Qi Ze Rui was also there, arriving before them.
Yu Wen Li raised an eyebrow in rare surprise, "Not easy..."
Qi Ze Rui propped his chin with one hand, pouring them a glass of water with a weary look.
He couldn't be bothered to figure out if "not easy" referred to him waking up early or getting back with his ex-girlfriend.
Anyone who had ever dated Qi Ze Rui knew this:
It was easy to pursue him, but getting back with him was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Having been dissolute for so many years, among his countless ex-girlfriends, not one had managed to win him back.
No matter how much they cried or threw tantrums, he remained indifferent.
Occasionally, when he was in the mood, he would even watch it as a joke.
But none of them had ever gone from an ex-girlfriend to a girlfriend again.
This had almost become common consensus.
That was why Yu Wen Li found it surprising.
As Wen Ting Xue sat down, she suddenly realized the girl looked very familiar, like the most beautiful girl in Class Ten?
Upon a closer look, it seemed to be her.
But... hadn't they broken up?
And her eyes were so swollen... what was going on?
The girl noticed Wen Ting Xue's gaze and proactively smiled, "Hello, I'm Yu Jie, Ah Rui's girlfriend."
As everyone knew, Yu Wen Li held a uniquely special place in Qi Ze Rui's heart.
Like a brother.
Some even said that as long as Yu Wen Li asked, Qi Ze Rui would never refuse.
After all, no matter how arrogant Qi Ze Rui was, he would bow his head before Yu Wen Li.
Therefore, people around Yu Wen Li had to be treated well.
Especially Wen Ting Xue, the only one who received Yu Wen Li's favoritism.
"Hello."
The young girl curved her lips into a smile, appearing very shy.
Yu Jie said kindly, "Have some pastries first, breakfast will probably take a while."
She pushed the peach blossom cakes in front of her forward.
Since they weren't Qi Ze Rui's favorite kind, Yu Jie didn't consider them a threat.
Moreover, with Yu Wen Li sitting nearby, who would dare to make things difficult for her?
Qi Ze Rui raised his eyelids, not refuting Yu Jie's words, but impatiently said, "Eat up and get lost."
She was the most troublesome person he had ever met.
Since the breakup, she had not stopped harassing him.
Her actions were so big that even Yu Wen Li remembered her.
Yesterday, she had run to his doorstep, crying and begging to get back together.
When he ignored her, she squatted by his villa's gate all night.
She cried until her voice was hoarse.
When he woke up to use the restroom this morning, he happened to see her watching him from under the shade of the tree downstairs.
Small and tiny, squatting on the ground, hugging her knees, her eyes and nose red from crying.
For some inexplicable reason, he thought of the girl in the infirmary.
Then, standing by the windowsill, he smoked a cigarette.
Ultimately, he couldn't suppress his rising compassion and went downstairs to let her in.
The moment the door opened, she lunged into his arms, radiating a strong chill, her whole body ice-cold.
Shivering, she asked him, "Can you give me another chance? I just want to be your girlfriend..."
Her eyes were red, almond-shaped, round and blunt.
He was silent for a moment, then pulled her hands away, "Rest up and get lost."
She threw herself at him recklessly, hugging his waist from behind, her voice trembling with a sweet, childish tone:
"No, my legs hurt, I squatted all night, it's cold and painful, so painful..."
At the last word, spoken like a spoiled child, Qi Ze Rui's eyes darkened. Unsure what he remembered, he finally tacitly agreed to reconcile.
Bringing her here was purely coincidental. According to his habits, romance and private life were completely separate.
Among his countless ex-girlfriends, none had ever been here.
Yu Jie was like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. He had made plans with Song Jia Mao today and couldn't cancel, nor did he want to.
So, he brought her along, intending to have her leave after breakfast.
He hadn't expected to run into Yu Wen Li and the young girl.
Qi Ze Rui was very annoyed, though he didn't know what he was annoyed about. Ever since he let her in, he had felt a burning fire inside.
