Chapter 45

The next morning, around six o'clock.

Xu Jianxing was jogging when his phone rang. He took it out, glanced at it, and answered, "Old man, is the time set?"

"Yes, the time is set. We'll go to Donghu Park soon. The location is a bit to the right in front of the Dong Bridge. As long as you can get to the Dong Bridge or the small forest on the other side of the bridge, we can easily see you. It's fine if you come a bit later to avoid arousing Xiaoxue's suspicion. She agreed to accompany me fishing all morning today."

Chen Qingguo added with some concern, "I'm not sure if anything unexpected will happen."

"I don't think it will. I know Xiaoxue's character very well. Even if she's upset, she'll still smile." Although he said this, Xu Jianxing was still somewhat worried. After all, the matter had been on his mind for a year, and he didn't know how much psychological impact it would have when it burst out.

"Let's hope so. I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."

"Okay, old man."

Hearing the call disconnect, Xu Jianxing put his phone away, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before heading back to the villa.

By around eight in the morning.

After breakfast, Xu Jianxing and Lu Qian took Lu Tingting out of the villa, planning to drive her to school first and then go to the park.

As soon as they stepped outside, Lu Qian waved to Feng Lina and said, "Xiaona, you don't need to follow us today."

"Okay." Feng Lina immediately agreed. Normally, she would have refused, worried about any unexpected incidents, but with Xu Jianxing around, she wasn't concerned. From his performance on the yacht, she knew that Xu Jianxing's skills were definitely on par with or even better than hers.

Her lack of objection didn't mean others felt the same. Li Xingjun and Zhao Fan had significant concerns. After all, if anything happened to their employer, it would be a huge stain on their reputation as bodyguards and could even result in a substantial fine.

So, Li Xingjun stepped forward without hesitation and said, "Ms. Lu, we can't afford any incidents. At least one of us should follow you."

Lu Qian couldn't agree to this, given the unusual nature of their outing. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Jianxing stepped in and said, "I'll be responsible for Xiaoyan's safety."

"You? What makes you think you can be responsible?" Li Xingjun had been harboring a lot of anger over the past few days, all because of Xu Jianxing. He couldn't believe this pretty boy had so quickly become a part of the family and was now giving orders as if he were the master.

Regardless of whether it was his job or personal feelings, Li Xingjun didn't want anything to happen to Lu Qian. Even if his feelings had no future, he still didn't want her to be in any danger. So, when Xu Jianxing spoke, he couldn't help but burst out, suspecting that Xu Jianxing hadn't considered Lu Qian's safety and even wondered if this pretty boy was planning to kidnap his goddess.

Xu Jianxing shook his head with a smile at Li Xingjun's sudden outburst. He had anticipated this situation. Even if it didn't happen today, it would happen tomorrow or the day after. He had noticed that Li Xingjun's gaze had been off, and he could see that Li Xingjun had feelings for Lu Qian.

Although he was a bit annoyed, he knew he couldn't stop others from liking Lu Qian. No one could do that.

Then, Xu Jianxing stepped forward and said calmly, "Alright, don't waste time. If you can hit me once, you win, and I'll have Lu Qian agree to any of your requests."

"What?" Li Xingjun's eyes nearly popped out. He thought he might be hallucinating. This pretty boy was making such a bold claim.

Zhang Fan was equally shocked, then puzzled. Was this pretty boy mentally unstable? Or had he read too many novels and was now acting out a scene?

Their expressions were hilarious.

Zhang Lina was surprised but not too much. She believed that if Xu Jianxing said it, he must have some confidence, even if she found it hard to believe.

Lu Qian, on the other hand, trusted him unconditionally. After all, her husband could carry her and fly.

Lu Tingting chimed in, "Daddy, the teacher said fighting is bad."

At six years old, Lu Tingting had a good memory and knew what was about to happen.

Xu Jianxing laughed and patted her head, "Daddy isn't fighting with Uncle Li, just playing with him."

"Oh." Lu Tingting nodded, still a bit confused.

Seeing Xu Jianxing's relaxed and unconcerned demeanor, Li Xingjun's face darkened. He then said coldly, "Mr. Xu, since you put it that way, I'll test you. I'll be careful."

"Go ahead." Xu Jianxing shrugged indifferently.

Seeing Xu Jianxing's nonchalance, Li Xingjun's face changed, and he couldn't contain his anger. He flipped his hand and grabbed at Xu Jianxing's shoulder.

