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That night, Yan Heyu went to the club.
He originally didn’t want to go to the club. After dinner, his father glanced at him and said, “What are you standing there for?”
He was clearly sitting on the sofa, not bothering any of them watching TV.
His father’s words were already obvious enough; he found his presence annoying.
At the club, Jiang Chengyu and Fu Yanzhou were both there.
Qin Xing was also there; wherever there was a card game, he was there.
“Brother Yan.” Qin Xing waved at him.
As soon as his voice sounded, those who were discussing Wen Di’s relationship immediately fell silent.
Jiang Chengyu picked up a card and threw it out, squinting at him: “You still dare to come.”
Someone offered Yan Heyu a seat. Yan Heyu sat down next to him and said, “What’s there for me to not dare to come? If I don’t come, who will you compare your misery with? Where will you find happiness?”
Fu Yanzhou said, “The only thing you two lack is self-awareness.”
The night Yan Heyu broke up, Jiang Chengyu and Shen Tang also broke up.
For some time recently, the most talked-about topic in their circle was no doubt Wen Di and Shen Tang, a pair of best friends, kicking out Yan Heyu and Jiang Chengyu, two childhood friends.
Shen Tang saw the outcome between Wen Di and Yan Heyu and seemed to see her own outcome with Jiang Chengyu. Men in their circle would not easily promise marriage to others.
During that time, Shen Tang was filming a historical drama and deeply felt the emperor’s fickleness and men’s ruthlessness. Accompanying him in battle and enduring life-and-death situations with him would not affect his power considerations.
In the script, the powerful families in Chang’an City, to consolidate their family power and stabilize their vested interests, would only form strong alliances through marriage. Even profligate scions who were useless would never make a foolish decision when it came to marriage.
Not to mention ambitious young lords.
Girls from ordinary families, even daughters of wealthy merchants, were simply not within their consideration, because what wealthy merchants had, they also had, and what wealthy merchants didn’t have, they had even more of.
Even if the script ultimately pursued a happy ending, allowing two mismatched individuals to be together, they would endure immense hardship.
In reality, it probably wouldn’t happen.
In the play, Shen Tang endured torment.
Outside the play, it was just as realistic as in the drama, especially when she personally saw Tian Qinglu’s arrogant demeanor. In their circle, she and Wen Di were out of reach.
And Jiang Chengyu explicitly stated he wouldn’t marry. She saw no hope, so she decisively broke up.
If it weren’t for Tian Qinglu’s words during her confrontation with Wen Di, which Shen Tang overheard, Jiang Chengyu and Shen Tang wouldn’t have reached the point of breaking up. So, to some extent, he held a grudge against Tian Qinglu.
Qin Xing poured Jiang Chengyu a cup of tea. “Brother Jiang, cool down.”
He then personally poured Yan Heyu a glass of wine. He didn’t dare to ask directly about Wen Di’s relationship, so he asked casually, “Brother Yan, didn’t you say you were having dinner at home tonight and wouldn’t be coming?”
Yan Heyu perfunctorily replied, “Mhm.” He picked up the wine glass and took a few sips.
The answer was too brief, and Qin Xing understood, given that he was heartbroken. Not just heartbroken, but perhaps also being urged to set a wedding date. He heard that when Uncle Yan returned, his car stopped directly at the old Tian family residence.
For Uncle Yan to make such a grand appearance, he couldn’t think of anything else besides a marriage matter.
The private room was too quiet.
Yan Heyu said, “My parents know about Wen Di and me.”
He paused, “You can talk about whatever you want, don’t mind me.”
So he had already seen the news on the hot search.
“Brother Yan, don’t worry, Qi Mingche and Sister Wen Di won’t last. I’m not just making this up.”
Qin Xing seemed to be comforting Yan Heyu, but he was actually twisting the knife. “Many netizens feel the same way. They say Qi Mingche must want to get famous by relying on Sister Wen Di, and Sister Wen Di probably just likes his face, but she’ll get tired of it eventually. If you ask me, when you get tired, just find someone new. What’s the big deal?”
Fu Yanzhou kicked Qin Xing’s chair, telling him to shut up.
