"Will we... cooperate with the Ling family?"
"Of course, I've already communicated with them. Now it just depends on their schedule. I hope they won't stand me up again." Lu Qianyi looked at Bai Yanfei and smiled enigmatically.
A few days later, Lu Qianyi told him that he didn't need to go on the business trip or return to China. Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, Lu Qianyi's next sentence brought him back to reality.
"He said he's coming over, so we should do our part as hosts. Where do you think would be a good place for us to meet? Do you remember what Ling Zeyu likes to eat?"
Bai Yanfei's lips parted slightly. Although he knew that his current thoughts were inappropriate, he really wanted to order a table of food that Ling Zeyu didn't like.
He gave the name of a restaurant, and Lu Qianyi nodded.
"Then I'll leave this matter to you. After all, you're a bit special, so you'll have to work a little harder. I'll give you an extra bonus this month."
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Lu."
Bai Yanfei gritted his teeth as he watched Lu Qianyi's dashing back. He had reason to suspect that Lu Qianyi did it on purpose; otherwise, why would he have thought of such a dirty trick?
One week later—
The three of them sat in the restaurant. Bai Yanfei had originally wanted to find an excuse not to come. He said yesterday that he was not feeling well and could not come. However, Ling Zeyu said that he was not feeling well either.
So he knew that as long as he didn't show up, Ling Zeyu wouldn't meet with Lu Qianyi. Since he was going to die sooner or later anyway, he set the date for today.
Ling Zeyu's gaze remained fixed on Bai Yanfei's face. Bai Yanfei politely curled the corners of his mouth, but he felt his smile was about to freeze.
One by one, the ordered dishes were served. Ling Zeyu's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Lu Qianyi with a half-smile.
"These are all dishes carefully selected by Xiaoyan. I wonder if President Ling is satisfied."
In all honesty, Lu Qianyi had no idea that these were all dishes that Ling Zeyu hated the most. He also didn't expect Bai Yanfei to be so bold, so he was very proud when he mentioned the food.
Bai Yanfei's smile froze completely on his face. He had forgotten to ask the restaurant to change the dishes he had ordered last night, and none of them were dishes that Ling Zeyu liked.
Ling Zeyu lowered his eyes and glanced at it: "Did you order all of these?"
"Hmm..." Bai Yanfei smiled, "I wonder if it suits President Ling's taste."
"It's good." Ling Zeyu picked up his chopsticks, and Lu Qianyi seized the opportunity. While chatting with Ling Zeyu, he served him food and gestured for Bai Yanfei to serve him food as well.
Bai Yanfei placed a piece of fatty meat on Ling Zeyu's plate. Ling Zeyu stared at the meat in silence for a while, then picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth. After finishing the meat, he didn't forget to take a sip of wine.
Lu Qianyi kicked Bai Yanfei under the table, signaling Bai Yanfei to continue coaxing Ling Zeyu to be happy. Bai Yanfei wanted to kick Lu Qianyi directly, but he couldn't; this person was his boss.
So he could only vent his anger on Ling Zeyu, desperately putting the things Ling Zeyu disliked the most on his plate, and Ling Zeyu ate them all.
After finishing his meal, Ling Zeyu went to the restroom.
"I didn't expect Ling Zeyu to have such heavy tastes..." Lu Qianyi couldn't help but sigh, "It's a good thing you were here, otherwise if I ordered according to my own ideas, he probably wouldn't like any of the dishes."
Hearing this, Bai Yanfei could only smile awkwardly.
He didn't know what the point of doing this was. Maybe it was to stand up for his past self, but he admitted that he was happy to see Ling Zeyu stuffing food he didn't like into his mouth.
After Ling Zeyu returned, he sat opposite Bai Yanfei. There was no disgust or impatience on his face. Bai Yanfei took advantage of the situation and ordered a bunch of desserts and drinks that Ling Zeyu did not like.
As he was secretly pleased, he felt his calf being rubbed. He turned his head to look at Lu Qianyi, wanting to ask him what he meant.
But when that restless foot moved up his calf, he knew that this person was not Lu Qianyi, and he quickly pulled his leg back.
Ling Zeyu smiled as he pulled his leg back, enjoying Bai Yanfei's helpless expression.
Bai Yanfei lowered his head and took a big gulp of his drink to calm himself down. He then moved back a little.
