A few of them froze at the same time.
The three girls were stunned because they had not expected to encounter a man with such exceptional looks and temperament.
In the past, they had already thought Fu Tingchuan was handsome enough, and they had secretly envied Wen Ying countless times because of it.
A good family background and a handsome face, what woman would not want a fiancée like that?
Fu Tingchuan’s facial features carried a slight mixed-blood look. His deep-set eyes and brows made him appear colder and more distant, with a faintly intimidating aura that made him seem untouchable.
But compared to Fu Tingchuan, the man before them gave off a completely different feeling.
He possessed a refined and restrained elegance, a gentle temperament taken to the extreme. When people saw the smiling look in his eyes, they almost felt embarrassed to even raise their voices in front of him.
Wen Ying had not expected to run into Gu Qingyu here, and her expression darkened instantly.
The other two girls were focused only on watching what was happening and did not notice the change in Wen Ying’s expression.
They did not know what the two of them said to each other. The man’s lips maintained a faint smile the entire time, and his gaze even seemed to drift casually in their direction.
His eyes fell briefly on Wen Ying’s profile. After pausing for a moment, he moved them away as though nothing had happened.
Li Jiayue’s face flushed red. Looking shy, she said something before quickly jogging back.
The other two hurriedly asked excitedly, “Well? What happened? Did he agree?”
They did not notice Wen Ying’s increasingly unpleasant expression beside them.
Li Jiayue shook her head and said that he had refused.
Wen Ying’s hand paused slightly as she lifted her wine glass. She looked toward the bar in surprise, but the man was already gone.
She frowned briefly before relaxing again and took a small sip of the red wine in her glass.
“How could that be?” the two girls said in disbelief. “Didn’t you seem to have a good conversation? He even smiled at you.”
“Not at all. He just smiled while refusing me.”
Li Jiayue held her face in both hands, looking utterly smitten. “Do you know what? This is the first time I’ve ever been rejected and still felt this happy.”
The other two shook their heads. “You must be crazy. How can you still be happy after getting rejected?”
“You wouldn’t understand. When someone rejects you so gently, it’s really hard not to fall for him.”
Wen Ying snorted from the side. “What gentle? Isn’t he just one of those men who’s nice to everyone?”
The three girls exchanged glances and immediately echoed her words.
“Exactly, men who are gentle to everyone aren’t good either. They have too many girls around them and aren’t devoted at all. You’d spend your whole life being jealous. President Fu is better, he looks like the devoted type.”
Hearing Fu Tingchuan’s name again, Wen Ying’s brows were already tinged with displeasure.
“Hey? Isn’t that your President Fu, Yingbao?” Li Jiayue suddenly exclaimed while staring in a certain direction.
The others followed her gaze.
It really was Fu Tingchuan, but he was not alone.
In his arms was a woman wearing a waitress uniform.
The woman seemed to have been harassed by someone. Fu Tingchuan was holding her protectively and coldly telling the man to get lost.
The three girls all sucked in a breath and secretly glanced at Wen Ying’s expression.
Wen Ying’s face did not look very good.
She recognized the woman in Fu Tingchuan’s arms at a glance. Aside from Lin Shiwei, it could not be anyone else.
After all, this was a domineering CEO romance novel, and every possible method would be used to bring the Male Lead and Female Lead together.
As the Female Lead of the novel, Lin Shiwei came from a poor family and had a seriously ill mother who needed expensive medical treatment. During the day she worked as Fu Tingchuan’s secretary, and at night she worked multiple jobs.
Wen Ying, who had never experienced hardship in her life, could not even imagine what it was like to work several jobs at once. Even so, she had no intention of making things difficult for Lin Shiwei.
But now that her plastic sisters had seen her fiancée embracing another woman, Wen Ying inevitably felt embarrassed.
She strode toward them in her high heels. Seeing this, the three plastic sisters exchanged glances and followed behind her.
Wen Ying asked unhappily, “Why are you here too?”
But when Fu Tingchuan saw her, his brows tightened and his tone turned displeased. “Why are you at a place like this? Haven’t I told you to come to places like this less often?”
“Oh? So you can come, but I can’t?”
“What’s going on with her?” Wen Ying looked at Lin Shiwei in his arms, hoping Fu Tingchuan would explain things clearly so that they could both save face in front of others.
But Fu Tingchuan seemed to misunderstand her intention and instead warned, “Wen Ying, this isn’t the time to be jealous. Go back now. This isn’t a place for you.”
Wen Ying felt he truly could not understand what people were saying. “Who said I’m jealous of you?”
“I can go back, but you have to take me home.”
She shot him a warning look, telling him silently that with so many people present, he had better act sensibly and not embarrass her in public.
Fu Tingchuan hesitated and lowered his head to look at Lin Shiwei.
Lin Shiwei had already stepped out of his arms when Wen Ying arrived. She stood behind Fu Tingchuan with her head lowered, her hair still wet as though someone had splashed alcohol on her. Her face was pale, making her look extremely pitiful.
Hearing their conversation, she tugged at Fu Tingchuan’s sleeve. “President Fu, you should take Miss Wen home. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine on my own.”
Fu Tingchuan immediately frowned and comforted her softly. “Don’t overthink it. I’ll have someone send her back.”
He then said to Wen Ying, “I can’t leave right now. Wait here for a bit, I’ll have the driver come pick you up.”
Wen Ying nearly laughed in anger. Since he refused to give her face, she would not bother giving him any either.
