Chapter 390: Was It Not Too Over-The-Top to Say That out on the Street?
Ruan Danchen was very unhappy after hearing that. “Of course not. I gave birth to him.”
"Qi Chenglin? Fathering someone else"s child?" Though it may only be a hypothetical situation, it still angered her terribly.
Seizing their moment of bafflement, Ruan Danchen fished out two-hundred yuan and said, “You guys continue. Don"t let me ruin the mood. I"ll be going.”
Chen Libai was the first to come to his senses. He reached out and grabbed Ruan Danchen"s wrist.
She looked at his actions without frowning, but her expression remained calm. That calmness, however, made Chen Libai retract his hand in embarra.s.sment. He took the money and gave it back to Ruan Danchen.
“We"ve all agreed that today will be my treat,” Chen Libai remarked with a smile.
Ruan Danchen had no intention of arguing with him for fear that the others might snap out of their bewilderment and continue insisting that Qi Chenglin come up.
She kept the money and made herself scarce immediately.
Ruan Danchen walked out of Shengyue just in time to watch Qi Chenglin throw a small wad of paper into a nearby bin.
“Someone was. .h.i.tting on you just now?” Ruan Danchen waggled her brows and asked. She was grinning from ear to ear and showed no sign of being angry.
Her own man was l.u.s.ted after by women and it was not something to be happy about, but despite feeling sick at heart, it did not go to the extent of jealousy. There was no need for her to act petty; instead, she was felt like teasing him.
“You saw that?” Qi Chenglin saw her lack of jealousy and felt slightly crushed. He pulled Ruan Danchen to him and hugged her without rus.h.i.+ng to get in the car.
He knew that people in the building would be able to look at them from upstairs.
From what Gao Xiaoyang said through the phone earlier, Qi Chenglin knew that Ruan Danchen"s cla.s.smates were all very curious. He wondered how many people were watching from the windows at that exact time.
He was wearing sungla.s.ses, so Ruan Danchen could not see his eyes. She failed to notice that Qi Chenglin was looking up, and as expected, there were plenty of people at the window looking down.
They were relieved because Qi Chenglin did not look up.
Qi Chenglin was thus free to show his love to them. Ruan Danchen had no idea that he was thinking that way.
The restaurant was warm and the weather was cold, but despite the large difference in temperature, she warmed up comfortably after he wrapped himself around her.
“I was standing at the window, remember?” Ruan Danchen smiled and allowed Qi Chenglin to wrap her inside his overcoat.
Through the woolen overcoat, she felt his warmth in addition to his fresh scent flowing down from the top of her head.
Qi Chenglin c.o.c.ked a brow. His sungla.s.ses were big, so his brow was only faintly visible above the gla.s.ses. He curled his lip and his hands were gently grasping at her waist. The force of his grip was not painful, but it managed to convey to her his unhappy state of mind.
“You"re not jealous?”
“You ignored her, right?” Ruan Danchen beamed with an infectiously sweet smile simply because he ignored the female stranger. “You"re so attractive. How much more jealous can I be if I were to be jealous at every single little thing?”
Ruan Danchen"s lips twitched. She was still somewhat chagrined by his immense attractiveness.
She shot him a minorly-resentful glance. “You"re a good man who simply stands by the road doing nothing, even wearing sungla.s.ses that prevents you from using your eyes to seduce women. And yet you still manage to attract women"s attention. What are you made of?”
Despite knowing that she was messing with him, Qi Chenglin"s body heated up because he was piqued by her pettiness. He answered bluntly, “Blame that on my good looks.”
Ruan Danchen, “…”
Was it not too over-the-top to say that out on the street?
Qi Chenglin did not even try to lower his voice. Some of the men who pa.s.sed by and heard him tripped on the rocks beneath their feet.
His gaze remained steadfast underneath his shades. He continued looking at Ruan Danchen and said in all honesty, “The woman gave me a name card. I rolled it into a ball and threw it away.”
Ruan Danchen knew that it was the same ball that Qi Chenglin had just thrown into the dustbin.
Looking at Qi Chenglin again, Ruan Danchen had a feeling that he would be wagging his tail at her if he actually had a tail.
He was too loyal!
Ruan Danchen looked at his proud-but-too-shy-to-show-it expression. He was insistent on putting on a calm façade—he could not control his lips from forming a smile, but he was wary of smiling too widely.
He looked too adorable like that.
Wrapped tightly in his embrace, she tiptoed. Acting in tandem with her, Qi Chenglin lowered his head and locked lips with her.