"I wonder what President Ling's thoughts are?" Lu Qianyi found a suitable opportunity to speak.
"What if I said I wanted your white designer?"
Chapter 95 Boyfriend
Bai Yanfei suddenly raised his head.
Lu Qianyi narrowed his eyes: "President Ling, are you joking? Xiao Yan is one of my top lieutenants, I can't just give him to you like that."
"I'm not joking." Ling Zeyu also smiled. "President Lu knows how domineering your conditions are, right? I only have a small request, can't President Lu even grant it?"
Ling Zeyu's implication was clear: as long as Bai Yanfei was given to him, he would agree to any unreasonable demands made by Lu Qianyi.
Lu Qianyi turned his head to look at Bai Yanfei, who shook his head slightly. He didn't want to go to Ling Zeyu's side as an exchange, mainly because he didn't want to share a room with Ling Zeyu.
If he agreed, who knew what else Ling Zeyu might do? He pleaded with Lu Qianyi with his eyes.
Ling Zeyu clenched his fist. He didn't rush Lu Qianyi to make a decision now. He believed that a businessman wouldn't give up such good terms. Just agreeing to the exchange would bring in a lot of benefits. With Lu Qianyi's intelligence, he knew what to do.
"President Ling asked me to think about it some more. After all, Xiao Yan is a rare talent for us." Lu Qianyi took a sip of his drink. "I'm going to the restroom."
Bai Yanfei waited anxiously, while Ling Zeyu stared intently at him, his phone vibrating incessantly. He took it out and glanced at it. After seeing the conversation, Bai Yanfei breathed a sigh of relief.
This change in attitude made Ling Zeyu somewhat flustered. Why did Bai Yanfei suddenly breathe a sigh of relief? What appeared on his phone?
He didn't ask, and Bai Yanfei naturally didn't answer. During the few minutes Lu Qianyi was gone, Bai Yanfei kept his head down and remained silent.
Ling Zeyu couldn't remember when Bai Yanfei stopped talking to him, but it seemed to have been a long time ago, before he even brought up divorce. Bai Yanfei had already started treating him like this.
After Lu Qianyi returned, Ling Zeyu thought that Lu Qianyi had figured things out, but the other party said that he needed to think about it some more and then went back.
Ling Zeyu will be staying here for a while, so he's not in a hurry. With such generous terms, he believes Lu Qianyi won't act recklessly.
"Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to say yes?" Lu Qianyi pinned Bai Yanfei against the wall, looked down at Bai Yanfei's face, and pinched it. "Then do you like me?"
Bai Yan is not silent.
"say."
"I don't dislike him." But he wouldn't like someone like Lu Qianyi either.
"So, I have a chance to make you fall in love with me?" Lu Qianyi smiled. "How come it's you who's begging me, and I'm the one who's humbled?"
"So, Mr. Lu, what's your decision? Are you going to give me to Ling Zeyu?"
“I can’t bear to give my boyfriend away.” Lu Qianyi took Bai Yanfei’s hand. “You didn’t shake me off? Looks like you’ve accepted him.”
"Um……"
Lu Qianyi turned her head to the side and said, "Give me a kiss."
Bai Yanfei hesitated for a moment and then kissed Lu Qianyi on the cheek. He had only agreed to be Lu Qianyi's boyfriend, and there was nothing wrong with a kiss between lovers.
"I hope you can fulfill your duties as a boyfriend." Lu Qianyi gentlemanly opened the car door, and Bai Yanfei got in.
He knew his decision was rash, but he couldn't go back to Ling Zeyu; he couldn't outmaneuver him. If he had a choice, he would rather fall in love with someone else.
Rather than living in constant fear with Ling Zeyu, it would be better to start a new relationship, a fair and open one. And Lu Qianyi certainly possesses the qualities for that, except…
Don't you think I'm using you?
Lu Qianyi chuckled: "Who told me to cherish you? Besides, as I said, you are a rare talent, and I won't let go so easily. The day you become famous, I will keep you by my side even more."
Bai Yanfei stared straight ahead. Lu Qianyi's words were also quite clear: he did have feelings for her, but Lu Qianyi valued profit more. He could bring significant benefits to the company, and he also had some affection for her. Developing a relationship at this time would be a good strategy.
"I also hope that Mr. Lu can fulfill his obligations as a partner."
