Chapter 49: The Vixen’s Unmasking

The car sped rapidly towards the restaurant. Su Mian, settled in the passenger seat, inwardly gloated over his own cleverness.

He was utterly absorbed in the triumphant feeling of having outsmarted his perceived love rival and gained a slight advantage, so much so that it didn’t even occur to him to turn around and check if anyone was in the backseat.

It wasn’t until Xiao Moyuan parked the car in front of an elegantly decorated restaurant that Su Mian, habitually wanting to display his gentlemanly conduct—or perhaps, to impress upon Xiao Moyuan his thoughtfulness towards Shen Zhixia—reached for the rear door.

Only then did a stark realization hit him: the backseat was completely empty.

‘???’ Su Mian was dumbfounded. He leaned his head into the car, glancing left and right, then straightened up to look around.

“Where’s Zhixia?”

An utterly absurd thought flashed through his mind. ‘Surely, Xiao Moyuan hadn’t driven so recklessly that Shen Zhixia, unbuckled, had been flung out midway?’

Even he found the idea preposterous.

He quickly pulled out his phone, intending to switch back to his main WeChat account to call Shen Zhixia. Upon unlocking the screen, however, he saw several missed calls and unread messages on the ‘Su Mian’ account, all from Shen Zhixia.

[Zhixia: You two just left like that?!]

[Zhixia: I hadn’t even gotten in the car yet!]

[Zhixia: Why aren’t either of you answering your phones?]

Only then did Su Mian suddenly remember that he had deliberately set his phone to silent mode earlier, specifically to prevent the notification sound from exposing him if Xiao Moyuan suddenly replied to ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’s’ message.

A wave of guilt immediately washed over him, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Feigning composure, he turned to look at Xiao Moyuan, who had already locked the car and wore a calm, indifferent expression.

His tone carried a hint of accusation: “Xiao Moyuan, Zhixia didn’t get in the car! Why didn’t you answer her call?”

He attempted to shift the main responsibility onto him.

Xiao Moyuan didn’t even twitch an eyebrow, his reasoning full and unassailable. “I was driving, and my phone is always on silent mode; safety first.”

He paused, then turned the tables. “Yet you, sitting in the passenger seat, didn’t notice she hadn’t gotten in?”

Su Mian choked, his momentum instantly deflating by half. He stammered, “I… I was just… thinking, wasn’t I?”

He quickly changed the subject. “So what do we do now? Should we go back and pick her up?”

Xiao Moyuan, however, seemed in no hurry. He glanced at his watch and calmly stated, “Let’s go in and order first. Traffic will be heavy at this time; going back and forth would waste at least forty to fifty minutes. I genuinely have matters to attend to tonight, and my time is tight. I’ll just call her a private car; it’ll be faster.”

Su Mian remained silent. He watched Xiao Moyuan’s calm, almost indifferent demeanor, and an odd feeling stirred within him.

‘Why does it feel like… Xiao Moyuan isn’t as invested in Shen Zhixia as I imagined?’

‘Is he even eager to end this dinner?’

‘Does he genuinely have urgent matters tonight?’

‘Or is it… that he wants to quickly get through this ‘dinner with a friend’ charade before ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ has a chance to thoroughly check up on him?

Then he can go explain to his ‘official girlfriend,’ or perhaps even fabricate an excuse about ‘not making it’?’

‘Hmph, dream on!’ Su Mian sneered inwardly.

‘Good thing I, the original ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ am right here, acting as a human surveillance camera throughout.’

‘Later during dinner, I’d like to see how Xiao Moyuan plans to keep this act going, right under ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’s’ nose!’

The two entered the restaurant and were guided to their seats by a waiter.

Xiao Moyuan directly handed the menu to Su Mian. “You order,” he said. “Didn’t you claim to know her tastes?”

Su Mian didn’t hesitate, taking the menu and meticulously choosing dishes he remembered Shen Zhixia enjoying. As he ordered, he inwardly plotted how he would ‘check up’ on Xiao Moyuan later.

Not long after they finished ordering, Shen Zhixia arrived.

She strode quickly into the restaurant, her face clearly flushed with indignation. Even in the restaurant’s soft lighting, it was apparent that her complexion was far from pleasant.

She stopped by the table, her gaze sweeping between Su Mian and Xiao Moyuan. Barely suppressing her anger, she demanded, “What’s wrong with you two? Why did you just drive off without waiting for me to get in?”

Su Mian guiltily lowered his head, unwilling to meet her gaze. He had been so engrossed in his ‘duel of wits’ with Xiao Moyuan that he had completely forgotten about Shen Zhixia.

His eyes darted, and he immediately employed his skill for shifting blame, pointing at Xiao Moyuan. “Zhixia, you can’t blame me for this! I wasn’t the one driving! He just drove off!”

‘Su Mian is truly too clever!’

‘This surely lowers Xiao Moyuan’s standing in Shen Zhixia’s eyes, right?’

However, Xiao Moyuan didn’t even lift an eyelid. He unhurriedly took a sip of water, then spoke in a steady tone, his logic so clear it left no room for refutation:

“You were the one who asked me to drive. Before getting in, you repeatedly emphasized that you were Shen Zhixia’s ‘childhood friend,’ with your words brimming with ‘concern’ and ‘care’ for her.

Out of respect for this ‘deep friendship’ of yours, I naturally trusted that you would ensure she was safely in the car before signaling me to depart.

You urged me to ‘drive now,’ so I assumed everything was ready. What’s the problem?”

These words effectively nailed Su Mian to the pillar of shame for ‘carelessness and betraying a friend’s trust.’

Su Mian’s face flushed crimson instantly. He opened his mouth, but found any explanation at this moment would be pale and powerless, only making things worse.

He felt like a mere clown, effortlessly manipulated by Xiao Moyuan.

Fortunately, although Shen Zhixia was displeased, she seemed unwilling to appear overly petty in front of Xiao Moyuan.

She merely shot Su Mian a dissatisfied glare, delving no further, and instead settled into the empty seat beside Xiao Moyuan, changing the subject.

“Never mind,” she said. “Have you ordered the food?”

Su Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly replied, “Ordered, ordered! I ordered everything according to your tastes!”

He still felt a surge of indignation; that round was undeniably his loss.

But it didn’t matter; the real battle was yet to come!

‘I’d like to see how Xiao Moyuan handles ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’s’ inspection!’

At this thought, Su Mian gritted his teeth in silent frustration. He immediately picked up his phone, switched to the ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ account, and began composing a message.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Big brother~ It’s mealtime! Quickly take a picture of your surroundings, let me see if there’s some ignorant ‘vixen’ clinging to you and eating with them? (Full of jealousy.jpg)]

As the message sent, a wave of secret delight washed over Su Mian. He was already bent over, chuckling to himself.

He imagined Xiao Moyuan frantically searching for an angle to avoid Shen Zhixia, or racking his brain for an excuse.

However, before the smile on his lips had fully blossomed, his phone vibrated almost simultaneously.

[Yuan: Yes, it’s with this ‘vixen’. [Video]]

Su Mian, puzzled, tapped open the video—a mere three-second clip with a somewhat tricky camera angle,

It looked like it was secretly filmed, yet the center of the frame was clearly fixed on a face—slightly disheveled bangs, distinctive black-rimmed glasses, none other than Su Mian himself!

The video had clearly been taken at the very moment he had lowered his head to chuckle!

Su Mian: ‘???’