Zhao Qiyan sensed that Ruan Jing was starting to distance herself from him, which was the situation he least wanted to see. Although Ruan Jing was easygoing, it didn't mean she was oblivious; in fact, she was quite sensitive—attuned to shifts in atmosphere like changes in barometric pressure. That kiss last time probably made her think Zhao Qiyan was a pervert—a truly terrible development. This situation was completely new for Zhao Qiyan, who was adept at navigating interpersonal relationships, and he really didn't know whether to back down or move forward—trapped between strategy and instinct.
However, Qi Yan was essentially a free spirit, and he couldn't bear such torment in the details of his emotions. So when he hadn't seen Ruan Jing for five days—five days that felt like weeks—he took the initiative to come to the gallery.
After the car stopped, Qi Yan hesitated to get out, his hand on the door handle but not pulling. Frustrated, he looked for cigarettes, but since he didn't smoke often, he didn't have any in the car.
Just as he was wondering whether to drive back to the shop at the intersection to buy cigarettes, his phone rang, and he answered it somewhat absentmindedly.
"Is your car a black Lexus?"
The other person's voice made Qi Yan momentarily flustered—recognition hitting like a small electric shock—but he still spoke with unwavering calmness. "Yes. I'm in the parking lot outside the gallery now. Are you done with your work?" Even Zhao Qi Yan himself felt that this superficial act was hypocritical.
After waiting for a while without hearing a response, Qi Yan couldn't hold back any longer and was about to speak again when he heard someone knock on the right-side window. Before he could react, Ruan Jing had already opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat with casual confidence.
"I'm done with work. I'm currently looking for a place to have dinner. If you don't have a date, would you like to come along?"
"Uh? Okay." Qi Yan stammered in response, experiencing "dumbfounded" for the first time in his thirty-one years. Zhao Qi Yan felt that he had become a completely different person lately. Since meeting Ruan Jing, his rationality and willpower had greatly diminished—erosion so gradual he hadn't noticed until now. Even his naive first love hadn't been as chaotic as this.
Qi Yan knew that his weakness would not bring him any benefit, and he had to get back on track as soon as possible. Since he was clear that his current situation was unrequited love, the best way to deal with it was to maintain the status quo. Because Zhao Qi Yan did not have the habit of forcing others and understood the nature of Ruan Jing's feelings for him, there would be no "you are mine" scenario. Therefore, for him, being friends was the safest and most reasonable thing to do right now. At least for the time being, he could tolerate this gentlemanly relationship that was as light as water—even if it felt like slow starvation.
Throughout the journey, Ruan Jing remained completely open and honest, showing no signs of embarrassment, just like the way the two of them usually interacted. It was as if that kiss from that day had never happened—erased from history. However, Qi Yan knew that if he did anything out of line again, even the generous Ruan Jing would start to become defensive.
He remembered that time in the church, when Ruan Jing casually said something under the sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows, very lightly, "I've gotten used to not taking love seriously..."
His heart skipped a beat at that moment, and he couldn't describe the feeling—something between pain and recognition. It was only much later that he realized it was palpitations or, more accurately, heartache.
Some things are truly destined. Zhao Qiyan was destined to fall completely in love with Ruan Jing at first sight. The first time he saw Ruan Jing, she was sitting in an open-air pavilion at the entrance of the alley drinking coffee, sunlight catching in her hair. When he came to his senses, he found himself involuntarily walking closer to her. Qiyan smiled bitterly, thinking that being instantly captivated was nothing more than this—helpless surrender.
"You can actually space out?" Ruan Jing noticed that Zhao Qiyan had been silent after ordering the food, and her expression was somewhat inexplicably profound—curious, perhaps amused.
Qi Yan pressed his forehead, regaining his composure and calmness. "I've been having some trouble sleeping lately." This was the truth.
"Mr. Zhao?" Someone suddenly stopped as they passed their table.
Qi Yan looked up, confirming that he didn't know the other person, but still politely replied, "Hello."
"Hello, I'm a graduate student in the medical department of F University. You gave a lecture at our school, and I still remember you—well, you gave a very good lecture," the woman in front of him said with a smile that held a hint of nervousness.
Reminded by her, Zhao Qiyan remembered that he had indeed been to F University once, but he had only accompanied a colleague and was merely an associate lecturer. However, Qiyan's profound and refined charm was always appealing, and after a moment's hesitation, the woman asked, "Could I have your business card?"
Qi Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sorry, I didn't bring it today." He had indeed forgotten to bring it.
A hint of disappointment flashed across the woman's face. "It seems this is truly unfortunate." She nodded in the end, knowing when to stop—grace in rejection. "Then I won't disturb your meal any longer. Goodbye." She glanced at Ruan Jing and walked towards the table behind them where people were already waiting.
"As expected of a high achiever, intelligent and polite," Ruan Jing nodded in conclusion, her tone analytical.
"Hmm?" Qi Yan thought to himself that Ruan Jing's behavior just now should have been stable and normal. At this time, he did not want Ruan Jing to have any sensitive thoughts about him.
"Ask for a business card, not a phone number." Ruan Jing explained with the air of someone reading social cues. "If the other person isn't interested in you, they'll say they didn't bring a business card. Even if they did, if they are interested, they'll leave their phone number even if they don't have a business card."
