Probably because Cassie Kofi's gaze was so blunt and obvious, Lexi Le frowned slightly.
Simon Qi, sitting across from them, immediately said, "Zhao San, you and your friend go have some tea outside. Don't disturb our chess game."
Tracy Zhao glared at Cassie Kofi, reluctantly stood up, and dragged Cassie away, who kept looking back with every step.
"Sorry about that, hope you weren't offended," Simon Qi said to Lexi Le. "A concubine's daughter is just that—never presentable. If she weren't decent-looking, I wouldn't bother with her at all."
Lexi Le smiled slightly. "It's fine."
Simon Qi's impression of Lexi Le was quite positive.
This was because Lexi Le's public identity was: the posthumous child of a big shot, who entered the entertainment industry low-key to avoid competing with his older brother for inheritance. He wasn't concerned about fame at all, just playing around in the industry since his family would never let him lack for anything.
Because of Gavin Gao's precedent, Simon Qi truly believed it.
It's no wonder Simon Qi believed it.
Cherry Miller's team did an excellent job packaging Lexi Le.
Everything he ate, wore, and used was top-notch.
Simon Qi had a shrewd eye; with just one glance, he could tell Lexi Le's outfit was worth at least seven figures.
And every gesture was full of aristocratic grace—clearly someone raised among the wealthy elite.
So Simon Qi really believed Lexi Le's story. Since he was also the youngest son in his family, he felt their identities were similar, and they quickly became close friends who told each other everything.
Simon Qi would never have guessed that Lexi Le was actually just a regular guy from the bottom of society, chosen by Cherry Miller because he looked somewhat like Ethan Yin, then packaged to specifically set up Cassie Kofi.
Cherry Miller handled the whole thing extremely discreetly.
Even the way Simon Qi and Lexi Le met was made to seem perfectly natural, so Simon Qi never doubted Lexi Le's background.
Now that Simon Qi had vouched for him, Cassie Kofi certainly wouldn't question Lexi Le's true background. She instinctively believed that anyone who could be friends with Simon Qi couldn't be a fraud.
"What are you doing?" Cassie Kofi complained, clearly unhappy that Tracy Zhao dragged her out.
Tracy Zhao clicked her tongue and said, "Who was the one yelling to leave just now? Why don't you want to go now?"
Cassie Kofi's eyes darted around. She suddenly grabbed Tracy Zhao's arm and said, "Didn't you say you liked Gucci's new handbag? How about I buy it for you?"
"Oh, I can't accept a reward for nothing!" Tracy Zhao was clearly tempted, but she still pretended not to care.
"Then I'll throw in an LV clutch too?" Cassie Kofi upped the offer.
"Ahem, alright, what do you want to ask?" Tracy Zhao was instantly satisfied.
Scoring two bags at once, she could show them off in style again.
"Who is that Lexi Le guy anyway?" Cassie Kofi couldn't help but ask. "Why does he look so much like that person from the Yin family?"
"You mean Lexi Le? I heard from Simon Qi that he's the posthumous child of some big shot. You know how those legitimate heirs look down on us concubine's daughters—different circles. As for why he looks so similar, I want to know too! Maybe that big shot's wife was related to the Yun family in Y Province? The Yun kids all look ethereal, don't they?" Tracy Zhao replied offhand. "So, when are you buying that bag?"
"If I say I'll give it to you, I will. By the way, do you know what Lexi Le likes?" Cassie Kofi asked.
"How would I know? Fine, fine, I'll ask my boyfriend later." Tracy Zhao squeezed her fingers. "Helping you this much, just two bags? That's not enough for me."
"Then I'll top up your beauty card with ten thousand yuan. Happy now?" Cassie Kofi knew exactly what Tracy Zhao was after.
But Cassie Kofi didn't mind.
She was loaded anyway.
"Deal. It's settled then." Tracy Zhao happily sashayed back.
She happened to return just as they finished their chess game and were having tea.
Lexi Le went to wash his hands. Just as he reached the restroom door, he saw Cassie Kofi slip and nearly fall.
Lexi Le dashed forward and instantly caught Cassie Kofi by the waist, pulling her into his arms.
The next second, their eyes met.
Cassie Kofi could hear her heart pounding, like it was about to burst out of her chest.
He was so handsome!
Lexi Le gave what he thought was a charming smile, imitating Ethan Yin's tone and expression, and said, "The floor's slippery. Be careful."
"Ah... ah..." Cassie Kofi was screaming like a marmot inside!
Ahhh, he really looks just like him!
It's practically identical!
"Thank you." Cassie Kofi reluctantly stepped out of Lexi Le's arms, looking at him as if she wanted to say something but stopped.
"What's wrong?" Lexi Le pretended to be casual, lowering his head to look at Cassie.
"Can I add you on WeChat?" Cassie Kofi blurted out.
Lexi Le wanted nothing more than to whip out his phone and add her right away, but he couldn't.
