176: Chapter 176 Star Island Holiday: The Gentleman's Male Lead 5

As it turned out, not far behind Xia Qingyuan.

Under the streetlamp, Meng Zhu was standing there quietly, watching her without blinking.

"Goodness!"

Xia Qingyuan was startled, and upon reacting, patted her chest.

"You... You haven't slept yet?"

Having not seen each other for many days, Meng Zhu still looked as gentlemanly and courteous as ever, wearing a crisp, well-fitted suit.

But the sense of aloofness on him had diminished greatly, and instead, a gentle warmth constantly lingered around him.

After all, Meng Zhu was mostly playing a role now; that gaze of his was so affectionate it looked as if he were gazing tenderly even at a dog.

He spoke softly, and his tone was gentle as well.

"Miss Qingyuan, did you come to look for me?"

"Yes, I am truly very sorry today—"

Xia Qingyuan hurriedly began to explain, her speaking speed fast and urgent.

"I was simply too busy today, and later I accidentally fell asleep in the lounge and completely lost track of time. I originally wanted to come and apologize to you, but seeing that there were no lights on inside the room, I thought you had already gone to sleep..."

Meng Zhu looked at her flustered and guilty appearance, with not a trace of blame in the depths of his eyes, but rather a hint of a smile.

Xia Qingyuan felt a sense of guilt toward him, which showed that she did not harbor any aversion to him and had even regarded him as a friend.

He interrupted her explanation, his voice exceptionally soft in the quiet night.

"You don't need to feel sorry; you never promised me that you would come."

"Yes— no—"

Xia Qingyuan waved her hands anxiously.

"I am terribly sorry. I clearly said I would treat you well, but then I stood you up on our very first invitation. How could a thing like this possibly be okay?"

"It's okay."

Meng Zhu shook his head, interrupting her once again, and took a step closer to her.

"The meaning of an invitation has never been about whether it is the first time, nor is it about what we do together; rather, it is about whether the other person came."

He gazed into her eyes.

"You have come now, right here in front of me. For me, that is already enough. I am very happy, and also very content."

Xia Qingyuan was stunned.

She admitted that these words were very warm, washing away much of her guilt.

But his tone was too gentle, making her somewhat at a loss.

She lowered her head shyly.

"Please don't speak like that. It will only make me feel even more unforgivable."

But she said these words with a smile, clearly feeling much more relaxed.

"Alright."

Meng Zhu responded with a light chuckle and then continued speaking.

"I heard that the duty manager can also act as a private butler. If I were to ask this of you, would it make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Of course not!"

Xia Qingyuan waved her hands hurriedly.

"Private butlers have extra salary subsidies; I'm too overjoyed to even mind."

"That's good."

Meng Zhu nodded.

"Then tomorrow I will go finalize it: my private butler, Miss Qingyuan."

Being gazed at so gently by Meng Zhu, Xia Qingyuan always felt as though every single word he spoke had a temperature, making her whole body feel awkward and uneasy.

"Um... It's very late. You should get some rest early too. See you tomorrow."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

The two bid farewell under the moonlight, and Xia Qingyuan practically fled in a panic.

[That's it?]

[What else do you guys want? It's a one-sided crush to begin with, okay?]

[No way, Xia Qingyuan is shy, you see. I think the progress is fine.]

[Give me a break. If you casually find a girl on the street and confess to her, she'll blush too.]

[Fine, then to the person above: I like you. I think you're so handsome, so humorous, and so masculine. Did you blush?]

[Are you sick in the head? Everyone is just a speck of light here, what's there to blush about a bubble teapot?]

[Don't be stubborn, what she said makes sense. Blushing doesn't equal being shy, let alone ambiguity; it could also mean it's an intrusion, or just feeling embarrassed.]

[Yeah yeah, it could also be overheating.]

[Warning... Warning...]

Meng Zhu watched the danmu for a moment and helplessly shook his head.

Although they were nonsensical, what they said was right; it truly wasn't shyness.

If your girlfriend's best friend suddenly picks food for you, after reacting, your face would also turn as red as wine.

Does that mean you are shy?

However, even though Xia Qingyuan was deliberately avoiding it, Meng Zhu had indeed made quite a lot of progress.

Judging from Xia Qingyuan's guilt, at the very least, after only three meetings, they were already friends.

Early the next morning, inside the gym of Star Travel Hotel.

Meng Zhu, dressed in a black athletic outfit, was sweating profusely on the treadmill.

