Xi Luting was caught red-handed, and her arrogance immediately dissipated.
She smiled sheepishly, her head drooping, shrinking into herself like a pickled cucumber.
"That... Pan Pan... I, I didn’t catch what you just asked. Could you, maybe, ask it again?"
Pan Ge ignored her and turned to Han Lie.
"I heard it’s for your celebration?"
Han Lie hurriedly stood up, vacating the seat where he was comfortably flanked, and invited his ’sponsor’ to take the place of honor.
"It’s not an official celebration, just a small gathering... I had planned to invite you separately tomorrow. Indeed, when there’s a connection, a special invitation isn’t needed; kindred spirits will find each other anywhere!"
All the women thought so, except for Ding Ding, who was overjoyed.
The drama she hadn’t finished watching the day before was unfolding again today!
Han Lie made room, squeezing in between Ding Ding and Little Northeast, and warmly invited Pan Ge to take his previous seat.
Pan Ge, feeling morally superior, took the seat between Yu Yun and Xi Luting with her chin slightly raised, as if looking down upon everyone from a moral high ground.
Han Lie heaved a sigh of relief. You dare to sit there, and from now on, it has nothing to do with me...
Xi Luting indeed had a guilty conscience, but doesn’t she know, the guiltier she feels, the more likely she is to lash out? Plus, with that ’Green Tea’ Yu Yun, and Fang Feifei, whose love interest you (Pan Ge) stole... She’s definitely in for a rough time!
While the girls were whispering, Han Lie turned to look at Little Northeast.
Feeling Big Bro’s unfriendly gaze, Little Northeast shivered and quickly clarified.
"Big Bro, I was just going downstairs to buy bubble tea and happened to bump into Goddess Pan... I really didn’t betray you! She asked me who I was with. I said the three of us from the dorm were having a few drinks. Then she asked, ’So, you need bubble tea to go with your drinks?’ Then I was out of options..."
Good one! Trying to outsmart her? That’s really asking too much of you...
Han Lie patted Little Northeast on the shoulder, comforting him, "It’s not your fault. It’s a natural gap in intelligence. You’re not to blame."
Little Northeast felt he should be happy, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to feel that way...
Han Lie also sighed quietly, not feeling very reassured.
However, contrary to expectations, no major conflict ensued.
Yu Yun really tried her best to stir trouble, sowing discord at every turn, but Pan Ge simply ignored her.
Fang Feifei was clearly disgruntled, pouting and looking annoyed, but Pan Ge still ignored her.
Xi Luting was surprisingly well-behaved. As Pan Ge didn’t provoke her, she didn’t flare up, maintaining her guilty demeanor until the very end.
Strange... Isn’t this too shrewd?
No matter how Han Lie looked at it, something felt off. Today’s Pan Ge seemed like a mastermind biding her time for a big move.
His intuition told him Pan Pan must be brewing something. But rationally, he couldn’t pinpoint any issue. Alright, eat quickly and get out fast!
Han Lie made up his mind and began to eat voraciously.
Around 5:45, he wiped his mouth, stood up, and said his goodbyes.
"You guys continue eating; I have to rush to training. I’ll settle the bill and head out."
Han Lie had mentioned this before, so everyone expressed their understanding.
Little Northeast and Ding Ding wanted to see him off, but Pan Ge stood up and said softly, "Let me accompany you downstairs. I just happen to have something to talk to you about."
Xi Luting, still in her guilty phase after being caught in a lie, wanted to follow but didn’t dare to.
With her not moving, naturally, no one else did either.
So, Pan Ge accompanied Han Lie alone to pay the bill and get a cab.
Just as Han Lie was reaching for his wallet, Pan Ge made her move.
"Do my parents want you to pursue me?"
Her voice wasn’t loud, but Han Lie’s heart skipped a beat.
Admit it? In your dreams! Of course, he would deny it for as long as possible!
With the spirit of an Oscar-winning actor, Han Lie raised his eyebrow in surprise, "Huh? I didn’t get that impression at all. Is that even possible?"
Pan Ge didn’t spot any flaw in Han Lie’s expression, but she remained absolutely certain.
And then she launched her second strike, a heart-piercing blow.
"It must be because I’ve been too close to Xi Luting. The rumors at school must have reached my father’s ears, leading to a misunderstanding about my relationship with Xi Luting."
Damn, she’s good! Updates are released by novęlfire.net
Han Lie kept his composure externally, but inside he was starting to panic.
This woman is outrageous! Xi Luting is the normal campus goddess, with both looks and brains, but limited by experience and personal growth, she’s relatively naive. But Pan Ge, she’s on a different level!
Han Lie was thoroughly shaken, but having already mentally prepared himself, he resolved to resist to the bitter end.
"That can’t be possible? I think Uncle Pan is quite open-minded?"
Pan Ge still couldn’t find any flaws.
However, she wasn’t a judge. For some things, suspicion alone was enough; she didn’t need actual evidence.
"Whether my dad is open-minded or not, you know better than I do."
"Huh?" Han Lie looked bewildered, "Wait a minute, I didn’t get that... could there be some misunderstanding?"
Pan Ge took a deep breath and revealed a slight smile. "The last time we ate crabs at Wang Baohe, you went to the restroom midway. You were gone for a very long time. When you came back, you smelled of alcohol. Not long after that, my dad also went downstairs, and his friendliness towards you subsequently rose to another level. I didn’t connect the dots at the time, but the more I thought about it later, the more it seemed off. The conversation and attitude between two people meeting for the first time shouldn’t be like that. How do you plan to argue your way out of this?"