Chapter 50: The Unveiled Scheme

A flush of crimson instantly surged onto Su Mian’s cheeks, spreading all the way to his earlobes. He resembled a cat whose tail had been stepped on, startled and enraged, as he abruptly sprang from his chair.

His eyes wide, he fixed a gaze upon Xiao Moyuan that was a turbulent mix of extreme shock, disbelief, and the burning shame of being thoroughly played.

Xiao Moyuan, with impeccable timing, displayed just the right amount of feigned confusion. He subtly raised one eyebrow, his tone innocent. “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face? Is it worth such an intense stare?”

Sitting beside him, Shen Zhixia was also startled by Su Mian’s sudden, fierce reaction. She leaned forward, asking with concern, “Ah Mian, are you alright? Why is your face so red?”

‘Red in the face?’

Naturally, it was from Xiao Moyuan’s outrageous stunt!

That guy! He actually secretly took photos of Su Mian, then immediately sent them to ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ even labeling him a ‘fox spirit’?!

Such tactics were utterly shameless!

In a flash of insight, Su Mian’s mind cleared, and all the scattered clues instantly connected.

He understood everything!

No wonder Xiao Moyuan had, against all odds, invited him to dinner today!

It wasn’t an apology, nor had Xiao Moyuan’s opinion of him changed. It was purely to use him as a convenient, and perfectly safe, ‘human shield’!

With Su Mian, this ‘love rival,’ present, Xiao Moyuan could perfectly explain this dinner party to both Shen Zhixia and ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ absolving himself completely!

‘What profound cunning!’

‘What masterful calculation!’

Su Mian felt like a naive fool, kept in the dark and secretly delighted, completely manipulated in the palm of the other’s hand. The crushing sense of defeat and the infuriating feeling of being fooled made him almost explode.

Just then, the phone in his hand vibrated again, and Xiao Moyuan’s new message popped up on the screen.

[Yuan: Wife, why so quiet? What do you think of this ‘fox spirit’ in the video?]

Xiao Moyuan watched Su Mian’s dramatically shifting, utterly captivating expression, barely managing to suppress a laugh.

‘This little idiot, calling himself a ‘fox spirit’… in a way, it’s a rather accurate prophecy.’

On his end of the screen, Su Mian felt his heart bleeding.

‘This question is too difficult! How should I reply?’

‘Praise the ‘himself’ in the video?’

‘Wouldn’t that be openly praising another male in front of his ‘official boyfriend’?’

‘His painstakingly cultivated ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ persona of a devoted, loyal lover would instantly collapse!’

‘Criticize the ‘himself’ in the video?’

‘Wouldn’t that be pointing a finger and scolding myself?’

‘And I’d have to scold with genuine emotion, without letting Xiao Moyuan detect the slightest flaw…’

After an intensely fierce internal struggle, his strong ‘career ambition’—the grand plan to successfully retaliate against Xiao Moyuan and win back Shen Zhixia—ultimately triumphed over his pitiful sense of personal honor.

Su Mian endured his internal injuries, his fingertips trembling as he laboriously typed on the screen:

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Hmph! He’s nothing special after seeing him. Quite ordinary, very, very ordinary! He can’t even compare to a single strand of hubby’s hair! (disgusted pout.jpg)]

The moment he sent that message, Su Mian felt a pang in his heart.

[Yuan: Hmm, I agree. This ‘fox spirit’ is indeed very ordinary.]

Su Mian stared at the reply, nearly choking on his breath. He felt as if all his strength had been absorbed by cotton, leaving him utterly frustrated and stifled.

Xiao Moyuan watched Su Mian’s complex expression—a mixture of anger, grievance, and stifled indignation that he was forced to suppress—with great interest. The pleasure in his heart almost overflowed.

This little fox, who thought himself clever but was actually full of loopholes, reacted in such an amusing way that Xiao Moyuan couldn’t help but want to tease him more.

Just as Su Mian was pondering how to turn the tables, a slightly familiar voice, which he couldn’t quite place, chimed in from the side, tinged with a perfectly measured surprise:

“Su Mian? What a coincidence, I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Su Mian turned his head at the sound, a distinct look of astonishment flashing across his face.

Standing by the dining table, a gentle and refined smile gracing his features, was none other than his new roommate—Xia.

‘Why was he here?’

However, that thought was fleeting.

Considering Xia’s evident financial standing and mixed heritage, his presence at this rather upscale restaurant didn’t seem so strange after all.

Su Mian collected himself and politely responded, “Yes, it’s quite a coincidence. Are you alone?”

Xia nodded, his smile unwavering, his tone natural. “Yes, alone. I tried this restaurant yesterday, and the food suited my taste, so I came again today.”

As he spoke, his gaze seemed to inadvertently sweep over the other two people at the table.

Almost the instant Xia appeared, the aura around Xiao Moyuan imperceptibly chilled.

This man gave him an extremely uncomfortable feeling, like an undercurrent hidden beneath a calm surface, carrying an inexplicable sense of discord.

