They left the supermarket at exactly 5:40 PM.
Pan Ge’s home was quite close to the school, a mere 7 or 8 kilometers away in a straight line.
It was located midway along Sinan Road, about one kilometer from the fruit supermarket.
"Shall we walk there?"
Xi Luting’s mood had greatly improved; the pain from the afternoon already felt as distant as yesterday.
Han Lie nodded, "Sure, we have enough time."
"Hey, what do you think of Pan Ge?" she suddenly asked.
"Tch!" Xi Luting frowned, dissatisfied. "That’s perfunctory!"
"What else then? How should I view her?"
"I mean... er... do you like her or not!"
Xi Luting struggled with herself but eventually voiced her question.
This was, in fact, a very obvious hint, one that was quite difficult for her.
It was probably due to the pressure from Chen Yanfei and Ding Xiang; otherwise, she would not reveal her thoughts in such a tender way.
Her style should be more like "Interested in dating? I’ll give you a chance to chase me" – assertive and proactive.
But with Han Lie, she didn’t dare.
She just couldn’t fathom that sly dog’s mind; she felt completely out of her league, which left her torn, yet expectant and fearful.
As expected, Han Lie’s response was another evasive one, beating around the bush.
"Like her or not... I guess a little. After all, she’s so beautiful, and she’s known alongside you as the pair of unmatched beauties—what man wouldn’t like her?!"
Xi Luting was actually quite smart, but still, his words left her bewildered.
The usual impatience, impulsiveness, and bluntness of boys her age were nowhere to be seen in that sly dog.
He was as slippery as an oiled, salted fish. So, what was the conclusion then? She didn’t know.
Xi Luting got a bit anxious, "So you only like her for her looks?"
"What else?" Han Lie glanced at her sideways. "Don’t you like her for being pretty too?"
"I was just playing around!"
Xi Luting finally found an opening and explained hurriedly, "I’m not really a Lara!"
"Then, what exactly did you do to Fang Feifei?"
With one question, Han Lie left her speechless.
What have I done...? That... that I really can’t tell...
Unable to explain herself, she could only continue to take the blame, stomping her little legs indignantly.
Then that sly dog continued to joke with her, "Let’s book a hotel room tomorrow; you can broaden my horizons and give me some practice, how about it?"
Feeling a surge of excitement, Xi Luting raised her eyebrows provocatively, "Sure! I’ll be the Queen, and you’ll be the servant. Dare to touch me and I’ll break your hand!"
As expected, just as she had anticipated, Han Lie firmly shook his head.
"I’ll play the CEO..."
Xi Luting’s heart skipped a beat.
At that moment, fiction and reality overlapped. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novᴇlfire.net
It felt like something that had always been destined was weaving a net in her mind, capturing the fate that lurked in the shadows.
She suppressed her racing heart and scoffed with feigned disdain, "Tch! You?"
"What’s wrong with me?"
Brother Lie, unfazed, began to brag, "I’m super fierce in a fight, okay? The money I’ve had to pay in compensation is already in the millions."
Xi Luting took it seriously.
A vision flashed through her mind—of that sly dog, shirtless, with tense and sturdy muscles, his eyes filled with a murderous glint, knocking out lesser opponents one by one...
In her mind, Han Lie, always strong-willed and dedicated to working out, had that kind of image.
Yet she persisted in arguing stubbornly, "Fighting and that ’S-stuff’ are two different things, okay? It’s not just about being rough; the most important things are skill and psychological stimulation..."
"Wow! You’re so knowledgeable!"
Han Lie’s exaggerated wide-eyed expression immediately made Xi Luting regret her words.
Just as she was about to cover it up, that smug rascal cozied up to her.
"Coach, lead the way! You can teach me the skills, and I’ll be in charge of the powerful... output!"
Xi Luting, flushed with embarrassment and anger, quickened her pace, her long legs striding rapidly forward.
Her cheeks burned as if on fire, scorching hot.
Brother Lie trailed behind, rubbing his chin with a sly smile, feeling that the day when everything would come to fruition was drawing ever nearer...
Pan Ge’s home was a garden villa in a traditional lane complex.
They reached the entrance of the lane at just past 5:50 PM, and Pan Ge was already waiting there, standing like a delicate white flower.
Seeing Xi Luting, she offered a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Seeing Han Lie, she simply rolled her eyes.
But this girl, no matter the situation, always maintained her ladylike facade, never one to stoop to an ugly confrontation; in this regard, she was different from Xi Luting and Chen Yanfei.
So neither Xi Luting nor Han Lie took her little temper seriously.
Queen Ting feigned warmth and chatted animatedly with her, while Han Lie casually and calmly followed behind, slowly walking towards her home.
As soon as they entered the yard gate, both were astonished.
Wow! What a huge yard and house!
The front courtyard alone had to be at least three or four hundred square meters, with ginkgo and wintersweet trees planted along the walls. The ginkgo leaves had already turned golden yellow, while the wintersweet blossoms had yet to bloom—even so, it was still very beautiful.
To the west of the courtyard was a small parking area with four cars parked in a row. One of them, a low-slung vehicle, was covered with a car cover—clearly a supercar.
The main entrance had a concrete driveway, and to the right, there was a winding pebble path leading to a secluded area.
Bushes of unknown types were planted on either side of the path, and in-ground LED lights buried beneath it emitted a bright but non-dazzling glow as the path meandered all the way to the villa.
At the end of the path was a three-story European-style building with a pointed roof, a granite facade, and a very large terrace on the third floor.