152: Chapter 152 Isn't this my good older brother?

Tao Xiaoman dragged Lin Yuxi into the restaurant and pushed the menu aside as soon as she sat down.

Her eyes were shining brightly, and she looked like she had just stumbled upon the biggest gossip of the year.

"Where are the photos? Let me see them, quick!"

Lin Yuxi had just picked up her water glass, but her movements paused.

Her ears felt a little hot, so she lowered her head and took a small sip of lemonade.

"There are no photos."

Tao Xiaoman's eyes widened on the spot, her expression looking as if she had seen a ghost.

"No way, you've started asking me whether you should take the initiative, and yet you don't even have a photo?"

Lin Yuxi felt uncomfortable under her stare and gently scratched the side of the glass with her fingers.

"I haven't known him long, so I was too embarrassed to take any."

Tao Xiaoman leaned back against the chair, full of shock.

"Lin Yuxi, you're done for. This isn't just liking someone; you've been completely wrapped around his finger."

Lin Yuxi pursed her lips and didn't refute it.

She also felt it was absurd.

In the past, she found even chatting with boys for a couple of sentences tiring.

But Zhang Qi was different.

He appeared too suddenly and too forcefully.

It was as if he had directly pushed past that little safety distance she kept.

The more Tao Xiaoman thought about it, the more anxious she became, and she quickly picked up her phone.

"Then ask him to come over for dinner. I'll give you some advice on the spot."

Lin Yuxi's eyes dimmed a little, and her voice grew quieter.

"He went to have dinner with someone else."

Tao Xiaoman's hand holding the phone stopped in mid-air.

She stared at Lin Yuxi for two seconds, and her expression slowly changed.

"Someone else? A man or a woman?"

Lin Yuxi lowered her eyes and stirred the ice cubes in her glass with a spoon.

"A woman."

Tao Xiaoman almost slammed her phone onto the table.

"Damn, what a scumbag!"

Her voice was a bit loud, and the people at the next table looked over.

Lin Yuxi hurriedly reached out to pull her sleeve, her face turning red.

"Keep your voice down, they're just friends."

Tao Xiaoman was so angry she laughed, leaning forward.

"Friends? Friends who eat alone with a girl late at night?"

Lin Yuxi opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but she lacked confidence.

She really didn't know what kind of relationship Zhang Qi and Li Bingyue had.

She only knew that Zhang Qi had brought Li Bingyue upstairs.

And the way they interacted so naturally didn't seem like they had just met.

Seeing her like this, Tao Xiaoman became even more anxious.

Others might not know Lin Yuxi, but she understood her all too well.

How socially anxious was this best friend of hers?

For four years of college, she avoided class gatherings whenever she could.

She would agonize for a long time just over classmates adding her on WeChat.

If they hadn't lived in the same dorm for four years, she wouldn't have been able to get into Lin Yuxi's heart and become her best friend.

Now, there was actually a man who made Lin Yuxi ask about taking the initiative.

In the past, Tao Xiaoman would have laughed until she had to call the police over something like this.

But she couldn't laugh now.

She was afraid that a romantic novice like Lin Yuxi would be taken advantage of and still end up making excuses for the other person.

"Yuxi, tell me honestly, how did you two meet?"

Lin Yuxi looked at her concerned expression, and her heart warmed a little.

She thought for a moment and started from the time the landlord of Yunduan No. 1 changed.

"He bought the apartment I was renting."

Tao Xiaoman immediately frowned, her vigilance maxed out.

"Wait a second, he's your new landlord?"

Lin Yuxi nodded gently.

"Yeah, he originally wanted to take back the apartment, but after seeing me, he didn't kick me out."

Tao Xiaoman picked up her glass and took a sip, her expression softening slightly.

"That's not too bad; at least he didn't make you move out right away."

Lin Yuxi continued.

"He also understands Photography; he showed me my old videos and pointed out a lot of issues."

Tao Xiaoman raised an eyebrow.

"Understands Photography? Does he really know his stuff or is he just pretending?"

Lin Yuxi answered quickly this time.

"He really knows it. The camera angles and lighting he mentioned worked really well after I tried them."

Speaking of this, her eyes clearly brightened up.

"Later, I asked him to help me film the female swordsman transformation, and he filmed it exceptionally well."

Looking at her like this, Tao Xiaoman's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no.

Her best friend wasn't just falling for him; she had also put on fan goggles.

Talented men are the most troublesome.

The more you think he's amazing, the easier it is for him to take up space in your heart.

Tao Xiaoman put down her glass and looked at her earnestly.

"Talent is a bonus, but this kind of man is also the most likely to be a scumbag."

Lin Yuxi frowned subconsciously.

"He isn't that kind of person."

Tao Xiaoman rolled her eyes directly.

"How long have you known him? How do you know he isn't?"

Lin Yuxi was stumped.

She looked down at the tableware on the table, feeling a bit confused.

She really didn't know everything about Zhang Qi's life.

But the feeling Zhang Qi gave her didn't seem like a bad person.

He didn't take advantage of her when she was nervous.

He didn't mock her because of her social anxiety.

Even when she was scared to go out in an exaggerated costume, he would hold her hand.

The warmth from his palm still made her face heat up when she thought about it now.

Seeing her silence, Tao Xiaoman sighed.

"Keep going, what else did he do?"

Lin Yuxi paused, her voice becoming even softer.

"At the sales office, he bought two apartments right in front of me."

Tao Xiaoman had just picked up a peanut, and her hand froze.

