The old drunkard's intention was not in the wine.
The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became serious.
Wen Dai didn't even have time to notice Li Qingyu's expression. She stood up straight, her peach blossom eyes devoid of laughter, filled only with seriousness.
She put it bluntly: "If you consider us friends right now, then I think your definition of friendship is really simple and easy. What kind of friend is a one-sided friendship?"
"Xu Jing and I felt comfortable with each other during our previous conversations. We are the same gender and have the same sexual orientation, so there is no risk of ambiguity. We both have feelings for each other, so we are friends."
"Gu Qi, I don't mean to say these things because I hate you. I just really dislike it when other people invade my world without permission, especially those who have expressed their feelings for me. I don't like ambiguity or vagueness."
"I'm saying all this just to reiterate one thing—I don't like you, I don't like you now, and I won't like you in the future. I don't understand your personality right now, I haven't talked to you much, and I don't feel any attraction to you."
As if his throat were blocked by a wad of cotton filled with thorns, Gu Qi stared blankly at her, like a piece of dead wood.
He indeed had no way to refute it; he had indeed crossed that line.
And she was so straightforward that she was almost sharp.
Li Qingyu's childish voice dispelled the strange atmosphere: "Sister Wen Dai is so cool~ Awesome."
The smile that wasn't there when facing Gu Qi reappeared when she turned to Li Qingyu. Wen Dai's sweet smile radiated friendliness, but unfortunately, it wasn't extended to Gu Qi.
Chen Sizhe, sitting next to Gu Qi, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and casually glanced at Gu Qi with the air of a cunning fox who had succeeded. His most striking quality was his condescending attitude. "You're just imitating someone else, you know?"
I really don't know where this guy got his victorious attitude from.
Gu Qi gritted his teeth, but he didn't bother to fight Chen Sizhe. The other party was the same gender as him, but Wen Dai had included him in her group, which was understandable... Xu Jing, on the other hand, had the advantage of being of the same gender.
Heartbroken and dejected, Gu Qi lowered his head and ate silently.
Faced with a mountain of food piled up in her bowl, Wen Dai could only sigh, but even if she could only sigh, she had no choice but to eat. Wasting food is not a good habit.
Irregular eating habits can lead to a feeling of fullness and pain when the stomach is filled with food at once.
If it's not outwardly apparent, it just means you're moving slowly.
In the end, Chen Sizhe paid the bill. Gu Qi's reaction was not as quick as his, and Chen rejected Xu Jing and Wen Dai's proposal to split the bill.
After leaving the restaurant, Chen Sizhe glanced at Li Qingyu, who was holding Wen Dai's hand but seemed drowsy, and then turned his gaze to the dejected Gu Qi.
"Take this little girl back with you. Wen Dai, come with me so you don't have to take an extra detour." How considerate.
Coincidentally, Gu Qi was also unwilling to be in the same space as Wen Dai any longer, because he knew that even if they were alone in the same space, Wen Dai's reaction would most likely be to pick up her phone and look at it, not to mention that Li Qingyu was also there. All he could do was be a lecherous driver who would sneak peeks at her through the rearview mirror.
"Okay, fine. Qingyu, come on, come with your cousin, let's go home." Gu Qirou softened his voice, took Li Qingyu's other small hand, and led the dozing little girl to where the car was parked.
Having already suspected Chen Sizhe, Xu Jing became certain of her guess when she got into the car.
Because she saw Wen Dai, who was so full she could hardly contain herself, rubbing her stomach, and very naturally, almost habitually, went to open the passenger door.
In particular, Wen Dai casually remarked, "When I first arrived, I saw this car and it reminded me of you. Although the color is understated, it still gives off a flashy vibe."
Immediately afterwards, Xu Jing watched as the man who had called her away just as she was about to get into the passenger seat let Wen Dai get in without any resistance or refusal.
Isn't this a double standard?
The next day.
After returning to the city yesterday, Wen Dai asked Chen Sizhe to drop her off at the mall so she could quickly pick out a birthday gift for Li Qingyu.
It was a birthday gift that was only half-finished – a piece of small-leaf sandalwood. It was only after I carved it into a lotus flower when it arrived home that it was considered complete.
Why carve a lotus flower? Wen Dai held her hand-carved lotus flower, which was in a packaging box, and looked down at the cuts on her fingers that had been smeared with iodine.
Maybe it's because she's cheap.
I thought lotus flowers were the easiest to carve.
After a long sigh, Wen Dai, filled with trepidation, set off from the wine shop with ulterior motives.
