Chapter 231: Chapter 231

Hua Xiaomo bit her inner lip. Thinking about the kind of relationship that had occurred between them, she now wished she could never see him again. But if it involved other people, it wasn’t something she could handle alone. And Zhou Xiyang, what would happen to him? With Qi Longbing’s power so vast, wouldn’t it be a matter of minutes to deal with him, a small McDonald’s manager?

"Fine, I’ll go see him with you," Hua Xiaomo said, her eyes reflecting a deep gravity.

She didn’t know if she should smile or cry when she faced him. Should she bitterly scold him, or guiltily scold herself? Alas... this sad reality! Why was it always so hard for her? She was now in such a sorry state due to this matter. After all, he hadn’t lost anything; the one who had lost was her! Thinking about all this made Hua Xiaomo’s mood unbearable.

"Alright. Get in the car," Yu Bao responded, then opened the car door for her.

Hua Xiaomo got into the car. Yu Bao gave her a glance and forced a smile. "Don’t be . Actually, you just have to coax President Qi a bit, and it won’t be a big deal." Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽

"Thank you," Hua Xiaomo nodded slightly, a hint of complex gloom in her eyes.

The car started and sped towards the Banshan White House Villa on Jinyin Shoal.

Inside the White House Villa.

Qi Longbing was sitting on the sofa, his laptop on the high-end coffee table. His hand paused for a moment when the sound of a car arrived outside, but he didn’t look up, continuing to check the data on his computer.

Hua Xiaomo and Yu Bao walked in. Aunt Wang, seeing them, immediately served the delicious dishes she had prepared.

"President Qi, Miss Hua has arrived. We can have dinner now," Aunt Wang said.

To her surprise, Qi Longbing, without lifting his head and expressionless, said, "I’m not hungry. You guys eat first."

Yu Bao glanced at Hua Xiaomo and gave her a meaningful look.

The strap of the bag in Hua Xiaomo’s hand tightened slightly, and a wave of inexplicable nervousness surged through her heart. What should she do? After what she did last night, setting him up that way, he surely wouldn’t let it go! Yu Bao said to just coax him. That might have been fine when he didn’t know the truth, but now, would it really be that easy? For now, she had to deal with the immediate situation.

Determined, Hua Xiaomo walked over, her stiff face suddenly breaking into a smile. "President Qi, shall we have dinner first?"

"I said I’m not hungry. Are you asking for a scolding?" Qi Longbing suddenly raised his head and looked at her.

When his gaze met hers, his blue eyes were filled with an indefinable coldness, churning with all sorts of uncomfortable sensations.

"I’m sorry..." Hua Xiaomo’s amber eyes reddened a bit.

"Ha..." Qi Longbing laughed, a cold glint on his handsome face as he said sarcastically, "Have you rehearsed that line many times already? Or was it something you were supposed to say with the attitude of a victor after setting me up, and then tell me ’I’m sorry’? Fucking ironic!!"

Hua Xiaomo was rendered speechless, her face growing rather unsightly.

Suddenly, Qi Longbing snapped his laptop shut and stood up. He grabbed her hand with one swift move, yanking her toward the dining table with such force that it instantly left a red mark around her wrist.

His harsh words filled her ears, echoing in the space, "Come here and eat! This is all your favorite food that I asked Aunt Wang to make. You’d better eat your fill!"

What should have been tender, warm, and infinitely caring words sounded like an outburst of anger in that tone, seemingly laden with deep-seated grievance and heartache.

Almost instantly, Hua Xiaomo’s face became even more flushed with embarrassment, her amber eyes brimming with gloom.

"Sit down!" Qi Longbing released her hand, but the fire in his tone hadn’t diminished one bit.

"..." Hua Xiaomo was silent for a moment. "Forget it, I’m not eating. You guys go ahead."

"Not eating, is that it? Then no one in this villa, including myself, gets to eat today!" Qi Longbing sneered.

Looking at her face, he really wanted to slap her! He, Qi Longbing, had never before put so much heart into a woman. He had held her in the palm of his hand, pampered her, loved her, fearing she would suffer even the slightest hurt or grievance. He had tried so hard to be the solid support behind her. But what about her? What did she take him, Qi Longbing, for? Did she think she could just trick him like some gigolo into going to a gay bar to be trampled upon by others? God damn it! Wretched woman!!

As soon as Qi Longbing uttered those words, Yu Bao and Aunt Wang immediately felt the crossfire. Seeing the tense expressions on the couple’s faces, neither dared to utter a sound.

"Fine, I’ll eat," Hua Xiaomo said, taking the lead to sit down at the dining table.

Qi Longbing gave her a cold glance but remained silent. Looking at the delicacies, he remembered how he used to lovingly place food into her bowl; now, the thought of doing so felt like a slap in the face. Yes, it always seemed like a slap in the face. In truth, she had never appreciated his affection at all! Was she even scheming to dig a pit for him? Thinking about how he had always tried to please her, while she was incrementally digging a pit for him to fall into, he felt like he was suffocating with frustration. This must be what it feels like to be throttled by the person you love the most!

Qi Longbing’s gaze grew heavy. He said nothing, merely sweeping his peripheral vision over her as she slowly ate her meal. It seemed her mood wasn’t as terrible as his. At least, she could still eat so nonchalantly after setting him up.

"You... you selfish woman! Do you only care about yourself eating?" Qi Longbing suddenly spoke.

Hua Xiaomo’s chopsticks, suspended in mid-air, paused. She looked at him. "President Qi, are you implying... you want me to feed you?"

She said this either to deliberately try and please him or to momentarily defuse the overly intense and abnormal atmosphere. Indeed, she was far too unaccustomed to the current him. In the past, no matter what, he would always greet her with a smile and stick close, taking any chance to flirt and take advantage. But now, he had become very cold, so cold she felt frozen. Suddenly, she almost wished they could return to how things were, when he would joke and laugh somewhat inappropriately with her, and take the opportunity to sneak a few advantages. That atmosphere was far better than this.

"Feed me!" Qi Longbing cut the conversation short, his voice tight with suppressed anger.

Without saying anything more, Hua Xiaomo looked at him and offered a faint smile. Then, she picked up her chopsticks and began to lift the food to his mouth, bit by bit.