Chapter Ninety-Six: Get In The Car

When Xu Shu personally drove over, I was mildly surprised. Though I had been angered by how she had driven me away without a shred of concern for my dignity, I did not hate her, because at that moment I had chosen to protect the little enchantress and had disappointed Xu Shu. Her driving me off had been what I deserved; I had no right to blame her.

Now it seemed Xu Shu had changed her mind again and come looking for me herself. That should mean she was no longer angry and wanted to make peace.

I felt a little pleased with myself. At last the great star had surrendered again. Even if I knew she did not like me, at the very least she still valued me as a friend.

Out of pride, I did not get into her car. I merely said with feigned calm, “Didn’t you just say you weren’t giving me a ride? What do you want me to get in for now?”

Xu Shu looked at me seriously, then sighed. “Tang Qian! Are you really going to make me beg you again? Your temper is truly awful. Your airs are even bigger than mine! A man should have a broader heart. Don’t be petty like us women, all right?”

Truly... formidable.

Clearly she had been the one to drive me away, and if I did not hold it against her, that should have been the end of it. Yet after her words, it somehow became my fault for being insufficiently manly and too narrow-minded. Was being at her beck and call what made a man?

I smiled faintly. “My understanding of what it means to be a man differs a little from yours. I think getting into your car at a time like this would not be very manly, so thank you. I’ll walk back myself.”

With that, I waved at her and turned to continue on.

Xu Shu had no choice but to drive alongside me. From inside the car, she called out, “What will it take for you to get in? Do I really have to beg you?”

Walking as I spoke, I said, “Why do you insist on me getting in? Isn’t it nice for me to walk a bit?”

“You’ll walk all the way till dawn at this rate!”

“Even walking till dawn is better than riding in your car!”

As I talked with her, I kept walking slowly. Xu Shu behaving like this had already eased most of my anger. And who told me I liked her in the first place? If I weren’t too proud to swallow it, who would want to stand outside in this bitter cold rather than sit in a warm car?

I had already made up my mind. The moment Xu Shu truly begged me, I would get in at once. This wind was freezing me stiff. Besides, I could also take the chance to see just how important I was in her heart.

Sure enough, Xu Shu could not hold out any longer. “Fine, fine! Tang Qian, you grand lord, I’m begging you. Please let this little woman give you a ride, all right?”

Though her plea was a little too playful to count as truly earnest, it was still a plea. So without another word, I hurried back and got in, rubbing my icy hands frantically as I shut the door. I laughed and said, “You should have said so sooner. You made me stand out there freezing for so long that my hands are almost numb.”

Xu Shu stared at me in disbelief. My change had been far too sudden, far too obvious; it was plain I had been teasing her all along. Only after a long moment did she recover, and she angrily punched my shoulder. “Tang Qian! You... I concede defeat! You made me beg you twice in one evening and even cry. You’re really something.”

I laughed. “You weren’t exactly innocent either. You interrogated me twice and then threw me out. You’re really quite domineering.”

Xu Shu did not know whether to laugh or scold me. “You really refuse to suffer the slightest loss, do you? You’d already been thinking about how to make me pay you back, weren’t you? You’re pretty impressive.”

“Not at all. It still needed your cooperation. If you hadn’t taken the bait, then I’d have had no way at all.”

Xu Shu rolled her eyes. The way she looked then made it seem as though she wanted to bite me in one gulp. Though I was joking with her, acting carefree and unconcerned, inside I was still profoundly desolate.

The beauty sitting beside me was truly one of those people who seem close enough to touch, yet remain forever beyond reach. I could chat and joke with her to my heart’s content; we could respect and trust one another. But when it came to love between a man and a woman, she was unattainable.

I guessed that with Xu Shu’s intelligence, how could she not know I had feelings for her? What had happened in the study was still vivid before my eyes. The stiffening of her body and the panic in her face when I moved to embrace her told me everything: she did not want it. Then she immediately returned to normal, acting as though nothing had happened. That was because she still valued me and did not want to lose me as a friend. It was also her way of reminding me that this matter should end there, and that I should never do something like that again.

The simplest truth was this: if Xu Shu liked me, would she have rejected me at that moment, in that atmosphere?

So the answer was that she did not like me, or to be more precise, she did not love me. In truth, there was nothing surprising about that. I was an obscure nobody, with no money and no power; why would a great star take a liking to me? It was nothing but my own wishful thinking.

I was very sad, and very helpless. I could not even afford to seem bitterly indignant, because she still valued me and treated me as a good friend. Besides, she had refused me so cleverly that my pride had not been wounded.

