Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 129 Mutual Modesty

Chapter 129: Chapter 129 Mutual Modesty

At Xu Yingying’s insistence, Xu Shanshan had no choice but to change into a more conservative set of pajamas Yingying provided before she came out.

As soon as she appeared, she heard Li Yifei telling Xu Yingying, "Yingying, go take a bath first. Once you’re done, it’ll be about time to eat."

Xu Yingying agreed and then picked up her things and went into the bathroom.

Xu Shanshan came into the kitchen, stuck out her tongue at Li Yifei, and said, "Brother-in-law, I’m sorry, yo."

"What’s wrong? What trouble have you stirred up?" Li Yifei smiled and looked at Xu Shanshan.

Xu Shanshan said sheepishly, "Just now, my mouth ran ahead of me, and I mentioned seeing two beauties, nearly enraged my sister. Luckily, I smoothed things over for you."

Li Yifei chuckled and said, "Anyway, I don’t have anything to do with them, it wouldn’t matter to your sister."

"Oh, come on, you know my sister’s temper—she can’t stand the slightest bit of grit in her eye. You’re going to need to prepare for tonight and sweet-talk her. I won’t be able to help you."

Li Yifei looked up and tapped Xu Shanshan on the head, replying, "After causing trouble, you just leave it be, huh? What kind of sister does that?"

Xu Shanshan giggled and said, "At that moment, I was just trying to give my sister a sense of crisis, didn’t realize it would backfire."

"Alright, there’s nothing to worry about. My relationship with your sister is very solid, this isn’t something that can easily be ruined. Go help your brother-in-law get the bowls and cutlery out; we’re almost ready to eat."

Xu Shanshan agreed and hurried off to help.

After Xu Yingying finished bathing and came out, the aroma wafting through the house made her mouth water. Only then did she remember that she hadn’t eaten the entire day. Earlier, her mood was off, and she hadn’t felt hungry, but now her stomach started to protest with a growl.

"I bet you haven’t eaten all day again. Come and eat now. Working like there’s no tomorrow—really!" Li Yifei frowned, looking quite annoyed.

Sitting at the dining table in a daze, Xu Yingying felt a warmth from Li Yifei’s scolding that reminded her of her parents’ admonishments when she was a child; once she grew up and left home, her parents had never scolded her again.

"Have some soup first to soothe your stomach, then we can eat," Li Yifei said as he ladled out a bowl of egg drop soup for Xu Yingying.

Xu Yingying took it, sipped, and was refreshed by its delicate fragrance. She couldn’t help but take a few more spoonfuls before looking up at Li Yifei and saying, "Thank you."

"Thank you for what? Am I a stranger?" Li Yifei shook his head and served a bowl for Xu Shanshan as well.

Xu Shanshan took it with a beaming smile, "I’m not going to be as polite as my sister. Whatever my brother-in-law makes is delicious." She took a couple of sips of the soup and then began to eat avidly.

Xu Yingying, who was also famished, ate quite a lot as well, and her mood gradually improved. She asked, "Where did you all go to have fun today?"

"We visited Hualong Temple and then took Shanshan to buy some clothes," Li Yifei answered succinctly.

Xu Shanshan snickered to herself; it had been a day full of excitement and thrills, by far the most enjoyable day she’d had in a long time.

"Take Shanshan out for some fun again tomorrow. But I won’t be able to lend you the car, so you’ll need to take a taxi," she said.

Li Yifei nodded and responded, "Hmm, by the way, did work not go well again today?"

Xu Yingying sighed and said, "The people sent from the headquarters are just so infuriating."

Xu Shanshan pouted, "Then just stop working for them. With your capabilities, sister, everywhere is the same."

Xu Yingying shook her head, replying, "It’s not that easy. But now, I really am considering leaving."

Li Yifei chimed in, "Going to Su Mengxin’s place wouldn’t be bad, right?"

Xu Yingying said with a tinge of worry, "There’s no question about Su Mengxin’s personal appeal, but I’m afraid that after going there, it might start off well but eventually turn out just like now."

Li Yifei replied, "I don’t think you need to worry about that. Su Mengxin is not like those shortsighted people at your current headquarters."

"This is not something to be rushed; I’ll think it over some more."

Xu Shanshan, not understanding the conversation, butted in and asked, "Who is Su Mengxin?"

Li Yifei laughed and explained, "She’s quite influential. I heard she has a big company in Capital City. Somehow, she ended up developing her business in Mile City and really admires your sister. She wants your sister to help manage her Mile City branch, but your sister hasn’t agreed yet."

"Su Mengxin, is that a woman’s name? How old is she, and is she pretty?" Xu Shanshan was most concerned about this.

Li Yifei found it difficult to answer this, but fortunately, Xu Yingying nodded and said, "She’s about my age, and she has a title—the number one beauty in Huaxia. You tell me, is that pretty or not?"

