Boss Wen even brought the man openly into the sweet soup shop and settled him on the second floor.
“Younger cousin, you’ll have to make do sleeping on the floor for two days,” Wen Quhua said with a smile as she looked at Sheng Cheng, who was helping her clean.
Sheng Cheng replied speechlessly, “Yes, Miss.”
He had come on this trip to make sure her living conditions were acceptable. From the moment they left the bus station, Sheng Cheng had been frowning. Langcheng was small and rundown, and he could not understand why she insisted on staying here.
“When we’re outside, don’t call me your younger cousin, got it?” He put down the mop and looked at her seriously.
“Why?”
“I’ll go around more these two days. That way, when I leave, no one will dare have ideas about you. Just tell people I’m your boyfriend.”
“But I’ve already told others I came here to find my fiancé. I already have a shield.”
“Don’t argue. How can an absent fiancé be more useful than a handsome and tall ‘boyfriend’ like me? You don’t understand men…” He looked at Wen Quhua with a pained expression. In his eyes, his little cousin was a little white rabbit in a wolf’s gaze.
Wen Quhua smiled. She did not really mind.
When they went out, Sheng Cheng deliberately put an arm around her shoulders in an intimate manner. In just two days, Sheng Cheng had made quite a show of himself around Langcheng.
Before leaving, she planned to treat Sheng Cheng to a meal at Langcheng’s most high-end Deshun Restaurant.
Wen Quhua wore a sapphire-blue lace-trimmed qipao that her grandmother had made for her. It fit perfectly at the waist, highlighting her slender figure.
The dress fell to her ankles, with a slit starting from the knee. It was both conservative and alluring because of the tailored waistline.
The gold-thread embroidery was intricate. This qipao was suitable for formal occasions. Though she was young, she carried the dignified color with ease, adding a touch of sharp elegance to her presence.
Her long hair was slightly curled and casually tied to one side. With red lips and white teeth, she was striking at first glance.
Wen Quhua’s love for qipao came from her grandmother. The old lady had been elegant all her life. Her own daughter had a straightforward style and dressed simply, not fond of such things, so she devoted her efforts to dressing up her granddaughter, who had been delicate and lovely since childhood.
Sheng Cheng wore a suit. The moment the two of them stepped out of the shop, Aunt Lu at the barbecue stall gasped.
If not for seeing it with her own eyes, the pair looked like a golden couple straight out of a magazine.
It was around six or seven in the evening. There were already customers at the barbecue stall, all staring at them without blinking.
Among them was Yang Tian. He had only heard rumors before, but this was the first time he saw it with his own eyes. He clicked his tongue. He did not expect that after going to Beijing, Boss Wen had really brought a man back.
The two of them walked arm in arm, looking very intimate.
Yang Tian thought to himself that it was a good thing Yang Qin was not here tonight. If he had been, seeing this scene would probably have been unbearable.
The man beside Boss Wen clearly came from a good background. He had the same kind of temperament as her. To be honest, they looked quite well-matched.
So well-matched that Yang Tian could not even bring himself to feel sorry for Yang Qin.
Moreover, since the day they parted at the station, he had not seen Yang Qin show any signs of heartbreak or being troubled by emotions.
He had been working hard. From the provincial capital to Huaicheng, he had been busy day and night. After three or four days, he found suitable goods, arranged for trucks to transport them back to Langcheng, and offered the lowest bid for the old station project. He had also shown the construction materials to the developer.
Yang Tian even vaguely guessed that Yang Qin had mortgaged the old house left by his parents next to Grandma Yang’s home in order to have the funds to advance the project.
After much negotiation, drinking sessions, and concessions, Yang Qin finally secured a small share of the old station project.
Yang Tian came today to eat and gather a few brothers to work with Yang Qin, but he did not expect to see that Boss Wen already had a man by her side so quickly.
Well, someone as beautiful as Boss Wen would never lack suitors.
Yang Tian took a gulp of alcohol and said to the people beside him, “When you see Brother Qin later, don’t mention this,” as he nodded toward Wen Quhua.
They were all from the construction site. They had seen Yang Qin help Boss Wen carry things before. Even if they did not know the full story, they all nodded.
Unfortunately, the very thing Yang Tian did not intend to mention happened by coincidence.
When Wen Quhua and Sheng Cheng came out of Deshun Restaurant, they ran into Yang Qin face-to-face.
Yang Qin had just sent off the people he was entertaining. When he turned around, he unexpectedly saw Wen Quhua standing on the steps.
Sheng Cheng leaned close to her, speaking intimately into her ear, saying that even the best restaurant in Langcheng was only average. He was still trying to persuade her to close the shop and return to Beijing with him.
Wen Quhua looked calmly at the man before her. It was the first time she had seen him in formal attire. His shirt sleeves were rolled halfway up, revealing strong arms, and his buttons were carelessly undone.
She did not expect to meet him here again.
Wen Quhua felt that their relationship did not really require a greeting, but ignoring him and walking past also seemed impolite.
Yang Qin’s gaze moved from her face to the man beside her.
A tailored suit, a luxury watch, just like the man he had seen at the detention center before. The difference was that this man was much younger, with bright and handsome features, chatting and laughing with her.
She clearly did not resist his closeness, allowing him to lean so near…
Yang Qin’s hand moved behind his back and clenched slightly. He unconsciously rubbed his thumb against his index finger. Without changing his expression, he walked past her and returned to the restaurant.
As he passed, he could clearly smell the fragrance of her hair.
Seeing that he chose to pretend not to know her, Wen Quhua naturally said to Sheng Cheng, “Let’s go, the car is here.”
