Chapter 11 – It’s Not That She Looks Down on Him

After leaving the garment factory, it was already evening.
With a large sum of money tucked safely away, Song Kexia went to a state-run restaurant for a meal, then headed straight to the dance hall to look for Qin Muye.

The dance hall had just opened. Seeing a young woman walk in alone, the waitress greeted her warmly.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Song Kexia still gathered her courage and asked,
“Is your boss here?”

The waitress looked at the pretty young woman in front of her and sighed,
“Another beautiful girl coming to find the boss. Miss, who are you? What business do you have with our Brother Liu?”

“I have something urgent to discuss with him. Could you please call him out for me?”

The waitress turned to a young man with bleached yellow hair.
“Hey, there’s a girl here to see Brother Liu.”

The yellow-haired youth looked her over, then finally turned around to call him.

Qin Muye had stayed up half the night yesterday, and this morning had been dragged out for tea. He’d barely slept a few hours before being woken again.
Hearing someone had come to see him—another young woman at that—he was in no mood at all. He waved Zhou Qi away impatiently.

“Not seeing anyone. Send her off.”

Zhou Qi was unwilling to give up.
“Brother Liu, this one’s really pretty. Just go take a look.”

Still half-asleep and grumpy, Qin Muye snapped,
“I’m not going. Now scram.”

“You really not going? The girl says her name is Song Kexia. Says she’s got urgent business with you. And honestly, from the way she looks, it does seem serious.”

That name lingered in Qin Muye’s ears for two seconds. He slowly opened his eyes.
“What did you say her name was?”

“She said she’s Song Kexia.”

“Tell her I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Got it.” Zhou Qi happily ran out.
Didn’t expect she’d actually be someone Brother Liu knew.

Plenty of young women came to the dance hall for the sake of Brother Liu—after all, he was good-looking. But he never paid them any attention, and many left dejected after trying.
So for him to willingly see this girl was rare indeed.

Qin Muye got up, turned on the tap, splashed his face with cold water, and ran his hands through his hair. Looking in the mirror, he saw red veins in his eyes from two nights of bad sleep, but overall he still looked sharp.

Song Kexia was invited in by Zhou Qi and sat on the sofa. Zhou Qi even brought her a drink, grinning as he said,
“Comrade, you look new here. Don’t come to our dance hall often, do you?”

Song Kexia nodded. “I rarely come.”

In these times, adults generally thought dance halls were improper places and wouldn’t let their children near them. She’d always been the obedient daughter at home—if Li Yunmei said she couldn’t go somewhere, she wouldn’t.

“You came this time especially to find our Brother Liu, right? What’s your relationship with him?”

Song Kexia pressed her lips together and said nothing.

“Don’t get me wrong. I just think with a girl as pretty as you, if you came here to find him, you must be pretty close.”

“What are you up to?”

Zhou Qi turned his head and found Qin Muye right behind him. He straightened immediately and laughed.
“Just chatting with the comrade here so she won’t get bored.”

“Go do your work. Don’t poke your nose into things.”

“Alright. I’ll get to it. Brother Liu, Comrade Song, take your time talking.”

With a mischievous “good luck” look to Qin Muye, Zhou Qi left.

Qin Muye sat across from her, one leg crossed over the other, his posture lazy but his gaze direct.
“So, what do you want from me?”

The colorful lights washed over his face, making his sharp features stand out even more. His fringe fell just to his brows, adding a hint of youthful vitality.

This man’s looks really were exceptional.

Song Kexia lowered her gaze.
“I need your help. Do you know a locksmith? I need to unlock something.”

His eyebrow lifted.
“What lock?”

“My parents’ bedroom door. My university admission letter was taken by them, and they plan to have my younger sister go in my place. I want it back, but they’ve locked it in their room and I can’t get it.”

Qin Muye gave a short laugh.
“So, a soon-to-be university student. No wonder you look down on me.”

Song Kexia kept her head lowered.
“I don’t look down on you. I may have grown up in the city, but I was switched at birth—my real parents are farmers. I’m the one not good enough for you. Lin Siming told me about your background. Someone like you could find a partner with much better conditions. If you found someone like me, your family would never agree.”

Hearing this, his expression finally eased.
So it wasn’t that she thought he wasn’t good enough—it was that she didn’t want to cause him trouble.

His eyes lingered on her face as he said casually,
“Who I choose is my business. What’s it got to do with my family?”

“That’s what you think now. But when your parents oppose it, you won’t think the same. A lot of people start out impulsive and passionate, but in the end… they compromise.”

“In your eyes, am I such a spineless man?”

She pressed her lips together and didn’t dare answer.

Qin Muye let out a short, amused laugh. Talking to her was just asking to get annoyed.

“When do you need the locksmith?”

“Tomorrow morning. I’ll come over after they leave for work.”

“No need. I’ll bring him to your housing compound.”

She looked at him in surprise. Was he going too?

Meeting her startled gaze, he smirked.
“What, I can’t go to your place?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Tomorrow I’ll be waiting downstairs at your place. Come down when it’s convenient.”

She nodded, and when she looked up again, her eyes met his.
His gaze was deep, like a still and mysterious well that could pull someone in. She quickly looked away and stood up.

“Then I’ll go now. I’ll leave this matter in your hands.”

Seeing her about to leave, Zhou Qi tried to keep her,
“Comrade Song, why not stay a bit longer? Play a few rounds with us?”

“No, I have things to do. I have to go.”

With that, she turned and left.

Zhou Qi looked at Qin Muye.
“Brother Liu, such a pretty girl’s leaving—aren’t you going to see her off?”

“If you’re so concerned, why don’t you go?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind, I’ll walk her home right now.”

“Why would I mind?”

Zhou Qi grinned.
“By the way, your new motorcycle’s coming soon, right?”

“Two more days.”

“Make sure to let us have a look when it arrives.”

“Go do your work. You spend all day talking nonsense.”

“Man, the girl leaves and you get all cranky.”

Zhou Qi lugged the speaker upstairs, shaking his head. Brother Liu really was dense—so late at night, and he didn’t even keep her for a meal, let alone walk her home.
No wonder with a face like that, he still didn’t have a girlfriend.