CH 9

Soon, the two of them sat in a double private room, each with a cup of freshly produced signature milk tea.

At this time, Chi Xueyan looked around at the white shirts of the people around him and suddenly felt this was much more pleasing to the eye.

It seemed that a business elite who looked gentle and handsome should sit in an Internet cafe and drink milk tea.

He liked this type of strange contrast.

Chi Xueyan pressed the power button and was in a good mood. It was as if the things he was going to talk about with He Qiao tonight didn’t exist.

The noise of playing games outside came one after another. He casually chatted with He Qiao. “Do you like to play games?”

He Qiao also turned on the computer. “I don’t like to play.”

Chi Xueyan was about to continue talking when someone knocked on the door of the private room.

He looked up and saw an unknown young man rushing in rashly. He had a pair of black-framed glasses on his face.

The other person looked very excited. The moment he opened the door, he rushed to He Qiao who was sitting on the outside. “I thought I was wrong. Brother He, why did you come out alone today without calling us? Don’t come secretly.”

Before these words fell, he belatedly saw Chi Xueyan inside and was taken aback. He pushed up the round glasses that were about to slide off and said in a loud voice, “Brother He, you have a companion. I’m sorry, you play first. We’ll make an appointment later!”

He waved to He Qiao, closed the door and quickly ran back to his seat.

He Qiao: “……”

Once he left, Chi Xueyan turned his head and subtly repeated his last sentence, “You don’t like to play.”

He Qiao met his teasing gaze. Then after a long time, he helplessly explained, “That isn’t me.”

“Then what do you like?” Chi Xueyan asked casually. “What will you do if there is a computer in front of you that you can use?”

He Qiao said without thinking, “Watching the news?”

Chi Xueyan was silent for a few seconds. “Is there a more sincere answer?”

“I didn’t lie to you,” He Qiao said. “Sometimes the news is good.”

“…Then watch the news for a while.” Chi Xueyan decisively gave up the question. He took a sip of milk tea and turned to look at the screen. “I want to make some mental preparations before listening to the story.”

He opened the browser, searched for a program name and clicked to play.

Before putting on earphones, Chi Xueyan specially reminded the people around him, “When you watch the news, remember not to peek at my screen. My program is also very good.”

He Qiao laughed in a dumbfounded manner.

Then he actually watched the news in an Internet cafe.

After another ten minutes, he really couldn’t hold back and silently glanced at Chi Xueyan’s computer screen.

It was because Chi Xueyan’s expression was so focused that it was impossible not to imagine how exciting the scenes on his screen were.

Yet to He Qiao’s surprise, there was a stage in the center of the screen. A man and woman were talking with excited expressions while the hosts and guests sat in the row next to them.

It seemed to be an emotional show.

However, he couldn’t hear the sound so he didn’t know what the people were saying.

He Qiao only peeked for a few seconds before Chi Xueyan looked at him alertly, tone somewhat regretful. “It seems that your news is a bit inferior.”

He Qiao was calm and composed. He didn’t have any of the embarrassment of being caught. “You are very fascinated by it.”

Chi Xueyan smiled when he heard this and didn’t continue to fight with him. He took off the earphones, put them on the desk between the two of them and turned the computer volume to the maximum.

The fairly clear sound of the program was heard in the small private room.

The man and woman on the screen were really arguing over trivial matters in love.

“My friend said that this show is good to watch while eating.” Chi Xueyan spoke in a relaxed tone. “Once the takeout delivered to the clinic was difficult to eat, so I remembered it. Then after watching an episode, I unknowingly finished my meal.”

“There is nothing special about the content. It is just all types of love. Whether it is miserable, ridiculous, hateful… in any case, it isn’t happiness.”

“Every time I watch it, I always wonder where the program team found so many strange couples. How can anyone be willing to make themselves abhorrent for the sake of so-called love?”

“I always felt they were scripts written in advance by the TV station.” His voice slowly became calmer. “Now I am also in the script.”

Having said that, Chi Xueyan paused and showed a self-deprecating smile. “I am mentally prepared to listen to the story.”

“Putting this story together with the couples arguing in public will make me feel better,” Chi Xueyan finally said. “It is like a script for a show, not the real me.”

The air conditioner above their head sent out a gentle breeze. The bottom of the iced milk tea in his hand created a water stain.

He Qiao stared at him for a moment before calmly saying, “I don’t know the details of the first meeting between you and Lu Siyi, but you know that the second meeting is when his friend lost something in the bar. After he found it, he invited you to dinner to express his gratitude.”

It was related to lost and found, which was a reasonable possibility.

If Chi Xueyan had successfully asked for Lu Siyi’s contact information that day, the following matters might really develop like this.

No emotions could be seen in Chi Xueyan’s eyes. “And then?”

