Fortunately, Gu Xuehan had no intention of dwelling on the topic of Gu Yan. Soon, she redirected the conversation back to the main subject, giving a brief evaluation of Qi Xi's performance since joining the company. She pointed out a few minor details for improvement, encouraging Qi Xi to keep up the good work.
Though it was just a short half-hour conversation, when Qi Xi left Gu Xuehan's office, she felt like a parolee who had successfully transformed her life. From now on, the sky was clear and bright, and all that remained was to be a better person.
Gu Xuehan wouldn't shake off the thoughts of the graduation ceremony speech. Qi Xi's situation had eased as she no longer felt threatened from all directions. Now, she just needed to build a good relationship with Gu Yan in a united, serious, and lively socialist manner. As long as Gu Yan didn't expose her and report her, she would be seen as an upright and ambitious young person in Gu Xuehan's eyes.
Qi Xi's mood instantly lifted, and during her lunch break, she was planning to study some expert interpretations of the Civil Code. However, her father's call came in.
Ever since Qi Ruiming refused to pay for Qi Xi's study and living expenses in the United States, she had been in a cold war with him. Despite feeling a bit upset, she knew that as father and daughter, grudges wouldn't last forever. She believed her father would eventually understand and respect her career choices.
"Xixi, are you busy now that you're working at the law firm? Are you free tonight?"
Seeing her father's concern, Qi Xi's attitude softened, "I'm free tonight. Overall, it's not too busy yet. I just started, and there are many things I haven't handled, so I have plenty of time for self-study..."
As a rookie lawyer transitioning from being a student, Qi Xi had many insights she wanted to share with Qi Ruiming. But he seemed busy, "Dad has a meeting coming up. Let's have dinner together tonight, and I'll send you the address and time later."
Though a bit disappointed, Qi Xi still had some expectations. Her father may have founded a small law firm, but he was still a partner, and she knew he must be busy. Despite that, he still made time to chat with her in person, showing that he valued her.
Soon, Qi Ruiming sent the address and time for dinner. It was a well-known Michelin two-star restaurant. Any lingering discontent in Qi Xi's heart vanished completely. This gesture showed how much her father cared. Now that she was a lawyer herself, she felt they had more common ground to discuss. She was looking forward to a pleasant evening, putting their past grievances behind them.
**
In the past, family gatherings were always filled with Qi Ruiming's rushed and late arrivals. However, to Qi Xi's surprise, he was already at the restaurant when she arrived after work.
But before she could feel touched, Qi Xi noticed that her father had brought along a middle-aged man, Mr. Li, who seemed to be around his age, and a young man who was about Qi Xi's age.
"Xixi, come and meet Uncle Li and his son, Li Chenxin. You two are about the same age, and since you're not too busy with work now, I thought it'd be nice for you to make some friends of your generation. Let's have dinner together."
Qi Ruiming laughed heartily, "Uncle Li is one of my big clients, and we know each other well. This time, our families are getting acquainted. Next time, you can arrange a separate meeting with Chenxin. The older generation and you young people have different interests and focus. We mostly talk about work, hahaha. Chenxin just returned from Australia, and he's a remarkable young man. If you have any questions, you can ask him for advice."
Qi Ruiming seemed in high spirits, but Qi Xi felt quite the opposite.
Even if she were naive, she could tell that tonight was not about her father wanting to have a conversation about her work and studies. He didn't seem patient enough to listen to her thoughts and insights.
In the end, her father still held onto those outdated feudal ideas - that girls didn't need to pursue a career, and their main goal should be to marry into a good family and have children.
She had just graduated, and her father was already arranging blind dates for her!
As expected, after just a brief chat, Qi Ruiming and the so-called Uncle Li found an excuse related to work and left the private room early, leaving Qi Xi alone with Li Chenxin.
To be frank, Li Chenxin wasn't unattractive, and he was quite friendly and talkative. He could hold a conversation, but...
"Have you been abroad? No? Oh, that's a pity. I travel abroad every year. Just last month, I went to Alaska, and I came back from LA a few days ago. It's a shame we didn't meet earlier; otherwise, I would have brought you a gift from there, like a CHANEL bag or something else. Do you have any favorite brands?"
"I've been researching cars lately. I test-drove a friend's Ferrari a few days ago, but the engine noise was too loud. I decided not to buy one for now."
...
Qi Xi had absolutely no interest in the topics this man was so enthusiastic about. She forced a polite smile, occasionally making noises to go along with his chatter. He didn't give her a chance to speak at all and seemed quite satisfied with himself, almost pretending to be Qi Xi's boyfriend between the lines.
Desperate to escape, Qi Xi mustered up her survival instincts, "I'm sorry; I need to go to the restroom."
As soon as she left the private room, she called Zhao Yiran for help, "Please call me in five minutes!"
Zhao Yiran readily complied. After Qi Xi tidied herself up, she returned to the private room, and five minutes later, her phone rang right on cue.
Qi Xi put on an affectionate act as she spoke into the phone, "Ah? You're coming to pick me up? Okay, I'll wait for you."
She hung up the phone and looked apologetically at Li Chenxin, "I'm sorry; my boyfriend is coming to pick me up. There's something urgent. I have to leave."
Normally, when someone reaches this point, the other person would immediately receive the message of polite rejection and not push further, ending the awkward blind date in a more courteous and safe manner.
