You Have the Right to Keep a Secret Love

Chapter 12 “I just like those with a bad personality…”

Even though she knew it was fake, at this moment, Qi Xi’s heart couldn’t help being nervous and beating wildly. 

A person like Gu Yan must be relying on his beauty to be so arrogant. 

Facing Gu Yan’s cold gaze, Qi Xi actually felt a little flustered like being caught in the act. 

Gu Yan became serious, his aura was quite coercive. 

Qi Xi was caught off guard by Gu Yan’s sudden appearance. Naturally, the “blind date” this time was also quite startled. The other party was taken aback, and then looked at Qi Xi politely, smiled and asked: “Who is this?” 

Gu Yan’s tone quite coldly replied: “Oh, Qi Xi’s boyfriend.” 

This blind date was obviously someone quite conservative. He was taken aback, and looked at Gu Yan: “She has a boyfriend? Hello, I am…” 

Unfortunately, Gu Yan Yan’s voice was extremely cold and arrogant: “I’m not interested in who you are.” He looked at Qi Xi, “Let’s go.”

** 

Qi Xi was still a little confused even as she sat on the back seat of Gu Yan’s bicycle again—— 

“This one seemed okay as we were talking. I wanted to chat some more. I sent you a WeChat message just now saying that you don’t need to call me anymore? Why are you here?” 

Gu Yan, riding the bicycle, answered with a calm voice: “Oh , I didn’t check WeChat just now, and thought that you didn’t answer the call because the other party snatched your phone and kept hanging up, so I reluctantly came out to find you.” 

Qi Xi recalled the scene just now, and felt a little embarrassed: “Also the attitude you had just now was too cold! I feel like I can’t even be friends with him in the future… Your role as a boyfriend’s attitude was a bit too much. Gu Yan, don’t you think your persona just now was a little too jealous? Men, ah, it’s not a good thing to be too jealous. You were a bit too forceful!”

As a result it was better not to mention it. As soon as she said it, maybe it was because Qi Xi didn’t acknowledge his dedication to playing the part, but Gu Yan obviously became a little unhappy. This man actually started to argue about it: “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the way I acted. Why can’t men be jealous? This makes me suspect you of being sexist. Is jealousy exclusive to women? Women can be masculine and men can, of course, be jealous. Gender should not have set restrictions.”

Sitting on the back seat of Gu Yan’s bicycle, Qi Xi could not see Gu Yan’s face, but just from Gu Yan’s voice alone, she could imagine how ugly Gu Yan’s face was right now. The man very unhappily said: “I feel that my attitude was just now already very good. If I was really your boyfriend, I would have an even worse attitude.”

“…” He probably became invested in the perspective of a real boyfriend, so Qi Xi always felt that Gu Yan’s voice sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth. 

Qi Xi was a little surprised by this because she didn’t expect Gu Yan to be such a jealous type. He doesn’t look like it… He seems to be quite calm and stable, but he turned out to be so possessive in his heart? So that’s why he couldn’t let go of his own bai yue guang*? [white moonlight = first love]

After Gu Yan finished speaking, he paused, and then said quite naturally: “Why don’t you talk anymore? You’re regretful that I came to pick you up?”

Qi Xi sorted out her thoughts, and stopped thinking those messy thoughts. She explained in a serious manner: “That’s not necessarily it, but I think that overall it was going okay, so I could’ve tried to at least finish the meal.” 

“That’s how many situations begin. At the beginning, you might think it’s okay. After eating one meal, you’ll still think it’s okay. What about falling in love/ dating? In the end, you thought it was okay and got married. Why do us lawyers always receive so many divorce cases? It’s because there are too many people who are confused, think it’s okay, and hastily decide to just make do.”

Qi Xi was actually a bit moved. “Gu Yan, it turns out you can speak such a long sentence! Haven’t you realized? You actually spoke a ton of words to me today!” 

“…”

“So you won’t let it go even if you die?” Qi Xi thought for a while and became a little curious, “Then what if that girl you like, she persistently doesn’t like you, what would you do? You just wouldn’t start another relationship at all?”

The evening wind blew Qi Xi’s hair into a slight mess, and she brushed her hair together: “Of course, if you don’t want to talk about this, then we can change the topic.” 

