Chapter 1746: Meeting, Iron Plate, Fatherly Tone (Side Story 19)
Chapter 1746: Meeting, Iron Plate, Fatherly Tone (Side Story 19)
Yan Chi was only out to shop with his mother today. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, there’s always a need to prepare gifts for the holidays. He didn’t expect to run into Qi Lie.
The two of them weren’t love rivals, so there wasn’t any jealousy upon meeting each other.
His mother went shopping, but Yan Chi didn’t follow her around. Instead, he found a place to sit and rest. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to accompany his mother, but she didn’t want him to...
The reason being:
"I don’t like having a wooden post standing by my side when I’m shopping."
When Yan Chi was a child, he was very soft and adorable. Back then, his mother was grateful he didn’t take after his father. Otherwise, she feared he wouldn’t be able to find a wife. But as he grew up, his personality seemed more and more like his father’s, always wearing a cold expression. Going out shopping with him felt like having a bodyguard around.
This is why his mother sent him to rest somewhere, and that’s how he met Qi Lie.
Yan Chi didn’t know Qi Lie, and given his personality, he wouldn’t spontaneously greet him either. He had just sat down and looked at his phone for a few moments when he noticed someone sitting opposite him. He glanced up with a raised brow; it was indeed Qi Lie.
"Let me introduce myself, Qi Lie, a friend of Jiang Ruan’s."
"Yan Chi."
Qi Lie raised an eyebrow. The introduction was...
So brief it was almost offensive.
Was he that arrogant just because he was the uncle of the Fu Family’s third young master?
"Quite a coincidence, meeting yesterday and then again today..." Qi Lie cleared his throat twice, tugging at a few curls on his head.
"Is there something you need?"
Simple and direct, still succinct.
Qi Lie had a headache. How could Jiang Ruan like someone like this? He’s practically a metal sheet, impossible to move even with a kick.
Where’s the fun in interacting with someone like this?
What did she see in Yan Chi?
Expressionless, taciturn?
Do all girls like this block of ice?
"You like Soft Soft?" Qi Lie asked outright.
Yan Chi glanced at him, "Yeah."
"Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
Qi Lie felt a fatherly instinct, worrying that his ’daughter’ might get duped. Having grown up together, he knew Jiang Ruan quite well. She seemed smart, but sometimes appeared quite clueless.
If Jiang Ruan knew that Qi Lie compared himself to her father, she’d likely want to kick him to death.
"What do you want from me?" Yan Chi took a sip of his coffee.
"Nothing much, just wanted to ask how you feel about her. But if you two really get together, there are a lot of implications. It might affect our families; your family gets along well with the Duan Family, right? If you and Soft Soft get together, the Yan Family and the Duan Family might have to meet often..."
Yan Chi looked down at his coffee as his phone vibrated.
A message from Jiang Ruan:
[Did you run into my friend?]
Yan Chi: [We’re chatting.]
Jiang Ruan shivered. She knew from the start that Qi Lie must have approached him first. He’s the sort who never shies away from excitement, and from the things he said last night, it was clear he’d never settle down.
[What are you guys talking about?] Jiang Ruan asked anxiously.
[Not much, mostly him talking. Your friend...]
[Is he a chatterbox?]
[...]
Qi Lie normally wasn’t a meddlesome person, and given Yan Chi’s demeanor, he was clearly not the approachable type. If Qi Lie hadn’t figured out Jiang Ruan’s feelings, he wouldn’t bother putting in the effort. While he could see through Jiang Ruan, he couldn’t see through Yan Chi. The best approach was to ask directly.
By chance, they ran into each other today.
Better to figure this out before she gets emotionally hurt.
Since they were mutually interested, Qi Lie had nothing to worry about anymore.
He was just curious about how these two connected.
He remembered when someone first came to Nanjiang, they avoided the Yan Family like the plague. So how did they get involved with Yan Chi...
If he had come a little later, he feared she might have gotten completely entangled.
This Yan Chi... what’s so special about him!
Looking at him, he didn’t seem like someone who would pursue others. Could it be that she made the first move?
If her dad knew, he’d be furious!
Uncle Jiang encountering Yan Chi?
Qi Lie already started imagining the whole drama.
**
Qi Lie and Yan Chi didn’t chat for too long because Yan Chi could barely manage a single word for a long time. It was always Qi Lie talking to himself, which wasn’t very entertaining.
He returned to the hotel and had lunch with Jiang Ruan.
"What exactly did you say to him? You didn’t say anything crazy, did you?" Jiang Ruan was eager to know what their conversation was about.
"Why, are you so concerned about him? Are you that familiar with him?"
Qi Lie’s comment left Jiang Ruan speechless, almost choking her with frustration.
"Don’t worry, it was just a chance meeting; we exchanged greetings. I’m not even familiar with him, what could I have said?" At most, it was like a fatherly concern for his daughter, fearing she’d get hurt because of her infatuation.
"Aren’t you always the one to make new acquaintances?"
Qi Lie chuckled, "Jiang Ruan, what exactly is your relationship with him? Are you siding with him? Don’t forget who stood up for you when you were bullied as a child."
"Weren’t you always getting into fights, and I was the one helping you?"
"Are you bringing up old scores?"
...
Qi Lie felt his good intentions were wasted and was done with her. They could do whatever they wanted.
Isn’t it more comforting to sleep hugging shoes? Why get involved in their messy affairs?
Qi Lie spent every day shopping at the duty-free stores, acting like a diligent personal shopper.
As for Jiang Ruan, her pre-holiday classes were packed, leaving her with barely any free time. She didn’t have time to go downtown, so naturally, she couldn’t see Yan Chi.
Classes, eating, participating in club activities, dining out, chasing TV dramas in the dorm, gossiping with roommates, day after day. It seemed like nothing special, yet she felt increasingly empty inside.
She couldn’t help but think of Yan Chi. Once, during class, as she was taking notes, she realized she had written Yan Chi’s name, which scared her stiff.
Was she bewitched!
How did she end up writing his name?
After crossing out the writing in the book, as she raised her head to look at the podium, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar figure outside the window.
Maybe she really was losing it...
Having illusions now!