Chapter 41: When Rivals Meet

Who would have thought that they truly broke up, and Qi Yanjing never gave her the ring? For all these years, Shen Zhi had assumed Qi Yanjing was simply too proud to admit it.

But now, years later, Qi Yanjing outright said the ring wasn’t for her!

She bit her lip, suppressing her anger, and forced a composed smile to change the subject. “I heard you’ve become a professor. Congratulations.”

Zhou Chuyu had told her to look him up on the university website, and seeing that Qi Yanjing had become the youngest professor in the Chinese department left her shocked.

She had known his personal abilities were exceptional, but she hadn’t imagined he could rise to the rank of professor so quickly. It was incredible.

“Professor Qi found himself a good wife. I visited her shop last time. Judging by its location, I bet the income isn’t low. Marrying a wife like that saves you years of effort.”

Her words were a veiled jab, implying he was just a kept man benefiting from Zhixian’s money.

Qi Yanjing didn’t care about such remarks. “I did indeed marry a great wife,” he replied.

Zhixian had indeed been a great help to him, especially when it came to easing his insomnia.

He glanced at the time, raised his eyelids slightly, and gave Shen Zhi a cold look. “I have to go. My wife is waiting for me at home for dinner.”

With that, he stood and left.

That afternoon, there had been another meeting, and it was already past six when he left the school. Being delayed by Shen Zhi for a bit, he estimated he wouldn’t get home until at least 7:30.

He quickened his pace, left the café, got into his car, and fastened his seatbelt. Before starting the car, he took out his phone to message Zhixian:

“Something came up, and I’ll be late. Don’t wait for me to eat if you’re hungry.”

Zhixian replied almost instantly: “Have you eaten yet?”

He typed back: “Not yet.”

Zhixian sent a playful emoji of someone peeking out and followed up with: “Then I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Looking at the screen, he couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Alright,” he replied.

Just as he sent the message, his phone displayed a low-battery warning and shut down after 30 seconds. During the afternoon meeting, it had been left playing music in the drawer, draining the battery.

He set the phone down, started the car, and headed home.

To his dismay, an unwelcome visitor was waiting downstairs.

Some people just seemed destined to block his path to having dinner with Zhixian.

Take, for example, Gu Yuchen.

This was their first face-to-face meeting alone.

Gu Yuchen hadn’t expected to run into Zhixian’s legally married husband downstairs, nor had he ever taken him seriously. The man’s name was apparently Qi Yanjing.

But seeing him still sparked jealousy and intense discomfort.

Gu Yuchen stopped in his tracks, exuding a frosty, unapproachable air.

Hmph, all show and no substance.

Qi Yanjing couldn’t be bothered with him. He didn’t want to waste his time on a shameless man who harassed Zhixian. But Gu Yuchen just had to block his path.

When Qi Yanjing tried to walk around him, Gu Yuchen stepped forward to stop him again.

Only then did Qi Yanjing spare him a cold glance.

He had never found the saying “rivals in love meeting face-to-face” particularly meaningful. Even when he was with Chaomu, he had never confronted the man she liked so directly.

He also never imagined that one day he would find himself standing face-to-face with a rival because of Wen Zhixian. He knew, though, that no matter who stood before him, Zhixian would always side with him.

The thought was unexpectedly reassuring.

But Gu Yuchen couldn’t keep his cool at the thought of Qi Yanjing walking through Zhixian’s door later. “Get lost,” he growled.

“That’s something I should be saying to you. This is my home,” Qi Yanjing replied calmly.

What kind of logic was it to tell the homeowner to leave? If anyone should go, it was Gu Yuchen.

Gu Yuchen let out a cold laugh. “I’ve never heard of a married couple where the wedding house belongs to the wife. You’re the first. Truly eye-opening.”

Qi Yanjing remained unbothered by such remarks. “What happens between us as a couple is none of your concern.”

To Gu Yuchen, Qi Yanjing’s indifferent demeanor felt like punching a pillow. The man’s calm, unruffled attitude was infuriating.

Then, Gu Yuchen’s icy voice cut through the air. “Do you really think Zhixian likes you?”

He let out a mocking laugh, his eyes filled with ridicule.

“Do you know she liked me for many years? Do you think she could ever forget me? The person you secretly love during your youth always holds a place in your heart. That place will always belong to me. How long have you known her? How much space do you think you occupy in her heart?”

Qi Yanjing’s silence seemed to fuel his arrogance, and his words grew increasingly offensive. “When we were together, she always liked to hold onto me and share her little stories. The way she looked at me was always filled with admiration. She would reach out to hold my hand, seek closeness with me, and even… kiss me.”

He paused for two seconds. Truthfully, he had never liked it when Zhixian kissed him and had never responded. There were only a couple of such instances, and perhaps Zhixian had sensed his disinterest, so she had stopped those actions entirely.

Now, he regretted it.

What was he thinking back then?

Gu Yuchen steadied himself, once again putting on a mocking demeanor. “Do you really think Zhixian would accept someone like you? Or… do you want to hear more?”

Qi Yanjing looked at him calmly. “So why did you hurt her?”

To Qi Yanjing, as her legitimate husband, Gu Yuchen’s words were certainly grating. He wasn’t the type to easily forgive, especially not in matters like these. But he didn’t blame Zhixian; she had simply trusted the wrong person. He had been through similar experiences himself.

What he felt most was heartache. Being hurt by someone you once liked was painful. Now that Zhixian was married to him and living well, someone who had hurt her in the past should have the decency to disappear, as if dead.

Yet here was Gu Yuchen, trying to disrupt her life just when she was beginning to move on, using the evidence of her past feelings for him to attack her, attempting to throw her back into chaos.

What had Zhixian done to deserve this?

Gu Yuchen’s temple twitched in fury. Qi Yanjing’s single remark completely broke his composure. “Qi Yanjing, you piece of shit! Do you believe I can ruin you completely?”

He had heard that Qi Yanjing was a university professor. Dealing with someone like him wouldn’t be difficult.

But Qi Yanjing stood there, utterly unperturbed, not even acknowledging the threat. Instead, his mind wandered to whether Zhixian would sometimes feel sad, reflecting on how the person she once liked turned out to be this way.

Finally, Qi Yanjing cast him a cold glance and said, “She will regret ever liking you.”

With that, he turned and walked out through the main gate.

Gu Yuchen was so enraged by those words that he was seething, but when he saw Qi Yanjing leave without entering the building, he froze momentarily. He convinced himself that Qi Yanjing had retreated in defeat because of his words. That final remark, he concluded, was just a petty attempt to provoke him before leaving.

Thinking this, his anger subsided slightly. He let out a derisive snort. “Coward.”

As Qi Yanjing exited, Song Kairui and Qin Zhaoli happened to pull up in their car. They noticed Qi Yanjing heading to the left.

The two had arrived because they feared Gu Yuchen might cause trouble.

“Did Gu Yuchen get into a fight with him?” Song Kairui frowned.

Qin Zhaoli watched Qi Yanjing disappear down the street to the left. “Where is he going?”