Love Has Fireworks

The next day at work, Li Yifei arrived very late. His complexion was terrible, and he looked so gloomy that the air around him could almost freeze.

Qian Fei couldn't help but lean over and whisper a few words of advice to him.

"Didn't sleep well last night, huh? Really worried, aren’t you? Ah, I mean, a girl staying out overnight—how unsafe is that! You’re a guy, after all, so just bear with it a little more. Give in to her a bit more, so you don’t have to suffer like this too!"

She meant well, but to her surprise, Li Yifei responded with a look of disgust and impatience. "Qian Fei, can we keep some distance? Aside from being my landlord and coworker, we’re not exactly close, are we? Could you mind your own business?" He glared at her as if he had reached his limit, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "And what makes you think your boyfriend is any better? You really have the nerve to lecture others when you’re no saint yourself!"

His words infuriated Qian Fei. If there hadn’t been so many people around, she would’ve slapped that big, nasty mouth of his—turned his face as red as a blooming lotus—just to teach him the consequences of running his mouth.

Nearby, Zhao De noticed the tension between them and walked over, probing cautiously, "Hey, what’s going on here? Yifei, you didn’t bully our Feifei, did you? Feifei, what’s wrong? You look awful!"

Qian Fei gritted her teeth and forced a smile at Zhao De. "It’s nothing. Just a case of a dog biting Lü Dongbin’s leg—ungrateful, that’s all!"

Without waiting for Zhao De’s utterly confused expression to clear up, she turned and walked back to her seat.

At lunch, the three of them, for once, didn’t set up their usual Landlord card game.

Li Yifei sat in front of his computer as soon as he finished eating, putting on headphones to play Counter-Strike—venting his anger by switching between guns and knives to take down enemies.

Zhao De sidled up to Qian Fei and asked, "So, which one of you pissed off the other?"

Qian Fei huffed. "What do you think? A model citizen like me, a Lei Feng-style good youth—do I look like the troublemaking type?" She shot a glance at Li Yifei before curling her lip at Zhao De. "Honestly, this young master’s temper is way too big. I’m a woman, and even I’ve cooled down, but he’s still sulking over there. What gives?"

Zhao De nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yeah! What gives?! He’s even living in your place!"

The moment he mentioned that, it was like a lightbulb went off in Qian Fei’s head. Energized, she slammed the table and clutched her chest dramatically. "Right! Exactly! How did I forget? Li Yifei is living in my apartment! How dare he give me attitude? I could kick him out, you know—just watch me!"

Zhao De joined in, slapping the table enthusiastically. "Yeah! Yeah, you totally could!"

Just as the two of them were getting worked up, Li Yifei took off his headphones.

In the middle of her impassioned rant, Qian Fei suddenly felt like Li Yifei was staring at her.

She glanced over—and sure enough, he was. His expression was as solemn as if he were attending a funeral.

Qian Fei turned to face him directly. "What are you looking at? Never seen a landlord flexing their authority before?"

Li Yifei continued staring at her, his face dark, making Qian Fei almost squirm. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Qian Fei, what I said this morning wasn’t entirely out of anger. I hope you’ll think about it carefully." With that, he put his headphones back on.

Qian Fei stood there, stunned.

What had he said that morning again? Something like—"Do you really think your boyfriend is any better? You're so full of yourself, meddling in other people's business!"

But what did Hu Zining have to do with this? He didn’t even know him.

Qian Fei turned to Zhao De and asked, "What does he mean by that?"

Zhao De shook his head in a daze. "No idea. Maybe he has a crush on you?"

Qian Fei nearly choked on her lunch and almost spat it all over Zhao De’s face.

※※※※※※

Qian Fei had always been the type to remember only the kindness shown to her, holding onto gratitude for what felt like a lifetime. But when someone lashed out at her or gave her a cold shoulder, even if she swore up and down in the moment that she’d never speak to them again, she’d forget all about it within two days—especially if they offered her something tasty or treated her to a meal. It was like she’d developed selective amnesia, completely erasing any past unpleasantness. Yao Jingjing once tearfully summed up her personality: "She remembers the treats but forgets the beatings."