Unfortunately, Qi Xi didn't anticipate that Li Chenxin was anything but a normal person. When Qi Xi hung up the phone, he didn't let her leave. He blocked the room's door, swinging his supercar keys with confidence and assurance written all over his face, "When you went out just now, did you ask a friend to call you to pretend? I know there's a bit of a gap between our families, and we may not belong to the same social class. But there's no need to test me this way, or feel insecure about it. Don't worry, I treat my girlfriend well, and I don't care if you're reaching up or down. So, you don't need to pretend to have a boyfriend to provoke me. In relationships, I always take the initiative. I hate it when others set rules or dictate the pace for me."
"..."
Qi Xi had seen people with good self-esteem, but she had never seen anyone with such an inflated sense of self-esteem.
Feeling trapped, Qi Xi secretly sent another message to Zhao Yiran for help, "Do you know any male friends? Can you find someone to pretend to be my boyfriend and pick me up? I want this guy to give up once and for all! I've had enough!"
Unfortunately, Zhao Yiran was helpless, "You know the male friends I'm familiar with; it's just my little brother. He's only thirteen years old. Even if he did pretend to be in a relationship, the age gap between you would be too scandalous..."
Qi Xi wasn't ready to give up and asked a few male classmates with whom she had decent relationships. Unfortunately, they were either on business trips or had other engagements.
She went through her contacts in despair, and just when she was about to lose all hope, a brilliant idea struck her mind.
Wasn't there Gu Yan?!
If I remember correctly, Gu Yan might be working late tonight due to an emergency contract change. He's probably still at the office, not far from this restaurant!
Though not very hopeful, Qi Xi decided to take a shot and claimed that she needed to go to the restroom, slipping out of the private room. She then called Gu Yan.
"Gu Yan..."
But before Qi Xi could say anything, Gu Yan's rejection came first, "I'm not eating durian tonight." He seemed afraid that she would spend money on it and quickly added, "I already had some myself."
His obsession with durian was really over the top! Why did he relate everything to durian?
She didn't want to talk to him about durian!
Clearing her throat, Qi Xi said, "Okay, okay. I won't have durian tonight. I'll eat it tomorrow. I actually have something urgent tonight, and I wanted to ask for your help."
Gu Yan's voice became calm again, "What is it?"
Though embarrassed, Qi Xi briefly explained her predicament and then pleaded, "Could you come and pretend to be my boyfriend and save me?"
Perhaps her request was too bizarre; Gu Yan sounded displeased on the other end of the phone, "So, you're on a blind date?"
"If it's inconvenient, forget it..."
"It's fine."
Just when Qi Xi thought her plea was hopeless, Gu Yan agreed to her request. He was quite decisive, "Send me the address."
Although the law firm was not far from where Qi Xi was dining, the traffic lights were numerous on the way, and it was rush hour. According to the estimate, Gu Yan would take at least twenty minutes to arrive. However, after only ten minutes, Qi Xi received a call from Gu Yan.
"I'm here, come out."
Qi Xi felt full of gratitude. She turned to the still-boasting Li Chenxin, "I'm sorry, my boyfriend came to pick me up. We have plans to watch a movie later, so I won't chat with you anymore. It was nice meeting you."
Directly claiming to have a boyfriend would be inappropriate since Li Chenxin hadn't explicitly expressed an interest in pursuing Qi Xi. If she outright rejected him, he might mock her for presumptuousness. So, naturally, Qi Xi led the conversation in a way that smoothly implied she wasn't single. This way, she preserved her face while also considering his feelings - a perfect balance.
Upon hearing that Qi Xi's boyfriend came to pick her up, Li Chenxin seemed momentarily surprised, but he quickly grasped the situation, "Your dad doesn't know?"
"Yeah." Qi Xi smiled and made up, "I haven't told my dad yet; we just started dating."
"Since you just started, and your feelings aren't deep, why don't you break up with him and be with me?"
Before Qi Xi could refuse, a stern male voice answered for her:
"We won't break up."
Qi Xi turned around and saw Gu Yan's face.
He sounded slightly breathless, as if he had just been running or exercising, but it unexpectedly added a touch of sexiness to his voice.
This tall man with long legs was currently wearing the suit he had changed into for court with Gu Xuehan earlier, giving him an elegant and elite appearance. Unfortunately, his expression was a bit cold and forbidding, pushing people away.
Wow! Gu Yan was so impressive! His ability to immerse himself in the role in an instant! Qi Xi could almost applaud him.
Since Gu Yan had taken the initiative to handle the situation, Qi Xi naturally followed along. She smiled coyly, then bounced over to Gu Yan, took his hand, and looked apologetically at Li Chenxin, "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. Let me treat you to this meal."
Li Chenxin glanced at Gu Yan with hostile eyes, then turned to Qi Xi, "No need. I'll pay for this meal. This restaurant may be expensive for regular working-class people, but it's not a big deal to me."
Gu Yan interrupted Li Chenxin's boasting in an expressionless manner, "I already paid."
Clearly displeased, Li Chenxin tried to stop Qi Xi once again, his smile forced, "It's difficult to find a cab at this hour. I drove here. Let me give you a ride."
Gu Yan didn't back down either, saying coldly, "No need, I have a car too."
After Gu Yan spoke, he glanced at Qi Xi, "Let's go. Don't waste any more time here."