NOVEL NEXT WORLD chapter 18
Chapter 18: Pacifying an Ex-Girlfriend is a Skillful Task (1/2)
Fang Zhou and Han Xi won two consecutive games. During the break, Han Xi’s cheeks were flushed, and the aloofness that usually clung to her seemed less pronounced.
It must have been the joy of impending victory that made her mood soar. She turned to Fang Zhou and said, “You’re amazing.”
Fang Zhou was momentarily stunned, then calmly accepted the praise from his ex-girlfriend.
When they were together, she had never complimented him.
Neither the candlelit dinner he spent hours preparing nor the couple’s ring design he meticulously crafted had ever elicited a sincere compliment from Han Xi.
Back then, Fang Zhou loved her and understood that she was reserved, not adept at expressing her feelings, and he never minded that.
But today, on the beach volleyball court, Han Xi actually took the initiative to praise him.
Still, the belated praise was just that—late.
The joy in Fang Zhou’s heart wasn’t obvious; he knew that if Han Xi had praised him more during their relationship, perhaps they wouldn’t have parted so soon.
The third game had just started when the unexpected happened.
Han Xi’s spike barely cleared the net before it struck Qiao Sisi, who fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
Everyone rushed over to check on her.
“Sisi, are you okay?”
“Are you hurt? Did you scrape your arm?”
Han Xi stood frozen for a moment, then looked towards Fang Zhou, bewildered. The usually cool gaze in her eyes now showed panic.
It was as if she was saying to Fang Zhou, “What should I do? I didn’t mean it.”
This was a habit of Han Xi’s from the past; whenever she encountered a problem in life she felt unable to solve, she would turn to Fang Zhou for help.
At this moment, Han Xi was no longer the decisive CEO who commanded respect at the company. She seemed more like a woman lost in a storm, clinging to Fang Zhou, the only lifeline she had.
It was this stark contrast that gave Fang Zhou a strange sense of satisfaction and pride.
He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help feeling pleased that Han Xi turned to him first for help.
Perhaps this was the damnable male chauvinism at play.
Fang Zhou gave her a reassuring look and whispered, “It’s okay, let’s go check on her.”
People were chattering around Qiao Sisi, and Han Xi stood outside like a child who had done something wrong, apologizing to Qiao Sisi.
“I’m sorry, Sisi.”
Qi Le suddenly looked up and roared at Han Xi, “Why did you hit so hard? Sisi is so delicate, do you want to kill her?”
Fang Zhou raised an eyebrow, almost forgetting another persona of Qiao Sisi in the entertainment industry—the fragile little white flower.
But that was just a facade. In reality, Qiao Sisi was a drama queen with a glass heart.
From what he knew of Qiao Sisi, it was very likely that after losing two rounds and feeling unstable, she didn’t want to lose too badly and chose to stage a scene and concede the game.
Fang Zhou pulled Han Xi behind him and said in a deep voice, “Getting injured on the sports field is normal; there’s no need to be so harsh on Han Xi.”
Qi Le heard this, and anger surged within him. He stood up and roared at Fang Zhou, “What do you mean injuries are normal? Do you want Si Si to get hurt?”
“I didn’t mean that, don’t make accusations out of nothing.”
The two stood face to face, as if they were about to come to blows at any moment.
The live comments had already started to go wild.
“Vocal! Fight! Fight! I love a good show!”
“Ah, poor Si Si, just learned volleyball and got hit, wuwuwu, my heart aches.”
Chapter 18: Cooing Over an Ex-Girlfriend is a Skill (2/2)
“Is that ice queen CEO jealous of our Si Si? She was so rough!”
“Hey, the person above, what could Han Xi possibly be jealous of? Don’t be so biased! Han Xi has fans too!”
At first glance, the live comments were even more lively than the scene itself.
Qiao Si Si wiped her tears and said in a delicate voice, “I’m fine, we were going to lose anyway, let’s not play the rest.”
Her gaze lingered on Fang Zhou, seeing his brown eyes that seemed to have the ability to see through everything, her heart skipped a beat, and she dared not delay any longer.
With Chu Xinran’s support, she stood up and smiled at Han Xi proactively.
“It’s not your fault, Han Xi, I’m just too weak.”
Han Xi, having been yelled at for no reason, felt her mood plummet to rock bottom. She waved her hand dismissively and went to sit down to rest.
The others pulled Fang Zhou and Qi Le apart, with Sun Haotian happily playing the peacemaker in the middle, and both sides shook hands and made peace.
After this scene, the live comments went crazy.
“Qi Le really is Si Si’s loyal fanboy! Wonder if he’ll ever win her over.”
“Haha, I think Qi Le is like a heated sheep, it’ll be funny when he gets rejected.”
“Fang Zhou is pretty manly, defending his teammate like that.”
“Didn’t expect this reality show mixing amateurs and celebrities to be so interesting.”
The remaining matches, perhaps learning from Qiao Si Si’s example, were played much more cautiously.
The winner was quickly decided.
The victors were already lounging on the sunbeds arranged by the show, while the losers had to go fruit picking together.
This stark difference in treatment made Dong Donghui sigh, “You’ve got to be a winner in life.”
Liu Hao glanced at him with a smile and teased, “Dong Ge, you’re already the regional manager for Asia, aren’t you a winner already?”
Dong Donghui lay on the lounge chair, kicked his feet up, glanced at Han Xi, and said with implication, “Without finding the one, of course, it doesn’t count.”
Han Xi had been silent since sitting down, her face gloomy, sitting like a sulking bottle gourd.
Others thought she was trying to act cool, but only Fang Zhou knew, she was sulking.
Han Xi naturally has a cold face, and when she’s silent, she seems angry. But when she’s truly angry, the corners of her mouth turn downwards.
Fang Zhou knew the recent incident had affected her; she was prone to stomach ailments when upset.
If her stomach acted up later and she couldn’t eat, people might mistakenly think she was retaliating against Qiao Sisi.
Qiao Sisi had many young and impulsive fans, and the fan culture could be quite nauseating.
Han Xi, in this state, might even be subjected to online bullying by her fans.
With these thoughts, Fang Zhou took a bottle of water, sat next to Han Xi, and spoke to her.
“Don’t take it to heart, it’s not your fault.”
Han Xi’s body stiffened for a moment, then she turned to look at Fang Zhou, her eyes seemingly saying, “Who said I took it to heart?”
Fang Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, teasingly saying, “Yes, yes, President Han, the only thing left tough about you is your stubbornness.”
Not sure what nerve that hit, Han Xi raised her hand and punched Fang Zhou lightly, indignantly saying, “You’re the one being a stubborn duck.”
After some playful banter, she was no longer angry.
Fang Zhou sighed: Pacifying an ex-girlfriend is indeed a skillful task.
————————————————–