Beside Xu Tingsheng, Li Linlin who had constantly been paying attention to him apprehended this gaze.

  Actually, she should be the one who most suspected this in the first place. In truth, she had indeed been feeling curious all along as to Xu Tingsheng’s concern for and treatment of this ‘student’ of his which had already long surpassed ordinary bounds as well as common sense.

  Earlier, she had also heard about Ning Garden, special-grade prize, half-price flat……

  Li Linlin knew of Xu Tingsheng’s relationship with Zhicheng Real Estate……

  Now, coupled with this gaze which was clearly out of the realm of the ordinary, she vaguely sensed that an answer had finally come to what she ha.d always been guessing yet had thought to be impossible.

  She feigned nonchalance as best she could, looking downwards and covering her mouth with a hand.

  There were just too many things that she could not understand here, too many mysteries and too many inconceivable things……after all, she was acquainted with Lu Zhixin and knew Apple.

  “Just like that, they’ve……lost to this young girl?”


  Having interacted with Little Xiang Ning for a very long time, Li Linlin really liked her a lot as they shared a very close relationship. Still, if one were to say that she who was just sixteen right now was comparable to the beautiful and competent Lu Zhixin whom one could not help but admire, or Apple who was currently at the peak of her popularity and looked set to become a legend in showbiz……

  Li Linlin had no way of rationalising this through.

  She secretly tilted her head and stole a glance at Xu Tingsheng. However much she was unable to comprehend this, however shocking the matter was, since Xu Tingsheng wanted to keep it a secret, she would not tell anyone about it, Old Wai included, although he too had been curious about it before.

  He was someone who had saved her life before, next having wholly changed it for the better……

  Xiang Ning’s cousin Liu Yingru, the daughter of her eldest aunt, had already deliberately walked past Xu Tingsheng a couple of times.

  Now, secretly tugging at Little Xiang Ning, she whispered into her ear, “That Xu Tingsheng clearly looks quite nice……”


  “He does?” Little Xiang Ning asked with a solemn expression on her face, “I feel that he doesn’t look very nice at all! Also, he’s really very fierce and very hateful too.”


  The Xiang family had set up four tables for they and their guests for dinner that night. In truth, just like Liu Yingru, there were actually quite a few people who had heard of Xu Tingsheng before who had been secretly paying attention to him ever since learning of his presence.

  This was mainly thanks to ‘Comrade Cousin’ and that laughable gossip which had emerged from her mouth regarding her daughter Li Meng, the Xiang family and Xu Tingsheng, which she had spread around with a vengeance.

  It would be difficult for the Xiang family’s relatives to not know of Xu Tingsheng.

  Now, the Xiang family that had constantly been avoiding this topic before had actually invited Xu Tingsheng to their home in such an upright and aboveboard manner to express their gratitude to him as one of those who had taught their daughter……

  In the end, just like Mr Xiang had predicted, most of these people were shut up by this as their opinions on the matter changed too.

  On one hand, they became increasingly sceptical of this auntie of Xiang Ning’s who was a well-known gossip.

  On the other, having learnt of Xu Tingsheng’s background and witnessed him in person, a portion of them privately felt that it wouldn’t be a loss even if this matter was real. Wouldn’t it be a heavensent blessing whichever family it was that managed to ‘acquire’ him? Who would willingly see him fall into the hands of another?

  “As I see it, it’s okay if it isn’t real, but if it is, even I feel that he should really pick the little girl of the Xiang family. All that means is maybe waiting another year or two at most.”


  “Right, the Xiang family’s little girl is much better looking than that Li Meng.”


  “Setting appearances aside, just look at Li Meng’s mother and how that child has been learning from her, her mouth becoming more and more toxic by the day. With that, who would dare want her daughter?”


  “What she said was that her daughter caught the eye of this Mr Xu right away. I guess we’ll see about that, huh……”


  Discussions were rife as more and more gazes were directed over now. While Li Meng and her mother who were currently also present felt quite uncomfortable, it was more of excitement that they felt.

