A girl approached, "Handsome, can I get your contact info?"
Qin Xian ignored her and walked past.
Another girl tried, "Hey handsome, are you here for the party too? Let's hang out."
Qin Xian frowned and walked around her again.
A third girl called out, "Handsome, you look so familiar. Haven't we met before?"
Growing impatient, Qin Xian continued avoiding them.
"He's so hard to approach."
"What a snob!"
"He won't even look at us. Could he be into men?"
The girls who dared to approach such a handsome man were naturally confident beauties themselves. Since Qin Xian rarely attended such events, these non-elite socialites didn't recognize him.
The rejected beauties grumbled amongst themselves, then noticed another girl approaching him. She looked somewhat familiar, but since Ji Fei usually didn't wear makeup, and there was quite a difference between her made-up and natural look, those who didn't follow entertainment news couldn't immediately recognize her.
They just saw another beautiful woman.
The onlookers unanimously believed the fourth victim was approaching, certain she would face rejection too.
Their expectant expressions were all too obvious.
Ji Fei couldn't help but feel playful.
When Qin Xian came near, before he could speak, Ji Fei said directly: "Handsome, are you alone tonight? Want to keep me company?"
Qin Xian paused, hearing the playfulness in Ji Fei's voice.
"Sure," he replied.
The crowd: ?
Ji Fei proudly linked her arm through Qin Xian's, holding back her laughter as she led him toward the pool party in the club's backyard. Countless envious gazes followed them.
Finding it so amusing, Ji Fei didn't notice Qin Xian's stiff posture.
Given she was in swimwear, Qin Xian could feel the soft, supple touch against his arm, making his muscles tense and his whole body uncomfortable.
Arriving at the lively pool party, accompanied by numerous furtive glances, they headed toward Qin Xian's friends.
Ji Fei's gaze curiously swept across the venue, taking in the colorfully dressed guests and the dozen or so staff in black and white uniforms, all young men and women, though she didn't spot Han Ziyu.
Their friends had arrived early. Yu Yue and Bai Xiaoxi were enjoying themselves in the pool, while Cen Ting, Jing Yan, and Luo Fei sat in the poolside lounge area. They all greeted the newcomers.
"Ji Fei really has a way with him. He never comes to these places when we invite him," Jing Yan said with a smile.
Luo Fei turned to look, saying with a faint smile, "Indeed, this is quite unusual."
Cen Ting just raised his eyebrows and smiled at them.
Qin Xian typically let their teasing slide without response.
Ji Fei asked curiously, "Where's Qi Li?"
"Said he went to pick up his new girlfriend," Bai Xiaoxi answered, sitting on a pool float.
Yu Yue, pushing Bai Xiaoxi around, added, "Qi Li's changed again. We thought the last one might be different."
"Apparently, Qi Li's previous girlfriend caught him watching Guo Yalan's international fashion design competition video and broke up with him," Jing Yan explained with a smile. "Even though she knew she was a replacement, I guess there's a limit to what someone can take."
"What Qi Li's doing isn't right," Cen Ting commented.
"Those who play with others' feelings always end up unlucky," Luo Fei said knowingly.
Ji Fei couldn't help but retort, "Are you all so sure Han Ziyu actually likes Qi Li?"
Everyone looked at Ji Fei in surprise, either brainwashed by Qi Li or fooled by Han Ziyu's superb acting, unanimously believing this was a case of the replacement falling for the main lead.
[Seriously, have you all watched too many TV dramas?]
Jing Yan spoke up, "Actually, I think he does have feelings for that replacement. He's just being stubborn. Maybe in his heart, she's already more than just a replacement."
Just then, Qi Li walked over with a sexy beauty on his arm.
"Talking about me behind my back?" Qi Li said arrogantly.
[They're saying you're stubborn, but you'll be singing a different tune soon enough.]
Ji Fei thought sarcastically as Qin Xian guided her to sit down.
As they sat, he mentioned, "We ran into a friend while buying swimwear, they'll be joining us."