However, unexpectedly, after a long silence, Gu Yan did not avoid this topic – “I have thought about not liking her anymore and decided to start over.” 

Gu Yan’s voice was as cold and indifferent as before, but Qi Xi sat up straight. 

Brilliant! 

She may have successfully broken into Gu Yan’s inner world, and from then on she will be a good colleague who can solve problems in Gu Yan’s love life. Then, she can truly bury the hatchet with Gu Yan!

Although Gu Yan didn’t say anything more, when Qi Xi looked past his straight back, Qi Xi discovered that as soon as Gu Yan mentioned the girl who rejected him, the back of his hand that was gripping the bicycle handle was full of slightly tight and protruding muscles and veins. This requires a great amount of force for it to be so obviously visible. 

He cares so much about her… 

For a moment, Qi Xi’s heart didn’t know what to feel. 

From college to the workplace, she only wanted to get her father’s approval, terminating all other feelings for fear that falling in love would affect her grades and only wanted to be in first place.

Qi Xi felt that having come all this way, she should have no regrets. 

However, at this moment, she didn’t know if it was because the wind was too ambiguous, or the nighttime scenery was too gentle, she suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in her heart. If she could be so wholeheartedly loved and cared for by Gu Yan, it also seemed to be very precious, as if only such a youth was worth it.

For things in the past that cannot be changed, Qi Xi thought it best not to think about them. So she looked at Gu Yan’s back and decided to divert her attention: “So what happened later? In the end, why weren’t you able to start over?” Qi Xi, after thinking about it, added, “If you don’t want to say then forget it.” 

Gu Yan’s voice was a little muffled, but he still answered Qi Xi: “Because every time I’m about to give up, she always appears.” 

Although this youthful palpitation is very touching…

“This girl is a complete scumbag!” Qi Xi couldn’t hold back her righteous indignation. “Isn’t this just baiting you? It’s just taking you as a spare tire and making use of your liking for her. Just like flying a kite, seeing you almost drifting away, she just tugs and pulls you back. She has too many tricks up her sleeve! You see, she already rejected you, but still keeps appearing in your life, reminding you of her presence from time to time, like a drug you can’t quit!” 

Gu Yan looked back at Qi Xi: “Well, she does have quite the means.” 

“Is she pretty?” 

“En.” 

“Very good figure?” 

“En.” 

“What about grades? Her grades are also very good?” 

“En.” 

 … 

Gu Yan’s voice was very light, as if it would be blown away by the evening wind, but from the end of his tone Qi Xi seemed to be able to sense his loving feelings toward that girl.

In Gu Yan’s eyes, she must be flawless. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

This is absolutely a high-ranking player! It’s no wonder that Gu Yan is stuck on her. 

Qi Xi understood: “So she must also treat you very well?” 

This kind of woman must usually use the slogan “I see you as a friend” to treat Gu Yan with such gentleness and care that she can make Gu Yan have the illusion that he is special to her and that they had hope. So full of ambiguities, that even though his confession had been rejected, Gu Yan could still continue to be obsessed to death with it.

As a result, when this topic was brought up, Gu Yan’s answer was actually negative: “No, she treated me very badly.” 

? ? ? 

Then what are you still chasing her for? ? ? 

Qi Xi was stunned: “How badly did she treat you?” 

“The things she gave me were always wrong and are always things I dislike.”

Gu Yan’s usually calm voice became rarely tainted with emotional fluctuations. Qi Xi could tell that he was actually holding back his anger, and he was still a little unhappy, but he probably genuinely liked her, so he endured it. 

This is too much!

Although it isn’t herself in this position, Qi Xi feels like she’s about to suffocate: “Gu Yan, you can’t be like this! If someone gives you something you don’t like, you should tell her clearly that you don’t like it. Why should you force yourself to accept it?”

Gu Yan usually seems to have a difficult personality, and he doesn’t look like someone who would wrong himself at all! 

In the end, Gu Yan’s logic completely caught Qi Xi off guard, and the man calmly glanced back at her: “At least this way she can still give me things. After clearly refusing her, she might stop giving me things altogether.” 

“…” Gu Yan, a man still has to stand up for himself! ! ! 

