Capítulo 15: Chapter 11: Invitation
Days went by, one after another. In the blink of an eye, another week had passed. Lin Fei had gradually become accustomed to the routine of having breakfast with Xu Ke every day.
After morning classes, he would quickly finish his lunch and then start his midday cultivation in the small grove, familiarizing himself with the newly purchased Bear Claw.
As a weapon, it would be unwise not to become familiar with every aspect of its length and sharpness.
Furthermore, dealing with the general subjects of high school was still quite simple for Lin Fei. At the very least, he needn't worry about English; with his proficiency from his past life, he could easily score high marks.
The afternoon sun was a seductive golden-red.
Lin Fei, bored, leaned against the wall of the security room at the school entrance, holding his backpack in his hand.
In the morning, Xu Ke had worn him down relentlessly until he carelessly agreed to join her at a friend's gathering. The young girl had clamored to officially introduce him to her circle of friends.
Although Lin Fei had not acknowledged the nature of their relationship, it was clear that the little tigress took it for granted.
She had told him to wait for her for five minutes at the school gate after classes.
Having enjoyed a week's worth of free breakfasts delivered to his door, Lin Fei naturally wouldn't refuse such a small request. However, when Xu Ke had mentioned it, she had simply said it was just a meal.
With his eyes vacant, Lin Fei immersed himself in self-analysis of the Basic Sword Technique, completely ignoring the students passing by.
From the corner of the distant teaching building, Xu Ke, still in her uniform, came jogging over, her cheeks flushed as she approached Lin Fei.
"Keke! Over here!!" A woman's shout suddenly came from outside the school gate.
Xu Ke flashed Lin Fei an ingratiating smile, afraid he'd suddenly change his mind and not go.
"Don't worry, I promised you," Lin Fei said with a smile, coming back to reality.
Xu Ke walked ahead, holding Lin Fei's hand tightly and heading towards a silver Audi parked by the roadside at the school gate. Beside the Audi stood a tall, bespectacled woman with a mature presence. She might not have been striking in appearance or figure, but she possessed an intellectual air.
As Lin Fei was being pulled along, Xu Dong and his group sauntered out of the school gate. Seeing Xu Dong smile ambiguously at himself, Lin Fei felt powerless to explain; the intentions of the young girl were so evident, and it felt awkward to reject her. For now, he could only delay, hoping that in time the little tigress would lose interest and everything would be fine.
Xu Ke led Lin Fei to the car.
"Auntie, this is Lin Fei. Uncle Wei has met him too," Xu Ke quietly introduced him.
The intellectual woman's gaze behind her glasses slightly intensified.
Lin Fei could clearly feel the scrutinizing gaze on him, tinged with a hint of disregard and condescension.
"Hmm, get in the car first," the aunt said indifferently, nodding her head and sliding into the driver's seat.
Xu Ke tightened her grip on Lin Fei's hand.
"My aunt is like this, don't mind her," she whispered to Lin Fei.
"It's okay." Lin Fei had anticipated such a reaction from the beginning. As he got in the car, he casually glanced out and saw Xu Dong shrinking behind a group of basketball players, looking as though he was afraid of being noticed by those here. Lin Fei couldn't help but find it amusing; clearly, the aunt was quite strict.
They both sat in the back seat, Xu Ke's hand gripping Lin Fei's firmly. Before starting the car, the aunt's calm gaze lingered on their clasped hands in the rearview mirror for an instant before quickly moving away.
"Bang!" The car door closed firmly. Amid the faint sound of the engine, the noise from outside seemed suddenly distant, and the surroundings started to retreat serenely and slowly.
"What industry does Lin Fei's family work in?" The aunt asked in a neutral tone, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
"My father owns a small bookstore, and my mother is an elementary school teacher," Lin Fei replied composedly.
"Oh," the indifference in the aunt's eyes reflected in the rearview mirror deepened.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the car grew a bit stifling.
Xu Ke, sitting beside him, bit her lower lip nervously, stealing glances at Lin Fei. Seeing his consistent smile, she relaxed a little.
"By the way Auntie, how has Cousin Songsong been lately?" Xu Ke, not wanting the mood to become too tense and make Lin Fei uncomfortable, quickly spoke up.
"Hehe, it's the same as always, likes to play too much. If he only had half of Keke's sense, I as a mother would be content," the aunt chuckled softly.
"Hehe... I'm not as good as Auntie says," Xu Ke laughed with a touch of embarrassment.
"So, are we going to pick up my cousin now?"
"Yes, and I'll drop you off on the way. You're heading to Qingyuan Restaurant, right? It's conveniently on the route. But, Keke, why don't you let your family driver..."
