Chapter 11, Section 11 - Concealing oneself is part of the play, for...
Zhou Qi patted his chest and assured him, "It's okay, I'll drive you home after dinner!"
Then he grabbed Lin Xi's arm and whispered in her ear, "Xiao Xi, you have no idea how scary my cousin's childhood friend is. I get indigestion if I eat alone with him. You have to keep me company! Besides, he said he'd treat my colleagues to dinner. If you don't go, it'll be disrespectful to him, and my brother will scold you later!"
Is Fu Qingli really that terrifying?
Lin Xi secretly glanced at Fu Qingli, who stood there patiently waiting for them to finish speaking.
I used to be close to him and our interactions were always viewed through a lens of positive perception; I never felt anything was amiss.
From a stranger's perspective, he always appears expressionless, exuding an aura of "keep away," which can indeed intimidate people.
Zhou Qi was still trying to persuade her, "Besides, you'll have to eat dinner when you get back, it's too much trouble! Just eat here, and I'll take you home early after you finish eating."
Lin Xi wasn't good at saying no, but after Zhou Qi's repeated requests, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
Thinking that with other people around, the atmosphere wouldn't be too awkward.
The exhibition hall is just across the street from the shopping mall, so the three of us and our cat walked there directly.
On the way, Zhou Qi browsed restaurants on her phone, but ultimately couldn't decide whether to have hot pot or barbecue.
Linxi, as a guest, goes along with the host's wishes; whatever you say is fine.
Zhou Qi subconsciously wanted to ask Fu Qingli, but then realized that he had a slight germaphobia and probably couldn't stand hot pot or barbecue, as they would leave a smell on his body.
She hesitated before suggesting, "Brother Fu, how about we have stir-fries or Western food?"
"Hot pot, please," Fu Qingli decided casually.
Zhou Qi didn't think much of it, assuming he had seen through her longing. Satisfied, she put her phone back in her pocket and strode forward with more energy: "Xiao Xi, the hot pot restaurant I picked is super delicious. I was really craving it when I was abroad!"
It was past 8:30 PM, past dinner time, but not yet time for a late-night snack.
The hot pot restaurant only had a few scattered tables of customers, so you could sit down without waiting.
After taking her seat, Fu Qingli temporarily turned off the device and placed it on a chair to prevent Gun Gun from running around and watching the commotion.
Zhou Qi expertly guided the two to scan the QR code to order food, while her own hands never stopped working.
"Beef tripe, hanging tenderloin, shrimp paste, winter melon, beef ribs, duck intestines, kelp... Huh? Who deleted my winter melon?!" Zhou Qi exclaimed in surprise.
“I deleted it,” Fu Qingli said, half-standing up and placing the freshly poured lemonade in front of them. “I’m not eating it.”
He sat back down, his eyes fixed on Lin Xi, his tone slightly warmer, "If there are any you don't like, you can remove them and replace them with ones you prefer."
Lin Xi looked up and met his gaze. She immediately lowered her eyelids, looked at her phone screen, and softly said "Mmm".
The fingers gripping the phone unconsciously tightened, and the delicate, rounded fingertips turned slightly white.
It wasn't Fu Qingli who didn't eat winter melon, but she.
Actually, she's the one who likes hot pot too.
It was probably the summer vacation after the first year of junior high school.
At the end of July, Fu Qingli's mother, Shen Yu, was in stable condition, and he finally had a week of free time to fly to Nanqing to spend the summer vacation with her.
They also ate hot pot after leaving the amusement park that day.
But in the middle of the night, Lin Xi suddenly started feeling nauseous and vomiting, and her voice became hoarse.
Around 1 or 2 a.m., Fu Qingli carried her to the emergency room, where it turned out to be a food allergy caused by winter melon.
Linxi has never had any problems drinking winter melon and pork rib soup. The doctor guessed that the winter melon from the hot pot restaurant had been cut open and left for too long, causing some spoilage on the surface, which led to the allergic reaction. He said that she should just pay more attention to the freshness of the ingredients in the future.
But Fu Qingli seemed frightened by her weak and powerless appearance. After that, every time they went out to eat, he would make sure there was no winter melon and resolutely prevent her from touching it.
Lin Xi was surprised that he still remembered this incident.
In fact, a few years ago, when she was in despair, missing Fu Qingli but knowing that there was no possibility for her to be with him again, she once self-destructively bought winter melon to make soup.
Thinking that if I really just left like this, I wouldn't have to endure such pain anymore.
But she got through each day peacefully.
She thought that one day she would become desensitized to Fu Qingli, just like she was to winter melon.
But at this moment, she discovered—
Even his small actions can still stir my emotions, and I will still be sentimental and think that he still remembers those past surprises, and then feel sad that such attention is just because of old habits, not because I care.
The meal was eaten in silence, with Fu Qingli, who was usually aloof, being the most enthusiastic.
Although he maintained a poker face throughout, he thoughtfully and promptly refilled the water and cooked the vegetables for the two girls.
Zhou Qi had known him for over twenty years and had never received this treatment before.
But looking at Brother Fu, he did it very smoothly, and his expression was very natural, without any deliberate intention.
Gradually, Zhou Qi discovered some problems.
Fu Qingli seemed to be focused on Lin Xi's eating progress. When she saw that Lin Xi's bowl was empty, she would tentatively ask, "Would you like to try this?"
He would add some to Lin Xi's plate before symbolically giving some to her as well.
It feels like... I'm part of a play, to cover something up.
What are they trying to hide?
Thinking of Fu Qingli's precious baby, Gun Gun, I came with Lin Xi today.
She didn't think too much about it at the time.
After all, everyone in the industry knows that he is deeply in love with Nan Qing's childhood sweetheart.
Back then, he was willing to give up his inheritance rights to the Fu family in order to be with her.
In recent years, his childhood sweetheart has disappeared without a trace, and he remains closed off from love, without even a single woman with whom he maintains a normal relationship.
Serving tea and water is simply a polite gesture between host and guest, done by someone else.
It seems very abnormal for someone as aloof and reserved as Fu Qing to do these things.
After realizing this, Zhou Qi lost her appetite and felt speechless, wondering if the seemingly affectionate man was actually being obsequious to others in private.
Lin Xi is indeed very outstanding!
But Fu Qingli, as the heir of the Fu family, was exceptionally talented and had seen all kinds of outstanding women, yet he rejected them all.
Ji Jiali and Zou Song both said he was waiting for his childhood sweetheart!
How did things get like this...?
She tried to comfort herself, thinking that she was probably overthinking things, and that Brother Fu was not the kind of person who would change his mind easily.
But as it turns out, a woman's intuition is never wrong!
Back in the exhibition hall's parking lot, we found Fu Qingli's car.
He asked, seemingly casually, "Team Leader Lin, where do you live?"
Zhou Qi was looking at her phone's navigation and casually answered for her: "Near the old campus of Beicheng University, that Xuefu Mingyuan."
"Then I'll give Lin a ride since it's on my way. It's late, Zhou Qi, you should go home."
"On the way...?" Zhou Qi looked up blankly, her mind going blank for a moment.
Xuefu Mingyuan is located at the intersection of the South Third and Fourth Ring Roads, but she remembered that Ji Jiali mentioned that Brother Fu had been staying in a hotel since returning to China, so he should be near the company.
But the Qingyuan Building is located on the North Second Ring Road.
How come it was on the way?
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