When she got home in the evening, Li Yifei was nowhere to be found just as dinner was about to be served. Qian Fei found it strange—he had been in the house while she was cooking. Could he have vanished back to his home planet of Annoying People in the blink of an eye?
She called Li Yifei, only to hear his phone ringing inside the house.
She knocked on the bathroom door and called out, "Come out and eat!"
Li Yifei didn’t respond.
Thinking he might be sulking over the events of the day, she threatened him, "Li Yifei, if you don’t come out right now, I’m coming in!"
Just then, there was a click at the front door, and Li Yifei walked in carrying a case of beer.
"I swear, if I hadn’t come back, you’d have spent the whole night talking to the bathroom door!"
Qian Fei felt herself on the verge of cracking.
"When did you go downstairs?" she asked.
Li Yifei set the beer on the table. "When you thought I was in the bathroom."
Qian Fei pressed, "Why did you buy beer?"
Li Yifei glanced at her. "What do you think?"
Qian Fei smirked. "Did today bring back memories? Your ex-girlfriend of several years is getting married, and the groom isn’t you? You’re renting a place and dressing in knockoff Taobao clothes to play the bourgeois, while her fiancé’s company is about to go public, decking her out in head-to-toe luxury. Feeling nostalgic?"
Li Yifei scoffed. "Could you be any less subtle? You think I don’t care at all?"
Qian Fei laughed coldly. "You’re such a contradiction. When people try to comfort you nicely, you act all cold and dismissive—'Who said I needed help? Mind your own business.' But when someone calls you out directly, your fragile little heart can’t take it. Li Yifei, why are you so damn difficult?"
Li Yifei paused, as if he’d never realized he was like that.
Pulling out a chair, he sat down and motioned to Qian Fei. "Enough talking. Sit down and eat!"
※※※※※※
Dinner was more of an afterthought compared to the beer.
Qian Fei figured, how many times does one get their heart broken in life? And how many people, after a breakup, get to witness their ex being utterly outshone by someone new right in front of them? With that in mind, she mustered the spirit of "risking her life to keep a friend company" and drank with Li Yifei.
The two of them chatted about all sorts of random things.
As the alcohol took hold, Qian Fei’s tongue loosened again. Channeling her inner saint, she earnestly advised Li Yifei, "Honestly, stop torturing yourself. If you’re really hurting, don’t keep pretending to be Xu Wenqiang—your wife got stolen by Ding Li, yet you’re still fighting for the peace of Shanghai. It’s pointless! If you can’t let go of Gui Lili, just go talk to her. Why drag me into drinking this miserable booze?"
Li Yifei slammed his beer bottle on the table. "Are you serious, Sister Qian? You want me to go crawling back to her? Let me tell you, from childhood till now, this young master has never stooped so low! Today’s frustration has nothing to do with letting go or not. What pisses me off is that I’ve always been the one doing the dumping—no one gets to dump me first!"
Qian Fei looked at him and, unable to hold back, tossed four words his way: "Shameless bastard!" After a moment’s thought, she added two more: "Scumbag!"Li Yifei, provoked by her inexplicable accusation, felt his temper rise with the alcohol. "Me, a scumbag? Then tell me who isn't? Was your ex-boyfriend any better? Or your current one? Just look at the guys you've dated—have any of them not cheated on you?"
He grabbed his beer can and took a large gulp.
Qian Fei stared at him blankly.
He set the can down.
Qian Fei was still staring at him, dumbfounded.
Li Yifei suddenly sobered up halfway.
Qian Fei continued staring, then asked, "What did you just say? What do you mean, 'look at the guys you've dated—have any of them not cheated on you'? What guys? I’ve only ever had two boyfriends! And what do you mean by 'cheated'?"
Li Yifei sighed, giving her a look that said he was done holding back. "Let me ask you this—how long has it been since you last heard from your current boyfriend?"
Qian Fei’s gaze wavered. "It’s been a while, but he’s been on a business trip!"
Li Yifei smirked mockingly. "Business trip? What a load of crap! He didn’t even get promoted to supervisor—what business trips could he possibly have? He’s lying to you, Qian Fei!"
Qian Fei suddenly felt dizzy. She clutched her head and stood up. "I have a headache. Let’s talk tomorrow. I’m going to bed."
Li Yifei didn’t stop her, but just as she was about to enter her room, he called out, "Qian Fei, leave work early tomorrow and wait outside the hotel. See for yourself whether Hu Zining is really on a business trip or not!"
Qian Fei didn’t turn around. She walked straight into her room and shut the door.
She rushed to the bathroom and splashed water on her face.
Just moments ago, she had been completely drunk, but now she felt abruptly sober.
Returning to her room, she grabbed her phone and sent Hu Zining a WeChat message: Zining, what are you up to? Are you back from your trip yet?
It took a while before he replied: Working overtime. Not back yet.
Those five short words made Qian Fei want to cry.
She remembered the days when Wang Ruohai would stay out every night, always responding in the same indifferent tone: Working overtime, don’t wait up; working overtime, go to bed first; working overtime, stop bothering me.
Her heart began to sink, little by little.
The next day, she was distracted all day. An hour before work ended, she asked Liu Yifeng for permission to leave early.
She took the subway straight to the hotel where Hu Zining worked and waited in a secluded corner.
Soon, it was time to clock out, and people began streaming out of the building. Qian Fei strained her eyes, watching until they ached.
Then she saw Hu Zining.
※※※※※※
Hu Zining strode out of the building in a crisp suit, carrying what looked like an expensive briefcase, his head held high and a bright smile on his face.
Qian Fei blinked hard. She wasn’t mistaken—Hu Zining was indeed smiling. But not at her. His smile was directed at a woman walking toward him.
