Chapter 48: The Fox’s Dinner Gambit

Throughout the afternoon’s specialized class, Xiao Moyuan completely changed his usual noncommittal attitude towards Shen Zhixia.

Instead of his previous cold avoidance, he offered subtle, almost imperceptible responses to her quiet conversations and requests to borrow notes, as well as other small gestures of intimacy.

While still far from enthusiastic, this shift was more than enough to set Shen Zhixia’s heart racing, especially compared to his prior aloofness.

Xiao Moyuan’s softened demeanor stemmed from two primary considerations.

The first, and most crucial, was that maintaining a closer relationship with Shen Zhixia would grant him easier access to the high-ranking vampire hidden behind her.

One must cast a long line to catch a big fish; such patience was indispensable for a hunter.

The second reason was purely out of ‘interest’ in Su Mian.

He had discovered an extremely amusing phenomenon.

Whenever he showed signs of growing closer to Shen Zhixia, the little fox who played ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ online would immediately grow restless, finding every possible way to emerge.

They would attempt to use their virtual identity to snatch his attention, diverting his ‘focus’ from Shen Zhixia.

This clumsy, eager reaction, much like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, struck him as immensely entertaining.

He was quite happy to play along with this game.

“Moyuan, after class, would you like to have dinner with me?”

As class drew to a close, Shen Zhixia seized the opportunity to extend another invitation, her voice laced with careful anticipation.

She could distinctly feel that the aura of ‘do not approach’ that usually surrounded Xiao Moyuan had significantly softened that afternoon.

This was undoubtedly a positive sign, proving that her persistent overtures had not been in vain.

She even found herself silently thanking Su Mian for their lunch together. Had it not been for that ‘provocation’ to Xiao Moyuan, their lukewarm dynamic might have persisted for much longer.

Xiao Moyuan’s gaze remained fixed on his book, his tone flat and devoid of emotion. “I’ll check my schedule shortly. If there’s nothing else, then yes, we can.”

To Shen Zhixia, his words were practically an affirmation, and a joyful smile immediately bloomed across her face.

However, to Su Mian, who was eavesdropping from the back row, these words were nothing short of lighting a fuse.

He bristled instantly, a surge of nameless anger mixed with an undeniable pang of jealousy flaring up within him.

‘This Xiao Moyuan! He already has me, ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ as his ‘perfect’ (in his own estimation) online girlfriend. He just sent a necklace worth millions yesterday (according to Shen Zhixia), and today he so brazenly accepts another girl’s dinner invitation!’

‘Sure enough, all that previous tenderness, all those ambiguous interactions, were nothing but a façade!’

‘At his core, he’s still a two-timing scumbag!’

‘I actually thought for a moment that he might… not so bad?’

‘I must have been blind!’

A potent sense of crisis and jealousy surged through him. Without a moment’s hesitation, Su Mian immediately lowered his head, hiding behind his textbook.

He swiftly pulled out his phone and opened the chat window with ‘Yuan’.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Gege~ I miss you! What are your plans for tonight? What are you thinking of eating? (Little cat peeking.jpg)]

Almost the instant the message was sent, Xiao Moyuan, sitting in the front row, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Using the motion of turning a page, he subtly glanced at the screen. Upon seeing the clearly probing message, a faint, almost imperceptible curve touched the corner of his lips.

It was exactly as he had anticipated.

This little fox simply couldn’t withstand any provocation.

[Yuan: I might be going out to eat with a friend tonight.]

Upon seeing this reply, Su Mian was so furious he nearly crushed his phone. ‘He’s actually planning to go eat with Shen Zhixia!’

‘And ‘friend’? What an easy word to use!’

‘Hmph! Scumbag!!!’ he fumed inwardly. His cheeks puffed out involuntarily, his face a clear picture of displeasure and grievance.

This sulky expression of his was precisely caught by Xiao Moyuan, who happened to turn his head.

Xiao Moyuan’s gaze lingered for a moment on Su Mian’s puffed-out cheeks, largely obscured by his bangs yet still discernible. The mischievous streak in his heart found immense satisfaction.

It was strange, but after confirming that Su Mian was ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ his perception of Su Mian had completely changed.

Even in his current ‘disguise’—donning unfashionable black-rimmed glasses, with messy hair, and deliberately concealing his looks—that unconscious pout earlier, in Xiao Moyuan’s eyes, now carried a clumsy… cuteness?

