On the way home, Qian Fei walked in sullen silence with her head lowered.
Li Yifei strolled beside her, hands in his pockets, kicking a pebble aside with a scoff. "Well, that was eye-opening. These dating sites are practically turning into hookup paradises now!"
Qian Fei looked up and asked, "Why did you follow me?"
Li Yifei replied, "How could I not? With your IQ, you'd get taken advantage of and crushed to bits!"
Qian Fei asked, "Was that heavyset woman at your table someone you knew?"
Li Yifei said, "Nope, just struck up a conversation."
Qian Fei pressed, "Then what gave you the right to sit at her table?"
Li Yifei smirked, "My face."
Qian Fei fell silent again, lowering her head as she continued walking.
Li Yifei kicked another pebble away irritably. "You should stay off those shady dating sites! You're naive enough to keep offering yourself up to be scammed!"
Qian Fei stopped abruptly and lifted her gaze to meet his, saying nothing. Her cold, sorrowful stare made Li Yifei increasingly uneasy before she finally spoke.
"Do you think I'm ridiculous?"
Her question caught him off guard.
"I know you think I'm ridiculous, but what choice do I have? I envy those with money—surrounded by beautiful people waiting to be chosen. Must be nice! But that's not my reality. I'm getting older, and if I don't use dating sites, where else can I meet someone? I'm an outsider here, just a temporary resident. Even with an apartment, I have no sense of belonging or security. You live freely, carefree—that's your way. I'm trying to build a home, to find stability—that's mine. You might laugh at my efforts, but I'm doing my best to live earnestly."
Her expression grew increasingly desolate as she spoke. Li Yifei felt a lump in his throat, unable to respond.
After a pause, he said with genuine remorse, "I'm sorry. I did think you were being foolish."
Hearing the sincerity in his apology, Qian Fei suddenly felt her nose sting as if it might melt away.
●︶3︶●
When they reached the neighborhood entrance, Qian Fei spotted a fresh-faced young woman in sunglasses waiting there. Upon seeing them, the girl removed her shades and approached Li Yifei.
Qian Fei thought she looked familiar—perhaps the girl she'd seen outside Jinding Xuan on New Year's Eve.
The girl called out softly, "Yifei!"
Li Yifei seemed surprised. "What are you doing here?"
With a gentle, slightly reproachful tone, the girl said, "We had plans to see a movie tonight, remember? But at five, you called in a rush to cancel. I was worried you might be sick. You mentioned living in Shoucheng International, so I came to try my luck—and here you are!"
She glanced at Qian Fei and hesitantly asked, "And this is...?"
Meeting the girl's bright, questioning eyes, Qian Fei hesitated—wanting to clarify but not wanting to expose Li Yifei's rented-living situation. She deflected lightly, "Hi, I'm Qian Fei, your boyfriend's coworker!"
Li Yifei added beside her, "And my landlord."
Qian Fei shot him a sidelong glance.He really was open and aboveboard, not afraid that his rented apartment would scare off the delicate little beauty.
The little beauty hesitated with an "Oh," still looking at Qian Fei, her brows slightly furrowed as she pondered. "I think I've seen you before—that night outside Jin Ding Xuan!"
Seeing the tender yet melancholy expression on her face, Qian Fei suddenly felt a faint irritation rising in her heart.
The little beauty probably thought there was something ambiguous between her and Li Yifei.
She found the idea utterly ridiculous. As friends, she and Li Yifei could accept each other, but as a man and a woman, they would probably find plenty to dislike about one another.
For instance, she disliked his laziness, his pickiness, his vanity and reckless spending, and how—despite having the soul of a loser—he acted like a spoiled young master. Most importantly, she disliked how good-looking he was, far surpassing even Wang Ruohai and Hu Zining by several degrees. A man with such striking looks was simply beyond her control.
She guessed he would dislike her for being dowdy, stingy, overly self-righteous, and lacking in feminine grace. Similarly, the most crucial point was that, judging by the two girlfriends she had seen him with, his standards for looks were outrageously high. He would definitely dislike her for not being pretty enough.
She felt that faint irritation in her heart slowly expanding.
She said to Li Yifei, "You two talk. I’ll head off first."
