……
A few days later in the evening, Rong Jiqiao changed out of her work uniform and walked out of the clinic.
The sky was filled with sunset glow. Cars flowed along the street, and the air carried the sweet smell of roasted sweet potatoes.
She stood on the steps and took out her phone to check the time.
Duan Yan said he would arrive at 7:30. It was only 7:20 now.
Rong Jiqiao put her phone back into her pocket and walked a few steps toward the roadside, standing somewhere she wouldn’t block traffic.
The sound of high heels came from behind her.
Zhu Xiaoyue also came out, carrying a pink handbag. She had touched up her makeup, and her lipstick was a bright red.
She glanced at Rong Jiqiao without greeting her and walked straight to the roadside, looking down at her phone.
Rong Jiqiao didn’t bother with her either.
Not long after, a black Mercedes slowly pulled up and stopped in front of the clinic.
The window rolled down. Xiao Le leaned out and waved at Zhu Xiaoyue.
“Baby, get in the car.”
Zhu Xiaoyue immediately put on a bright smile and hurried over in her high heels.
Xiao Le got out of the car. He was wearing a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a gold watch on his wrist.
He wrapped an arm around Zhu Xiaoyue’s waist, but his gaze crossed over her shoulder and landed on Rong Jiqiao not far away.
Rong Jiqiao was looking down at her phone. The sunset light fell on her profile, making her skin look almost glowing white.
Xiao Le’s eyes lit up slightly.
Zhu Xiaoyue noticed his gaze and her smile stiffened.
She hooked her arm around Xiao Le’s neck, her voice soft and coy. “What are you looking at?”
Xiao Le withdrew his gaze and kissed her cheek. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
Zhu Xiaoyue felt a tightness in her chest, her fingers gripping his clothes.
But then Xiao Le suddenly let go of her and walked toward Rong Jiqiao.
Zhu Xiaoyue froze in place, her hand still hanging in the air, her expression completely collapsing.
Xiao Le stopped in front of Rong Jiqiao and smiled.
“Hey beautiful, what a coincidence.”
Rong Jiqiao looked up and froze for a second when she saw him.
“You are…”
“I’m Zhu Xiaoyue’s boyfriend, Xiao Le.” He held out his hand. “We met once before. You remember, right?”
Rong Jiqiao didn’t take his hand and stepped back half a step.
“Yes.”
Xiao Le wasn’t embarrassed. He simply pulled his hand back and stuffed it into his pocket.
“So late already, still not heading home? Want a ride? I can take you.”
Rong Jiqiao glanced toward Zhu Xiaoyue. She was biting her lip and staring at them.
“No need. My boyfriend is coming soon.”
“Your boyfriend?” Xiao Le’s eyes flashed with a hint of disdain. “Then come along too. It’s on the way anyway.”
Rong Jiqiao frowned.
“Really, it’s not necessary.”
Before Xiao Le could say anything else, Zhu Xiaoyue had already walked over.
She forced a smile, her voice tight. “Babe, let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Xiao Le waved her off. “Not in a hurry. I’m just talking to your coworker…”
“Say a few words.”
Zhu Xiaoyue’s face turned even more unpleasant, her fingernails nearly digging into her palm.
She didn’t dare vent her anger at Xiao Le, so she could only glare at Rong Jiqiao, her eyes full of resentment.
Rong Jiqiao glanced at her and said calmly:
“With a boyfriend like that, you should really think carefully about whether he’s truly sincere to you.”
Zhu Xiaoyue’s face went pale, her lips trembling slightly.
Xiao Le, instead of getting angry, actually laughed when he heard that.
“That’s a fair point, beautiful. Xiaoyue, you’d better keep a close eye on me.”
As he spoke, he reached out again to wrap his arm around Zhu Xiaoyue’s waist.
Zhu Xiaoyue stiffened, her smile looking worse than crying.
At that moment, a small electric scooter turned in from the street corner and stopped in front of the clinic.
Duan Yan slowly took off his helmet, revealing a face so striking it was hard to look away.
He wore a black T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers.
An outfit so simple it couldn’t be simpler.
But his face was far too outstanding.
Sharp brows, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a jawline as clean and sharp as if carved by a blade—every feature perfectly aligned with aesthetic ideals.
He walked over, the setting sun casting light on his face, making his cold, aloof aura even more pronounced.
Xiao Le’s voice stuck in his throat.
Zhu Xiaoyue stood frozen in place, her eyes almost popping out.
