You Have the Right to Keep a Secret Love

Chapter 6: Gu Yan Daquan does not deceive me. Gu Yan really likes pink!

To Qi Xi’s surprise, the next day, the person in charge for the film and television company showed up at the law firm on time, and this time he stopped cursing. The other party had also brought a lawyer with him and finally assumed the attitude of talking about business.

When it came to negotiation, Gu Xuehan showed her capability. Before she spoke to Chen Xiang about the bottom line, and almost resolutely gave several feasible compensation plans for the film and television company. In order to express her apology for the breach in contract, Chen Xiang was willing to give the company additional compensation for emotional comfort.

Once a film project begins, huge investments become the norm. The project serves to promote the original work, so there would be a few obstacles in place, especially when money is involved. Now with the compensation plans, the man from the film and television company seemed more passive, reluctantly agreeing with the compensation plan that was most beneficial to him.

Just before leaving, he couldn’t help but resentfully express, “Fortunately I just purchased a copyright without investing anything. Otherwise, if the project moved faster than expected, I would’ve had to bear the losses myself.

“However, Ai Xiang won’t go far. His eyes are too shallow. I was the one to fund him in the early days when he was not popular. Though the copyrights were sold at a low price, I gave him the most sincere deal, and though I can come off as rude, I have been in the industry for more than 20 years. My production and actors would not be bad at all. I even planned to find a well-known screenwriter, and he was about to sign the contract, but now Ai Xiang is backing out. Let him do what he wants.”

The man sneered, “There is no lost opportunity. I can only know he’s a mud-legged person. I am interested in seeing which kind of project will be developed. The temptation of 20 million is great, but for money, it’s unethical to breach a contract. Sooner or later, they will fall into their own pit.”

Before two sides reach a middle-ground, they say nice words, but once the relationship is broken, they will naturally not hold back.

Chen Xiang did not seem to care about this. Although she breached the contract, she was well-educated with a gentle attitude at first glance. If the other party attacked, she kept apologizing and accepting it.

Qi Xi felt that if it weren’t for her attitude, the film and television company might not have agreed for the termination so quickly.

Chen Xiang was obviously satisfied with the negotiation, and was also grateful to Gu Xuehan, “After my husband signs the contract, I will send it over to the firm and pay. Let me get Qi Xi’s information in the interim. I’ll send over the fees after Ai Xiang returns. Thank you so much, this time.”

The first case was solved with more ease than she had thought, making Qi Xi relieved.

It didn’t take her long to receive a courier with the signed document by Ai Xiang.

But…

Qi Xi noticed that the courier was from the same city.

Didn’t Chen Xiang say that Ai Xiang was on a business trip? But this clearly… maybe he’s back?

Qi Xi quickly completed the agreement by applying the seal and following the procedures, and then she contacted Chen Xiang to forward two copies over.

She tentatively asked, “Ms. Chen, should I send this to you or your husband?”

Chen Xiang’s words were warm over the phone, “Just send it to me. He’s still on a business trip abroad.”

Qi Xi hung up the phone feeling a little complicated.

She heard Zhao Yanyan say that Chen Xiang was a lecturer in a university and that she had a stable, decent job. Before Ai Xiang became famous, it was a job that supported the family. But now, there were a lot of interviews, work, and events, so Chen Xiang resigned and helped him deal with the trivial matters as an assistant. She helped with proofreading, revising typos, and came forward to hire a lawyer for his legal issues.

However, it didn’t seem as though Ai Xiang was handing over his money to Chen Xiang. Because if that was the case, the legal fee would not need to be paid after Ai Xiang returned from his “business” trip.

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Although the case is over, Qi Xi was still somewhat curious.

During lunch break, she checked over some information about Ai Xiang on the internet.

‘Ai Xiang’ was a pseudonym related to his wife Chen Xiang. ‘Ai’ for love and ‘Xiang’ for his wife.

When she turned to his Weibo, she found that in addition to promoting his own works, most of his social media content was related to his wife. The unshakable daily love messages, the frequent praises of his wife’s affection.

