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His confession came so suddenly. Wen Di was trying to twist open a soda bottle, her hand slipped, and she couldn’t open it.
Qi Mingche stopped walking, and Wen Di also halted.
He tilted the sun umbrella, completely blocking the sun from her side.
Not only Wen Di, but even he himself hadn’t expected that “I want to see you” to just blurt out.
Aside from bringing her well water this morning, he hadn’t seen her in ten days.
The longing had grown uncontrollably.
This morning, he truly couldn’t bear it anymore and used the excuse of delivering well water to see her.
But that meeting lasted only a few minutes, and they barely exchanged words.
He had seriously planned to choose a special day, prepare thoroughly, and give her a ceremonial confession.
He never thought he would disrupt his own rhythm.
“Wen Di, do you want to try with me? I know, with your personality, you don’t need a relationship to forget anything, and you don’t need to deliberately forget anything. We’re just starting a new life, a life completely different from your past. It has nothing to do with the past.”
A ray of sunlight fell on her shoulder.
It was Qi Mingche who hadn’t held the umbrella steadily, allowing the sun to find its way through.
He knew very well that her previous unreserved devotion to Yan Heyu had left her deeply hurt. It would be difficult for her to love as she once did, and she wouldn’t be able to fall in love easily for a while.
Now, dating was simply for the sake of dating and being in a relationship.
For happiness and ease.
Her attitude towards love, currently or for a long time to come, should be: take it seriously, but be content with whatever comes.
He didn’t demand her love, only her happiness.
He smiled, making himself look natural and carefree. “I think I’m a suitable person for you. We’ve known each other for so long; you don’t dislike being with me, and sometimes you’re quite happy. I have no bad habits, I look decent, I earn enough to support us both, and our families are well-matched. Whether it’s for a relationship or something more serious, we have no obstacles. Most importantly, I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time, longer than I’ve known you.”
Qi Mingche didn’t know where he was going with his words; he just said whatever came to mind. “Participating in the filming of ‘Like a Shadow’ and being in the same group as you was all my private intention. At that time, I thought you were single. Later, I suffered for a period because I found out you had a ‘relationship’ with my dad. I even wanted to give up participating in the show, but for some reason, I didn’t. The director saw that I wasn’t cooperating with you on the show and talked to me, preparing to change my partner, but I still refused.”
As he spoke, he apologized, “I’m a bit incoherent.”
Wen Di had been looking at him, the soda bottle still unopened.
She didn’t speak.
Or rather, she hadn’t thought of how to reply.
Qi Mingche extended a hand. “Give me your right hand, or give me the soda bottle in your left hand, and I’ll open it for you.”
He gave her these choices.
He lightened the mood, “Don’t worry, even if you give me the soda, I’ll still take you out. But I might not want to drive, so you’ll have to take the subway.”
Wen Di smiled and directly gave him her right hand.
Qi Mingche was stunned for a moment, then broke into a joyful smile. He tightly clasped her right hand, then gently embraced her with the arm holding the umbrella.
He shifted slightly to the side, letting the ray of sunlight that had been on Wen Di’s shoulder now fall on his own back.
________________________________________
Zhao Yueling was the first to know about their relationship. Just as the dinner party ended, she received a message from her daughter: [Mom, Qi Mingche confessed to me at noon today. We’re together. I’m very happy.]
Zhao Yueling was walking towards the elevator and replied with a voice message: [Congratulations, darling.]
Yan Heyu and Fan Zhisen were walking beside Zhao Yueling. Yan Heyu heard her voice message. He didn’t think much of it, assuming Wen Di had sold another script for an exorbitant price.
The news of Wen Di and Qi Mingche’s relationship was revealed two weeks later.
The two frequently visited small shops in the hutongs. First, netizens captured photos of them sitting close together at a dining table, both on the same side, with Qi Mingche even serving Wen Di food.
Later, entertainment reporters staked them out and asked about their relationship status.
Qi Mingche wanted to say they were just friends because he wasn’t sure if Wen Di wanted to go public.
But Wen Di was generous in admitting it, saying, “We’ve just confirmed our relationship. We hope you can give us some private space, thank you.”
That night, it exploded on the hot search.
“Like a Shadow” had just aired its sixth episode, and many fans shipped their CP.
On the show, some people had long noticed that Qi Mingche’s gaze towards Wen Di was unusual, filled with tenderness, living up to the show’s title, “Like a Shadow.”
His behavior in the first and second episodes was completely different.
It turned out that after spending more time together, sparks flew between them.
It was also that same night that Yan Heyu learned about their relationship.
He had just returned from a business trip abroad. The day he had dinner with Zhao Yueling and Fan Zhisen, he took an evening flight out of the country and was away for two weeks.
