Xiao Yun ignored him, and went on: "The boy gave his breakfast to the little girl and asked her if she was lost. But the little girl remained silent, just looking pitifully at him. So, the boy had to take the girl to his home and then went to school."
Although she was telling a story, her eyes, speaking eyes, stared at Xiao Kai, but Xiao not knowing, "The little girl never spoke, and the boy had to let her stay, giving her two buns and a cup of soy milk every morning. This continued for over a month. Then one day, the boy told the little girl that his parents were coming back. The next day, the little girl suddenly disappeared and never appeared again."
As the story went on, Xiao Kai's memory slowly became clear. He smiled, "When the boy came back from school and found that the girl had disappeared, he frantically searched, but couldn't find her at home or on the streets. He searched all night, unable to find her. Two days later, the girl still didn't show up, and his parents had an accident at that time, leaving him forever. After crying bitterly, this matter was permanently sealed in his memory." Xiao Kai rarely reminisced about his childhood, hardly ever thought about his parents deliberately. Still, now that such memories were coming back, he felt a deep sense of heartbreak, sighing quietly and lowering his head.
Xiao Kai suddenly felt a chill on his hand, a soft, boneless hand held his. "In a long time after that, the little girl suddenly remembered that since she appeared, the boy had not eaten breakfast again, and he seemed to have gotten thinner during that period. That was when she felt guilty because even though she had left home empty-handed, the clothes on her, the bracelet on her wrist, the necklace around her neck, and the decorations on her body were an unimaginable wealth for an ordinary family. She originally should have given all these things to the boy, but she didn't," Tears flowed down Xiao Yun's cheeks, "Xiao Kai, do you know? At that time, I never really trusted you. I had heard too much about the treachery of human feelings, and I was always on guard against you. I always felt that you had ulterior motives towards me. I even threw away the buns and soy milk you gave me every day into the garbage heap behind the house. I only dared to eat when we had meals together. I kept quiet not because I couldn't speak, but because I didn't want to speak. In fact, I have always been lying to you, and even after I returned home, I secretly felt proud of my cleverness and caution."
Xiao Yun gently rested her head on Xiao Kai's shoulder. "It was many years later that I realized how despicable I had been. Xiao Kai, do you know, from that time on, your image has always been rooted in my heart, and even after so many years, it hasn't changed at all."
"Something doesn't quite add up," Xiao Kai scratched his head, "I remember that the girl was much younger than me, but you are older than me."
"Silly," Xiao Yun lightly tapped Xiao Kai's head with her slender jade finger, overcome with emotion, "She could just have matured later. Why can't I be older than you?"
"But... when you did mature, you did so quite quickly," Xiao Kai sneaked a glance at her voluptuous bottom and breathtaking bosom, muttering somewhat sullenly.
Xiao Yun blushed, nearly pressed entirely against Xiao Kai, the soft touch and her breath drifted over, magnified a hundred times, creating a scene so romantic it made Xiao Kai feel a bit flustered.
What's more, if there was still some wariness towards Xiao Yun's motives before, now, it was all but gone.
So, Xiao Kai's mind was filled with thoughts from martial arts dramas, historical dramas, and romantic dramas, with the most common phrase ringing in his mind: "As a woman, I have nothing to repay you with, except for myself."
Luckily, in this critical moment, Xiao Guan finally chimed in, "Kai, this isn't right!"
"Ah!" Xiao Kai startled, immediately becoming alert, "What's not right?"
"She's not that little girl!" Xiao Guan said, "I just worked out her horoscope, and that girl was actually three years younger than you, how could she be the one? She's clearly three years older than you."
Xiao Kai was a bit bewildered, "But... everything she said was accurate."
"Kai, why are you being so clueless?" Xiao Guan said pained, "The more accurate she sounds, the more it shows she's come prepared. This woman is no ordinary cunning one, adept at attacking the mind, she almost tricked me."
Sighing heavily, Xiao Kai couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed. "Xiao Guan, you really are something. You even worked out the horoscope of a little girl from my memories."
"Of course," Xiao Guan began feeling proud again, "I am at the level of a magic general. And by the way, Kai, I'm starting to recall my past abilities more and more. I'm finding out that I'm very powerful now."
