#71: The Wild Rose Battle (6)

Shi Yin didn’t see any hint of a rival in Li Nian’s eyes. She only felt that Li Nian was smiling at her with an overwhelming brightness, making her skin crawl.

She blinked. “Can you really tell just from that?”

“Of course,” the beauty said, raising an eyebrow. Her voice was pleasant, slow, and had a languid tone to it. At the moment, she was eating, her mouth slightly puffed as she chewed, moving rhythmically—it looked kind of cute.

“From the moment I stood here, she has been looking over at you, and there’s another direction—” The beauty pointed with her hand. “That person.”

Shi Yin followed the direction she pointed toward and almost choked on her cake.

Gu Congli.

This beautiful woman’s eyes were sharp.

She finished the last bit of her cake and took another sip of her drink without saying anything.

The beauty stood beside her, sighing to herself, “Editor Gu sure is blessed with good fortune.”

Shi Yin raised her eyes slightly.

Knowing who Gu Congli was, it seemed he wasn’t some random internet celebrity, but rather someone within the industry. Moreover, Gu Congli had only been the editor-in-chief for half a year, so people from other companies probably weren’t too familiar with him.

Which meant she must be from Yaoguang Publishing.

Unable to resist, Shi Yin turned her head and asked, “Are you an employee of Yaoguang Publishing?”

The beauty slightly raised an eyebrow. “No.”

Shi Yin: “Ah...”

The beauty continued, “I’m the boss.”

Shi Yin: “...”

Sorry.

Excuse me.

Pardon the interruption.

Stunned for three seconds, Shi Yin internally bowed out with three apologies and fell silent.

So, the legendary boss of Yaoguang Publishing, who bought the company for fun and liked to act high-and-mighty while setting outrageously high monthly performance targets, was actually a female powerhouse.

The female powerhouse finished her five small cakes, grabbed a napkin from the table next to her, and elegantly wiped her fingers. “Teacher Shi Yi, stand tall and proud.”

Shi Yin was confused and blankly raised her head. “Huh?”

“Your rival is here.”

Shi Yin paused and turned her head.

Li Nian had already walked up to her. Shi Yin had never seen Li Nian in person before; she had only seen pictures of her.

To be fair, Li Nian was quite pretty, possessing a likable appearance that easily made others feel fond of her. Today, she wore a short lotus-colored skirt, revealing her long slender legs, and her smile fit her character perfectly. “Teacher Shi Yi.”

Shi Yin nodded, her expression bewildered. “Hello.”

Li Nian waited quietly for a few seconds.

Shi Yin tilted her head. “Who are you?”

Li Nian’s expression stiffened slightly, and she smiled. “I’m Li Nian.”

Shi Yin suddenly realized. “Oh, hello.”

“The matter I privately messaged you about last time may have caused some misunderstanding and discomfort. I want to apologize—”

Shi Yin pursed her lips and interrupted her. “You don’t need to start every conversation with an apology. If you’re truly sorry, just don’t do it again.”

Li Nian’s expression darkened completely. “Then I’m sorry, but I can’t—”

“Look, look,” Shi Yin raised her hand, interrupting her again. “I’ve already told you not to apologize to me. So why are you feeling awkward again?”

Li Nian’s face turned black.

Shi Yin’s expression turned troubled. “I know what you want to say. You want to know what kind of person Gu Congli likes. But I’ve already told you—he likes someone like me. I really don’t know anything beyond that. Why don’t you ask him directly?”

With a darkened face, Li Nian’s radiant smile dimmed significantly. Her lips curved faintly, her expression confident. “Teacher Shi Yi, although Editor Gu is your editor, I know many things about him that you absolutely don’t.”

Shi Yin lowered her eyelids disinterestedly, thinking to herself, I know he’s a beast in bed. Do you?

Seeing her silence, Li Nian thought she had finally struck a nerve.

Initially, Li Nian didn’t have much interest in this Gu Congli. She only knew that he was the chief editor of Crimson Moon and Shi Yi’s responsible editor.

Until their first meeting—in a hotel.

Manga artist Teacher Shi Yi’s first book signing event consisted of two sessions. After finishing the session in City S, Li Nian saw the photos and short videos online along with comments calling her a genius teenage beauty, which put her in a bad mood.

The persona of the “beautiful young manga artist” originally belonged to her! Shi Yi had been drawing for four years without ever exposing herself, and just when her persona started gaining popularity, Shi Yi held a book signing event to capitalize on the hype.

Moreover, Li Nian wanted to know if Shi Yi was really as good-looking as everyone claimed.

So, for the event in the capital, Li Nian followed and booked the same hotel that Yaoguang Publishing had arranged for Shi Yi.

In the hotel restaurant, she saw Gu Congli for the first time.

Li Nian wasn’t bad-looking. Many people had pursued her since she was young, and she had dated the school heartthrobs in middle and high school. She was surrounded by handsome men.

But Gu Congli, no matter which circle she compared him to, seemed to be the most handsome of them all.

Li Nian’s strange and inexplicable irritation toward Shi Yi grew even stronger.

After observing for a while, she realized that his attitude toward Shi Yi was actually somewhat cold. Later, during the book signing event, when she deliberately tried to make things difficult, Gu Congli didn’t step in as expected but instead stood back, watching the situation unfold like an amused spectator.

Li Nian concluded that the relationship between these two was quite ordinary.

And when it came to men, she had plenty of experience. Most men were simple creatures—they judged women based on their face and figure. She excelled in both areas, so she figured the rest should be easy.

