Qian Fei patted Yao Jingjing's back to soothe her, then asked, "Shall we go home now?"
Yao Jingjing shook her head and said, "I'm hungry!"
Qian Fei nearly dropped to her knees in exasperation.
After drinking all that alcohol, she still had the presence of mind to feel hungry.
She looked up at Lu Ze and said, "I'll take her to Jindingxuan for some congee before heading home. You can go about your business!" Then she turned to Li Yifei, "You should hurry back to your friends too—they're probably waiting for you!"
Li Yifei rolled his eyes at her, pulled Yao Jingjing off her, and handed her to Lu Ze. "You take this one," he said gruffly, while subtly supporting Qian Fei as he steered her toward Jindingxuan. "Stop worrying about others, will you? You'd do better to focus on yourself for once!"
Dragged along by him, Qian Fei glanced back and called out, "Hey, Lu Ze, don’t even think about sneaking off with her—I’ve got my eyes on you! Bring Yao Jingjing over here right away!"
In her dazed state, she thought she saw Lu Ze’s brows furrow in displeasure, as if he wasn’t used to taking orders from anyone.
The sight filled Qian Fei with glee—it felt like she’d avenged Yao Jingjing somehow.
Once inside Jindingxuan, Li Yifei asked the waiter for a private booth.
Qian Fei tried to pull Yao Jingjing to sit beside her, but Lu Ze refused wordlessly yet firmly.
He sat next to Yao Jingjing, carefully tilting her head onto his shoulder to let her rest. Then he asked the waiter for a cup of hot water to cool for her.
Li Yifei took a seat beside Qian Fei.
She pulled out her phone to check the time, only to notice a missed call from Li Yifei.
"You called me? What for?" she asked, looking up at him.
Li Yifei scowled. "Why would I call you? Wrong number!"
Qian Fei let out an "Oh," then nudged him. "Go join your friends. I need to have a chat with this guy here."
Li Yifei pushed her hand away irritably. "I haven’t even scolded you yet, and you’re already trying to shoo me off?"
His expression darkened with anger.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night instead of staying home?" he snapped.
Qian Fei grinned at him goofily. "What a coincidence, you’re here too!"
Li Yifei’s brows knitted together. "Qian Fei, you’re a woman—you can’t act like a man. Have some self-respect, got it? Just smell the alcohol on you! What kind of woman are you?"
Still smiling, Qian Fei asked, "Are you having supper with us or going back to your friends?"
Li Yifei slammed the table. "You’re lucky I was here tonight! If I hadn’t kicked that guy, would you have just let him drag you away? You’d be ruined by morning, you know that?"
Qian Fei blinked at him with unfocused eyes. "I think I’ll order some snow fungus and papaya soup. What about you?"
Li Yifei grumbled, "Get me some lung-moistening tea. I need to cool down!"
He undid the top button of his shirt and tugged at the collar. "You’re driving me crazy!"
Yet even as he said it, he realized her constant deflections had somehow dissipated most of his anger.He glanced at Lu Ze and Yao Jingjing, the former feeding the latter water like a little bird. He couldn't shake the feeling that the water-feeding was just a pretense—that Lu Ze was actually eavesdropping on his conversation with Qian Fei.
Feeling that a man's dignity shouldn't be so easily diminished in front of others, he slapped the table again with false bravado and snapped at Qian Fei, "Hey, I'm in the middle of being angry here! Can you at least wait until I'm done before ordering?"
Qian Fei respectfully handed him the menu with both hands. "Alright, alright! Go ahead, be angry! Once you're done, you can order!"
Li Yifei looked at her utterly shameless demeanor and found all his irritation melting away.
He wondered how his temper had become so mild lately. If this had happened between him and Gu Lili in the past, they would have already been at each other's throats.
Suddenly, he realized Qian Fei had a remarkable quality—she was incredibly tolerant, especially when others were angry. Whether they were right or wrong, she'd just smile along until their anger fizzled out.
Staring at her blinking eyes, he found himself unable to keep yelling. Yet, backing down felt too unsatisfying. So he poked her forehead fiercely and growled, "Qian Fei, I beg you, grow some sense, will you?"
●︶3︶●
Qian Fei happily slurped her snow fungus and papaya soup while watching Yao Jingjing, half-asleep, nearly bury her face in her congee bowl.
She couldn't help giggling like an idiot.
Across the table, Lu Ze shot her a glance filled with quiet disapproval. Putting down his own bowl, he began carefully feeding Yao Jingjing instead.
This only made Qian Fei grin wider.
Suddenly, a group of people outside shrieked as if their tails had been stepped on.
Qian Fei froze for a second before realizing—midnight had struck.
The new year had begun!
Dropping her spoon, she threw her arms up and turned to Li Yifei, shouting, "Happy New Year!"
In her excitement, a tiny piece of half-chewed snow fungus flew out of her mouth in a graceful arc... and landed right on Li Yifei's... face...
She watched as his eyebrows knitted together in disgust. He grabbed several napkins, scrubbing his face furiously before glaring at her. "Could you eat any more disgustingly? That'd make me happier than anything!"
Qian Fei beamed at him. "It's the new year! Wish me luck in finding a good husband this year!"
Li Yifei gave her a disdainful look. "Could you be any more desperate?"
Suddenly, Lu Ze interrupted them. "Qian Fei, can we talk?"
She turned to him, tilting her head thoughtfully, then looked back at Li Yifei. "Go back to your friends. I need to talk with him."
For a moment, Li Yifei found her head-tilting oddly endearing tonight—almost cute. But her words instantly made his brows shoot up.