So when Li Yifei, expressionless, tossed a pack of dried mangoes at Qian Fei two days later at work, she instantly forgot all their previous conflicts.

Chewing on the dried mangoes, Qian Fei felt so magnanimous she could’ve embraced the world’s darkest evils with open arms.

Between bites, she mumbled, "Where’d you get these mangoes?"

Li Yifei didn’t even look up, his face as stiff as a botched plastic surgery. "Found them."

Qian Fei froze mid-chew, unsure whether to swallow or spit the mango right into Li Yifei’s face.

He finally glanced up, seemingly amused by her dumbfounded expression. The usual stiffness in his face softened slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Relax, they won’t kill you." After a pause, he took pity and told her the truth. "Brought them back from a bar."

Qian Fei relaxed. Then it dawned on her—he’d come home late last night because he’d been drowning his sorrows at a bar.

Now that she had food, her inner saintly glow couldn’t be contained. Despite Li Yifei putting on a brave face at work, she couldn’t help but think how much pain he must be hiding deep down!

When Li Yifei looked up again, he found Qian Fei staring at him with a mix of sympathy and pity. His hand jerked, dropping the mouse. "Ugh, what’s with that look? Disgusting. Fine, just give me the mangoes back."

Qian Fei turned away, stuffing the pack into her pocket, and got back to work. "You’re shameless, asking for a gift back after giving it!"

Just like that, the two made up.

During their lunchtime card game, Li Yifei remarked while playing, "Didn’t expect you to be so forgiving."

Qian Fei, thrilled by the good cards in her hand, grinned. "Grudges? I only remember food and money! Haha, Li Yifei, prepare to cry for mercy this round!"

Zhao De nudged her, feigning pity. "Uh, Feifei, while you were gloating, Li Yifei already played all his cards." He sighed dramatically. "With your IQ, all you can do is eat snacks and lose money for fun."

Qian Fei froze, then glared at Li Yifei. "You sneaky jerk! You distracted me on purpose! No trick’s beneath you, huh?"Li Yifei didn't even glance at her. "I'm teaching you a life lesson here. Waking up early doesn't necessarily mean good health, and holding two Jokers doesn't guarantee you'll win. Get it?"

Qian Fei was about to criticize his shameless, unreasonable argument when Li Yifei's phone rang.

She noticed his expression change instantly. She guessed the call must be from Gui Lili.

Li Yifei stepped out to take the call.

Zhao De said he was going to the restroom.

Left alone, Qian Fei sat shuffling the cards over and over out of boredom.

After a while, Zhao De returned first, looking excited as he told Qian Fei, "Damn, Feifei! I overheard Yifei arguing with his girlfriend in the bathroom! He told her, 'If you want to come back, just come back. Did I have to kneel three times and bow nine times with an eight-man sedan chair to beg you to return after you ran off on your own? Gui Lili, are you brain-dead? Using your boss to provoke me? He's waiting for you, is he? Telling me not to regret it? Then go with him! Let me tell you, Gui Lili, don’t even try to provoke me with this. If you think someone else is better, go find them. I won’t stop you!'"

After recounting this, Zhao De looked at Qian Fei with a gossipy gleam in his eyes.

Qian Fei marveled, "Your memory for useless things is truly impressive!" Then she asked, "And then?"

Zhao De blinked. "Then I came out! I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever! Though I wanted to hear more, I didn’t want people thinking I had prostate issues!"

Qian Fei facepalmed. "You really don’t see me as a woman, do you, Zhao De? Saying all this!"

Zhao De quickly shifted blame. "Yifei influenced me! He said that among all the women he's met, you're definitely a true man!"

Qian Fei had originally planned to console Li Yifei for his romantic woes by letting him win at cards, but after hearing this, she was furious.

"That shameless jerk! Serves him right for fighting with his girlfriend!"

※※※※※※

In the following days, during their daily card games, Qian Fei racked her brains to tell jokes, trying to shorten the length of Li Yifei's sulking face.

