Chapter 234: 172 Scumbag (3 more updates)
Qi Zeyan tapped his fingertips on his knee. After a while, he hesitated before speaking, "Xiaoruan, come in with me in a moment and act like weâre close. Sheâs an understanding person. Sheâll probably get the picture without us having to say much."
"This..." Ruan Mengxi gripped the steering wheel with a solemn expression, "Boss Qi, this doesnât seem quite right."
Pretending to be troubled, but in her heart, she was already overjoyed.
In fact, she had hinted clearly enough about the approach, but she definitely couldnât be the one to suggest it, so she had been waiting.
"Thereâs nothing wrong with it."
"Sheâs the Xie familyâs young miss. As for me..." Ruan Mengxi bit her lip, "Wonât she cause me trouble in private?"
"If she comes for you, come to me. Itâll be like you worked overtime. On the standard pay for overtime at the company, Iâll give you triple."
"Thank you, boss."
Could there be anything better in this world than getting closer to the person you like?
**
After they arrived at the restaurant, they entered one after the other. Qi Zeyan was used to walking ahead, striding forward until he almost reached the private room, when someone grabbed his sleeve. He turned his head to find Ruan Mengxi tightly clutching his sleeve.
"Whatâs the matter?"
"Werenât we supposed to..." Ruan Mengxi pursed her lips.
Qi Zeyan, who had never dated a girl before, found this method a bit too much. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No!" Ruan Mengxi shook her head immediately.
"Itâs just an act. Later, when we go in, you donât have to speak, just focus on eating."
"Okay."
Qi Zeyan hesitated, then reached back and, through his clothes, gently caught her wrist, leading her forward.
He was not some lecher who would take advantage of any situation; he still knew how to behave appropriately.
Ruan Mengxi was bewildered. What kind of hand-holding was this?
Arenât couples supposed to interlock fingers? His grip made it seem like a parent tugging at a child.
Even through the fabric, Ruan Mengxi could distinctly feel the warmth from his palm, tightly circling her own, as if something had gently seized her heart, making it beat outside of her control.
She hastened her pace to keep up with his.
Upon reaching the private room and opening the door, Xie Tongtong promptly stood up with a welcoming smile, "Young Master Qi..."
However, seeing the person by his side and the hands they held together, her heart skipped a beat. Still, due to good upbringing, she managed not to show it on her face.
"I brought a friend, hope you donât mind," Qi Zeyan said straightforwardly.
"Not at all, please sit," Xie Tongtong smiled, "Sorry, I assumed it would be just the two of us, so I only ordered two drinks."
"Itâs no problem. Iâm the one whoâs interrupting," Ruan Mengxi cunningly observed Xie Tongtong, only to marvel at her impressive poise.
Since Qi Zeyan lacked dating experience and their pretense wasnât genuine, he was not consciously playing the boyfriend role and instinctively was about to release her hand...
It was Ruan Mengxi who felt the grip on her wrist loosen and, instinctively, she held onto his hand. Her hand seemed so delicate in comparison, lightly grasping his fingers.
Her palm was too hot, her body slightly feverish, which caused Qi Zeyanâs heart to skip a beat.
The hand of the young girl was quite different from hisâdelicate and soft, stirring an indiscernible feeling in him.
Humans are very sensitive in nature. Her palm, scorching, her body covered in a thin layer of sweat, clung tightly to his...
Ruan Mengxi knew it was all an act, yet had instinctively clung to him, which now left her feeling panicked.
Was she being too eager, too forward?
Just as she was about to let go, Qi Zeyan suddenly enclosed her fingers with his own, capturing her hand in that instant...
Ruan Mengxi felt as if she had grasped the entire world, with what felt like a little steam engine chugging wildly inside her, turning her entire face red with excitement.
"Donât be nervous, just follow my lead," Qi Zeyan thought the sweat on her palm was due to nervousness from their act and comforted her.
But she was, in fact, thrilled!
Ruan Mengxi nodded with a flushed face.
This scene, witnessed by Xie Tongtong, held a different meaning. Being a woman herself, she could tell that Ruan Mengxi liked Qi Zeyan, and the closeness he displayed as he leaned over to whisper in her ear revealed mutual affection; there was no place for herself in this equation.
"Whatâs your honorable surname, miss?" Xie Tongtong was the epitome of grace and dignity, still smiling amiably as she spoke.
At this point, they had already taken their seats, and naturally, hands were released. Ruan Mengxi surreptitiously wiped the sweat from her palms; perhaps because she used to be overweight, she would sweat easily with any movement, and she still did, having a constitution prone to perspiration.