Yi Qingju turned around and suddenly met those peach blossom eyes.
"Yu Du?"
"Yeah." The other person replied somewhat obediently.
He ruffled his hair, messing up his originally neat black hair, a flicker of regret flashing through his beautiful peach blossom eyes: "Sister Monkey, we've known each other for so long, but I had no idea you were already married."
Yi Qingju smiled sheepishly: "I didn't mean to hide it from you."
Yu Du curved his lips, though he was smiling, Yi Qingju felt a tinge of bitterness in it.
She took a step forward and asked him with a smile: "How did you recognize me?"
Last time they met in person, she had disguised herself so uglily.
Yu Du smiled indifferently, the curve of his lips a bit mischievous.
"You have a very beautiful pair of eyes."
Like a cat's, an unforgettable pair of eyes.
He actually only recognized her tonight when she was standing there gracefully in the hall. When she saw him, the surprise was unmistakable in her beautiful cat-like eyes.
Adding to that Qi Weiran's appearance that night and the night at the psychiatric hospital, the details he had overlooked at first gradually surfaced. In fact, she didn't even try very hard to conceal herself.
Perhaps it was just that she didn't care about him.
"Ah, thank you for the compliment. I've been quite busy recently and haven't been able to watch your live streams."
Yu Du smiled nonchalantly as they walked side by side down the hallway.
"The fans have also been asking me why you haven't been around."
"Sister Monkey." Yu Du suddenly stopped walking.
"Hm?" Yi Qingju looked up at him.
"If he mistreats you, I'll help you beat him up." He said earnestly, then smiled sheepishly.
"Actually, Mr. Qi isn't that impressive. For example, if we fought one-on-one, even if he beat me to death, I still wouldn't admit defeat."
Yi Qingju showed her teeth in a big grin: "Your mouth is the toughest part of your body, haha."
Seeing her laugh, Yu Du also burst into laughter.
The two began chatting just like when they first met.
The handsome man and beautiful woman stood together, their equally beautiful faces seeming to radiate light under the hallway lamps, looking very well-matched.
She has never smiled like this in front of me before.
Qi Weiran thought silently.
When Yi Qingju caught sight of Qi Weiran standing in the shadows at the corner, she hadn't yet reacted.
[Hey, that mural looks quite like Qi Weiran, haha, let me take a picture and post it on my Moments, today's source of happiness.]
Qi Weiran, mistaken for a mural: "......"
"Where have you been?" he spoke.
Then, unsurprisingly, he saw Yi Qingju's wide eyes.
For a split second, she must have thought the mural had spoken, Qi Weiran thought silently.
[Oh my god!! It's alive!! You scared me! I thought the mural had started talking!]
Qi Weiran: You see, I wasn't wrong, was I?
"Sir." Yi Qingju stood still and called him obediently.
Seeing that Qi Weiran didn't seem to notice him, Yu Du didn't get angry either, still smiling carefree as he greeted him: "Brother."
It was only then that Qi Weiran glanced at him, his gaze lingering for a moment.
Yu Du's eyes were clean and beautiful, smiling sweetly at him.
A young man, daring to love and hate, with an enviable carefree spirit.
"Little Milk Bun is asleep, let's go back." Qi Weiran nodded at him, then looked down at Yi Qingju.
However, her expression suddenly hesitated for a moment.
Qi Weiran's amber eyes abruptly darkened.
You want to stay, because of Yu Du?
[I'm about to burst, can I go to the restroom first? I forgot I came out to use the restroom.]
Qi Weiran: "......."
'On the Complexity of Suspicion Between People'
Author: Qi Weiran
"We'll go first."
Grabbing Yi Qingju's arm, Qi Weiran bid farewell to Yu Du, then pulled her away.
Yi Qingju, being dragged by him, looked back at Yu Du.
The man nearly 6 feet tall was standing there as if in a daze. Seeing her look back, he immediately put on a smiling face and waved at her.
Qi Weiran's cold voice then sounded in her ear: "Is he good-looking?"
Yi Qingju blinked: "Yes."