Although his speed was faster than an average person's, to Xu Jianxing, it was extremely slow. If he had more time, he would have used this as a practice, but today, he didn't have that luxury.

So, just as Li Xingjun's hand was about to grab him, Xu Jianxing suddenly raised his right hand and flicked Li Xingjun's palm.

Instantly, Li Xingjun felt a jolt of pain in his hand, and before he knew it, he was lifted into the air and landed on the grass about four meters away with a thud, feeling a wave of pain.

Seeing the battle end so quickly, Zhang Fan was stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. When he finally came to his senses, Xu Jianxing smiled and asked, "Do you want to try too?"

Zhang Fan immediately shook his head, "No, no."

Jokingly, with the speed Xu Jianxing had shown, even his own instructor would have been no match. When he sparred with his instructor, he could at least counter a bit, but in this situation, he couldn't even see the movements, let alone counter. He even suspected that Xu Jianxing might be a highly skilled martial artist.

Xu Jianxing smiled and said, "Alright, let's go then."

"Go, go." Zhang Fan said hurriedly, his voice tinged with respect. As a special forces soldier, he respected strength.

As Xu Jianxing, Lu Qian, and Lu Tingting left, Li Xingjun got up from the ground, watching Xu Jianxing's back with a complex expression.

After a long moment, he sighed and asked Feng Lina, "Lina, did you see Mr. Xu in action?"

Feng Lina understood his concern and smiled bitterly, "I saw a bit, but I didn't expect him to be so strong. Maybe only someone from the top-secret special forces could have such terrifying skills."

"Maybe." Li Xingjun sighed. However, they all knew that Xu Jianxing wasn't from any special forces. Those people usually had a certain aura, but Xu Jianxing didn't have any.

About 20 minutes later.

Xu Jianxing and Lu Qian arrived at Donghu Park. Looking at the Dong Bridge in the distance, Lu Qian became nervous, "Husband, I'm not sure if I can do it."

"Come on," Xu Jianxing smiled wryly, "What's there to not do? Just act as I told you yesterday. From what I've seen in the game, you have a natural talent for it."

"Um." Lu Qian was a bit taken aback, then blushed and pouted, "Are you saying I'm a jealous woman?"

"Ha, you can take it that way." Xu Jianxing smiled, but his heart felt heavy and a bit painful.

Seeing that Lu Qian wasn't a natural at acting, Xu Jianxing reluctantly pulled her into the small forest, hiding behind a tree. He glanced through the trees and saw Chen Haoxue sitting quietly by the lake, her white skin and pure, elegant demeanor making her look like a painting.

Chen Haoxue's white dress fluttered in the breeze, and she gazed at the lake with a smile, but her eyes were unfocused, as if lost in thought. She looked so serene and ethereal.

Seeing Chen Haoxue's beautiful face again, Xu Jianxing felt a sense of déjà vu, as if everything that had happened before was right in front of him, yet also seemed distant and blurry.

"She's really beautiful," Lu Qian whispered, admiring Chen Haoxue's serene and elegant aura, which was rare in the complex world.

If Lu Qian were a peony, the queen of flowers, then Chen Haoxue was a snow lotus from the Tian Mountains, too pure to be tainted by worldly desires.

At that moment, Chen Haoxue seemed to sense something and looked up, her unfocused gaze now searching the opposite shore.

Seeing this, Xu Jianxing didn't hesitate. He pulled Lu Qian close and kissed her passionately.

The intense kiss left Lu Qian breathless, her mind a blur. She couldn't understand why Xu Jianxing was doing this, but soon, she found herself responding with equal passion.

Seeing this, Chen Haoxue's face turned red, but driven by a dark curiosity, she couldn't help but watch a few more times. In those few moments, she felt that the man's profile was very familiar.

Before she could figure it out, Chen Haojie approached her with a playful smile, "Sister, what are you looking at so intently?"

There were only three of them today, and Chen Xueyi and his wife were not present to avoid arousing Chen Haoxue's suspicion. Chen Qingguo and Chen Haojie had already noticed Xu Jianxing's arrival and were focused on Chen Haoxue.

Chen Haoxue's face turned even redder, and she glared at Chen Haojie without a word, lowering her head.

Seeing this, Chen Haojie and her grandfather exchanged a look. Following her grandfather's nod, Chen Haojie picked up a fist-sized rock and muttered, "What a shameless couple, not even considering the setting. I'll stop you from kissing."

With that, she threw the rock, which landed in the water on the opposite shore with a splash, sending ripples across the surface.