Qin Xing and Yan Heyan were similar in age, and both enjoyed making sharp remarks.
He pretended not to understand Fu Yanzhou’s hint and said earnestly, “Brother Jiang and Brother Yan are your predecessors. You must learn from them carefully, lest you get dumped by your wife one day and end up following their old path.”
Fu Yanzhou: “...”
Qin Xing knew when to stop. He wasn’t involved in the card game today, so he sat nearby, drinking and scrolling on his phone.
He usually wasn’t interested in entertainment gossip, but since it involved Wen Di, he took a closer look.
The scene where he ran into Wen Di on the road that day was simply too memorable. Wen Di was sitting in the car, her face pale, unable to even drive. He thought she was suffering from heart problems due to staying up late.
Qin Xing refreshed the hot search. The keyword for Wen Di and Qi Mingche’s couple profile pictures ranked first.
The two of them used couple profile pictures on WeChat, reportedly leaked by a staff member from the “Like a Shadow” production team.
He switched to a small account and liked the Weibo post about their couple profile pictures.
Qin Xing glanced at Yan Heyu, sighed inwardly, then switched accounts again and unliked the post from his small account.
Yan Heyu’s glass was empty. Qin Xing refilled it and poured half a glass for himself.
“Brother Yan, want a cigarette?”
Yan Heyu said, “You smoke.”
Qin Xing took out a cigarette, held it in his mouth, but didn’t light it for a long time.
He played with his lighter, then suddenly took the cigarette out of his mouth. “Should I have someone take down the hot search? I’ll pay for it.”
Yan Heyu never did anything to deceive himself. “No need.”
His phone received a message, and he casually opened it.
It was a work report from Assistant Kang.
Qin Xing didn’t intentionally look at his phone, but he unintentionally caught a glimpse. The top pinned WeChat contact was “Wife.”
If he didn’t have intentions of getting married, with Yan Heyu’s personality, he wouldn’t casually label anyone as “Wife.”
Today, when Uncle Yan returned, it should be to discuss Yan Heyu and Tian Qinglu’s wedding.
No wonder there was no need to remove Wen Di’s trending topic.
“When did Sister Qinglu change her profile picture? I didn’t even notice. Bro, are you two planning to get married soon? Or did you secretly get your certificate without telling us?”
Yan Heyu and Tian Qinglu had broken off their engagement, but it hadn’t been publicly announced yet. He promised Tian Qinglu that he would announce it to the public in early August.
Currently, only their two families knew, including all his childhood friends. His father’s visit to the Tian family today was merely to express an apology.
“It’s not her.”
Qin Xing didn’t understand. “Huh?”
“That WeChat isn’t Qinglu.”
Qin Xing was very sure it wasn’t Wen Di either, because Wen Di and Qi Mingche’s couple profile pictures were very distinctive, definitely not the one pinned at the top of Yan Heyu’s phone.
He was a little confused.
Could it be that Brother Yan found another woman?
Qin Xing didn’t dare to speak rashly, “It’s not Sister Qinglu, then who is it?”
“Wen Di.”
“...”
Qin Xing lit his cigarette, took a few drags, and suddenly realized. Wen Di had unfriended Brother Yan, so Brother Yan’s phone still had Wen Di’s previous profile picture for now.
Just now, Brother Yan received a message, but it was below Wen Di’s chat box, which meant Brother Yan only had Wen Di pinned at the top.
Qin Xing exhaled smoke and extinguished the cigarette. “The hot topic... you saw it all?”
Yan Heyu asked directly, “The top search about the couple avatars?”
“...Mhm.”
“I saw it.”
Qin Xing didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
Yan Heyu also remained silent. The note in his phone was changed by Wen Di herself.
At first, he had dozens of pinned contacts and groups on his phone. One time, she sent him a message, but it got buried by other messages, and he didn’t see it in time.
She said, “Why do you have so many pinned?”
Later, he unpinned everything else, leaving only her.
After she found out, she was so happy that she gave him a watch, which was the eleventh watch she had given him.
But over time, she forgot that she had given him that watch herself.
Every time she saw him wearing that watch, she would scrutinize it, especially when she locked him out and changed the password. Seeing the watch on his wrist, she wanted to stare a hole through the watch face.