"What? The number one beauty in Huaxia? How come I’ve never heard of her?" Xu Shanshan’s eyes widened. The title of the number one beauty in Huaxia seemed like a big deal.

Xu Yingying explained, "To ordinary people, the number one beauty in Huaxia indeed seems too far away. Even I didn’t know about her before. It was only after attending a municipal reception recently that I learned of her existence. It’s a title circulated among the upper echelons. But just think, if she’s regarded as the number one beauty among those high-level individuals, you can imagine how beautiful she must be."

"Wow, that’s quite something. I’d really like to see what this number one beauty in Huaxia actually looks like if I get the chance."

Xu Yingying gave her sister a look and said, "That won’t do. When she’s in Mile City, even the mayor and the Municipal Party Secretary wouldn’t dare visit her without her permission, so how could I casually bring you along?"

Xu Shanshan pouted, "She must have quite the attitude."

Right after dinner, Xu Yingying’s phone rang. It was He Fangqing calling. After glancing at Li Yifei, she retreated to the bedroom to answer the call.

"Sister Fangqing, what’s up?" Xu Yingying said after she closed the bedroom door.

He Fangqing replied, "Nothing much, just feeling a bit troubled and wanted someone to talk to."

Xu Yingying quickly said, "Sorry, Li Yifei kept me occupied. These past few days my sister has been staying over, so I had to pretend he’s my boyfriend. I hope you don’t mind."

He Fangqing paused, then chuckled lightly, "Why should I mind? I’ve already told you that there’s no way between him and me; we were just amusing ourselves out of loneliness."

Xu Yingying had heard this from He Fangqing more than once; she now understood He Fangqing’s thoughts, which were essentially to avoid a relationship for the time being. However, Xu Yingying always felt that since Li Yifei had been intimate with He Fangqing, they should be together. So now, with He Fangqing calling, and her having Li Yifei pretend to be her boyfriend, she felt somewhat guilty.

"Hehe, I won’t meddle in your affairs. Why are you feeling troubled today?"

"Ah, don’t you know? If that person comes into our company, how will I carry myself? Not to mention that woman who behaves like a shrew. She’ll definitely insult me non-stop."

Xu Yingying sighed, "I’ve been troubled by this matter for the past few days too. Don’t rush; I will definitely give you a definite answer this week. Whether I go or stay, I’ll make a decision."

"Hmm, that would be best. Although I haven’t been in touch with you for long, I feel most relaxed working with you."

A woman like He Fangqing had been harassed often while at the head office, by managers and directors, which greatly annoyed her. Working with Xu Yingying was different; as a female boss, there was no harassment, and the diligence mirrored her own work ethic. She felt like she had found a kindred spirit and wanted to make the jump to a new job with Xu Yingying, despite considering other offers.

After discussing work for a while, He Fangqing chuckled and said, "You know what, Yingying, I’d like to ask you a personal question."

"What question?" Xu Yingying’s heart skipped a beat, sensing that He Fangqing’s question might be difficult to answer.

"Your sister came to visit, so she must be staying at your place. Then, where is Li Yifei staying?"

Xu Yingying immediately blushed, struggling to respond to such an embarrassing question.

He Fangqing had already guessed the answer from Xu Yingying’s embarrassment and laughed heartily, "Come on, Yingying. There’s nothing to hide from me. If you really like him, then just be with him. I won’t interact with him anymore."

"Don’t, don’t, don’t!" Xu Yingying, in her excitement, repeated ’don’t’ three times before gathering her thoughts. "Yes, Li Yifei and I share a room, but we’ve done nothing. Do you think I’m that easy? Besides, I genuinely have no feelings for Li Yifei. It’s only because I have to keep up with the lie I told over the New Year that I continue to ask for his help."

"A man and a woman... sharing a room, even sleeping on the same bed... can you really do nothing?" He Fangqing’s tone was teasing.

"Really, I couldn’t, you’re my good friend, would I steal your man?"

"I’ve told you before, he’s not my man. Whether or not you ’steal’ him has nothing to do with me. The only thing that matters is whether you mind his past relationship with me."

"Sister Fangqing, if you keep this up, I’ll send him away right now. I’d rather let my sister know I was lying."

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you. But that Li Yifei is quite the ladies’ man, to stay so well-behaved around a beauty like you, I can hardly imagine it."

"He really is well-behaved, I can vouch for that. So don’t go by his flirty exterior. When it comes down to it, he’s quite principled. I truly think you could consider being with him. Though he’s just a junior employee, I feel he’s very capable. And even if he doesn’t move up at work, he would still be great at taking care of home, especially since the meals he cooks are so delicious—I ate so much tonight."

"Yingying, have you realized that you actually have quite a good impression of Li Yifei?"

With that remark from He Fangqing, Xu Yingying was at a loss for words. Suddenly, she realized she quite liked having Li Yifei stay with her.