Zhao Yulong watched as Qin Zhiyi’s face visibly paled, and he suddenly felt deeply apologetic and melancholy.
But he had grown up with Gu Qiu, so he understood that kid’s personality better than anyone.
If Gu Qiu had no feelings for this girl, then no matter how pretty she was or how much she clung to him, it would all be futile!
As the saying goes, a forced melon is not sweet. Rather than making both of them suffer, it was better to end things early!
Thinking of this, Zhao Yulong sat down beside her, cleared his throat, and said earnestly:
“A-Qiu has always kept a low profile. He doesn’t make his relationships public, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”
“To be honest, I actually think you and my A-Qiu are a pretty good match, but when it comes to feelings, timing matters.”
“Sigh, maybe your fate just isn’t deep enough!”
“But with your looks and conditions, what kind of man couldn’t you find? So there’s no need to…”
He kept rambling on, but Qin Zhiyi suddenly interrupted him.
“So, he came here today just to go on a date?”
Her voice was very low, as if it still carried a hint of unwillingness.
Zhao Yulong froze at that and instinctively replied:
“What date?”
“The relationship he’s in is an online romance. They still can’t meet up yet.”
Suddenly, Qin Zhiyi turned to look at him.
“Online romance?”
Her puzzled voice rose quite a bit, echoing through the entire hall and drawing the waiters’ attention one after another.
Gu Qiu, who had been lying face-down on the table, also suddenly lifted his head and stared at the two of them.
Although he was curious about what A-Long and Qin Zhiyi were talking about, he was afraid that going over there now would only cause trouble, so he could only stare helplessly from where he was.
As for Zhao Yulong, he immediately regretted his slip of the tongue.
“Since I already made up nonsense, why didn’t I just lie all the way through?”
He muttered inwardly a couple of times. Not wanting Qin Zhiyi to feel like she still had a chance, he quickly went on:
“Hey, the internet is so developed now. What’s so strange about having an online romance?”
“Let me tell you a secret: A-Qiu has known his online girlfriend for more than five years. You have no idea how he’s glued to his phone every day, wishing he could chat with her at every moment!”
“The two of them get along really well and often exchange gifts. When that girl had her birthday before, this kid specifically folded 520 roses and 999 little stars, and even sent them along with a necklace. She was generous too, sending him back a watch worth around ten thousand yuan, and also…”
“I even heard A-Qiu say not long ago that once summer vacation started, he’d go find her and make the relationship official. So, you really shouldn’t waste your time!”
Hearing this, Qin Zhiyi’s thoughts had already flown somewhere else entirely.
Roses and little stars?
Weren’t those exactly the things Gu Qiu had sent her for her birthday the year before last?
As for the necklace…
She raised her hand and touched the four-leaf clover necklace around her neck.
Thinking back, she really had chosen a black watch worth ten thousand yuan as a birthday return gift for Gu Qiu…
The other things Zhao Yulong mentioned also matched the interactions between them.
Most importantly, according to the timeline, this year was exactly the fifth year since she and Gu Qiu had met, and in his previous life, he had also come to Hangcheng in July of this year to meet her in person!
So this so-called online girlfriend was actually her?
She didn’t know whether Gu Qiu had claimed it publicly, or whether it was just A-Long’s guess!
But no matter what, this was good news!
The corners of Qin Zhiyi’s lips quietly lifted, and color returned to her face. She turned to look at A-Long and confirmed once more:
“He doesn’t have any other girlfriends?”
Zhao Yulong immediately reacted strongly.
“What do you mean?”
“My brother may be a little dull when it comes to feelings, but he’s very sincere. There’s no way he’d ever cheat on someone!”
Qin Zhiyi nodded in agreement.
As for Gu Qiu’s character, she trusted him unconditionally!
But now the problem circled back again: who exactly had he been talking to on the phone that night?
In a daze, Qin Zhiyi remembered that when Gu Qiu had been chatting with that person, he mentioned buying groceries and going over to cook.
A sudden inspiration struck her. She pretended to look regretful and sighed softly:
“Sigh, since he already has someone he likes, then there’s no point in me keeping this up!”
“Are you free tonight? Let me treat you to a meal, and we’ll use that to bring this matter to a close!”
Hearing this, Zhao Yulong couldn’t help but look delighted.
