Chapter 510 - 509: What-if Storyline: Has the Big Boss Competed for Affection Today? 78

Chapter 510: Chapter 509: What-if Storyline: Has the Big Boss Competed for Affection Today? 78

"Sister? You sound quite close. What’s your relationship?"

He Hanshi’s tone was mild and composed, as if he were just asking casually. But Jiang Xia, his rival in love, and Assistant Chen, who knew him well, both keenly sensed the displeasure hidden beneath his calm exterior.

Jiang Xia’s invisible thorns grew sharper. He wouldn’t have been so worried if it were anyone else, but this was his own cousin. In his eyes, his cousin was exceptional, which made him increasingly afraid he couldn’t compete.

He couldn’t help but bite his lip, his canine pressing a clear indent into it.

A moment later, Jiang Xia’s face flushed as he went on the offensive. "Cousin, you don’t get it. It’s okay to call someone you like ’Sister.’ I’m pursuing Sister Shi Lan."

"Oh? What a coincidence. I like Shi Lan, too. In that case, your cousin won’t be yielding to you."

He Hanshi tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He had been pressing them down, and faint red marks still remained on the pads of his fingers.

Jiang Xia had actually suspected as much, but he was still stunned when He Hanshi actually admitted it.

Shi Lan was dumbfounded too.

What she really didn’t expect was that he would confess so directly to Jiang Xia.

Standing between the two of them, she didn’t know what expression to make. Finally, noticing the other customers’ stares, she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Whatever this is, talk about it in private. For now, just drink your tea."

"Sister, I..."

Jiang Xia tried to say more, but Shi Lan intentionally put on a stern expression, shooting him a look before glancing over at He Hanshi as well.

Both men tacitly fell silent.

"Go on and sit down. And thank you for the concert tickets last time. This meal is on me."

"Oh, okay, thank you, Sister."

Jiang Xia didn’t dare argue, merely nodding obediently. The slight downturn at the corners of his eyes gave him a pitifully charming look.

Shi Lan, however, steeled her heart and did her best to ignore his gaze. After telling He Hanshi to enjoy his tea, she quickly escaped to the service counter to help out.

’So awkward, so awkward...’

She hid in the back kitchen, her cheeks belatedly growing hot. The other busy employees suppressed their urge to gossip and pretended they hadn’t seen a thing.

After all, they had no right to ask about their boss’s private affairs.

After a good while, He Hanshi and Jiang Xia finished their meal, but Shi Lan never came back out. When they tried to pay, Shi Lan had the cashier refuse the money.

After the meal, Jiang Xia told his roommates to go on ahead. The roommates exchanged glances, sharing an awkward silence.

’Who would have thought Brother Jiang and his cousin would fall for the same woman? If his rival is his own cousin, it doesn’t seem like Brother Jiang has much of an advantage...’

Looking concerned, they gave Jiang Xia an encouraging glance before leaving.

Jiang Xia, however, stopped He Hanshi. "Cousin, let’s talk."

He Hanshi glanced at Assistant Chen, tossed him the car keys, and told him to wait in the car. Then he went with Jiang Xia to a deserted corner nearby.

"What do you want to say?"

Jiang Xia’s lips were a tight line. "I like Shi Lan. Cousin, can you not fight me for her?"

"Jiang Xia, don’t be so childish. I’m your cousin, not your father; I don’t have to let you have your way. Besides, there’s no ’fighting’ over her. It all comes down to Shi Lan’s decision. If she likes you, I won’t try to break you up."

He Hanshi’s cold gaze swept over him. The corner of his mouth curved up in an almost imperceptible smile. ’For Jiang Xia to say something like this, it seems his relationship with Shi Lan isn’t that close after all.’

Jiang Xia gritted his teeth. "Fine. Then, Cousin, that house of yours... did you really sell it to someone else?"

He had secretly gone to stake it out several times but never saw anyone, and his knocks on the door went unanswered.

He Hanshi lowered his gaze, nonchalantly smoothing a nonexistent wrinkle on his sleeve. "I have no obligation to tell you. You need to understand that from this moment on, we’re rivals. I’m not about to create a potential threat for myself."

"I have work to get back to. I’m leaving."

With that, He Hanshi returned to the car and had Assistant Chen drive off. They were gone in an instant. He failed to notice, however, that someone was watching them from a building dozens of meters away.

Jiang Xia had driven there as well. He watched the car depart, then glanced toward Shi Lan’s shop. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to go in and disturb her. Instead, he sent a probing text message: [Sister, I’m heading out now. I’ll come by the shop to eat again sometime.]

[By the way, are you and my cousin very close?]

He sent the message, then immediately unsent it, but Shi Lan had already seen it.

However, she pretended she hadn’t, waiting a moment before replying only to the first message: [Okay, sounds good. You’re welcome back anytime.]

Jiang Xia, who had stopped his car, replied instantly: [Okay, Sister. Will you be at the shop then?]

Not wanting a repeat of today’s awkwardness, Shi Lan answered honestly: [It depends. I probably won’t be around the shop much for a little while.]

Jiang Xia: [Alright, well, I’ll let you get back to work, Sister. I won’t bother you anymore~]

Jiang Xia tactfully decided not to bother Shi Lan any further and drove back to school.

Meanwhile, after He Hanshi finished work that evening, Shi Lan still hadn’t accepted his friend request. So, he simply went downstairs and knocked on her door.

Shi Lan always looked through the peephole before opening the door. When she saw He Hanshi standing outside, she didn’t dare to open it.

But she had just been watching TV with the volume up, and her lights were on. It was impossible to play dead. After hesitating for a long moment and seeing that He Hanshi was still waiting patiently outside, she had no choice but to open the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

She greeted him first, breaking the silence.

He Hanshi said politely, "Good evening."

He gave her a slight smile that vanished just as quickly, getting straight to the point. "Shi Lan, I want to ask you something. What do you think of me?"

"Huh?"

Shi Lan was taken aback. "Why the sudden question?"

He Hanshi couldn’t help a self-deprecating, somber smile. "I thought you hated me. If I’ve truly been a bother to you, then I apologize. But... please don’t hate me..."

His voice grew much quieter toward the end, as if he barely dared to make such a plea.

Shi Lan never expected to have given him such a false impression. She quickly shook her head. "Don’t think like that. I think you’re a good person. I don’t hate you."

"Is that so? Then why haven’t you accepted my friend request?"

There was a clear note of hurt in He Hanshi’s tone. Jiang Xia had her as a contact, yet she was unwilling to add him.

That was why he felt that Shi Lan must feel more aversion toward him.

But this was Pumpkin, who used to care so much about him. The thought that she might hate him now created an indescribable chasm in his heart, filling him with a hesitant panic about pursuing her.

He had held his own against Jiang Xia that afternoon, but only he knew the truth: every step he took toward Shi Lan now was a gamble, taken with the risk that she would only grow to hate him more.