Zhishan Club was quick to act. They announced on their official website Xia Ruya’s expulsion on the very afternoon of that day.
The piece of news released by Zhishan Club was much more groundbreaking than the Xia Family’s announcement of the severing of their ties with her.
Ever since Zhishan Club was established more than fifty decades ago, none of the members of the club had ever been expelled before. Xia Ruya was the first one in history. Hence, the matter caused a sudden uproar amongst citizens, who began gossiping and discussing it.
Even Wen Xinya was shocked by the piece of news.
She initially thought that Zhishan Club would at most freeze Xia Ruya temporarily.
However, she did not expect that the Zhishan Club would be so relentless.
Xia Ruya had lost all her trump cards.
Wen Xinya fiddled with her mobile phone nonchalantly while sinking deep into thought. She began to think about her previous lifetime.
“Wen Xinya, Wen Xinya…”
A sudden noise snapped her out of her trance and she looked up to see that Xu Zhenyu was squatting in front of her and waving his hands in front of her face.
Wen Xinya smacked Xu Zhenyu’s hand away and said, “You’re making me giddy.”
Wen Xinya suddenly remembered that she had arranged to meet Xu Zhenyu for a meal in the small restaurant. The fish served by the restaurant were delectable, and Xu Zhenyu had always had a penchant for eating fish.
Xu Zhenyu stared at her with a complicated mix of emotions in his eyes, which were shaped like peach flowers. “Wen Xinya, are you silly? Why are you staring into space? You asked me out for a meal, but you didn’t even order the dishes yet. You’re so insincere.”
Wen Xinya glowered at him angrily and exclaimed, “Major Xu, please look at the time on the clock. You’re a gentleman and yet, you made a lady wait so long for you. Are you ashamed at all!?!”
She had used her lunch break to meet him for a meal.
Xu Zhenyu burst into laughter while clutching his abdomen. “Hahahaha! Little duck, you call yourself a lady? If you’re a lady, there are no other ladies in this world.”
Gritting her teeth in anger, Wen Xinya kicked him and retorted. “You’re the duck. Your entire family are ducks. Don’t you dare give me a nickname as and when you please. Besides… how am I not a lady? The media is calling me the most elite and prestigious, demure heiress in the city. Do you dare to deny this fact? If all the ladies are dead, you’ll have to be a bachelor.”
Despite laughing uncontrollably, Xu Zhenyu nonetheless didn’t forget to say, “Also… don’t label me as a gentleman. I’m a soldier, not a sissy like those gentlemen.”
Wen Xinya clenched her jaw and said, “Hey, hey, hey, Xu-er, you’ve been a soldier for two years and you’ve grown a lot too! I shouldn’t have complimented you by calling you a gentleman. You’re just a narcissist.”
He was just asking for a beating!
Xu Zhenyu finally stopped laughing. Yet, he burst into laughter again and even began tearing up. “Wen Xinya is truly the one who knows me best!”
How thick-skinned! “I can’t be bothered to talk to you,” she said.
Xu Zhenyu scanned the room and said with a frown, “Wen Xinya, you’re the one who asked me out for a meal, but you’re so insincere! Look where this is…”
Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him…
Wen Xinya told herself repeatedly while slicing some fish.
Xu Zhenyu grazed his fingers across the table and said with a look of disdain, “Look, the table is so dirty. It’s so greasy…”
Ignore him, ignore him…
Xu Zhenyu then wiped the window with his finger and exclaimed, “Oh my god! The windows are so dusty too. Are you sure that we’re eating fish and not dust?”
Wen Xinya took a deep breath and told herself, Bear with him! Bear with him!
Xu Zhenyu stared at the plethora of fish dishes which were prepared in various ways—steamed, blanched, braised, marinated and many others. He remarked, “Color, fragrance, and taste are extremely important when it comes to food. Look at these dishes, they’re so average and ordinary. They didn’t even get rid of the fishy smell…”
She could not tolerate Xu Zhenyu at all. After two years in the military, he did not change his nature at all. What a picky man. She smiled and questioned, “Are you… going to eat or not?”
Xu Zhenyu immediately conceded. “Yes, yes, of course I have to! It’s a treat from you, Miss Wen. I must eat it even if it’s poison.”
He even shamelessly grabbed the fish that she had peeled!
He did not expect that the dishes would taste better than they looked.
Wen Xinya gritted her teeth and said, “At least you have good taste.”
At last, he polished off all of the dishes despite criticizing them at the start.
Xu Zhenyu burped awfully and said, “Although the food is unimpressive, your service is great. Hence, I’m going to be magnanimous and spare you.”
She had removed the bones of the fish that he ate.
This rascal!
Wen Xinya wished she could just kick him.
Xu Zhenyu frantically whipped out a small card reader and said, “Here’s a gift from me.”
Wen Xinya’s was instantly distracted. She grabbed the card reader and asked, “What’s this?”
Xu Zhenyu said, “I heard from Zhou Tianyu and the rest that you’re planning to enroll in the school of design of Capital University. I went to Myanmar a few days ago and got to know some local jewelry crafters. I’ve also collected their masterpieces and asked for their opinions about jewelry design. It should be of some use to you.”
Wen Xinya said agitatedly, “Of course they’re going to be useful. The jewelry crafters are definitely going to share the pros and cons of their designed products. At the same time, I’ll also get to know more about their masterpieces and become inspired.”
She had finally realized how important jewelry-making was to designers after reading the books that her mother had left her. Two years ago, she had learned how to make some simple jewelry by following the instructions on the internet.
Noticing how happy she was, Xu Zhenyu said in a moment of relief, “Good that it’s of use to you.”
Greatly touched by his kind gesture, Wen Xinya said, “Those jewelry crafters from Myanmar have always kept their craft a secret. How did you manage to get your hands on such precious information?”
Myanmar was the country of origin of various types of jades and rare minerals. Hence, the renowned jewelry crafters of the nation had all attained their skills from their ancestors and would pass the skills on to their next generation. The cycle would also repeat. The crafters too, often put on airs, thus making it incredibly difficult to hire them or invite them to give their opinions.
Xu Zhenyu answered smilingly, “I managed to do so because of a mission. They owed me a favor. Hehe! I’m impressive, aren’t I?”
Although they had owed him a favor, he still had to put in lots of effort into getting his hands on the jade.
Wen Xinya was greatly amused by how smug Xu Zhenyu was. She believed that the information would definitely give her an edge in the world of jewelry design, in addition to the books that her mother left for her.
