Chapter 12: Narrow Road of Enemies

  "Ximen Qing... Ah, have you had dinner? If not, come to our house to eat. It's also a way for us to thank you for the two times. Especially the last time, it was you who saved Lili's life, we really should thank you properly." To be honest, even Sun Huijiao, who thought Ximen Qing was a good person, couldn't help but feel a bit awkward when calling out his name. But she quickly smiled slightly, because she knew that in this world, people with the same name and surname were as common as the ocean. It didn't matter if there was one more Ximen Qing. Although his name was a bit special being the same as...

  "Mom——" As soon as she heard that her mom wanted to invite Ximen Qing to come to their home for dinner, Gu Lili immediately expressed her disapproval. But very quickly, after calling out "mom", there were no longer any strongly dissenting words.

  Because Gu Lili is not an idiot. Ximen Qing indeed saved his own life this time, and it's also his credit. Because although she appeared to be fierce and powerful just now, she herself knew that if she really had to fight with Zhao Cheng and those people, her outcome would not be good at all. If Zhao Cheng and those guys were perverts, they might even have been gang-raped.

  Thinking of this, Gu Liuli would have a kind of inexplicable fear. After all, she was still a young unmarried girl...

  So although she thought Ximen Qing's brain was a bit abnormal, after all, from the two times he helped her out of trouble, this person wasn't too bad. At least not to herself and her mom.

  Why refuse someone who is not bad for you thousands of miles away?

  That is to say, this big beauty who was originally very resistant to Ximen Qing has begun to change her attitude towards our Lord Ximen.

  "Thank you for your kind intention, madam," Ximen Qing replied with a respectful face, "I've already had dinner."

  "I'm telling you, how can you be like this? Even if you helped us again, you shouldn't call people names like that... 'Old Lady'? Haha, Mom, are you really that old?" Gu Lili said, already laughing so hard she was doubled over.

  When Ximen Qing called himself "Dàniáng", Sun Huijiao also felt a sense of surprise. As someone who also had a strong love for beauty, she suddenly felt a surge of anger. But fortunately, Ximen Qing had been kind to her daughter, and besides, she knew that this young man named Ximen Qing would occasionally say some astonishing things. So Sun Huijiao suppressed her anger and forced out a very awkward smile as she looked at Ximen Qing.

  Ximen Qing immediately realized that his address of 'Danei' was inappropriate. ——Although in his own life in the Song Dynasty, women of Sun Huijiao's age were all addressed as such, and still seniors.

  What should he call her then? —— He couldn't just call her "wife", could he? That would make him sound too young, and she might think he wasn't showing respect for her... Besides, it seemed that this term of endearment "wife" had some other meaning in their society... Last time he called Gu LiLi, the beautiful woman, "wife", she was unhappy and said he was flirting with her.

  It wasn't until later that Ximen Qing found out she should have called Sun Huijiao "Auntie". But that's a story for another time.

  Ximen Qing could only smile awkwardly

  Sun Huijiao soon didn't mind anymore. Looking at her daughter still laughing there, with a very unbridled appearance, she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, scolding Gu Lili: "Look at your appearance, in front of outsiders, don't you know how to restrain yourself? I think who will dare to want you in the future!" —— Sun Huijiao's meaning was very clear, she had already taken this young man as her son-in-law candidate, why didn't this stinky girl show even a little bit of ladylike demeanor in front of him?

  "Cut it out, mom! I don't want to hear this. As the saying goes, 'King's wife sells melons, self-praise', you should be praising me when marrying off your daughter, not putting me down like that! You need to face a fact: in B city, your daughter is a stunning beauty, loved by all who see her, and the boys chasing after her are as numerous as the stars in the sky!"

  "Yes, big...". Ximen Qing dared not call Sun Huiyao "big lady" again. His words suddenly changed and went straight down: "...your daughter looks like a celestial being, I think even the male gods in heaven would be moved by worldly desires if they saw her..."

  Gu Lili couldn't help but turn her face to glance at Ximen Qing, her big eyes narrowing slightly, with a deep meaning in them. She looked at Ximen Qing for about two seconds before smiling and saying: "You're the only one who's spoken a reasonable word."

  “……————”

  Immediately following Ximen Qing's words, Sun Huijiao continued: "So according to what you just said, you also have feelings for my family's daughter?... Hehe, young man, isn't that so?"