Because of the recent popularity of Fengxian, Ai Xiang was invited to participate in many interviews. In almost every interview, he spoke about his wide, so he was nicknamed, “Dazzling Wife Maniac” by the audience.

It was precisely this reason that Zhao Yanyan liked.

Truthfully speaking, Ai Xiang was not a good looking person. In fact, by beauty terms, he could be considered ugly. His weight management was obviously complicated by his sedentary lifestyle of writing for long periods at home. He has dark skin with triangular eyes. But his temperament was quite humorous and kind. Because of his loyalty for his wife, he acquired a huge fanbase filled with female fans like Zhao Yanyan as well as a few male supporters. He proved that one could reach the pinnacle of life as long as they had an interesting personality.

It was originally a beautiful and positive story, but the more Qi Xi watched, the more uncomfortable she felt.

“Yes, I am almost obedient to my wide. I will take her to the most expensive revolving restaurants in the top floor, prepare 999 roses for her, and even get imported wine from France…”

“I hope she doesn’t have to work because I can fully support her with my current income.”

“Actually at the time, I applied for a job as a security guard and I fell in love with her at first sight. At the time, I worked hard to chase her, so I wrote love letters every day and squatted in front of her house. She was beautiful so she had many other suitors who drove luxury cars while I used excuses to enter her neighborhood. She rejected me, started to ignore me, and threatened to call the police, but in the end, she still chose me.”

In the video, the host laughed and joked that Ai Xiang was the “vinegar” king, and the comments below were also filled with laughter, but Qi Xi felt uncomfortable.

Wasn’t Ai Xiang’s behavior akin to that of a harassing, wretched man? How could the story be whitewashed into love because he succeeded in the end? Moreover, his behavior of showing off his love for his wife is not to praise his wide, but to praise himself for being so loving and amazing. Even though he started poor and not highly educated, he still pursued his wife. And now that he makes money, he acts like the male lead of romance novels.

Does Chen Xiang really want such a life?

Qi Xi always felt that in terms of temperament, Chen Xiang was not someone who had materialistic desires. Instead, the faint tiredness between her brows and her eagerness to pick up her child revealed how much she loved her family.

When she heard the sound of a seat being pulled back, Qi Xi came out of her thoughts.

Gu Yan had returned.

He had gone out to file a case at court in the morning, so he wasn’t there to participate in the final negotiations between Chen Xiang and the company.

Qi Xi immediately thanked him and told him of the progress that was made, “Gu Yan, you were right! The other party arrived on time at 10:30.”

“Hmm.”

It was a pity that he didn’t have much of a reaction. He just sat down and turned on his computer, looking as if he was ready to work hard.

However, Qi Xi discovered something unusual.

Gu Yan, who always preferred to wear cool tones, actually wore a pink shirt today.

Most boys don’t look good in pale pink shirts, but Gu Yan was able to pull off the look with his dazzling disposition.

Truthfully speaking, he was handsome in the shirt.

She wasn’t able to imagine such a color on him before, but now that she saw it, she couldn’t help but admit the truth.

“Pink really suits you, Gu Yan.”

“Are you bored? Can’t you focus on something more professional?”

Even though he said that, Qi Xi noticed how Gu Yan’s face contained a little warmth.

Gu Yan Daquan does not deceive! Gu Yan really likes pink! I should recognize and praise him more.

She thought her previous words had no effect, but now it was different. If Gu Yan hadn’t listened to the praise, would he be brave enough to wear the pink shirt to work for the first time in his life?

It can be said that my encouragement, understanding, and tolerance gave Gu Yan all the support he needs.

Qi Xi’s heart was filled with passion. No matter how cold and difficult Gu Yan was, if he was willing to do what he likes every day, wouldn’t they be able to co-exist peacefully? Though it is the first time, he is still lonely. He needs someone who can match him. Someone who can support and agree to his strange hobbies. So wouldn’t there come a day when they could cherish each other?

Thinking of that, Qi Xi took out a whole fresh durian she had bought during her lunch break and placed it on Gu Yan’s desk, “I brought this for you!”

