Stirring Up Trouble

Blue Garden Villa

Lu Yichen entered the house, changed his shoes, and walked straight toward the upstairs.

"Brother Chen," Bai Yixuan called out from the living room. She had been sitting there waiting for him the whole time, but after he returned, he acted as if he hadn't even seen her and just kept walking upstairs.

"Hmm?" Lu Yichen stopped on the stairs and looked back, assuming she had been watching television. "It's getting late. You should get some rest early."

"Brother Chen, are you very busy?" Bai Yixuan hopped over, grabbed Lu Yichen's arm, and pouted. "I waited for you until midnight last night, and you didn't come back. Today, I finally managed to wait for you, but you won't even spare me a glance."

Bai Yixuan followed Lu Yichen upstairs and casually stretched out on the sofa in his bedroom. Lu Yichen, who had planned to take a shower and rest, could only sit down and accompany her for a little while.

"Yixuan, go to sleep earlier when you have nothing to do from now on. Don't wait up for me. School will be starting in a while, so you should focus more on reviewing your lessons."

Lying on the sofa with her hand still linked through Lu Yichen's arm, Bai Yixuan asked, "Brother Chen, in your eyes, am I always going to be just a little child who needs to study?"

"Of course. You naturally are. What else could you be?" Lu Yichen said, maintaining his patience. He had watched Bai Yixuan grow up. In his eyes, she was simply a mischievous and willful little girl and a spoiled young miss.

"Otherwise, I'm also your fiancée," Bai Yixuan couldn't help reminding him.

"Yixuan," Lu Yichen frowned and stood up. Unwilling to let go, Bai Yixuan sat up along with him. "Didn't we say it was just a contractual relationship? There's no need to take it seriously. You're still so young; you don't have to treat this promised relationship as a burden. If you find a suitable boy, go ahead and choose him, and I won't have any objections. Don't spend your days dwelling on me. I'm not suited for you." Two years ago, it was merely because Lin Yiqiong fell ill and started chattering about Lu Yichen getting married and having children. Bai Yixuan had chimed in that she wanted to marry him, and with both families present, Lin Yiqiong had smiled and claimed this daughter-in-law. From then on, everyone joked that Bai Yixuan was his fiancée and that they should hold a ceremony as soon as she turned eighteen.

Bai Yixuan stood up, letting go of his arm. Her small face was flushed, and her eyes shimmered with crystal-clear tears. "Brother Chen, do you mean to say that my being your fiancée is just my own wishful thinking, and that you don't acknowledge it at all?"

"What meaning is there in whether I acknowledge it or not?" He was already annoyed enough today, and now he had to coax Miss Bai as if she were a toddler. He hadn't known he possessed the potential to be a babysitter. "I've already said you are still too young. You can slowly consider the matter of having a boyfriend in the future. It's getting late, go get some rest." Unwilling to say anything more, Lu Yichen walked toward the bathroom.

"Brother Chen, you didn't use to treat me like this! Is it because you met that woman that you've become this way?" Bai Yixuan stamped her foot behind him. "I have no one to rely on here, and yet you still bully me like this..."

The bathroom door slammed shut with a bang. Bai Yixuan picked up a throw pillow from the sofa and hurled it toward the bathroom. Still unsatisfied, she threw everything she could grab onto the floor to vent her frustration. After standing with her hands on her hips for a moment and seeing that Lu Yichen showed no reaction whatsoever, Bai Yixuan rushed out in a single breath, threw herself onto her own bedroom bed, covered her head, and furiously pounded the pillow.

***

Baili Building, G.P. Counter.

Today, a demanding and difficult customer came to the counter. He made inappropriate advances toward Xia Yuwei, demanding that she keep him company while he drank. When she politely refused, it provoked endless harassment from him, and he even threatened to lodge a complaint about her poor service.

"I want to complain! I'll complain to your headquarters, to the management of this mall! What kind of quality is this? How can someone like you be a salesperson?!" A balding nouveau riche customer pounded on the table and yelled at Xia Yuwei, causing a commotion in all directions.

Xia Yuwei had no choice but to go fetch Liang Buli. Liang Buli turned around and glared coldly at Xia Yuwei. "You aren't suited for this line of work. A customer complaint damages the overall image of the counter. It would be best if you just left on your own and stopped staying here to disgrace yourself further..." She said as she walked over, her back held stiffly straight. These newcomers were truly impossible to manage! All they did every day was cause trouble for her...

"...Please be magnanimous and forgive any inadequacies in our service. This is our counter's VIP gift; if you're interested, you can choose one..." Liang Buli handled the customer's issue with practiced skill and instructed Xia Yuwei to apologize. Xia Yuwei had no choice but to say she was sorry.

"I don't give a damn about your gifts! I want her to apologize to me!"

Liang Buli shot a glance at Xia Yuwei, leaving her with no alternative but to lower her eyes and say, "Mr. Yang, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Do you even know what you're sorry for? I don't see any sincerity in your apology at all!..." The customer, addressed as Mr. Yang, was hard to please and clearly unwilling to let the matter drop just like that.

A customer was currently browsing the wine racks, and Lulu was attending to him. "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" Oh, this person was simply stunning! His figure was so slender, his facial features so sharply defined, and his gaze was cold, deep, and mysterious—giving off an unfathomable vibe. He was utterly fascinating...

"No need," the man said coldly. Lulu immediately felt rebuffed. Murmuring a quick "Take your time, then," she walked away.

From the corner of his eye, his gaze caught sight of Xia Yuwei on the opposite side. She was holding up a gift box with both hands, apologizing to the unreasonable customer.

His gaze suddenly locked onto her, watching the posture of her raised hands, while a barely perceptible ripple stirred within his eyes.

"Mr. Yang, I sincerely apologize to you here. Please accept our store's VIP gift." Xia Yuwei held the gift box up with both hands. After holding it for quite some time, her arms grew so sore they were beginning to tremble. Yet the man still looked at her sideways, refusing to acknowledge her.

Suddenly, the man was grabbed by a hand and hoisted upward. "Mister, step aside with me for a moment."

"Hey, what are you doing?!" With that, the balding Mr. Yang was hauled off toward the restroom.

Liang Buli and Xia Yuwei stared at each other in bewilderment. "Xia Yuwei, who is that?" Where did this handsome hero saving the damsel in distress come from? Xia Yuwei really knew how to stir up trouble!

"I don't know him!"