Ex-Husband CEO, Stop Messing Around!-Chapter 456 - 422: You’re a Flirty Playful Scamp, Flirting with Others by Batting Your Eyes
"Tong Xi." He knocked on the door.
"What is it now?" Tong Xi wiped away her tears and asked softly, trying her best not to let the sobbing tone leak out.
She rarely cried, even before Wen Nuan got married, both of them had cheerful and lively personalities. When she saw Wen Nuan crying incessantly over Leng Yan, she more than once advised her that it wasn’t worth it for a man.
Only now does she realize, nothing is about whether it’s worth it or not.
When you truly fall in love with someone, you can’t control your emotions when they hit.
She always thought she would be quite open about feelings and that staying single for a lifetime would be no big deal. Since the moment she had a crush on Tan Qing, she realized that what she said before was just words. Before understanding love, she was indifferent. Once she truly encountered someone she liked, a chord in her heart became incredibly tender, always being unintentionally touched, stirring up her once calm and carefree heart lake.
"Tong Xi." A look of awkwardness surfaced on Tan Qing’s handsome face: "Can you open the door? I have something I’d like you to help with."
Such matters just can’t be discussed clearly through the door.
"Just a moment." Tong Xi frowned a bit but still agreed. She often sought Tan Qing for help before and was never rejected; how could she have the nerve to flatly refuse him just because he didn’t love her?
She went to the bathroom, washed her face, and came out refreshed, temporarily covering the earlier gloom. Only then did Tong Xi open the door, invite Tan Qing to sit down, and said awkwardly, "The place is small, don’t mind."
Tan Qing raised his eyebrows, his handsome face smiling: "Oh, since when have you been so polite with me?"
This was his first time coming to where Tong Xi lived. A one-bedroom apartment truly wasn’t very big, but it was kept fairly tidy. The place was filled with cute, adorable items that quite matched Tong Xi’s personality. The overall decoration exuded a gentle feeling, not necessarily elegant but giving people a comfortable and relaxed impression.
"Hehe, was I being polite?"
Tong Xi awkwardly smiled and handed him a glass of water: "No more drinks left, just make do. So, what exactly did you want my help with?"
She really couldn’t think of anything she could help Tan Qing with. In T City, the only people she knew were Leng Yan, Wen Nuan, and Uncle Weng. Tan Qing knew Leng Yan and Wen Nuan as well as she did, and if it wasn’t for filming, he probably wouldn’t be looking for Director Weng either.
What could require her assistance? Truly puzzling.
Tan Qing took a sip of water, feeling a bit tongue-tied. He looked at Tong Xi for a long time before slowly speaking: "I know it’s an outrageous request, but there’s really no better way at the moment. Tong Xi, you’re going back to France after all, this shouldn’t affect you."
"What exactly is it? Tan Qing, why are you being so evasive today?" Tong Xi looked down, her nose tingling.
She didn’t want to go back to France; if he let her stay, she wouldn’t leave. But he had no intention of keeping her.
Tan Qing sighed softly.
In the past, he would have patted her on the shoulder and said, "Borrow you for a day, give you the honorable task of pretending to be my ex-girlfriend to meet the parents."
However, the incident at the airport with Qu Min seemed to have upset Tong Xi. He feared saying it now might make Tong Xi even unhappier, perhaps to the point where they couldn’t even be friends anymore.
"Are you going to say it or not? If not, leave, I need to sleep." Tong Xi glared at him, getting a bit anxious.
Tan Qing wasn’t a hesitant person, but today’s behavior seemed a bit off. And the more they interacted like this, the sadder she felt.
"Pretend to be my girlfriend and meet my parents." Tan Qing inhaled deeply and finally spoke out, internally anxious. Watching her clenched fist, he felt a hint of cowardice, fearing Tong Xi would punch him for being so unscrupulous.
But strangely, she clenched and then released her fist, before he heard a low voice accompanied by an inscrutable smile: "I thought it was something big, Qu Min went to complain, right? It’s okay, just meeting the parents and having a meal, I’ll go."
"Really?" Tan Qing was overjoyed: "It’s a deal, no backing out!"
"Whoever backs out is a puppy." Tong Xi snickered, glanced at the clock, and yawned: "Alright, I’ve agreed, now Young Master Tan can leave, and let me rest, right?"
"You silly girl, who told you to call me Young Master Tan?" Tan Qing frowned, stood up, and deliberately ruffled her hair before heading to the door.
Touching her messed-up hair, watching his figure disappear at the door, Tong Xi shook her head bitterly, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill again. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Under the showerhead, tears merged with water, indistinguishable from each other for a long time.
When he needed someone to pretend, he thought of her. What kind of shrimp situation is this? She’s not stupid, yet she wished she remained as oblivious to love as before. She truly regretted flipping over his sun visor and seeing Wen Nuan’s photo, otherwise she would be happily showering and humming little tunes, joyfully preparing for the "ugly wife meeting the in-laws."
"Young lady, are you ready?"