His handsome lips then curled into a slight smile, seemingly pleased.
Qi Chenglin lowered his head and looked at her round-neck sweater. Her collarbone was displayed faintly, showing off her long and fair-skinned neck. It was as though the wind could freeze her with a single blow.
He frowned. “Why didn"t you bring a scarf? Doesn"t it feel cold to expose your neck like this?”
Ruan Danchen"s arms were tightly coiled around his waist and she was firmly tucked in his clothes. She could not move, and hence, could not touch her own neck.
After he mentioned it, she realized she did feel rather cold. Retracting her neck, she said, “I didn"t notice.”
Qi Chenglin thought about it for a moment and said, “I don"t think you have one either.”
Ruan Danchen nodded. She never once thought of buying such an item before. B City"s winters were biting-cold and pierced the bone, so making do without gloves was a big no-no.
Nevertheless, she was never in the habit of wearing gloves, and most of the time she simply stuffed her hands into her pockets. Taking out her hands once in a while was no big deal for her.
As for scarves, she did feel the cold sometimes, but she never remembered to buy it. Whenever she did remember, winter was almost going to be over.
Then she thought, "Winter is only those few months each year," so in the end, she was too lazy to buy them.
Qi Chenglin realized that the two of them had been outside for quite some time. He took off his leather gloves and held Ruan Danchen"s neck—it was cold, as he expected.
Ruan Danchen closed her eyes in satisfaction, as his hands were just too warm. The heat from his hands warmed up her skin, causing her to feel an indescribable warmth.
His hands were handsome, elegant, and his palm was rough. Slightly thinner skin would make him look less well-off, but thicker skin would make him seem clumsy. At times, Ruan Danchen could just stare at his hands for a long time.
She looked up at him. The man seemed to be so perfect from head to toe.
He was frighteningly well-endowed too.
Thinking of that made her blush. She chastised herself for thinking such lewd thoughts and being so indecent.
Qi Chenglin did not know what she was thinking of and why she blushed, but her blush was beautiful nonetheless.
“Let"s get in the car. It"s cold,” Qi Chenglin said. He led Ruan Danchen to the front pa.s.senger seat and opened the door for her to get in. He surrept.i.tiously glanced at the second-floor window, noticing that everyone had stopped looking after Ruan Danchen entered the car.
He smiled, got in the car, and drove Ruan Danchen home.
w.a.n.g Kaiyi and his friends sat back awkwardly at their seats. Ruan Danchen"s boyfriend did not look up, hence their lack of worry over whether or not he knew they were looking. Nevertheless, why did they feel so guilty about it?
Chen Libai did not look too good. He saw how Ruan Danchen was getting all lovey-dovey with public displays of affection, and looking very much in love.
Her boyfriend was a far cry from what the young, unreliable chap that Chen Libai originally imagined. Since the boyfriend wore shades and was too far away, Chen Libai could not make out the man"s age. Nevertheless, the boyfriend seemed to carry a dignified aura and hardly looked like an ordinary man. He even drove a Benz.
As everyone returned to their seats, they were all silent for a moment. For some reason, it was as though a cat got their tongue.
“Hehe,” w.a.n.g Kaiyi chuckled awkwardly before continuing, “Danchen"s boyfriend isn"t courteous at all. He"s already down there, but doesn"t want to come up. He doesn"t even care for his girlfriend"s reputation. That kind of behavior alone makes me question if he"s really sincere toward Ruan Danchen.”
“I don"t even know how he got his Benz. It"s probably just to put up a front,” someone added.
“Yeah, if he"s really that great, why did Danchen not bring him up and introduce him to everyone? I"m guessing he"s probably not worthy of being shown off.”
The men were all looking at each other exchanging a couple of remarks. Chen Libai"s gloominess began to dissipate and he began succ.u.mbing to their views. He initially felt b.u.mmed after seeing her boyfriend and thinking that the boyfriend was a great person. However, after listening to what the others had to say, he discovered that they had a point—people must not be judged by their appearances.
“I really don"t know what she"s thinking. From what she said, her son is already so grown-up, but she"s still not married to the guy. Isn"t that a bit too irresponsible of him?” Chang Jingqiu asked.
The earlier comments were all made by the guys, but they might not necessarily hold that view. They said that mainly because they wanted to console Chen Libai.
None of the female cla.s.smates voiced their opinion except for Chang Jingqiu.