The birthday banquet for Li's granddaughter was no small affair. It cost Wen Dai a fortune to arrive at the Li family's door. Before she got out of the car, the driver remarked, "I used to not believe the online claims that a toilet in one house is worth as much as a house in another. Now I do. The distance from the door to the house is half the length of our neighborhood."
Holding the gift box, Wen Dai walked in with her face close to her chest. She felt deeply out of place. The butler walking beside her spoke to her kindly: "Qingyu woke up this morning and kept asking to see Sister Wen Dai. Now she's finally here."
Wen Dai, whose attention was focused on the other guests, was absent-minded and only knew how to nod "uh-huh," like a living machine.
Things she hadn't considered before are now being brought up by her. She thought Li Chengjian was a good person, but she'd completely forgotten that people are masters of pretense. She'd completely forgotten about dramatism.
The thought came to her late, and only now did she have the mind to look at the guests. What if she saw those faces she had searched for and looked at many times? Giving up was not an option; even if it was difficult to move forward, nothing could stop her from doing so.
"Sister Wen Dai!"
Wen Dai, who was lost in thought, was brought back to her senses by Li Qingyu's excited childlike voice. While she was still in a daze, Li Qingyu ran over and hugged her legs. The little girl looked up and stared at her with her bright eyes, as if she were her only expectation.
My heart softened for a moment, and then I felt a wave of guilt.
Sorry, but I'm going to have to take advantage of your feelings for me.
Wen Dai first ruffled Li Qingyu's hair, then squatted down in front of her after her legs were freed. When she held up the gift box, whether intentionally or unintentionally, her fingers, which were even more conspicuous because they were being wiped with iodine, were exposed. "This is a gift I prepared for Qingyu."
Being young is not a flaw for Li Qingyu. The little girl has been raised very well by her family, and her occasional thoughtfulness is unmatched even by adults. Her first reaction was not to be curious about what the gift was, but to grab Wen Dai's injured finger.
Helpless, Wen Dai could only switch the gift to her other hand, and Li Qingyu happened to see the cut on the index finger of her other hand.
The girl's tears magically welled up, and her upturned lips slowly relaxed, becoming even lower.
The delicate little hand grasped Wen Dai's fingers, and then Wen Dai clearly felt the breath that was exhaled gradually cooling down.
Her heart was soft, yet tinged with sourness. A lemon's peel softens when it's spoiling. Wen Dai hadn't kept lemons at home for very long, so she didn't know when the peel would become soft and mushy, but right now, her heart was like that soft, mushy lemon.
It has deteriorated, but it will deteriorate at some point; in order to achieve its goal, it has to deteriorate.
Li Qingyu sniffed; the girl, who was turning eleven today, didn't shed a tear. She was smaller than her peers; at least Wen Dai wasn't as small when she was eleven, she looked like she was eight or nine. Her heart was also like that of an eight or nine-year-old, or perhaps even more childlike.
She breathed heavily on Wen Dai, looking into her eyes with her red eyes, and said earnestly, "Silly sister Wen Dai. You have to take care of yourself, you can't get hurt, be careful. How did you get hurt, sister? Was it while making my birthday present?"
When the last two questions came out of her small lips, Wen Dai noticed that her eyes seemed to be even redder.
"Hmm... I'm such a silly sister. I wanted to give Qingyu a gift that I made myself. I carved it by hand, but it's a little small and not very delicate. It took me a lot of time to make. Sigh, I was in such a rush to prepare it. I hope Qingyu will like it."
As she spoke soft, comforting words that made her feel uncomfortable, Wen Dai never imagined that she would one day be playing the victim to a little girl who had just turned eleven.
Li Qingyu gently stroked Wen Dai's fingers, carefully avoiding the wound. She wiped away her tears with her other hand, her voice trembling with sobs: "The gift doesn't have to be pretty. Sister Wen Dai is pretty, and I like Sister Wen Dai. The fact that Sister Wen Dai can attend my birthday party is a gift to me, and I'm very happy. But now that Sister Wen Dai is injured, I'm not happy."
The butler had already gone to greet the other guests. Exchanging pleasantries with others was a procedure that Liu Nan and Li Lang had to go through, and Li Chengjian was no less so. The vast majority of the guests present had come for him.
Even though they went through a selection process, people with blood ties still held the concept that "wealth can attract distant relatives even in remote mountains."
After exchanging perfunctory words with the people gathered around him, Li Chengjian smiled and apologized, "Today is my granddaughter's birthday, and I don't want to talk about anything else. I'm going to spend time with my granddaughter. Please make yourselves at home."
Having power naturally deterred others from bothering him. Li Chengjian shook off the people surrounding him and went to Wen Dai and Li Qingyu's side, squatting down with his legs propped up on his thighs.