His figure was tall and upright, his muscle lines smooth, and coupled with his steady breathing, it was obvious that he worked out regularly.

Just at this moment, a slightly hurried figure walked in through the doorway.

Xia Qingyuan wore her work suit every day, unchanging.

She walked straight over to Meng Zhu's treadmill.

"Mr. Meng Zhu!"

Xia Qingyuan spoke, her tone slightly out of breath.

"I heard from the attendant that you came to work out early in the morning, but you rested so late yesterday; is your body alright?"

"Persisting in daily fitness is not an easy task."

Meng Zhu picked up the towel hanging on the handrail and casually wiped the sweat from his cheeks.

"An occasional instance of insufficient sleep will appear somewhat insignificant."

Hearing his calm and breezy reply, Xia Qingyuan thought so too; giving up years of fitness habits just because of an occasional lack of sleep seemed like the real problem.

Thus she nodded.

"Yes, you're right."

Then, as if remembering her main business, her expression turned serious again as she said:

"Um... Actually, I came here on purpose. Mr. Meng Zhu, may I ask, have you gotten a local mobile phone card for Country H?"

"Just got it done."

Meng Zhu was concise and to the point.

"That's great!"

Xia Qingyuan's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out her own phone from her pocket, opening the WeChat QR code interface.

"Let's exchange contact information. If you have any matters, you can reach me directly."

Meng Zhu took out his new phone and scanned her screen.

With a soft "ding" sound, the friend addition was successful.

Xia Qingyuan had received many major clients, but acting as a private butler was actually her first time.

She bowed slightly, trying hard to make herself appear more professional.

"Mr. Meng Zhu, then from now on, I am your private butler. Please take care of me."

Meng Zhu leaned against the handrail of the treadmill with a hint of teasing amusement.

"So that's how it is. It's a pity this is no longer a surprise; I had already received notification when I was eating breakfast, Miss Qingyuan."

"Ah, how could that be?"

Xia Qingyuan was somewhat vexed.

"I thought you would be somewhat surprised."

Meng Zhu didn't speak either, just looked at her with a smile.

Until she felt a bit shy again.

"Then, does Mr. Meng Zhu have any special plans for today? If not, I can take you to tour the resort first."

"That is a very good proposal."

Meng Zhu nodded, his voice subsequently softening and becoming extremely gentle once again.

"However, since it's our first date after all, I might need to tidy up a bit. Miss Qingyuan, am I right?"

"A... A date?"

Xia Qingyuan's brain gave a twitch, and she instantly froze.

"Mr. Meng Zhu, ple... please don't always say things that easily lead to misunderstandings."

She felt that her cheeks must be as red as a tomato right now.

Unexpectedly, Meng Zhu went even further.

"I thought that my affection for you was expressed quite straightforwardly, so there shouldn't be anyone who misunderstood."

"Ah, af... affection?"

"So, did I really perform that poorly? Miss Qingyuan didn't feel it at all."

"Ah? No... Um... I didn't mean that..."

"Then what did you mean?"

"Mr. Meng Zhu, please don't be like this. This makes me very troubled."

"What is troubling you?"

Meng Zhu still carried a smile and didn't let her off easily.

Xia Qingyuan's thoughts were already in chaos, and she had lost the ability to think.

Could it be: You like me, but I don't like you, so I'm troubled?

Or is it: Your pursuit is too straightforward, and I can't quite handle it?

Thinking about it, she said dejectedly:

"I don't know..."

Watching her incoherent and flustered cute appearance, the smile in Meng Zhu's eyes was almost about to overflow.

"Then can you wait for me a moment, Miss Qingyuan?"

Meng Zhu suddenly gave up his offensive.

"What?"

Xia Qingyuan was still somewhat dazed.

"Well, aren't you going to take me out? To tour the resort."

"Ah, yes, sorry."

She finally came back to her senses.

"Then I'll wait for you. You can contact me whenever you're ready."

Xia Qingyuan dropped these words and practically fled in panic, not even having the courage to stay for another second.

Meng Zhu watched her hurriedly departing back, and finally unable to hold back, let out a low chuckle.

He picked up the towel, wiped the sweat from his temples, his eyes filled with undisguised delight.

...

[PS: Regarding the dialogue, some babies are asking, so let me explain. Actually, this kind of dialogue has a formal name: Chinese dubbed lines from Japanese and Korean film and television. To put it simply, have you ever seen the Chinese dub of Hayao Miyazaki's animation? Mind you, the Chinese dub—that's precisely the feeling.]