It was incredibly irritating.
Yu Jie's expression changed slightly, as if she felt embarrassed. But then she thought, how much embarrassment had she already suffered in front of Yu Wen Li?
Her pursuit of Qi Ze Rui had become common knowledge.
She had lost all face and dignity. Fortunately, the outcome was good.
Even if he said a few harsh words, it wouldn't matter, as he always had a bad temper.
Yu Jie consoled herself with a smile, "Okay, then I'll come to your place tomorrow to find you."
Qi Ze Rui had been living alone since he was twelve.
"We'll see."
The indifferent young man spoke without emotion.
The fingers holding the teacup were slender and white, making him appear even more refined.
Yu Jie blinked and said no more.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Wen Ting Xue was about to try and ease the tension when someone pushed the door open and boldly called out, "Brother Yu!"
This immediately broke the stiff atmosphere.
Yu Wen Li looked up and gave a faint "Mm."
He then introduced, "Song Jia Mao, Aunt Qin's son."
Wen Ting Xue recognized him, "Are you the P.E. captain from Class One?"
They had attended a few P.E. classes together, so she had some impression of him.
Besides, he was handsome and lively, making him hard to ignore.
Song Jia Mao sat down next to Wen Ting Xue and gave a simple smile.
"Little sister-in-law remembers me? I'm honored!"
The address "Little sister-in-law" made Wen Ting Xue's face turn red.
Yu Wen Li and Qi Ze Rui, holding their small white porcelain teacups, smiled and didn't help to explain.
The young girl became even more unsure of what to say, and after a long pause, managed to blurt out, "Don't... don't say that."
"How am I speaking nonsense!"
Song Jia Mao cried out indignantly, "Brother Yu personally posted on his Moments and specifically replied 'My beloved,' it's all public knowledge now, isn't it? Little sister-in-law, don't be shy."
"Moments...?"
Wen Ting Xue looked at the young man beside her, confused.
She rarely checked her phone and had no idea Yu Wen Li had posted on his Moments.
"Oh," Yu Wen Li fiddled with his teacup and said faintly, "That was last week."
As he spoke, Song Jia Mao had already found that Moments post and handed it to Wen Ting Xue to see.
He even pointed out Yu Wen Li's reply.
To prove his point, "I wasn't talking nonsense, was I~"
Looking at the almost public reply, Wen Ting Xue felt a burning heat in her heart, making her ear tips turn red.
My beloved...
What a beautiful phrase.
Without comparison, there was no harm. Yu Jie drank her water, feeling increasingly awkward.
Fortunately, Wen Ting Xue was also considerate and quickly moved past the topic, letting the three boys chat among themselves.
However, under the table, she still hooked his arm as a gesture of affection.
She didn't expect him to simply hold her hand and not let go.
It was only when the spicy soup and vegetable pancakes were served that he reluctantly released her.
Song Jia Mao, afraid Wen Ting Xue wouldn't be used to the food, proactively asked, "Little sister-in-law, is this to your liking? If not, we have noodles and pan-fried buns, and other things."
As he spoke, he even got up, "I'll take you to the kitchen to see directly."
His parents were good cooks and had run a restaurant for so many years, so they knew all sorts of breakfast dishes from all over the country.
These were served first because Yu Wen Li and Qi Ze Rui liked them.
Both were picky eaters and liked spicy food, but didn't want to eat noodles or rice noodles in the morning.
Therefore, spicy soup was the best choice on a cool, slightly chilly day.
His mother had a complete understanding of their habits; if there wasn't a special request beforehand, it would most likely be the usual.
"It's fine," Wen Ting Xue shyly waved her hand, "I like it, and it's cool today."
Drinking something hot would warm her stomach.
Yu Wen Li apparently had the same thought, so he remained silent.
Seeing this, Song Jia Mao smiled foolishly and sat back down, "Then hurry and try it, my mom's cooking is excellent!"
