Don't Scold Me, Please

Chapter 13 : Adjustment of Qi

"?"

Lu Qifeng and Xie Chen had known each other for quite some years, yet it was the first time Lu heard the word "cute" come out of his mouth. As if he misheard, Lu incredulously asked, "What did you say?"

"Oh," Xie Chen snapped out of it, his expression still as indifferent as before, but with a hint of coldness in his eyes. "Nothing."

"Do you know the person she's talking about?"

"Where would I know her from?" Xie Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Why would she mention me to her?"

He took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, lit one, and lowered his head slightly. The smooth contour of his jawline formed a pleasing arc, with black wisps of hair dangling over his forehead.

Lu Qifeng frowned. "It's been a while since I've seen you smoke."

Xie Chen turned away and walked towards the distance, mumbling, "Just felt like it suddenly."

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Lu Qifeng grabbed Xie Chen's arm, pointing in the direction of Cheng Siqiao. "Since we're here."

"No need," Xie Chen glanced at him sideways, his expression unchanged, but his voice cold. "They seem to be having a good conversation. No need to disturb."

"Alright then."

After Cheng Siqiao left the restaurant and saw Ji Yiming off to the high-speed rail, she finally had a moment to call Xie Chen and ask where he was so she could go find him herself.

She dialed his number multiple times, but each time she was met with a long string of unanswered "beeps."

"What's going on?" Cheng Siqiao complained to the chat interface, feeling irritated. "He was the one who contacted me first, but now he's nowhere to be found."

Lu Qifeng often went to the Class 2 classroom to find Xie Chen. He was acquainted with most of the Class 2 students. In the words of his own class teacher, it felt like he was just auditing Class 3, and Class 2 was his real class.

Finding Xie Chen silent and unresponsive, Lu Qifeng felt bored. So, he brought Zhou Yangyang and Zhao Tianhao along, and the four of them went to a KTV near the CTOS area.

Once they were in the private room, Xie Chen threw his phone onto the table and paid it no further attention, sitting on the sofa smoking disinterestedly.

Zhou Yangyang and Zhao Tianhao were in high spirits, picking several songs in a row and singing along.

Lu Qifeng sat beside Xie Chen and noticed the message notifications on his phone. He picked up the phone and asked, "Toffee? Who's this? Why did they call you so many times?"

"Could it be my goddess?" Xie Chen glanced indifferently.

"Why didn't you answer her calls?" Lu Qifeng couldn't understand what was going through his friend's mind. He handed the phone back to him. "After all, you were the one who contacted her first."

Xie Chen's expression finally changed slightly as he looked at Lu Qifeng. "Let me correct you, it was you who told me to find her."

"Okay, okay, it was me," Lu Qifeng replied helplessly. "But shouldn't you at least return her call?"

Xie Chen remained seated, unmoving.

"You..." Lu Qifeng sighed, picking up his phone and walking towards the door of the private room. "I'll call her back then."

Lu Qifeng returned Cheng Siqiao's call, and after waiting for what seemed like ages, she finally answered, already impatient. "Xie Chen, what's wrong with you? I've called you so many times, and you haven't answered a single one!"