"You know what this is called? Kicking the donkey after it's done grinding!" he grumbled unhappily.
Qian Fei patted his shoulder. "Be good, don't fuss. We have serious things to discuss."
Her patronizing tone annoyed him. He swatted her hand away and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I should go explain things to them anyway. Wait here—I'm coming home with you guys later!"Qian Fei waved her wrist dismissively, "Alright, alright! Go ahead, go ahead!"
Li Yifei stood up and left the private room. Qian Fei adjusted her posture to face Lu Ze directly. Yao Jingjing was slumped over the table, mumbling groggily.
After a long silence, Lu Ze finally spoke. "Was that guy just now your boyfriend? Do you live together?"
Qian Fei shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. "He's not my boyfriend, he's my tenant!" Then she turned the tables. "Now it's my turn to ask—how exactly did you torment my best friend like this?"
Lu Ze frowned, and an air of aloofness instantly radiated from his tightly knit brows.
"Before that, could you tell me how Jingjing described our relationship to you?"
Qian Fei figured talking a bit more wouldn’t hurt—it wasn’t like she’d lose a piece of flesh—so she launched into a rapid-fire account.
As she spoke, she studied the expression of this cold, wealthy man. But for the most part, his face remained completely blank. The only movement came from his eyebrows—sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, then furrowed again.
Secretly, Qian Fei thought, Being his eyebrows must be exhausting.
"Anyway, as Yao Jingjing’s chief—and possibly only—best friend, I think what you did really hurt her. If you can’t give me a good explanation, I’ll have to find ways to make your life difficult. And don’t think your money scares me—I’ve had a grudge against the rich since I was a kid!" She glared at him, threatening him in her own way.
Lu Ze remained silent. He turned to look at Yao Jingjing, who was now smacking her lips against the table, and gently stroked her head as if she were a beloved pet. Then he turned back to Qian Fei and said, "Now, let me tell you the story from my perspective."
●︶3︶●
"I met her through an introduction from one of her company’s executives. On our first date—or blind date, if you will—she struck me as different from other girls. She wasn’t pretentious, and her lively, unfiltered way of talking was amusing. I thought being friends with her wouldn’t be boring, so when she suggested coming to Dalian with me to help set up the new branch, I didn’t refuse.
"At first, I didn’t think she was serious about me. Once, I asked her what she liked about me, and she said she liked that I was rich.
"She seemed like the type of girl who cared about appearances and material things, and that’s what I initially assumed. But after she said that, I started to think she wasn’t at all what she appeared to be.
"Gradually, I realized she was the kind of girl who surprises you the more you get to know her. Outwardly sharp and shrewd, but actually quite simple-hearted. She seemed like someone who could easily walk away and say harsh things, but in truth, she was more fragile than anyone.
"I had a girlfriend before. We fought constantly for years, exhausting each other until we finally broke up. Honestly, after that, I was afraid of getting into another relationship—I was tired of the arguments. So I never explicitly asked Jingjing to be my girlfriend. But without even realizing it, I’d started treating her like one."
At this point, Qian Fei couldn’t help but interrupt.
"How come you seem so cold and reserved, but when it comes to baring your soul, you turn into this poetic, long-winded philosopher? Just answer me one thing—do you like Yao Jingjing or not?"Lu Ze stared fixedly at her. "Actually, I don't like being interrupted when I'm speaking." After a pause, he continued, "Do you think I would fly here in the middle of the night if I didn't like her?"
Qian Fei, her mind dulled by alcohol, processed this for a moment. "Oh, so you do like her, right? Then explain this—what was that dinner with your ex-girlfriend on Christmas Day all about?"
Lu Ze stared at her again, his tone indifferent. "Actually, I don't like being interrogated." Another pause, then he went on, "My ex-girlfriend lives in Shanghai now. To win me back, she chased after me alone, first to Beijing and then to Dalian. She was spoiled growing up and never lived independently, so she fell ill after arriving in Dalian. On Christmas Day, she told me she had a fever and had no family around to take care of her. She was miserable. I pitied her when I heard how pathetic she sounded, so I took her out for a bowl of congee. I didn’t expect her to secretly take a photo of me during the meal and send it to Jingjing."
Qian Fei tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table as she thought. After a while, she looked up at Lu Ze and said, "I’ll ask you one more question. If you answer this well, you’ll pass my test, and I’ll remove you from my 'wealth-hating' list!" She took a sip of water before asking, "What exactly is your attitude toward your ex-girlfriend now? If you genuinely like Jingjing, how do you plan to handle your ex?"
Lu Ze reached out and patted Yao Jingjing’s head like she was a pet. "What’s past is past. I won’t get back together with her, and there won’t be any lingering attachments. Once we return to Dalian, I’ll make it clear to her—some things, if not cherished when you have them, can never be reclaimed once they’re gone."
The last two sentences left Qian Fei sighing inwardly.
She exhaled softly. "Alright, since your stance is clear, I’ll consider you passed. But whether Jingjing is willing to go with you is up to her."
Lu Ze frowned slightly, as if suppressing something.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Fixing his gaze on Qian Fei, he said in a low voice, "Actually, no one in my company dares to speak to me as casually as you do."
Qian Fei thought he was annoyed, which pleased her. Just as she was about to express her delight, she saw him suddenly grin in an odd way. "But... this feeling is quite unique! You and Jingjing really are cut from the same cloth!"
Qian Fei was stunned. So this guy just appeared cold and aloof on the outside but was actually a lonely soul who enjoyed being challenged?
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