Qi Li seemed indifferent, not even bothering to respond, as this seemed trivial to him. He was now wholly focused on waiting for a certain disobedient girl to appear.
Since he didn't ask, Qin Xian felt no obligation to elaborate.
The others were curious to ask, but were interrupted by Qi Li introducing his new companion.
Ji Fei was the only one who didn't recognize the beauty; when the others saw her, their expressions were somewhat strange.
The new girlfriend, Lily, came from a notable background. Though she smiled at them, she had an intimidating air about her.
After Ji Fei and Qin Xian sat down, Qin Xian quietly filled Ji Fei in: Lily was one of Qi Li's former pursuers. Her personality was similar to Guo Yalan's, and because of his experience with Guo Yalan, Qi Li had strongly resisted Lily, rejecting her several times. Until now.
[Tsk tsk, Qi Li, you deserve what's coming. Hurting one woman's feelings to win back another, and repeatedly using this tactic - is this the only way you know how to win love? No wonder you always lose. Karma's coming for being so heartless. Let's see how you handle this!]
Qi Li sat down with Lily, called over a server to order drinks, and then put on a show of intimacy with her, holding her waist and chatting playfully.
The display was so eye-searing that others couldn't bear to watch.
Jing Yan, always well-informed, had heard about Luo Fei and Wu Xingqing's situation, and asked curiously, "I heard you played the hero and saved her. Could it be..."
His gossipy tone made Luo Fei rub his temples, "Stop gossiping. It's nothing. After she dealt with Tang Yu's matter, she returned to her previous country with her father."
"No possibility? You two seemed quite compatible," Cen Ting rarely joined in on gossip.
"Are you worried I'll end up a bachelor? Don't worry, it won't come to that," Luo Fei smiled. The two barely knew each other, it was just an unexpected encounter. Like a strange yet embarrassing dream, that contact had indeed left a unique impression of Wu Xingqing in Luo Fei's heart, and they had exchanged contact information, but it wasn't like they could start dating just from that.
At least after Fan Shi, his heart probably needed to wither for a while. He didn't want to consider others for now, preferring to focus on keeping his mother's spirits up.
If there was a chance to meet again in the future, perhaps something could develop, but they each had their own worlds, and there might not even be another opportunity to meet.
Since Ji Fei's gossip system could clearly see there had been no progress between them afterward, she didn't participate in this topic.
At this moment, several servers carrying cocktails walked over.
"Ji..."
An excited voice called out briefly.
Ji Fei's gaze happened to sweep over, immediately meeting Han Ziyu's delighted eyes.
Since they approached from Ji Fei's side, Han Ziyu hadn't noticed Qi Li at the other end.
"Oh, what a coincidence! You're working here?" Ji Fei smiled.
Han Ziyu instantly blushed, extremely excited, "Hello, Teacher Ji! I'm filling in here tonight. What luck that I get to see you again!"
The others naturally noticed Han Ziyu too, their expressions varying.
Such a coincidence? They didn't believe it. Had the young girl followed them here? Was Qi Li right about her playing hard to get? But was it necessary to still pretend not to see Qi Li? Would there be a dramatic confrontation with Lily later?
They couldn't help but look forward to it.
Meanwhile, Qi Li held Lily close, his gaze fixed on this scene, waiting in vain for Han Ziyu to notice him from the corner of her eye.
Seeing Han Ziyu and Ji Fei about to start chatting,
Qi Li opened and closed his mouth several times before finally breaking.
Han Ziyu heard a loud cough, seemingly trying to draw attention. Turning her head, she saw an exasperating face.
"Haven't your service staff been properly trained? Who gave you permission to chat with customers when you should be serving?" After speaking, he put on a cold expression while looking at Han Ziyu, deliberately holding Lily closer.
He laughed inwardly: Let's see how long you can keep up this act.
At that moment, Guo Yalan had already walked through the inner hall. Many people recognized her, their faces showing shock, as news of their breakup had spread far and wide at the time.
