this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
After a long day’s work, Xu Qingli was already exhausted and just wanted to go home and lie down.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished changing her clothes, she received notice of the fact that Wen Qiaozhou was treating everyone to dinner that evening.
Most of the staff were quite happy. After all, Huo’an Hotel wasn’t a place you could dine at just by having enough money. Moreover, Wen Qiaozhou would apparently even join them personally. Just having the chance to see him was worth it.
Xu Qingli let out a deep sigh and quietly asked Shui Miao, “Sis, do you think I can skip it?”
“What do you think?” Shui Miao countered. “Can’t you tell who President Wen is doing this for?”
“Then I’d rather not go…” Xu Qingli muttered.
Though she hated to admit it, judging from the incident with the documents, Wen Qiaozhou did seem to treat her somewhat differently.
But unlike Shui Miao’s optimism, Xu Qingli still believed that Wen Qiaozhou’s attention toward her might not be so well-intentioned.
After all, this was the biggest villain in the entire novel—stamped with the label of “pervert” by the author herself. So even if he had discovered some sort of evidence linking her to the Wen family, it was unlikely he wanted to help her just so she could “return to her roots.”
The novel explicitly stated that Wen Qiaozhou had a strained relationship with his family, including his parents. If he didn’t even care about the family he’d grown up with, why would he care about some long-lost “relative”?
Shui Miao, however, misunderstood her words, “You’re not avoiding this because you like Wen Qiaozhou and don’t want to be his sister, are you?”
Otherwise, why did she seem so resistant to the idea?
“Huh?” Xu Qingli was momentarily unsure whether to confirm or deny this wild assumption.
Either way, both seemed too troublesome.
Before she could decide, Shui Miao continued, “You’re right. The situation isn’t clear yet, so you shouldn’t dive in recklessly. Otherwise, if it turns into some clichéd ‘sister falls for brother’ drama, that’d be way too melodramatic. Better to figure things out first.”
Xu Qingli: “…”
In any case, there was no escaping tonight’s dinner.
Xu Qingli was good at comforting herself. On second thought, though socializing was exhausting, since Wen Qiaozhou was footing the bill, she could at least eat her fill. That wasn’t entirely without its perks.
As an introvert, she dreaded arriving too early and having to make small talk, but also feared arriving too late and drawing everyone’s attention… So she dawdled, arriving at the hotel at a deliberately neutral time to avoid standing out.
However, fate never seemed to want to go her way.
The moment she reached the hotel entrance, someone approached and escorted her to a private dining room.
When she pushed the door open, seven or eight people were already seated inside.
At first glance, Wen Qiaozhou was the first to catch her eye, followed immediately by Xu Linhe sitting beside him.
The two people she least wanted to meet were sitting together.
A curse nearly escaped her lips, but she swallowed it just in time. It wasn’t just verbally; she even steeled herself mentally, afraid Wen Qiaozhou might notice something amiss. She immediately reminded herself not to think about anything.
Hearing the door open, Wen Qiaozhou quickly looked up and saw that the chibi figure above Xu Qingli’s head was, once again, tied up.
Her gaze met his for only a split second before shifting to Xu Linhe beside him, then she promptly lowered her head.
Wen Qiaozhou remained expressionless but glanced subtly to the side at Xu Linhe.
[Fuck! What is she doing here?]
[Perfect. Let’s see where she can run to today.]
So it really was him.
Wen Qiaozhou narrowed his eyes and was about to speak when Huo Wanfeng beside him waved eagerly at Xu Qingli. “Pear Blossom, come in quickly.”
Only then did Xu Qingli notice Huo Wanfeng—a young, handsome man dressed impeccably. He was seated next to Wen Qiaozhou, clearly indicating his status was no small matter.
In the original novel, Huo Wanfeng had been an idle playboy until he fell in love with the female lead, Shu Ruan, at first sight. That was when he turned over a new leaf, transforming into a devoted and hardworking man. The original owner had only met Huo Wanfeng through Shu Ruan. In the novel, Shu Ruan first encountered Huo Wanfeng on the evening of the promotional film’s female lead selection, but in reality, their meeting happened much later. Thus, the original owner had never met Huo Wanfeng before.
Xu Qingli combed through the original owner’s memories but found no trace of this man. His enthusiastic attitude made her suspicious—could he also be another “fish” in the original owner’s pond?
Help!!!
But no one could save Xu Qingli now. Shui Miao even gave her a little push. “Everyone here has their reputation to consider, so they won’t say anything inappropriate in public. Just keep a low profile and adapt as needed.”
Aside from Wen Qiaozhou, Xu Linhe, and Huo Wanfeng, the rest of the room was filled with the promotional film’s director and female leads. As a manager, it wasn’t appropriate for her to join them, so she had to head to the adjacent private room instead.