  The mind of Li Meng’s mother was filled with what Li Meng had conveyed to her. She believed that Xu Tingsheng might indeed have been interested in her daughter initially, believed that this might just be another chance that had come……’a golden goose’ son-in-law! If she had previously known that this might happen, she would not have spread all the gossip that she had.

  Li Meng thought that it might really just have been the little girl being wilful at the time. The so-called questionable relationship between the two had merely been a baseless claim on her part due to her anger and shame from back then……

  Thus, Li Meng also believed that it seemed like she should try to strike up a conversation with Xu Tingsheng again.

  Admitting that her previous words had been totally unwarranted and apologising to the Xiang family for them……that would really be impossible……

  Her mother pushed her forward, egging her on.

  Li Meng spiritedly stood up and adjusted her clothes and hair before walking gracefully towards Xu Tingsheng.

  Being in the midst of conversing with Xiang Ning’s Grandma, Xu Tingsheng did not notice her.

  Everyone else, however, directed their gazes at him and Li Meng who was currently walking towards him. Having heard so many rumours before, now was finally the time to see if it was really like how her mother said it was, that they had had a matchmaking session before, thus having rather positive impressions of each other.

  The atmosphere suddenly quietened greatly.

  Arriving in front of Xu Tingsheng, Li Meng plastered a sweet smile on her face and called out, “Xu Tingsheng……oh, you’re here too! I didn’t see you just now. It’s been a long time, huh.”


  Xu Tingsheng smiled apologetically towards Xiang Ning’s Grandma before looking up rather blankly.

  Seeing a young woman in front of him, he appeared momentarily confused before he asked with an apologetic smile on his face, “Hello……um, sorry, you are?”


  Deathly silence descended.

  A pair of chopsticks fell onto the ground. Even this little sound was obtrusive indeed, contrasted as it was against an utter silence.

  In actual fact, when Li Meng had come to talk to Xu Tingsheng, whatever the two talked about, however Xu Tingsheng acted towards her, she and her big-mouthed mother would have been able to construe it to their benefit in some way nevertheless.

  If Xu Tingsheng was very cordial and friendly towards Li Meng, that would naturally be best. ‘Comrade cousin’ could say, “See, I told you. The two of them hit it off well since way back.”


  If Xu Tingsheng was very cold to Li Meng, she could similarly say, “Sigh, look! Could it be any more obvious? The Xiang family said bad things behind her back, creating a misunderstanding.”


  Who would have thought that Xu Tingsheng might actually start with a……it caused all their hopes to dissipate into nothingness. He, he doesn’t even know who your daughter is in the first place……

  “It doesn’t look like he’s faking it?”


  “Right, it looks like he really can’t remember her.”


  “Then, doesn’t this mean that……”


  “They hit it off well……ha……what a joke. The Xiang family really suffered wrongfully then, having been at the brunt of so much terrible gossip.”


  “He doesn’t even remember her face. How could they really have hit it off? The Xiang family is really too nice. If it were me and I made arrangements to get them to meet out of goodwill, and she dared to fabricate things like this and blame it all on me just because it failed, I would have ripped off her mouth long ago……”


  Low laughter, scornful, disparaging noises and sounds of discussion arose.

  From Xu Tingsheng’s expression, they judged that he really didn’t seem to remember Li Meng.

  That’s right, Xu Tingsheng wasn’t faking it. His acting skills weren’t that great; he had really been unable to recognise her at first glance. As people often came over to say hi to him too whether he was at school or outside, he had gotten used to politely enquiring who they were.

  Xu Tingsheng bore no ill will towards Li Meng.

  Mr and Mrs Xiang had dared not let Little Xiang Ning learn about the nasty gossip spread by that auntie of hers as even she was not aware of it. With that, there was naturally no way Xu Tingsheng could have known about this.

  Thus, how could he possibly have felt hatred towards Li Meng as a result?

  While Little Xiang Ning had said that she did not like that cousin of her mother’s, she had simply said that she had been very bothersome regarding the matter of the flats. The little girl had only complained about this, not having spoken more on the matter. Not being some little kid, there was no way Xu Tingsheng would feel anger towards Li Meng as a result, hence deliberately causing her to lose face.

  He had really failed to recognise her.