Chapter 17: The Contest Between Men

"Kexin, thanks for filling me in, but honestly? I don't really care to hear about her anymore. This whole thing was just a stupid joke from the start," Xin Wen said stiffly, forcing a polite smile. "Excuse me for a minute."

Shang Kexin's doelike eyes instantly clouded with hurt, her voice trembling as she called after him, "Zijian's being way too bold, blatantly trying to steal your girl right in front of you."

Xin Wen froze, his jaw clenching. Without a word, he stormed over to Lan Nian and Xu Zijian, his voice ice-cold. "Mind sharing the joke? I'd love a good laugh too."

Xu Zijian lazily raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed by the murderous aura radiating off Xin Wen. "A'Wen, that's low even for you. Hiring Niannian as your bodyguard? Fine, whatever. But making her your chauffeur? That's just criminal."

He'd been stewing ever since Lan Nian let that little detail slip—how Xin Wen was exploiting her talents like she was some glorified Uber driver.

"Li the driver bailed on his shift," Xin Wen replied flatly, his tone dripping with casual dismissal as he pointedly ignored his friend's interest in Lan Nian.

Next to him, Lan Nian's throat suddenly tickled. She clamped her lips shut, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Bailed? Poor Li was probably sneezing his brains out right now, enjoying his unexpected day off while getting blamed for desertion. Classic Xin Wen move.

He shot her a sharp "ahem" when he noticed her trembling form, the warning clear: Keep your mouth shut.

Xu Zijian took a lazy sip of his drink, then turned to leer at Lan Nian with deliberate intimacy. "Hey Niannian," he drawled, "when you're done playing chauffeur, come be my bodyguard sometime, yeah?"

"…" Lan Nian stared blankly, dread pooling in her gut. How was she supposed to navigate this minefield? Xin Wen practically radiated homicide, while Xu Zijian kept lobbing verbal grenades. Time to deploy the emergency exit strategy.

"Come on, do me a solid. I gave you such a precious gift, the least you could do is return the favor. It's only fair," Xu Zijian persisted, not willing to give up.

Give me a break, you call that a gift! Lan Nian felt like punching his nose straight into his face. But considering she was trying to maintain a ladylike image today, she decided to hold off and settle the score later. Revenge was a dish best served cold, after all!

"Xu Zijian, if you want to borrow my bodyguard, don't you think you should ask for my permission as her boss first?" Xin Wen suddenly interjected with a smile, speaking as casually as if chatting about daily matters.

Inside, though, he was feeling uneasy. What on earth had happened between them before? Why was this girl being so tolerant of him? If it were himself, he probably would have already been mocked by her.

"Oh, A'Wen, I forgot. My bad..." Xu Zijian deliberately slapped his forehead and made a decision as if he had the final say, "It's a deal then. Lend her to me for a few days."

"No way!" Xin Wen immediately sneered and refused. His frosty tone was a far cry from the warm and gentle way he had spoken just a moment ago.

Ugh... Lan Nian almost burst out laughing. She never expected her boss to be so mischievous. Looking at Xu Zijian's stunned expression, she secretly felt sorry for him... Even though both of them were outstanding people, there was still a difference between being a bit naughty and being even naughtier.

"Hey, Xin Wen, you're playing tricks on me?!" Xu Zijian immediately shouted, then suddenly gave a sly, mischievous grin. "Oh, I get it. You must be worried that my charm is too great, that I'll enchant your bodyguard and run off with her, right?"

"In your dreams!" Lan Nian and Xin Wen retorted in unison.

As soon as the words left their mouths, all three of them froze in surprise.

Xu Zijian felt a deep sense of frustration. He stubbornly reached out and touched Xin Wen's forehead, saying playfully, "You don't have a fever. Why are you being so stingy? How about I lend you my ex-girlfriend?"

After saying that, he looked at the slender, dejected figure with ill intentions.

At the sight of Shang Kexin, Xin Wen felt a faint unease. Were all the things she said true?

Was the person who had haunted his dreams for three long years really in this city? Moreover, Shang Kexin's deep affection for him was obvious. Was her sole purpose in doing this just out of pity for him?

Xin Wen's world was filled with confusion.

"Well? Are you tempted? She's the dream girl of so many people!" Seeing that Xin Wen remained silent, Xu Zijian added heartlessly.

At this moment, he exuded a bit of mystery beneath his naughtiness. His brown skin glimmered with a sexy and wild sheen under the neon lights. Those deep eyes, as profound as the ocean, made people involuntarily fall into them and unable to extricate themselves.

"Are you sure you still have the right to decide about her?!" Suddenly, Xin Wen raised his thick eyebrows and sneered disdainfully. "Since she's so great, why did you give her up?"

"Me? Because I know my own limitations and realize that I don't deserve her." Xu Zijian pretended to sigh sorrowfully, but there was a hint of unruly sneer in his words and expressions.

"So, you admit that you're not as good as me?!" Xin Wen seized the opportunity and counterattacked mercilessly.

What a pair of clowns, Lan Nian thought as she silently watched the two outstanding men in front of her. She suddenly felt that she had really broadened her horizons:

One dressed in black and the other in white. The charm of casual wear, both elegant and laid-back, was interpreted in completely different ways on them, yet both could give people a sense of amazement.

The one in black seemed low-key and reserved on the surface, but he vividly interpreted wildness and flamboyance;

The one in white was bright and amiable, subtly showing his edges and corners, with his sharpness hidden beneath the surface.

Unlike Xu Zijian's exotic and charming face as a mixed-race person, Xin Wen's handsomeness was not so ostentatious. Yet, it could effortlessly capture your heart without making a sound...

Damn it, what on earth was she thinking? Lan Nian suddenly felt her face turning red. Noticing that both of them were looking at her thoughtfully, she had no choice but to force a dry laugh and say, "Well, I'm going to the restroom. You two can carry on. The debate is really exciting!"