Though Xu Qingli had now supposedly “turned over a new leaf,” she had once been skilled enough to simultaneously maintain so many “fish.” Thus, Shui Miao believed she could handle this situation.
Xu Qingli had no way to voice her grievances. With everyone watching, she couldn’t delay any longer and dragged her weak legs into the private room.
Huo Wanfeng and Xu Linhe both stood up.
Wen Qiaozhou leaned back slightly in his chair, his calm gaze fixed on her, yet it felt almost tangible.
What kind of shura field was this?!
Xu Qingli broke out in a cold sweat.
After a brief hesitation, she still chose to walk toward Xu Linhe.
Not only was his side closer to the door, allowing her to take fewer steps, but more importantly, she had no idea what Huo Wanfeng’s relationship was with the original owner, and sitting next to him might very well expose her.
Xu Linhe was clearly pleased with her choice and considerately pulled out the chair beside him for her.
Once she sat down, he even picked up a glass and personally poured her some water. “You must be exhausted today. Have some water.”
“Thank you.” Xu Qingli accepted the glass but held it without drinking.
Xu Linhe glanced up at Huo Wanfeng across the table, who was staring at them and seemingly puzzled by Xu Qingli’s choice.
Xu Linhe smirked inwardly and deliberately leaned slightly toward Xu Qingli, lowering his voice to ask, “The Battlefield crew is having a gathering in Xing City at the end of the month. Are you going?”
Before Xu Qingli arrived, Shu Ruan had arrived first. Xu Linhe had been struck by her beauty at first glance, but Huo Wanfeng had clearly taken a liking to her too, immediately jumping up to offer his seat.
Xu Linhe figured maintaining good relations with them was more important—after all, there were plenty of women out there, so he didn’t compete with him.
But truthfully, he still felt a little sour about it.
Fortunately, Shu Ruan was reserved and sat a seat apart from Huo Wanfeng, making Xu Linhe feel somewhat better.
Xu Linhe hadn’t known Xu Qingli would come earlier, but now he was delighted. It wasn’t like he was without options either.
He had already conceded once out of respect for the Huo family and Wen Qiaozhou. He wouldn’t yield a second time. Moreover, he deliberately acted ambiguously with Xu Qingli to show Huo Wanfeng that he, too, had his own charm.
“I have something to do at the end of the month, so I probably can’t make it.” Xu Qingli refused without hesitation.
“What have you been busy with lately?” Xu Linhe moved closer. “Everyone says they can’t get a hold of you… By the way, why did you block all of us?”
“My phone broke,” Xu Qingli said softly.
“Haven’t you bought a new one?” Xu Linhe asked, puzzled. “I remember it’s been a while.”
“I did,” Xu Qingli replied helplessly. “There was an issue with my old number, so I couldn’t log in anymore.”
“You changed your number?” Xu Linhe didn’t seem suspicious, just took out his phone. “Then let’s add each other again.”
Xu Qingli didn’t want to add him but couldn’t outright refuse to either. In a moment of quick thinking, she pretended to reach for her phone while asking, “How come you’re here too? I heard tonight’s dinner was for Wen Corporation employees.”
“Earlier, Second Master Huo and I were passing by and ran into President Wen. He invited us along,” Xu Linhe explained.
Xu Qingli froze. “Second Master Huo?”
If she wasn’t mistaken, in this world, the only one referred to as “Huo” was the male lead, Huo Wanfeng.
So, the guy across from her was actually Huo Wanfeng?!
Xu Qingli couldn’t help but glance up and noticed the handsome man had a small brown mole at the corner of his eye. That was the male lead’s signature trait! Moreover, while he appeared to be talking to Wen Qiaozhou, his gaze kept drifting toward Shu Ruan, clearly paying attention to her.
Looking at the empty seat between them, Xu Qingli suddenly understood—he wasn’t one of the original owner’s “fish.” The reason he’d been so eager to give her that seat was because he wanted to sit next to Shu Ruan himself.
Xu Qingli immediately regretted her choice.
Why hadn’t she chosen the seat next to Huo Wanfeng? Seeing everyone as one of her “fish.” It was all because of her guilty conscience, wasn’t it?
“Just a spoiled brat from the Huo family, not very well-regarded,” Xu Linhe said in a hushed tone, trying to downplay it when he noticed her odd expression.
Truthfully, he wasn’t particularly fond of Xu Qingli either. He just didn’t want to be overshadowed in this setting and hoped she’d focus solely on him.
Their voices were low, making it seem like they were sharing an intimate conversation.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Just as Xu Linhe was about to ask Xu Qingli to add him again, Wen Qiaozhou’s voice suddenly cut in. “Have the two of you worked together before?”
Xu Qingli instinctively looked up at him, though her gaze settled slightly lower, avoiding direct eye contact with him. She only saw him raise a hand to adjust his glasses.
