Chapter 027: Not My Girlfriend

Shen Qingli didn’t reply to Jiang Junwen. Instead, she walked straight out of the restaurant.

Inside, Jiang Junwen searched anxiously, his eyes darting everywhere, but there was no sign of Shen Qingli.

A sudden thought flashed through his mind—did Pei Songjiang take her away?

After all, this restaurant was likely funded by the Pei family. The possibility made his chest tighten, a growing wave of frustration making it hard to breathe.

Agitated and restless, he had no appetite. The dishes in front of him had lost all color and taste.

The private room felt like a cage—suffocating.

He couldn’t sit still anymore. Grabbing Li Wenyao and Yu Zhenghao, his two childhood friends, he moved to a table outside.

Only these two would put up with his volatile temper. Anyone else would’ve left already.

Yu Zhenghao, seeing Jiang Junwen’s gloomy and despondent look, felt a twinge of pity. After ordering, he asked the server, “Where’s the new intern from A University? She’s our classmate—has she finished her shift?”

There wasn’t much need to explain. The whole restaurant knew what had happened. After all, just earlier, Jiang Junwen and the others had gotten into a brawl over that girl, causing quite a scene.

The server leaned in and replied quietly, “She seems to have left. After what happened earlier, our manager fired her.”

There was a hint of sympathy in her voice.

Yu Zhenghao was stunned. He instinctively looked at Jiang Junwen in shock.
“What? She was fired?”
His voice rose involuntarily in surprise.

The server nodded.

Li Wenyao’s brow furrowed deeply. He looked at Jiang Junwen, his expression full of reproach.
“Junwen, this time you really went too far.”

He knew full well that this was Shen Qingli’s first day. She probably just wanted some work experience and to help with expenses. And now, because of Jiang Junwen’s reckless behavior, she had been fired. She must be devastated.

Jiang Junwen’s face changed, guilt flashing through him—but he quickly retorted stiffly,
“So what? Good. A place like this isn’t suitable for her anyway.”

Despite his words, his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease.

Why was she even working part-time in the first place?

Was the Jiang family paying her father, Shen Guiqi, too little? Was that why she had to earn money on the side?

Though he tried to sound indifferent, Jiang Junwen was clearly unsettled. He shifted restlessly in his seat and finally stood up. Without another word, he strode toward the restaurant exit—he was going to find her.

Just as he reached the door, Li Wenyao quickly stepped in to block him.

He looked seriously at Jiang Junwen and said,
“Junwen, I think you’d better not look for Shen Qingli right now. Didn’t Luo Shuyao just get out of the hospital? Shouldn’t you go see her instead?”

To Li Wenyao, Jiang Junwen’s wavering between Shen Qingli and Luo Shuyao was hurting both women—and himself.

Jiang Junwen’s expression turned cold.
“Even you are stopping me? What, Li Wenyao—did Shen Qingli giving you a flower at the freshman party make you fall for her too?”

His tone was sharp, full of accusation, as if convinced Li Wenyao had an ulterior motive.

Li Wenyao’s face darkened. He snapped back,
“Junwen! Do you hear yourself? Calm down!”

He realized that whenever Shen Qingli was involved, Jiang Junwen would completely lose his rationality.

Jiang Junwen had always been cold and self-centered, rarely considering things from others’ perspectives. That kind of behavior only alienated people—though he never noticed it.

Jiang Junwen sneered.
“Mind your own business. I know what I’m doing.”

With that, he forcefully shook off Li Wenyao’s hand, marched to his car, started it, and sped away.

Yu Zhenghao watched with a complicated look. He said to Li Wenyao,
“Wenyao, why are you arguing with Junwen? You know how he is—the more you tell him, the less he listens. You usually never get involved. Why now?”

Li Wenyao was silent for a long moment.
“Because I can’t stand watching him keep making things worse for others.”

By “others,” he obviously meant Shen Qingli.

Yu Zhenghao glanced at him, surprised. Li Wenyao was usually the quiet observer—but today, he was unusually outspoken.