Zhao De often laughed so hard he nearly choked, slapping his thighs and wiping away tears while declaring Qian Fei the manliest of men.

At first, Li Yifei held back, but eventually, he couldn’t help but smirk at her jokes. Still, the rest of the time, he maintained his gloomy expression. Every time Qian Fei looked at him, she felt the negative energy around him skyrocketing.

By the weekend, Gui Lili still hadn’t returned, and Li Yifei remained sullen. The oppressive atmosphere at home left Qian Fei feeling chest tightness, shortness of breath, and even calcium deficiency.

She suggested Li Yifei go out for a walk, but he refused. So she went out alone.

Leaving the neighborhood, she wandered aimlessly until she reached Fuli Plaza. Thinking she had nothing better to do, she decided to browse the mall—after all, she’d only brought about 200 yuan in cash and no cards, so she wouldn’t be tempted to overspend.

She stepped inside.

Floor by floor, she strolled, sighing as she went.

The clothes were gorgeous, the shoes dazzling, and the prices—damn—far from budget-friendly. She couldn’t understand how others could shop so effortlessly, carrying multiple bags without a hint of buyer’s remorse or financial pain on their faces.She couldn't understand why people living in the same city of Beijing could have such vastly different qualities of life. Where did all their money come from? She thought about the office building where her company was located—how could it be that while she was eating a 15-yuan Lihua fast food lunch, she could hear people from the neighboring company clamoring to go to the Liufu Shark Fin Restaurant at the base of Tongtai Building for a bowl of sea cucumber porridge that cost over 200 yuan? How exactly did those rich people make their money?

To Qian Fei, these questions were even more perplexing than Goldbach's conjecture.

Her footsteps felt increasingly shabby and heavy against the backdrop of others swiping their cards effortlessly. Listlessly stepping onto the escalator, she found herself on the third floor without realizing it.

As she walked, she suddenly looked up and thought she was just asking for trouble—she had wandered into the "City of Love" Diamond Mall.

She remembered once when she and Yao Jingjing had come to visit the R&F Plaza and also ended up on the third floor, seeing the "City of Love." Yao Jingjing had told her: "Women come to this place for one of two reasons: either a poor man loves her so much he's willing to sell his blood or kidneys to buy her a diamond ring to propose, or a rich man wants to sleep with her and throws her a card, telling her to buy whatever she likes."

Yao Jingjing had asked her: "If it were you, which of these two men would you choose?"

Qian Fei remembered answering at the time: "I wouldn't choose either. What's so great about diamonds? You can look at them, but you can't eat them!"

Yao Jingjing had laughed at her: "Ah, actually, I shouldn't have even asked you! Wang Ruohai would never sell his blood or kidneys to buy you a diamond ring! As for rich men—unless they're blind, why would they want to sleep with you when there are so many little vixens out there?"

Indignant, Qian Fei had retorted: "What's wrong with me? Back in college, plenty of guys chased after me!"

Yao Jingjing had looked at her with a grin and said: "But now, after all these years with Wang Ruohai, you've aged past your prime, silly girl!"

She suddenly felt a little sad. It had been a long time since she'd thought about Wang Ruohai—what was wrong with her today? Had Li Yifei and Gui Lili's argument subconsciously affected her?

She felt particularly dejected and didn't want to keep shopping anymore. She just wanted to go home immediately and curl up under the blankets to soothe her melancholy little heart.

She turned around and headed for the down escalator.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of two people coming out of the "City of Love."

It looked like a man and a woman walking arm in arm.

Qian Fei kept walking.

Then her heart suddenly skipped a beat!

She whipped her head around and saw that, of the two people who had come out of the "City of Love," the woman was unmistakably Gui Lili.

Author's Note: Preview: Next chapter, someone's going to get slapped hard, grinning

Also, who said Big Fei Fei was ugly? She just doesn't bother dressing up—with a little effort, she could totally be a little vixen too, hahahaha, monkey demon!

Thanks to the five beautiful readers who threw grenades and mines, love you all >333