Chapter 26 "Bar, Male Models?"...

Shen Mengqing paused, Hao Qisi was sometimes surprisingly meticulous.

She said, "We're not really friends, just acquaintances."

Hao Qisi didn't understand what she meant. For him, once you met someone, you were friends. If you couldn't be friends after meeting them, he would never see that person again.

He stopped dwelling on the question and instead asked, "So he just left. What do we do next?"

“He wasn’t here to be a tour guide in the first place.” Shen Mengqing took out her phone and rebooked the car rental. “Let’s take a taxi tonight, and I’ll pick up the rented car tomorrow.”

After strolling around the park for half an hour, Shen Mengqing led Hao Qisi straight to the snack street, the last destination of the day.

As evening approached, the sun turned a golden yellow, hanging brightly on the horizon, about to sink into the night. Many people crowded at the entrance to take pictures of the sunset.

The food street was bustling with activity, with various stall owners enthusiastically hawking their menus. Shen Mengqing had no appetite, so she just tried whatever Hao Qisi bought.

Perhaps to ease her low spirits, Hao Qisi, who had eaten two large bowls of noodles that morning, ate only a few dishes before saying she was full and tired and wanted to go back to rest.

When they got home, Shen Mengqing was worried that he would be hungry, so she ordered takeout for him.

Halfway through his meal, Hao Qisi suddenly looked up and asked Shen Mengqing, "Sister, can I still cancel your car rental order?"

Shen Mengqing asked, puzzled, "It's possible, so what?"

“My roommates are all in Beijing too. We’ve arranged to hang out together tomorrow or the day after, so we can get to know each other beforehand,” Hao Qisi said. “You’re busy with work, so you don’t need to come with me.”

"It's okay, I've already taken the day off anyway."

Shen Mengqing didn't want Hao Qisi to have a bad time, but he insisted. After she confirmed that it was indeed her roommate who had arranged to go together and that there was no danger, she agreed.

She instructed me, "But you must report your whereabouts to me in a timely manner, and you can't trust others too much."

Hao Qisi nodded and said, "I know, sister. Don't worry, I'm tall and strong, who can bully me? You've taken the day off, so take a rest for a couple of days."

No longer needing to consider travel plans, Shen Mengqing felt much more relaxed, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.

But at the same time, another emotion quickly took over her body.

After washing up, she collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. She played on her phone listlessly for a while, then stared blankly at the ceiling with her eyes wide open.

The night was deep, and the curtains in Shen Mengqing's room were open. Neon lights shone outside the window, but she felt that everything in front of her was gray and gloomy.

The scene of arguing with Yu Xin on the boat played on repeat in her mind like a replay, and even those barbed words kept echoing in her ears. No matter how hard she tried to calm herself down, she couldn't get rid of all these distracting thoughts.

Their relationship was an impulsive act from the start, fueled solely by hormones. In reality, it was thin and fragile. Moreover, her work was in complete disarray, and she hadn't yet decided whether to stay or leave Beicheng. Being with Yu Xin was one of the rare moments when she didn't have to think about the future; she could simply focus on her feelings in the present.

But now, she has lost even this only safe zone and has nowhere to hide.

Shen Mengqing turned to her side, her gaze sliding from the other pillow to the bedside table. For some reason, she felt that the air around her was filled with the scent of lingering pine, the faint aroma of which wafted into her nostrils. She then buried her face in the pillow in frustration, plunging herself into darkness.

Was Yu Xin's reaction to Lin Xiangyang and Li Qinghe too much?

Shen Mengqing clearly sensed that she had seen an indescribable emotion in Yu Xin's eyes during the day, which seemed to be a mixture of resentment and disappointment.

He shouldn't have had those kinds of emotions.

He was clearly an indifferent person, but she dragged him into this relationship.

She thought about it carefully, and it seemed that from a certain moment on, he began to show subtle fluctuations, and these fluctuations were constantly amplified, leaving Shen Mengqing at a loss.

What made Shen Mengqing even more uncertain was that even she herself was no longer as pure as she had been at the beginning when facing Yu Xin.

She felt lost, as if she were on a ship riddled with holes, its sails teetering on the brink of collapse, but before her lay the boundless deep sea, with no idea which direction to sail in order to find an island to settle on.

She was lost in thought for a very long time, and then she made a decision.

If the day comes when this relationship has to end, then let her say so.

She no longer wanted to passively accept other people leaving.

...

Thanks to Hao Qisi, she slept until she woke up naturally. Although her sleep quality was not very good, she tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep last night and had several dreams intermittently.

On a rare workday when there was nothing to do, Shen Mengqing didn't rush to get up and stayed in bed playing on her phone.

When it was time to leave work in the morning, Jiang Yu sent her a message asking how her time with her cousin was going and if she wanted to have dinner together that evening, saying she would treat.

Shen Mengqing typed in reply:

"My brother went off to play by himself, so it seems I'm the only one lucky enough to get to eat the feast that Miss Jiang is treating me to."

Jiang Yu replied with a smiling emoji and said:

"Okay, I'll send you the restaurant address in a bit."

