After the White Lotus Drops the Act

The staff brought over water and fruit, and a rest area was set up nearby.

Tang You sat down obediently, waiting.

Her luck was pretty good.

Not long after she arrived, a match ended, and it was time for a break.

On the field…

Xiao Weijing took off his helmet, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sincerely praised Xiao Zexing. “Second Uncle, you’re as impressive as ever.”

Xiao Zexing handed his mallet to a stable hand beside him. “I haven’t played in a while—feels a bit rusty.”

Deng Jue chuckled. “Come on, don’t be modest. Weren’t you the top scorer just now? There aren’t many left-handers who can play at your level.”

Since polo requires players to use their right hand, the rule was particularly unfavorable for a natural lefty like Xiao Zexing.

He narrowed his eyes, glancing toward the edge of the field.

A delicate figure stood there, rising to her feet.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Why is Tang You here? Who brought her?”

Beside him, Xiao Weijing’s expression darkened.

He had noticed too.

Even though he couldn’t see her face clearly, there was only one petite girl who would show up dressed like that.

Tang You.

Xiao Weijing despised feeling tied down.

Today, he had come to play polo on a whim.

But the fact that someone had tracked his spontaneous decision and followed him here made him feel even more suffocated.

As he watched the girl hurrying over with a bottle of water and a small basket of strawberries, he let out a cold scoff.

“Pathetic.”

Did she really think something so basic would win him over?

Fine, when the strawberries arrived, he’d eat two at most.

And the water? He’d barely take a—

Huh?!

Tang You completely ignored Xiao Weijing and ran straight to Xiao Zexing’s horse.

She came to a stop, looking up with her sweet and delicate face.

Lifting her arms high, she offered up the strawberries and water, her slim wrists porcelain-white under the sunlight.

Her voice was soft and pleasant.

“Do you want some water?”

Crack.

Xiao Weijing’s face turned stormy as the handle of his mallet snapped in his grip.

He was certain now.

Tang You hadn’t spared him a single glance.

Ungrateful. Completely ungrateful.

All she knew was acting cute, sucking up to elders, and she didn’t even think to please her own fiancé?!

She was not cute at all!

Not. Cute. At. All!

Xiao Weijing’s face darkened further.

He jerked the reins, spun his horse around, and rode off in the opposite direction.

He had no intention of speaking another word to Tang You.

That fake woman needed time to cool down and figure out who she should really be sucking up to.

Seated on his horse, Xiao Zexing looked down at Tang You.

Against the towering figure of his horse, she seemed so small.

Small hands, small face—small everything.

Deng Jue let out a whistle, teasing, “Since a beauty has come looking for you, we’ll take our leave.”

The other players, all trained by the polo club, exchanged knowing smiles and dispersed.

Xiao Zexing dismounted, gazing down at Tang You.

“Who brought you here?”

She smiled sweetly. “I flew over.”

Of course, she wouldn’t mention Zhao Manlan.

Her entire goal was to make Xiao Weijing hate her.

So, the more pretentious, delicate, and over-the-top she acted, the better.

Yet Xiao Zexing showed no sign of irritation at her theatrics.

He calmly removed his gloves and handed them, along with his reins, to a stable hand.

Tang You followed closely behind him, obediently offering the bottle of water.

Xiao Zexing unscrewed the cap and drank half of it.

She had already prepared herself for the inevitable—after intense exercise, people always sweat.

But to her surprise, he didn’t smell bad at all.

Instead of the usual unpleasant odor, his scent was a light mix of cedarwood and a hint of vetiver.

Xiao Zexing held the bottle of water. A stickler for cleanliness, he didn’t touch the strawberries.

Tang You immediately went on tiptoe, plucked a strawberry, and held it up to his lips. “Try it, it’s really sweet.”

Xiao Zexing glanced at her, then lowered his head and took a bite.

She had already removed the green stem beforehand.

As he ate, his lips brushed lightly against her fingertips.

A tingling sensation shot up from her fingers, like tiny electric sparks crackling along her nerves.

Tang You resisted the urge to pull her hand back and instead gazed at him with sparkling eyes. “Is it good?”

She looked just like a little bunny.

Xiao Zexing’s gaze swept over her face, her collarbone, her wrist—finally settling on her loose-fitting dress.

It had no cinched waist, draping loosely.

The strawberry was sweet.

Soft. Fresh.

Xiao Zexing lowered his head slightly and looked at her. “It’s very good.”

That was when Tang You finally noticed—he had dimples.

Not deep ones. When he wasn’t smiling, or even when he was, they were just faint traces.

His features were so strikingly perfect that it was hard to decide which was the most attractive.

But at this moment, Tang You was certain— the most mesmerizing, most alluring part of his face was those subtle dimples.

She quickly calmed herself down, reminding herself: She was supposed to be playing a manipulative little green tea girl, not a love-struck fool.

She picked up another strawberry, about to feed it to him, but Xiao Zexing casually screwed the cap back onto the water bottle.

He had no intention of eating another one.

Instead, he asked indifferently, “Kids should focus on their studies. What are you doing here?”

Tang You said nothing, still holding the strawberry.

That bright, sweet smile from earlier was now completely gone.

She looked a little aggrieved.

Xiao Zexing casually tossed the water bottle into a nearby trash bin.

Finally, he heard her soft voice. “I wanted to see if your forehead had healed.”

It was just a minor scrape.

It had healed long ago.

He’d had far worse injuries—this barely even qualified as a wound.

Xiao Zexing said, “It’s nothing. Go home early. This isn’t a place for you.”

From a distance, Deng Jue let out a whistle.

Xiao Zexing was just about to walk over when someone tugged at his clothes.

He looked down.

Tang You’s water-filled eyes stared up at him.

Her delicate fingers carefully pinched the corner of his sleeve, pulling ever so gently, as if afraid of hurting the fabric.

Her voice was soft and sweet. “I’ll wait for you.”

Afraid he might snap at her, she quickly let go right after saying it and stood properly, head lowered.

Xiao Zexing’s gaze paused for a second.

Then he walked away.

Deng Jue immediately handed him a cigarette, shielding the wind with one hand while lighting it with the other.

Grinning, he asked, “Well? Did the eternal iron tree finally bloom? Have you taken a liking to her?”

Xiao Zexing turned slightly, looking back.

Tang You was still sitting there.

Though it was already autumn, the sun remained relentlessly hot.

Her legs, peeking out from under her skirt, were slim and fair.

She swung them lightly, kicking away a small pebble in front of her.

A staff member arrived with fresh fruit.

Tang You took it with both hands, tilting her face up with a bright smile.

So well-behaved. So polite.

Deng Jue commented, “Didn’t expect this to be your type.”

Xiao Zexing scoffed and cursed at him with a laugh. “What the hell are you talking about? That’s Zeyan’s newly adopted little girl—she’s still in high school.”

Extinguishing the cigarette he had barely taken a drag from, Xiao Zexing said flatly, “I’m not a damn pedophile.”