There were some subsequent issues to resolve with the several projects compensated to the Tian family, and his trip this time was to handle them all at once.
Coming out of the airport, he went straight back to the old mansion.
His father was home today; it was rare for the family to have a meal together. The last time they met was at his engagement banquet.
Yan Heyu had just sat down on the sofa when he heard Yan Heyan opposite him say, “They really got together.”
He ignored it and picked up the remote control to turn on the TV.
Yan Heyan got up and sat beside him, shoving her phone in front of him. “Wen Di’s new relationship.”
Yan Heyu watched the person in the video. Wen Di was wearing a long spaghetti-strap dress, her slightly wavy long hair cascaded over her shoulders. She held Qi Mingche’s arm with both hands, her eyes and brows smiling, as she told the reporter, “We’ve just confirmed our relationship. We hope you can give us some private space, thank you.”
He stared fixedly at the video, Wen Di’s voice in the video seeming to drift in and out.
Yan Heyan asked, “What are you thinking?”
Yan Heyu didn’t hear her. Suddenly, he stood up, grabbed the car keys from the coffee table, and strode out.
“Hey! Give me my phone!”
Yan Heyan shouted at him.
Yan Heyu didn’t bother to turn around and tossed his phone onto the bar counter he was passing.
He quickly walked to the courtyard.
He planned to stay at the old mansion tonight, so his driver had dropped him off and left.
He had casually picked up Yan Heyan’s car keys just now.
Sitting in the car, Yan Heyu gripped the steering wheel with both hands, not starting the car for a long time.
After a moment, he called his mother’s driver to drive. He couldn’t command his father’s driver.
The driver asked him where he wanted to go.
Yan Heyu paused.
The driver’s eyes conveyed a question: so eager to go out, but doesn’t know where?
Yan Heyu truly didn’t know. He didn’t know where he could find Wen Di.
It was six in the evening now. She must be on a date with Qi Mingche; she couldn’t be at her apartment.
Knowing she wasn’t there, he still went.
Halfway there, Kang Bo messaged him: [Mr. Yan, did you see the top trending topic?]
[Yes.]
[Should I come over?]
[No need.]
Yan Heyu turned off his phone.
As he expected, Wen Di wasn’t home.
He rang the doorbell. The auntie replied, “You’re Didi’s friend? She’s not home. You can call her. She’s in a relationship, you know?”
Yan Heyu: “Mhm. Thank you.”
He sent a message to his bodyguard: [Come here. Cut all surveillance footage where I appear.]
He didn’t say where he was.
But the bodyguard could guess.
Tian Qinglu hadn’t contacted Yan Heyu alone for several months. Tonight, seeing the trending topic, she couldn’t resist: [Top trending topic, did you see it?]
She sent another message, saying: [If you hadn’t given Jiang Yunxing’s family a month to withdraw their investment, would the outcome be different now?]
Yan Heyu didn’t reply.
Of course, Tian Qinglu was also sensible enough not to send any more messages.
While waiting for Wen Di to return, Yan Zhisen received a call from Fan Zhisen.
Everyone seemed to start with the same line: “Wen Di is in a relationship, did you know? Top trending topic.”
Fan Zhisen said this not to twist the knife in his heart. “I asked my old friend Changyun, and he said Wen Di is indeed in a relationship, not a show stunt. They started dating two weeks ago.”
Yan Heyu stood with one hand in his pocket, leaning against the window sill at the end of the corridor, looking downstairs.
The floor was high, and the flashing marker lights made it impossible to distinguish which car was which, one after another.
He replied faintly, “You called just to tell me this?”
“Mr. Yan, you misunderstand.” Fan Zhisen knew he was upset right now; anyone would be. “In terms of strength, Qi Mingche can’t compare to you.”
But they weren’t destined.
Now, regarding the meal delivery, he wasn’t sure what Yan Heyu meant.
“Continue to deliver the meals, and add two more flowers,” Yan Heyu cut off the call.
After waiting for one hour and thirty-two minutes, Wen Di returned.
She didn’t have a date tonight; Qi Mingche had work. She chatted about work with Qu Pei at the company and discussed whether to cool down the relationship’s popularity.
Wen Di didn’t notice anyone at the end of the corridor. She came out of the elevator and walked straight towards her front door.
“Wen Di.”
She paused, turning to look back.
Yan Heyu had already approached.
“Looking for documents again?” Wen Di stuffed her phone into her bag. “I’ve checked all the filing cabinets; there are none.”
He said, “I came to find you.”
Wen Di had nothing to say to him. Before she could even take a step, Yan Heyu grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
They had often confronted each other before. The difference in height and strength was too great; he could always easily hold her captive.
