Chapter 88: I Like It Very Much

"Excuse me, is Lu Huaxing here?" As soon as the young man entered, he raised his voice and called out.

The delivery man was disgruntled; he’d heard that Lu Huaxing was quite arrogant, ordering only a single-layer cake yet acting as if he’d spent hundreds, swaggering about, and even berating the shop’s girls.

"Who’s looking for me?" Lu Huaxing rose immediately upon hearing his name, chin held high.

The young man glanced at the cake in his hands. "Here’s your single-layer cake, fifty-eight yuan. Come sign for it."

"I—I..." Lu Huaxing was stunned. Heaven help him—so it wasn’t the bakery sending him a cake worth three thousand one hundred eighty-eight yuan as an apology, but simply a mistake. Damn, this was truly embarrassing.

He Haoxuan deliberately asked, "This is your cake, isn’t it?"

Lu Huaxing’s face flushed crimson; if there were a hole in the floor, he would have crawled in without hesitation. This young man—why did he have to deliver it now, of all times? Not earlier, not later, but right when Lu Huaxing was basking in triumph. It was a slap in the face.

"I—I..." Lu Huaxing searched for words, but found himself speechless.

Zhu Pei jumped in with a laugh, "He Haoxuan, don’t you know? Director Lu ordered two cakes on purpose. This small cake is for poor folks like you. We’ll eat the one worth three thousand one hundred eighty-eight."

Lu Huaxing’s eyes brightened again. Could it be that he was so formidable the bakery was scared? Not only did they send him the expensive cake, but also the original one? If so, he’d be the talk of Qing Mountain City, the epitome of prestige.

"Ha ha ha, Teacher Zhu Pei, we must keep a low profile," Lu Huaxing said with a smug smile. "I’m not boasting, but with my reputation, even if I can’t swagger through Qing Mountain City, at the very least—"

"At the very least, can you lie down and walk?" He Haoxuan sneered.

Lu Huaxing bristled. "Hmph! He Haoxuan, don’t be so arrogant. People like you, all you do is pretend. What talent do you have?"

"I don’t have much, but that three thousand one hundred eighty-eight yuan cake is my gift," He Haoxuan replied, walking over to the cake and pulling out a small card from inside.

"This is my cake—the card even says ‘Mr. He’." He Haoxuan knew Lu Huaxing lacked shame, but hadn’t expected him to be so brazen. The expensive cake was clearly his gift, yet Lu Huaxing dared to claim it.

Yi Xiaoyan heard He Haoxuan and quickly walked over to check the card. It really did say "Mr. He." Her heart bloomed with joy.

Still, Yi Xiaoyan kept a stern face. "Haoxuan, you didn’t need to spend so much on me."

She assumed the money He Haoxuan spent was the sum she’d given him, so it didn’t strike her as odd. Though her heart ached at the thought that Haoxuan had spent ten thousand yuan for her, she still felt a sweet warmth. If Haoxuan didn’t love her, he wouldn’t have spent so much.

Several teachers came over, glanced at the card, and couldn’t help but admire, "Xiaoyan, so it was Mr. He who bought it for you. He’s so good to you."

Yi Xiaoyan basked in their praise, feeling delighted inside. What mattered to her was He Haoxuan’s affection, not his wealth.

Back in their school days, He Haoxuan had treated her so well that classmates said they were a perfect match, destined for a happy ending. Yet because of a misunderstood love letter, they missed out on years together. Thinking back, she still hated that prankster; if not for them, she and Haoxuan would have been together long ago, and he wouldn’t have married someone else.

Yi Xiaoyan looked up, gazing at He Haoxuan with feeling. "Haoxuan, thank you."

"As long as you like it, that’s enough—no need to thank me."

"I love it," Yi Xiaoyan nodded enthusiastically.

He Haoxuan and Yi Xiaoyan walked over to cut the cake.

Lu Huaxing’s face alternated between red and pale—he never expected He Haoxuan to publicly embarrass him.

"Director Lu, I think something’s off," Zhu Pei said, coming to his side.

"What’s off?" Lu Huaxing looked up, puzzled.

"Think about it—He Haoxuan is so poor, how could he afford such an expensive cake? Maybe you bought the cake, but whoever wrote the card made a mistake and wrote their own surname instead," Zhu Pei suggested.

Lu Huaxing’s eyes sparkled. "So you’re saying the cake was my gift, but the card writer made a mistake?"

He understood now—the cake might have been sent by the bakery owner, but the card writer mixed up the surnames, writing He instead of Lu, letting He Haoxuan claim the credit.

The more Lu Huaxing thought about it, the angrier he became, wishing he could rush over, shove He Haoxuan to the ground, and declare the cake his own—for Yi Xiaoyan to reward him with a kiss.

Zhu Pei saw Lu Huaxing standing there dumbly and grew impatient. "Director Lu, what are you waiting for? Go confront He Haoxuan, show your payment receipt for the cake, and humiliate him!"

Lu Huaxing froze. If Zhu Pei put it that way, wouldn’t he be humiliating himself? He didn’t have the money for such an expensive cake; he’d only hoped to rub elbows, but there was no proof.

"Ahem, Zhu Pei, we must keep a low profile. Let him have his moment—when it’s time to give gifts, I’ll really show him up," Lu Huaxing said helplessly.

Alas, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to embarrass He Haoxuan, but he couldn’t.

The other teachers tasted the expensive cake, nodding quietly in appreciation. It was indeed special.

Expensive, but for good reason.

Lu Huaxing watched the clueless teachers flattering He Haoxuan and felt so angry he could spit blood. He pulled Zhu Pei to a chair, grabbed a bottle of red wine, and poured himself a glass. "Come, Zhu Pei, have a drink with me."

"Director Lu, you’re driving later. Should you be drinking?" Zhu Pei asked anxiously.

He’d arrived in Lu Huaxing’s car—could he safely ride back with him after this?

"Zhu Pei, what are you afraid of? My driving skills are top-notch; I’ll get you home safe," Lu Huaxing snapped angrily.

It was just red wine, so the two quickly finished half the bottle.

"Director Lu, what kind of red wine is this? I’ve never had anything so good," Zhu Pei examined the bottle, but it was all in English, unreadable to him.

"Yes, it’s excellent. I’ve never tasted such fine wine. Let’s have more," Lu Huaxing slapped the table and called loudly, "Waiter, bring us two more bottles of this red wine!"

A waitress approached timidly. "Are you sure you want to order two more bottles of this red wine, sir?"