Chapter 149 If you can't be a bad person, then don't be one.

As soon as Qiao Xing stepped out of the hotel lobby, he couldn't help but shiver, wondering if it was because the night was too cold.

Qin Ce took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. She was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Qin Ce.

But he turned around and looked at the building. Qiao Xing followed his gaze and saw only bright lights.

What are you looking at?

Qin Ce looked away and shook his head. "It's nothing, let's go."

Standing in the lobby, Fang Ya looked at the two of them through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She had felt a little guilty just now.

Even though we were so far apart, I had the illusion that we were looking into Qin Ce's eyes just now.

He probably wasn't looking at himself, was he?

My aunt said she wanted to treat everyone to dinner, so we went to a restaurant. The prices were very reasonable, and it only cost a few dozen yuan per person.

She deliberately arranged for Wang Qin to sit next to Qiao Xing, then asked with a smile, "Xingxing, have you found a place for Qin yet?"

Qiao Xing paused, smiled, and said, "Still looking."

"We need to arrange that quickly, that hotel is expensive for a night." Auntie was also a gossip, and knowing that Wang Qin stayed at that hotel for seven or eight hundred yuan a night, she started to have wicked ideas.

That's why she invited him to dinner tonight. She didn't know much about Qin Ce's salary before, but now she has a basic understanding of it.

She even regretted being so immature before and having a falling out with Qiao Xing, and now she's trying her best to make amends.

Qiao Xing twitched the corner of her mouth but didn't say anything.

At the dinner table, Auntie's mouth was like a machine gun, chattering nonstop, with spittle flying into Wang Ye's bowl.

Wang Ye said with a dark face, "Mom, hurry up and eat. You talk so much all day."

His aunt glared at him, annoyed. "All you ever do is eat! You're useless at everything, but you're number one when it comes to eating!"

Wang Ye was caught in the crossfire. His eyelids twitched, and he lowered his head to eat his rice.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, and only Wang Qin occasionally chimed in, her aunt wisely shut up.

Between Qiao Xing and Wang Qin was Lin Xi. The young girl stared at the dishes on the table, swallowing hard. She wanted to eat but was too shy to stand up and pick them up. It was clear that she was still a little reserved.

Wang Qin felt embarrassed to take dishes that were too far away, so she put the nearest dishes into Lin Xi's bowl and whispered in Lin Xi's ear, "How about eating this?"

Although she is over fifty, a mother's gentleness still shines through her eyes.

Qiao Xing turned her head to look at the heartwarming scene between the mother and daughter, and she suddenly felt that the chopsticks in her hand were a little heavier.

This scene was something she had dreamed about countless times when she was a child, and now her dream had come true, except that the little girl in her dream was not her.

"Eat quickly, the food is getting cold." Qin Ce suddenly put a piece of fish on her plate and whispered in her ear.

Qiao Xing snapped out of her daze and glanced at him. He had a very faint smile on his lips, so faint that Qiao Xing could hardly see it.

A warm feeling washed over her, and her previously empty heart seemed to be filled again. She smiled back, picked up the piece of fish, and put it in her mouth.

The ones he picked out tasted pretty good too.

After the meal, everyone dispersed.

The aunt's family left in a taxi, leaving Qiao Xing and his family alone, standing on the street outside the restaurant.

Wang Qin took Lin Xi's hand and said, "Xingxing, we'll be going now."

"How are you going to get back?" Qin Ce checked the navigation; it was more than ten kilometers from here to the hotel.

"It's not far, we can walk there," Wang Qin said with an embarrassed smile.

Qin Ce deliberately ignored that sentence and said, "Actually, we came to see you today to ask if you have any requirements for the house? Or would you like to come with us to take a look?"

Wang Qin quickly said, "I have no requests. What requests could I possibly have? I'd be grateful to have a place to stay temporarily. Xiao Ce, Xing Xing, thank you so much."

Qin Ce thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure you don't have any requirements? If the rent is too expensive, will you have any problem paying the rent in the future?"

Wang Qin paused for a moment, her smile becoming somewhat stiff.

She stammered, "Well... we don't need to rent something so expensive. Five or six hundred yuan is fine, as long as it's habitable."

Qin Ce nodded. "Understood."

After he finished speaking, a car sped up and came to a smooth stop on the side of the road. He said to Wang Qin, "I called a taxi for you, get in."

“This…” Wang Qin looked troubled, and guilt and embarrassment welled up in her heart at the same time. “Really, it’s not necessary.”

Qiao Xing suddenly spoke up, "The car's already here, aren't you going to let us carry our electric scooter to sit here instead of taking a ride?"

These words made Wang Qin freeze.

Qiao Xing's tone wasn't harsh; it could even be described as gentle, but it made Wang Qin feel suffocated.

"Thank you all then." Wang Qin stopped being coy and pulled Lin Xi into the car.

Watching the car drive away until it disappeared into the night, Qiao Xing finally sighed.

Qin Ce suddenly grasped her hand.

Qiao Xing's body stiffened for a moment, and she suddenly looked at Qin Ce.

Qin Ce stared into her eyes and said seriously, "Actually, you don't need to do this."

"What?"

"If you can't be a bad person, then don't be one," Qin Ce said, his gaze deep and penetrating, as if he could see right through her.

Qiao Xing felt a little embarrassed for a moment, not knowing whether it was because of his words or because his hands were warm.

"I..." Qiao Xing didn't know what to say.

She longed to be a bad person, a heartless person, because such people often live very happy lives.

Because you don't have to consider other people's feelings.

But the worst thing is when good people don't do good enough and bad people aren't bad enough; these are the people who live the most tiring lives.

"Alright, stop thinking about it, let's go home." Qin Ce picked up the helmet and put it on her himself.

His every move exuded a unique gentleness, and when he raised his hand, you could smell a faint fragrance emanating from his sleeve.

That's probably the smell of laundry detergent; Qiao Xing washed these clothes for him.

Although it smelled the same as usual, at this moment, in this environment, it seemed to have an extra touch of home.

After fastening his helmet, Qin Ce said, "Don't worry about the house, just leave it to me."

Qiao Xing quickly refused, "No need, I can find it myself, don't delay your business."

Qin Ce leaned down slightly and looked at her through the glass in front of his helmet.

"Is your business my business, or are you saying you still don't consider me family?"

The word "family" made Qiao Xing's heart skip a beat. She stared into the man's eyes, suddenly speechless.

Qin Ce said, "Don't you have to go to work too? And what will you do if you encounter another real estate agent like the one this afternoon?"

Qiao Xing blinked, realizing that what he said made sense.

But when work was mentioned, Qiao Xing thought of studying again.

"By the way, my team leader told me today that he's going to arrange for me to go to your company to learn about a new project, and it'll be for more than half a month. During this time, you don't need to take me to Weisheng; we can go to work together."

"In that case, does that mean we're colleagues?"

Qin Ce's expression stiffened upon hearing this. "What...did you say?"