Chapter Sixty-Six: Deceived

I was half-forced by Xu Shu’s younger sister to enter the café, utterly unsure how to refuse this girl whose enthusiasm bordered on excess. Out of consideration for her brother Xu Jian and her sister Xu Shu, I simply let her have her way.

Once inside, Xu Shu’s sister dragged me to a window seat, where a boy and a girl about her age were already sitting.

She smiled at them and said, “I found Uncle Lei Feng! Now do you believe me?”

The boy replied, “How do you know everyone? You really have a knack for this!”

Xu Shu’s sister grinned, then turned to me, “Uncle Lei Feng, please sit,” and called loudly to the waitress, “Miss, bring this gentleman a golden steak!”

I noticed three steaks already on the table, nearly finished. I chose the seat next to the boy and said, “Uncle Lei Feng? My surname isn’t Lei.”

The other girl giggled, “In this day and age, it’s rare to find someone so eager to help a blind person cross the street. We thought Lei Feng had been reincarnated, so calling you Uncle Lei Feng is our way of showing respect. Isn’t that so, Xu Xin?”

Xu Shu’s sister—Xu Xin—sat across from me and nodded, “Exactly! I told them I know a real-life Lei Feng and they didn’t believe me. Now they’re out of arguments.”

“Yep! Nothing more to say,” the two girls exchanged glances and burst into laughter. I couldn’t tell if their “real-life Lei Feng” was meant as praise or mockery, so I asked, “Did you come here for some kind of competition?”

The boy beside me paused, surprised, “Competition? What comp—” Then, catching Xu Xin’s fierce glare, he quickly corrected himself, “Ah…yes! A competition, we’re here for a competition.” Xu Xin beamed and explained, “We’re participating in the National High School Speech Contest, held nearby at Sixteenth High School. Our turn hasn’t come yet, so we’re out for lunch. We’re up this afternoon, and I’m a bit nervous! Tang Qian, if you’re free, could you cheer me on?”

Her friend immediately turned her head away, struggling to suppress laughter, while the boy ducked his head and devoured his steak.

Looking at Xu Xin’s innocent smile, I felt a vague sense of unease, as if something was off, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Better to stay alert for now.

I pretended to hesitate, “Well…I have something this afternoon, probably won’t have time.”

Xu Xin didn’t mind, “Oh? That’s fine, no big deal!” She began eating her steak. Soon, mine arrived. Lifting the lid, steam billowed out—golden, fragrant, mouthwatering. Pricey things really do look delicious.

Since I wasn’t paying, I saw no reason to hold back. Knowing the Xu family’s wealth—Xu Shu alone worth hundreds of millions—I guessed Xu Xin had been accustomed to spending freely since childhood. No need to lecture her. Since she insisted on treating, I wouldn’t be polite.

After a few more bites, Xu Xin announced with a smile, “Excuse me, you take your time eating. I’m going to the restroom.” I picked up my knife and fork, “Go ahead!” and started eating.

I didn’t notice Xu Xin wink at the girl, who nodded with a smile, clearly in on something.

Less than a minute after Xu Xin left, a cellphone rang among us. The girl quickly pulled out her phone and answered, “Hello? Ah…Ms. Liu, we’re eating out…yes, yes, we’ll be right back!” She hung up and said to me, “Oh no! Our teacher can’t find us, is furious, and ordered us to return immediately. We’ll go now. When Xu Xin comes back, please tell her to settle the bill and hurry over.”

“You’re not waiting for her?”

“No time, the teacher is angry! We have to check in. Guo Zheng, let’s go!”

The boy nodded and stood. I moved aside to let them pass. They waved goodbye and rushed out. I kept eating, waiting for Xu Xin to return, but by the time I’d nearly finished my steak, she hadn’t come out of the restroom.

Suddenly, a realization struck me. Damn, had I…been tricked?

I waited a bit longer, but it was clear she wasn’t coming back. Furious and exasperated, I tossed my knife and fork onto the table, unable to calm myself. Just then, a waitress came by. To confirm my suspicion, I called her over, “A girl went to the restroom earlier and hasn’t returned. I’m worried she might have had trouble. Could you check for me?”

The waitress looked surprised, “She left long ago! Said you’d pay the bill.”

