After the White Lotus Drops the Act

Deng Jue was startled by his words. He squinted at Tang You in the distance for a moment and asked, “A high schooler? First year, second year, or third year?”

The first two still required some hesitation, but if she was in her third year, she was practically an adult. Legally and morally, there wouldn’t be any real issues.

“She looks like—”

“A-Jue,” Xiao Zexing interrupted him, his expression indifferent. “Rules are rules.”

Deng Jue chuckled. “I didn’t say anything, did I? Just showing a little concern for my little niece.”

As they spoke, his phone rang.

As soon as he answered, a girl’s excited voice asked, “Did Yuko’s new photo feature Souffentine?”

She was quite loud, and Xiao Zexing heard everything clearly.

He glanced at Deng Jue.

Deng Jue sighed helplessly and replied, “My little ancestor, at least let me take a look first. I’ll message you on WeChat later, okay?”

“Hurry up, then.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The call ended.

Deng Jue had married young, taking a wife eight years younger than him, whom he doted on endlessly.

His delicate little wife was a huge fangirl, constantly following celebrities, idols, and influencers. Her favorite was a blogger named Yuko, and she insisted on owning every outfit Yuko had ever posted.

The devoted husband that he was, Deng Jue opened the picture his wife had sent, zooming in carefully to examine the background.

Xiao Zexing caught a glimpse of the screen unintentionally.

A slender waist, long legs, inky black hair, and snow-white skin.

Though the woman’s face was obscured by a cat mask, her elegance and aura couldn’t be hidden.

Noticing Xiao Zexing’s gaze, Deng Jue smirked and shook his phone. “What’s this? Interested in this type now? No longer into the little high school girl?”

Before Xiao Zexing could respond, Deng Jue continued on his own. “This could work too. An internet celebrity probably doesn’t have much of a background. If you want, I can—”

“No need. Do you really think I fall for every woman I see?” Xiao Zexing withdrew his gaze. “I’m not that desperate.”

Deng Jue clicked his tongue. “True. And who knows if this picture has been edited? She’s never shown her real face, so it’s hard to say.”

As he spoke, he finished checking the image and replied to his wife’s message.

Moments later, he received two heart emojis in return.

“Oh, by the way,” Deng Jue said casually, “Weijing just left.”

“Then find a replacement,” Xiao Zexing said nonchalantly. “Did he say anything before he left?”

Deng Jue shook his head. “Nope.”

He tried to recall Xiao Weijing’s expression when he left but realized he couldn’t remember anything at all.

It seemed that after the little girl left, Xiao Weijing had gone back as well.

Here, Xiao Zexing had a private lounge. Before entering, he glanced in Tang You’s direction.

Under the large sun umbrella, she was still sitting properly. Her small feet swung back and forth, a box full of strawberries resting on her knees. She held it with one hand while using the other to pick up strawberries and eat them sweetly.

It was the same portion she had just tried to feed him.

On the table in front of her was a bottle of water, its cap not screwed on tightly. It wobbled unsteadily before finally tipping over.

Water gushed out. The little girl hurriedly tried to right the bottle, but her skirt and legs inevitably got wet. In the slivers of sunlight filtering through, the damp fabric shimmered with an exceptionally pure and captivating glow.

Xiao Zexing’s gaze flickered slightly. Hearing Deng Jue call him, he stood still for a moment before stepping away.

Tang You had no idea that the man had just seen everything clearly. Now, with a large portion of her skirt soaked and no spare clothes to change into, she had no choice but to wring it dry by hand.

After finishing, she finally picked up her phone to deal with her messages.

Most of them were invitations for her to select outfits or collaborate on promotions.

And so on, and so forth.

She had rejected multiple marketing and talent agencies in the past, choosing to work solo instead. Her plan was to establish her own team after graduation.

Lately, she had been busy making things difficult for Xiao Weijing, and with A-Mai in seclusion, she hadn’t taken any new outfit photos. Her Instagram and Weibo had been updated with an old set of images from last month, taken at a private restaurant in Xijing.

Lowering her head, Tang You responded to each message one by one.

When she reached the last one, her finger hovered over the screen.

She paused.

Jiang Chenting: “Tangtang, I’m coming home this Friday.”

Tang You didn’t know how to reply. The message felt too much like a notification, so she simply put her phone aside.

The sun was getting hotter and hotter. There was no air conditioning here, nor even a breeze.

Tang You was delicate and couldn’t stand the heat. After discussing it with the staff, she went to the backup lounge to enjoy the AC and have a cold drink.

She was only pretending to be an innocent little flower—not actually one. Only a fool would sit there waiting the whole time.

There was no rush—she could come back out once she had rested enough.

Leisurely passing fifteen minutes, Tang You estimated the timing was just right. She carried a bowl of fresh fruit and returned to her previous spot, sitting down to eat while she waited.

Her timing was impeccable—just as she finished eating two grapes, a few people in team uniforms rode out on horseback at a slow, unhurried pace.

Tang You wasn’t sure if they could see her, so she stood up and waved.

She had to put on a show, after all.

Deng Jue noticed her gesture and rode his horse closer to Xiao Zexing. “That little one is waving at you. Not going to wave back?”

Xiao Zexing leaned forward, gripping his polo mallet.

Swinging it lightly to test the feel, he replied indifferently, “What’s there to respond to?”

“Tsk, tsk. She’s been waiting for you under the sun for so long.”

Xiao Zexing remained indifferent, gently stroking the horse’s mane before giving it a pat. “Win this match, and I’ll reward you.”

The brown horse had been personally trained by him and was highly intelligent. With a rhythmic clatter of hooves, it trotted off.

Deng Jue, still on his horse, could only chuckle helplessly.

He cast a sympathetic glance at Tang You, who remained standing there.

Of all the people to chase, she just had to go after Xiao Zexing.

If she wanted a challenge, why not try stealing Xiao Weijing’s fiancée instead? Wouldn’t that be easier?

If Xiao Weijing was S-rank, then Xiao Zexing was the ultimate hell-level SSS-rank.

Tang You continued sitting alone outside.

A staff member thoughtfully moved a small air conditioner closer to her, ensuring their distinguished guest wouldn’t suffer in the heat.

Tang You didn’t understand polo and couldn’t make sense of the game, so she simply pulled out her phone, chatted with friends, and played a few games.

With food, drinks, and entertainment, she wasn’t tired at all.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Her wrist started to ache from playing, and her neck felt sore, so she used one hand to massage her shoulder.

That was when a pair of long, straight legs entered her field of vision.

Tang You looked up and saw Xiao Zexing standing there, his expression indifferent.

He was still dressed in his polo uniform, though he had removed his helmet. His gaze was as deep and dark as ink.