Yan Heyu pressed against her long legs. Unlike last time, he didn’t twist her hands behind her back. Instead, he intertwined his fingers with hers, his arm pressed against the wall.
She tried to struggle free, but it was futile.
They gazed at each other in silence.
In each other’s eyes, they were familiar, yet unfamiliar, and finally, shattered.
Wen Di said, “It’s not a publicity stunt; Qi Mingche is my boyfriend now. Let go.”
“I’m already here. Do you think I’ll let go?”
She warned in a low voice, “Have some moral boundaries.”
He said, “For you, I have none. What’s the point of having them?”
“...”
Wen Di turned her head, her chest burning with anger.
Yan Heyu looked at her profile, unblinkingly. “The note you changed in my phone, I never changed it back.”
Wen Di seemed not to hear.
“I’ve already broken off the engagement.”
“That’s your business.”
Silence for a few seconds.
He said, “Those three years, have you forgotten them?”
“You were the one who gave up first, who didn’t want it first.”
He whispered, “I didn’t not want it.”
Wen Di smiled. “It’s meaningless to talk about that now.”
She reiterated, “I have a boyfriend now. Let’s both be well.”
Yan Heyu adjusted his posture, lowered his head, and pressed his forehead against hers. “Tell me, how are you ‘being well’?”
Wen Di’s hands were immobile; she couldn’t reach her phone.
Her only option for help now was the auntie. “If you don’t let go, I’m calling someone.”
Yan Heyu was unfazed by the threat: “You can call. I’ll have a reason to shut your mouth.”
Wen Di had no choice but to give up.
In his current stance, he looked like he might just kiss her directly.
She forced herself to calm down. “What do you want from me? Speak properly. What is this?”
Yan Heyu still didn’t let go of her. He straightened up and said, “I haven’t thought about why I came to find you.” He just came.
“You two aren’t suitable.” This was his second definitive statement.
Wen Di looked up at him. “I think it’s suitable, that’s enough. Right now, I like him just the way he is.”
Yan Heyu looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered his head again.
Wen Di dodged quickly, and his kiss landed on her cheek.
“Yan Heyu!”
“I’ll just pretend I don’t know you have a boyfriend now, and pretend you’re still mine.” Yan Heyu released her.
He knew what she was going to do next. Before her palm could land, he intercepted her hand and clasped it in his.
Last time in the apartment, she slapped him, and he didn’t move.
He allowed her to slap him for herself, but he wouldn’t allow her to slap him for another man.
He took out his phone and called his bodyguard: “Which elevator is convenient to turn off the surveillance now?”
“Number one.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He ended the call and looked at her. “Want to see me off? The next time we meet, you’ll be someone else’s girlfriend.”
Wen Di ignored him, forcefully pulling her hand free from his grasp.
Yan Heyu knew she wouldn’t see him downstairs, but he didn’t pull her into the elevator either.
He raised his hand, took a small strand of her hair, and twirled it around his finger. “I’m sorry. For the time Tian Qinglu asked to meet you.”
Wen Di pulled her hair from his hand and turned to leave.
Yan Heyu watched her enter the house, then swiped his card and entered the elevator.
Back in the car, he told the driver, “Just drive anywhere.”
Driver: “The family is waiting for you to come home for dinner.”
Since he wasn’t his own driver, he didn’t listen to him much. Yan Heyu motioned for him to return to the old mansion.
Back home, his father was in the living room, chatting with his sister.
Yan Hongjin glanced at his son. “Where have you been? The whole family’s waiting for you.”
Yan Heyu slowly said, “Usually, I can only find you on TV. Today, suddenly seeing you in person, I was a bit excited, so I went outside for a cigarette to calm my nerves.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than his mother pulled him aside. “Alright, you just have to argue with your father.”
The dishes were all served, and the family sat down at the dining table.
Yan Hongjin had just been dragged by his daughter to watch half an hour of “Like a Shadow,” focusing only on Wen Di and Qi Mingche’s scenes. His daughter was briefing him on their relationship.
Midway through, his son returned, interrupting them.
He asked his daughter, “And then?”
Ye Minqiong was puzzled. “What then?”
Yan Hongjin: “The celebrity that Heyan likes, she said the two later got together.” He asked, “Are they married now?”
Yan Heyan shook her head. “No, they just went public with their relationship.”
Ye Minqiong: “You don’t like Wen Di and that other person now?”
“Qi Mingche.”
“Right, Qi Mingche.” Ye Minqiong was surprised, “They’re together? In real life?”
“Yes, it was trending today.”
Ye Minqiong had just finished work and hadn’t been paying attention to entertainment news. She had watched two episodes of “Like a Shadow,” was deeply impressed by this pair of partners, and had even met them in person at a restaurant.
She objectively commented, “The two kids are quite a match.”