"Well, it doesn't matter," Xiao Kai chuckled. "I don't get into fights with people."
Xiao Yun was unaware of Xiao Kai's silent conversation. She was secretly amused, thinking to herself, "If he dares to touch me, I'll kick him down and, as the senior sister of the Imperial Dao sect, sternly reprimand him, making him feel utterly ashamed. It would be the perfect ending. Even if he doesn't give up, I would force him to write a guarantee to never offend me and promise to never meet me again. That would secure my lifelong peace."
She smirked, watching as Xiao Kai's trembling hand moved toward her chest. It was getting closer and closer, almost touching her delicate bud...
"Hold on; bear it a little longer," Xiao Yun felt anxious. "Once he touches, I'll make a move!" Her eyes were fixed on the hand reaching toward her, unblinking.
But when the hand was only a centimeter away from her skin, it suddenly stopped. Xiao Kai's mind was in turmoil, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Touch me, just touch me," if her current thoughts were expressed, it would have surely caused scandal. But, with a clear conscience, she really did think that. "Just one touch, that's all I need."
Just as she thought this, the hand slowed and withdrew.
"This won't do; happiness must be pursued!" Xiao Yun gritted her teeth, lifted her chest, and nudged her full bosom towards Xiao Kai, "Today, no matter what, I have to resolve this. But as she moved in, Xiao Kai moved back, and their movements perfectly matched. Xiao Kai's fingertip almost touched the soft and plump mountain, but he seemed to recoil as if it were a reflex after being electrocuted, asking, "What... what are you doing?"
His expression was that of a typical victim, a little bunny suddenly caught by the big bad wolf.
For a moment, Xiao Yun's face turned red. She knew that she had received the short end of the stick. But she wasn't an ordinary person; she was only depressed for a moment and quickly adjusted to a combat-ready state, putting on a cloying smile, "Xiao Kai, Brother Xiao, I know you are a true gentleman. Um, I won't tease you anymore. Actually, I just want to tell you something."
"What is it?" Xiao Kai watched the little enchantress in front of him with caution.
For a rare moment, Xiao Yun showed a hint of shyness, "Xiao Kai, I just want to tell you that I'll always be waiting for you," she looked at Xiao Kai, who seemed stunned, and added shyly, "Waiting to be your girlfriend."
Xiao Kai couldn't utter a word.
"Let's leave it here for today," Xiao Yun coquettishly opened the car door, gently pushed Xiao Kai out and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's: "Remember the duel tomorrow. My lifelong happiness is all in your hands."
"Don't worry." Xiao Kai clenched his fist and suddenly felt a sense of responsibility. Originally, he didn't care much about the outcome of the duel, but now, he had decided to defeat Ning Yuan.
Xiao Yun slowly closed the car door, a smug smile on her lips.
The principle of yielding to win, Miss Xiao had known for a long time. Seeing Xiao Kai's determined look, she knew that he was ready to fight Ning Yuan.
Winning or losing didn't matter to her. What she wanted to do was to stir up trouble as much as possible and then expose Xiao Kai's true nature.
When Xiao Kai returned to the office, everything was calm. The manager's office door was closed as usual. Xiao Kai returned to his seat quietly, but as he was about to sit down, he heard the manager's office door open with a "pop" and Chi Xiao Zhu called out, "Xiao Kai, come in."
Xiao Kai's bottom had not yet touched the chair when he awkwardly stood up and obediently went inside. Once inside, he quickly explained, "Xiao Zhu, I was just..."
"Yes, I know. Director Xiao asked you to discuss work outside," Xiao Zhu seemed preoccupied and didn't pay attention to Xiao Kai's expression. "Xiao Kai, I want to talk to you about something tonight..."
Xiao Kai smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be waiting at home at ten o'clock tonight. We agreed to celebrate our birthdays together, remember?"
"No, Xiao Kai, I'm sorry, I might not be able to make it tonight," Xiao Zhu bit her lip.
Xiao Kai's expression immediately fell, "Why?"
"Because... because..." Xiao Zhu furrowed her pretty brow and after much thought, she said, "It's meaningless for me to tell you, anyway, you don't need to wait for me tonight."
"Alright then," Xiao Kai's face turned red. He stood up and left the room.
