Chapter 146 Only She Can Eat It

By the time Zhang Xiluo returned home, it was already the dead of night. The dining room and kitchen had been thoroughly tidied, and the living room was spotless. Her uncle and aunt had not gone back; they were staying overnight at her place. Since her aunt was experiencing severe morning sickness, she was sitting alone in the living room, sipping warm water.

"Aunt, why aren't you asleep yet? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Seeing Zhang Xiluo, her aunt put on a warm smile. "Luoluo, go on to bed quickly. It's getting very late."

"I'll keep you company for a little while. I'm not tired yet."

Her aunt took Zhang Xiluo's hand, genuinely fond of her. "I'm not young anymore, and since this is my first pregnancy, the morning sickness is quite severe. I sleep very little and find it hard to rest properly. I didn't want to disturb your uncle, but every time I suggest we sleep in separate rooms, he refuses."

"Uncle loves you." Zhang Xiluo was genuinely happy for her aunt, but watching her stroke her belly, a sudden wave of loss washed over her.

Noticing the shift in her expression, her aunt sighed softly. Unwilling to let her dwell on painful memories, she took the initiative to say, "Help me back to my room, please. I'm feeling a bit sleepy."

After helping her aunt back to her bedroom, Zhang Xiluo went to the bathroom for a bath. The moment she closed her eyes, Li Mingye's face flashed in her mind, along with all his crazed words.

She hurriedly tried to think of other things to distract herself.

Before going to sleep, she sent another message to Xu Xinyi, and only then did she finally drift off with peace of mind.

By noon the next day, Zhang Xiluo still felt drowsy. She declined to get up for lunch and pulled the covers back over her head to sleep a little longer.

Around three in the afternoon, Jiang Xueting arrived, marching straight into her bedroom and pulling her out from beneath the blankets.

"Luoluo, get up already!"

Zhang Xiluo blinked sleepily, and the sight of Jiang Xueting instantly cleared her mind a fraction. "Xueting?"

"Get dressed and come with me right now. Something's happened to Xinyi." Jiang Xueting was flustered and loud, her words shocking Zhang Xiluo into complete alertness. She grabbed Jiang Xueting's arm and shook her head hard.

"What happened to Xinyi?"

"Just hurry up and change your clothes, let's go."

With the speed of absolute urgency, Zhang Xiluo washed up, changed, and rushed out with Jiang Xueting. Her heart was in turmoil as she relentlessly pressed Jiang Xueting for details on what had transpired.

Jiang Xueting couldn't explain it all in a couple of sentences. Zhao Chengyi had seen Xu Xinyi confronting a man and a woman in a restaurant, and the negotiations appeared to have broken down. The man had gone mad and taken Xu Xinyi hostage.

The police and members of the Xu family had already arrived. Upon hearing the news, Jiang Xueting had tried calling Zhang Xiluo, but when she couldn't get through, she drove straight over to drag her out.

All the way there, Zhang Xiluo kept calling Xu Xinyi, but nobody answered, deepening her anxiety with every passing second.

That man and woman had to be the secretary and Li Linhao. Li Linhao had taken Xu Xinyi hostage—what could he possibly want? Money?

"Xueting, how much longer?"

"We're almost there, stop rushing me. I'm practically pressing the accelerator through the floorboards."

With restless suspense, they finally arrived at the destination. Zhang Xiluo flung open the car door and rushed toward the entrance.

There was nobody outside the hotel, nor were there any police cars. A cold dread gripped her heart. She pushed open the doors and charged inside, only to find the entire hotel completely empty. She froze, standing there in utter stupefaction.

"Xinyi? Xinyi!"

Standing rooted to the spot, Zhang Xiluo scanned the room, then hurried over to Jiang Xueting as she walked in.

"Where is Xinyi? What on earth is going on?!"

"Luoluo, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come up with such a terrible idea. I didn't think you'd be this terrified. I'm sorry, please forgive me. I just wanted to throw you a proper birthday..."