[The restroom is over there!! Turns out the three of us were just standing at the restroom entrance chatting!!!]
Qi Weiran's steps faltered for a moment, then he pulled her down a different path: "Weren't you with Aunt Qiu and Yu Mu?"
Yi Qingju said softly: "I came out to use the restroom and ran into Yu Du."
"Did you go?"
Yi Qingju looked up at his profile: "No."
Qi Weiran stopped, gently pushing her towards a side room: "Go ahead, I'll go greet Aunt Qiu."
Then he turned and left.
Yi Qingju looked up.
It was another restroom.
"Strange, kind of lucky..." she muttered, then grinned and went inside.
When she came out, a maid, probably called by Qi Weiran, was waiting outside the door. Seeing Yi Qingju come out, she smiled: "Mrs. Qi, please allow me to show you the way."
Yi Qingju nodded: "Thank you, much appreciated."
[The almighty husband is really considerate, ah, so much better than that kid Yu Du.] The little voice in her head couldn't help but praise.
For once, she didn't refute it.
Downstairs, they were all waiting for her, as expected.
Bai Nianqiu put an arm around her: "Come visit the milk tea shop I'm opening next time."
Yi Qingju had heard about this and nodded readily: "Sure."
Yu Du didn't come out to see them off for some reason, but she didn't think much of it, assuming he had work to do.
Qi Weiran was holding the sleepy Little Milk Bun and waiting for her. Only after she finished her farewells did he hand her the thick shawl he had been holding: "It's cold outside."
Yi Qingju took it: "Thank you, sir."
Then she put it on, able to faintly detect Qi Weiran's scent lingering on it. He had drank alcohol tonight, causing his cologne to smell more intense, just smelling it made her feel a bit intoxicated.
Once in the car, Little Milk Bun snuggled up against Qi Weiran and blearily opened his eyes: "Are we going home now?"
Yi Qingju thought he looked adorable. After glancing at Qi Weiran, she took him into her arms: "Yes, we're going home. Go to sleep if you're tired."
Qi Xinian didn't want to, clinging to her neck and demanding a bedtime story.
Qi Weiran remained silent.
He wasn't sure what kind of proper bedtime story Yi Qingju would tell.
Either way, he'd have to coax him to sleep when they got home. Yi Qingju cleared her throat and began: "This is a tragic love story."
Qi Weiran couldn't help but recall the terror of being controlled by esophageal cancer that drunken night.
"A long, long time ago, a noble lady fell in love with a poor but handsome wandering poet."
Qi Weiran raised his eyebrows.
Surprisingly, it seemed quite normal.
Yi Qingju, about to continue, glanced down to see the child in her arms demanding a story had instantly fallen asleep, so she closed her mouth.
Seeing that she wasn't going to continue, Qi Weiran couldn't help but ask: "Then what happened?"
Yi Qingju was taken aback, not expecting Qi Weiran to actually want to hear more.
After all, she had made this up, with no plan for what came next.
Under Qi Weiran's piercing gaze, she had no choice but to continue improvising.
[You're regressing more and more, old Qi. How did you end up wanting to hear stories now? No way around it, I'll just have to spoil my own precious husband myself.]
"Ahem, after the noble lady's relentless pursuit, the wandering poet agreed to be with her. Just as the noble lady decided to abandon her status and wealth to wander with the poet, her family forced her to marry a nobleman ten years her senior."
Qi Weiran's heart suddenly pounded.
"After a period of resistance and utter despair, the lady gradually submitted to the older nobleman's elegance and maturity, falling in love with him."
Qi Weiran found himself inexplicably siding with the noble older man.
At once, Yi Qingju changed the subject: "However, when the wandering poet learned of this, he could not accept that his lover had fallen for another man. He was consumed by hatred for her betrayal, and one night, he crept into the nobleman's mansion and ended the young lady's life with a dagger. But in a fleeting, fateful glance, he unexpectedly fell head over heels for the very old man who had driven him to jealous madness!"
"In the end, the wandering poet lived happily ever after with his new love."
Qi Weiran: "......."
How tragically beautiful.