She thought he had accepted gifts from other women.
So later, he had her take a good look at the gifts she had given him in his walk-in closet.
But until they broke up, she never did.
Yan Heyu arranged his cards and glanced at Qin Xing. “Anything else you’re curious about?”
Qin Xing shook his head and lit another cigarette.
Wen Di had already changed her profile picture and was a couple with Qi Mingche, but Yan Heyu still kept Wen Di’s previous chat box, with the note still saying “Wife.”
He sighed again.
________________________________________
Three days passed before the popularity of Wen Di and Qi Mingche’s relationship slowly faded.
It wouldn’t have stayed on the hot search for three consecutive days if the production team hadn’t wanted to seize this great opportunity, so they supported it with various means, resulting in over a dozen trending topics related to the relationship.
As one went down, another went up.
Each one was explosive.
Just when netizens were still craving more, the production team decisively exited the scene, stopping all marketing.
Wen Changyun called his daughter. He had known about his daughter’s relationship for a long time, but as before, he never asked too many questions.
The only difference this time was that it made it to the hot search.
And his daughter publicly admitted it.
“This time, it’s a grand affair.”
His father used such an adjective.
Wen Di chuckled, “No choice, my boyfriend is too popular.”
“I don’t know much about Xiao Qi,” Wen Changyun said truthfully. “He doesn’t seem like your usual type.”
“I like him now.”
“Are you sure?”
Wen Di understood her father’s meaning, worried that she was giving up on herself. “Dad, it’s not like that. I’m just trying a different way of dating, a different kind of relationship than before.”
She shared her feelings, “It feels pretty good.”
“As long as you feel good about it.”
Wen Di typed the period for the last paragraph on her keyboard.
Wen Changyun heard the keyboard sounds and asked, “Writing a script?”
“Mhm, today’s content is done.” Wen Di saved and closed the document.
Wen Changyun heard this and relaxed quite a bit. “Your condition is good.”
“It’s alright. Found a story I want to write, and I can get into it.”
“Have you finished Ming Jianjun’s custom script?”
“No, I’ll put it aside for a few months. I can’t force myself to write if I’m not in the right state.”
She leaned back in her chair, chatting with her father. “This time, I’m writing in a style I’ve never written before.”
Wen Changyun asked, “What’s the title?”
Wen Di said, “ ‘A Great Awakening’ (大梦初醒).”
She closed her laptop and got up to go to the living room.
Her father joked, “A script title that can win an award.”
Wen Di smiled, “Oh, I’ll take your auspicious words. If it wins an award, I’ll send you the trophy.”
Father and daughter chatted for over half an hour.
After hanging up with her father, Wen Di changed her clothes and went out.
She learned in the company group that Qu Pei wasn’t feeling well, so she went to check on her.
Qu Pei’s place wasn’t far from her apartment, a twenty-minute drive.
Director Ruan wasn’t home. Qu Pei was leaning on the sofa, watching TV.
The auntie opened the door for her and took the large bouquet of fresh flowers from her hand.
“You child, why buy flowers?” Qu Pei sat up.
“Fresh flowers make me feel good,” Wen Di put down her bag and sat beside her. She loved arranging fresh flowers now; she often changed the water for the few flowers in the vase at home.
Qu Pei’s face was pale. Wen Di worried, “You can’t go on like this.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Qu Pei said. “I have an appointment with a specialist tomorrow; I’ll go check again.” That specialist’s clinic was very difficult to get an appointment for; she had booked it far in advance.
Director Ruan’s new drama was about to start filming, so he was extremely busy.
Wen Di had no other work scheduled for tomorrow. “I’ll go with you.”
“No need, Auntie can accompany me.”
Wen Di still insisted on accompanying her.
Qu Pei couldn’t win her over and reluctantly agreed.
She patted Wen Di, “I want to discuss something with you.”
Wen Di rubbed her leg to help her relax. “Go ahead.”
Regarding Wen Di’s future development, Qu Pei was looking for a suitable agent for her. “With my health, I’m not confident myself, and I also want to retire and rest.”