“You learned he was a graduate student, met his friends and started going to his school regularly. He spent most of his time in the lab but you gradually became acquainted with his friends. You had a pretty good relationship at this time.”

He Qiao spoke up to here and paused. “Then after knowing that your family is very good and learning about the business run by your parents, he started to be prejudiced against you.”

“Prejudiced?”

He Qiao answered honestly, “Due to external conditions, you give people the impression of playing in the world. Moreover, when Lu Siyi was young, his father fell into a coma due to a car accident. The perpetrator who escaped was a rich second generation. This person’s family ran a technology company and provided security systems to certain local institutions. After the rich second generation escaped, he directly left the country and only lost money.”

The company started by Chi Xueyan’s parents belonged to the same field.

It was a strange coincidence.

Chi Xueyan was surprised and faintly guessed the follow-up.

“At that time, you didn’t know the reason behind it and were still pursuing Lu Siyi. I don’t know the precise details. This lasted until his mother had an accident. The treatment required a long recovery time and high surgery and nursing costs. She could no longer care for her husband lying in a hospital bed and became a patient herself.”

He Qiao’s voice started to become hesitant.

Chi Xueyan finished his unfinished words. “I wanted to help him, but he misunderstood me, right?”

“I look like a frivolous rich second generation who is reckless and plays around in the world. In any case, there are parents to support me.” He chuckled. “Maybe I really am that way, but I won’t use threats just because I like someone.”

He Qiao’s tone relaxed. “It is a pity that Lu Siyi happens to be prejudiced against such a person.”

Chi Xueyan asked, “How did I answer his question?”

“You didn’t answer directly.” He Qiao stared at him. “You asked him if he wanted to save his mother.”

This was the beginning of ‘Chi Xueyan’ becoming a vicious villain.

Chi Xueyan thought that if such a day really happened, he would probably ask this question with a smile.

He never cared what outsiders thought of him, but it was hard to accept his genuine kindness being coldly misunderstood.

“It wasn’t unscrupulous love.” He was silent for a long time before saying abruptly, “It was an impulsive gamble.”

The fate of going astray due to one bad thought could no longer be guessed with Chi Xueyan’s current thinking.

Maybe he would really become a bad guy step by step in the future.

The only thing to be thankful for was that he wasn’t crazy due to love at first.

Chi Xueyan’s thoughts were bitter.

“I guess the next plot will be even more exciting.” He calmed his mood and looked at He Qiao, who was quietly waiting next to him. “But let’s just talk up to here today. I’ll continue listening next time.”

He Qiao nodded slightly, as if joking. “One Thousand and One Nights?”

Chi Xueyan remembered the old story and couldn’t help smiling. He imitated the tone of a brutal king. “I won’t kill you until you finish telling the story.”

More and more water accumulated at the bottom of the milk tea cup. It flowed toward the edge of the table, getting closer and closer to Chi Xueyan.

He Qiao carefully handed him a tissue, voice warm. “Okay.”

For him, these one thousand and one nights would last at least until the wedding ended and he moved into the wedding room.

At that time, he and Chi Xueyan would both be able to gain a seemingly free appearance.

Chi Xueyan reached out and took it, continuing the joke. “Are you thinking about how to escape?”

“No.” He Qiao looked at his action of wiping the water stains. “I’m wondering which friend it was.”

“What friend?”

“The friend who told you that this show is very good.”

The white tissue gradually became wet and was casually crumpled into a translucent, soft ball by the person around him.

Before gaining freedom, their lives were destined to be more closely intertwined.

Family, friends… all relationship networks and all leisurely life.

The earphones placed in the center of the table were still clamoring. The sound of the couples arguing drifted out.

Chi Xueyan picked it up again, turned down the volume and replied seriously, “It is Lawyer Su. You’ve met him before.”

As he spoke, he leaned over and helped He Qiao put on the earphones. His smile had already returned to normal. “This is the most classic episode. It is a pity to miss it.”

The sound of the show flooded his ears all of a sudden, blocking out the rest of the noise. He Qiao instinctively reached out to touch it and his warm fingertips told a cold, silver light.

Chi Xueyan’s wedding ring.

He quickly remembered the roles they were playing.

Thus, He Qiao stretched out his hand, covered the back of Chi Xueyan’s hand and indirectly held the earpiece.

Two identical rings met on the ring finger.

He leaned forward slightly, politely replying to his lover’s proposal. “I will listen carefully.”

The distance between the two of them became close in an instant, causing the person outside the door who wanted to enter to stop his movements in astonishment.

Clean white shirts blocked the people sitting inside.

Only two figures could be vaguely seen, overlapping with each other in the small private room, fingertips intertwining at the ends of the tangled hair.

It was like hiding a kiss that fell in the shadows.