“What’s going on here?”
At that moment, a clear and gentle voice suddenly cut into the conversation, and a tall figure appeared before them.
Wen Ying casually pointed at him. “In that case, let him take me home.”
Gu Qingyu’s gaze flicked toward her, one brow lifting slightly as he looked at Fu Tingchuan.
Fu Tingchuan frowned and hesitated.
Although he trusted Gu Qingyu’s character, it still felt inappropriate for a man and woman to be alone together so late at night.
But Wen Ying was unusually not making a scene today. He had already refused several of her requests in a row, and if he rejected her again, things might become impossible to resolve.
Left with no choice, Fu Tingchuan looked at Gu Qingyu. “Qingyu, could you help me take Wen Ying home? It’s not safe for a girl to stay in a place like this.”
Not safe?
Gu Qingyu let out a faint laugh, his gaze sweeping lightly over Lin Shiwei and Fu Tingchuan before he said, “Alright.”
Wen Ying returned to the booth to pick up her bag. Without glancing at anyone, she walked straight toward the exit. As she passed Gu Qingyu, she said quietly, “Let’s go.”
Fu Tingchuan looked apologetically at Gu Qingyu. “Thanks. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
He handed him his car keys. “Take my car.”
“You’re too polite.” Gu Qingyu accepted the keys with a smile and followed Wen Ying out.
The three plastic sisters stared at one another.
Their eyes had already moved between several people multiple times, and hearing Gu Qingyu and Fu Tingchuan speak made them even more shocked.
“H-he knows President Fu?”
Fu Tingchuan represented the circle of top-tier wealthy families. Anyone in the same circle as him would certainly not come from an ordinary background.
From the looks of it, Wen Ying probably knew him as well.
Li Jiayue’s eyes shifted as countless thoughts ran through her mind.
Fu Tingchuan’s gaze fell on the three of them, heavy and displeased. “You’re Wen Ying’s friends?”
The three girls were so frightened they did not dare raise their heads and quickly nodded.
Fu Tingchuan withdrew his gaze, his tone filled with disdain. “What kind of messy friends does she make?”
He turned away, his voice cold. “Don’t let me see you bringing her to a place like this again.”
The three girls glanced at him but did not dare say a word.
……
Gu Qingyu caught up with Wen Ying. Seeing that her face looked as puffed up with anger as a blowfish, he could not help smiling. He reached out and took the bag from her hand.
“Let’s go.”
Wen Ying did not stop him, treating him like a personal bag carrier and letting him hold it for her.
When they reached the parking lot, Gu Qingyu opened the passenger door for her first. After she got in and closed the door, he walked around and sat in the driver’s seat.
He glanced toward the passenger side.
Wen Ying sat with her arms crossed, staring out the window with an expression that clearly refused conversation.
Gu Qingyu asked with an amused smile, “Aren’t you going to fasten your seatbelt?”
Wen Ying continued looking out the window without turning back, merely letting out a soft snort and ignoring him.
Gu Qingyu smiled helplessly and admitted defeat. “Fine, I’ll do it for you.”
He leaned over, pulling the seatbelt across her body and fastening it.
When he raised his eyes, he realized that Wen Ying, who had seemed to be stubbornly staring out the window a moment earlier, was now looking at him.
They were extremely close, able to feel each other’s breath against their faces. As their eyes met, the atmosphere instantly became strange.
Gu Qingyu’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he quickly lowered his gaze.
Just as he braced himself against the seat to straighten up, his tie was suddenly tugged hard. His upper body tipped forward, and in the next moment a pair of warm, soft lips pressed against his.
Gu Qingyu’s eyes widened slightly. “You…”
He lowered his gaze to look at her and saw that the woman leaning against the seatback was gripping his tie, her upturned phoenix eyes staring directly at him.
Behind his lenses, Gu Qingyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Before he could speak, Wen Ying had already wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her head to kiss him again.
She gently captured his thin lips, slowly and softly kissing him. Her tongue traced the seam of his lips before cautiously slipping inside. The movement was inexperienced, yet bold and passionate.
Every action tugged at Gu Qingyu’s nerves.
A man who had experienced desire was the most susceptible to temptation.
Especially when the person tempting him was someone like Wen Ying, a woman so beautiful and noble, her entire presence filled with irresistible allure.
Just how captivating she was was something Gu Qingyu had experienced thoroughly the previous night.
He took a deep breath. When Wen Ying’s hand began to move lower, he caught her wrist and stopped her.
Gu Qingyu closed his eyes briefly, calming his unsteady breathing as he said in a restrained voice, “Wen Ying, stop.”
Wen Ying raised her eyes and looked at him in confusion.
Gu Qingyu reminded her, “This is Tingchuan’s car.”
The night was as dark as ink, yet the city’s neon lights illuminated everything like daylight.
Inside the car, the lights were dim and warm. As the two of them remained in a tense standoff, a conspicuous red Maserati drove past.
The young man in the driver’s seat made a surprised sound. “Huh? Isn’t that Qingyu?”
He leaned his head to look. The man’s side profile was elegant and refined, and it really was Gu Qingyu.
From his angle, it looked as though Gu Qingyu was pressing a woman down against the passenger seat and kissing her.
The woman’s face was hidden behind Gu Qingyu, and all he could see was her graceful figure and her slender, fair arms.
Looking at it that way…
Didn’t it look a little like Wen Ying?