“Although I know you like her very much, I think there is something wrong with this girl’s personality. Even if she wants to keep you as a spare tire, as a professional player, she should at least understand your preferences. I don’t think she cares about you at all… How about you actually like someone else for a change…”

This woman is too careless towards Gu Yan. Take a look at herself. She only offended Gu Yan, but wanting to have a good relationship with him, even she spent energy to find the ‘Encyclopedia of Gu Yan’. This ‘Encyclopedia of Gu Yan’ is not difficult to find. If she had any morals, she could at least perfunctorily get a hold of one for Gu Yan’s sake!

When Qi Xi thought of this, she immediately felt that she was pretty lucky. Thanks to this ‘Encyclopedia of Gu Yan’, she figured out what he liked and gave Gu Yan his favorite things, thus quickly getting closer to Gu Yan and easing their relationship. 

It’s a pity that Gu Yan seems to be determined in his feelings towards this scumbag. No matter what Qi Xi says, he doesn’t seem to think that the other party is at any fault: “She’s fine. She just doesn’t like me is all.”

Although Gu Yan’s tone at the moment is very calm, Qi Xi was able to make out his vicissitude of love-filled forbearance from being hit too hard with heartbreak. 

Gu Yan, this is too pitiful and humble of you! 

Unexpectedly, Gu Yan, who usually commands the winds and rain, and is easily to be the first in any event or competition, actually has something he can’t obtain. Qi Xi suddenly thought of the first place she couldn’t achieve and immediately sympathized. Suddenly, she feels that Gu Yan and her are the same kind of people who have fallen into the end of the world, so they should cherish each other and be good comrades-in-arms!

Normally, Qi Xi would not interfere too much with this kind of personal relationship problem, but this time she seriously meant it: “Gu Yan, let’s find someone else. This girl is no good. So what if she looks pretty and has a good body? With so many people who like you chasing after you, there must be someone who meets your requirements, can get along with you, and has a good personality, right? This woman sounds like she has a bad personality, so you should hurry up and start over!”

It’s a pity that Qi Xi’s earnest words only got Gu Yan to roll his eyes. The man turned his head to glance at Qi Xi, and then looked at the road ahead again: “They’re not her.”

He sounded as if he was angry and announced—

“I just like people with bad personalities.” 

“…” Qi Xi was stunned into silence. Men, how lowly! 

But Qi Xi thought about it and still felt a little sympathetic to Gu Yan. This can’t be blamed on Gu Yan. After all, this woman’s player rank is so high. Every time Gu Yan wants to give up, she will show up to tease him. Gu Yan suffers from lovesickness and likes the other party so much that even if he recognized the true face of the other party intellectually, he can’t get over the hurdle emotionally. Isn’t he still being manipulated by the other party? 

“How about this, next time this woman comes to you and you can’t refuse or keep a distance from her emotionally, you can come to me. I will help you stop at the precipice, and I will be the one who beats this ‘Mandarin Duck’*!” [symbol of eternal love and devotion in Chinese culture/ frequently seen at weddings]

Gu Yan has stepped forward to help her in the blind date situation and has pretended to be her boyfriend several times already. It is no problem to put herself in his shoes and reciprocate. 

As a result, Gu Yan frowned, obviously wanting to reject Qi Xi’s proposal.

Qi Xi was a little unhappy: “What’s the matter? Don’t tell me I’m not qualified enough. Are you looking down on me? I’m pretty good-looking, and I’m pretty good in every way, too. Except for my better personality, I can still compete in a fight with the wicked girl in your heart in every other aspect.”

“You have a good personality?”

Qi Xi was quite confident: “Is my personality not good?” 

“You have a good personality and that’s why you scolded me in public at the graduation ceremony?” 

“…” 

Okay, well, it’s her fault for talking too much, going round and round until she even got herself involved.

Qi Xi hastened to make amends: “Anyway, I am a person with a good personality, but let’s not talk about the past. Let’s look forward to the future together. We will work hard with your sister now, and we will definitely make a lot of money. Things like love and relationships can only be an obstacle to our progress. Let’s chat about other things.” Qi Xi thought for a while, “Let’s set a small goal. What do you plan to spend your money on after you earn 10 million in the future?” 

“Give it to her.” 

? 