He instinctively drew upon a wisp of spiritual energy, subtly probing Xia—yet the feedback indicated this was merely an ordinary human, devoid of any spiritual or demonic fluctuations.

Seeing this, Su Mian quickly made introductions. “This is Xia, my new roommate. He just transferred to N University a couple of days ago; he’s half Chinese, half British.”

He then turned to Xia. “These two are Xiao Moyuan and Shen Zhixia, my classmates.”

Shen Zhixia also eyed Xia curiously.

Objectively speaking, he was indeed handsome, with striking features and a unique demeanor, but he wasn’t her type.

Moreover, for some reason, when she was near him, a faint, inexplicable sense of oppression arose within her, even a hint of an unspeakable… suffocation?

After a brief introduction, Xia showed a hint of appropriate awkwardness and politely inquired:

“Um… it seems this restaurant is quite busy tonight, and there are only multi-person tables left. If you don’t mind, may I share a table with you?”

Su Mian didn’t answer immediately; instead, he instinctively cast his gaze towards Xiao Moyuan, the host of the evening.

Since Xiao Moyuan was treating, the decision naturally rested with him.

“I don’t mind,” Xiao Moyuan uttered three words, his gaze, however, still fixed on Xia with a scrutinizing intensity.

In this world, no ‘ordinary person’ had ever made him feel such strong discomfort.

Xia remained impeccably polite throughout, a flawless smile gracing his lips.

He moved naturally, preparing to sit in the empty seat beside Su Mian.

Just then, Xiao Moyuan suddenly spoke, addressing Shen Zhixia: “Shen Zhixia, sit next to Su Mian.”

Shen Zhixia: “???”

Su Mian: “!!!”

Both were stunned simultaneously.

Xiao Moyuan’s expression was calm, as if stating a perfectly reasonable fact, and he added another sentence, his tone brooking no argument:

“Aren’t you childhood sweethearts? Sitting together, it’ll be easier to chat.”

Shen Zhixia’s lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but seeing Xiao Moyuan’s expressionless yet inherently oppressive face, she ultimately swallowed her words and silently stood up.

Su Mian was utterly bewildered, primarily because this ‘happiness’ had arrived so suddenly and bizarrely.

He completely failed to understand what Xiao Moyuan was playing at.

This guy actually voluntarily let Shen Zhixia sit next to him?

‘Had the sun truly risen in the west?’

Despite the tangled mess in his mind, this outcome was undoubtedly one he welcomed.

His gloomy mood, previously caused by being teased, was instantly dispersed by this unexpected surprise, and an uncontrollable smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

‘Hmm, looking at it this way, Xiao Moyuan sometimes… does manage to do something decent, after all?’

As Xia’s posture subtly faltered, and a fleeting, almost imperceptible crease appeared on his brow, Xiao Moyuan’s sharp gaze precisely caught this minute change.

His wariness toward Su Mian’s new roommate instantly escalated another level.

He then looked at Xia, speaking in a detached tone, “Sitting next to me, that’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Of course, it’s fine.”

Xia quickly reined in all outward emotions, his gentle smile returning to his face, and he obligingly sat in the empty seat beside Xiao Moyuan.

However, in a moment unnoticed by others, a deeply suppressed, icy desire to tear apart the obstructive man before him flashed in his eyes.

After taking his seat, Xia gave Shen Zhixia a meaningful glance, then dismissed her from his attention. He naturally steered the conversation towards Su Mian, engaging him in talk with an attitude that was both friendly and appropriately reserved.

Xiao Moyuan’s brow subtly furrowed, almost imperceptibly.

Xia’s disguise was almost perfect, but as a top predator, Xiao Moyuan clearly sensed that this man’s attitude toward Su Mian was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface; it was a veiled attention with a specific purpose.

This made his gaze towards Xia grow even colder, as if covered with a thin layer of ice.

Xia seemed completely oblivious, still speaking with an apologetic smile. “My sudden intrusion and proposal to share a table were indeed a bit presumptuous.”

Xiao Moyuan was unreserved, cutting in directly, “You certainly have a good self-awareness.”

Xia’s smile stiffened for a moment, then returned to normal. He skillfully bypassed the topic and instead proposed:

“How about this, to show my apology, this meal is on me today. I just became a member here yesterday.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Moyuan’s lips curved into a faint, humorless smile. His tone was flat but carried an invisible counterattack: “No need. Just take care of your own portion. My expenses will be directly deducted from my member account.”

This seemingly ordinary yet subtly combative exchange between the two left Su Mian and Shen Zhixia, sitting opposite, exchanging bewildered glances.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Why are these two so hostile right from the start?’

‘Did they have a previous grudge?’

Su Mian carefully recalled, then felt it wasn’t right.

If there had been a previous conflict, with Xiao Moyuan’s personality, he would never have agreed to Xia sharing their table, likely not even giving him a pleasant look.

‘What was the reason for this inexplicably tense atmosphere?’

Su Mian looked at the three people, each with a different expression, and felt that this meal was destined to be tumultuous.