She and Wen Di’s second aunt were old friends with a good relationship. She couldn’t be irresponsible after they entrusted their niece to her.
“With your temper, you need to find a capable agent.”
Wen Di usually deferred to Qu Pei on everything, so she didn’t care what kind of agent she found. If they didn’t click, they could always work on it. “Whatever you think is suitable.”
After having lunch with Qu Pei, Wen Di left once Qu Pei was having a relatively peaceful nap.
Before leaving, she told the auntie to call her if anything happened.
Wen Di wasn’t suited to idleness; her mind tended to wander.
Whenever she finished work, she would always find something to do.
But now, she seemed a bit unmotivated.
She thought for a long time, not knowing what to do.
She messaged Qi Mingche: [What time are you done tonight? I’ll pick you up from work.]
Qi Mingche guessed: [Are you bored?]
Wen Di: [Rephrase that.]
Qi Mingche laughed and said: [Okay. Do you want to see me earlier?]
[Yes!]
Qi Mingche was at the photo studio, not the studio, so she’d be even more bored if she came.
He sent her a bookstore address, [Opened by a friend of a friend’s grandpa, a second-hand bookstore. There are treasures you can’t find anywhere else.]
Wen Di immediately perked up when she heard it was a bookstore.
[Why didn’t you say so earlier?]
Qi Mingche explained: [I originally wanted to take you there on the weekend. You go read first, and I’ll pick you up at the bookstore when I’m done. What do you want for dinner tonight? I can make a reservation in advance, or cook for you.]
For Wen Di, he had learned to cook. Although his cooking skills weren’t exquisite, he could make a few dishes quite well.
Wen Di planned to diet. Lately, she had been dating Qi Mingche almost every day, eating out. If she continued, she would definitely gain a kilogram.
For the past two or three years, her weight had been very stable.
[No dinner for me. I’ll eat with you tonight. If I eat more, I’ll get “happy weight.”]
Qi Mingche: [Then just eat a bite or two. After we eat, I’ll walk you home. Remember to wear flat shoes when you leave.]
Wen Di didn’t drive. It was hard to find parking near the bookstore, so she called a car.
The bookstore’s facade was unassuming, and the words on the signboard were faded.
Wen Di pushed the door open, and a comfortable cool breeze of air conditioning greeted her. Inside, it was extremely spacious, a strong contrast to the small entrance. Rows of rosewood bookshelves were arranged haphazardly.
These bookshelves were valuable.
Like the books piled on them, they had the weight of time.
The store was doing good business. Almost every bookshelf had one or two customers Browse. Several textured wooden tables and chairs were placed by the window for people who liked to read.
The chairs were full, so some people simply leaned against the windowsill to read.
Wen Di looked carefully; there was no clear classification of books.
The customer in front of the second bookshelf on the right moved to another bookshelf, and she walked over.
Looking at the rows of old books on the shelf, her trip wasn’t in vain.
She messaged Qi Mingche: [When did this bookstore open? I haven’t heard of it before.]
Qi Mingche: [Late last year, I don’t remember the exact time. The place you’re in now used to be one of the owner’s studies. There are several other studies not open to the public, reportedly filled with rare books. That whole block of houses belongs to his family. He has over a hundred thousand books, and later he just opened a door on the wall facing the street.]
Wen Di was curious: [How could the owner bear to sell these books?]
Qi Mingche: [Because his unfilial descendants don’t like to read. Keeping them would be a waste, so it’s better to sell them to people who love books.]
Wen Di: “...”
[Go read. I’m busy.]
Wen Di put her phone in her pocket and picked out books she hadn’t read before.
She lingered in front of a section of a bookshelf for over half an hour, satisfied with finding three books.
She took a step, heading for the bookshelf further back. As she rounded the corner, she nearly collided with someone coming from the opposite direction.
Upon seeing each other clearly, both were startled.
Both wore sunglasses, so neither could see the emotions in the other’s eyes.
Yan Heyu greeted first, “Came to buy books?”
Wen Di nodded and brushed past him.
The aisle was narrow. She pressed herself against the bookshelf, trying not to touch his clothes.
Just then, a shop assistant came over. “Mr. Yan, your books are all packed.”