“Huahua, come back to Beijing with me?” he persisted.
Yang Qin stopped in the lobby and turned back, watching the two of them get into the car.
Huahua.
His expression remained blank. He thought to himself, when he asked her if she wanted to try someone else, she really changed to someone else that quickly.
In the car, Wen Quhua pushed him away in disgust. “Don’t you feel embarrassed…”
Huahua, really.
Sheng Cheng sat up straight and asked directly, “That man just now, do you know him?”
Wen Quhua said nothing, with no intention of explaining.
Sheng Cheng was not foolish. He had deliberately called her “Huahua” because he noticed the fleeting hostility in that man’s gaze toward him.
“You’re not staying in this small county just because of a man, are you?” he asked casually.
Wen Quhua felt a bit guilty. In a sense, that was true. But there were reasons behind it, reasons she could not explain to Sheng Cheng.
She simply said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Sheng Cheng looked worried. “Wen quhua, don’t think I’m nagging, but with your background, you won’t be able to live an ordinary life.”
He was worried she might be misled by a man. His little cousin was still very naive.
“I know,” Wen Quhua was already a little impatient, but because Sheng Cheng truly cared about her, she forced herself to hold back her temper. “Actually, we’re all just ordinary people.”
When misfortune comes, no one is exempt. No matter how good one’s background is, it can still collapse in an instant.
She did not want to think about what might happen in the future, but her expression still darkened. “Younger cousin, I don’t have any intention of dating. You really don’t need to worry.”
“Mm. I’ll leave early tomorrow morning. Anyway, even if I want to manage you, I can’t. Just don’t let yourself suffer any losses.”
What losses could she possibly suffer?
*
Early the next morning, Sheng Cheng had to catch a ride, and Wen Quhua personally went to see him off.
They still had to go to the bus station first, but since the old station was under reconstruction, the entrance had been temporarily relocated. As soon as Sheng Cheng and Wen Quhua appeared, Yang Tian spotted them.
Yang Qin had also taken on the demolition work at the old station. They were all working there.
The dismantled steel bars could be sold, offsetting part of their wages.
Yang Tian deliberately shifted his position, trying to block Yang Qin’s line of sight.
Unexpectedly, Yang Qin said calmly, “Alright, stop blocking.”
Yang Tian felt awkward. “Brother, you already knew?”
“Mm.” There was no expression on Yang Qin’s face as he continued working.
Yang Tian thought that if Yang Qin had really decided to give up, that would be good. He tried to comfort him. “Brother, there are plenty of women. Work for two years, make your fortune, and you can find any kind of partner you want. Besides, I think Boss Wen isn’t suitable for people like us. We can’t afford to keep her, and she’s hard to deal with.”
From their encounter on the bus last time, Yang Tian had not seen Boss Wen pay much attention to Yang Qin, which made him feel a bit indignant. In his eyes, Yang Qin was no worse-looking than any pretty boy.
“Are you very idle?” Yang Qin suddenly lifted his head, his gaze carrying irritation.
Yang Tian immediately shut up and got back to work.
When Yang Qin withdrew his gaze, the corner of his eye caught sight of Wen Quhua waving to the person on the bus. She even followed the bus for a couple of steps. In the scorching heat, she had not even brought her usual parasol just to see him off.
Even after the bus had gone far away, she still stood there, looking reluctant to leave.
A restless irritation rose in Yang Qin’s chest. He got up and went to the sink to splash cold water on his face.
Wen Quhua was not reluctant to part with Sheng Cheng. She was simply uncomfortable from the heat. Coincidentally, there was someone nearby selling ice. She glanced at it several times, hesitating.
“So reluctant to part?”
Hearing the voice, Wen Quhua turned to look, slightly surprised.
She glanced behind him. Several familiar faces were there. Yang Tian and the others were working busily. Looking at his clothes, which were far from clean, she understood that after leaving the construction site, he had come to the old station.
She did not answer, so Yang Qin took it as her silent acknowledgment. He felt annoyed. Logically, who she chose had nothing to do with him.
He should not have come over to speak to her.
Wen Quhua did not know what to say to him. The weather was hot, and she was afraid of the sun, so she moved a little further into the shade under a tree.
But Yang Qin thought she was avoiding him, and his expression darkened even more. She smiled intimately with others, yet avoided him like the plague.
He felt foolish for coming over and making himself unwelcome.
He was about to leave when he suddenly heard her ask softly, “How is Xiao Xin?”
Wen Quhua deliberately found a topic. She also wanted to know about Xiao Xin’s condition. She had been away for a week and did not know what had happened afterward at the construction site.
Yang Qin suppressed his impatience and replied somewhat coldly, “He’ll be discharged tomorrow and recover at home.”
If he could be discharged, then it meant things would not turn out like in her previous life, right?
Wen Quhua nodded. She thought about whether she should go to the hospital tomorrow to visit him. After all, they knew each other. Perhaps she could even ask Xiao Xin about Yang Qin.
“You…”
“What?”
It was the first time Wen Quhua had seen his gaze so complicated. She suddenly remembered what had happened in the back kitchen that day and felt a bit suspicious.
Could it be that he had not given up on her?
Actually, Sheng Cheng was right. Having a shield would reduce a lot of trouble.
So Wen Quhua said softly, “Didn’t you say before that I could try someone else? I tried. It’s quite good.”
Hearing her bring it up so directly, Yang Qin’s palm clenched instantly.
So she had heard everything that day.
Her words and actions could only mean one thing.
She had rejected him.
In the end, Yang Qin gave a smile that was hard to read. He loosened his grip and pretended nothing was wrong. “Mm, then congratulations.”