Qi Xi is at a loss. Gu Yan still can’t get over that hurdle: “Ten million! What are you giving that woman ten million for?”

“Give her the ten million, perhaps she’ll marry me on the spot.” 

No way! 

Qi Xi almost wanted to roll her eyes: “Wow, such a money-grubbing girl, she will marry you if you give her 10 million. Is that really loving you? A man needs to have some backbone, Gu Yan. Why do you like such a money-grubbing girl! And this girl… her eyes are too shallow. Since she’s so greedy for money, why marry for only 10 million? If it were me and I was really greedy for money, I wouldn’t marry for less than 100 million!”

“…” Gu Yan’s face, as expected, revealed the expression that he didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

“Forget it, even if you really give me 100 million, I still won’t marry.” Qi Xi sat on the back seat of Gu Yan’s bicycle, letting the evening wind blow her hair. She stared at the busy traffic not far away and decided to clarify herself, “I probably won’t even date.” 

Gu Yan obviously paused. This topic probably also aroused his curiosity. The man asked Qi Xi almost too quickly: “Why?” 

“My dad. Ever since I was a child, my dad didn’t approve of girls. He thinks girls are unable to be lawyers. He thinks it’s not good for girls to start a career, and he thinks that the only way to success for a girl is to find a good man to marry and have children early. I just want to let him see that if you guys can do it, we can do it too.”

“What does that have to do with dating?” 

Qi Xi shook her hair: “If I fall in love and date only to become depressed or lose my mind for a man, won’t I have just proven my dad right?”

As a result, Gu Yan became very angry: “I noticed that you and today’s blind date man had a pretty good conversation?”

“I wanted to stay for the meal with today’s blind date man simply because I think that the other party has some experiences that I can learn from. Dating is something I utterly refuse to do. Men… are only stumbling blocks along the forward road.”

Perhaps emotional problems can easily bring people closer, and Gu Yan is obviously very interested in this issue: “Then is it that you are waiting to gain a firm foothold in your career before you consider falling in love?”

Qi Xi nodded: “I guess. At least until I have achieved some success in my career.”

“So you didn’t go to Columbia University, was it because of your father?”

Qi Xi was unhappy at the mention of this: “Yes, he thinks that girls don’t need to study so much and forces me to get a stable nine-to-five job to get married and have children early. I absolutely refuse to! I will work in the law firm for a long time until I become a senior partner like your sister.” 

When the topic of studying abroad was brought up, Qi Xi thought of Gu Yan: “By the way, when you were asked your employment intentions, didn’t you say that you planned to enter a law firm? Then you said you were going to the United States instead? In the end, you got an offer from Columbia, but didn’t go. Can I ask why?”

This question is relatively personal. Qi Xi would not ask it at other times, but now the atmosphere is just right and Qi Xi had also opened up her heart and told the inside story of how she missed out on Columbia University. She felt that, at this time, she and Gu Yan shared the same regrets and can have a friendly exchange about it. They should be able to get closer and have a good chat. Maybe after tonight, Gu Yan and her will be sublimated into confidants!

Just when Qi Xi thought that Gu Yan’s silence was to think about how to express the change in his career plan, she heard Gu Yan finally pop out one word – “No.” 

? 

Gu Yan’s voice was quite calm. So calm that Qi Xi thought she heard it wrong. 

She poured out her troubles, so he should have something to say in reciprocation, right? Isn’t that the normal way for contemporary people to socialize?

In the end, Gu Yan kept a cold face. He wasn’t at all concerned about not being on the same wavelength. He stopped the car then looked at Qi Xi as if he was sulking: “We’re here, get off.”

“…” I know you feel bad about not being able to attend Columbia University, but why are you mad? It’s not as if I made you change your career plan! If you keep acting this way, I won’t treat you to durian! 

    —— 

When Qi Xi returned home, the first thing she did was transfer money to tonight’s “blind date”. 

After ordering, Qi Xi noticed the bill and knew the price of the meal. She had the other party’s mobile phone number, so she directly searched for the other party in Alipay and decided to just transfer the money over. Although the price is a bit high, the AA system is so they don’t owe each other anything. 

However, when she transferred half of the money at the AA price, the other party immediately returned the money, and attached a message – “Your boyfriend has already paid for it.” 

