You Have the Right to Keep a Secret Love

Chapter 9: “We won’t break up”

Fortunately, Gu Xuehan didn’t proceed with Gu Yan’s topic any further. She briefly commented on Qi Xi’s performance since starting and pointed out a few corrections she could make to be stronger.

Although the conversation was only a half house long, when Qi Xi came out, she felt as though she was a prisoner being released from her jail sentence.

Gu Xuehan won’t ask her about the graduation speech anymore. Her situation was greatly improving. Now, she only needs to become friends with Gu Yan, and as long as Gu Yan doesn’t complain, Gu Xuehan wouldn’t pursue the matter anymore as she regards her brother very highly.

Qi Xi was in a good mood. She was preparing to interpret some civil code during her lunch break when her dad’s phone call came through.

Since Qi Rui Ming refused to pay for her education despite his promise, Qi Xi started a cold war with him. She was also stubborn as she moved out and worked at a company. Now that she saw her father calling, she was a little upset.

He should understand and respect my career choices.

“Xi Xi are you busy at the firm? Are you free tonight?”

Seeing her father’s care, Qi Xi’s attitude softened, “I am free tonight so it’s okay. I just came back, and even though I could use the time to study, I actually am free.”

As an intern, she actually had a lot to share with her father, but her father always seemed very busy. Not now.

“I have a meeting that I need to go to. Let’s have dinner together tonight. I’ll send you the address and time.”

Although she was a little disappointed, she was looking forward to it. Though he was from a small firm, he was a partner. Even though he was busy, her father still seemed to care about her.

Soon, her father sent her the address and time for dinner. It was a famous 2 star Michelin restaurant. Qi Xi’s unhappiness immediately disappeared. This was enough to show that her father was still interested in her. Now that she was becoming a lawyer, she had more common topics to talk about with her father in the evening.

In the past, at every family dinner, Qi Rui Ming was always the one who was late. But Qi Xi didn’t expect to see that her father was the one to arrive first this time.

Unfortunately, before she could be moved, she found a middle aged man and a younger man sitting next to him

“Xi Xi, come and meet Uncle Li and his son Li Chen Xin. You two are the same age. Since you’re not busy at work, why don’t you make friends in your age group? Let’s have this meal together.”

Qi Rui Ming smiled happily, “Uncle Li is a good client of mine, and we have known each other for a long time. This time, our families will get to know each other better! You can even make time to meet with Chen Xin alone in the future. The older generation will be with you. After all, you youngsters have different concerns, interests, and hobbies. We can’t keep up with you since we only know how to talk about work. You two, though, would have a lot of shared interests. Chen Xin just came back from Australia and he’s quite talented. Why don’t you talk to him?”

Though Qi Rui Ming was in a good mood, Qi Xi was not.

No matter how stupid she was, she could blatantly see that her father didn’t have the patience to listen to what was happening in her life and how she adjusted at work.

At the end of the day, her father still had the same antiquated beliefs of girls not needing to pursue a career since the “right” way was to marry into a good family to have breed children.

I just met him and my father already wants me to start and date him!

Sure enough, without a word, Qi Rui Ming and the so-called Uncle Li found an excuse to slip away early, leaving Qi Xi and Li Chen Xin at the table.

Truthfully speaking, Li Chen Xin was not too bad. He was able to speak well and he wasn’t cold, but…

“Have you been abroad? You haven’t been right? That’s a bit of a pity. I travel abroad every year. I just went to Alaska last month before going to LA. It’s a pity I didn’t meet you sooner or I would’ve brought back a gift. Maybe an EL bag or something of the like. Do you have a favorite brand?

""

“I’ve been researching cars recently, and I went to test drive my friend’s new Ferrari. The engine was too loud so I didn’t end up buying it.”

…

Qi Xi has no interest in the man’s interests. She could barely maintain a polite smile, even though she was in similar situations time to time. As a result, the man just keeps talking, not giving Qi Xi a chance to speak. Eventually, he gained even more confidence that she was enjoying the night because between the lines, he even tried calling himself her boyfriend.

After giving in to her frustration, Qi Xi strongly wanted to escape, “I’m sorry, I need to go to the bathroom.”

As soon as she left, Qi Xi hid in the bathroom and called Zhao Yanyan for help, “Call me in 5 minutes!”

Zhao Yanyan was good on fulfilling her promise. As soon as Qi Xi sorted her appearance and returned to the table, her phone rang.

Qi Xi finished off her act with a tender expression on her face, “Ah, you want to pick me up? Okay, then I’ll be waiting for you.”

She hung up the phone and gazed at Li Chen Xin apologetically, “I’m sorry, my boyfriend said he would pick me up soon. Since I have somewhere to be, I’ll be leaving first.”

When someone makes such a move, the other party would immediately understand the silent refusal and back off, ending the date in a polite and safe manner.

Unfortunately for Qi Xi, Li Chen Xin was not an ordinary man. As soon as Qi Xi hung up the phone, he didn’t allow her to leave. The man twirled his car keys as he spoke with confidence and gusto, “Didn’t you go into the bathroom to find a friend who could call you? I know there’s a big family gap between you and me, especially since we don’t even belong in the same class, but you really don’t need to try so hard. You don’t need to feel so insecure. Don’t worry, I treat my girlfriends well. I don’t care about your status, so you don’t need to pretend to have a boyfriend to make me jealous. I have been in relationships in the past, and I like to be the one who takes the initiative. I hate it when others do it for me.”