"Xiao Kai," Xiao Zhu called from behind.
"You don't need to say. I understand," Xiao Kai waved his hand. "Actually, I should have known long ago that a toad can't compare to a swan."
Xiao Zhu's eyes welled up with tears. Watching the door close with a bang, her pretty face turned red. After a while, she sighed, shook her head, and sat down.
Xiao Kai's head was buzzing with resentment that he couldn't put into words. He didn't know how he spent the time, feeling heartbroken, angry, and regretful at times. Xiao Guan quietly told him, "Kai, you might have misunderstood Sister Xiao Zhu."
"It's not possible," Xiao Kai gritted his teeth. "I'm just a small fry, to begin with."
"Well, then..." Xiao Guan tentatively said, "Why don't you apologize to her?"
"I won't," Xiao Kai rested his head on the tabletop and gritted his teeth. "Absolutely not."
Most of the time, Xiao Kai was very gentle and without principles. But when it came to emotions, he was stubborn and difficult to understand. Xiao Guan looked at him, seeing his stubborn look, and couldn't be bothered with him, so she went about her own business.
When the closing bell finally rang, Xiao Kai promptly stood up and dashed out. But as soon as he reached the door, he felt someone grab his clothes from behind. It was Qin Zhen, the famous company beauty who always looked down on him.
"What do you want from me?" Xiao Kai was very puzzled.
"Can't I come to you for no reason?" Qin Zhen chuckled. Her icy facade melted and she grabbed Xiao Kai's arm, "Our homes are not far apart. Let's take the bus together."
Xiao Kai understood her intention as soon as she spoke.
Qin Zhen had always stuck to Jia Zhengjing, but now that Jia Zhengjing had fallen from grace, if she wanted to continue to have influence in the company, she needed to find another backer. And now, the two most influential people in the company were him and Chi Xiao Zhu. Chi Xiao Zhu, being a girl, naturally wouldn't be swayed by her, so she naturally set her sights on him.
In her eyes, a young man like Xiao Kai could be easily won over with just a flutter of her eyelashes.
Once Xiao Kai understood, he felt a surge of anger. He flung her arm away, "No need."
"Hey, you still feel shy," Qin Zhen was slightly stunned and then smiled, "Xiao Kai, don't be like this. If I've wronged you in the past, I apologize to you now."
"Not necessary," Xiao Kai shook his head. "We have no quarrel. You do your job, and I'll do mine. We have nothing to do with each other."
"That's not entirely true," Qin Zhen complained resentfully. "Now that you're Assistant Manager Yan, you'll have to take care of me, this young lady, more in the future."
Xiao Kai was taken aback before realizing that he was already the assistant manager. And the previous assistant manager was the one in front of him now.
Seeing Xiao Kai silent, Qin Zhen thought that Xiao Kai had softened. She deliberately stuck out her bright red tongue and licked her lips a few times, her voice becoming softer, "Assistant Manager Yan, let's have dinner together tonight."
Xiao Kai felt a chill down his spine. Just the thought of her having been intimate with Jia Zhengjing and many other men made him feel dirty. He quickened his pace and walked out, saying, "No need, I have other plans tonight."
Xiao Kai actually had a soft spot for Qin Zhen, but after encountering several beautiful women in recent days and experiencing Xiao Yun's ultimate temptation, her childish behavior didn't elicit any feeling.
Qin Zhen stood there, her mood changing, before grunting heavily after a long time, "I can't believe it, I've been an expert in love for over ten years, and I can't even handle a little brat like you."
Xiao Kai felt extremely depressed even after returning home. He didn't even feel like eating dinner and lay down until past eight o'clock. When he finally sat up, he absentmindedly patted the book in his arms and listlessly said, "Xiao Guan, come out, let's chat."
Xiao Guan was always optimistic. She jumped out with a "swoosh", fluttering and dancing before saying, "Kai, don't waste time, let's discuss how to deal with Ning Yuan tomorrow."
"I was thinking the same thing," Xiao Kai smiled indifferently. "Do we need to discuss it? No matter how powerful he is, he's just one person. Finding three things better than him should be easy."
"That's not necessarily true. I just checked his situation," Xiao Guan said. "He's really strong."
