The Villainous Classmate is My Lucky Star Chapter 174
Translated by Pure
Chapter 174 Chi Shu's Straight Ball (2)
Although Chi Jingxi's expression was calm, his pair of starry eyes revealed a trace of impatience. It was clear that Chi Shu had asked him to come to attend this meal.
But the moment Wen Yantong poked her head in and looked at him, all the impatience in his eyes melted, akin to a warm sun rising above a cold winter day.
The corners of Wen Yantong’s mouth twitched faintly, she did not dare to smile at Chi Jingxi blatantly, but obediently followed behind Wen Qin and saluted Chi Shu.
Chi Shu was quite easy-going, and after relieving the etiquette of the father and daughter, he allowed Wen Qin to sit. Wen Qin remained overly cautious. When he gave the crutches to the servant beside him to sit down, he almost slipped and fell on his tush.
He has been doing business in Chang'an City for so many years, but this was the first time he had been granted an audience in front of the Marquis, let alone sitting right in front and sharing a table. Wen Yantong sympathized with him and couldn’t help but recall the first time she ate at the same table with Chi Jingxi. Even though there was a large group of people at the table, she still felt nervous.
As soon as he was seated, Chi Shu said, "I had taken the liberty to invite Brother Wen for this meal, hopefully there were no inconveniences."
Wen Qin shook his head hastily, "No, no! With your invitation esteemed Marquis, how could I dare to think it is inconvenient?"
Chi Shu laughed. "I’m grateful for your kind words. I’ve invited you here today because I wanted to thank you, Brother Wen, for your kind intentions of aiding disaster relief. Never lose this affection even in the face of etiquettes."
Wen Qin said, "You’ve overpraised. This commoner Wen is just trying my best."
Wen Yantong wanted to laugh, so she could only turn away and shift her gaze to Chi Jingxi. Across a square table, Chi Jingxi sat upright, his eyes exposed his happy mood, and when he met Wen Yantong's gaze, passion seemed to be added into his gaze.
If they were to continue to stare at one another, their feelings may be discovered by others. Thus, Wen Yantong had no choice but to lower her head, pretending that she hadn’t seen his burning eyes.
Chi Jingxi also looked down.
After a short moment, he poured a cup of hot tea. With his long arm, he steadily pushed the teacup in front of Wen Yantong.
Wen Yantong was a little surprised, and subconsciously raised her head to look at Chi Jingxi, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed Chi Shu looking at her with an equally shocked expression. Without a second delay, she immediately reached out to hold the teacup, and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Little Marquis."
Chi Jingxi said gently, "It's cold outside, drink some hot tea first to warm yourself up."
Chi Shu asked with a smile, "Since when did you become so considerate?"
Chi Jingxi answered, "I just acted upon my thoughts."
Chi Shu laughed, and ordered someone to pour hot tea for Wen Qin while explaining, "My son has always been xenophobic, and he is very reserved in front of strangers. Seldom do I see him take the initiative."
Wen Qin said, "Little Marquis had taken good care of my beloved daughter in Chaoge. I am already very grateful, today I finally got the chance to thank you, Little Marquis."
Chi Jingxi was extremely patient towards Wen Qin, "No need, your daughter also has taught me many things."
Wen Yantong recalled how Chi Jingxi used to grimace at the sight of her, and knew that Chi Shu was speaking the truth; Chi Jingxi had very little patience with unfamiliar people. This time, Wen Qin was only getting special treatment due to her influence.
Thinking of this, Wen Yantong couldn't help laughing, "Little Marquis has indeed helped me many times. I've always been thinking about how I can repay him."
Chi Shu looked at Chi Jingxi, then at Wen Yantong, and said with a smile, "I met this little girl yesterday, and learned that she is 16 years old. Her age is suitable for marriage and engagement and it just so happens that Jingxi had also just celebrated his coming of age. Little girl, if you would like to express your gratitude, how about considering entering our family?"
"Huh?" Wen Qin was dumbfounded.
Wen Yantong inwardly screamed– Holy shit!
Chi Shu's straight ball hit her straight in the face, causing her to feel dizzy.
Was she still dreaming?
Chi Shu’s words had seemed to come out of nowhere, and left the three other people at the table all stunned.