Her words, however, made sense to everyone else.
w.a.n.g Kaiyi nodded in agreement and frowned. “In that case, it"s clear that the guy has no ability to take care of her at all. Perhaps he might be capable but he doesn"t take her seriously, hence the lack of intention to marry her.
Chen Libai got more worried for Ruan Danchen after hearing that.
“Okay, that"s enough.” Gao Xiaoyang pursed her lips. “You"re all guys, for heaven"s sake. Why are you talking behind her back like gossipy women? No matter what, it"s her own life. She has the right to choose what she wants. We don"t know whether she"s living a good life or a bad one, and it"s not in our place to draw up conclusions. I know that you"re standing on Libai"s side because you"re close with him, but you can"t say such harsh things and look down on her. Libai likes Danchen, and I support him going for her. All is fair in love and war, and there"s nothing bad about it.”
The last sentence was a last-minute addition by Gao Xiaoyang. She was worried that saying too much might make Chen Libai unhappy. Her mouth was to blame for that, as she was p.r.o.ne to offending people due to her directness. She regretted her words as soon as she finished saying everything, but her mind managed to find a way around her words by adding those last few sentences.
She was born with that directness, which was why she chose journalism as her career. She can be as direct as she liked and owe it to the general practice in journalism. Those who were slighted by her words could do nothing to blame her, as it was all a professional matter.
Fortunately, the Chen family was a strong family, and as a financial journalist, she had to interview a few of the more prominent figures in the business world. She had been frequently liaising with their secretaries for a month or so, yet she was never able to arrange a meeting. Her editor-in-chief scolded her constantly, so she was really hoping that Chen Libai would be able to help her. She took a firm stand on her principles, but she did not dare to go so far as to completely crush whatever dignity Chen Libai had.
Speaking of interviews, Gao Xiaoyang disdained Chang Jingqiu. The latter was her colleague but used the Chang family"s influence to do interviews as she pleased. Many big shot business people knew the Chang family well, so whenever there were any work-related matters, they made things easy for her by happily agreeing to Chang Jingqiu"s interviews.
Whenever their superiors gave them a.s.signments, Chang Jingqiu could finish them properly and efficiently. Those high-profile businessmen were difficult for Gao Xiaoyang to interview, but whenever it was tasked to Chang Jingqiu, those interviews were incredibly easy to arrange.
Soon enough, Gao Xiaoyang was made the subject of comparison, with her superiors frequently comparing her with Chang Jingqiu, causing Gao Xiaoyang to sulk tremendously. Just before the new year, another of Gao Xiaoyang"s interviewees was snagged away by Chang Jingqiu.
The male ex-cla.s.smate that earlier voiced his opinion felt awkward after Gao Xiaoyang"s chastising. Embarra.s.sment was plastered all over their faces, and in that brief moment, the atmosphere became awkward again.
Xia Zishan, who sat beside Chang JIngqiu, asked the latter, “I want to go to the restroom. Do you want to come with?”
“Okay.” Chang Jingqiu nodded. The restroom within their room was being used by another male ex-cla.s.smate, so the two of them went in search for one outside.
Once they were at the walkway with no one else beside them, Chang Jingqiu whispered to Xia Zishan, “Don"t take their words to heart okay. Men are naturally born with low EQ, and everything they did was to support their bro blindly. I don"t think they mean it. Ruan Danchen and her boyfriend seem to love each other very much, and leaving aside whether her boyfriend is a capable man or not, Ruan Danchen doesn"t look like she feels anything toward Chen Libai. Plus, her son is already so big. Even if Chen Libai wants to marry her, his family won"t agree to it, so don"t worry alright.”
“Thank you for helping me test the waters today,” Xia Zishan said.
Xia Zishan"s family was not considered one of the more prominent families in B City. She was simply the bottom layer of B City"s upper circle. Nevertheless, Chang Jingqiu did not mind getting on her good books, as she might find some use for Xia Zishan in the future. Besides, helping Xia Zishan did not put herself at a disadvantage, as she did not say anything that would offend anyone.
Chang Jingqiu wrapped her hand intimately around Xia Zishan"s arm and said, “Such a small matter, no need for thanks. If there"s anything else with Chen Libai that you need my help with, just let me know. I"ll help as much as I can.”
Ruan Danchen thought that Qi Chenglin would bring her back to Prestige Residences directly, but rather, he stopped at a mall owned by Wei Ziqi.
