Chapter 13: You Like Him?

He… why was he here?

And he actually knew Mu Xingyi?

Was the world really this small?

Li Qingqing was completely stunned. The sudden encounter had thrown her into a daze, leaving her unsure of what to do.

Mu Xingyi noticed Li Qingqing staring at Lu Yan in surprise and felt a bit puzzled.

“Qingqing… do you know President Lu?”

Know him?
That was an understatement.

They lived together.

And not just that…

They’d even slept together.

Twice.

Shen Lu also sensed that something was off from Li Qingqing’s expression. She nudged her with her elbow.

Li Qingqing finally snapped back to reality—only to meet Lu Yan’s eyes, filled with an unreadable expression.

“I…”
She didn’t even know how to begin explaining.

But Lu Yan took the initiative and spoke up.

“We’ve met. She was in a bit of trouble before, so I helped her out.”

As he said this, he glanced at her with a teasing, suggestive look.

…

Li Qingqing’s palms were already starting to sweat from anxiety.

Mu Xingyi didn’t expect the two of them to have such a connection.

“Haha, is that so? Well, since fate has brought us all together here, let’s sit down and eat.”

As he spoke, he stood up to pull out chairs for the two girls.

Li Qingqing wanted to refuse, but she couldn’t think of a good reason in time—and Shen Lu had already plopped down onto her seat without hesitation.

Shen Lu was incredibly nosy. From the brief exchange between Li Qingqing and Lu Yan, she could sense something very unusual.

She was sure there was a story between them, and she wasn’t about to miss this opportunity to find out more.

With no way out, Li Qingqing had no choice but to sit down, forcing herself to go along with it.

“So, President Lu, what kind of help did you give Qingqing?” Shen Lu picked up right where they’d left off, eyes shining with curiosity as she sat directly across from Lu Yan.

Lu Yan smirked faintly, his head tilted slightly, and shot Li Qingqing a sultry look—as if recalling something… delicious.

Li Qingqing was scorched by his gaze. Embarrassed, she quickly looked down and pretended to study the menu.

Then Lu Yan spoke slowly, almost lazily:
“That night at Earl Nightclub, she grabbed me and insisted on giving me her first—”

BOOM—!

Li Qingqing felt like something exploded inside her brain.

She whipped her head toward Lu Yan, eyes wide with shock and silent pleading. Her hands clutched the menu so tightly the paper was almost crushed.

Lu Yan, picking up on the panic in her eyes, became even more smug.

He continued casually, “She insisted on using her first attempt at selling drinks on me. Later she accidentally spilled alcohol on me, got fired by the club, and I felt a bit guilty about it. So I found her a decently paying job. Isn’t that right, Miss Li?”

He looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile—and under the table, his hand slid onto her thigh.

Li Qingqing’s pupils dilated instantly. The menu slipped from her hand and fell onto the table with a soft thud.

This man is insane! This was a public setting!

But he seemed to have found her weakness and now acted completely at ease, leisurely toying with her. His hand on her thigh grew increasingly bold.

And on the surface, Li Qingqing had to force a calm response:
“Yes… that’s right. I’m really grateful to President Lu for his help…”

Shen Lu already knew about Li Qingqing getting fired from the nightclub.
Could it be that this high-paying mystery job had actually been arranged by Lu Yan?

Shen Lu felt like Lu Yan was hiding something, but since she wasn’t familiar with him, it wasn’t her place to ask.

“Oh? So that’s how it is. Thank you, President Lu, for helping my little apprentice. Dinner’s on me tonight,” Mu Xingyi said gratefully, looking at Lu Yan.

“Apprentice…?”

When did Li Qingqing become Mu Xingyi’s apprentice?

Mu Xingyi recounted how he had run into Li Qingqing and Shen Lu at the campus recruitment fair at Haihua University. Lu Yan nodded thoughtfully, the hand beneath the table growing even more restless.

Li Qingqing tried to shift away, but her chair was tightly wedged next to Lu Yan’s by his long legs, giving her no room to move.

She spent the whole dinner on edge, drenched in cold sweat.

After dinner, Lu Yan’s black Bentley was already parked outside the bar.

Mu Xingyi’s designated driver had also arrived. “Qingqing, hop in. I’ll take you home,” Mu Xingyi called to her, waving.

Just as she was about to go, Lu Yan stopped her.

“We’re going the same way. I’ll take her.” His voice was laced with a tone that left no room for argument.

A sense of dread instantly washed over Li Qingqing. She had originally planned to go back to school with Shen Lu for the night, but clearly, with Lu Yan making a move like this, she was going to have to return to the Wan Hua apartment.

Mu Xingyi looked slightly disappointed but didn’t push back.

“Then Shen Lu, I’ll drive you. It’s late, and it’s not safe for a girl who’s had a few drinks to go alone.”

Shen Lu nodded in agreement.

Lu Yan opened the door, gestured for Li Qingqing to get in, and then climbed in himself.

“Shen Xing, drive,” Lu Yan instructed the driver.

The black Bentley slowly pulled ahead of Mu Xingyi’s Benz.

Mu Xingyi watched it disappear into the distance, feeling a mix of emotions. When did his old classmate start caring this much about a woman?

In the enclosed space of the car, Li Qingqing sat stiffly, utterly ill at ease.

She had thought that whatever happened between her and Lu Yan was known only to the two of them, but now it turned out they shared mutual acquaintances—and of all people, Mu Xingyi…

“What are you so guilty about?” Lu Yan asked suddenly.

“Ah? …I’m not… What would I be guilty about…” Li Qingqing swallowed hard, her voice shaky.

Lu Yan let out a cold laugh.

She had looked completely guilty at the dinner table just now. Was it because of Mu Xingyi?

“Haven’t seen you for a few hours and you’ve already got yourself a master.” He sneered.

“…”

Li Qingqing was speechless. “Didn’t we just explain that at the table? It’s for an internship.” She really didn’t get why he was being so passive-aggressive—what did it matter to him whether she had a mentor or not?

“The money I gave you wasn’t enough? You needed to get another job?” he snapped.

“That’s different.”

“How is it different?” he pressed.

Li Qingqing didn’t want to engage. She reminded herself constantly that they had a transactional relationship and she shouldn’t get drawn into deeper discussions with him.

Seeing her fall silent only fueled Lu Yan’s inexplicable anger.

He tugged at his collar and tried to suppress his irritation.

“You like him?” he asked coldly.

His instincts told him that her nervousness at dinner was largely because of Mu Xingyi.

Li Qingqing’s eyes widened. “What… what are you talking about? I only just met him again after all these years—how can you say I like him?”

“I didn’t say who I meant by him, did I?” Lu Yan looked at her with a chilling intensity, like a predator eyeing its prey before it bolts.

“…”

“You… You say things like that—what else could you mean? I’m not stupid, I can figure it out,” Li Qingqing snapped back.

“Oh? Is that so? You’re not stupid, huh? Then can you tell what I really want?”

“…What?”

“I want to sleep with you. Can’t you tell?”