Xie Huaichu glanced at him, dismissively pulling his hand away.
He filled his glass again and drank it all without heeding the advice.
"Huaichu, are you okay?"
Shao Moyan reached out and forcibly grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Xie Huaichu's hand. Then, he found a spot and casually tucked it away, his expression full of concern as he looked at his friend.
"You've always been someone who doesn't drink. Is today the day you break your vow?"
Shao Moyan immediately crossed his arms in front of him, exaggerating his expression.
"Bro, I'm a decent man. And I like women. Don't even think about trying anything with me."
Xie Huaichu glanced at him with disdain, "If you're sick, go see a doctor."
Shao Moyan shrugged indifferently. "This is how it is for me, whether I see one or not, it won't change much."
Xie Huaichu held the glass of alcohol in his hand, his thoughts drifting back to how Jiang Li had looked at him, a heavy block settling in his chest.
He was surrounded by coldness, his eyes dark, and his face as hard as ever.
"Why lie to me?" He gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the anger inside, asking the question.
Hearing this, Shao Moyan feigned ignorance, confusion evident in his brows.
"What do you mean by lying to you?"
Xie Huaichu shot him a cold stare, his voice calm, but icy. "Jiang Li likes me."
"Isn't that the case?" Shao Moyan continued to act clueless, his face full of innocence.
He knew very well that Jiang Li didn't like Xie Huaichu.
He was deliberately playing this game.
After all, his friend had been single for 28 years, and this was the first time he had a different attitude towards a girl.
Naturally, he had to do something to help his friend, lest this lifelong bachelor remain lonely forever.
Xie Huaichu clenched the glass tighter, the veins on the back of his hand protruding. If Jiang Li were here right now, she would certainly be entranced by the sight of his hand.
He suppressed his anger, lifted his gaze, and glared at Shao Moyan, his voice low and threatening. "Try playing dumb one more time."
Seeing this, Shao Moyan immediately dropped his playful attitude, raised both hands in mock surrender, and smiled lightly.
"Alright, alright, I was wrong."
"But Huaichu, I wasn't just making things up, there's truth behind it."
"It's just that the main point got mixed up."
"What do you mean?" Xie Huaichu furrowed his brows, placing the glass on the coffee table, his eyes fixed on him.
Shao Moyan lifted the wine glass to his lips, took a couple of sips, then smiled as he looked at him, his gaze laden with meaning.
"It means Jiang Li doesn't like you, but you like her."
Xie Huaichu's expression froze for a moment, a wave of disbelief flashing through his eyes.
He likes Jiang Li?
He likes Jiang Li.
Xie Huaichu pressed his hand to his chest. For some reason, his heart was racing.
"How do you know?" he asked after a beat, his emotions quickly controlled as he coldly spoke.
Shao Moyan lazily leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed ahead, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.
"Every time you're around her, don't you find yourself unable to control your actions?"
"Always wanting to do something inappropriate with her, like..."
Shao Moyan trailed off, carefully watching Xie Huaichu's reaction.
The latter's face was dark, his lips pressed together, his eyes becoming even more clouded with anger.
Shao Moyan reached up and rubbed his nose, a sense of survival kicking in.
"I won't elaborate on that example. You understand better than I do."
"Also, you have an intense possessiveness towards her."
"Remember last time when we were playing Truth or Dare here? Think about how fiercely you protected her."
"The most telling thing is, when other men are around Jiang Li, you show a very obvious hostility."
"You practically want to devour them alive."
"All these signs point to the same thing—you like her."
Xie Huaichu listened to Shao Moyan's analysis, replaying everything that had happened between him and Jiang Li over the past few weeks.
Every detail seemed to confirm that Shao Moyan was right.
So, had he really fallen for Jiang Li?
It seemed hard to believe, but Xie Huaichu couldn't deny the truth of it.
He asked again, almost as if searching for reassurance, "But last time, you told me she liked me."
"You said she was a girl, with a thin skin, and would be too shy to admit it."
"That's why you encouraged me to accept her feelings."
Shao Moyan shook his head with a light chuckle, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Doctor Xie, did you forget? I also told you before that the daughters of the Li, Zhang, and Cheng families were all deeply in love with you."
"So, how did you respond?"
Xie Huaichu's memory slowly returned at Shao Moyan's words.
He had indeed said that, and at the time, Xie Huaichu had coldly mocked him. "Boring."
He hadn't even given those women a second thought.
Shao Moyan tilted his head and glanced at him. "But this time, you're acting totally different."
"I only said it casually, and now you've taken it seriously, lavishing attention on the little princess."
"If that's not liking her, then I'd say you're just fooling yourself."
Xie Huaichu remained silent, but inside, his emotions were like a raging storm.
So, he really had fallen for that little girl without realizing it.
Shao Moyan, seeing the cold indifference on his face slowly soften into something more pleasant, couldn't resist asking the question that had been on his mind.
"When did you realize that Jiang Li doesn't like you?"
"Today," Xie Huaichu replied coldly.
"You confessed to her and got rejected?" Shao Moyan asked, curiosity piqued.
"Worse than that," Xie Huaichu chuckled bitterly, a trace of sorrow in his voice.
"I kissed her, and she slapped me."
"Whoa! That's explosive!" Shao Moyan laughed mercilessly, as though savoring a juicy gossip.
"Dr. Xie, you've finally gotten what's coming to you. This is too satisfying."
Xie Huaichu: "..."
"Thanks a lot."
After a moment of silence, his face grew serious again. "I want to pursue her. Do you have any advice?"
Shao Moyan smirked, his eyes full of teasing. "There are plenty of ways, just depends on whether you have the guts to go for it."
Xie Huaichu turned to look at him steadily, and after a long pause, spoke with a sense of finality.
"Forget it. You don't seem very reliable."
Unreliable Shao Moyan: "..."
Time passed, the days alternating between light and dark, and before long, a week had gone by.
It was Sunday, and Xie Huaichu had a day off.
After dinner, he drove slowly toward the Bichui Huai Shuzhai.
After talking to Shao Moyan at the club, he had finally come to terms with his feelings.
He liked Jiang Li, and he was going to pursue her, protect her for the rest of his life.
So, whenever he had free time, he would drive over to Bichui Huai Shuzhai.
But each time, he only watched from a distance, staying for hours.
When the gate was open, he could catch glimpses of the little girl busying herself in the courtyard.
He would take out his phone and secretly snap pictures of her every expression, even though they were far away, and the pictures weren't very clear.
But he could enjoy it for a long time.
When he found out from Lu Ziyang that Jiang Li had stopped tutoring him, he wasn't angry.
Instead, he casually told Lu Ziyang that your sister was busy, and that he needed to learn to study on his own.
At that time, Lu Ziyang was completely bewildered.
He thought his brother was acting a little strange.
Now, the sky had darkened considerably.
As usual, he sat in the driver's seat, staring at the little courtyard.
He had tried to talk to Jiang Li face to face, but she rejected him coldly.
Though frustrated, he still chose to compromise.
He quietly watched her from afar.
The lights outside the gate turned on, and Xie Huaichu instinctively tried to hide, but then he saw who was coming out—it was Lin Guifang.