After leaving the Jiang family’s home, Qiao Yitang went to a real estate agency.
She didn’t want the Jiang family to affect her mood. As she decided to break up with He Jingchuan, she also planned to gradually cut ties with the Jiang family.
She had to look ahead.
Her most urgent task was to rent a place. She couldn’t keep living in a hotel.
She had only taken a week off, and there were design drafts at the studio waiting to be submitted. She had to find somewhere to live as soon as possible.
She was looking at apartments with an agent when Song Zhi called.
“We didn’t have enough fun at Blue Dream last time. I’ll come find you tonight and take you somewhere even more fun.”
Qiao Yitang sighed. “I really can’t go this time. I’m busy looking for a place to rent.”
At that, Song Zhi got angry again. “He Jingchuan is such a bastard. He’s loaded, but he’s still so stingy he won’t even buy you a place.”
“You should ask him for a breakup settlement. All these years, the gifts he’s given you could be counted on one hand. What exactly do you want from him?”
Qiao Yitang’s breath caught, and she felt as if she couldn’t get enough air.
Yes. What did she want from him?
The gifts she gave He Jingchuan were always carefully chosen. She never minded spending several months’ salary on them.
But He Jingchuan had lost interest in her years ago. This year, all he gave her for her birthday was an utterly ordinary bracelet.
Song Zhi had looked it up online and found out it had cost less than a thousand yuan.
Qiao Yitang had comforted herself by thinking that He Jingchuan had spent the previous few years studying abroad and rarely came home. As soon as he returned, he joined his family’s company, and he was too busy to find time to pick out gifts.
But later, he had managed to make time in the middle of his busy schedule to go abroad and buy Shen Keyan a ruby necklace worth several million yuan—the only one of its kind in the world.
The first time Qiao Yitang lost her composure in front of everyone was when Shen Keyan deliberately came to flaunt that ruby necklace in front of her.
She hadn’t been able to hold back and slapped Shen Keyan.
Shen Keyan immediately leaned against He Jingchuan’s chest, crying pitifully, and said she hadn’t meant to upset Qiao Yitang.
He Jingchuan couldn’t bear to see Shen Keyan hurt. Without asking what had happened, he forced Qiao Yitang to apologize to her in front of everyone—and even wanted Shen Keyan to slap her back.
If Song Zhi hadn’t been there, pulling her away without a word, Qiao Yitang wouldn’t have known how to handle things…
Now that she thought back on it, Qiao Yitang felt like an idiot.
She should have broken up with He Jingchuan as soon as she found out he had lived with Shen Keyan while studying abroad.
“Forget it. We’re broken up now, anyway, and I still have to look at apartments. I’ve got to go.”
After hanging up on Song Zhi, Qiao Yitang felt rather low.
She wasn’t taken with any of the other places the agent showed her.
With her savings, she could afford to buy a place outright, but she didn’t have time to look at properties and oversee renovations. And with housing prices so unstable, it was better to rent for now.
When Qiao Yitang left the agency, she saw that it wasn’t far from the hotel where she was staying, so she walked back.
A black Bentley approached from behind, far down the street.
A man in a suit sat in the back seat, his expression cold as he read the news on his phone.
After reading for a long time, Xie Chengyan felt a pain at his temple. He rubbed his brow and looked up. His gaze drifted out the window, where he caught sight of a slender figure walking along the street.
It was already evening, and the dusky sunset gilded her with a layer of gold.
Qiao Yitang wore a white skirt with an apricot-yellow cardigan. Her long, dark hair fell down her back, giving her a gentle, soft appearance.
A breeze had picked up, lifting the hem of her skirt slightly. White socks covered her slender ankles, and she wore a pair of white flats.
The part of her legs visible above her socks was very pale.
Even in the fading light, Xie Chengyan could see clearly through the car window.
He couldn’t help thinking of how, when he’d run into Qiao Yitang at Blue Dream Club the night before, his gaze had also lingered on her exposed calves.
They hadn’t had time to say more than a few words before Qiao Yitang was called away by her friend, leaving Xie Chengyan with a lingering sense of regret.
As soon as he spotted the girl on the street, Xie Chengyan raised his voice and told the driver, “Slow down.”
The driver didn’t understand why, but he didn’t dare disobey Xie Chengyan.
Fortunately, there weren’t many cars on this street. The Bentley slowed down without provoking any angry honking from the cars behind them.
The driver had no idea what Xie Chengyan was watching, but the assistant in the front passenger seat saw Qiao Yitang.
The evening breeze was growing stronger. The assistant saw Qiao Yitang fold her arms across her chest and pull her cardigan tighter. She seemed cold, and gradually quickened her pace.
Assistant Liang spoke cautiously. “President Xie, the wind’s picked up outside, and that young woman isn’t dressed warmly. Why don’t we give her a ride?”
Xie Chengyan didn’t answer at once.
Just as Assistant Liang began to think he’d said the wrong thing, a deep voice came from the back seat. “No need.”
Assistant Liang couldn’t read his boss’s mind. He glanced toward the real estate agency they had just passed and cautiously tried again. “It looked like she came out of there. I wonder if she’s looking to buy a place…”
Xie Chengyan had already noticed where Qiao Yitang had come from.
“Stop.”
Xie Chengyan’s voice was low and firm. The driver pressed the brake, and the Bentley pulled over.
Assistant Liang thought the girl on the street must know Xie Chengyan. His boss was about to get out and greet her.
Maybe he felt sorry for her walking alone in the evening wind; perhaps he would even get out and drape his coat over her shoulders.
He wondered whose girl had caught the eye of a man like him…
But the next moment, Xie Chengyan turned to him. “Assistant Liang, get out.”
“Huh?” Assistant Liang was still lost in his fantasies, but his professional instincts kicked in. He quickly composed himself, sat up straight, and opened the car door.
If his boss told him to get out, then getting out was the right thing to do.
Xie Chengyan said, “Go to that real estate agency and find out whether she wants to rent or buy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Left behind in the biting evening wind, Assistant Liang shivered all over.
But he didn’t complain. He dutifully carried out the order and jogged toward the agency.
The Bentley continued on, still following Qiao Yitang slowly from behind.
It kept going until she turned the corner and was no longer on their route.
Xie Chengyan slowly drew his gaze back. Seeing a message on his phone urging him to hurry, he remembered that he had a dinner engagement that evening.
“Let’s go,” he told the driver.
A little while later, Assistant Liang called. “President Xie, I found out.”
“The young woman from earlier wants to rent a place, but she looked at quite a few and wasn’t satisfied with any of them. She said she’d come back tomorrow, too. She seems to be in a hurry.”
“Rent?” Xie Chengyan’s brows knitted slightly. “Will she be living alone?”
“Yes. All the places she looked at were one-bedroom apartments.”
Xie Chengyan’s brows drew together more tightly.
Qiao Yitang was supposed to marry He Jingchuan next month. She was about to become the Young Madam of the He family. Why would she be looking for a place to live on her own?
A thought that made him feel faintly excited surfaced in his mind.
Xie Chengyan pressed his lips together. “Find a suitable place and recommend it to her tomorrow.”