“…”

I’ve heard about narcissistic people, but I’ve never seen one with my own eyes.

""

Qi Xi had no choice but to secretly send a message to Zhao Yanyan for her, “Do you have a male friend? Could you find a pretend boyfriend who can pick me up so this blind date will give up. Hurry up! I’m already fed up!”

It’s a pity that Zhao Yanyan wants to help but couldn’t, “You know that the only man I know is my brother who is 13 years old. Even if you two are in a relationship, the age difference would make it too shocking.”

Qi Xi didn’t give up. She asked a few of her male classmates for help. Unfortunately, most were either on a business trip or doing something else. Just when she was in despair, she suddenly had a thought.

Gu Yan…

If she remembered correctly, Gu Yan was working overtime on a contract. He should be in the office, which meant he wasn’t that far.

Though she didn’t have much hope, she slipped back into the bathroom, and with the mentality of a dead horse living the horse rule**, she called Gu Yan.

“Gu Yan…”

Before Qi Xi could say anything, Gu Yan’s rejection came first, “I won’t eat durian tonight.” The man seemed to be afraid she was spending too much money, so he quickly added, “I have already eaten it myself. So I’m going to pass this time.”

His durian love is too much! Why does he always think of durian? I don’t want to talk about durians!

She cleared her throat, “Okay, okay, I won’t eat durian tonight, I’ll eat it tomorrow. I just have some business that I need your help in.”

Gu Yan’s voice was softer, “What’s the matter?”

Though it was embarrassing, Qi Xi briefly described her predicament, asking for help, “Can you pretend to be my boyfriend and save me?”

Maybe this request was too strange, because Gu Yan sounded a little unhappy, “Are you on a date?”

“If it’s inconvenient…”

“It’s convenient.”

Fortunately, just when Qi Xi was hopeless, Gu Yan agreed to her request. His voice was resolute, “Send me the address.”

Though the company was not too far, there were still quite a few traffic lights along the way. Since this was the peak time of traffic, Gu Yan would likely take about 20 minutes to arrive.

But 1o minutes later, Qi Xi received a call.

“I’m here, come out.”

Qi Xi was filled with gratitude. She turned back to Li Chen Xin who was still boasting about himself, “I’m sorry, my boyfriend has come to pick me up. We already had plans to watch a movie later, so I can’t continue to chat. It was a pleasure to meet you!”

It was obviously inappropriate for her to emphasize her “boyfriend,” especially since Li Chen Xin did not believe in her words. If she were to say anything else, he would probably think of her as someone who was hypocritical. But now, it’s natural for her to say she wasn’t single as she really did have a “boyfriend” waiting to pick her up.

Hearing that Qi Xi had a boyfriend, Li Chen Xin was stunned, yet he was a smart person, quickly understanding the situation, “Does your dad know?”

“No,” Qi Xi smiled and with a blunt voice, “I haven’t told my dad. I’ve just told you.”

“So the relationship is not that deep. Why don’t you break up with him?”

Without waiting for Qi Xi to decline, a cold male voice answered for her.

“We won’t break up.”

Qi Xi turned to see Gu Yan’s face.

His voice was a little breathless, as if he had just run, but it was still unexpectedly very sexy.

Gu Yan was still wearing the suit he wore when he went to court with Gu Xuehan. With tall, long legs, he was full of elitist charm. Unfortunately his face was a little bitter, making him appear cold and distant.

Wow, Gu Yan is also very powerful! He’s able to act in just a few seconds. Qi Xi almost clapped seeing Gu Yan’s performance.

Because he was so sincere, she decided to help him. Smiling shyly, she jumped towards Gu Yan, taking his hand and looking at Li Chen Xin apologetically, “I’m sorry to have caused you this trouble. Let me pay for the meal.”

Li Chen Xin looked at Gu Yan with hostile eyes before turning back to Qi Xi, “No, don’t worry. I’ll pay for it. This restaurant is expensive for ordinary working class people, but it’s nothing to me.”

Gu Yan interrupted Li Chen Xin’s boasts, “I have already paid for it,” he informed expressionlessly.

Li Chen Xin was obviously very displeased. He stopped Qi Xi again, and with a small smile, “At this hour, it is very difficult to find a taxi. I came by car, let me take you home.”

Gu Yan didn’t retreat in the slightest, “No, I can also give her a ride.” After he finished, he turned to Qi Xi, “Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s go.”

Translator Notes:

Dead horse as live horse doctor (sǐ mǎ dàng huó mǎ yī) is an idiom for, “the person knows that things are hopeless, yet they still hope for a rescue during their final attempt”

Next Chapter Release Date: Though I hoped to release 2 chapters per week, I will have to stick to 1 chapter a week until further notice. Unfortunately, I will be busy for the upcoming 8 weeks as I prepare for a national exam. After that, hopefully my schedule will clear a little more for the 2 chapters per week release after my national exam!