Perhaps she placed the durian too forcefully, but the second he saw the fruit, it was as if his heart was shook violently. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the fruit with complexity. After a long silence, he seemed to find his voice.

“W-what do you mean by this?”

To get closer and become good friends, the first step is to share similar interests. That way, they can get along with each other quickly.

Although Qi Xi didn’t like durian, and was even a little afraid of the taste, she looked at Gu Yan calmly, “Because my favorite fruit is durian. Although many people don’t like the taste, I still endure it. In fact, I can’t stop sharing it with the rest of the universe! I believe I will find someone who loves durian as much as I do!”

Gu Yan didn’t answer directly but looked at Qi Xi, “Do you like durian?” He stared at her with his dark eyes, “Why haven’t I ever seen you eat it in college?”

Although she had never eaten durian during college, she understood that Gu Yan followed her every move.

With a smile, “Well, what about the university dormitory? You see, when you open durian, you can smell it, and wouldn’t that hypnotize your roommate? If you have someone to eat with you, it would be good, but if they don’t like it, wouldn’t it be sad to eat it alone?”

The preparations are almost done. Now for the final blow!

Qi Xi looked at Gu Yan inadvertently, “If you like it, we can eat durian together in the future! It just happens that one person can’t finish the whole fruit. I usually can’t find a friend to eat with, so I don’t have the chance to eat it, but Gu Yan, don’t you like durian?”

Gu Yan stared at the huge durian on the table, and perhaps he was too surprised to speak. He seemed fixated on the fruit, and after a moment, he turned to look at Qi Xi again. Though it seemed like he was holding back from saying something, he was able to choke out, “Okay.”

Qi Xi didn’t expect him to be so shy, but he spoke the words himself despite being so reserved. Perhaps it was because he faced the king durian in front of him. He said it so reluctantly, pretending as if he didn’t like it.

If it wasn’t for Gu Yan Daquan, Qi Xi wouldn’t have been able to see through Gu Yan’s duplicity.

Gu Yan stared at the fruit with an indescribable expression. She was unsure as to what he was thinking, and after a while, he turned to look at Qi Xi, “So this durian… you want me to eat this with you?”

“No, no, no! I bought two! Another one was delivered to my house. You can take this home directly. When we are at home, we can eat our respective durians!”

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What the hell… just smelling this durian is hard. I’m holding my breath all during this time. Let alone open it and eat it?!? I can’t understand Gu Yan’s preferences for the fruit.

Gu Yan looked at Qi Xi, “Didn’t you say that eating alone makes you feel lonely?”

“No, no! Now that I found you, I no longer feel lonely. Even if we don’t eat in the same space, I know in my heart that there is someone in the city who is tasting the amazing durian with a joyous mood just like me! I feel so comforted with the thought!”

Gu Yan pursed his lips, looking at the durian.

Even though he was able to enjoy the durian alone, Gu Yan didn’t seem too happy. Could it be that I bought a small one?

Qi Xi quickly remedied the situation, “Next time, why don’t you accompany me to the supermarket? We can buy a bigger one. Because I brought it back with me today, I could only buy a small one.”

Gu Yan must have thought that the fruit was too small because he completely ignored her.

Unfortunately, Gu Xuehan’s call quickly broke the silence between them.

“There’s a contract with a partner that needs to be signed tomorrow. The other party proposes to have a bilingual contract, so you will have to translate the English contract tonight. I am in a hurry, so I will send the email over later.”

As a trainee, Qi Xi was still in a state of excitement. Now that she has a task, she can show off her passion. She had a decent grasp of legal English during her undergraduate studies, so she was brimming with confidence.

Isn’t this a good time to slap Gu Yan’s confidence?

Qi Xi looked over to Gu Yan and sincerely said, “Gu Yan, you can go home and rest. You don’t need to translate the contract, just leave it to me. You go and take the durian home and enjoy!”

As soon as Qi Xi spoke those words, Gu Xuehan’s email came through.

Qi Xi still had a thoughtful smile when she casually opened the email attachment and saw that it was a fifty page contract.

The remnants of a smile slowly disappeared as she gazed at the contract.

