Chapter 8: Did You See Them Go Home Together?

After getting a positive response, she smiled contentedly. “I think so too.”

She lowered her head and began eating seriously.

During the meal, the two didn’t talk much, only exchanging a few words here and there.

Mr. Qi was the kind of person who didn’t speak much but never made things awkward, so eating together wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Do you cook for yourself at home, Mr. Qi?” she asked.

“Yes, I cook for myself. If I don’t feel like it, I go out to eat,” he responded, then threw the question back at her, “How about you?”

Wen Zhixian replied, “I’m pretty much the same as you. The only difference is that besides cooking for myself and eating out, I sometimes go to my parents’ place for a free meal.”

She chuckled after saying that.

Qi Yanjing slightly curved his lips. He had eaten enough and set down his chopsticks. “Did you not go to the café today?”

“I didn’t sleep well last night. I overslept today and didn’t go,” she said, a bit embarrassed, as she touched the back of her neck with her left hand.

He had thought she might be nursing a broken heart again. After all, for the past few days, whenever he bought coffee, she was always there, even if sometimes she was out of sight, likely busy in the back.

Wen Zhixian pulled out a napkin to wipe her mouth and then tossed it in the trash bin.

The two of them got up and walked to the front desk. Qi Yanjing was about to take out his phone when Wen Zhixian stopped him.

Looking into his eyes, she smiled and said, “Consider this meal on my dad.”

She handed over the payment code, and the transaction was successful.

After leaving the restaurant, Qi Yanjing sighed. This made him feel like he was freeloading.

Wen Zhixian explained, “Today, I was supposed to have dinner at my parents’ place, but they went out, and my dad just transferred me some money to make up for it. Since I’ve already eaten, I might as well treat you to dinner.”

“Oh, and thank you for the cake yesterday.”

Qi Yanjing suddenly laughed softly, “Then I should thank you for treating me to dinner today.”

“You’re welcome.” She was in a good mood, much better than the oppressive feeling from the night before. Her friends were truly good people.

She glanced at the time. It was 7 PM. She turned to Qi Yanjing and said, “Mr. Qi, go home and get some rest early.”

“Drive safely,” Qi Yanjing advised.

Wen Zhixian got into her car and waved at him.

Only after watching her drive away did Qi Yanjing get into his own car. A few minutes earlier, he had a strange feeling that someone was watching them. He turned his head and noticed a man standing not far away—someone who looked familiar. It was the same man who had a conflict with Miss Wen at the café before… her ex.

He merely glanced at him before starting his car and leaving.

Gu Yuchen’s face was dark. He had come with a friend to eat, and the moment he got out of the car, he saw Zhixian coming out of the restaurant with a man he didn’t recognize. Although they weren’t doing anything inappropriate, he felt extremely annoyed.

How did he not know that Zhixian had such a friend? And that she was having dinner with him?

“How long have you been standing there watching?” his friend asked in exasperation. “That’s your fiancée. If you see her eating with someone else, why don’t you go and ask her about it? It’s not like she’ll ignore you.”

This comment struck a nerve in Gu Yuchen. “Shut up. Mind your own business.”

His friend shrugged, folding his arms as if he’d been shot.

Gu Yuchen took out his phone and called Song Kairui, immediately asking, “Let me ask you something. Has Zhixian met any new men lately? A good-looking one?”

Song Kairui clicked his tongue, “Gu Yuchen, are you losing it? What men? Today, she was just with us for lunch. If she wasn’t at the café working, she was at home sleeping. When would she have time to meet some guy?”

“I saw it.”

Song Kairui responded with a casual “Oh,” then said, “You saw her eating with a guy? She can eat with whoever she wants. It’s perfectly normal. Unless… did you see them go home together?”

Gu Yuchen hadn’t seen that.

His mood lightened a bit as he asked, “Who upset you? You’re acting like you’ve been set off today.”

Song Kairui half-joked, “You, of course.”

He was still annoyed about Gu Yuchen hitting Zhixian over a cup. Today, he found out that she still had ringing in her ears from the incident. The fact that he hadn’t outright cursed him out was a miracle. And now Gu Yuchen was asking who had upset him?

Though the idea of Zhixian having dinner with a man was odd, he knew it was probably an innocent situation. Still, if it riled up Gu Yuchen, then that was a bonus.

Feeling irritated, Gu Yuchen snapped, “Alright, I’m hanging up.”

As soon as Song Kairui’s call was disconnected, he immediately messaged Qin Zhaoli: [Zhixian was seen having dinner with another man, and Gu Yuchen saw it. He must be fuming.]

Qin Zhaoli replied: [Serves him right. I can already picture Gu Yuchen’s grim face.]

---

On the third floor of Jufu Lou, a group of parents was dining together in a private room.

After a few rounds of drinks, Song Kairui’s parents brought up the matter of Gu Yuchen and Wen Zhixian, smiling as they said, “We watched these kids grow up together. When they get married, we’ll definitely give them a big red envelope as their aunt and uncle.”

The parents laughed, all except for Qin Zhaoli’s parents.

When the topic of Gu Yuchen and Wen Zhixian came up, Qin Zhaoli’s parents exchanged glances. They had heard from their son that things had even turned physical, and they doubted the relationship would last. They felt a bit regretful, even somewhat blaming Gu Yuchen for how things had turned out.

Gu Yuchen’s father, Gu Youwei, smiled warmly, slightly tipsy as he looked at Wen Xingzhi and Shen Ling, “A few days ago, Yuchen mentioned that he and Zhixian were discussing getting their marriage certificate. I guess that’ll be happening soon.”

Gu’s mother, Zhao Wan, was also very pleased, “I’m so happy at the thought of Zhixian becoming my daughter-in-law.”

Shen Ling, far from her usual stern demeanor in the hospital, was calm and composed, “We’ve known Yuchen since he was little. We know what kind of person he is. We feel at ease with him marrying our Zhixian.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhaoli’s parents sighed quietly. They had indeed watched Yuchen grow up. He had always seemed reliable and well-mannered, which was why they never expected him to act as he did. If Shen Ling and Wen Xingzhi found out that their daughter had been hit, things would not go well.

The parents raised their glasses and had another drink.

---

Wen Zhixian returned home, took a shower, sliced up some fruit, and comfortably sat on the balcony, enjoying the night breeze. It wasn’t until 9 PM that she finished her nightly routine and got into bed, intending to play on her phone for a bit before sleeping.

Suddenly, a call came through on her phone from an unfamiliar number, but her first thought was that it must be Gu Yuchen.

At this point, she had nothing left to say to Gu Yuchen. It was true that after a certain point, arguments only lead to silence, and now, she just felt cold inside.

Answering his call would only upset her more.

The phone kept ringing. She didn’t answer, nor did she hang up. Instead, she messaged Song Kairui: [Can you tell Gu Yuchen to stop calling me? I don’t want to talk to him.]

She had originally wanted Zhaoli to talk to him, but she was afraid that Zhaoli might lose his temper and do something rash, so she decided to have Song Kairui handle it instead.

Song Kairui replied: [This is hilarious. He’s probably calling to question you about having dinner with another man. Let him get mad.]