He turned his head to look at Gu Qiu, smugly lifting his chin, while also grumbling inwardly.
“Isn’t this girl actually pretty easy to talk to?”
In truth, he only knew that Gu Qiu had been chatting pretty intensely with a girl online, but as for how far things had actually gone between them, Gu Qiu had never been willing to say much, so the whole online girlfriend thing was naturally something he had made up.
Thinking about it carefully, if things really didn’t work out with the girl Gu Qiu had been chatting with online, he’d honestly feel it was a shame for Gu Qiu, that blockhead, to miss out on the beauty right in front of him!
Zhao Yulong shook his head and set those thoughts aside.
Turning back to Qin Zhiyi and seeing her wide-eyed, waiting for his answer, he hurriedly said:
“Ahem…”
“Teacher Qin, I’m really sorry. A-Qiu is usually too busy, and he finally managed to free up some time today. We’re planning to go visit Grandma later.”
“Of course, I’m not saying this to refuse you… how about this: another day I’ll have Gu Qiu invite you out, and I’ll treat you. How does that sound?”
Listening to A-Long’s explanation, Qin Zhiyi’s starry eyes blinked twice.
She had known Gu Qiu across two lifetimes, and knew his background inside and out. The only person he would call grandma was naturally Grandma Chen!
Then she recalled the scene of secretly overhearing Gu Qiu’s phone call.
At the time, the way he spoke really did seem more affectionate and familiar, rather than the sweet, clingy tone a couple would have!
Thinking that the person she’d been suspicious of these past few days was actually Grandma Chen, Qin Zhiyi couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Next time something like this happened, she might as well just ask Gu Qiu directly and get it clear.
Otherwise, if she made another fool of herself over a misunderstanding, she’d be the embarrassed one!
Meanwhile, Zhao Yulong interpreted her smile as the helplessness of someone who had failed in her pursuit and couldn’t even get a meal out of it. He was about to keep reassuring her, but Qin Zhiyi spoke first.
“Thank you, A-Long!”
“No rush for the meal. We can decide on it when we’re free.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yulong let out a sigh of relief. But to his surprise, Qin Zhiyi’s next sentence instantly made him break out in a cold sweat.
“You’re still single, right?”
Zhao Yulong felt as if he were facing a great enemy.
What did this woman mean?
Was she planning to go after him since she couldn’t get Gu Qiu?
If she couldn’t be his wife, would she settle for being his sister-in-law?
Fortunately, Qin Zhiyi still had more to say.
“I once learned a bit about face reading from an old person. From your features, the person destined for you has already appeared, but you missed your chance back then and have been thinking about her ever since. And if this kind of fate drags on too long, it will slowly fade away, so remember to go find her soon!”
In her previous life, A-Long hadn’t found anyone even into his thirties. She had learned from Gu Qiu that the reason was that he had never been able to let go of the girl he had secretly loved in high school, but he had delayed until after he turned thirty before gathering the courage to look for her. Unfortunately, it was already too late. After searching in many places for a long time, the news he got was that she had already passed away.
Now that she had been reincarnated!
Whether it was because A-Long was Gu Qiu’s only good brother, or because he had just helped clear up the confusion in her heart, she wanted to help him.
It was just that in this life, they had only just met. If she said everything too directly, he would probably think she was crazy. So she thought of the method used by the protagonists in the reincarnation novels she used to read. She just didn’t know whether A-Long would believe something only a fortune-telling charlatan would say.
Zhao Yulong, however, was stunned by her words, standing rooted in place. His dark eyes deepened slightly as though he were thinking about something.
A moment later, he shook his head and smiled.
“All I’ve ever heard is palm reading to judge fate. I didn’t expect Teacher Qin to be even more impressive and able to tell from someone’s face!”
After a few polite compliments, he chatted casually with Qin Zhiyi for a while longer, then said goodbye and left.
Zhao Yulong quickly returned to Gu Qiu’s side.
“Done!”
“What do you mean, done?”
“It means she agreed not to keep pestering you anymore!”
Hearing this, Gu Qiu looked completely incredulous.
“Seriously?”
“Of course it’s true!”
Zhao Yulong was very pleased with himself, and then briefly told Gu Qiu about his conversation with Qin Zhiyi just now.
After hearing it all, Gu Qiu’s forehead was covered in black lines.
“What online girlfriend?”
“Are you out of your mind?”