Then, without another glance at the little beauty—who was supposedly famous for starring in countless TV commercials—she strode into the residential complex.
Only when she stepped into the elevator did she finally let herself wonder: What exactly was that minor celebrity after? With looks like hers, why would she go for a poor guy like Li Yifei, who lived in a rented apartment? Could it really be because he was handsome, or maybe because he had an outstanding physique, embodying both the pretty-boy and the wolfish rogue archetypes?
The more she thought about it, the more inappropriate her train of thought became. She quickly shook her head, stepped out of the elevator, and went home.
●︶3︶●
Outside the complex, Jin Tian said to Li Yifei, "I just came to check if you were sick. Since you're fine, you can go ahead with whatever you were doing. I’ll head back now!"
Li Yifei felt a little guilty. "Let me walk you out."
Jin Tian bit her lower lip, her brows slightly furrowed, as if hesitating to speak.
"Yifei, why don’t you move out? With your family’s means, why live like this?"
Li Yifei’s expression darkened.
Back when Dajun had told him—casually—that he’d let slip about Li Yifei’s family background to Jin Tian, he had already been furious. Now, hearing Jin Tian bring it up so openly, he wished he could storm into Dajun’s house, log into that idiot’s computer, and delete all his in-game gear—utterly destroy him!
Ever since he went abroad for studies, his father had laid down the rule: "Don’t go around telling people you’re my son. Once you do, their motives for befriending you won’t be pure." His old man’s twisted logic insisted that anyone who knew about their family’s wealth would only be after their money.
Later, when they had their falling-out, his father had pointed at the sky, the ground, and then his nose, stomping in rage as he declared, "If you have any pride, don’t go around calling yourself my son! Don’t use my name to swindle your way through life! You think you’re so capable? Fine—let’s see what you can accomplish on your own! And when you fail miserably, don’t come crying back to me!"He had always resented the old man for looking down on him. Did the old man really think he couldn't accomplish anything without him? Regarding his background, he kept it strictly confidential from everyone, only mentioning it to one person—who foolishly refused to believe him no matter what.
With a dark expression, he said to Jin Tian, "You know I don't like people bringing up my family matters."
●︶3︶●
Jin Tian's frown deepened.
But even now, was she still just "people" to him?
Seeing her aggrieved expression, Li Yifei's heart softened slightly, and his expression eased. "I've gotten used to living here now. It's too much trouble to move around. Besides, Qian Fei is easygoing and good-natured. I'm used to bossing her around."
Jin Tian bit her lip, hesitating before finally swallowing the question she wanted to ask.
Because asking would only upset him.
She had always wanted to ask why, on New Year's Eve, it wasn't her he had been with—but instead, that landlord named Qian Fei.
Was it just because she had drunk too much and needed him to take her home?
But didn't he hate it when women drank, especially to the point of losing control?
She comforted herself—maybe he really didn't see the landlord as a woman. And he had always treated his male friends better than women.
She felt she had figured it out again. Now, she just had to wait for him to stop avoiding the topic of his family. Then, maybe he would invest in a big-budget project for her, and she could finally make a name for herself.
●︶3︶●
In the days that followed, Qian Fei returned to her roots, throwing herself into studying her work. She no longer thought about finding a partner.
Her family called repeatedly, and each time, her father grew stricter and more insistent, interrogating her about how her plans for marriage were progressing.
The first time, to escape the nagging, Qian Fei brushed it off: "I'm dating someone!"
The second time, her father picked up where they left off, skipping straight to, "How are things going with the person you're dating?"
Not wanting to disrupt the narrative—because explaining would be even more troublesome—she blurted out, "It's going well, but it's still early. We need more time to see!"
The third time, her father continued the storyline without hesitation, cutting straight to the chase: "So, how's it looking now?"
Just to end the call quickly and get back to her books, Qian Fei answered, "Great!"
But her father wasn't letting her off that easily. He fired off more questions.
"What's his last name? What does he do? How old is he? What's his personality like? Where's he from? Does he own a place? What's his family situation?"
Annoyed and eager to get it over with, Qian Fei glanced at Li Yifei lounging in the living room watching TV and had a sudden inspiration. "His last name is Li, same line of work as me, a year older. Personality-wise, he's got some flaws, but nothing that can't be fixed with time! He's a local, but the house is his dad's. Right now, he's at odds with his father, so he's renting."