Had he seen Su Mian make such an expression before knowing the truth, he would likely have found it jarring, even repulsive.

The shift in identity had brought about such a wonderfully peculiar change in perspective.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Hmph! Gege, you’re not going out to dinner with a girl tonight, are you? (Suspicious gaze.jpg)]

Xiao Moyuan replied without a change in expression, his fingertips betraying not a hint of hesitation.

[Yuan: No.]

Su Mian stared at those two words, almost laughing in exasperation.

‘Does this guy really lie without batting an eye?’

‘He can spout such nonsense so brazenly when his ‘girlfriend’ is checking up on him?’

‘Does he have absolutely no psychological burden?’

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Well, I don’t care! I’m going to check up on you during dinner tonight! You have to send me pictures! (Righteous.jpg)]

He had mentally prepared himself for Xiao Moyuan to ignore him, or even grow impatient.

After all, given Xiao Moyuan’s usual temperament, he would most likely disregard such an ‘unreasonable request.’

However, the other party’s reply once again defied his expectations.

[Yuan: Okay.]

‘Huh?’

‘He actually agreed?’

‘So readily?’

Su Mian froze, a thought flashing through his mind.

‘Could it be that Xiao Moyuan isn’t planning to have dinner with Shen Zhixia after all?’

‘Was he just humoring Shen Zhixia earlier?’

No sooner had this guess surfaced than he heard Xiao Moyuan, from the front row, speak to Shen Zhixia in his usual cool, clear voice: “I don’t have any other plans tonight.”

Shen Zhixia’s voice was filled with obvious delight. “Really? That’s wonderful! Let me see what good restaurants are nearby…”

Su Mian: ‘???’

‘He’s still going?’

‘Then how dare he agree to my check-up?’

‘Is he simply fearless, or does he intend to feign compliance?’

Just then, Xiao Moyuan suddenly turned his head without warning, his gaze fixed directly on Su Mian. Startled by the sudden attention, Su Mian’s heart gave a violent thump.

“You… what are you doing?” He instinctively recoiled, his voice dropping several registers.

‘Was my gloating when Xiao Moyuan entered the classroom earlier a bit too much? Is he now realizing and coming to settle accounts?’

‘Should I make a run for it immediately?’

‘But Shen Zhixia is right here; running away now would be too embarrassing… Yet, if it came to a fight, could my small frame really beat Xiao Moyuan?’

As Su Mian pondered how to retaliate without appearing too pathetic,

Xiao Moyuan observed his frightened yet feigned composure, his evasive eyes. He found it highly amusing, but his face remained impassive as he spoke. “Dinner tonight, together?”

His words were like a pause button, freezing both Shen Zhixia and Su Mian simultaneously.

Shen Zhixia: ‘???’

Su Mian: ‘???’

Su Mian’s brain completely crashed.

He had envisioned countless possibilities, but this development was entirely unforeseen.

‘Xiao Moyuan is inviting *him* to dinner? With *him*? Su Mian?’

This was even more outlandish than the sun rising in the west!

‘Aren’t they rivals?’

‘Don’t they despise each other?’

Xiao Moyuan seemed to sense his shock and bewilderment. In a rare display of ‘kindness,’ he offered an explanation, his tone still devoid of any discernible emotion:

“I accidentally bumped into you last time, which led to your hospital visit. This dinner is on me, consider it an apology.”

Su Mian took several seconds to process this.

‘So that’s why?’

Meanwhile, Shen Zhixia’s smile had completely frozen, and a strong wave of displeasure surged within her.

How could she let Su Mian intrude as a third wheel on the private dinner opportunity she had worked so hard to secure?

She struggled to maintain a gentle tone, looking at Su Mian as she attempted a subtle refusal:

“A’Mian, won’t you… need to eat dinner with your roommates?”

She deliberately emphasized ‘roommates,’ making her implication abundantly clear.

Su Mian met Shen Zhixia’s gaze, which, though seemingly concerned, carried an unmistakable undertone of rejection. He instantly understood her unspoken message.

‘She doesn’t want me to go.’

But how could *he*, Su Mian, possibly stay out of this mess?

The thought of creating an opportunity for his rival and his crush to be alone together was simply unthinkable.