She was working overtime in a meeting with the sales department, and didn't know when she would be able to have lunch. Liang Ruwei and Liang Jun sat facing each other, listening to their colleagues' reports.

Jiang Yu knew that much of the content in the report was Shen Mengqing's achievement, so the other people in the sales department were completely unaware of the situation. When she listened to Zhang Tu's serious oral report, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She secretly glanced at Liang Ruwei, whose expression didn't seem to be satisfied with Zhang Tu's report. Only Liang Jun was very supportive, occasionally boasting about his department's output.

She scratched her ear and typed under the table to give Shen Mengqing a live broadcast of the meeting, occasionally complaining about Liang Jun and Zhang Tu.

Feeling bored lying down, Shen Mengqing got up from the mattress to fill her stomach and then started tidying up the room.

She's been in Beicheng for almost five years, and her rented room has accumulated a lot of stuff. She's not someone who can easily let go of things; she still keeps the items she had when she went to university in Beicheng many years ago, and she always takes them out to look at them when she thinks about them.

The cabinet in the corner of the bed was crammed full. She took things out one by one and rearranged them, hoping to make more space by organizing them neatly. However, she didn't expect that she would be able to put several things back in the cabinet instead.

She picked and chose for a long time before throwing the rest into the trash can.

After she had finished getting ready, she started changing her clothes and putting on makeup.

Jiang Yu invited her to a Cantonese restaurant today. It had just opened and was located near her home. She said it was a very popular online restaurant with exquisite dishes. She had booked a table several days in advance.

After arriving at the restaurant, Shen Mengqing didn't rush upstairs. She waited for Jiang Yu to arrive in his car before going upstairs with her.

After quickly ordering the food, Jiang Yu couldn't wait to share the gossip with Shen Mengqing.

"Hey, have you heard? Mr. Li, the marketing manager, resigned and went to Yunji. He'll be the head of the marketing department there too. I never thought he'd been fighting with Yunji's marketing for so long, and then suddenly he jumped ship to their rival." Jiang Yu clicked his tongue twice and said.

Shen Mengqing took a sip of tea: "It seems there have been a lot of personnel changes in the company recently. People have left our department too. It looks like it's that time of year again for frequent personnel changes."

Jiang Yu shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's not just that. Several shareholders have been keeping a low profile on the surface, but they're secretly plotting something. I saw Zhang Tu today and he didn't have his usual temper. His dad must have given him a dressing down. Do you think the chairman... could be a matter of time in the next two months?"

Shen Mengqing shrugged: "Maybe. What, you also want to find out inside information and curry favor with the new chairman?"

"How could it be my turn!" Jiang Yu said, clasping his hands together in prayer. "No matter who the new chairman is, I just hope that Sister Wei can manage him well, so that we subordinates can have an easier time. By the way, the performance evaluation results for the first half of the year are out, have you seen them?"

Shen Mengqing's smile faded slightly: "Yes, I'm C."

Jiang Yu couldn't help but swear again, saying indignantly, "Liang Jun must have given A and B to those people again. I can guess who's on the list with my toes."

"Have you looked into the situation in Chu City? Are there any good job opportunities?"

She could hardly bear to see Shen Mengqing suffer in the sales department. When they first met a few years ago, Shen Mengqing was so full of vigor and had won the Outstanding Employee award for two or three years in a row. But everything changed after Zhang Tu came to their sales department.

Shen Mengqing replied, "There are some that are not bad. I'll go back and check them out during the National Day holiday."

"Okay, it's good that you've thought it through. I'll support whatever decision you make."

Jiang Yu cut off the annoying work topic and started chatting with Shen Mengqing about other things.

The food at this Cantonese restaurant was indeed excellent. The roast meats were fatty but not greasy, and melted in your mouth. The two of them hadn't eaten out in a long time and were very satisfied.

After paying the bill, Jiang Yu went to pick up her car. Before leaving, she told Shen Mengqing that she would take her home later and that she could wait downstairs.

Shen Mengqing stood at the door. Not long after, two more people came down from upstairs. She was playing with her phone and didn't pay attention. She just moved her feet to the side.

Suddenly, the sound of high heels approaching came, and a woman's sweet voice rang out: "Yu Xin, long time no see."

Shen Mengqing froze instantly. She quickly hid in a dark corner on the side of the building and cautiously peeked out.

There were three people in total: Yu Xin, Zhu Shaoming, and Zhu Shaoming's cousin, Lily.

"Why did you delete me on WeChat?" Zhu Lili frowned slightly and asked him seriously.

Yu Xin, his face cold, put his hands in his pockets and said, "Do I need a reason?"

“I don’t add irrelevant people.” After saying this, Yu Xin glanced at Zhu Shaoming and gestured for him to take the person away.

He turned his foot and changed direction. Zhu Lili wanted to follow, but Zhu Shaoming quickly pulled her back and said, "Lili, go back first. If you keep chasing him, he won't just delete you as a friend, he'll block you and your brother too."