  “————”

  Gu Lili couldn't help but feel speechless at her mother's eagerness, she didn't mean to guide things in this direction. Her mother was so focused on wanting to make this guy her son-in-law. ---Even if she wanted to recruit him, shouldn't she at least ask about his intentions?

  Thinking of this, Gu Lili rolled her eyes at her mother, but felt a bit embarrassed to say anything.

  Besides, this guy who shares the same name and surname as the infamous yín thief in history, apart from occasionally having a short circuit in his brain, is actually not bad. Moreover, he's quite good-looking...

  Not bad. If Ximen Qing wore that set of Song Dynasty clothes and had the hairstyle of the Song Dynasty, he would be very handsome. Now, Ximen Qing is so handsome that it's ridiculous.

  Beauty, men have always been unable to resist.

  So, handsome guys and beautiful girls are equally irresistible. Even if there's no good feeling, they won't be too disliked either.

  So, following this logic, never believe what men often say: "Men have never pursued women based on their looks."

  Because this sentence is usually a comfort to those men themselves about their own faces.

  Seeing Ximen Qing at a loss for words, Sun Huijiao simply said that she had indeed spoken too hastily. Sun Huijiao knew that sometimes doing things quickly wasn't necessarily a good thing, and might even scare off people who were slow to warm up. So, seeing Ximen Qing's expression, she hurriedly smiled again and immediately changed the subject:

  "Hehe... young man. Our home is in that neighborhood, if one day you're bored and want to see our Lili, just come to our building and sit for a while... Oh, we live in Building B, Unit 1, 6th floor, 603."

  Ximen Qing looked in the direction that Sun Huijiao had pointed, and indeed there was a small district there. That small district looked very prosperous. It seemed that not just anyone could live there. Compared to other nearby districts, the one where Gu Lili lived stood out even more.

  "Auntie Sun, are you going shopping? Why didn't you let the nanny come out?"

  Just then, as Ximen Qing was gazing at the residential area where Gu Lili lived, a voice rang out.

  Ximen Qing's eyes lit up slightly as he turned his head to look at the speaker. The man was very handsome, tall and slender, a type that many beautiful girls liked. Of course, it was impossible for him to compare with himself. So, Ximen Qing's eyes sparkled not because of the man's appearance, but because he felt that this face seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

  "Zhou Liang, ah... ...Is the filming finished? How do you have time to come back? You're a big star who rarely shows up!" Seeing that it was Zhou Liang, whom she had grown up with since childhood, greeting her, Sun Huijiao's face lit up with a smile. "It's just that I'm bored at home, so I wanted to come out and take a walk, and also buy some things I like. If I let the nanny buy them, they won't know which style I like."

  The man standing opposite is Zhou Liang, who was replaced by Ximen Qing as the male lead in the photography studio. He is a popular star with a high reputation nowadays.

  So when he heard Sun Huijiao tell him about the "filming" incident, he was somewhat displeased with conditioned reflex. But he didn't show it at all, not even a bit.

  "Hehe, Auntie Sun, don't say that. Even if I become famous again, I'm still your junior, right? ... These two days the play has just finished filming, and I've had some free time to relax, it's also a holiday for myself, letting me take a good rest." Zhou Liang said, then shifted his gaze to Gu Lili.

  He Zhouliao didn't notice that his new arch-nemesis was standing right next to him. Moreover, he had the free time precisely because of this guy's sudden appearance and killing spree.

  However, our Master Ximen still couldn't recall that this guy was the one he met yesterday.

  "Lili, it's rare for me to have some free time this time. Do you have any spare time in the next few days? I'd like to invite you to travel to Lijiang with me?"

  Zhou Liang and Gu Lili can be said to have grown up together since childhood. From a very early age, Zhou Liang had liked Gu Lili. It's just that because everyone was so familiar with each other, he never had the courage or the nerve to express his feelings to Gu Lili.

  It's probably because they're too familiar, but Gu Lili didn't think much of Zhou Liang's words and actions towards her. She never thought of him in a romantic way. Although Zhou Liang was handsome, it was strange to say, but Gu Lili only treated him as her very close big brother.

  "Oh, really!" When Zhou Liang invited her to play in Lijiang, Gu LiLi, who loved to have fun, was excited and jumped up high. But soon, she shook her head and said: "....But, Bright Brother, it's not possible. I just entered the company and can't be too playful. Otherwise, my dad will say that I only know how to play and don't work hard. I need to show some achievements to my dad!"