This… this was Rong Jiqiao’s boyfriend?
Her mind buzzed.
Duan Yan walked to Rong Jiqiao’s side and reached out to hold her hand.
“Waited long?”
Rong Jiqiao shook her head and smiled.
“No, you came just in time.”
Duan Yan glanced at Xiao Le and Zhu Xiaoyue beside them. His gaze lingered on Xiao Le’s face for less than a second before moving away.
It was as if he had just looked at a roadside trash bin.
Xiao Le felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively stepped back half a step.
Duan Yan didn’t look at him again. He lowered his head and said to Rong Jiqiao:
“Let’s go. We’ll go home and cook.”
Rong Jiqiao nodded and followed him toward the scooter.
Duan Yan handed her a helmet and waited until she put it on before getting on the vehicle himself.
Rong Jiqiao sat at the back, wrapping her arms around his waist.
His waist was firm and strong; through the thin fabric of his T-shirt, she could feel the tense lines of his muscles.
He carried a faint, clean scent mixed with the evening breeze, giving a reassuring feeling.
The scooter started and drove into the sunset glow.
Zhu Xiaoyue stood there, still staring in that direction.
Her mind was filled entirely with Duan Yan’s face.
That temperament, that appearance—how could he look like a security guard?
She had seen quite a few wealthy men; Xiao Le was one of them, but compared to Duan Yan, Xiao Le looked like an ordinary background character.
Duan Yan’s cold, detached aura, that almost innate oppressive presence of someone in a higher position—it wasn’t something an ordinary security guard could have.
Zhu Xiaoyue bit her lip…
Her lips… her mind was in turmoil like a raging storm.
She snapped back to reality and turned to look at Xiao Le.
The balance in Zhu Xiaoyue’s heart shifted in an instant.
She suddenly felt that Xiao Le’s face, when compared to Duan Yan’s, looked utterly unbearable.
Xiao Le came back to his senses, licked his lips, and muttered:
“So what if he’s handsome? He’s still broke, riding that crappy little electric scooter.”
As he spoke, he opened the car door. “Let’s go, let’s go. I’m starving.”
Zhu Xiaoyue didn’t move.
Xiao Le urged her, “What are you standing there for? Get in.”
Biting her lip, Zhu Xiaoyue slowly walked over.
After getting into the passenger seat, her mind was still completely filled with Duan Yan’s face.
The car drove off. Xiao Le glanced at her.
“Is your coworker’s boyfriend really a security guard?”
Zhu Xiaoyue nodded.
Xiao Le clicked his tongue. “What a waste of that face. If he became a male model, he could at least double his income.”
His tone carried undisguised malice.
He paused, then added, “But that’s just how it is. Women like those poor pretty boys, thinking love can be eaten.”
Zhu Xiaoyue didn’t respond.
Xiao Le kept rambling from the side. “What’s so good about that kind of man? Can good looks pay the bills? When it comes to marriage and kids, it still depends on money.”
Zhu Xiaoyue couldn’t stand Xiao Le’s vulgar, nouveau-riche attitude.
But if she wanted to cross classes, Xiao Le was her best option.
She wasn’t unaware that Xiao Le was unreliable.
When he talked about marriage or a house, it was all bragging.
She also knew he wasn’t serious about her; marriage was unlikely.
But Xiao Le was still the best “step up” she had.
Listening to his nonstop complaints, clearly triggered by seeing Rong Jiqiao so devoted to Duan Yan, Zhu Xiaoyue finally couldn’t help but speak:
“What’s the point of going on about it? If you think you’re rich enough to pursue her, then go ahead.”
Xiao Le said lightly, “You said that.”
His tone sounded casual, like he was just asking, but there was something hidden underneath it. Zhu Xiaoyue could sense it.
She tightened her grip on her bag strap, the tendons on the back of her hand tensing.
She knew Xiao Le was never short of women. Never. To him, she was just whoever came first—first come, first served. If she lost that advantage, she would be nothing.
The lump in her throat tightened, but she still didn’t push back.
“I said it casually. You wouldn’t dare.”
She turned her head, softening her tone. “I’m hungry, let’s go.”
Zhu Xiaoyue looked forward again. Neon lights flickered along the roadside shops, but she saw nothing.
In her mind, the only thing replaying was Duan Yan parking the scooter and holding Rong Jiqiao’s hand.
A faint bitterness rose on her tongue.
She told herself: he’s just a security guard, riding a scooter, poor—nothing to envy.
She pressed that thought down deeper inside herself.