Chapter 242: Not Yet (17/20)

“You don’t allow anyone else to be with him, yet you insist on being the only one by his side. With such selfish possessiveness — and you still claim you don’t have any feelings for him?”

The food had been served. Yang Shuli was twirling her noodles around her fork, winding them round and round until they looked like a small corn on the cob.

She paused her movements upon hearing those words.

“Aren’t the two of us just gluttons?” Yang Shuli asked in return. “Is there any other possibility?”

“You might be one, but Brother Xu certainly isn’t.” The girl tapped on the table. “Do you even know what he’s done?”

“He’s treated me to dinner.”

“There’s more.”

“Of course there’s more,” Yang Shuli said with an air of entitlement. “He’s treated me to many meals.”

“He saved me. Without him, I might still be in some stinking gutter. You can’t compare to that, so it has to be him. I want to be with him,” she said, her voice sharp. “He can’t stay by your side forever; he’ll have to leave you eventually. Compared to you, I’m the one who’s truly suitable for him.”

It was as if a single drop of water had fallen into a quiet pond, sending ripples across the mirror-like surface.

“I think you have it backward,” Yang Shuli said. “Whether you’re worthy of him or whether you can compare to me isn’t determined by what he did for you, but by what you’ve done for him.”

She set down her fork. “So, what have you actually done? As far as I know, if Xu Nian hates someone, it’s either because their character is foul or they’re utterly useless. At the very least, I’ve treated him to a few meals.”

“Even as a glutton, I’m more useful to him than you are.”

She was ruthless, as if she were grinding the girl’s dignity into the dirt.

“What are you trying to achieve by saying these things to me now?” Yang Shuli lowered her head and poked at the noodles on her plate. “Are you trying to win without a fight? If you’re that capable, why don’t you go and impress Xu Nian to his face instead of playing these petty games?”

“Don’t even bother mentioning that there’s nothing between Xu Nian and me right now. Even if we continue our relationship exactly as it is, adding a dispensable ‘lover’ status wouldn’t matter to me.”

She clearly said this just to provoke her.

Yang Shuli was simply relying on the fact that Xu Nian wouldn’t let her lose, so she believed everything she said was right.

Two footsteps later, Xu Nian returned to the table. He straightened his cuffs and looked at the two of them.

“Just… ran… into… a bitch.”

He was concise.

Seeing Xu Nian, Yang Shuli seemed to let go of whatever she was holding onto. Her expression went blank again as she focused on the food and began devouring it.

She ate like a *taotie*.

Seeing Yang Shuli like this, Xu Nian reached out and placed his hand directly on the short-haired girl’s head.

“Have I been too kind to you? Did it make you think you could run wild wherever you want around me?”

He said in a low voice, “The others don’t dare come looking for me. It’s partly because of mutual restraint, but also because they’re smart — unlike you, who doesn’t know what should and shouldn’t be done.”

“If you act lively and show some attitude in front of me, I’ll give you a good face. But who taught you to mess with the people around me?”

His deep tone and sharp aura were reminiscent of the young man he was — young, yet powerful enough to command the winds and clouds.

“Brother Xu, I was wrong…” She seemed about to bow her head, but then she looked up and saw Yang Shuli gorging herself.

Wasn’t she supposed to be the “green tea” type who acted one way in front of people and another behind their backs? Why were the roles reversed now?

“I’m just not convinced… Why? Didn’t I come first? Haven’t I known you the longest? Why is it her and not me?” she asked.

Xu Nian poured a glass of juice for Yang Shuli to prevent her from choking while she wolfed down her food.

“Because to me, you’re just a nuisance,” he said bluntly.

“Also,” Xu Nian added, “in case your brain isn’t working properly, let me remind you: if you want me to do something for you, involving unrelated people will not only fail to sway me, it will make me despise you even more.”

“You should know this. If I were you, I would have given up on trying to use ‘feelings’ as a tether yesterday. After all, you don’t actually like me.”

And it was impossible for this guy to actually like her either. For someone to suddenly change their personality and chase true love for the sake of profit… Don’t make him laugh.

Xu Nian wasn’t one for idle talk.

He wasted his breath here partly to clear any thoughts the girl might have about targeting Yang Shuli. The other reason was that Yang Shuli wasn’t finished yet, and he couldn’t let her meal be ruined twice in a row.

However, he wouldn’t forget that this person might have bullied his Kid Yang just now. He held a grudge. His revenge would be like a package; it would be delivered to her door soon enough.

Seeing that Yang Shuli was nearly finished, Xu Nian patted her head. “Let’s go.”

Then, he cast one last look at the short-haired girl sitting there in a daze. “It seems your apology wasn’t very sincere this time. There’s no need for us to meet ever again.”

Meaning, even if they happened to cross paths in a crowd later, Xu Nian would act as if he didn’t see her. Their relationship didn’t just reset to zero; it plummeted to negative infinity.

Once they stepped out of the restaurant door, they would have no further connection.

“Xu Nian,” she suddenly called out, but she couldn’t even make him stop.

Xu Nian did stop, but not for her. He stopped only because Yang Shuli noticed a small cherry tomato used as a garnish on the plate and reached out to eat it.

Because he was holding her hand, he was dragged to a halt with her.

Xu Nian was indulgent enough to wait for her to eat it and then spend a long time picking at her teeth. A piece of tomato skin stuck to a tooth is truly annoying; the more you lick it with your tongue, the tighter it seems to stick.

“Do you really not have even a single shred of goodwill toward me?”

“Why would I have any goodwill toward you?” Xu Nian asked, genuinely confused.

“Then why did you keep me around? Everyone else who was incompetent was driven away, but I’m the only one left?” She pointed at herself, demanding an explanation.

Xu Nian didn’t even bother to respond. He led Yang Shuli, who had finally cleared her teeth, out of the restaurant. After all, some things were insulting to say out loud, and with Yang Shuli there, the child shouldn’t hear such foul language.

He left the girl behind. She looked like a dog.

Still holding Yang Shuli’s hand, Xu Nian stepped through the door.

“Old Xu, if you ever start dating, does that mean the two of us can’t be gluttons anymore?”

Xu Nian didn’t have to think; it was clear that the girl earlier had rattled Yang Shuli. “No, you and I will always be gluttons.”

“I mean, if a situation like that happens again and you need a lover, why don’t you just register me as your official partner?”

Xu Nian could tell she was afraid someone would take him away from her on the pretext of a relationship, especially now that people were specifically coming after him.

“No.”

Xu Nian turned back and gave Yang Shuli a serious look.

He saw high walls within those eyes. He had walked deep into her heart, but he hadn’t reached the center yet. Even if he took that title now, it would be useless. He still didn’t carry enough weight in her heart.

“Not yet.”