 ? ? ? 

Pay the bill? Why did he pay again?

Qi Xi wanted to pinch someone madly. Gu Yan didn’t even tell her! 

She immediately called Gu Yan, but when confronted with the questioning, Gu Yan’s attitude was quite calm – “I forgot to tell you.”

Qi Xi was a little speechless: “This is something you can forget? Don’t you have no money to eat out? And I originally planned to AA with the other party, at least this way only half of the money will be spent and the other half will be paid by the other party. If you paid the bill, I will lose out by having to foot the entire bill.”

Gu Yan was quite calm: “The ‘boyfriend’ came to take away the girlfriend who was eating with the opposite sex. Shouldn’t he have to pay the bill in this circumstance? Of course, I could only pay the bill with great difficulty. Otherwise, what happens if the man thinks your boyfriend isn’t capable and continues to pester you?”

When he said this, his tone changed and couldn’t help but become a little weird: “Of course, maybe I made an unnecessary decision.” 

Qi Xi felt embarrassed when he said this point. In the end, isn’t Gu Yan doing all of this to voluntarily help her?

But… 

Qi Xi almost knelt down in front of the phone: “The main thing is that I owe you even more now…” 

Gu Yan couldn’t help but snort coldly: “Can you pay off what you owe me with money?” The man said coldly, “You already owe me a huge debt, are you still afraid of a sum of money?” 

He has a point… 

“Don’t think about dating and falling in love, and do more work for my sister when you have time.” The man opposite said coldly, “Can’t talk anymore. I’m going to work overtime. Hanging up.” 

What a ruthless and unfeeling man. 

But even if Gu Yan is cold, Qi Xi is still sympathetic. She opened up “Gu Yan Encyclopedia” and decided to prepare meals for tomorrow. 

Tomorrow afternoon, Gu Yan will follow Gu Xuehan to deal with the old man’s custody dispute, and there is a client meeting in the morning. Basically, time is tight, and she’s afraid he won’t be able to go out for dinner. 

This situation calls for a bento packed with friendship!

There is a microwave oven in the office. Qi Xi planned it very well. She just needs to make it well, then she can heat it up for Gu Yan during his short lunch break. No matter what, it’s better than the oily, salty, and sugary takeaways he orders! Furthermore, Qi Xi is quite confident in her cooking skills. 

According to “Gu Yan Encyclopedia”, Gu Yan loves coriander, shiitake mushrooms, soy products, rice, and sweet things the most. 

Qi Xi thought about it and made a hearty bento that night— sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried cilantro, stewed tofu with shiitake mushrooms— all of which are Gu Yan’s favorite foods served with plump white rice. In the end, she also sprinkled a layer of black sesame seeds and when it was finally packed in a bento box, it was colorful and fragrant, pleasing to the eye. 

After Qixi finished cooking, she handed over the share left for Zhao Yiran who took it and flattered her immediately, but she was obviously just mindlessly praising because after a while, Zhao Yiran continued to swipe her phone— 

“They must be so happy! Too dog-abusing*!” [those without a significant other are referred to as single dogs and when couples show PDA (give out dog food), they’re abusing the single dogs]

Zhao Yiran’s eyes were full of longing: “Have you seen it? Ai Xiang’s wife, Chen Xiang, made a Weibo and now she interacts with Ai Xiang affectionately every day. Must she be like this? This couple should give us single dogs a way to survive!” 

Qi Xi was stunned. Because of the confidentiality of customer information, she couldn’t reveal anything to Zhao Yiran. She just clicked on her phone and quickly understood the situation Zhao Yiran mentioned.

Chen Xiang, who was originally the behind-the-scenes of Ai Xiang and whose only sense of existence was on Ai Xiang’s Weibo, made her own Weibo account. Although her style is very quiet, as she began to interact with Ai Xiang frequently, the daily fragments of life with Ai Xiang she posted are also full of love. She even showed her face and accepted several interviews from the media. In the interviews, she generously talked about the details of her acquaintance and love life with Ai Xiang, and reminisced about the love between them.