Seeing their reactions, he quickly changed his words, "It's just a joke, I hope you don’t mind, Brother Wen."
Wen Qin wiped off his sweat, and quickly laughed along, "Lord Marquis, this matter can’t be used as a joke."
Chi Shu clicked his tongue, "Why can’t it be? For a pair of unmarried men and women, there’s no harm in having a serious discussion about it."
Wen Qin responded immediately, "The Wen Residence, although rich, are but just commoners, how could we dare claim connections of higher status such as you, Lord Marquis?"
Chi Shu laughed, "You common people always place so much importance on family status. I know what I see; your daughter is quite pretty, she has good features, and is also quite bright. If Brother Wen also shares this desire..."
Wen Qin, terrified, waved his hands repeatedly to deny, "Lord Marquis is speaking highly of the Wen Family, we are ashamed and dare not accept this honor. The Marquis Mansion’s threshold is too high, we, Wen Residence, still have self-knowledge."
Perhaps because of repeated refusals, Chi Shu seemed a bit displeased. With a stern face, he stated, "Brother Wen seems to think our Chi family is not good enough."
Wen Qin was so anxious that he said ‘don’t dare’ three times, "This commoner Wen doesn’t dare! To be appreciated by Lord Marquis is a true blessing for Tongtong. It's just I only have this one daughter, so we plan to have the groom move into our house after the marriage. So we really dare not consider Little Marquis."
Wen Yantong looked at Wen Qin and saw fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. She couldn't help but wonder why Wen Que was so frightened in front of Maquis when he was so comfortable in front of everyone in Tianqiao Pavilion. Why was he overreacting like this?
Wen Qin had dealt with various dealings in countless areas, so he should be experienced and knowledgeable, and his manners should be well honed. It was rather odd for him to act like this.
Chi Jingxi immediately said to Chi Shu, "Father, it is about time to serve the dishes."
Chi Shu knew that this was Chi Jingxi's intention to stop him, so he sighed softly, dropped the topic, and beckoned for servants to serve the dishes.
Wen Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had escaped a catastrophe.
After a while, the dishes were served on the table one by one, filling almost all the space.
Wen Yantong remained quiet the whole time, listening to Chi Shu chatting with Wen Qin. Both Chi Shu and Chi Jingxi didn't like to be served by servants during meals, so they were all sent out; whether it was pouring water or clipping the community dishes, they did it all by themselves.
Due to being tense and nervous, Wen Qin ate with stiff manners, more tidy than when eating at home. Usually he would spray the whole table with rice, but in front of the Marquis, he didn't dare to spread a single grain of rice.
Wen Yantong found this scene quite comical, but when she recalled what Chi Shu said just now, she was still a little puzzled.
What exactly did Chi Shu mean? Was it really just a passing joke?
However, marriages were nothing like the ones of modern times, in which people could just randomly pair two singles into a couple, at single men and women. In ancient times, these were important milestones meant to discuss together by the two families. There was no love, only marriage.
Wen Yantong quietly raised her head and glanced at Chi Jingxi’s handsome profile. The latter was elegantly eating his food, his head was currently lowered, picking the bone out from the fish.
"How many items did Brother Wen buy during this disaster relief auction?" Chi Shu seemed to casually ask.
"Seventeen." Wen Qin replied.
"I have already prepared to report to the Emperor for your philanthropic act, and I plan to get you a title." He said.
Wen Qin was overwhelmed by favor. "This...This commoner Wen has acted out of sincerity, not for other purposes."
Chi Shu laughed loudly, "I know you're not scheming for something else, but Chang'an City had ranked first in Shaojing's list of disaster relief funds several times. I have received rewards myself, so I can't allow you to go without."
Wen Qin had rejected Chi Shu several times before, and if he continued to do so, it would be disrespectful to Chi Shu, so he bit the bullet and said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Marquis. I am ever more grateful."
Chi Shu replied, "You are quite outmoded. Never mind that, let us continue to eat."
His resignation caused Wen Que to be much more relaxed. His eating motion also became much more natural.
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The author has something to say:
[Chi Jingxi's Little Diary]
The twenty-fourth year of Ruixing Decade, twenty-ninth of the third lunar month:
Today's events serve as concrete evidence of my father's genuine love for me.
Pure: I like Papa Chi, he gets an A+ in my book
