He Haobo was surprised by Yan Luan's keen perception, but he still calmly replied, "No, your brother hasn't replied to my messages these past few days. I'm still angry, so I came to ask if you've been able to contact him."
"I don't have time to contact you," Yan Luan said, still wary.
"You haven't answered the previous question yet."
"...I saw it," Yan Luan's voice sounded very noisy, probably because it was break time. However, as everyone knows, high school students only have ten minutes between classes. Everyone's eyes were on He Haobo, urging him to hurry up. Yao Xingwei, on the other hand, was watching He Haobo very warily.
Does it really take this long to make a phone call?
He Haobo sighed as he looked at his two ill-intentioned cronies. "You don't seem very surprised. Did you already know?"
Wen Cheng tensed up, listening intently. He could tolerate Nianyu and Sister Yu Ning, but if his younger brother had figured it out too, he would have lost all his dignity as the eldest brother.
"...Why should I tell you?" Yan Luan's attitude was completely different from anyone else's. He Haobo's eyebrows twitched several times. He really didn't know what Yao Xingwei saw in this little brat. He wasn't cute at all. But the more Yan Luan acted like this, the happier Yao Xingwei in the video laughed. His mouth was stretched to his back teeth. It was very exaggerated!
"It's nothing serious, why don't you tell me? How about this, you tell me, and I'll promise you one thing, and we'll make a peaceful deal." He Haobo displayed the spirit of a businessman. Although he wasn't as powerful as his idol, the He family was a large and influential family, and he could still fulfill some ordinary small wishes.
"...I don't want anything," Yan Luan said truthfully.
If it weren't for his own pitiful pride, He Haobo would have hung up the phone on the spot. Was he really so utterly devoid of desire? "Not wanting anything materially can also be a secret, right? I know there are many things you don't know. Think about it again?"
The class bell rang on the other end of the phone, and everyone was tense.
"Then tell me about Yao Xing, what's Yao Ge's current situation?" Yan Luan asked this question unexpectedly.
Wen Cheng was surprised. Yao Xingwei was so happy that he was on cloud nine. He completely forgot about dignity and face. If Xie Nianyu hadn't quickly muted the tablet, Yao Xingwei's shouts would have been impossible to cover.
"Um, just regular studying,"
"Didn't you complain about going back to China?"
"He's doing quite well abroad; recently, a professor has taken a liking to him," He Haobo said truthfully, then couldn't help but ask, "Why are you asking about him?"
"...If he can motivate himself to study, so can I." Yan Luan's last sentence sounded somewhat forced and awkward.
But that didn't matter anymore. The relief in Yao Xingwei's eyes almost merged with the warmth of the oranges on the ground; both conveyed the joy of watching a child grow up.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, He Haobo managed to steer the conversation back on his own, "You asked me just now, now it's my turn to ask you, do you know anything about Wen Cheng?"
“Yeah, I know. I could tell from his attitude towards Brother Qi the first time we met,” Yan Luan was a very straightforward person. Once he agreed, he wouldn’t go back on his word. But he added at the end, “Don’t tell Brother Cheng. He definitely doesn’t know I know.”
I already know.
Wen Cheng looked weary...
But things had already come to this point. After a brief period of depression, Wen Cheng started sipping his drink, trying to drown his sorrows. However, He Haobo, having experienced Wen Cheng's alcohol tolerance firsthand, insisted on switching him to a fruit wine with the lowest alcohol content.
Wen Cheng drank four or five cups, chatting about all sorts of things for a while. Strangely, half an hour ago, Brother Qi said he was going out to discuss business, but he hasn't returned yet.
"Strange, why hasn't President Wen returned yet?" This question wasn't asked by Wen Cheng, but by Gu Yuning, who was sitting to the side, half-drunk.
"Drink less, or you'll have a headache when you get back. Don't complain about me to Uncle Gu." He Haobo took Gu Yuning's small wine pot without any ceremony.
Gu Yuning glanced at He Haobo, a simple glance that contained a myriad of charms.
Wen Cheng: ...There's a story behind this!
"He Haobo, why are you talking to Sister Yu Ning like you're talking to Yao Xingwei? You need to be more polite to girls!" Wen Cheng was actually a little drunk, but her mind was clear; she was just being a bit too bold with her words.
