Damn it! The girl he likes insists on dragging him to a blind date.

The following Saturday morning.

Just after eight o'clock, Xia You came out of her bedroom with her phone in hand. Today she was switching shifts with Xiao Liu and was going to work at the coffee shop.

The door to the entrance was opened, and Sheng Zongche happened to be leading Stinky Tofu back home.

Xia You looked at him, somewhat displeased. "Sheng Zongche, why do you secretly turn off my alarm clock every night? I'm the one who does the cleaning, cooking, and even walking Stinky Tofu."

Sheng Zongche squatted down and wiped Chou Doufu's feet, saying, "This bastard is always pawing at you. I'm jealous. Can't I try to get closer to him?"

"It doesn't want to build a relationship with you. They say a dog's eyes can talk, but every time it looks at you, it looks incredibly disgusted."

"..." Sheng Zongche choked on his breath, grabbed Chou Doufu's leg and shook it, "Your mother said you look down on me, so what do you say, do you look down on me or not?"

Stinky Tofu, feeling uncomfortable from being pulled, opened her mouth and gently bit his sleeve.

Sheng Zongche wasn't angry. He lowered his head, gently scratching the fluffy neck of the stinky tofu with his fingertips, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips.

The morning light streamed through the window, dancing on the man's straight nose and slightly pursed lips, making Xia You momentarily lose herself in thought.

It turns out that being with Sheng Zongche could be this blissful.

Is she dreaming?

Lost in thought, Sheng Zongche looked up and said, "Youyou, you're off work at five o'clock today, right? How about I pick you up and we go somewhere fun?"

"Okay, where to?"

Where do you want to go?

Xia You thought for a moment and said, "I'm fine with anything. There are so many fun places in Haicheng that I haven't been to yet."

Sheng Zongche recalled a night when Xia You was staring intently at the underwater world of the Indian Ocean shown on a travel program, so he said, "Let's go to the Haicheng Aquarium, have you been there before?"

Xia You was delighted, "Great! I've never been before, I want to go!"

No sooner had I finished speaking than a new message notification popped up on my phone—

Qin Chiyu sent an email, along with a WeChat message: "Xia You, I've compiled the playlist and script. Do you think we need to go over it sometime?"

Xia You typed back: 【Okay, I'll take a look and contact you again.】

The message had barely been sent when Sheng Zongche poked his head out from behind him. "Hey, who is it? You're all smiles when you text him?"

Xia You was speechless: "Don't talk nonsense. Which eye of yours saw me smiling? Qin Chiyu sent me the broadcasting materials, and I was replying to him very seriously, okay?"

"Oh, I see." The man's emotions were hard to read.

Xia You pinched his cheek: "Sheng Nini, we agreed last night that we'd only broadcast once next week. You have to keep your word and not be upset with me again because of Qin Chiyu."

Sheng Zongche asked cryptically, "Then can't I just make myself unhappy?"

"Why are you upset again? You're so petty."

Sheng Zongche shrugged. "What can we do? Every time I think about you talking and texting with that guy surnamed Qin, I feel chilled."

Xia You asked with a smile, "Then what should I do if you feel cold? How about a hug? A hug will make you feel warmer."

"No, I intend to die."

Xia You: ?

Sheng Zongche said, "If I jump into the crematorium and burn at a temperature of 1200 degrees, I will be cremated immediately. Once cremated, I won't feel cold anymore."

Xia You: "..."

……

In the afternoon, at the Western restaurant on the first floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Haicheng.

Wen Mian and Cheng Yuyao sat in the most prominent position in the center of the restaurant, with an exquisite three-tiered English afternoon tea set on the table.

At this moment, Wenmian had no appetite at all, and was flipping a chocolate macaron between her fingers.

Cheng Yuyao poured her some English black tea. "What's wrong, Mianmian? What are you thinking about?"

Wen Mian raised her eyes: "I think our hints to Xia You that day had no effect at all. She just let it go in one ear and out the other, and she's still inseparable from Sheng Zongche. Do you think she secretly investigated anything?"

"What kind of investigation channels does Xia You have? She can only search online. The most common search result is an interview with Director Huang of Shengyao Accounting Firm after the arson attack on Huili Pharmaceutical Factory." Cheng Yuyao snorted.

Wen Mian angrily threw down the macaron in her hand: "Then what's the point of telling me what Qin Chiyu's mother said?!"

"Oh, don't worry," Cheng Yuyao stuffed the macarons back into Wen Mian's hands. "Qin Chiyu's mother was just saying it casually. Even if there's no evidence, we can find some for her."

Wen Mian's gaze froze: "What idea have you come up with this time?"

"I have a lot of ideas, but I'm afraid we'll anger Sheng Zongche by making things up. What if he comes after us?"

Wen Mian scoffed, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Every word she spoke seemed to be chillingly sharp. "What's there to be afraid of with my dad around? For my dad's and Uncle Sheng's sake, Sheng Zongche won't do anything to me. I've already given up on him being with me, but he absolutely won't allow her to be with that poor wretch Xia You!"

Cheng Yuyao leaned closer, rested her elbows on the low table, stirred the English black tea in front of her, and said, "Mianmian, actually... I have a very bold idea."

"you say."

"I'm thinking, even if we deliberately fabricate evidence to sow discord between Xia You and Sheng Zongche, given Sheng Zongche's character, the truth will eventually come out. When Xia You finds out she misunderstood him, she'll still be with him. Wouldn't all our efforts have been in vain?"

Wen Mian gripped the carved handle of the teacup tightly, her shrill voice suddenly rising, "So what you mean is...?"

"What I mean is, why not just ruin Xia You? Make Sheng Zongche despise her, or make her too ashamed to live in this world anymore. That would solve all the problems."

Wen Mian pondered the sentence carefully, her face showing a calm and gentle demeanor, but upon closer inspection, it was all a calculated attempt to sow discord.

She had already guessed what Cheng Yuyao meant, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.

After a long pause, Wen Mian said, "Fine, we'll do as you say. We'll gather evidence, and we'll destroy the person."

Cheng Yuyao pleaded in a high-pitched voice, "Oh dear, but I'm still quite afraid of Sheng Zongche. What if he finds out? I'm doomed!"

"Don't worry, Yao Yao, I'll cover for you. Just go and do it."

"Okay, it's a deal then. To be honest, I just can't stand Xia You. She crawled out of the mud, and I'm going to knock her back into the mud."

"Um."

After chatting for a while, Wenmian felt much better.

She wanted to see if Xia You could still laugh when her pitiful self-esteem was crushed.

What kind of skill is it to seduce men with those despicable methods? In terms of family background, looks, and connections, how can Xia You compare to her?

She was determined to make Xia You understand that some gaps were ones she could never bridge in her lifetime.