Yan Heyu nodded and went to pay.
The assistant showed him the bill. Yan Heyu didn’t look at the price per book, just glanced at the total.
These books were sourced from the owner’s private studies, making them exceptionally valuable. If not for pulling strings to reach the owner, he wouldn’t have sold them for any amount of money.
Those he was willing to part with were all placed in this second-hand bookstore.
After payment, the bodyguard left with a cardboard box of old books.
Yan Heyu was familiar with the owner and it wasn’t his first time buying books there. Today, the owner was out, so he didn’t linger.
Before leaving, he subconsciously turned to look inside. There was no sign of Wen Di in the visible aisle. By intuition, she should be behind the fourth bookshelf.
The shop assistant asked, “Mr. Yan, are you looking for someone?”
Yan Heyu snapped back to attention and said, “I saw wrongly.”
Back in the car, he told Kang Bo, “Wen Di is in the store.”
Kang Bo understood what his boss meant, and so did the driver, so he didn’t start the car.
The driver used the excuse of buying cigarettes, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out.
Kang Bo opened his laptop and handed it to Yan Heyu, who worked in the car. Kang Bo, meanwhile, stared intently outside the car, waiting for Wen Di to emerge from the bookstore.
“Those books just now?” Assistant Kang was unsure of his boss’s intentions, so he asked.
Yan Heyu told him to contact Fan Zhisen and have them sent to Wen Di’s grandfather under Fan Zhisen’s name.
He heard that Wen Di’s grandfather’s study had been expanded by another fifty or sixty square meters, adding over a dozen bookshelves. As for whether Wen Di would see the books he just bought when she went home, that was up to fate.
Kang Bo received the email and got Qi Mingche’s information.
He never expected him to be Ming Jianjun’s youngest son.
They all knew Ming Jianjun’s eldest son, who handled the company’s daily operations, but never knew there was a younger son who took his mother’s surname.
Kang Bo reported everything to his boss in detail, waiting for his boss’s instructions.
Yan Heyu was looking at a project proposal, saying indifferently, “Ming Jianjun’s youngest son?”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
And that was the end of it.
But Kang Bo felt that no further instructions meant the situation was more complex than if there had been.
However, he couldn’t simply guess his boss’s thoughts.
Until the sun went down and dusk fell, and the driver had smoked almost half a pack of cigarettes he bought, Assistant Kang messaged him, saying: [Come back. Wen Di should be out soon. The bookstore closes at 7 PM.]
The parking spot was on the unavoidable path leading from the bookstore. Yan Heyu had waited for nearly three hours.
The driver got into the car less than two minutes later when Wen Di’s figure appeared at the end of the road. She was carrying a bookstore bag with four or five books inside.
The driver told Yan Heyu, “Miss Wen is coming over now.”
Yan Heyu closed his laptop and said, “I’m not getting out.” If he were photographed with her by netizens, he didn’t know what kind of rumors would spread.
In some people’s eyes, he was engaged, and she had just publicly announced her relationship.
He couldn’t explain why, but he just waited here.
It was close to the bookstore, so it didn’t interfere with his work, and he could calm down completely.
Yan Heyu handed the laptop to Kang Bo, then turned to look out the window. Sitting in the back seat, he couldn’t see Wen Di approaching from behind.
The driver saw Wen Di approaching in the rearview mirror.
The road was lined with parked cars, one after another, parked sideways. Wen Di was talking on the phone with Qi Mingche, not paying attention to any car license plates or knowing which car had someone inside.
Wen Di spoke intermittently into her phone, “Not thirsty. The bookstore has free coffee; I had a cup.”
“I bought five books.”
“No, there are many good books. Didn’t you say you’d walk me home after dinner? I’m afraid your arm would ache carrying so many books. These few are enough for me to read for a while.”
“Wait for me at the intersection, no need to drive in.”
Passing by the black car, Wen Di’s skirt brushed against the car door. Her silhouette under the streetlights was reflected on the car window, falling onto the person inside the car as well.
Almost without pause, the shadow swept past.
Yan Heyu’s elbow rested on the car window, watching her walk past him.
It was even closer than their distance in the bookstore that afternoon, but separated by a car window.
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