You have to reel in the fish slowly—the more you tease, the faster they'll bite.
"Sorry, I don't add friends." Lexi Le reached up and gently fixed a stray lock of hair by Cassie's temple. "Let's head back."
With that, Lexi Le turned and walked away without hesitation.
Cassie Kofi stood there, completely lost in a cloud of pink bubbles—she couldn't pull herself out no matter what.
At that moment, Cassie couldn't even tell if that person was Ethan Yin or Lexi Le.
She'd waited so, so long for this moment.
Day and night, she dreamed about it—she couldn't sleep at all.
If only he were Ethan Yin.
If only Ethan Yin could be this gentle to her.
If only...
Why are there so many ifs?
So what if he's not Ethan Yin?
Anyway, any man I set my sights on will never escape my grasp!
Cassie Kofi swore to herself that she'd definitely win Lexi Le over!
After returning from the chess club, Cassie Kofi was totally out of it.
Cassie realized she just couldn't get Lexi Le out of her head.
Most importantly, Lexi Le was really, really gentle with her!
Just like in a TV drama—he actually caught her and even gently warned her to be careful!
Ahhh!
She was way too excited!
Lost in her daydreams, Cassie didn't even notice how Houson was looking at her as she headed back to her room.
"Cassie..." Houson started to speak, but the words caught in his throat.
Houson wanted to ask Cassie when they were going back.
Cassie had already promised him that she'd go back with him and live a good life together.
Houson had even thought about where they'd settle down, whether to buy a house, what car to get, how many servants to hire—he'd even thought about what they'd name their kids, whether a boy or a girl.
He didn't care that Cassie had been humiliated before.
He only wanted Cassie to willingly go with him.
But today, Cassie seemed a little off when she came back.
What happened?
Cassie wandered back to her room like a sleepwalker. She hadn't even changed clothes when her phone rang.
It was a call from Tracy Zhao.
"Cassie, I found out more about Lexi Le for you." Tracy Zhao's words instantly snapped Cassie out of her daze—her hands were shaking with excitement.
"Go on," Cassie asked eagerly. "Do you know his WeChat?"
"I had to pull a lot of strings to get this info from my boyfriend," Tracy Zhao hinted.
Cassie Kofi knew how Tracy Zhao operated and didn't waste words. She immediately transferred fifty thousand yuan to her.
"Can you tell me now?" Cassie asked.
Tracy Zhao saw the bank transfer and grinned from ear to ear, quickly saying, "Lexi Le, 23, from a noble family in a coal-rich province. His father was an investment tycoon who died before Lexi was born. His family dotes on him and gave him a sizable inheritance. He's not interested in business, so his older brother trusts him completely—he just attends shareholder meetings and waits for dividends. He joined an entertainment talent show under a hidden identity just for fun, and can leave the industry anytime to go back to being a rich heir."
"I'm not interested in all that," Cassie said. "I just want to know his WeChat."
"Turns out I actually found his WeChat. I'll send it to you," Tracy Zhao cautioned. "Don't say I gave it to you, and don't sell me out! I only saw it by accident."
"Got it, got it!" Cassie was over the moon and sent Tracy Zhao another ten thousand yuan.
Tracy Zhao happily accepted it.
Cassie Kofi, heart pounding, sent Lexi Le a friend request.
She thought Lexi Le wouldn't accept, but to her surprise, after a short wait, her request was approved!
Cassie Kofi was so excited she started jumping in place, her fingers trembling.
"Who are you?" Lexi Le messaged.
"Hi, I'm Cassie. Do you remember me?" Cassie typed quickly, then paused, deleted it, and retyped: "Hello, I'm Cassie. I got your WeChat by accident. Do you remember me?"
There was no reply from the other side.
Cassie waited and waited, her wrist aching. Just when she thought Lexi Le wouldn't reply, he finally messaged: "Are you that pretty girl from the chess club earlier today?"
One 'pretty girl' and Cassie's heart bloomed with joy!
Lexi Le thought she was pretty!
Lexi Le didn't delete her!
So happy!
"Yes, yes, that's me! I can't believe you remember me," Cassie messaged back, afraid to waste even a second.
"Of course I'd remember such a cute girl," Lexi Le replied airily, sending Cassie Kofi spinning around the room in excitement.
"Can we be friends?" Cassie typed with excitement, then nervously waited for his reply.
This time, he didn't make her wait long—he just replied with an emoji: Okay.
Cassie Kofi screamed with excitement, wishing she could do a Thomas spin right then and there.
Houson in the next room heard the commotion and thought something was wrong. He rushed over.
As soon as he walked in, he saw Cassie Kofi bouncing around like an excited monkey.
"Cassie, can we talk?" Houson asked.
He really couldn't hold back anymore.
He wanted to go home.
In this city, the Yin family could strike back at any time, anywhere—he couldn't risk it.