My vision darkened with rage. I forced a smile, “Of course, I’ll pay. I didn’t know she’d left—must have had an urgent matter.”

“Would you like to settle the bill now?”

I waved, “Fine, bring the check.”

Soon she brought it over. When I glanced at the total, I nearly exploded, “How much? Eighteen hundred and fifty? That must be wrong!”

“No, sir. Three coffees, one hundred fifty each, that’s four hundred fifty. Four steaks, three hundred fifty each, that’s fourteen hundred. Total is eighteen hundred fifty, no mistake.”

I was so angry I nearly had a stroke, cursing Xu Xin inwardly. Who would have guessed that beneath her pure face lurked a true con artist!

Helplessly, I pulled out my wallet, thinking: Am I cursed with Xu family women? The elder sister insulted me with money, the mother looked down on me, and now the seemingly harmless little sister had played a trick on me! What terrible luck!

Reflecting on their brother Xu Jian’s upright and generous character, I couldn’t understand how the sisters turned out so differently. Maybe they had different mothers?

Luckily, I still had the five thousand yuan Hua Jingjing returned to me last time, untouched in my wallet. Otherwise, with my usual cash on hand, I would have been utterly humiliated today. Gritting my teeth, I counted out nineteen hundred yuan and handed it to the waitress, who gave me fifty yuan in change. Furious, I stormed out of that cursed café.

As soon as I got outside, I whipped out my phone and angrily called Xu Jian, whose number I remembered well. The phone rang three times before his booming voice answered, “Hello! Who’s calling?”

“Brother Xu, it’s Tang Qian.”

“Tang! Haha! Thought of me so soon? Good, you’re a real friend! Where are you? When shall we have a proper drink again?”

“Next time. I have a question for you.”

“What is it? Ask away!”

“I ran into your younger sister in B City today. Your little sister—what kind of person is she? Why would she trick people?”

“Xin? She’s in B City? How did she trick you?”

I recounted my ordeal to Xu Jian, who burst out laughing, “My little sister is a little demon—I don’t dare cross her. You’re just unlucky to have run into her. Honestly, she’s played plenty of tricks on me—I try to avoid her whenever I can. Only Xu Shu can handle her; even my dad, a full-fledged commander, can’t do anything about her. If you really can’t get over it, wait until Xu Shu comes back from America and have her bring the little demon to apologize to you. How about that?”

I was speechless, “Even you can’t do anything? Yesterday you made Xu Shu apologize to me—you seemed pretty authoritative as an elder brother!”

“Ahem, depends on the person. Xu Shu is a sensible adult, listens to reason. The little demon is used to getting her way—if you scold her, she’ll out-scold you, and if you push her, she’ll find ways to get back at you. She’s the darling of my dad and stepmother, with strong backing—no way to discipline her. I’ve suffered more than you, so I just swallow my pride and let it go. Tang, my advice: let it go, grown-ups shouldn’t hold grudges against children. I’ll treat you to a drink and apologize on her behalf. Want to teach the little demon a lesson? Difficult!”

I was silent for a while, wondering how such a terrifying little girl could exist—a real menace! I couldn’t imagine how her parents and teachers raised her. Still, Xu Jian made sense: adults shouldn’t hold grudges against children. It was just a trick, a bit of lost money—I could take it. For Xu Jian and Xu Shu’s sake, I’d let it go. After all, getting angry only hurts myself.

Gradually, I recovered from my extreme annoyance and told Xu Jian, “In that case, let’s leave it at that. Next time you’re in B City, drinks are on me.”

“Great! I’ll come. I need to call the school and check—has the little demon skipped class again?”

“Alright, talk next time.”

I hung up, my mood already much calmer. I gave a bitter laugh—when confronted with such things, all you can do is accept your bad luck. After all, she’s my friend’s sister. But if she tricks me again, I won’t care who her father is, or that her sister is a superstar—I’ll make sure she gets a proper lesson!

I thought fiercely.

But this lunch cost me nearly two thousand yuan—half my entire savings! It still made my heart ache. Xu Xin! I will never forget this name, and from now on, I’ll remind myself: never trust women who look pure and adorable, even if they’re just children, or you might suffer a heavy loss!