—

Meanwhile, Shen Qingli had just stepped out of the restaurant. The setting sun cast a long shadow behind her.

She walked quickly, weighed down by frustration, heading toward the bus stop.

At the bus stop, she tilted her head slightly, gazing into the distance.

Streetlights flicked on one by one, their warm yellow glow highlighting the fatigue on her face, adding to her loneliness.

Then a black car sped toward her and screeched to a halt nearby.

The door opened, and Jiang Junwen jumped out.

His lip was still bruised from the fight, but the hostility in his eyes had faded, replaced by urgency and confusion.

He quickly approached Shen Qingli, his tall figure casting a shadow over her.

Breathing slightly heavily, he asked in a low voice,
“Why didn’t you reply to my messages? Didn’t see them? Or just didn’t want to?”

There was a trace of hurt in his tone.

Shen Qingli turned to him slowly, her expression calm and unreadable. She looked at him as if he were a stranger.
“Young Master Jiang, is there something you need from me?”

Her voice was calm, but every word was like a cold blade cutting into Jiang Junwen’s heart.

Her indifference stung him.

He frowned, anger and frustration mingling on his face.
“Shen Qingli, I got into that fight because of you. Don’t you have anything to say?”

His voice rose, as if trying to force a reaction from her.

Shen Qingli was annoyed by his almost interrogative tone. She bit her lip slightly, her eyes flashing with impatience.

She hadn’t expected him to fight over her—but still…

After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath and said firmly,
“Young Master Jiang, don’t do things like that again. I’m not going to feel grateful—I’ll only find it troublesome.”

She looked him in the eyes, letting him hear exactly what he didn’t want to.

“I don’t need you to do anything for me. Honestly, if you hadn’t shown up, nothing would’ve happened. The restaurant wouldn’t have been thrown into chaos. Do you realize how much trouble your impulsiveness caused? Our manager is still dealing with the fallout. And I… I lost my job because of you.”

Her gentle tone carried words sharper than knives.

Jiang Junwen froze, his expression shifting from anger to shock.

He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Even though she spoke calmly, he could feel her contempt and frustration with him.

He had spent all this time stuck in memories of their past life. He couldn’t accept how different she had become.

Shen Qingli… hated him? That was unthinkable to him.

Shen Qingli, seeing him speechless, gently pushed him aside.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”

She stepped past him.

Jiang Junwen suddenly snapped out of it and grabbed her hand—tightly, almost painfully.

His eyes locked onto hers, panic creeping in.
“Why did you suddenly get a job? Are you short on money?”

In their past life, she’d never worked part-time. It made no sense to him.

Shen Qingli stiffened. Then she turned her head and said,
“No. I just didn’t want to go back to the Jiang house. I didn’t want to see you.”

Jiang Junwen: “…”

He instinctively let go of her hand, stunned. His face was a tangled mess of shock, disappointment, and helplessness.

Shen Qingli broke free just as a bus arrived.

Without even checking the route number, she ran onto the bus.

Jiang Junwen, usually so proud and untouchable, stood frozen in place, staring at her retreating figure with pain in his eyes.

Shen Qingli could feel his gaze like chains trying to hold her back—but she didn’t turn around.

She had once been softhearted—when she first came to the Jiang house, she had always been there for him. She had comforted him when he fought with his mother, chased after him in the rain, brought him water and an umbrella.

But her kindness had never been appreciated.

Jiang Junwen had always been the arrogant young master, taking others’ care for granted.

In their past life, Shen Qingli had been hopelessly in love.
But now, reborn, she would never make the same mistake.

—

At the same time, across town, Pei Songjiang was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled low, covering most of his face.

He carried a black shoulder bag, both hands in his pockets.

He walked quickly to the back door of the Renjian Yanhuo restaurant. The security guard at the entrance gave him a small nod—as if he was a familiar face.

Without stopping, Pei Songjiang pushed the door open and entered the restaurant.