Don’t Ignite It chapter 68

Big Gossip

The news of Xia Yu’s divorce from Xu Zhan gradually spread within their familiar circles. Many people’s initial reaction was disbelief because there seemed to be no estrangement between the Xia and Xu families. Xia Yu and Xu Zhan still often met, and it didn’t look like they had separated.

However, as time passed, the rumors grew stronger, and both families didn’t deny it. People gradually began to understand.

This led to Xia Yu receiving a lot of concern and sympathy, and the same went for Xu Zhan. Even though they explained a hundred times that they had parted ways amicably, people still speculated.

At the end of February, Xia Yu attended a friend’s baby’s full moon celebration. A group of acquaintances gathered to see the baby. Xia Yu’s friend, Yan Li, whom he had known since elementary school, had a close relationship with him. They had been busy with their careers in recent years, and Yan Li often traveled. They didn’t meet up often, but their bond remained strong.

Xia Yu brought a jade bracelet with emeralds as a gift for the baby and a set of new ruby jewelry from his brother’s company for Yan Li.

Yan Li smiled and, with a discreet smile, tried on the ruby earrings. She asked those around her, “Do they look good?”

“Very beautiful,” Xia Yu smiled, “Most people can’t pull off rubies, but they suit your complexion.”

Yan Li happily took off the earrings and then showed Xia Yu her just-awakened baby. Xia Yu loved children, and this little girl, with her fair skin and big eyes, melted his heart. He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her soft little fists.

While he was playing with the baby, Yan Li whispered to Xia Yu, “I need to talk to you about something, sorry for the inconvenience.”

Xia Yu was still occupied with the child and didn’t pay much attention. “What’s the matter?”

Yan Li frowned and felt a bit annoyed, “Lu Zhao is supposed to come over later. I didn’t even invite him, but he took the initiative to find my husband and said he wanted to come and bring a gift for the baby. My husband had no choice but to agree.”

She didn’t know that Xia Yu and Lu Zhao were together now. Her impression was still stuck in the past when Xia Yu and Lu Zhao had broken up many years ago. She remembered Lu Zhao’s hostility towards Xia Yu and had no favorable impression of him.

She whispered to Xia Yu, “If you don’t want to see Lu Zhao, you can leave first, and we can meet up later.”

Xia Yu was reluctant to leave, and he couldn’t help himself. He took the baby from her mother.

He looked at Yan Li with a smile and casually mentioned the divorce news, which was already widely known, although the news of Xia Yu and Lu Zhao being together hadn’t spread much.

But Xia Yu didn’t want to make a big announcement, and he just brushed it off, “No need, Lu Zhao and I have actually met before. He contacted me when he returned to the country, and we… reconciled.”

This sentence could be understood as a reunion or as reconciling past differences and being on good terms.

Yan Li automatically understood it as the latter.

She wanted to say something, but seeing Xia Yu’s nonchalant attitude, she couldn’t bring herself to bring it up. She whispered softly, “You’re too easygoing.”

She also felt a bit regretful, “You and Xu Zhan, too. Why did you break up? Xu Zhan is such a good person, just like you, easygoing and kind. It’s going to be hard to find someone like that again.”

Xia Yu didn’t explain further and just smiled, “That may not necessarily be the case. I’m quite popular.”

While Xia Yu was guessing the baby’s nickname, he heard a voice from the side, “Xia Yu, why didn’t Xu Zhan come today? You used to always come together. Does Xu Zhan have something to do today?”

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, looked up, and saw that the person speaking was Meng Anhui. He was clearly smiling, but there was a hint of provocation in his gaze.

Xia Yu couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally. This Meng Anhui was genuinely Xu Zhan’s pursuer. When Xu Zhan married Xia Yu, it infuriated this young master Meng, and he even came to their door drunk.

But this guy had both a wandering eye and a childish temper, always making a fuss and causing trouble. Xu Zhan didn’t like him at all and firmly rejected him.

Since then, he couldn’t bring himself to hate Xu Zhan, but he hated Xia Yu instead. Whenever he met Xia Yu, he would make snide comments. Xia Yu used to enjoy showing affection to Xu Zhan in front of him.

Now that Xia Yu and Xu Zhan had divorced, he probably thought the wheel of fortune had turned, and he finally had a chance to throw stones at his former rival.

Xia Yu kept his cool, though. He was busy playing with the child and couldn’t be bothered. He calmly replied, “It seems like you’re not well-informed, Master Meng. Xu Zhan and I have been divorced for quite some time now. Oh, I see, you and the Xu family haven’t been close, and you’re not close with Xu Zhan as well. It’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”

Meng Anhui was taken aback by this response.

He sputtered for a few seconds, then muttered, “I’m just saying, Xia Yu, your love life isn’t going well. Maybe you should visit a temple and pray to change your luck.”

Xia Yu, still focused on the child, didn’t pay him any mind. He said without looking up, “I’m good-looking, successful in my career, and happy in my family life. If my love life goes well, others will be jealous.”

Meng Anhui was getting frustrated.

Because he was the one with an unsuccessful career and a troubled family life. The only thing he had going for him was his appearance, but he’d had the same baby face since he turned eighteen.

He glared at Xia Yu angrily, finally closing his mouth, but he mumbled softly, “You have such a bad temper, no wonder Xu Zhan left you.”

Xia Yu didn’t bother to respond.