"Heh, then let's compare table tennis," Xiao Kai said. "I've loved playing since elementary school, even joined the school team in middle school and ranked third in the city. I should be better than him, right?"
"No," Xiao Guan shook her head immediately. "Ning Yuan is a national professional B-level player. He's definitely better than you."
"Ok, let's try this," Xiao Kai said. "I spent some time in the countryside in my childhood and I know almost all the wild vegetables. Let's see who knows more."
"It's useless, Kai. Ning Yuan has a very extensive knowledge of botany. When he was twelve, he participated in a wilderness vegetable cooking summer camp and has recognized at least twice as many species as you," Xiao Guan sighed.
Xiao Kai was a bit dumbfounded, "How could he be good at everything? Are you kidding me?"
"I'm not kidding," Xiao Guan said, "Go check online yourself. Ningyuan has been recognized as a child prodigy since childhood, and the media once boasted that he was a genius that only appears once every five hundred years. His body is healthy and flawless, excelling in all kinds of sports, and his knowledge is extensive and filled with curiosity. He has participated in almost all major competitions and international events. In addition to that, he possesses exceptional social survival skills. After graduating from college, he took over the family business and managed everything efficiently, earning the respect of all his competitors in just six months. Moreover, he has a keen mind and decisive character, and within less than three months, he established intricate connections with the entire underground underworld of City S, even the leader of the city's largest gang Ax Gang began to treat him as a brother."
Xiao Kai listened in amazement, "So, does he not have any flaws?"
Xiao Guan said, "I haven't finished yet. Ningyuan not only has outstanding abilities, but he also has a deep understanding of various mysterious phenomena. He has participated in extreme mountaineering, drifting for thousands of miles, cave explorations, and tomb raids. He has encountered various races and, strictly speaking, he is not just a businessman but also an adventurer. Due to his constant exposure to these mysterious things, he has acquired many strange abilities. Of course, in my opinion, these are not really mysterious, just superficial magical and spiritual practices. Because he is too perfect, almost everyone who knows him feels that he is simply a living miracle. Even many scientists believe that he must be a test-tube baby bred with perfect genes. However, after strict and tedious genetic testing, these people had to believe that Ningyuan is indeed a normal man born naturally from his mother."
Xiao Guan looked at Xiao Kai and found him petrified for a long time. She then smiled and said, "He does have flaws."
Xiao Kai immediately became excited, "What flaws?"
Xiao Guan said, "No matter how strong and perfect he is, he is still just a person. Everyone has their limits within their talents, things that cannot be trained or surpassed."
Xiao Kai listened, feeling puzzled, "So, what exactly are these things?"
Xiao Guan smiled, "I don't know, you have to figure it out yourself."
Xiao Kai's brow furrowed into a frown, and after thinking hard, he couldn't find any area where he excelled. He encountered this unprecedented situation in combat, sports, chess, culinary skills, and even in physical altercations.
"Playing volleyball, swimming, racing, playing chess, or even cooking, let alone fighting, knowledge tests, and language abilities. I only know English, while others can speak eighteen foreign languages. They say Ningyuan's nerve response time is only 0.07 seconds, which is insane," Xiao Kai paced back and forth in the room, unable to come up with a solution.
"Kai, you should consider more unconventional things," Xiao Guan said, "Think about it, do you have any peculiar habits or abilities that others don't have or cannot achieve?"
Suddenly, Xiao Kai's eyes lit up, "I've got it!"
Xiao Guan immediately jumped in front of him, "What is it?"
Xiao Kai chuckled and slowly spit out four words, "Drawing a circle with one hand, and a square with the other."
Many years ago, the martial arts master Jin Yong wrote about a character named Guo Jing, who was quite dull and foolish, but surprisingly could draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other. His much smarter companion Huang Rong, however, couldn't. This illustrated the fact that a person's insight and aptitude are not solely determined by external appearances. Hence, Jin Yong gave him a very apt evaluation, calling him "extremely clever despite appearing foolish".
According to modern scientific concepts, performing different movements with both hands requires multitasking, making the brain simultaneously control two different tasks, which blatantly contravenes the body's natural instincts. In fact, such creatures are almost extinct even in the realm of spiritual and magical beings. So when Xiao Kai spoke those eight words, even Xiao Guan was stunned.