12 – Too Much of a Coincidence
Su Qinghe was stunned for a moment. This was too much of a coincidence—why was Lu Yanci here?
Ji Yan, seated to Lu Yanci’s right, also noticed Su Qinghe’s presence at that moment. He shifted in his seat, leaned toward Zhou Shiyu, and whispered a few questions.
Upon learning that Su Qinghe was there for a blind date, Ji Yan let out a mocking snicker. “I say, Yan Ci, letting Miss Su go on a blind date with someone like that—she might as well be with me instead.”
Lu Yanci’s gaze, devoid of any warmth, swept past Ji Yan as he chuckled lightly. “No matter what, she’s a lawyer. And you?”
Struck where it hurt, Ji Yan immediately deflated and muttered sullenly, “So what if she’s a lawyer? She’s not richer than me…”
The Ji family had many sons and grandsons. Ji Yan was the youngest in the family, doted on by his elders, yet within the Ji Group, he had no foothold at all.
The older brothers ahead of Ji Yan were all too outstanding. He simply gave up on himself and settled into the role of a wealthy young idler who spent his days in leisure and pleasure.
During university, Ji Yan had studied abroad alongside Lu Yanci.
After returning to the country, Ji Yan parachuted into the film and television company under the Ji Group as an executive president.
Once he set foot in the entertainment industry, Ji Yan’s scandals never ceased, and he thoroughly became a playboy heir coasting on his family’s name.
Achievements like Ji Yan’s, obtained through family connections, indeed couldn’t compare to a lawyer who had studied diligently for years and worked hard to pass the bar exam.
On the other side, Qin Junbo wiped the corner of his mouth, smiled at Su Qinghe, and said, “Miss Su, I’m very happy to have met you today. I’ll give you a ride home on my way, shall I?”
“Which direction do you live in?” Su Qinghe asked casually.
Qin Junbo replied, “I live in Jinyi Haoting in the north of the city.”
“Then it’s not really on your way—I live in the south of the city.” Su Qinghe politely declined. “No need to trouble yourself. It’s quite convenient for me to take the subway.”
Qin Junbo was at a loss for words.
Su Qinghe had already shut down the conversation, so Qin Junbo couldn’t press further.
After a moment of silence, Qin Junbo raised his hand toward the waiter, preparing to settle the bill and leave.
The waiter walked over and said courteously to Qin Junbo, “Hello, sir. Your bill has already been taken care of.”
“Hm?” Qin Junbo frowned and asked, “We haven’t paid yet. Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”
“Sir, we haven’t made a mistake. It was the guests at that table who paid your bill.” The waiter pointed to the spot where Lu Yanci had been sitting earlier.
But the three of them had already left by then.
Qin Junbo’s brow furrowed even deeper, utterly puzzled as to why someone would pay their bill for them.
“So we can leave directly now?” Qin Junbo confirmed again.
“Yes, sir,” the waiter replied.
Su Qinghe picked up her bag and stood, walking out of the restaurant together with Qin Junbo.
Qin Junbo didn’t know who had paid the bill, but Su Qinghe knew perfectly well.
However, Su Qinghe couldn’t quite understand whether Lu Yanci’s appearance here today was a coincidence… or if there was another intention behind it.
After bidding farewell to Qin Junbo outside the mall, Su Qinghe walked alone toward the subway station.
Before she even reached the subway entrance, Su Qinghe spotted Zhou Shiyu standing on the sidewalk ahead, with a black Bentley parked in the roadside parking space nearby.
This was the only path leading to the subway station. Su Qinghe couldn’t go around it, so she could only steel herself and keep walking forward.
She had a feeling that Lu Yanci would be waiting for her somewhere.
Sure enough, Zhou Shiyu blocked her path and said with a smile, “Qinghe, the CEO would like to see you.”
“Um, Special Assistant Zhou. Whatever it is, let’s discuss it back at the company tomorrow.” Su Qinghe returned the smile. “It’s off work hours now, wouldn’t you say?”
“All I know is that this is the CEO’s instruction. I hope you won’t make things difficult for me.” Zhou Shiyu turned to look at the Bentley by the roadside and made a gesture of invitation.
Su Qinghe let out a silent sigh and walked over to the car.
The rear door opened automatically. Lu Yanci sat with his legs crossed, leaning lazily against the seat back, eyes slightly narrowed, and curved his lips into a faint smile at her.
Lu Yanci parted his thin lips slightly. “Get in. I’ll drive you home.”
After several encounters, Su Qinghe had learned that refusing Lu Yanci was no easy task.
Su Qinghe bent down slightly, her posture graceful and unhurried, and took a seat beside Lu Yanci.
Zhou Shiyu got into the driver’s seat, started the car slowly, and merged into the flow of traffic.
The car was quiet—not even music was playing. Su Qinghe’s hands unconsciously clasped together, feeling somewhat ill at ease and a little tense.
She kept waiting for Lu Yanci to speak, but he remained silent.
The car stopped at the entrance of the residential complex. Su Qinghe placed her left hand on the door handle and tilted her head toward Lu Yanci. “President Lu, thank you for driving me back.”
Lu Yanci half-closed his eyes and said in a low, deep voice, “About that contract I mentioned before—if you ever change your mind, you can contact me anytime.”
A flicker of surprise passed quickly through Su Qinghe’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Lu Yanci to bring up that matter again.
“Alright, I understand.” Su Qinghe responded softly, then opened the door and got out.
Stepping into her home, Su Qinghe caught a very fragrant aroma—something like the scent of spicy crayfish.
After changing into her slippers and walking into the living room, she indeed saw He Nanzhi sitting cross-legged on the sofa, with a large basin of takeout crayfish on the coffee table.
“Hehe, you’re back! I bought crayfish—come over and eat together.”
He Nanzhi wiped her fingers with a tissue, picked up the cola, took a few sips, and let out a satisfied burp.
“I just finished dinner, you know. And now you’re arranging a midnight snack for me.” Su Qinghe went to the kitchen first and grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge.
“Hey, Hehe. I want some beer too—grab one for me~”
Su Qinghe walked over with two bottles of beer, sat down on the sofa, popped open the pull tabs, and handed a beer to He Nanzhi.
He Nanzhi took the beer and said with a smile, “Thanks.”
A campus youth drama was playing on the TV. Su Qinghe tilted her head back and took a sip of beer, then asked leisurely, “Nanzhi, which drama are you watching?”
“This is the one I wrote before—Summer Hasn’t Come.” He Nanzhi patted her chest, looking thoroughly proud.
Hearing this, Su Qinghe was somewhat surprised. “It’s already airing that soon?”
Summer Hasn’t Come was a romance drama set in a university. If Su Qinghe remembered correctly, the drama had wrapped up about half a year ago.
That pace of release was indeed quite fast.
He Nanzhi smiled and said softly, “The plot doesn’t touch on any sensitive topics, and we managed to secure a good time slot, so the production company decided to air it early.”
“Then I’ll have a new drama to binge-watch.” Su Qinghe said enthusiastically, turning to look at the television screen.
Su Qinghe had great respect for He Nanzhi’s talent. She could sense that within He Nanzhi’s mind existed a truly fascinating world.
He Nanzhi appeared to have a cheerful personality, but in reality, she was not one for socializing—few people could truly enter her inner world.
Yet, with just a little more time getting to know her, one would inevitably be drawn in by her unique soul.