After saying that, he looked at Wen Ting Xue expectantly.
Wen Ting Xue shyly took a sip of the soup. The sour and spicy taste instantly whetted her appetite.
The young girl's eyes lit up, "It's delicious~"
It really looked ordinary, but tasted amazing!
Upon hearing this, Song Jia Mao's tail was practically wagging, "Try the vegetable pancake too."
The pancake wasn't large, only about the size of Wen Ting Xue's palm, but it looked excellent. Shredded carrots and cabbage were sprinkled among it, making it look delicate and small.
With one bite, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a hint of meat flavor?
In any case, it was very delicious, she could eat three!
After all, her appetite was small.
Although the pancake looked small, it was quite filling.
The young girl's cheeks were puffed out, and she didn't have time to answer Song Jia Mao.
But her expression already clearly showed the answer.
Song Jia Mao's tail wagged to the sky, proudly boasting, "See? My mom's cooking is unrivaled!"
Qi Ze Rui chuckled, "You're talking as if you made it. Eat yours, we have things to do later."
As he spoke, he suddenly asked, "Brother Yu, what are your plans for later?"
Yu Wen Li replied, "Planting trees."
"..."
The scene went silent for a moment.
Qi Ze Rui and Song Jia Mao exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.
Forgive their lack of imagination; they really couldn't picture Yu Wen Li digging in the dirt.
It just didn't fit his persona at all.
Those hands of his weren't meant for that kind of work.
Qi Ze Rui found it more and more amusing, so he decided to skip training and volunteered, "Count me in, I'm strong."
Upon hearing this, Song Jia Mao chimed in, "Brother Yu, little sister-in-law is so delicate, how can she be suitable for digging? Take me instead, I'm the best at digging."
The two chattered away, completely forgetting about Yu Jie sitting at the table.
Wen Ting Xue was thoughtful, but judging by Qi Ze Rui's attitude, he didn't intend to bring her along either.
She had no right to say anything.
However, at this moment, she suddenly realized that Yu Wen Li's and Qi Ze Rui's attitudes were different.
The attitudes of the people around them were also vastly different.
Whether it was sincere or not could be seen at a glance.
Even with the identity of a girlfriend, it was useless.
Yu Wen Li didn't respond, his gaze asking Wen Ting Xue, clearly handing the decision-making power to her.
The young girl naturally wouldn't refuse, after all, she wasn't used to refusing others yet.
Besides, it was just planting trees, not anything else, so having a couple more people wouldn't hurt.
Seeing this, Qi Ze Rui's gaze towards her grew more serious.
Or rather, ever since Yu Wen Li brought her here, her identity as Yu Wen Li's beloved had been firmly established.
Yu Wen Li, like him, had a strong sense of personal space.
Even stronger than his.
Being able to proactively bring someone into his social circle, to his secret base, already proved her status in his heart.
Moreover, he was such a rebellious person, when had he ever considered others' feelings?
Yet, after the young girl appeared, he was thoughtful and attentive everywhere, fearing she would be wronged.
Qi Ze Rui hesitated for two seconds, then took out his phone, "Almost forgot, I haven't exchanged contact information with the little girl yet. Come, brother will add you."
Yu Jie was sitting close to him and naturally saw the number he displayed; it was his extremely private number.
Besides family and friends, no one else was in it.
It was different from his dedicated flirting number, and the chance of getting this number was equivalent to Yu Wen Li accepting a friend request.
It was very difficult.
Wen Ting Xue was completely unaware. If he wanted to add her, she let him. After accepting, Song Jia Mao also wanted to add her.
Invisibly, Yu Jie was left far behind, making her seem like an outsider.
Even with her ability to self-console, she couldn't hold back at this point.
She left before even finishing breakfast.
Her departure was very loud.
Wen Ting Xue, holding her phone, blinked foolishly and asked, "...Aren't you going to chase her?"