The fifty page contract did not follow a general template. It was a bulk purchase deal for optical instruments, and most of the words used were professional. The “definition” part, which Qi Xi couldn’t read, was two pages long….

Qi Xi looked at Gu Yan with a graceful smile, “Gu Yan… or…”

Gu Yan also saw the email and stared at her calmly, “Didn’t you just tell me to leave work early? If that’s the case, I’ll go first.”

“…” Qi Xi was too embarrassed to ask him directly, so she could only make an excuse, “I see that your durian is too big. You can’t eat it alone, it would make me angry. Now that I’ve thought over it a little more carefully, we should eat durian together. Why don’t you stay here so we could enjoy the good atmosphere together?”

Qi Xi didn’t give Gu Yan the chance to refuse, “But not everyone is gone, so we shouldn’t eat it now. Why don’t you stay and translate the contract with me, and when everyone is gone, we can go to the conference room to eat it together?”

Qi Xi was speaking complete nonsense. She didn’t hold much hope that Gu Yan would stay, but to her surprise, he put down his laptop bag and sat down, “Okay.”

He didn’t look at Qi Xi again, but he coughed and added as if he needed to explain, “My parents don’t like to eat durian, so I won’t be able to eat it at home. If it’s okay, lets eat in the conference room later.”

Gu Yan turned his computer on and downloaded the attachment, “I will translate the first 25 pages and you do the last 25 pages.”

When he said this, he casually glanced over at Qi Xi, “Anyway, I had to wait for my colleagues to leave. I have nothing better to do, so I can help with the translation. That way, you can finish earlier and eat the durian earlier,” he paused and added, “It happens that I can’t drive, either.”

That’s fantastic!

Although it sounded fair for each person to translate 25 pages, the “definitions” and professional vocabulary were mainly concentrated in the first 25 pages which Gu Yan was held responsible for. The last 25 pages had normal legal terms, rights, and obligations of both parties, breach of contract, and confidentiality agreements.

I have to say, Gu Yan’s work efficiency is really strong! Although he is a scary opponent, once he becomes a teammate, he’s very reliable!

“I scanned it. Your later clauses also involve some translation of some professional terms. Because I am translating the first 25 pages, leave those portions blank for the sake of uniformity in contract translation. Wait until I finish, we’ll do the drafting together, and then we can cross-check our respective translations to polish them.”

Qi Xi quickly made the ‘OK’ gesture, “No problem.”

Once the two began, they were fully immersed in their work.

Although it was her first time working with Gu Yan, she shared an unexpectedly tacit understanding with him. Because both of them had the same level of legal English, there was no obstacle in communications. Their efficiency and speed were similar.

Qi Xi used to hate group assignments, and preferred to do things alone because other members in the group often couldn’t keep up. But this time, with Gu Yan, it was the first time she had a partner who matched her. The two worked together in harmony and the contract was translated in no time.

At this moment, it was nearly 9 in the evening, and there were no other colleagues left in the office.

This…

Although Qi Xi was reluctant, she knew it was time to eat durian with Gu Yan…

Durian smells so bad… Qi Xi didn’t like the fruit.

But, I have already said that I like the fruit. And I have said that we should eat it together.

Qi Xi could only pretend to have a happy smile. She had to bite the bullet and drag the durian over to the conference room, “Let’s go, Gu Yan! It’s time to enjoy life! The happy durian time begins!”

Gu Yan was probably too involved with the translation, but he didn’t react once to her enthusiasm. In fact, when he saw the durian in Qi Xi’s hands, he seemed a little dazed.

Though he was in a trance, he followed Qi Xi into the conference room.

Qi Xi spent a lot of effort prying apart the durian with a fruit knife, and as soon as she opened it, the indescribable smell filled the entire conference room. Qi Xi relied on her strong willpower to withstand it. With a calm expression, she even forced herself to smile at Gu Yan. She needed to use their “common” hobbies to get close to him.

“Gu Yan, when I smell this familiar scent, my mood immediately improves. In fact, I really don’t understand why some people don’t like durian. It’s really delicious, but in the future, you should share with me when eating durian. That way, we’ll be good friends in the future!”