Then her father dropped a question that sent a chill down her spine.
"Didn't you say before that the person renting from you was also named Li?"Qian Fei wiped her sweat and answered earnestly, "No, his surname isn't Li. You remembered wrong—it's Huang!"
The old man mumbled, "I could've sworn you mentioned someone named Li who never took out the trash... Did I misremember?"
Still wiping her brow, Qian Fei firmly insisted, "Yes, you definitely misremembered! I'll mail you and Aunt He some fish liver oil later. You both should take supplements to avoid early-onset Parkinson's or dementia in a few years!"
After finally placating her father and hanging up, the young master Li in the living room wasn't pleased.
"Did you pay me for this performance? Dragging me into your family drama without permission?"
Qian Fei silenced his complaints with one sentence:
"Maybe you should start looking for apartments on 58.com."
By the fourth call, Qian Fei was truly struggling with her father's questions.
"Sweetheart, with Spring Festival coming, why don't you bring your boyfriend home for me to meet?"
Beads of sweat forming on her forehead, Qian Fei forced out, "That might be inconvenient—he needs to spend New Year with his own father!"
Ever since receiving the fish liver oil, the old man's memory had become suspiciously sharp. "Didn't you say he was fighting with his dad? How could they celebrate together? Just bring him here—I've got plenty of fatherly love to spare, more than you can use alone!"
Qian Fei broke out in a cold sweat. Her father's ability to argue was reaching new heights.
"Dad, he reconciled with his father. He really can't come this year! Next year, okay? I promise I'll bring him home next year!"
This time, she barely scraped through. Qian Fei thought she was done with this ordeal until Spring Festival—but as fate would have it, her father called again days before the holiday.
"Xiao Fei, if he can't visit, at least let me talk to him on the phone!"
This request struck her like a thunderbolt.
She scrambled to the living room, covering the receiver as she knelt before Li Yifei. "Young master! Sir! Ancestor! Help me this once, and I'll never kick you out!"
Li Yifei eyed her impassively. Amid the repeated "Hellos?" from the phone and Qian Fei's face reddening like a monkey's bottom, he slowly took the receiver.
"Hello? Uncle Su? Yes, yes, I know your surname is Su, not Qian—Qian Fei took her mother's name... Yes, I'll be with my father this year... Absolutely, next year I'll definitely celebrate with you... Of course, I'll take good care of Qian Fei, don't worry... Take care of your health, Uncle Su, and give Aunt He my regards!"
When Qian Fei retrieved the phone, she realized her back was drenched in sweat.
How terrified she'd been that Li Yifei might suddenly spout nonsense...
Fortunately, the crisis was averted. Her father hung up satisfied, and this farce she'd directed—starring herself with a last-minute supporting actor—finally reached its intermission before Spring Festival.
Li Yifei gloated, "I wonder what you'll do next Spring Festival!"
Qian Fei shot him an annoyed look. "I refuse to believe I won't meet someone suitable in a whole year!"
Undermining her without mercy, Li Yifei said, "My guess? You'll probably be renting me for next year's family reunion."Qian Fei spat at him and turned back to her room.
Lying on the bed, she felt utterly exhausted, as if she had just saved the world.
At first, she had just made up that story on the spot for a moment of peace, but she never expected that to keep up with it, her lies would soon spiral into a full-blown soap opera.
She covered her face and groaned inwardly.
How important it was to outline a lie beforehand!
If only she had just said during the first phone call, "I've been too busy lately, I'll think about my personal life after the New Year!" Sure, she would have been nagged for a long time, but at least she wouldn’t have to worry about whether she’d have to rent Li Yifei to take home next year.
Author's Note:
First of the double updates is here! I'm off to watch a movie with my blind date to deepen our connection. I'll send out points tonight when I'm back!!! Aaaah, just to clarify, this blind date wasn’t from Baihe (a dating site), but introduced by an acquaintance, so don’t worry!!!!
By the way, beauties, if you have time, leave a comment! I might not have time to reply to each one, but I read every single one carefully, and I’ll send points whenever possible. Honestly, sometimes your comments give me so much inspiration for writing! Group kisses, see you in the next update tonight! Covers face and runs away
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