"The Rong City Art Institute?"
Qi Ji nodded again, and Xue Jingrui didn't ask further.
The waiter brought over the red wine and the dishes they ordered.
"Can you drink wine?" Xue Jingrui asked.
"I'm of age, so I can have a little bit."
Qi Ji picked up the wine glass and took a small sip. Xue Jingrui cut the steak on his plate into pieces.
After cutting it, Xue Jingrui switched their plates. Qi Ji was a bit surprised, realizing the steak was cut for her.
"Thank you, Brother Jingrui." Just as her parents said, Brother Jingrui was indeed a good person.
"Jingrui, you're here too?"
Xue Jingrui and Qi Ji both looked up upon hearing the voice.
Xue Jingrui's expression suddenly changed, sounding unsettled, "You're here for dinner too."
"Yeah, I'm here with Mengmeng for dinner."
It was only then that Xue Jingrui noticed the person standing beside Qi Yan.
Qi Ji was already socially anxious, and encountering strangers while eating made her even more anxious. She lowered her head and ate the steak that Xue Jingrui had cut for her.
Gu Mengmeng saw someone disregarding her status again, naturally feeling displeased. Her expression changed as she stood beside Qi Yan with her arms crossed.
"Jingrui, is this your younger sister? She's so young," Qi Yan asked.
Qi Ji looked up and smiled faintly at Qi Yan when she saw the woman asking about her.
"She's not my sister, she's my wife."
"What!" Qi Yan was directly stunned into silence, standing still.
"Wife?" Qi Yan still couldn't believe it, wondering why she had no information about this.
"Is she an adult? Little girl, are you eighteen yet?" Gu Mengmeng also couldn't believe it from the side.
"Hello, I'm 22," Qi Ji said before lowering her head again.
Why? Just a while ago, Xue Jingrui was still obedient to her, following her around. But now, just a few days later, he's married. One after another, why are they treating her like this?
Qi Yan was unwilling to accept it, her expression extremely unsightly. "When did you get married?"
A woman's sixth sense is keen, and Qi Ji was no exception. Although young and inexperienced in romance, she wasn't stupid. She clearly sensed something off between Xue Jingrui and this woman. Could they be a couple?
If so, did that make her the third party? Qi Ji felt a bit guilty. She didn't mean it. If she had known Xue Jingrui had a girlfriend, she definitely wouldn't have agreed to the arranged marriage.
"Sister, I'm sorry," Qi Ji apologized sincerely.
But to Qi Yan, her expression and words could only be seen as flaunting and provoking her.
"Don't apologize with that fake demeanor," Qi Yan said displeasedly.
Qi Ji felt a bit wronged. She really didn't know.
Suddenly, Xue Jingrui stood up and said to Qi Ji in a relatively gentle tone, "Why are you apologizing?"
"She didn't do anything wrong, there's no need to apologize. It's you, what's with that expression?" Xue Jingrui said to Qi Yan in a completely different tone from how he spoke to Qi Ji.
This was a tone Qi Yan never expected from him, as he had never been so harsh with her before. Just a few days apart, and he had changed so much towards her.
"It's nothing, you should leave first. My wife and I still have to finish our meal," Xue Jingrui sat back down.
Qi Yan was so angry that she cried, pulling Gu Mengmeng to leave.
The atmosphere at the table was awkward.
"You don't need to apologize, this is my issue," Xue Jingrui spoke first, breaking the eerie silence.
Qi Ji took a bite of the small piece of steak, not saying a word, thinking about how to handle this situation.
"I'm sorry." Xue Jingrui apologized again. It was all his fault. This time, he truly saw Qi Yan's true colors, even more deeply than before.
He never made any promises to Qi Yan. He had only been silently protecting her before. What right did she have to accuse him and Qi Ji like a victim now? Chang Chiyuan was right, this kind of woman is truly too full of herself and terrifying.
Qi Ji still felt guilty. On the way back, she took the initiative to sit in the back seat.
Seeing this, Xue Jingrui said, "Come sit in the front." He opened the passenger door and waited for Qi Ji to get in.
After a while, Qi Ji still didn't move. She was so obedient before, but now she was being so stubborn.
Xue Jingrui didn't force Qi Ji. He closed the car door and started the car.
"Just drop me off first. I still have work left to do."
Upon hearing this, Xue Jingrui could only head back.
When they arrived home, Xue Jingrui's parents were a bit surprised that the two had returned so quickly from just going out for a meal.
Qi Ji was in low spirits and went straight upstairs to her room, locking herself in. She really didn't expect this outcome. If she had known about their relationship, she definitely wouldn't have agreed to the marriage yesterday, no matter what.
She wanted to confide in someone, but it seemed like she didn't have any friends.
Downstairs, Xue Jingrui's parents stopped him. His mother asked, "What happened? Qi Ji seems a bit off. Did you two have a fight?"
"We ran into Qi Yan while eating," Xue Jingrui told the truth.
Upon hearing this, Ye Rong was furious and smacked Xue Jingrui's head. "Did you relapse into your old habits again? What did I tell you before going out to eat?"
Xue Kai was there too, disappointed and stamping his feet.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going out for a bit. I have something to take care of," Qi Ji said as she came downstairs.
"Okay, there's a driver at the entrance. Go slowly and be careful," Ye Rong reminded her.
"Mm."
As soon as Qi Ji left, Xue Kai immediately told Xue Jingrui, "Hurry up and go after her!"
Xue Jingrui rushed out and grabbed Qi Ji's arm. "I'm sorry."
"It's me who should apologize. I want to go for a walk. Don't follow me."
Qi Ji hailed a cab. "Where to, Miss?"
"Ziyue Manor."
Qi Ji suddenly thought of Shu Yi. She wanted to confide in someone, and just saw Shu Yi message her asking when she wanted to have her wedding dress tailored.
So Qi Ji casually asked about Xue Jingrui's and her situation.
Upon hearing it, Shu Yi realized this wasn't good. The poor, innocent girl, how could she possibly handle that dramatic woman? After reading the message, Shu Yi wanted to come over and teach Qi Ji how to confront the dramatic woman.
But Qi Ji said she would go to Shu Yi instead.
Xue Jingrui followed behind until the car reached Ziyue Manor, only then feeling reassured, truly worried that the young lady might do something rash if she felt too disheartened. He wanted to explain, but it seemed like this was just the reality - he used to like Qi Yan. Explaining would just be an excuse, wouldn't it?
When Qi Ji arrived at Shu Yi's place, Shu Yi felt a bit heartbroken seeing the wronged look on the young lady's face, wishing she could scold Xue Jingrui and kick Qi Yan a few times to vent.
"Beautiful sister, I feel like I'm the third party," were Qi Ji's first words upon entering, shocking Shu Yi.
