Chapter 31: Things Couples Need to Understand

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The point was not whether he was a fan of Xue Yun.

What mattered was how Shen Heli had learned that Xia Xing knew Shen Yuna—and that their relationship was far from ordinary.

“Team Leader Shen…”

He was just about to explain when his rapidly working mind seemed to grasp something. Tentatively, he asked, “If I’m not mistaken, you and Yuna are related somehow?”

Come to think of it, Xia Xing had never really taken a close look at Team Leader Shen’s appearance. She stood around five foot five, and those large, goldfish-like eyes did seem to bear some resemblance to Shen Yuna’s.

Although she had yet to answer, Xia Xing had essentially reached a conclusion.

“You answer me first. What are your plans for Yuna and yourself from here on?”

Shen Heli was naturally not particularly concerned with whether Xia Xing was a fan of Xue Yun.

What she needed to know—right now, immediately—was how Xia Xing regarded Yuna.

After all, her little sister was only twenty years old. Even though she had already debuted four years ago, in Shen Heli’s eyes she was still the same foolish little girl who could easily be tricked out of her snacks by a joint conspiracy between their parents and their older sister.

At that moment, Xia Xing’s heart rate, rarely elevated beyond exercise, broke through one hundred and twenty beats per minute.

He moistened his dry lips and let his gaze drift toward the water dispenser, moving to fill a cup in the process. He needed the time to think.

The situation had arisen too suddenly, and this was not something he could brush aside casually. One careless word might hurt Shen Yuna.

It was certain that Shen Yuna had voluntarily told her sister about their relationship. And if she had merely called him a friend, Shen Heli clearly would not have dragged him into the break room for a private interrogation.

So… what exactly had Shen Yuna called their relationship?

Could she have said they were dating? Judging from Team Leader Shen’s reaction, it had to be at least something like “seeing where things go.”

If that was the case, Xia Xing could not afford to hesitate.

In those family dramas broadcast early in the morning, were the men who caused family conflicts not always indecisive and irresponsible?

“Team Leader Shen, please rest assured. I will take responsibility for Yuna.”

Silence settled over the break room. The only sound was the low hum of the water dispenser heating up.

While spending time with Shen Yuna, Xia Xing had already realized that he sincerely resisted parting from her and looked forward to seeing her again.

Perhaps this was what television dramas called love.

Under ordinary circumstances at work, Xia Xing would not have felt particularly intimidated by the woman before him. But once she had taken on the identity of Shen Yuna’s older sister, everything became different. It felt somewhat like meeting the family.

And the words “take responsibility” struck Shen Heli’s mind like a thunderbolt.

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That morning, Yuna had spoken to Shen Heli over a video call and told her that she had recently begun a relationship with a certain young man—a relationship in which they had quickly grown familiar and were steadily drawing closer to each other.

She wanted to ask Shen Heli, as someone with more experience, what they should pay attention to if they went out together and what preparations they ought to make.

As someone who had been through it herself, Shen Heli naturally understood what was happening with her twenty-year-old sister. Most likely, she had met a boy she liked.

So Shen Heli had jokingly asked, “Do I know this guy?”

To her surprise, Shen Yuna fell silent before finally saying, “Perhaps… you should know him?”

Recently acquainted, and possibly known to Shen Heli—when those two clues came together, Xia Xing’s name immediately surfaced in her mind.

Worried about Yuna and sensing that the two might soon enter into a romantic relationship, Shen Heli had sought Xia Xing out to learn how he felt about her.

At least from Shen Heli’s perspective, this was the first time Yuna had openly revealed a relationship with a boy to her.

What if Xia Xing was not taking the relationship seriously?

All Shen Heli wanted to hear was a promise that he would treat Yuna seriously. If he also had plans for the future—such as when he intended to meet her family—that would be even better.

But instead… she had received an answer that left her completely bewildered.

How far had their relationship progressed for him to speak of “taking responsibility”?

Could things really be as she had imagined?

Team Leader Shen opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated for more than ten seconds. Finally, gritting her back teeth slightly, she said, “Since you’re already boyfriend and girlfriend, you’d better… truly take responsibility for my sister.”

“I know your background is not simple. But if I ever find out that you’ve wronged her, I’ll fight you to the end, even if it costs me this job.”

“Wait—boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“You’ve already done that together, and you’re still not boyfriend and girlfriend?”

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“This may be a little sudden.”

“Would you like to date me?”

Xia Xing stared absently at the message he had composed on his phone. He still was not ready to send it.

It was too hasty.

Although he was certain that he had feelings for Shen Yuna, if this morning’s upheaval had not happened, the two of them might eventually have become a couple anyway.

But Shen Heli’s appearance seemed to have completely disrupted their pace…

How was he supposed to explain this to Shen Yuna?

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Had he unilaterally acknowledged their relationship as romantic in advance simply because he did not want to leave a bad impression on her sister and wanted to appear serious and responsible?

Would that be too overbearing—and too presumptuous?

And if Shen Yuna had already learned of their “relationship” through her sister, what was she thinking now?

If she had silently accepted that they were a couple, Xia Xing still owed her a proper confession.

Should he go and do it immediately, or make careful preparations before taking action?

“Based on the channels emphasized by the Marketing Department, such as convenience stores and modern supermarkets, we have also drawn up preliminary sales targets for each region. The proposal has already reached Minister Fang Shenghe for approval.”

“Specialist Xia, once the sales targets have been approved, I’ll forward you a copy by email. Would that be all right?”

“Specialist Xia?”

It was not until a colleague gave him a gentle nudge that Xia Xing, who rarely became distracted at work, suddenly remembered that he was in a meeting.

“Sorry. I was lost in thought just now. Where were we?”

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At the same time, Shen Yuna was lying in her bedroom with a facial mask on when she received a message from her sister.

“Dearest Sister: I understand what the two of you are now. Safety comes first. Take good care of yourself.”

If she had not been wearing a facial mask that made pronounced expressions impossible, Shen Yuna would truly have twisted her brows into a tangled knot.

What on earth did her sister mean by that inexplicable message?

Why had she suddenly started talking about “safety first”?

Filled with confusion, Shen Yuna sent a question-mark sticker in the chat.

“Dearest Sister: You’re not a child anymore. You should know about protective measures. Surely I don’t have to teach you as well, do I?”

What… was her sister even talking about?!

Lying on the bed, the girl suddenly seemed to understand. Her face flushed hot, and her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard as she tried to explain.

But another message from her sister arrived almost immediately.

“Dearest Sister: You really don’t understand? I mean the things couples need to know about.”