With a face full of guilt, Jiang Xueting pulled Zhang Xiluo into a hug. The moment she finished speaking, the hotel staff, who had been hiding away, stepped out alongside Xu Xinyi.

Xu Xinyi was pushing a large birthday cake forward, accompanied by Han Yuchao and Zhao Qinwei...

"Luoluo, I'm sorry."

It took a long time for Zhang Xiluo to process everything. Seeing that Xu Xinyi was completely safe, she finally let out a breath of relief.

"You two scared the life out of me."

"It's my fault, all my fault."

"I was in on it too."

Looking at Xu Xinyi and Jiang Xueting, Zhang Xiluo couldn't bring herself to utter a single word of reproach; her heart was overwhelmingly touched instead.

She hadn't celebrated her own birthday in years, though she used to spend all her time preparing various surprises for Li Mingye on his special day.

Under Jiang Xueting's orchestration, the birthday party officially began. She had prepared a variety of entertainment for Zhang Xiluo—singing, dancing, and plenty of gifts waiting to be unwrapped.

Halfway through the meal, Ouyang Chen arrived. He carried a massive bouquet of red roses, dressed impeccably in formal attire as he walked toward Zhang Xiluo with grace and gentleness.

"Happy birthday, Luoluo." Ouyang Chen presented the flowers to her with a demeanor that closely resembled a proposal, lacking only a bended knee and a lifted ring box...

Zhang Xiluo accepted the flowers and placed them to the side. "Thank you. Have a seat and join us for dinner."

"I still have matters to attend to and need to leave shortly. I just wanted to drop by and see you." Ouyang Chen appeared exceedingly busy. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out an exquisite jewelry box and placed it in Zhang Xiluo's hands. "I hope you like it. I'll have the chance to put it on you myself another day."

Offering her a deep, meaningful smile, Ouyang Chen turned and walked out of the hotel.

"Is that a marriage proposal ring?" Jiang Xueting leaned over, her eyes burning with curiosity. "Luoluo, I swear I didn't invite him."

At those words, the jewelry box suddenly felt burning hot in Zhang Xiluo's palms, filling her with the urge to hurl it away.

"Stop talking nonsense, we're just friends." Zhang Xiluo nudged Jiang Xueting with her elbow and slipped the box into her bag. "Are you really sure you didn't tell him?"

"Whoever says they did is a—"

Zhao Chengyi quickly clamped a hand over Jiang Xueting's mouth, offering a sheepish and awkward explanation. "Ouyang called me and asked what I was up to, so I just happened to mention it... I didn't mean to, I was just being a bit too honest."

Jiang Xueting pulled his hand away and promptly smacked his arm. "Why didn't you admit it sooner? You almost made me curse our unborn child."

"Don't be mad, honey..."

With this lively pair bantering, the atmosphere at the table instantly warmed up, easing Zhang Xiluo's embarrassment.

Just then, a waiter rolled out another cake. This one looked rather bizarre, instantly revealing itself to be the clumsy handiwork of an amateur baker rather than a professional pastry chef.

"It really got delivered, then," Zhao Chengyi muttered under his breath. Noticing Jiang Xueting and the others mocking the cake's peculiar appearance, he quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Don't judge a book by its cover—it definitely tastes amazing."

"How would you even know?" Jiang Xueting asked with a suspicious look. "The cake I prepared has already been cut. Where did this one come from?"

"From me, of course! I heard there was a beginner pastry chef making novelty cakes, so I specially ordered one. Guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind and worth a fortune per bite," Zhao Chengyi bluffed with a completely straight face, cutting the largest slice and handing it directly to Zhang Xiluo.

"Hurry up and taste it, you're bound to love it."

Zhang Xiluo took the cake and took a symbolic bite. A flicker of profound astonishment crossed her eyes—the flavor was so painfully familiar... A strange expression washed over her face. Fearing she had been poisoned, Jiang Xueting hastily moved to take a bite as well, only to be blocked by Zhao Chengyi.

"Only Zhang Xiluo is allowed to eat this cake!"