Those present were successfully misled by this sentence: Zhou, surrounding area?
Gu Yuning, half-drunk, was mostly sobered up by the stab, and looked at He Haobo with a forced smile.
He Haobo: ??? What kind of pot is this, and it's being smashed on his head like that?
Everyone at the table was laughing. Wen Cheng looked around and finally stopped at Xie Nianyu, the only one she hadn't mentioned. She couldn't help it; Xie Nianyu was just too handsome. Even his smile was like soft moonlight falling on her heart.
“Nianyu, you look a lot like that guy from before? Oh, the one Fei Shuo mentioned, the one whose ID is ‘Little White Rabbit’ that isn’t black. Oh, you probably don’t know who Fei Shuo is, the one we bumped into on the plane last time.”
Xie Nianyu's eyebrows twitched slightly. "President Fei has heard about it to some extent, but I don't know what connection I have with his ID."
Wuhu~
Wen Cheng became interested again.
Author's Note:
Hehehe, Little Naughty Orange will definitely get his comeuppance for going too far!
Chapter 131 Face Change
"Although Brother Qi didn't tell me the specific meaning of that name in the end, based on my guess, it probably means that a person is two-faced," Wen Cheng said with a bit more courage when he was a little drunk. He only wanted to express his sympathy for Xie Nianyu. Fortunately, he quickly added, "When I first met you, I thought you were pure, innocent, and naive."
When Gu Yuning applied these adjectives to Xie Nianyu, she immediately burst out laughing.
Xie Nianyu listened, her eyes holding a meaningful look.
Wen Cheng continued her rambling, "After getting to know you better, I realized that Nianyu, you're not even remotely related to her on the surface. You're decisive, have strong opinions, and a powerful aura—you can't be bullied at all! Thinking about this, I feel you're just like that ID Fei Shuo mentioned. Oh, and suddenly I remembered something..."
Wen Cheng was momentarily dazed.
"Could Fei Shuo... have a thing for this? The first time I saw him, I think I was the one arguing with someone. No wonder he kept bothering me. If it weren't for Brother Qi..."
Wen Cheng, who had drunk a little alcohol, was much smarter than usual.
Xie Nianyu's expression changed. She wasn't listening to anything else at the moment, only catching some key words, and they weren't pleasant: "Is this what he likes? He even bothered you before?"
Xie Nianyu repeated each word.
The group of people at the table were enjoying their drinks, except for Wen Cheng, but now they could all feel the atmosphere subtly changing.
Unfortunately, Wen Cheng is not just anyone. "Hey, Nianyu, that's all in the past. Now I have Brother Qi protecting me, so he won't bother me anymore. I haven't heard from him lately, so he's probably found someone else."
"Found someone else again?" Xie Nianyu smiled on the surface, but the smile didn't seep into her eyes at all.
Author's Note:
Waaaaaah, I'm so tired today, that's all I can write. Sorry, my little darlings, I'll get back into shape and write more tomorrow!
Chapter 132 Former Rival
Wen Cheng reacted slowly for a moment, then nodded firmly.
Xie Nianyu's expression remained unchanged, but Gu Yuning had already scooped Wen Cheng up.
"Come on, let's drink! Why does Chengcheng always drink these low-alcohol drinks? Come on, drink this one from your sister, it's more potent!" Gu Yuning picked up the small wine pot next to her, which was several times stronger than Wen Cheng's.
He Haobo's expression changed drastically. Forgetting about the sibling relationship, he snatched the wine glass from Wen Cheng's face. Sure enough, the siblings started bickering. However, this effectively deflected attention from the earlier incident.
Gu Yuning's last bit of attention fell on Xie Nianyu.
The light fell on Xie Nianyu's jade-like face, his long eyelashes casting an endless shadow beneath his eyelids, yet he wore a smile. The stark contrast made him appear somewhat out of place with the world around him.
Gu Yu realized that Wen Cheng's words were really annoying today!
Halfway through their playful banter, Wen Cheng suddenly asked, "Why hasn't Brother Qi come back yet?"
“Yeah, wasn’t it my senior brother who was treating us today? Why hasn’t he come back yet after forty minutes?” Gu Yuning had known Shi Zhuorui since childhood. They used to be senior and junior classmates who studied painting together. Even after Shi Zhuorui stopped painting, their relationship remained good.
