, Old Man Liao never joked about serious matters.
“One of our people was ambushed.”
“What?” Xia Xixi put his coffee down.
“Do you remember the new member who joined recently? Last night, I heard that someone pushed him down a flight of stairs. He’s old and couldn’t handle the fall. He’s still in the hospital, unconscious.”
Xia Xixi frowned.
“It happened on his way back from the venue. The police were involved, and both his home and the venue were inspected. He didn’t seem to have any enemies, so the only possibility left is that it’s connected to the Shen Bailou matter.”
“I gave everyone in the group a heads-up after I learned about Shen Bailou’s situation…”
Xia Xixi felt all the blood rush to his head. His mind buzzed so loudly that it seemed to drown out all other sounds, his eardrums aching from the pressure.
Shen Bailou?
“Before the incident, someone named Miao Mingyi visited him, supposedly about a movie. He turned them down, and shortly afterward, this happened…”
Old Man Liao said more, but Xia Xixi didn’t hear a word. His mind was consumed by the name Shen Bailou.
By the time he regained some semblance of calm, Old Man Liao had already left, though Xia Xixi couldn’t remember when.
He pulled out his phone and opened his email. He unblocked Shen Bailou, whom he had blacklisted earlier.
His hands trembled slightly with anger as he typed, his sheer rage making it hard to remain steady. He hadn’t expected Shen Bailou to stoop so low, to be so vicious.
“Is Miao Mingyi one of your people?”
“What if he is?” Li Quyin quickly replied.
“If anything happens to my people, this isn’t over between us.”
This grudge with Shen Bailou was now beyond reconciliation!