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

When Xia You finished washing up and came out of the bathroom in the second bedroom, it was already past eight in the morning, and the renovation workers had already arrived.

She glanced back at the renovation workers tinkering by the master bedroom door, and Sheng Zongche beckoned her over.

"What are you looking at? Are you worried you won't be able to open the door and will have to sleep with me again tonight?"

Xia You sat down at the dining table, pouted, and said, "How can it not be opened? If it really can't be opened, you can climb in through the window."

"Forty stories high, who dares to climb? They're construction workers, not Spider-Man."

"I see you're quite agile, you can give it a try," Xia You said, picking up a fork from the table and taking a bite of avocado toast. "Ah, this is so delicious! Senior, you cook so well, do you still need me? How do you manage to eat all that I make?"

Sheng Zongche squinted and said, "Oh, I'm blind. I often can't tell the difference between salt and sugar. I had an off day today, so it tasted a bit better."

Xia You: "..."

The two ate in silence. Xia You absentmindedly poked at the food on her plate, unable to shake off the thought that was lingering in her mind.

Or... I should just ask Sheng Zongche. If I don't ask, I'll suffocate from holding it in, but if I do ask, I might be laughed at to death. Either way, I'm going to die anyway.

Thinking of this, Xia You put down her fork. "Senior, I have something I want to ask you."

Sheng Zongche raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. "Hmm? What does Little White Crane want to ask?"

Just then, a construction worker approached the dining table and cautiously said, "Young Master Sheng, I'm sorry to bother you, but we managed to pry open the master bedroom door, and the lock is broken. Could you take a look...?"

Sheng Zongche waved his hand and said, "It's alright, I'll handle the lock myself, no need to trouble you, thank you."

Xia You's attention was drawn to the familiar voice of the construction worker. She looked up and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"uncle?!"

Upon seeing Xia You, Yu Haoqiang froze on the spot.

"Youyou?! What...what are you doing here?!"

Yu Haoqiang has always worked in the decoration industry. A few years ago, private enterprises were not doing well and laid off a large number of employees, including him. Now he works for an employee of a joint venture company, doing some side jobs.

Yu Haoqiang's question left Xia You at a loss for words.

This is a mess; there's no way to clear my name now.

Sheng Zongche's gaze swept back and forth between the two men before he stood up and politely extended his hand to Yu Haoqiang. "Xia You's uncle? Hello, I'm Sheng Zongche."

Yu Haoqiang was flattered and quickly wiped his hands on his trouser leg before shaking Sheng Zongche's hand in return.

"Hello, Mr. Sheng... Our Youyou... um... thank you for taking care of her."

"It's nothing, it's what I should do."

The conversation between the two made Xia You extremely embarrassed; she could dig a sea of ​​embarrassment out of her toes.

She stood up and said, "Uncle, let's talk in the kitchen."

"Okay, okay."

In the kitchen.

Xia You opened the refrigerator door and took out a bottle of mineral water. "Uncle, would you like some water?"

Yu Haoqiang didn't answer, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at her.

"Uncle, this is what I bought. You can drink it; it's alright."

Yu Haoqiang then reached out and took it, his hands covered in unwashed wall paint and cement stains, with black ash embedded in his fingernails.

Thinking that he had just shaken hands with Sheng Zongche, he felt a little ashamed.

"Youyou, you and Young Master Sheng... are living together?"

"I don't have an uncle, don't misunderstand," Xia You explained. "The place where I work closes at 2 a.m. every day, so I can't go back to school to sleep. I'm staying here temporarily, and I clean and cook for Sheng Zongche every day."

"But... I clearly saw you come out of the same room just now, and Young Master Sheng made the breakfast."

Xia You lowered her eyes and answered somewhat guiltily, "Just last night, because the lock on the master bedroom door broke, it was an accident."

"Oh……"

Yu Haoqiang gripped the mineral water bottle, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Youyou, does Young Master Sheng... want to keep you as a mistress?"

Xia You raised her eyes and shook her head vigorously. "No, he never said that. Uncle, actually, Sheng Zongche paid off your 100,000 yuan debt for you, so I think he helped us in some way. It's only right that I clean and cook here."

Upon hearing this, a moment of shock flashed across Yu Haoqiang's eyes, but the middle-aged man's expression became even more serious. "Youyou, think about why Young Master Sheng would help us for no reason? Isn't it because he's interested in you?"

Xia You bit her lower lip and whispered, "How could he possibly be interested in me..."

"Youyou, you're all grown up now, so I might as well be frank. What I mean is, he wants you, but not because he likes you, he just... wants a physical relationship, do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, the lingering sweetness on the girl's tongue vanished instantly, replaced by a sour taste like plums that had been soaking overnight.

Yes, how could Sheng Zongche truly like her? She must have been mistaken from the very beginning.

Xia You's voice was very low, "Uncle, I understand what you mean."

Seeing Xia You sad, Yu Haoqiang felt bad too, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes furrowed into knots.

"I'm sorry, Youyou, it's all my fault. I've already scraped together over 30,000 yuan. I'll try to borrow some more to pay back Young Master Sheng. Before... he touches you, you should move out as soon as possible."

Perhaps it was because this statement was too realistic that all her previous fantasies vanished. Xia You suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her eyes stung, but she felt that she didn't even have the right to cry.

She shook her head. "No, no, no, Uncle, please don't borrow any more money. I've already agreed with Sheng Zongche that it will only be for two months. I'll move out after two months, and you can pay him back what you can then. If it's still not enough, I have some money here too."

"How can I do that? I can't take your money. Don't worry, Youyou, I'll try my best to find a way."

"Um."

……

After leaving the kitchen, Xia You didn't have much of an appetite to continue eating. However, she was someone who never wasted food, so she forced herself to swallow the entire plate of breakfast.

Food does not taste good.

Sheng Zongche moved from across the table to sit next to the girl, propping his chin up as he looked at her. "That's actually your uncle? What a coincidence. Your uncle doesn't look much like you."

"Really? I think we do look a bit alike. I look like my mom, and my mom and uncle look quite alike."

"You're much better looking than your uncle."

"What's the use of looking good?" Xia You put down her fork and chewed on her food. "I'm full, senior. Just leave the plates there. I'll wash them when I get back this afternoon."

Sheng Zongche asked, "Xia You, what were you going to ask me just now?"

"Oh, it's nothing, just an unimportant question. I forgot about it. I'll be going now, see you later, senior."

After saying that, Xia You grabbed her bag and quickly left.

She was truly grateful that her uncle had cut her off before she could ask, "Sheng Zongche, do you like me?"

My uncle's words were like a blow to the head; all the excitement, joy, and elation that had been lingering in my heart crumbled in those few simple words.

Xia You felt that she had gone astray these past few days and it was time to face reality.

She will probably never ask that question, "Sheng Zongche, do you like me?", again in her next life.