The anchor I was supposed to meet turned out to be my student.

"Gu..."

Lu Xiaojun made a small animal-like sound because she was tickled. After glancing at me, she quickly withdrew her restless hand. Then, as if in a fit of pique, she moved my hand away from her thigh, as if silently protesting the unfairness. Why can't she touch my abs?

Okay, what a huge loss!

"Ahem, the movie is pretty good, watch it carefully..." I said softly.

"They weren't even looking at it properly..." Lu Xiaojun said resentfully.

I shifted my gaze from the screen to the other audience members and realized that the little bit of ambiguity between me and Lu Xiaojun earlier was nothing compared to what a guy in the first row had already put his hand inside his girlfriend's clothes!

Holy crap, this is a public place! Can't you be a little more considerate, bro?

That's not all; there was another couple who were already kissing, with the woman straddling the man's lap!

I've been to couples' lounges before, but I've never encountered anything as intense as today. Maybe it's because we were watching a romance movie. Seriously... I felt sorry for the two guys next to me...

Then the movie showed the scene where the male and female leads were kissing on the bed. An indescribable atmosphere began to fill the room, and it spread rapidly throughout the couples' room as if it had a crazy contagious quality. I could even hear the sound of their lips kissing!

Even Lu Xiaojun, who was next to me, grabbed my sleeve and said in a shy tone, "I...I want to kiss you too..."

I could hardly believe that my usually well-behaved classmate, Lu Xiaojun, would ask for a kiss. The atmosphere is really contagious!

Somewhat at a loss, I said, "Maybe not, the movie is so much better..."

The problem is, we're not a couple at all!

"We've already kissed once before..."

Lu Xiaojun's first kiss was indeed with me, but she only used it to escape Song Lai's pursuit...

"Is it okay~"

Lu Xiaojun's tone was almost coquettish, and my heart started pounding.

Lu Xiaojun even knelt on the soft chair, her little face shyly facing me, ready to kiss me.

If I don't agree, am I even a man?!

So I ignored the two lemon trees next to me, put my arm around her slender waist and kissed her.

Unlike that first kiss, this time I truly experienced the taste of Lu Xiaojun's lips—cool and soft, just like her supple waist.

This was Lu Xiaojun's first real kiss. I could tell she was very inexperienced. After our lips met, she didn't know what to do next. She even blinked her cute big eyes at me, revealing shyness and confusion, not knowing what to do next.

As her senior, I felt I should guide her, so I gave her a slight nod.

However, Lu Xiaojun really lacked practical experience and didn't understand what I meant at all. Just when both of us were getting anxious, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. Lu Xiaojun seemed to wake up and bounced back to her original position, leaning against the right armrest and keeping a distance from me.

I'm actually somewhat grateful for that phone call. It brought Lu Xiaojun and me back to our senses, making us realize that we weren't really dating and that we weren't letting the atmosphere around us continue to influence us. Especially Lu Xiaojun, the way she was asking for a kiss just now was nothing like her usual shy and well-behaved child!

Chapter 37, page 92. This is so awkward!

I took out my phone; it was a call from Ye Zhi. Since I was in the movie theater, I hung up immediately and then sent her a message.

"I'm not available to answer the phone. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"He pretended to be my boyfriend to appease my father and stepmother."

Ye Zhi's message was as concise and clear as ever, but it was precisely because there was no preamble that I was taken aback.

"This isn't a good idea, it'll be easy to give ourselves away..."

I've lost count of how many men I've pretended to be. I'm not a firefighter, going to every fire to extinguish women's desires...

"Just do what a boyfriend should do, no need to be so deliberate, please!"

It was rare for her to utter the word "please," which left me with no choice but to accept. After all, she had helped me many times before—she lent me her car last time, and this morning she even helped me get rid of Luo Yao…

"Okay then, what do I need to do?"

“We’re having afternoon tea. I’ll send you our location.”

After ending the conversation, I was forced to face the continued awkwardness. I looked at Lu Xiaojun, who had just finished sending a message and was also looking at me. Recalling my impulsive behavior just now, we both awkwardly looked away.

"Xiaojun, I..."

"Teacher, I..."

We both said it at the same time, and then Xiaojun said, "You go first."

"I have something important to take care of right now, so I can't watch the whole movie with you..." I tried to be sincere, not wanting Lu Xiaojun to misunderstand that I was trying to avoid her because of what had just happened.

"Actually, I thought... never mind, teacher, you go and handle it. My parents also need me to come over, and I won't be able to finish watching this movie anyway."

I didn't know what Lu Xiaojun was trying to say, but I was relieved to see that she didn't seem bothered by my leaving halfway through.

So we both crouched down and went out through the corridor to a brighter spot. Lu Xiaojun wasn't as bold as before; she kept her head down and wouldn't look at me. I was just as shy, and I even stuck out my tongue...

But I felt I should say something before parting, so I said, "I'm sorry, I promised to spend an afternoon with you..."

Lu Xiaojun shook her head and said, "It's not the teacher's fault, and I also have to leave, so it's considered that we both broke our promises, so we're even... Besides, I've had a lot of fun and I'm very satisfied..."

The last sentence was barely audible, probably because the kiss had satisfied her and she was too shy to say it aloud.

Recalling that sensual scene again, I felt the same way—very satisfied.

"Let's go out first, I'll call a car to take you there."

"No need, I already told the driver I'm here..."

I'm a little worried about letting such a lovely and adorable girl like Xiaojun ride in a taxi alone. It would be much better if her family driver picked her up.