After noticing that Li Qingyu's eyes were red and she was still clutching Wen Dai's finger, he did not criticize the people present indiscriminately like some of the parents did. Instead, he carefully observed the situation.
Upon noticing the injury on Wen Dai's hand, Li Chengjian understood immediately. He sighed softly, his gaze towards Li Qingyu filled with relief, affection, and tenderness.
He glanced at Wen Dai and said, "My little granddaughter is just like she was when she was little. She hasn't grown much and her heart has always been so innocent. She doesn't think much, but she's very observant. She was heartbroken to see you injured." There was a hint of boasting in his words.
Wen Dai granted his wish, nodding in agreement, "Sister Qingyu is indeed a very special girl, and she has the ability to attract people to like her." She used some linguistic tricks; if she had used the word "pleasing," she would have placed the person in a subordinate position.
“There are quite a few people here, mostly relatives, even distant relatives who aren’t really related. It’s getting noisy. Xiaoyu doesn’t like these kinds of occasions, and neither do I. I guess you’re not comfortable here either… How about this, I’ll take you upstairs to have some peace and quiet.” Actually, she just wanted some peace and quiet herself.
Li Chengjian stood up straight first, turned the corner, and headed upstairs without any pretense, seemingly not caring what the other guests might think.
Seeing that Wen Dai and Li Qingyu hadn't caught up yet, he turned around and beckoned to them with his finger, then pointed his chin toward the location of the stairs, "Let's go."
Holding Li Qingyu's hand, Li Chengjian followed behind Li Chengjian upstairs. When they passed Grandma Li, Li Chengjian was slapped on the arm.
Even though they were getting older, it didn't seem to stop the couple from occasionally being coquettish. Grandma Li glared at him and said shrewdly, "You really know how to take it easy, leaving all the work to us, don't you?"
Li Chengjian simply rubbed his arm, ignoring Grandma Li's words. Wen Dai, who was following behind him, inexplicably imagined a child who dared not speak up because of his guilt—in a sense, she felt sorry for Grandma Li. Must a woman become a mother after marriage? Even her husband has to become a child.
But perhaps for them it was just a relaxed way of getting along, and the complaints were just Wen Dai's perspective on the complaints.
Arriving on the familiar second floor, Li Chengjian felt lighter as he escaped the stifling atmosphere of the first floor. He asked Wen Dai what kind of tea she liked, and then went to brew some himself.
Wen Dai also watched the tea-making process unfold. The tea was brewed in three infusions, and Li Chengjian skillfully demonstrated the steps for her, even explaining, "The first infusion is actually just rinsing the tea, but does that mean it's undrinkable? Not at all. The first infusion depends on the type of tea leaves; it's very fragrant..."
Wen Dai, whose purpose was not to drink tea at all, was preparing her words.
It seemed impossible to let Li Chengjian, who wanted peace and quiet, continue to have peace and quiet. For no reason, she felt like she was the "wolf" in the "bringing a wolf into the house" incident. Wen Dai licked her lips, and just as she was about to say something, a cup of tea was handed to her.
Even Li Qingyu had a cup of tea to taste.
After taking a small sip, Wen Dai's fingers caressed the teacup as she slowly lowered it. She took another breath, which caught in her throat, preparing to express her request.
Li Chengjian, who was sipping his tea, didn't even look up, but spoke as his lips left the rim of the cup: "Say what you want to say. If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
It seems they knew all along that she had ulterior motives.
No wonder he's qualified to sit in the position of Domain Chief.
"...There is indeed something I need help with. I want to know if there is any connection between Sun Ping, Long Fangqi, and Peng Zheng. Actually, what I want to know more is whether you have any...shady information about them."
As each name was mentioned, Li Chengjian's expression turned serious. He put his teacup back on the coffee table and looked at Wen Dai with surprise, asking, "Why would you need these? What's your connection with them? What are you planning to do?"
Her past was recounted again, and her past experiences resurfaced multiple times in just a few days, almost causing Wen Dai to become desensitized.
She didn't shed tears; her extremely calm narration made her seem more like an observer than a person involved.
The narration did not shy away from Li Qingyu. The eleven-year-old girl, who had been holding back tears, heard about Wen Dai's experiences twelve years ago when she was ten years old, and finally, her tears fell.
"Not completing my studies was an opportunity, not a blow, for me. I am very fortunate to have this ability, otherwise I really don't know how I would have made connections with important people, how I would have been able to overturn the case for my parents, or how many years and how much time it would have taken."
It would be a lie to say that she felt no resentment when she dropped out of school, but she had so much resentment that the inability to complete her studies seemed insignificant in comparison.
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