"Cough cough..." Xu Ke hastily coughed to interrupt her aunt. She had always been careful in her interactions with Lin Fei, and she had also asked her classmates in advance, knowing that Lin Fei's family situation wasn't that great. If he found out about the real differences between their families, he would likely not be able to handle the pressure. So, of course, she wouldn't dare to let her family's car pick them up. After all, if someone comes from a slightly better-off family with a relative who has a nice car, it's not a big deal.
The aunt caught on and smiled without saying anything further.
Lin Fei also felt a bit warm from Xu Ke's thoughtfulness. He could naturally guess what the latter half of his aunt's sentence would have been.
The car slowly stopped in front of the gate of School No. 14. A high school boy dressed in the latest fashion, reeking of hair gel, got in.
"Mom, what a coincidence."
"Coincidence? I'm here because Keke asked me to pick her up and you happened to be on the way," the aunt replied indifferently.
The boy chuckled nervously and didn't dare to reply, seeming a bit afraid of his aunt's presence. With a bang, he closed the car door and glanced at Lin Fei in the back seat. The boy didn't show any intention of paying attention to him but kept his head down, fiddling with his long, disheveled hair. He probably thought of Lin Fei as just another person catching a ride.
The car started moving again. Xu Ke didn't even look at her newly boarded cousin Songsong, treating him as if he didn't exist.
Lin Fei turned to look out the window as the scenery swiftly passed by. Even though Xu Ke had been holding his hand the entire time, the experience of being in someone else's car, along with enduring a kind of condescending atmosphere, undoubtedly made Lin Fei feel not so great. However, since he had promised Xu Ke and as a man, he felt it was necessary to bear this burden.
The Audi continued driving until it finally slowed down and stopped by the side of the road at the midsection of Taoyuan Road.
Both sides of Taoyuan Road were lined with neat rows of Chinese parasol trees, and the Audi stopped right in front of a Walmart store entrance.
Next to the supermarket was a large rectangular signboard, on which "Qingyuan Restaurant" was painted in vermilion. The characters were written with a flourish, exuding an air of grandeur and antiquity.
Xu Ke, holding Lin Fei's hand, got out of the car and politely thanked her aunt.
Lin Fei watched as the cousin Songsong in the silver Audi looked utterly shocked upon noticing their hand-holding, further emphasizing the disparity in their family backgrounds. Although Lin Fei was confident that he wouldn't be weaker than anyone else in this life, even so, the world he was about to enter was definitely not something that a young girl like Xu Ke could withstand.
"Keke! Over here! Over here!" A crisp and pleasant shout came from the entrance of the restaurant. Two beautiful and fashionable girls, with light makeup, were calling out loudly and waving over here, attracting the attention of many men entering and leaving the restaurant.
"Vivi! Xiaoping!" Xu Ke's face lit up with joy, still not forgetting to pull Lin Fei along as she ran over.
"So this is your guy?" the taller girl with silver earrings giggled. "Not handsome, huh? Is he the kind with substance?"
"You got it," Xu Ke giggled a little embarrassedly.
The other girl also laughed, "Alright, alright, Wenwen and the others are still waiting inside the private room. They're just waiting for you. Let's go in quickly." This girl, wearing a blue and gold earring on one ear, possessed a serene and seductive sense of fashion when she spoke, but her words were aimed solely at Xu Ke, deliberately ignoring Lin Fei's presence.
Turning her head, Xu Ke looked at Lin Fei, who gave her a gentle, reassuring smile.
"Let's go."
"Okay," Xu Ke nodded firmly. The other two girls clearly hadn't expected Xu Ke to treat Lin Fei with such importance. They exchanged surprised glances with each other but did not say anything more and led the way in front.
"Keke, why didn't you go to Dongming Lake with Xianzi last week when she invited you? Wenwen caught five big fish that day. And Wenwen's cousin also went. It was so lively," the tall Vivi asked while walking.
"I was just held up by something and couldn't make it, sorry," Xu Ke pursed her lips, seemingly reminded of the scene from that afternoon, stealing a glance at Lin Fei by her side.
"But you can't miss out today. Xu Jie is coming back from Shencheng and his plane lands at seven tonight. We'll all go to welcome him together," Vivi continued.
"Xu Jie? Didn't Shencheng University just start their vacation? How come he's back already?" Xu Ke asked in astonishment.
"I heard he got expelled."
"What? Expelled again?" Xu Ke exclaimed in surprise. "First Capital City University, and now Shencheng University. Is this guy taking college as a joke?"
"They say Xu Jie's dad got so angry this time he smashed an ashtray," Vivi added.
Lin Fei frowned slightly, catching Xu Ke's questioning gaze, and whispered, "Go ahead, don't worry about me."
Xu Ke bit her lip hesitantly. "You guys go ahead. I won't be coming tonight after all."
"What?" "Really? Keke!"
Xu Ke smiled and shook her head, "I'm not going."
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