Wen Cheng took out her phone, but there were no messages on it.
"I'm going out to take a look," Wen Cheng stood up and quickly walked towards the door.
"They've gotten hooked," Gu Yuning commented, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotion and relief.
"Hmm." He Haobo took a sip of sake and agreed.
Wen Cheng walked past the waiters carrying plates and the customers chatting quietly, and found the front hall. There were a few people sitting there, but she didn't see that tall figure. However, she did see Wen Yunyi and Fei Shuo sitting opposite her.
Shouldn't these two people be unfamiliar with each other?
At this point in time, Wen Yunyi and Fei Shuo have almost no interaction anymore.
However, remembering some melodramatic scenes in the book, Wen Cheng had no choice but to put aside Qi Ge's matter and step forward.
"What a coincidence, Cha, Xiao Yi is here too?" Wen Cheng sidled up to Wen Yunyi.
Wen Yunyi's lips twitched slightly; his hearing was perfectly fine! "Yeah, Chengcheng is still out so late, aren't you worried, big brother?" Wen Yunyi subtly brought up his older brother.
"I came out for drinks with Brother Qi today. It's the first time I've seen Xiao Yi drinking with anyone other than Qin Zhou~" Wen Cheng's eyes were full of hints.
......
"He's just out to discuss business. Xiaochuan is busy in the lab today and didn't come out," Wen Yunyi said through gritted teeth.
Upon seeing that Cha Cha was experiencing internal heat, Wen Cheng felt a twisted sense of pleasure.
"We came out for drinks together, want to join us?" Wen Cheng stopped teasing him after that. There were also Sister Yu Ning and He Haobo in the private room, which was much safer than Wen Yunyi facing Fei Shuo alone outside!
Before Wen Yunyi could reply, Fei Shuo on the other end made a subtle remark, "I really didn't expect you to be with President Wen."
"The world is always more unpredictable than you imagine!" Wen Cheng remarked with a touch of melancholy.
Wen Yunyi noticed that Xiao Cheng was quite hostile towards Fei Shuo. After Wen Cheng finished speaking, Fei Shuo's expression was like that of someone who was constipated. It was as if the two of them could ignite a fire if they were to have even the slightest spark between them.
"Um, sure, Mr. Fei and I have just finished negotiating a business deal. This private room is quite hard to book, and the environment should be quieter than outside. Would you like to join us, Mr. Fei?" He had just finished negotiating a good deal with Fei Shuo. The two of them weren't familiar with each other, but it was a matter of etiquette not to just leave after finishing the business. Luckily, Wen Cheng came over and did something sensible, otherwise he would have really fought with Wen Cheng!
She's clearly a lazy bum at home, able to lie around doing nothing, yet she has an unusually strong verbal fighting spirit, and she always ends up getting herself angry!
Fei Shuo's expression changed a couple of times. In fact, he couldn't face Wen Cheng. He had finally found someone he was interested in after high school, but he didn't expect that she had already taken someone behind his back. And someone he could never beat in his life. He couldn't let any of the face-slapping plots in TV dramas happen to him!
"Sure, this is a good opportunity to talk to President Wen about the follow-up." The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but he ended up putting on a brave face. For the first time, Fei Shuo felt this way! How annoying! His own arrogance!
Wen Cheng readily gave them the room number and continued searching for Brother Qi. Finally, she found him by a streetlamp outside the shop.
Wen Qi was wearing a gray cashmere coat, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette that was half-burnt, but he wasn't smoking it. From Wen Cheng's angle, she could only see a quarter of his profile and his slightly furrowed brows.
Shi Zhuorui stood opposite him, his usual lazy smile gone, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, smoke slowly drifting into the air from his nose.
What are they talking about?
Wen Cheng wanted to know, but she couldn't move her feet, and some unrealistic thoughts kept popping into her head.
Wen Cheng tried to control himself, but his mind wouldn't cooperate.
As Shi Zhuorui bent down to pull out his cigarette, he caught a glimpse of Wen Cheng out of the corner of his eye, and slightly raised his chin in a gesture of acknowledgment.
Wen Qi turned his head as if sensing something, then naturally beckoned Wen Cheng over. Wen Cheng's wild thoughts immediately vanished, and she skipped towards Wen Qi, who was ready to catch her.
The first thing he said was, "Have you been drinking?"