Yan Heyan stopped her mother. “Mom, please don’t praise them like that. It’s like stabbing someone right in the heart.”
Ye Minqiong didn’t understand what she meant at first. She saw her daughter nod towards her son, while Yan Heyu sat there expressionless, simply eating his meal without saying a word.
She suddenly understood. “Your brother likes Wen Di?”
Yan Heyan gave her a thumbs-up.
Ye Minqiong looked at her son, thought about Wen Di’s looks and demeanor, and realized it wasn’t surprising that her son liked her.
Yan Heyan thought it through in her mind, decided it was fine, and then said, “My brother broke off his engagement with Tian Qinglu just because of Wen Di.”
At these words, it was like thunder striking.
Yan Hongjin and Ye Minqiong were stunned.
Yan Heyan seized the opportunity and revealed everything: “Wen Di dated him for three years. Someone got engaged without telling her, making Wen Di a mistress, and she only found out her boyfriend was someone else’s fiancé when Tian Qinglu came knocking.”
Ye Minqiong pointed at her son for a long time, too angry to speak.
“Dad, I’m sitting next to you.” Yan Heyan carried her bowl and hid beside her father.
Yan Hongjin moved his dining chair to the side, making room for his daughter. “With your mom and me at home, you’re not scared of him, are you?”
Yan Heyan vehemently denied it. “Who’s scared of him? I just wanted to sit closer to you.”
Yan Heyu remained silent. He finished a bowl of rice and forgot to serve himself more dishes.
Ye Minqiong scolded him, “You’re simply wicked.”
Yan Heyan deliberately chose words to sting him. “When Tian Qinglu came knocking on Wen Di’s door, it was the same feeling as that video you saw before. She must have felt even worse.”
Yan Heyu still said nothing.
When they were almost finished eating, Ye Minqiong said, “She has a boyfriend now. Let the past be the past. It’s your fault for being a jerk first.”
Yan Heyu finally spoke. “They won’t last.”
Yan Hongjin scoffed at his son, “When did you change professions to fortune-telling? You even know how long their relationship will last.”
Yan Heyu picked up the water glass beside him, took a few sips, and said, “More accurate than fortune-telling, because I won’t let them last.”
Yan Hongjin was furious: “I’m telling you, don’t mess around. I can’t afford to lose face.”
Yan Heyu looked at his father. “You don’t need to worry. I’m not asking you to sabotage anything. I’ll handle it myself. If I lose face, it’s my own.”
Yan Hongjin: “...”
Yan Heyan quickly put down her chopsticks and rubbed her father’s back. “Dad, don’t be angry. Just let him be. Anyway, you can’t control him, and he doesn’t listen. Let him pursue her if he wants.”
Yan Hongjin rubbed his daughter’s head. “No, why are you such a flip-flopper?”
Yan Heyan wasn’t a flip-flopper. From the very beginning, she had intended to help Yan Heyu. Although it seemed like she was enjoying the show and even wanted to make things worse, every word she said was carefully considered.
She told her parents the truth so they would know that Wen Di was not fickle or had character issues; she was manipulated by her brother.
This way, if her parents happened to overhear gossip about Wen Di, they wouldn’t take it seriously.
“Dad, you don’t need to worry. Even if my brother pursues her, he won’t get her back. She’s the daughter of Jiangcheng’s richest man. Do you think she lacks money or suitors?”
“Wait.” Ye Minqiong confirmed with her daughter, “Wen Di is Wen Changyun’s daughter?”
Yan Heyan nodded.
Ye Minqiong’s head ached with anger. Wen Changyun’s daughter, wouldn’t that also mean Zhao Yueling’s daughter?
Although she didn’t have much of a friendship with Zhao Yueling, if she had to name the most memorable person from her university days, it would definitely be Zhao Yueling. Everyone liked to compare her with Zhao Yueling.
Comparing who was prettier, who was more capable.
And now her scoundrel son had abandoned the other woman’s daughter and was shamelessly trying to pursue her again.
Yan Heyan hadn’t finished her previous sentence, but she preemptively prepared her parents: “Suppose, one day, Wen Di and my brother get back together, it’s definitely not Wen Di’s intention. She would surely be forced into it. You both know what kind of character my brother has.”
Yan Heyu glanced at his sister. For the sake of her speaking up for Wen Di tonight, he didn’t dwell on her harsh words.
He had eaten too quickly just now, and his stomach felt uncomfortable.
He finished the hot water in his cup and put down his chopsticks.
Yan Heyan was closer to the water dispenser. She reached out, “Give me your cup; I’ll pour.” Then she added, “Your stomach hurts, doesn’t it? I’m telling you, that’s not a stomachache; it’s a heartache.”
Yan Heyu: “...You talk too much.”
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