The Cheng Xiang shown in the interview is generous, gentle, and decent. When talking about Ai Xiang, she also has the loving image of the shyness of a young girl. If Qi Xi hadn’t experienced it personally, she would not be able to imagine what Chen Xiang has been through—on the surface, her and Ai Xiang’s marriage is full of unconcealed happiness. 

That is how Chen Xiang acted and that is what the majority of netizens also believe. The internet is full of blessings and envy for her and Ai Xiang’s marriage.

Could it be that Ai Xiang finally realized his mistake and reined himself in?

It’s just that when Qi Xi clicked on the Weibo of Ai Xiang’s starlet xiaosan* out of curiosity, she no longer thought so. [derogatory term for a mistress]

That so-called fan of Chen Xiang, who is now the starlet’s junior sister, is also frequently sharing PDA on Weibo- 

“The car my boyfriend bought me.”

“The bag my boyfriend especially bought for me.” 

“After searching several purchasing stores, my boyfriend was finally able to buy this pair of shoes in my size.” 

Along with the caption, the starlet showed the keys of the luxury car, an Hermès bag, and the designer shoes. 

Every word of hers is full of showing off and possessiveness towards her boyfriend, competing with Chen Xiang to show off their affection like an arms race. 

Because she’s wasn’t very popular no one wanted to get to the bottom of it to find out who the starlet’s boyfriend is, but there are many blessings and envious sighs on Weibo, “How cruel, this sister must be so happy, and this beautiful sister already has a boyfriend”. 

Obviously, Ai Xiang did not actually return to his family, and the starlet did not die down. Chen Xiang’s marriage may be brewing a bigger storm. 

However, due to the character design he set for himself, Ai Xiang can only keep interacting with Chen Xiang on Weibo. In the interview, he also performed superbly as a man who takes care of his family and loves his wife and enjoys the praise of this character design. 

She doesn’t know if this is the kind life Chen Xiang wants. 

But this has nothing to do with outsiders. 

Even Zhao Yiran, who cared so much about Ai Xiang, stopped caring about this matter after watching Ai Xiang and Chen Xiang’s interview for ten minutes, but turned around and chatted with Qi Xi about the strange case she encountered at work recently. 

Qi Xi also quickly put Chen Xiang’s matter behind her. She has more important things to do— work hard and unite with her colleagues. 

 ——

Early the next morning, Qi Xi confidently packed the bento.

Gu Yan was really busy all morning and there was no time to eat at all. Qi Xi noted the time, and immediately handed over the heated bento.

“Gu Yan, this is the lunch I especially prepared for you.” 

Obviously, she had already studied the ‘Gu Yan Encyclopedia’ and made it according to what he liked, but Qi Xi still planned to create the feeling that she and Gu Yan were coincidentally compatible with each other: “I casually prepared the dishes, but I feel that it should suit your taste.” 

Gu Yan was stunned for a while, then the man lowered his gaze, took the lunch box, and thanked her concisely. 

Although there was no special expression, Qi Xi could feel that Gu Yan was in a good mood and the corners of his mouth even had an uncontrollable arc. After all, who would want to go to court hungry? Wouldn’t her actions at this moment be like sending a gift in a timely manner? 

It’s just that no matter how constrained Gu Yan was, the moment he opened the lid of the bento box, there was still a huge look of surprise on his face. 

This is normal.

Qi Xi plated everything in a super cute manner and the coriander, shiitake mushrooms, rice, soy products, and sweet and sour pork ribs are all of Gu Yan’s favorites. Can he not be surprised? 

Qi Xi was very proud: “It took me a whole night to make this. How is it? Does it suit your appetite?” 

Gu Yan was probably too moved. He held the bento box and stared at the rich food inside for a long time before finally there was an “en” sound.

“Then you should eat more! Your court session in the afternoon will probably go on for a long time!” 

Gu Yan didn’t say anything more. He sat down with the lunch box in his hand and began to eat under Qi Xi’s gaze. It’s just that maybe Qi Xi’s gaze was too intense, Gu Yan ate somewhat unnaturally. Qi Xi even felt that the man’s posture of holding the chopsticks was very stiff. 

If it was her, she would also be somewhat unaccustomed to being watched while eating, so Qi Xi immediately looked away.

She only played with her phone for a short while, but when she turned to look at Gu Yan, she found that the food in the man’s lunch box was almost gone! 