"Okay then, I'll take a taxi now. See you next time."

"Teacher, wait a minute..."

After I took a couple of steps, Lu Xiaojun called out to me. I turned around and saw that she was no longer as shy as before. Instead, she looked directly at me, suppressing her embarrassment, and asked, "Did we go on a date just now?"

According to our concept, dating isn't considered dating if you're not a couple, but according to Western concepts, what we just did could definitely be considered a date.

So I smiled and replied, "Of course it counts."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaojun laughed happily, perfectly embodying the meaning of a radiant smile.

……

Before going, I checked my own clothes and appearance. They were of average quality, but compared to Ye Zhi's family background, my average clothes looked rather shabby in front of these wealthy people.

But Ye Zhi, being so meticulous, must have considered these issues, and she even reminded me not to be too deliberate, so I just acted normally.

So I took a taxi to the place Ye Zhi had mentioned where they had afternoon tea. Led by the waiter, I arrived at a room with excellent natural surroundings. From the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, I could overlook the cityscape of Shanghai, which made me feel refreshed and inspired me to become a builder of this megacity. This place is indeed a great place!

From a distance, I saw six or seven people gathered around a table. I wondered if there were other people besides Ye Zhi's parents.

When I got closer and saw their faces clearly, I was stunned, because I saw the face of Lu Xiaojun, whom I had just parted from!

This is a car crash!

Lu Xiaojun looked at me in surprise, just as confused as I was about what was going on.

“Xiaojun, didn’t you say that Tusheng had an urgent matter and couldn’t come?” Mrs. Lu asked.

“He, he…” Lu Xiaojun didn’t know how to answer.

At this moment, Ye Zhi also looked at me with a puzzled look, as if asking how Lu Xiaojun's mother knew me.

"Hello, uncles and aunties..."

I adjusted my position and greeted the elders. Now I was the only one who understood the situation. The two families were having afternoon tea together, taking the opportunity to meet each other's daughters' boyfriends. Lu Xiaojun didn't call me because I had an urgent matter. Little did she know that my so-called urgent matter was to come and pretend to be Ye Zhi's boyfriend!

As for why these two business tycoons would meet, it's because Ye Zhi is Lu Xiaojun's cousin! I almost forgot about their relationship, otherwise I wouldn't have been so bold as to pretend to be Ye Zhi's boyfriend. Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

Lu Chaoxiong, unusually, did not put on a stern face and said, "It seems you still care about Xiaojun quite a bit. Even though it was an emergency, you still rushed over. Please sit down first."

I glanced at Ye Zhi; her eyes seemed to convey so much. I hoped she could understand the situation and avoid making a blunder.

I sat down next to Lu Xiaojun, who was looking at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"So you're Xiaojun's boyfriend? When I saw you walking over, tall and handsome, I thought you were Ye Zhi's boyfriend. What a pity..." Ye Zhi's father, Ye Chengmai, said with a smile. Compared to Lu Chaoxiong's imposing demeanor, he seemed much more approachable.

Out of politeness, I smiled back at him and then looked at the woman beside him. She was very beautiful and young, and must be the stepmother Ye Zhi had mentioned. The slightly chubby little boy sitting next to her must be Ye Zhi's third-grade brother.

Since I was new here, I couldn't be impolite and take out my phone to text Ye Zhi to explain my relationship with Lu Xiaojun. So I tried my best to signal to her with my eyes, but she ignored my gaze and drank her tea expressionlessly.

At this moment, Lu Xiaojun reached out and touched me under the table. She lowered her voice and asked, "Why is the teacher here? I clearly helped you politely decline Dad's offer."

I really don't know how to answer this unless I tell the truth, but I just can't bring myself to say it, because it would definitely hurt Lu Xiaojun, since the so-called urgent matter of interrupting my date with her was actually pretending to be her cousin's boyfriend!

This is beyond outrageous!

Just as I was wondering how to explain, I heard Ye Chengmai at the table ask Ye Zhi, "Daughter, hasn't your boyfriend arrived yet?"

It would have been better if I hadn't asked. The moment I did, Ye Zhi's expression darkened even more. She glanced at me meaningfully and said, "He cheated on me. He can't come!"

(Come into my group chat and play, hehe~ Group number: 1082559272)

Chapter 38, Section 93: Cousins

"Huh? Cheating?"

Except for me, they all looked at Ye Zhi in disbelief.

Ye Chengmai felt embarrassed that his daughter's boyfriend had cheated on him, which could be considered a family scandal. He secretly blamed himself for asking too many questions about his daughter's boyfriend.

Ye Zhi's stepmother, Xiao Wan, asked with concern, "Ye Zhi, can you tell Auntie what happened?"

Ye Zhi didn't say anything, which showed that she didn't really like her stepmother. No wonder Xiao Wan still referred to herself as "Auntie" when talking to Ye Zhi.

However, the most intense reaction came from Lu Chaoxiong, who had always regarded Ye Zhi as his own daughter. He stood up and angrily said, "I'm going to go and teach him a lesson right now, as well as that shameless vixen who seduced him!"

The vixen you're talking about seems to be your biological daughter...

I was trembling slightly as I mingled among these big shots...

However, Lu Xiaojun, who was kept in the dark, also angrily spoke up for Ye Zhi, saying, "Hmph, Ye Zhi is such a good catch, how dare he cheat on her? He must be ungrateful!"

I was just about to pick up my teacup and take a sip to calm my nerves when Lu Xiaojun next to me startled me so much that I spilled some tea...

Lu Xiaojun quickly asked with concern, "Did you burn your hand?"