She watched as the woman approached, and Hu Zining naturally linked arms with her.
Qian Fei thought back—Hu Zining had never been this affectionate with her near the hotel. They always had to walk farther away before holding hands or strolling together.
She couldn’t describe the feeling in her chest. All she wanted now was to confront Hu Zining and ask him what was really going on.
Stepping out from the corner, she walked toward him.
She saw the moment Hu Zining noticed her.When he first saw her, there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly composed himself. The gaze he fixed on her was cold, even laced with a hint of mockery.
She was confused. Why was he acting this way?
She walked over and greeted him, "Zining, can we talk?"
She took in the woman beside Hu Zining—earrings sparkling with pearls, a jade Buddha pendant resting against her neck, and a plunging neckline barely containing her ample cleavage. She looked mature and alluring, though seemingly a few years older than both her and Hu Zining.
"And who is this?" the well-dressed woman asked Hu Zining.
Hu Zining seemed anxious that she might say something inappropriate and hurriedly reassured the woman, "Xiaoyi, wait for me a moment. This is a client of mine. I need to discuss something with her over there!" He then shot her a meaningful glance.
Qian Fei couldn't help but smirk sarcastically.
At this point, she wasn’t even sure who the real girlfriend was anymore.
She followed Hu Zining back to the corner where she had been standing earlier.
She confronted him, "Zining, I’m not the type to cling desperately, but at the very least, I deserve to know what’s going on. Who is that woman? Are you two-timing me?"
Hu Zining’s expression darkened. "Qian Fei, you’re not stupid. Who she is and what our relationship is—you should’ve figured it out at a glance! You say you’re not the clingy type, so why did you come to my workplace? Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"
Qian Fei’s mind was in turmoil. "Why did you lie about being on a business trip? You clearly weren’t!"
Hu Zining scoffed. "Cut the act, Qian Fei. Are you really that dense? Didn’t you get that when I kept saying I was on a business trip, I meant it was over between us? I was trying to spare your feelings—can’t you see that?"
Qian Fei was bewildered. "But if you wanted to break up, you should’ve at least told me! All you said was you were on a business trip—how was I supposed to understand? Were you seeing someone else while we were together?"
Hu Zining let out a derisive laugh. "Fine, Qian Fei, since you insist on making this ugly, I won’t bother sparing your feelings anymore! You accuse me of seeing other women, but what about you? Weren’t you living with another man? No wonder you never let me take you home! That guy is Li Yifei, the one you’re working on the project with, right? I’ve seen the two of you going into your place together! A guy that good-looking—he must be with you for your money, huh? Just look at all the designer clothes he wears! Why else would someone like him be with you? No wonder you never had money to lend me—too busy spending it all on your pretty boy, right? And now you have the nerve to come here and question me? What gives you the right? Listen, Qian Fei, let’s just end this cleanly. Don’t even think about going to Xiaoyi and spouting nonsense. Even if you do, she won’t believe you. She’ll just think you’re some obsessed lunatic with a crush on me!"
Qian Fei had never imagined Hu Zining could show such a despicable side. She trembled with anger, tears welling up in her eyes. She had never heard such vile words before. For a moment, all she could think was that she ought to slap this scumbag across the face—just like in those melodramatic romance dramas.She acted on impulse, raising her arm, but halfway through, Hu Zining grabbed her wrist.
After intercepting her arm, he used his strength to push her backward forcefully. The shove caused her left foot to twist, and she staggered, nearly falling.
"Are you crazy?" she heard Hu Zining say as he pushed her.
Her heart sank as she stumbled backward.
But just as she was about to hit the ground, someone steadied her from behind.
She turned her head in confusion.
It was Li Yifei.
※※※※※※
After catching Qian Fei, Li Yifei looked up at Hu Zining, his voice dripping with disdain and provocation. "You coward, hitting a woman, huh? How about I tell that rich lady up front how many sugar mommies you’ve leeched off?"
Hu Zining refused to back down and shot back, "You coward, aren’t you living off her too? Neither of us is any hero, so let’s not pretend otherwise!"
Li Yifei glanced down at Qian Fei and asked, "Can you stand steady?"
Qian Fei nodded.
Li Yifei then asked, "Left or right?"
Qian Fei replied bitterly, "Straight ahead!"
Li Yifei released her, stepped forward, and swiftly threw a punch—right into the center of Hu Zining’s nose.
Hu Zining immediately clutched his face with a howl and crouched down in pain.
Li Yifei shook out his hand and returned to Qian Fei’s side, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. He could feel her trembling beneath his palm.
He didn’t want to waste another second on this scum. He needed to get her out of here.
"Keep strutting around, you coward. Just wait—there’ll come a day when you’ll be crying and begging on your knees!" Ignoring Hu Zining’s muffled curses behind his hands, Li Yifei immediately guided Qian Fei away.
Author’s Note: Thank you to all the lovely readers who sent encouragement—mwah! >3<
How about that punch from my son, Li the Scoundrel? And the seamless back-and-forth with Qian the Useless? covers mouth and giggles
Next chapter, Li the Scoundrel will be too proud to wash dishes, hehe~~
For those who want points, comments must be related to the story (no unrelated fluff, sorry!), and they must be at least 25 characters long (system requirement). Also, remember to rate it 2 stars—I’ll send points when I see them!
The comments dropped sharply yesterday, and I can’t help but play the victim again TT Writing on the go during business trips isn’t easy, you know! You can’t do this to me! Ninth Bro’s spine is practically bent out of shape! Ugh, can’t think of any more sob stories… Anyway, this is really not cool. If I’m unhappy, the writing suffers, and then I might just wreck the protagonists, wahahaha Here comes the flamboyant wavy line!
OpenNovel