  Gu Lili, although the daughter of B City's business king Gu Ziqiao, did not rely on her family background to get by. Instead, she wanted to make a name for herself through her own efforts and show her father what she was capable of.

  A tiger father has no dog son. The daughter of a business king also has an unyielding spirit in her bones!

  When Gu Lili said she wanted to work, Zhou Liang's face fell and he looked very unhappy. "Alright, you go ahead and work hard. When you achieve something, I'm sure Uncle Gu will be extremely pleased."

  Gu Lili smiled and nodded.

  Sun Huijiao couldn't help but smile awkwardly, because she felt that this conversation had left Ximen's official in the cold. Moreover, he was her personally appointed son-in-law!

  "Look at you guys, once you start talking, it never ends. ... Lili, he's the one who saved your life, how can you treat him like this? Why don't you introduce your good friend Ximen Qing to Liangliang?"

  Sun Huijiao said so, naturally did not want Ximen Qing to feel resentful because of their cold treatment. If he felt resentful, it would be a big problem.

  Besides, one's own son-in-law, how can he not be treated well?

  It wasn't until then that Zhou Liang finally realized. Originally, beside Aunt Sun and Lili was standing a man. And this man, what's his name... "Ximen Qing"? — This immediately piqued Zhou Liang's interest, and he naturally looked over at Ximen Qing.

  "Okay... Auntie Sun... if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first. You all chat slowly."

  Ximen Qing is not stupid. He knew Sun Huijiao's intention, but as an outsider, he felt embarrassed to stay here and let them look at him with disdain. At this time, he tactfully said to Sun Huijiao. Since he knew he couldn't call Sun Huijiao "Madam" anymore, Ximen Qing thought it wasn't suitable to call her "Auntie" either... so he had no choice but to follow Zhou Liang's way and call her "Aunt Sun".

  "It's you!"

  Just as Sun Huijiao was about to persuade Ximen Qing not to leave in a hurry, she heard Zhou Liang's unexpected voice with a few parts of anger, and it was only two words!

  To Zhou Liang, Ximen Qing's appearance is such that even if he changed into a different set of clothes and hairstyle, completely different from before, he would still be able to recognize the guy who stole his male lead role at first glance!

  Gu Lili couldn't help but frown slightly. She didn't know what had happened between her brother Liang and this guy, but anyone with a normal sense of hearing could detect the thick hatred in Zhou Liang's tone.

  Sun Huijiao saw that the atmosphere was clearly not right, and hurriedly acted as a peacemaker, smiling and saying: "Liang Liang, Ximen Qing, do you know each other?"

  "Right. Got it."

  Because Sun Huijiao was present, Zhou Liang also didn't dare to lose his temper. But the tone of voice was extremely heavy. As if he wanted to use such a heavy tone to crush Ximen Qing to death! —— Besides, his beloved Lili was also by his side, and he couldn't expose his violent side.

  He didn't even think about it, if he really started fighting, would he be a match for Ximen Qing?

  "But I don't know you."

  Ximen Qing said lightly. Originally, Ximen Qing still wanted to take the opportunity to get to know this handsome guy better. But seeing his angry face towards himself, Ximen Qing also dispelled this idea. It seems that the newcomer is not very friendly!

  I don't have an obligation to be friends with a guy who doesn't like me.

  "You..." Zhou Liang was almost driven to vomiting blood by Ximen Qing. "Hmph, you just wait and see!" Zhou Liang said, then turned and left, without even saying goodbye to Gu Lili.

  Ximen Qing couldn't help but feel secretly pleased in his heart. It seems that ignoring one's opponent is the most infuriating move.

  "Aunt Sun, I think I'll be leaving too. Take care of yourselves."

  Ximen Qing finished speaking, and he couldn't help but take a glance at Gu Lili. He thought she looked even more beautiful the more he looked at her, and it made him have all sorts of improper thoughts. Then, he strode away quickly.

  Gu Lili and Sun Huijiao both arrived at the same time. Especially Sun Huijiao, although she was a bit older, but this kind of thing was still her first encounter. One was Lili's childhood friend who got along very well with her, and the other was Lili's lifesaver. However, when these two people met face to face, they immediately became incompatible like fire and water.

  "What's going on here?"