After getting off work, Tan Qing went straight to Tong Xi’s place and pressed the intercom downstairs, hearing a voice from the other side, his dark phoenix eyes gleamed with laughter.
"Wait for me, I’ll be right down."
Tong Xi’s lips curled into a bitter smile, speaking casually, continuing to answer Wen Nuan’s call in the room.
"Who’s looking for you?" Nuannuan asked.
The bitterness around Tong Xi’s lips deepened: "Tan Qing is using me as a shield to avoid being entangled by Qu Min; his mom wants to meet me."
"Mrs. Tan." Wen Nuan’s heart trembled: "Xixi, are you prepared?"
A future daughter-in-law meeting the in-laws is a happy occasion, but she feared Tong Xi would be put in a difficult spot. After all, Mrs. Tan’s ideal daughter-in-law is Qu Min, she didn’t want Tong Xi to be upset.
"No need to worry about me, Nuannuan, Tan Qing said his mom has given up on setting him up with Qu Min. And his mom promised she wouldn’t make things difficult for me."
"That’s good." Wen Nuan sighed with relief, though her brows still lightly furrowed: "Xixi, you sound unhappy. This is a good opportunity; you need to use it to win them over..."
"But what if he still doesn’t like me?"
Tong Xi stared at the ceiling, filled with confusion, she furrowed her brows with bitterness: "Nuannuan, loving someone really hurts."
"Pain will eventually lead to sweetness."
Wen Nuan chuckled: "Xixi, you can’t back down. Aren’t Yan and I a good example? I still regret not being brave enough. I should’ve pursued more persistently and not avoided problems. Maybe we wouldn’t have had such a hard time."
This was the experience between her and Leng Yan, and as a friend, she hoped Tan Qing and Tong Xi could find happiness and sweetness, and hoped their love wouldn’t be as tough as hers and Yan’s, sparing them a few detours.
Less bitterness, more sweetness, is her heartfelt blessing.
Tong Xi fell silent.
Nuannuan encouraged her: "Xixi, maybe Tan Qing is starting to like you."
"Really?"
Tong Xi asked, a glimmer of hope reigniting in her heart.
"Why not? That day you were going to take a taxi back, and wasn’t it Tan Qing who insisted on driving you home, saying it was hard to get a cab in the snow? If he didn’t care, why would he do that?"
"Maybe he just..."
"Maybe nothing, Xixi, you need to be braver than me." Wen Nuan interrupted her.
"Nuannuan..." Tong Xi was about to say something when she heard a knock on the door, followed by Tan Qing’s voice: "Young lady, even if you go bare-faced, I won’t mind. So please, hurry up, will you?"
"Do you dare to mind? What right do you have to mind?"
Tong Xi pulled open the door and glared at him: "How did you get up here?"
She seemed to have heard a woman’s laughter, it sounded like the beautiful woman who just moved in next door.
Tan Qing raised an eyebrow, pointing his slender fingers at the door across: "The model beauty living next door had lots of stuff and asked if I could help carry it upstairs. She seemed to struggle alone, so I lend a helping hand and came up together."
"Next door?"
Tong Xi gritted her teeth, furiously growling: "Tan Qing, you’re indeed a playboy, fluttering as soon as you see a woman. She must have flirted with you, right? And you must have had a cup of tea with her before coming out, right?"
Tan Qing stared at her, long and deeply.
"What are you doing?" Tong Xi’s heart pounded with panic, mustering up vanity-induced resistance.
"Who poured a bucket of vinegar? Such a strong sour smell." Tan Qing’s lips lightly curved, smiling playfully: "Tong Xi, were you just jealous? But why would it matter to you how I am with another woman?"
Tong Xi was stunned for a second and glared hard at Tan Qing: "Sorry, this Miss does not fancy vinegar; I prefer soy sauce! I’m angry only because I hate having a playboy standing at my door, polluting the environment in the hallway."
Jealous? Humph! She wished she could soak him in vinegar until he was too weak to help the model across the hall with her stuff!
Tan Qing’s eyes filled with mischief: "You like soy sauce? That’s easy! There’s plenty at my house later."
"You!" Tong Xi was exasperated, her eyes almost popping out: "Tan Qing, you’re being ridiculous, aren’t you? Or have you changed your mind and don’t need me to go to your house anymore?"
As she spoke, she reached to close the door.
"I’m sorry, okay?" Tan Qing quickly pleaded, pressing his arm against the door to stop her from closing it, "Oh, little granny, be generous and come with me."
Even he couldn’t explain why he constantly felt the urge to argue with her. Sometimes, when he was weary, hearing her voice and joking around with her inexplicably improved his mood.
Wen Nuan and Leng Yan on the other end of the phone couldn’t help but laugh; these two always bickered whenever they met, a true pair of joyous adversaries.
Tong Xi blushed and remembered she forgot to hang up the phone. She raised her eyes to see Tan Qing looking at her intently and nervously ended Nuannuan’s call: "Nuannuan, I...we’ll chat later."