Hidden in the shadows, Shen Mengqing was still quietly listening to the movements of these people when suddenly, her peripheral vision dimmed and Yu Xin stood straight in front of her, blocking a street lamp not far away.

Shen Mengqing opened his mouth, about to explain, but Yu Xin spoke first.

He said in a deep voice, "Let's talk?"

Shen Mengqing sighed inwardly and said, "Okay."

She took out her phone and texted Jiang Yu to tell him that he didn't need to see her off.

Yu Xin walked to her right and leaned against the wall, her voice carried by the cool breeze: "She also suddenly appeared like this at the racetrack last time. It wasn't that I wanted to meet her. I had already started the engine, but she refused to get out of the car no matter what, which was very dangerous."

Shen Mengqing smiled and said, "You don't need to explain to me, it's unnecessary. I don't care, and likewise, you shouldn't care either, do you understand?"

She said this against her will, but she wanted to get their relationship back to its simplest form.

Yu Xin frowned, and his tone turned cold: "Whether I explain or not is my freedom."

"Whatever you want," Shen Mengqing said indifferently.

Yu Xin turned his face to the side, his eyes gradually reflecting the shimmering light of the neon lights, locking onto her.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Shen Mengqing began to suspect that he wasn't looking at her, but rather lost in thought, staring at the road behind her.

"Didn't you want to buy a house in Beicheng? I'll buy it for you."

Shen Mengqing was taken aback, then laughed speechlessly and said, "Are you trying to compete with me?"

Yu Xin stood up straight and stared intently at her: "I'm not joking."

"..."

Shen Mengqing crossed her arms and met his gaze: "So you think I'm lacking both money and love, is that right?"

Yu Xin frowned even more deeply: "That's not what I meant."

Shen Mengqing continued, "So what do you mean by showing off that you've made a lot of money? It's not easy for you to make money, and you don't necessarily have rich young ladies flocking to you every day. You should keep your money for yourself."

"Do you have some misunderstanding about me?" Yu Xin was even more confused.

Having discussed this much, Shen Mengqing bluntly asked, "Aren't you a male model at a bar?"

"?"

"..."

This time it was Yu Xin's turn to laugh. He felt a nerve throbbing in his temple. This was the first time someone had made such an absurd guess about his work.

"Bar, male, model?" He squeezed out these words through clenched teeth, step by step forcing Shen Mengqing into a cramped corner.

As darkness fell, Yu Xin looked down at Shen Mengqing, a flicker of anger in his eyes, aroused by her. He gritted his teeth and said, "Is it my appearance that gives you this misunderstanding, or is it that my performance has pleased you too much?"

"..."

narcissism!

Shen Mengqing placed her hands against his chest, but it was as if she were trapped by an impenetrable wall, and she couldn't move him at all. She looked up and said, "Aren't you one?"

"Shen Mengqing, delete all the nonsense in your head." Yu Xin paused, then said, "I'm not."

"So what do you do?" Shen Mengqing pressed.

Yu Xin took a deep breath, his eyes darkening in the blink of an eye. The answer was on the tip of his tongue, and he had prepared to say it countless times.

However, he merely twitched the corner of his mouth and said in an emotionless tone, "I'm a freelancer, and I have some investment companies."

He hesitated again, unable to bring himself to push open the door that would reveal the truth.

Shen Mengqing looked at him with some suspicion, but then thought it seemed reasonable.

She pouted and said, "You haven't told me about your job, so I can only guess based on what I've seen."

Yu Xin relaxed, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the roar of passing cars: "Shen Mengqing, I don't treat everyone like this."

"What?" Shen Mengqing didn't hear a single word except for his own name.

Yu Xin: "...It's nothing."

Shen Mengqing pushed him away. She noticed that Yu Xin's back seemed to have some wall dust on it, and she reached out to pat it off. Unexpectedly, Yu Xin hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and took hers.

Shen Mengqing felt a warmth in his hand: "?"

Yu Xin: "?"

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Mengqing couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Hey, I'm here to help you brush the dust off your clothes."

"oh."

Yu Xin quickly withdrew his hand and awkwardly turned his head to look elsewhere.

Shen Mengqing suppressed a laugh and brushed the dust off his clothes. She turned her head and looked at her own back, which was spotless. Luckily, she was wearing silk clothes, which don't easily attract dust.

"Let's go." Yu Xin turned her head, her hand slipping back into her pocket. "I'll take you home."

Shen Mengqing followed behind him, the streetlights stretching and shortening their shadows in a series of shifts. Suddenly, a gust of wind arose, causing the trees along the street to rustle and their shadows to sway. A leaf was blown off the branch and drifted down to Yu Xin's shoulder before sliding to the ground, where Shen Mengqing stepped on it, embedding it into the concrete.

The two kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Shen Mengqing walked very quietly, but Yu Xin did not turn around, as if she was certain that Shen Mengqing would follow her closely.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Ah Qing: How many times do I have to cancel these orders?! Those fickle men!!

Xinzi: Aqing, I'm just your male model/spooning flowers

Aqing: What do you mean, "You're hard of hearing, can't you hear me?" Are you my steamed bun? (x)