Chapter 218 Do you like Xiaoxi?
9:20 a.m.
Ye Fan appeared at the villa's entrance.
In the spacious yard, two business cars were parked. Compared to the yard's overall size, it seemed a bit desolate.
He pressed the doorbell.
In less than two minutes, Ning Xi appeared in Ye Fan's line of sight.
A loose nightgown draped over her petite figure, her slightly messy hair adding to her charm. Her clear eyes sparkled like the stars.
"Just woke up?"
"Mm."
Ning Xi nodded slightly, opening the door and blinking repeatedly.
"Where are your pigtails?"
Ye Fan silently turned around, his face showing a trace of bitterness.
On the back of his head, tied slightly to the left and right, were two small pigtails. His hair wasn't long, so the pigtails weren't very noticeable; from the front, they couldn't be seen at all.
"Pfft—"
Dimples appeared on Ning Xi's face, which was filled with laughter.
"Not bad, not bad, suits you well."
"..."
Ye Fan raised an eyebrow and shrugged helplessly. "You're still laughing?"
"Because of these pigtails, the taxi driver kept glancing at me the whole way. I almost ended up in the eighteenth level of hell."
"Huh?"
Feeling guilty, Ning Xi stuck out her tongue and walked behind Ye Fan. Standing on her tiptoes, she removed the hair ties from his pigtails and used her fingers to smooth his slightly deformed hair.
"Sorry, I just wanted to tease you a little. I didn't think it through."
"So, in the future..."
"In the future, no more pigtails for you."
"Now, that's more like it."
Hearing this, a smile flickered in Ye Fan's eyes. He pinched her makeup-free face, its soft touch making it hard for him to let go.
"Xiao Xi, why is your face so soft?"
"Why?"
Ning Xi crossed her arms and stared at Ye Fan with grievance. "It's because of the fat, of course! Also, why don't you pinch your own face?"
"Don't feel like it."
Ning Xi: "..."
In the living room.
Ning Xiangtian sat on the sofa, holding a tablet and swiftly handling some company matters. On the coffee table in front of him sat a cup of steaming coffee, which he occasionally picked up to sip.
Hearing footsteps approaching from a distance, he put down the tablet and looked toward the living room entrance.
"Hello, Uncle."
Upon seeing Ning Xiangtian, Ye Fan greeted him right away, a polite smile on his face.
Ning Xiangtian nodded slightly and gestured toward the opposite sofa. "Hmm, sit down for a chat?"
"Sure."
Ye Fan, at ease, took a seat opposite him.
Ning Xi sat next to Ye Fan, her fair, slender legs exposed halfway. Her neckline was slightly open, revealing delicate collarbones that hinted at her beauty.
Ning Xiangtian frowned. Just as he was about to say something, Ye Fan beat him to it.
"Xiao Xi, go upstairs and change your clothes."
"Oh."
Ning Xi agreed obediently but glanced worriedly at her father. "Dad, talk nicely. Don't say things you shouldn't. Otherwise, I'll complain to Mom about you."
Ning Xiangtian: "..."
A married daughter is like water spilled out.
He agreed with that saying.
But his daughter wasn't married yet, not even in a relationship! So why was she siding with outsiders?
This was...
Infuriating!!!
"Go change, and while you're at it, call your mom down from the bedroom."
"Got it."
After his daughter went upstairs, Ning Xiangtian leaned back on the sofa. Just by sitting there, he exuded an aura—or rather, pressure—that made it hard to look directly at him.
Ye Fan, however, wasn't intimidated. He smiled and asked, "Uncle, what would you like to talk about?"
"What can you talk about?"
"Me? I can talk about a little bit of everything."
And that wasn't just boasting.
Ye Fan had read countless books, not by rote memorization but with a thorough understanding of their contents.
As the saying goes:
Read thousands of books, travel thousands of miles.
Adding his experiences from his previous life, the knowledge stored in Ye Fan's mind was astonishing.
As long as the topic wasn't about aerospace satellites or nuclear weapons, he could genuinely talk about almost anything.
But facts are facts, and Ning Xiangtian wasn't pleased.
"A little bit of everything? You're bragging to me, huh?"
"Ahem—"
Noticing the change in Ning Xiangtian's expression, Ye Fan immediately realized his earlier words had been inappropriate. He gave an apologetic smile. "Uncle, why are you taking it seriously? I was just joking with you."
Ning Xiangtian snorted coldly. He was about to say something when he saw his wife coming down the stairs, so he swallowed his words.
Lan Xi sat down beside her husband, her face full of warmth. "Ye Fan, Xiao Xi's performance in the past two nationwide exams has been excellent. You've contributed a lot to that. My husband and I are very grateful, so we invited you here for a meal."
"There's no tutoring today, so don't be formal. Treat this as your own home."
"Thank you, Sister Lan."
Ye Fan responded humbly with a smile, "Xiao Xi's excellent results are mainly due to her own efforts. Tutoring is just the cherry on top."
"You're such a sweet talker."
Lan Xi tugged at her husband's hand and whispered, "Xiao Xi won't be coming downstairs for a while. Didn't you want to talk about that matter? Go ahead."
Hearing this, Ye Fan's heart tightened slightly.
A tough conversation was coming!
Ning Xiangtian clasped his hands together, his gaze scrutinizing as he asked in a deep voice, "Ye Fan, tell me the truth. Do you like Xiao Xi?"
"Yes."
The reply was straightforward.
No hesitation.
Ning Xiangtian and Lan Xi were both stunned by his answer.
They had expected Ye Fan to shyly deny it.
He's just a boy, after all.
Normally, even if he did like her, he wouldn't admit it outright.
But...
This was completely unexpected!
Ye Fan sat up straight, his deep eyes gleaming with light—a light that seemed capable of piercing through the darkness of the world. His entire aura exuded mystery and confidence.
"Uncle, Sister Lan, in your eyes, Xiao Xi and I may still be young, too young to understand what it means to like someone. You might think that at our age, we should focus on our studies, and only after we graduate would it be time to think about relationships."
"But I don't see it that way."
Ye Fan's voice was calm yet powerful. "Liking someone has nothing to do with age, time, or any other factors. Liking someone is just that—pure and simple."
"Well said."
Lan Xi couldn't help but praise him.
To be honest, Ye Fan's performance exceeded her expectations.
When her husband mentioned discussing this topic with Ye Fan, she had been worried.
After all, at such a young age, facing what was essentially a "meet the parents" scenario, most boys would be nervous, even tongue-tied.
But Ye Fan, on the other hand, was composed, eloquent, and perfectly balanced—not overbearing, not underwhelming, just right.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Lan Xi would have found it hard to believe that this was a high school senior.
Ning Xiangtian's brow twitched repeatedly, his face darkening.
He was now certain of one thing.
This kid...
Definitely had "social genius syndrome"!!!