Maybe it was just the durian, but it didn’t seem to be enough to bribe the ruthless Gu Yan. The man faced his favorite fruit with a blank expression on his face. But even his slightly wrinkled brow could not completely hide his thoughts.

His mood swings… he seems as though he’s trying to endure something!

Needless to say, he was probably overjoyed with satisfaction at the deliciousness waiting for him.

Gu Yan is really someone who was unable to face his true desires. Fake!

In the face of a big, mature durian, why didn’t Gu Yan collapse in front of her? Why wasn’t Qi Xi easily forgiven?

But this is nothing…

Qi Xi held her breath as she confidently thought about her plan. If one durian is not good enough, then two, and if two is not enough, then three!

As long as she insists, if it doesn’t work, she will attack him with more durians every week. Eventually, Gu Yan will have to reveal his true feelings in the end.

While thinking about it, she immediately took the largest piece of durian and handed it to Gu Yan, “Come on, the largest piece is for you!”

Gu Yan took the fruit on his own accord and with a blank face, looked at it. Qi Xi noticed the profound and complicated expression, almost as if he wanted to die…

So it’s because I wasn’t able to hide my disgust while handing over the durian? I shouldn’t forgive myself, but considering it’s Gu Yan, I should feel a little embarrassed.

Under both hatred for the fruit and sympathy for Gu Yan, Qi Xi wondered if she caused Gu Yan to look as though he wanted to die.

It looks like I really made the right move. In order to better become his friend, I need to make sacrifices. It will be worth it.

Thinking of this, she cut a large piece of durian for herself, and immediately in front of Gu Yan, held her breath while pretending to be extremely happy. She ate the durian, and at that moment, Qi Xi’s tears were about to fall.

Gu Yan stared at her, stunned. Though he didn’t eat yet, he couldn’t help but observe Qi Xi, “Why are you crying? Isn’t it delicious?”

Qi Xi’s eyes were now full of tears, “It’s delicious! How can it not be? It’s so delicious! It’s the most delicious fruit in the world! The mere thought of eating durian with someone else makes me want to cry out of joy!”

Help me… this smell is too strong. How can it smell so bad in my mouth? Will it go away after I brush my teeth?

However, under Gu Yan’s sight, for fear that he would catch onto her ruse, Qi Xi continued her passionate speech for durian, “I can’t stop! Just eating one bite makes me want to eat some more!”

How can you buy such a big durian? I’ll definitely buy a smaller one next time…

As if her performance finally paid off, Gu Yan let go of his guard, fully recognizing that Qi Xi was also a durian lover. He simply lowered his head, looking at the fruit, and took the first step in forgiving Qi Xi as if he had done a great deal of psychological work:

He took a bite of the durian that Qi Xi had bought.

Good! This is the first step in the long march!

Qi Xi held back the unbearable taste in her mouth and wished she could have applauded Gu Yan on the spot.

Soon, with a similar indescribably complicated expression, he had taken his second and third bites.

It must be that the man likes durian a little too much and he hasn’t eat it in a long time. For the first time, Qi Xi discovered just how fast Gu Yan was able to eat. He gobbled the fruit while maintaining his elegance that many girls were a fan of.

It seems the durian I bought is of very good quality. It’s completely in line with Gu Yan’s taste. Look at how fast he eats! As if he swallowing whole pieces without chewing.

This comforted Qi Xi who had already made a huge sacrifice. She continued to eat the rest of the durian with a forced smile.

After finishing most of the fruit, Qi Xi felt she was one step away from death.

Gu Yan also ate a lot, but instead of being filled with energy, he seemed absolutely devastated and exhausted.

Maybe the translation from before was too exhaustive! Today’s 25 pages of professional terminology translation is all thanks to Gu Yan!

She looked at Gu Yan, “Is it delicious?”

He seemed to pause for a moment before turning to look out the window. With a dazed expression, he choked out, “It’s okay.”

Duplicity again!

Qi Xi thought for a while before realizing that she would have to buy more durians to reward Gu Yan.

After enduring the humiliation of receiving the fruit a few more times, Qi Xi felt she and him would become good friends.