Usually, Gu Yan eats slowly and pays attention to dining etiquette. Only a short time has passed and he is already nearly finished eating? It can only be done by swallowing voraciously.

Gu Yan was very calm. Facing Qi Xi’s shocked gaze, he calmly explained: “In a hurry.”

Qi Xi glanced at her watch: “But… isn’t there still some time until the court session?” 

Chewing and swallowing so quickly, he probably didn’t even really taste the food! 

Regarding this, Gu Yan was very calm. He cherished words like gold and said, “hungry.” 

Not to mention, Gu Yan was probably really hungry. Obviously, he was still in high spirits when he came out of the meeting room just before, but now he has an oddly green expression on his face. It’s evident that just now in front of the customer, he was just putting on a brave front. But in fact, he was already at the end of his strength and in front of Qi Xi, he no longer pretended, revealing his weakness from hunger. 

It’s a little pitiful. 

But Qi Xi was also greatly encouraged in her heart – she felt that the distance between herself and Gu Yan was one step closer! 

After all, Gu Yan, who is usually so noble and nearly perfect, has shown his weakness in front of her! Look at his frail face at this moment! It’s not a pretense at all, but rather like he’s really on his last legs! 

In an instant Qi Xi was full of friendly concern: “Do you have somewhere to eat tonight? Do you want to come eat at me and Zhao Yiran’s place? Tonight I plan to make coriander egg pancakes, tofu fish soup, and sweet and sour pork…” 

Before Qi Xi finished listing out the dishes, came Gu Yan’s strict refusal: “No!” 

He looked at Qi Xi with complicated eyes: “I’m recently trying to lose weight. I won’t eat at night.” 

“But your figure is very good! There is no need to reduce it!” 

“It’s still necessary. People should strive for perfection.” 

   …

No matter how much Qi Xi persuaded, Gu Yan had made up his mind. Even until he left for the court with a tired face, Qi Xi was still a little puzzled. Could it be that Gu Yan’s good figure was not achieved by exercising but by dieting? 

But Qi Xi soon forgot about minding Gu Yan’s figure because she received a message from Cheng Junliang—— “Qi Xi, can you lend me 10,000 yuan?” 

Cheng Junliang is Qi Xi’s classmate in university. Speaking of which, he and Gu Yan were in the same dormitory. Qi Xi is not familiar with him. She only remembers that he is a male classmate with good grades. His family conditions were not very good, and he had gotten by with the national bursary. He was already guaranteed a spot for graduate studies, but in order to reduce the pressure on his family, he hurried into a small law firm after graduation. 

Qi Xi told Zhao Yiran about this on WeChat. 

Zhao Yiran called Qi Xi back almost immediately: “Cheng Junliang? He even asked you to borrow money?” 

Zhao Yiran’s tone was very clear when she learned about it and she advised: “You must not lend it to him. He has been borrowing money everywhere since last week. At first, I thought his account was hacked but after we checked, it really was him. He has already borrowed from all the students in our class. When people he was familiar with asked him the reason for borrowing money, he kept it vague and concealed it, and it seemed like there was some shady reason for it. Sure enough, he hasn’t paid back any of the money he borrowed before.”

Zhao Yiran said a little speechlessly: “He isn’t even familiar with you, but still shamelessly asked for 10,000 yuan. Does he think you’re some kind of bank? He still owes me 1,000 yuan and hasn’t paid it back! Just block him to be safe.” 

But Qi Xi still felt a little concerned. 

Because of his handsome appearance and quiet personality, Cheng Junliang was actually very popular during college and many girls chased him. She didn’t don’t know if it was because of his family background, but he rejected all suitors and lived a very frugal and self-disciplined life. 

Only, such a frugal, self-disciplined, and self-respecting boy… Why does he borrow money everywhere now, even from someone who he is unfamiliar with? And it’s such a large amount as 10,000? He wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of some loan sharks, would he? 

Qi Xi thought about it for a while and finally called Cheng Junliang: “Cheng Junliang, you wanted to borrow 10,000 yuan?”

Sure enough, Cheng Junliang’s voice was a little unpleasant: “I also know it’s strange to ask you to borrow money. If it’s convenient then forget it. I apologize. Just treat it as a small disturbance.”

