Chapter 377

Chapter 377: Have you truly never cared for me at all?

The atmosphere at the dining table instantly froze.

Everyone felt a bead of sweat trickle down their foreheads.

They dared not speak, only silently eating the food on the table.

For a moment, they didn’t know if this Mister Xu was doing it on purpose or if he lacked a brain cell.

Zhu Cici had already made her feelings so obvious. In theory, there’s no way you wouldn’t know she likes you, right?

Even if Zhu Cici had the best temper, how could she be happy when someone praised another woman right in front of her? Indeed, that’s exactly how it was.

Zhu Cici’s temper was genuinely excellent; she rarely argued with anyone.

Even over academic issues, Zhu Cici would never try to persuade others.

After all, everyone has their own thoughts. If he thinks something, nothing you say will change it.

But when she heard Xu Ming praising another girl, Zhu Cici felt an emptiness in her heart.

Her little lips pouted inwardly, and she even felt an itch in her teeth, wanting to bite his neck.

“Calm down! Cici! Calm down!”

Zhu Cici took a deep breath in her heart.

If she got angry now, wouldn’t she just seem like a jealous person?

Besides, Xu Ming hasn’t said whether he likes or dislikes that princess, has he?

That princess is merely Xu Ming’s comrade-in-arms. There’s nothing wrong with Xu Ming evaluating his comrade.

Perhaps Xu Ming just considers her a regular friend.

Maybe the “liking” he mentioned is just friendly affection?

After all, if Xu Ming really liked that princess, Emperor Wu’s arranged marriage would have been accepted long ago.

Zhu Cici looked at Xu Ming, her eyes curved gently, feeling she still needed confirmation: “So, Master Xu seems to have quite a liking for that princess.”

As soon as Zhu Cici said these words, Fang Yu and others’ chopsticks trembled slightly.

From Cici’s tone, they detected a hint of resentment and anger. They even wondered if Cici would punch him in the chest right away.

Or if Cici would grab the wine glass and throw it straight into his face! No matter how much of a clueless guy Xu Ming was, he sensed something was off.

What he just said seemed indeed inappropriate.

But what he said earlier was the truth.

He couldn’t win a girl’s favor by deliberately belittling other girls, could he? That would make him even worse.

“After all, we’ve gone through many life-and-death situations together. That camaraderie is different,” Xu Ming said, adding after a pause, “Moreover, the princess is indeed dashing. I think there aren’t many men who wouldn’t like the princess.”

Although Xu Ming spoke rather tactfully, he still revealed his fondness for Princess Wu Yanhan.

Xu Ming definitely had feelings for Wu Yanhan, especially after their deep exchange during that hunting trip.

Leaving aside the enchantress from the Western Regions, Yanhan was actually the first woman he had deeply connected with and developed feelings for.

Xu Ming was very clear that saying this now would hurt Zhu Cici’s feelings.

Xu Ming could see that Zhu Cici liked him.

But Xu Ming wasn’t sure if Zhu Cici’s liking was genuine or just a childhood attachment?

Xu Ming thought it might be the latter.

Zhu Cici liked not him as a person but the child version of him. She liked the feeling of “liking.”

And since Zhu Cici was rather stubborn, things she decided on as a child were still stuck in her mind.

This wasn’t to say that Xu Ming didn’t have any feelings for Zhu Cici.

Any normal man would have some feelings for Zhu Cici.

He was also a normal man, and when he saw such a beautiful woman, naturally, he’d be a bit captivated.

But this kind of liking was more about her appearance.

It was infatuation, not true love.

Therefore, Xu Ming believed he should consider Zhu Cici’s feelings.

Zhu Cici had placed herself back in childhood.

But the reality was, they had both grown up.

Years had passed, people change.

Am I still the type Zhu Cici likes?

Xu Ming thought Zhu Cici needed to reflect.

Xu Ming believed he should show his true self instead of hiding it to win Zhu Cici’s favor.

He didn’t need to keep hurting her feelings or destroying her childhood memories.

In Xu Ming’s view, the best approach now was to gradually let her see who he truly was.

When she realizes “childhood is past, and the current Xu Ming isn’t the same as before,” she’ll leave on her own.

At that point, they’d just be ordinary friends.

Yu Wen Xi, sitting next to Xu Ming, was startled when he openly expressed his fondness for another woman in front of Zhu Cici and wanted to subtly hint at something.

But he was stopped by Miao Feng.

Yu Wen Xi looked at Miao Feng in confusion, as if to say, if Xu Ming kept talking like this, they might break up completely.

Miao Feng understood his brother’s gaze but simply shook his head.

Others pretended they hadn’t heard anything and continued eating.

“If you have feelings for the princess, why did you reject that marriage proposal back then?”

Zhu Cici lightly pursed her lips, and her hands on her thighs tightened unconsciously.

Zhu Cici felt a pang of pain and sourness in her heart.

You gave me ‘Butterfly Lovers Flower,’ a poem written for the banquet, just to complete a task, with no other meaning. I can understand that.

But on my birthday, the poem you gave me as a child—wasn’t it your intention to marry me?

Otherwise, why would you write that poem for me? But now you have feelings for other girls and even say it outright in front of me. Have you truly never cared for me all these years? Have you really forgotten me?

Could everything from our childhood just be idle talk to you? Am I the only one who took it seriously…