Nor could I blame anyone. Liking her was not my fault, and similarly, not liking me was not hers. We were equals, both with the right to love or not love. Neither of us could force the other to do what he or she did not wish to do.

I understood Xu Shu’s painstaking intentions, so I acted as if I did not care. I even joked with her, trying my best to make it seem that what I had done earlier had been nothing more than a misunderstanding, hoping she would not take it to heart and that I would not put her in a difficult position again.

Yet deep down, I was crying.

Silently crying.

After glaring at me a couple of times and seeing my grinning, shameless expression, Xu Shu could not help laughing aloud. Shaking her head, she turned back and focused on driving. “Tang Qian, I’m really beginning not to understand you. You used to be quite honest and steady. How did you suddenly become so cunning and shrewd? You even plot over such a small matter. Have you spent too much time with my sister and picked up her bad habits?”

I smiled. “How could that be? Your sister is only a little mischievous. She’s still young and immature, and loves to make trouble, so she can be exasperating. But by nature she’s a simple, innocent girl. Her heart is as pure as a blank sheet of paper, far more lovable than she appears.”

Xu Shu could not help turning her head to study me from top to bottom. “I’ve been her older sister for more than ten years, and yet it seems you’ve understood her better in just two days than I have? If you two have nothing going on, then I’d be blind. Tang Qian, you’re quite something. You’d rather offend me than betray my sister. And you still dare say you don’t like her?”

I gave a bitter smile. “Your sister and I really have nothing going on.”

Xu Shu snorted. “If you won’t say it, then I’ll just put it plainly. We’re all sensible people here—who can’t tell that my sister really does like you? She’s been so good to you that even I, her own sister, am jealous. I watched her grow up. When have I ever seen her so anxious over a man, so close to falling out with me over one? Tang Qian, you really do have a way with things. I concede. If you’ve got the nerve, then deny it and say my sister doesn’t like you at all. Let me see whether you have the face to say that.”

I was silent.

More than anyone in this world, I knew that what her sister felt was far more than simple liking. It was a girl’s most innocent, most precious love. Though I could not accept it, I still felt its depth and weight. It pressed upon me, heavy enough to take my breath away.

Seeing that I said nothing, Xu Shu grew even more worked up. She said, “See? Even you can’t deny it, can you? What do you think you were doing, locking yourselves in the lounge? Did you think I couldn’t guess? A man and a girl alone in a room—what else could you possibly be doing?”

The more she spoke, the more anxious she became. She slammed on the brakes, and the Lamborghini came to an abrupt stop. Turning toward me, she said excitedly, “Tang Qian, I know you’re a good person. You wouldn’t do that sort of thing. I’m guessing my reckless little sister must have provoked you, right? But, Tang Qian, I’m begging you. I’m truly begging you. She’s the only sister I have. I can’t just stand by and watch her make a mistake. She’s too young, truly still just a child, and a wonderful future still waits for her. You have to help me. You can’t let her fall this deeply! If she does, then her life will be ruined!”

Seeing that Xu Shu was beginning to ramble incoherently, I hastily shouted, “Xu Shu! Calm down!”

She was startled at once, her mouth hanging open as she lost the ability to continue. Softening my tone, I said, “Don’t be agitated. Things aren’t as bad as you think. First of all, I need to make it clear that I’m an adult, with normal thoughts and judgment. I have no interest in children, so you can rest entirely assured about that. Secondly, your sister is just awakening to love. That’s perfectly normal. There’s nothing to make a fuss over. Don’t act as though the sky is falling. At her age, this sort of thing is extremely common, and it’s not as if everyone who goes through it is doomed to ruin their entire life. We’ve all been young once; we should understand that love is not some flood or beast, but a feeling that is pure, precious, and beautiful. We should not react to love as though it were poison and destroy it at once. We should protect her and guide her, so that this love travels the right road. If we handle it properly, it may even become a driving force that makes her shine all the brighter. Don’t you agree?”

Xu Shu listened, dazed. “I... I didn’t really follow. Could you make it simpler?”

I sighed and asked her, “When you were a student, did you ever like anyone?”

Xu Shu blushed. “Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

I said, “If you’ve ever liked someone, then you’ll understand what I mean.”

Xu Shu thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No. When I was studying, I almost never had any contact with boys. Later I became busy with my singing career, so there was even less opportunity.”

I said, “Is that so? No wonder you can’t understand. All right, let me put it more plainly, so you’re sure to understand. But I need you to look at this from another angle. Don’t panic and lose your composure the moment you hear words like love and affection.”