The more he behaved like this, the more strange Qi Xi felt. She stabilized her emotions and said calmly: “Ten thousand yuan is a lot. If you want it, you have to write me an IOU in person. Let’s have dinner tonight. Your treat.”

Sure enough, Cheng Junliang’s voice was full of unexpected surprise: “Are you willing to lend it to me? That’s great! Don’t worry, I’m willing to write an IOU, and I will definitely return it to you later.”

Qi Xi and Cheng Junliang decided on the time and place, and immediately after she reported this to Zhao Yiran: “You just wait, if Cheng Junliang doesn’t actually have any hardships, at the very least, tonight, I will help you recover your one thousand yuan!” 

** 

Gu Yan’s court session has been held for a long time. He only returned to the office once it was almost time to get off work. At this moment, Qi Xi was packing up her computer and preparing to leave for the appointment. When she saw Gu Yan, she remembered something—

“Gu Yan, have you lent money to Cheng Junliang? If he asks you to borrow money, you can send me the screenshot of proof of the loan. I will have dinner with him tonight and can ask for it back from him. He plans to ask me to borrow 10,000 yuan.” 

Gu Yan frowned: “He didn’t ask me for a loan. You’re having dinner with him tonight? Just the two of you?” 

Qi Xi nodded: “Yes. We have an appointment, and I’ll be leaving right away.” 

Just as Qi Xi was about to leave, Gu Yan’s voice sounded— 

“I have nothing to eat tonight.” 

Huh? 

Qi Xi stopped in her tracks and said in surprise, “Aren’t you trying to lose weight by not eating tonight?” 

Gu Yan’s voice sounded a little sullen, and the man glared at Qi Xi: “Am I someone who still needs to lose weight? Are you mocking me for being fat?” 

“…”

Obviously, you said it yourself you wanted to lose weight! 

“Anyway, I’m hungry. I want to eat.” Gu Yan’s voice was calm and frank, “But I have no money.” 

He glanced at Qi Xi and calmly added: “The money has been spent on your blind date.”

“… …” 

Okay then! 

“Then if you don’t mind, would you like to have dinner with me and Cheng Junliang?”

Gu Yan’s voice sounded a little like he was being forced: “Well, okay.” 

But although he said it like that, he walked even faster than Qi Xi: “Where are we eating?”

“…” 

    ** 

Qi Xi had looked for a cheap stall and the atmosphere was quite lively. But when it came to Qixi’s table, it was incompatible with the lively atmosphere. 

Gu Yan sat next to Qi Xi. He looked at Cheng Junliang opposite them. He didn’t even bother to say any polite words. With scrutiny and guard, he went straight to the point and said, “Why did you ask Qi Xi to borrow so much money?”

Although the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, seeing Gu Yan like this, Qi Xi thought that his next sentence must be that Cheng Junliang was not mindful enough since he asked Qi Xi who was not familiar with him to borrow money, yet he didn’t ask Gu Yan, who was once his roommate. 

After all, Qi Xi already told Gu Yan that the purpose of Cheng Junliang’s appointment with her today is to borrow money. Gu Yan is still willing to come with her out of worry for his classmate, so he probably does not reject the idea of lending him money for an emergency. Otherwise, who wants anything to do with this kind of money-borrowing feast! Everyone else can’t run away fast enough.

Sure enough, the next moment Gu Yan said, “Don’t ask her for a loan.” 

Just when Qi Xi thought that Gu Yan was going to generously donate to Cheng Junliang, and say the phrase “Ask me for the loan”, she heard Gu Yan pause and say—

“She still owes me a lot of money, so she has none left to lend to you.” 

  ? ? ? 

This development doesn’t seem right… 

Cheng Junliang looked embarrassed, but Gu Yan just calmly drank his tea.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Junliang finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He sighed with a face of shame and helplessness: “I’m sorry, please pretend that I haven’t said anything about borrowing money. I also haven’t forgotten the money I borrowed from other students. I will definitely pay it all back…” 

Cheng Junliang was about to get up and leave after he spoke, and it was at this time that Gu Yan asked again: “How much do you need?”

Cheng Junliang looked uncomfortable: “There is only a gap of 10,000 yuan…”