Moreover, by chance, she discovered that he was Qi’an.

The manga industry was a small circle. Previously, an editor from Reverse Moon had been poached from Yaoguang Publishing to Congyang, and during a casual conversation about Qi’an, the editor showed her a secretly taken side profile photo of him.

Li Nian almost immediately recognized him. When she asked, it turned out to be true.

After their first meeting, Li Nian truly began to take an interest in Gu Congli.

From head to toe, there wasn’t a single flaw on this man. He was as cold as ice, sharp and aloof, effortlessly stirring her desire to conquer him.

Human nature was fickle—those who were hardest to win over only made one want them more.

She deliberately sought out Shi Yi to test her, and sure enough, Shi Yi became irritated.

It was obvious—if she spent day and night with a man of that caliber, how could she not develop feelings?

Unfortunately, judging from the book signing event in the capital, Gu Congli didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about her. And Li Nian knew secrets about him that Shi Yi was unaware of.

The gloom on Li Nian’s face vanished, and her mood brightened again. She smiled and asked, “Teacher Shi Yi, aren’t you curious about Mr. Gu?”

“I am curious,” Shi Yin honestly nodded. “But I’d rather let him tell me himself.”

Li Nian was stunned. “What?”

Suddenly, Shi Yin revealed the first genuine smile since Li Nian arrived.

Shi Yin’s eyes were round, and because she was wearing a long evening gown today, her makeup was deliberately styled to appear more mature. The deep purple eyeliner slightly lifted upward, accentuating the contours of her eyes, making her look alluring, like a mischievous cat spirit.

She gently pressed her lips together, then raised her hand to rest it on Li Nian’s shoulder, feigning camaraderie. With a tilt of her head, she gestured toward a direction with her chin. “Look.”

Li Nian followed her gaze—it was in Gu Congli’s direction. Just as they looked over, he happened to glance their way.

Ever since arriving, Li Nian had already spotted Gu Congli. She originally intended to approach and strike up a conversation, but he seemed completely occupied.

When Shi Yin locked eyes with him, she raised her arm and beckoned him with a curl of her finger.

Gu Congli pretended not to see it and turned his head to continue talking to the person beside him.

Li Nian felt triumphant, smugly glancing at Shi Yin.

But within seconds, Gu Congli turned around and walked toward them.

For some inexplicable reason, Li Nian suddenly felt a bit nervous.

She straightened her back, pushed her chest out slightly, and extended one leg forward, bending it slightly. A section of her thigh and knee peeked out from the edge of her skirt, while her calf down to her ankle appeared slender and delicate.

By the time Gu Congli reached them, she had struck a noticeable pose. His gaze swept over her briefly before turning to Shi Yin. Lowering his head slightly, he asked softly, “What is it?”

Shi Yin had been observing Li Nian’s subtle movements out of the corner of her eye. Upon hearing his question, she retracted her peripheral attention, tilted her head to look up at the man in front of her, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Annoyance welled up inside her.

Was this man trouble? Why did he have to flirt with every woman he encountered?

And he was still looking!!!!!!!!!!

As expected, all men were scum, unable to resist beautiful women!!!

Shi Yin took a step forward, abruptly raised her arm, and with her slim, fair hand, grabbed his tie, pulling it downward slightly to close the distance between them.

In public places, she always avoided overly intimate contact with him, fearing others would discover the nature of their relationship.

This was the first time she had done something like this.

Thus, Gu Congli froze momentarily.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she teased, “Teacher Li Nian just told me that she knows many of your little secrets, all of which I’m unaware of.” Her chin lifted slightly, exuding arrogance like a little lioness. “Tell me, what are you hiding from me?”

Gu Congli quickly regained his composure, leaning forward slightly to allow her to pull him closer by his tie. He even adjusted his posture slightly to make it easier for her to tug.

The only thing Li Nian seemed to know about was that one trivial matter.

Such a minor detail, yet she acted as if she had uncovered some earth-shattering secret and was playing hard to get.

One glance at the person in front of her, and it was clear she was practically broadcasting her intimidation tactics.

Gu Congli was more than happy to help his little girl gain the upper hand.

He lowered his gaze to meet her eyes and said calmly, “I am Qi’an.”

Shi Yin blinked, tugging harder on his tie and pulling it down slightly further. “I already know that. Tell me something else.”

Gu Congli thought for a moment. “There’s nothing else.”

No need to mention that he had been thinking about her for years.

No need to explain that their reunion, collaboration, and coincidental encounters were all part of his plan—after all, Li Nian didn’t know any of that.

Shi Yin turned her head to look at Li Nian, her eyes curved into a soft smile as she spoke in a gentle voice. “He says there’s nothing else. Teacher Li Nian, do you have anything to add?”

Li Nian stared at them, dumbfounded, still processing what was happening.

After a few seconds, she widened her eyes. “You… you two—”

“Oh, there’s one more question,” Shi Yin remembered and turned back to face Gu Congli. “Teacher Li Nian asked me to ask you—what kind of woman do you like?”

Gu Congli placed one hand on her waist, his fingertips lightly rubbing against her. “Someone like you.”

Unsatisfied, she persisted. “Who do you love?”

“You.”

Shi Yin laughed. Her originally sharply drawn eyes softened into a mischievous, charming smile, balancing her allure with playfulness, making her look like a sly and adorable little fox. “Who am I to you?”

“Darling,” Gu Congli murmured softly.