This young Master Meng might have a sharp tongue and a penchant for causing trouble, but deep down, he wasn’t a bad person. He was straightforward with his thoughts and wore them on his sleeve, so Xia Yu sometimes played along with him.

After about half an hour, there was a slight commotion at the entrance to the banquet hall. Xia Yu looked up and noticed that Lu Zhao had arrived and was walking briskly towards them.

Others also noticed, and although they tried to maintain their composure, there were whispers and murmurs throughout the crowd. Someone even chuckled, their tone seemingly warm but carrying a hint of mockery, “knowing Xia Yu will be here, Why did Lu Zhao dare to come over?”

Xia Yu turned around, and his gaze swept across the crowd as he prepared to respond, but before he could identify the speaker, he felt a hand on his waist, gently pulling him into an embrace.

Xia Yu was taken aback and lifted his head.

Lu Zhao had somehow arrived and was standing next to him. He politely said to Yan Li, “I’m sorry I’m late. I didn’t make it in time for the little princess’s full moon celebration. My apologies.”

He had brought a gift that matched the hostess’s preferences, a pair of 19th-century G. JONES jade carvings on porcelain bottles.

Yan Li’s expression froze, but she decided to maintain a smile. “You’re too kind; we’re all friends here. There’s no need to be so formal.”

In reality, her eyes were completely glued to Lu Zhao’s hand, which was resting on Xia Yu’s waist.

She was shocked and had a whirlwind of thoughts running through her mind. What did this mean?

Lu Zhao’s actions and expressions seemed entirely natural. He gently held Xia Yu, and the two of them looked exceptionally harmonious together, more like an affectionate couple than Yan Li and her husband.

The other guests had various expressions, and if it weren’t for their manners, there would probably have been a chorus of shocked exclamations.

After all, everyone present knew about Xia Yu and Lu Zhao’s history. Back then, they had thought that Xia Yu and Lu Zhao would eventually get married. Despite their arguments, Lu Zhao had never been with anyone else, and they had always appeared as a couple. Although Lu Zhao denied it, in the eyes of others, Xia Yu was his official boyfriend.

So, when they broke up, it had been a shock.

But what was going on now?

What was the situation with these two?

All eyes were like spotlights, scanning back and forth between Xia Yu and Lu Zhao.

Yet, the two people involved seemed oblivious to the increasingly strange atmosphere. Lu Zhao, who was known for his cold demeanor, had softened somewhat today, even reaching out to play with the child.

Xia Yu, on the other hand, knew that Lu Zhao had come for him, but he didn’t expose it. He stood there calmly, watching as Lu Zhao chatted with Yan Li.

After a while, Yan Li couldn’t hold back any longer. She coughed and handed the baby to her husband. Then, with a somewhat mumbled tone, she asked Lu Zhao, “You and Xia Yu seem to have a good relationship… If I had known, I would have invited you together.”

Lu Zhao replied casually, with a hint of humor in his smile, “Xia Yu didn’t bring me, so I had to come and ask for a glass of celebratory wine myself.”

Yan Li: “…”

That statement was quite ambiguous.

Her eyes lingered on Lu Zhao’s hand on Xia Yu’s waist for a moment before she finally asked, “So, you and Xia Yu… have you…”

She paused and used the neutral term Xia Yu had mentioned, “reconciled?”

The atmosphere at the banquet became even quieter, and everyone strained to listen for gossip.

Lu Zhao smiled, a far cry from his previous icy demeanor, and he didn’t directly answer Yan Li’s question. “I am pursuing Xia Yu. I found out he had divorced, so I rushed over to get in line, afraid that someone else might snatch him away.”

It was as if he hadn’t heard the gasps of surprise around him. He turned to Yan Li again and added, “I made many mistakes in the past. I missed Xia Yu for many years, but I still hope that you, our friends, can help me speak a few words of praise to make Xia Yu fall for me sooner.”

Xia Yu remained silent throughout, letting Lu Zhao take the stage.

In their circle of friends, there were quite a few people who had their eyes on Lu Zhao. He had good looks, a prestigious family background, and strong capabilities. Many people had wanted to make him their son-in-law as soon as he graduated.

Xia Yu had been petty back then, getting upset when others even glanced at Lu Zhao. Now, he enjoyed seeing Lu Zhao verbally spar with potential rivals.

However, the look in his eyes when he watched Lu Zhao was complicated. A fox spirit who couldn’t wait to ascend to the throne had actually shamelessly claimed that he had only started pursuing Xia Yu recently. It was quite audacious.

But Xia Yu didn’t refute it. Instead, he took the baby’s hand, kissed it gently, and smiled at Yan Li, who was shocked. “You see, I told you that I’m quite popular.”

Yan Li: “…”

She shot Xia Yu a glare but eventually smiled. She whispered softly, “We’ll have to interrogate you later.”

That day, at the full moon celebration of Yan’s granddaughter, everyone was in high spirits. Most people were satisfied with the free gossip they witnessed and rushed home to share it.

Breaking news: The 2.0 version of the dramatic story of the youngest son of the Xia family and the young master of the Lu family, who had a high-profile breakup back then, has happened again!

And in the car heading to a seaside vacation, Lu Zhao, with a smile, asked Xia Yu, “So when can you marry me? I’ve been asked about our wedding date every time I go out recently.”

Xia Yu, who had been enjoying the sea breeze and humming a tune, suddenly changed his expression.

“Dream on.”

He pushed his sunglasses up, and his eyes were bright and mischievous in the sunlight.

“You have to propose at least a hundred times before I agree.”