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Qin Junling held a glass of red wine in her hand, clinked glasses with Fu Xuanyi, took a sip, and smiled as she looked at Wei Yuxian, asking, “Is this your fiancée?”
Fu Xuanyi squeezed Wei Yuxian’s hand and nodded, “Yes.”
With an attractive smile on her face, Qin Junling said, “Won’t you introduce her to me?”
At this, Fu Xuanyi introduced them by name, and that was it.
Qin Junling chuckled lightly, resembling a lazy yet wild cat as she remarked, “You’re still the same, never saying much.”
Fu Xuanyi glanced at Qin Junling but didn’t say anything more, instead tightening his grip on Wei Yuxian’s hand.
Wei Yuxian wanted to pull her hand back, feeling uncomfortable being toyed with like this in front of everyone. However, as soon as she tried to move, Fu Xuanyi increased his grip, preventing her from pulling away.
Qin Junling naturally noticed their interaction and smiled again, though her eyes held more than just amusement.
She turned to Wei Yuxian and initiated a conversation, “Can I call you Ah Xian?”
Wei Yuxian quickly refocused her attention and replied to Qin Junling, “Of course, Qin Junjie.”
Qin Junling retorted, “Why so formal with ‘Qin Junjie’? It sounds too distant. Ah Xian, since Fu Xuanyi and I are close and grew up together, we’ve always been classmates. You can call me Big Sister Qin.”
Wei Yuxian felt a slight discomfort upon hearing Qin Junling’s words but couldn’t pinpoint why. After a moment’s thought, she didn’t see any issue and responded, “Okay, Big Sister Qin.”
Qin Junling then asked, “How did you and Ah Xuan meet?”
Wei Yuxian thought about the serendipitous nature of her meeting with Fu Xuanyi and couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of fate. However, she found it awkward to explain and chuckled softly, saying, “Well…”
Just as she was considering her response, Fu Xuanyi spoke up, “Miss Qin, how is your company doing lately?”
As Fu Xuanyi spoke up, it seemed to rescue Wei Yuxian from the awkward moment. She looked at him gratefully, keeping her hand calmly in his.
Qin Junling was taken aback by Fu Xuanyi’s sudden interjection but proceeded to answer his question, saying, “Everything is going well. I have a project in hand recently and was thinking of discussing it with you.”
Fu Xuanyi remained composed, his expression unchanged as he asked, “Is it reliable?”
He began to fiddle with the Buddhist beads on his wrist, a subtle indication of his unease.
While Wei Yuxian couldn’t discern any hostility in Qin Junling’s words, Fu Xuanyi clearly sensed it. He understood that Qin Junling’s previous comment had been deliberately challenging Wei Yuxian.
Qin Junling could clearly perceive the change in Fu Xuanyi’s tone, which had turned cold unexpectedly. Uncertain why he had suddenly become distant, she opted to maintain a light tone and replied with a smile, “Of course, it’s reliable. Otherwise, I wouldn’t approach you.”
Fu Xuanyi responded with a simple “Hmm” and prompted, “Go on.”
After Qin Junling finished speaking, there was a pause, and Fu Xuanyi didn’t engage further. His gaze shifted away from Qin Junling and onto Wei Yuxian. He noticed that she hadn’t touched the small cake, so he picked up a fork and attempted to feed her.
Wei Yuxian looked at his action with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. She was unsure how to react, caught off guard by Fu Xuanyi’s unexpected gesture in such a public setting.
Being naturally shy and modest, she had never expected Fu Xuanyi to feed her, especially not in front of so many people. She hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the fork from Fu Xuanyi’s hand, saying softly, “I’ll eat it myself.”
Fu Xuanyi didn’t insist on feeding her. Seeing her blush slightly, he understood that she was feeling shy again. This realization eased his mood somewhat.
Qin Junling observed their interaction closely, her hand at her side gripping tightly. Her smile was strained, barely holding on after years of facial control.
Realizing Fu Xuanyi’s clear signal that she wasn’t welcome to stay longer, she decided it was time to leave. She stood up gracefully and said, “Ah Xuan, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go over there. I saw Director Liu just now.”
Fu Xuanyi responded with a simple “Hmm,” not even turning his head away from Wei Yuxian. His gaze remained gentle, focused on the person he wanted to see, making it clear that everyone else was secondary, if noticed at all.
Qin Junling gritted her teeth, holding a half-empty wine glass, she walked away in high heels.
Their exchange didn’t make much noise, but it did catch the attention of some people. After Qin Junling left, a few gathered together and whispered.
“I heard Miss Qin from the Qin family and Master Xuanyi grew up together. She even has a crush on him.”
“What do you mean ‘grew up together’? They just happened to go to the same school every time. If that counts as childhood sweethearts, then I have nothing to say.”
“But it’s true that Miss Qin likes Master Xuanyi. I heard she’s liked him since high school. It’s been at least ten years now, and she hasn’t given up.”
“While she’s been single all these years, no one else caught her eye because of Master Xuanyi. But Master Xuanyi isn’t interested in her.”
“I’d say Miss Qin should give up early. Master Xuanyi already has a fiancée and even children now. There’s absolutely no chance for her!”
“It’s a pity for Miss Qin’s stunning appearance, like a charming fairy. If she were out there, so many people would adore her. But she’s hung up on Master Xuanyi.”
“If only Miss Qin could look outside, who knows how many suitors she’d have! Even my son keeps insisting he won’t marry anyone else, driving me crazy…”
The group whispered, unaware that their words had reached Qin Junling’s ears.
Meanwhile, Wei Yuxian finished eating a small cake by herself, and no one dared to approach Fu Xuanyi anymore.
She glanced in the direction of Qin Junling and remarked, “Miss Qin is truly a successful woman, with such a powerful presence.”
Fu Xuanyi raised an eyebrow, “Do you like her?”
Wei Yuxian quickly shook her head, saying, “No, no, I just think she has a very commanding presence. I aspire to be like her in the future.”
Fu Xuanyi frowned slightly and said, “She’s not as good as she appears. Knowing people’s surface but not their hearts. My dear, don’t learn from her.”
Qin Junling was always smiling, adept at hiding her emotions behind a façade of laughter, with deep reserves of cunning.
It’s better for his beloved to remain simple and not become like that. Keeping things straightforward is good enough.
Wei Yuxian listened to his words, looked at Fu Xuanyi, then glanced again at Qin Junling, who was effortlessly engaging with others. She couldn’t have imagined that Qin Junling would be described in such a way by Fu Xuanyi.
Just now, she did feel a bit uncomfortable, but her interaction with Qin Junling was brief, just a few sentences. It was impossible to tell what kind of person she really was in such a short time.
In any case, Qin Junling’s first impression was that she was someone easy to get along with. But who would have thought…
Wei Yuxian withdrew her gaze, sighing inwardly: “People’s hearts are truly complex.”
However, she didn’t dwell on this matter. Instead, she ate the fruits that Fu Xuanyi had brought over for her.