There was a total of three malls in B City that were owned by Wei Ziqi. The one that they were heading to had an exclusive right to trade in high-quality luxury goods. Qi Chenglin parked the car at the outdoor, unshaded parking lot. He then brought Ruan Danchen down and went straight into a shop that was very well-known for its windbreakers.
Instead of buying the windbreaker for her, he went to a rack that displayed scarves. His bright pupils glanced at the rack, then reached out to take one with his slender fingers. He wrapped it firmly around her neck, of which the originally uncovered state was enough to make one feel cold.
His wrapping was not overly spectacular. It was simple, unlike those fancy knots in tutorials littered all over the web.
He turned Ruan Danchen around so she faced the mirror. Her jaw was buried in the scarf, looking incredibly warm, with her pet.i.te face looking even smaller as a result.
The journey from the car to the mall was not long, but Ruan Danchen"s skin was too delicate and too defenseless against the cold. Just that tiny bit of wind was enough to make her face red.
After going into the mall, the heated air amplified the redness of her face.. She looked like a doll that had its cheeks dyed red.
The scarf covered her lower jaw, with her dainty nose exposed and her big, monochrome eyes standing out even more.
She looked just like a young student, and Qi Chenglin could not resist arranging the scarf for her before lowering his head and kissing her on the lips.
His kiss was sudden, but since her face was already red, there was no change whatsoever except for her bunny-like eyes that looked even more helpless. From the mirror, she even saw the staff member smile and turn away, giving them their privacy.
“This looks really nice. You don"t look like a mother that already has a child.” Qi Chenglin looked down at her, with the tip of his nose almost touching her cheek.
Her skin warranted close scrutiny, and although she applied a thin layer of powder, the silkiness of her skin was still evident. It would be an exaggeration to say that her pores were absent, but the truth was that they were so small as to become almost negligible. It did not go so far as to be as smooth as a baby, but it was glistening and very pleasing on the eye.
His hand, originally arranging the scarf on her neck, began creeping up unhesitatingly. His thin and elegant-looking fingers rubbed casually against her silky skin. It felt really good, but Ruan Danchen began to feel a bit ticklish and wanted to scratch it.
Qi Chenglin smiled and lowered his lips to kiss the places he had touched earlier. After a couple of pecks, he even drew a circle with his tongue, licking her. Ruan Danchen"s face felt even more ticklish.
She managed to see that the store attendant had fled to the entrance and stayed far away from them. She even saw the attendant"s blus.h.i.+ng face.
Ruan Danchen felt extremely embarra.s.sed, but despite his teasing, it was like she was rooted to the ground and could not move.
“Stop it.” Ruan Danchen"s face became warm; so warm in fact, that she felt like it was burning. Qi Chenglin"s lips could even feel the heat from her cheek.
He appeared to ignore her, however, as he continued kissing there without even pausing a beat.
He wanted to stop, but he just could not help it.
Ruan Danchen felt more and more ticklish at the spot that he kissed as if he was going to break her skin by kissing it.
She had no choice but to be honest with him. “Your kisses are tickling me too much.”
Qi Chenglin proceeded to do something that made her absolutely speechless.
He bit down on the ticklish area.
True enough, it did not itch anymore.
Ruan Danchen was speechless.
Seeing her mortified look, Qi Chenglin smiled and finally let go of her.
Ruan Danchen felt extremely embarra.s.sed and she did not look at him. Her head was getting numb from his stares, so she scanned the rack and quickly took one that was the same pattern as the one she was wearing.
Luckily for her, Qi Chenglin chose one that was a couple set.
She wrapped it around his neck too, and it looked far better than how Qi Chenglin wrapped it around her.
Ruan Danchen remained silent but smiled happily. Seeing their reflection, with the matching scarves around their neck, made her endlessly happy.
Qi Chenglin was happy too, and his clear eyes were filled with glee as well as warmth.
He smiled and said, “A matching set. I like it. Let"s wear these when we go to work.”
He then brought her to pay for them, leaving them wrapped around her neck.
It was the first time that the store attendant came across that kind of man. A simple act of buying scarves was enough to ignite their pa.s.sion, and a couple of kisses to the cheek was enough of a catalyst to escalate the situation to a point where the man might have just pushed her down and be done with it right there and done.
The attendant did not even dare to look up after receiving Qi Chenglin"s card. The earlier scene was merely a kiss on the cheek, but it was made to look so much more intimate.
The store attendant herself began wondering if she could try it later that night with her boyfriend.
“Wait a minute.” Ruan Danchen took the card from the attendant"s hand and gave it back to Qi Chenglin. She then took out her own card and handed it over.