"Two apartments?"

Lin Yuxi nodded seriously.

"Yeah, over ten million, full payment."

The peanut in Tao Xiaoman's mouth almost fell out.

She blinked, suspecting she had misheard.

"Over ten million, full payment?"

Lin Yuxi looked at her reaction, feeling inexplicably proud.

"Yes, he was very calm when he swiped his card."

Tao Xiaoman straightened up, her whole demeanor becoming alert.

A moment ago, she was calling him a scumbag every other word.

Now, her brain had already started a frantic reboot.

Buying property with over ten million in full payment—what kind of concept was that?

For an ordinary person, never mind buying, they wouldn't even dare to imagine it.

If a man like this really was a scumbag, he wasn't an ordinary scumbag.

This was a high-spec version.

Tao Xiaoman swallowed hard.

"And then?"

Recalling the day at Huaqiangbei, Lin Yuxi's tone was more complex.

"Later, he felt my Photography equipment was too old, so he took me to buy new gear."

Tao Xiaoman was mentally prepared this time, but still couldn't help asking.

"How much?"

Lin Yuxi held up two fingers.

"Over two million."

Tao Xiaoman fell silent.

The chopsticks in her hand stopped in mid-air, and she looked like she had been disconnected from the internet.

After several seconds, she slowly put down her chopsticks.

"Over two million, to buy Photography equipment for you?"

Lin Yuxi hurriedly explained.

"It wasn't a gift for me; it was for filming videos, and he can use it too."

Tao Xiaoman stared at her, her expression becoming increasingly incredulous.

"Lin Yuxi, listen to yourself—do you believe that?"

Lin Yuxi's face turned red.

Of course, she knew this excuse was a bit flimsy.

But that was exactly what Zhang Qi had said at the time.

He didn't make his words too suggestive, nor did he make her feel embarrassed.

This was also the part that made her the most infatuated.

Even though he was clearly very rich, he didn't just throw money at her.

He left her a graceful exit.

This sense of boundaries was truly lethal for someone with social anxiety.

Tao Xiaoman leaned back in her chair, her eyes unfocused.

A moment ago, she was filled with righteous indignation, dying to tear the scumbag apart for her best friend.

But now she realized that the situation seemed to be beyond her range of experience.

An ordinary boy buying milk tea is called flirting.

A rich boy buying a bag is called an offensive.

Zhang Qi spending over two million on equipment wasn't just an offensive anymore.

This was buying the entire racetrack.

Tao Xiaoman rubbed her temples, her tone clearly weakening.

"How is this a scumbag? Isn't this just a good brother?"

Lin Yuxi wanted to laugh at her remark.

But as soon as she smiled, she remembered Li Bingyue in the elevator.

The sourness in her heart bubbled up again.

"But he seems to have a lot of pretty girls around him."

Tao Xiaoman snapped back to reality and immediately slapped the table.

"Then that's all the more reason not to be slow!"

Lin Yuxi was startled and hurriedly looked around.

"Don't be so excited."

Tao Xiaoman leaned closer to her, her expression more serious than ever.

"Yuxi, listen to me. This kind of man isn't lacking people who like him. If you keep hiding in your shell waiting for him to take the initiative, you'll have missed your chance completely."

Lin Yuxi's heartbeat quickened, and her palms were sweating a little.

"But I don't know how."

Tao Xiaoman looked at her, wishing she could make her more capable.

"If you don't know, you can learn. Didn't you learn to make videos bit by bit?"

Lin Yuxi was stunned.

This sentence suddenly struck a chord with her.

She used to be afraid of the camera when filming videos too.

She was afraid of others' judgment, afraid of not doing well.

But she still practiced bit by bit until now.

Is love the same way?

Tao Xiaoman took out her phone and opened her notes directly.

"Step one: don't act aloof. You aren't aloof by nature; you're just timid."

Lin Yuxi's face heated up, and she couldn't help glaring at her.

"Tao Xiaoman!"

Tao Xiaoman wasn't afraid at all and typed rapidly with her fingers.

"Step two: find common topics. Photography, videos, makeup and styling—these are all your strengths."

Lin Yuxi slowly sat up straight and began to listen attentively.

The more Tao Xiaoman talked, the more enthusiastic she became.

"Step three: create opportunities to be alone. Don't confess your feelings right away; that's too scary."

Lin Yuxi nodded gently, but her heart became increasingly nervous.

She had never studied a person so seriously before.

This feeling was very strange, and also very intoxicating.

Tao Xiaoman paused and suddenly looked at her.

"When are you seeing each other next?"

Lin Yuxi thought for a moment.

"He promised to help me continue filming videos."

Tao Xiaoman's eyes lit up.

"Then that's set. Next time, prepare an outfit with a bit more impact."

Several outfits in her closet flashed through Lin Yuxi's mind instantly.

Her cheeks began to burn.

"Would that be too deliberate?"

Tao Xiaoman smiled very mischievously.

"Sister, if you aren't deliberate when you like someone, are you planning to rely on fate to cultivate immortality?"

Lin Yuxi couldn't refute what she said.

She looked down at her phone, hesitating for a long time.

Finally, she tapped on Zhang Qi's WeChat profile picture.

The chat box was still on the topic of the video from earlier in the day.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds, her heartbeat getting faster and faster.

Tao Xiaoman urged her from the side.

"Send it! Just ask him if he has time tomorrow."

Lin Yuxi took a deep breath and slowly typed.

"Brother Qi, are you free tomorrow? I want to film another video."