With him present, he could at least keep an eye on Xiao Moyuan, preventing him from making any inappropriate moves on Zhixia (though deep down, he was perhaps more worried about other things).

He could also ‘remind’ Xiao Moyuan, at the opportune moment, that he still had an ‘online girlfriend’!

Thus, Su Mian pretended to completely miss Shen Zhixia’s hint, shaking his head with a natural expression. “No need, actually. My roommates and I usually eat separately; it’s quite flexible.”

Having said that, he turned to Xiao Moyuan, as if afraid he might change his mind, and quickly added, “Then I’ll accept your apology.”

The moment the words left his lips, he distinctly felt the atmospheric pressure around Shen Zhixia drop, and her complexion darkened considerably.

Su Mian silently apologized to Shen Zhixia in his heart.

‘There’s nothing for it. When it comes to love, I admit I’m selfish.’

‘His philosophy was simple: happiness had to be actively pursued, not achieved through concession or self-sacrifice.’

Xiao Moyuan took in the silent skirmish between the two. Observing Su Mian’s slightly triumphant and resolute gaze, his lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile, too fleeting to catch. “Very well, I’ll book the restaurant.”

After class, Xiao Moyuan went to get his car.

The restaurant was chosen for its convenient, neither-too-far-nor-too-close location.

Su Mian stood by the roadside, just about to pull out his phone to call a taxi and habitually invite Shen Zhixia to join him, when a sleek, expensive black sedan smoothly pulled up in front of them.

The car window lowered, revealing Xiao Moyuan’s expressionless profile. “Get in.”

Su Mian opened the rear passenger door, about to usher Shen Zhixia to sit with him in the back, when Xiao Moyuan spoke again from the driver’s seat, his tone unequivocal. “Su Mian, you sit in front.”

Su Mian’s movements halted. That familiar wave of annoyance, triggered by being prevented from sitting with Shen Zhixia, surged within him once more.

He deliberately spoke with a hint of challenge. “Zhixia is my childhood sweetheart, what’s wrong with us sitting in the back together? Or… are you, Great Campus Idol Xiao, so lacking in confidence?”

His words were pointed, subtly implying that Xiao Moyuan was afraid of him and Shen Zhixia growing too close.

To Shen Zhixia, however, these words carried a completely different interpretation.

She suddenly realized that Xiao Moyuan wanted Su Mian to sit in front because he was bothered by her and Su Mian being too close; he was jealous!

This realization filled her heart with sweetness.

Although she was slightly puzzled as to why she wasn’t asked to sit in the front, she still smiled understandingly. “It’s fine, I’ll sit in front then.”

Su Mian heard this and thought, ‘How can that be allowed?’

‘Letting Shen Zhixia sit in the passenger seat would only play further into Xiao Moyuan’s hands!’

He immediately, with lightning speed, yanked open the front passenger door and plopped himself down, his movements so swift they seemed to stir the air. “No, no,” he declared, “when riding in someone else’s car, it’s better for me to be obedient.”

With that, he casually slammed the car door shut.

Shen Zhixia’s hand, extended to open the front passenger door, froze in mid-air. “…”

Xiao Moyuan glanced at Su Mian beside him, who was already buckled in, staring straight ahead, and pretending nothing had happened. The corner of his mouth twitched subtly. “…”

“Let’s go, Great Campus Idol Xiao.”

Fearing Xiao Moyuan might tell him to get out, or instruct Shen Zhixia to sit in front, Su Mian quickly urged him on, attempting to make the situation irreversible.

Xiao Moyuan glanced at Shen Zhixia, whose expression outside the car was already quite displeased, through the rearview mirror. In the end, he said nothing, simply starting the car in silence.

‘This little fox… what on earth goes on in his head all day?’

‘He merely wanted him to sit a little closer to himself.’

‘However, his wild imagination and quick wit truly possessed a certain foxy cunning. By a strange twist of fate, he had perfectly masked Xiao Moyuan’s true intentions.’

The car smoothly merged into traffic.

Su Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, mentally patting himself on the back for his ‘cleverness,’ yet completely overlooking one crucial detail.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhixia, left standing alone, watched helplessly as the black sedan sped off into the distance, even inhaling a faint whiff of exhaust fumes.

She was utterly bewildered, standing disheveled in the evening breeze.

‘She, it seems… hadn’t even gotten in the car yet!!!’