"Don't worry, I'm not a scumbag like Ling Zeyu. I can like many people at the same time, but once we're in a relationship, I'll cut off all contact with them. You can rest assured about that. I'm not dating you as someone else. You are you, not a substitute for anyone."
"Is your brother... with Xiaofei?"
Lu Qianyi nodded: "They got their marriage certificate. It's okay if you don't want to see them. I don't live with my brother, so we don't have many chances to see each other."
Okay, thank you.
"No need to thank me, it's my duty to take care of my boyfriend's feelings." Lu Qianyi kissed Bai Yanfei on the cheek while waiting at a red light. "Actually, I've had feelings for you for a long time, about a year ago. But back then you were still Ling Zeyu's wife, so I couldn't steal her away. Later, you divorced Ling Zeyu, which surprised me. But when I heard you went abroad with the young master of the Su family, I assumed you two were together."
"My senior is a very good person. He should find a suitable partner instead of wasting his time on me. I have always considered him a very good friend."
"As long as he's happy, why do you care so much?" Lu Qianyi frowned. "If you keep praising him, I'll get jealous."
Bai Yanfei chuckled and said, "Okay."
This could be considered his... first attempt at dating.
So that's what it feels like.
Bai Yanfei didn't ask about Ling Zeyu's matter anymore. He felt much more at ease after knowing that Lu Qianyi wouldn't let him go to Ling Zeyu's place.
The two went on a date like any other couple. It happened to be the weekend, so Lu Qianyi took Bai Yanfei to see a movie, have dinner, and take a walk. They did the things couples do, and seeing Bai Yanfei's smiling face, Lu Qianyi felt that her weekend trip hadn't been in vain.
"Never tried it before?"
Bai Yanfei shook his head: "No."
Are you happy?
Bai Yanfei nodded. When he saw others enjoying the second half-price ice cream, Lu Qianyi would also stand in a long line to buy it for him. When he saw young couples having something, Lu Qianyi would also try to sell it to them.
“These are all things that young people like. I’m not a girl, so there are some things I don’t like.” Bai Yanfei looked at Lu Qianyi helplessly. He didn’t want Lu Qianyi to think of him as a girl. After all, he was a man.
Although he is considered the weaker party in the same-sex partnership, this does not mean that he is in a weak position.
Love between two men doesn't necessarily require one of them to play the female role. He was willing to do so before because he was too young and thought that doing so would change Ling Zeyu's opinion of him. Later, he realized that all of this was impossible.
"What do you like? I'll try my best to satisfy you. Being with me, there's no need to live such a tiring life," Lu Qianyi said.
Bai Yanfei paused for a moment: "If possible, could you please not mention him in front of me? I don't want to recall the past."
Lu Qianyi waved his hand: "That's not what I meant. Your feelings for Ling Zeyu were too intense before, you know, it was me..."
"You think I can't let him go?" Bai Yanfei smiled. "I let him go a long time ago. I didn't agree when he first brought up divorce. The time we actually got divorced, I was the one who brought it up, and he agreed. Although I don't know why he only announced our divorce six months later, I assure you, it's impossible for us anymore."
"Okay, I was too deliberate, I'm sorry." Although Lu Qianyi had a good impression of Bai Yanfei, he didn't think he loved Bai Yanfei. He probably just wanted to get closer to Bai Yanfei as a person.
"I told Ling Zeyu about us last night, and I also rejected his advances." Lu Qianyi handed Bai Yanfei a cup of milk tea. "What do you think?"
"Hmm." Bai Yanfei lowered his head and took a sip of milk tea. Lu Qianyi's actions were entirely within his expectations. He nodded, "It's good that it's resolved. I just don't want to have anything to do with him anymore."
"But after you graduate, we'll both be going back to China, and we'll have to keep in touch with him then. Are you scared?"
Bai Yanfei turned his head to look at Lu Qianyi's face, and remained silent.
Actually, he didn't think he could talk to Lu Qianyi for so long. He couldn't feel that Lu Qianyi loved him. He had loved someone before and knew how to show love. Lu Qianyi was just interested in him.
If someone comes along that Lu Qianyi likes, she will abandon him without hesitation.
"Why are you silent again? Don't you want to go back?"
Bai Yanfei smiled and said, "If I said I wanted to go back, you wouldn't believe me, would you? But if it's something I have to do, I'll go back with you. Business is business, and I won't act on impulse."
Are you mocking Ling Zeyu?