Truly the most handsome man in this world. Not only were his features flawless, but even his hands were unfairly beautiful.
As he raised his hand, the movement caused his sleeve to slide back slightly, revealing the sharp contours of his wrist. Despite the smooth curve, the thin skin accentuated a striking, almost angular, bone structure.
His fingers were long, clean, and well-defined, with nails neatly trimmed to follow the natural curve of his fingertips. Under the light, they looked like carved jade, the metal frame of his glasses reflecting a cool, pale gleam as he touched them.
Xu Qingli committed the detail to memory, planning to refine the fingers in her drawing later.
She’d already forgotten Wen Qiaozhou’s question, but Xu Linhe answered with a smile, “Yes, we worked together on Battlefield. Pear Blossom played my first love. Though it was just a few scenes, they left a lasting impression.”
“I remember that character,” the director sitting next to Xu Qingli chimed in. “Wasn’t she the one dressed in white gauze, dancing under the pear blossoms?”
Battlefield, as the name suggests, is a war film with a generally rugged style. The original owner acted as the male lead’s white moonlight who died young. In one scene, she wore a white dress and danced barefoot under a pear blossom tree in the moonlight. It had been one of the few soft and aesthetically beautiful moments in the film.
To this day, this scene still holds a place in rankings of classical beauties, white moonlight moments, and iconic shots. It was also the starting point of the original owner’s rise to fame. Netizens often say that the scene was pure yet seductive to the extreme, truly a masterpiece.
“Yes, that one.” Xu Linhe nodded. “Pear Blossom really does dance beautifully. No wonder she studied dance.”
Xu Qingli was so embarrassed she could have dug a hole in the ground with her toes. She clutched her glass of water, sipping slowly to pretend she was busy.
Meanwhile, the director, who had clearly watched and genuinely loved the film, chatted enthusiastically with Xu Linhe right across from her.
Huo Wanfeng glanced at Wen Qiaozhou, whose expression seemed calm, yet his gaze remained dark, and raised his voice to interrupt them. “Since everyone’s here, let’s serve the dishes. We can talk while we eat.”
Only then was the topic diverted.
Xu Qingli let out a long sigh of relief.
The dishes had already been prepared and were quickly brought out.
Given the standards of Huo’an Hotel, combined with the fact that both Wen Qiaozhou and Huo Wanfeng were present, every dish tonight was bound to be exquisite.
Ever since transmigrating, Xu Qingli had been strictly controlled by Shui Miao and had long been craving good food.
Today, with no one to restrain her and after a tiring day, her appetite was already raging uncontrollably. She couldn’t care less about anything else and buried herself in eating.
Still, her social anxiety lingered. She basically only picked at the dishes right in front of her, reluctantly giving up on the ones farther away no matter how much she wanted to try them.
Just as she was happily eating, a piece of fish suddenly landed in her bowl.
Xu Qingli froze, then looked up.
Xu Linhe smiled at her. “I noticed you seem to like fish. This sturgeon is quite good, why don’t you give it a try?”
The sturgeon had been placed near Huo Wanfeng’s side. Xu Qingli had indeed glanced at it a couple of times but gave up on trying it because it was too far.
She never expected Xu Linhe would serve her some.
Even though he had used the serving chopsticks, Xu Qingli instantly felt uncomfortable all over, as if everyone at the table was staring at her.
Her appetite instantly waned.
In the novel, Xu Linhe was one of the original owner’s “fish”, but unlike the others, he wasn’t completely devoted to her, making him the hardest to control.
So why was he being so proactive today?
Afraid that Xu Linhe might serve her more food, and mindful that she still had filming the next day (which meant she shouldn’t overeat anyway), Xu Qingli stopped reaching for other dishes. However, she didn’t put down her chopsticks either since she didn’t want to engage in conversation.
But to Wen Qiaozhou, her actions made it seem like she was savoring the fish Xu Linhe had given her, eating it slowly to prolong the enjoyment.
Was that fish really that good?
Wen Qiaozhou pressed his lips together, then reached out with his chopsticks to take a piece of sturgeon.
Huo Wanfeng, who had been stealing glances at Shu Ruan while eating, paid no attention to the dishes in front of him. He randomly picked something near him and accidentally bumped chopsticks with Wen Qiaozhou.
He paused, then suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Wen Qiaozhou.
Wen Qiaozhou had already taken a piece of fish, elegantly separating a small bite with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.
Huo Wanfeng stared at him for several seconds before finally leaning in to whisper, “You never eat fish. What’s going on today?”
“Hm.” Wen Qiaozhou disdainfully set down his chopsticks and said flatly, “It really does taste terrible.”
Author’s Note:
President Wen: You might not believe me when I say this, but the fish meat really does taste a bit sour, it’s disgusting.
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