Chapter 25: When the Iron Tree Blooms

Soon, the dishes Gu Zehuai had prepared were brought to the table—five dishes and a soup, all of which looked quite appetizing. Once the table was set, he finally called Wen Jiu and Pei Yi to eat.

During the meal, Pei Yi’s voice could be heard now and then. With an expressionless face, Gu Zehuai asked, “So, what happened to make your parents so angry?”

Pei Yi pulled a long face at this. “Don’t even mention it. My parents nag me every day to go on blind dates. Today I talked back, and they got mad. Ah Huai, don’t tell me your grandmother doesn’t do the same to you.”

Gu Zehuai felt a little guilty at this—after all, he was no exception. He glanced surreptitiously at Wen Jiu. She was picking up some food, and, noticing his look, asked in confusion, “Don’t look at me; I don’t have this kind of trouble.”

Her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude. But it was the truth—the Wen family only had this one precious daughter and had no intention of marrying her off so soon.

After the meal, Pei Yi, complaining of his bad mood, decided to go out for a gathering and invited Wen Jiu along. He messaged Lin Youqi, Lin Lehan, and Shen Mengxia, letting them know Wen Jiu would be joining as well. Shen Mengxia replied readily.

Before long, they all arrived separately at the Goland Bar. As soon as Shen Mengxia entered, she rushed over to Wen Jiu, and the two greeted each other with great joy. When Lin Lehan arrived, she headed straight for the sofa where the other two were seated, and the three of them began chatting.

Having met before, they were already familiar, and the atmosphere was relaxed and natural. The mood was anything but awkward.

The moment Pei Yi saw Lin Youqi, he started complaining about Gu Zehuai. “Qi, do you know how outrageous Huai is? He actually went behind my back and had dinner with my goddess. If I hadn’t gone to his house, I’d never have known!”

Pei Yi complained in a spirited tone. Lin Youqi glanced over at Gu Zehuai, who showed no reaction. His gaze rested on the three girls chatting, as if looking for someone, completely indifferent to Pei Yi’s words.

Lin Youqi understood, raising his eyebrows in silent amusement—so even the most reserved can blossom.

The six of them soon started playing games and were having a wonderful time when an uninvited guest arrived. As Xu Xinying stepped in, the private room quickly fell silent. The atmosphere suddenly became delicate.

Xu Xinying, oblivious, smiled warmly. “What a coincidence! The manager mentioned you were all here, so I came up to take a look. Since we all know each other, why not play together?”

Her gaze swept over everyone present, but no one responded to her invitation.

After last time, with Gu Zehuai getting angry and Lin Youqi scolding him, Pei Yi naturally dared not make a move. Lin Youqi, for once, wore an openly exasperated expression. Shen Mengxia, not knowing Xu Xinying, said nothing. Wen Jiu, after her last conversation with Xu Xinying, was clearly in no mood to engage.

At last, it was Lin Lehan who broke the awkward silence in the room.

“Xinying, you’re back in the country recently—why didn’t you tell us? We could have thrown you a welcome party. By the way, didn’t Brother Qingli come back with you? You two are practically inseparable, aren’t you?”

When she said “inseparable,” Lin Lehan emphasized the words, then glanced casually toward the door, as if expecting someone to appear behind Xu Xinying.

At these words, Xu Xinying’s expression froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, laughing it off. “What are you saying, Lehan? Your Brother Qingli and I are just friends. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Lin Lehan shrugged, utterly unconcerned. “Whether there’s a misunderstanding or not, you know best.”

Xu Xinying said nothing further, maintaining a perfect smile, though inwardly she was seething.

Wen Jiu, ever perceptive, noticed the clear shift in Gu Zehuai’s expression at the mention of Qingli. But in a blink, he had returned to his usual nonchalant self.

After the exchange between Lin Lehan and Xu Xinying, Shen Mengxia sensed there must be some bad blood between them and quietly joined Wen Jiu as a background presence in the corner.

But Xu Xinying was not one to let things go and deliberately addressed Wen Jiu.

“Miss Wen, what a coincidence, we meet again.”

Wen Jiu nodded with an impassive face, replying perfunctorily, “Yes, quite the coincidence.”