Zhao Qiyan just smiled, but his thoughts kept turning back to himself. He had given her his number on his own initiative, and Ruan Jing had only called twice. A slight bitterness welled up in his heart—the math of unequal affection.
"She's still looking over here. Are you sure you only gave a lecture at their school?" Ruan Jing's expression was quite intriguing—teasing, observant.
Zhao Qiyan, who was facing away from the table behind him, sighed, "Your 'watching the show' mentality makes me wonder if I should go over and hand over my phone number to continue the story."
"Sorry!" Ruan Jing finally laughed, the sound bright and unguarded. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking, are mature, stable, and successful men particularly sought after these days?" You see, even the strong woman Ruan Xian had some feelings for the man in front of her.
"Some people might not like it." Only after saying this did Qi Yan realize that there was a hint of grievance in his tone—vulnerability slipping through. Zhao Qi Yan was only worried that he would lose his composure in front of Ruan Jing, so he touched his cheek and suppressed all the emotions that should not be there. "Do you want to go for a walk after dinner? I know a nice art gallery nearby."
Ruan Jing nodded indifferently.
Perhaps as the atmosphere gradually returned to its usual calm, the two finished their meal, and Zhao Qiyan called the waiter to settle the bill.
As soon as the two stepped out of the lobby, Ruan Jing, who was walking in front, made eye contact with the person who came in from outside. The other person's eyes flashed with obvious hostility—sharp and unmistakable.
Zhao Qiyan, who was walking behind, saw the person approaching a second later. "KK?"
The beautiful woman, nicknamed KK, stepped past Ruan Jing and stood in front of Zhao Qiyan, her voice soft and gentle—almost a plea. "Why haven't you come to see me?"
Ruan Jing then remembered that KK was the one who sang "Take Away" at the bar last time—the voice haunting, the presence magnetic.
Ruan Jing wasn't surprised that a man like Zhao Qiyan, with both good looks and inner qualities, was pursued by admirers; she was quite composed about it. However, seeing the scene before her, Ruan Jing thought she might as well leave without saying goodbye—slip away before things became complicated.
Zhao Qiyan smiled at Ruan Jing, his eyes filled with a gentle plea that stopped her in her tracks. Ruan Jing thought for a moment, then stood still and waited.
Looking at Zhao Qiyan talking to KK, with his calm expression and clean and efficient demeanor, she couldn't help but think of his occasional "unpredictable" behavior in front of her, which was somewhat ambiguous and out of line—the contrast stark.
Ruan Jing wasn't sure what this distinction meant. In fact, she was quite happy to associate with him. As a friend, Zhao Qiyan's way of doing things made her feel very comfortable. Their feelings didn't need to be too deep, there was no pressure, and they didn't need to dwell on anything when they parted. This was the kind of friendship she had always pursued. But... thinking about this, she couldn't help but recall that kiss. She wasn't a petty person, nor did she want to complicate things. Perhaps Zhao Qiyan was just acting on a whim at the time; after all, he had a certain passionate side. However, sometimes when she looked at Zhao Qiyan... it felt like an ocean current, calm on the surface, but with turbulent undercurrents beneath—depths she couldn't measure.
As the two walked out of the restaurant, Ruan Jing couldn't help but glance at him. "Is it okay for us to come out like this?" She seemed to have asked him this question more than once. Actually, Ruan Jing originally wanted to say that it was really okay for her to walk alone.
"She also has things to do."
"She didn't seem very friendly to me. Maybe I misunderstood something."
He paused slightly, the silence deliberate. "There's no misunderstanding."
KK watched the two figures disappear through the doorway, her heart aching with recognition. Zhao Qiyan was an elusive playboy, she had always thought so. But now, seeing this free-spirited man she had admired for so many years looking at someone with such tenderness, almost to the point of humility—a look she never thought would ever appear in Zhao Qiyan's eyes—
On the brightly lit streets at night, Ruan Jing looked up at the sky and was surprised to find that she could see stars. "I never thought that I could see such a beautiful night view in the city."
"You just haven't noticed; she's there most of the time."
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of mediocre person."
"No, it's just that you care about too few things."
Ruan Jing chuckled, the sound knowing. "You're really sharp."
She used to care about too many things, which made her feel tired and stressed—crushed under the weight of expectations. Now she had "laid down her butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot"—liberation through apathy.
"Ruan Jing, I'm so glad to have met you," the person next to her said softly, the words carrying weight.
Ruan Jing turned her head to look at the dashing and unrestrained Zhao Qiyan in front of her. He possessed a profound and clean quality, both reserved and frank—contradictions that somehow cohered. Undeniably, "Me too." She was very happy to meet him.
Then he took her hand and kissed her palm, his lips warm against her skin, and she felt the world tilt slightly on its axis.
The entire next day, Ruan Jing kept replaying Zhao Qiyan's gesture from the previous night—the way he took her hand, then kissed her palm... Ruan Jing sighed deeply, picked up her coffee cup, and walked out of the break room back to the office. Drawing on the Ah Q spirit to its fullest, she decided to interpret Zhao Qiyan's behavior as foreign gentlemanly etiquette. After all, he had stayed in England for such a long time... But wait, why didn't he kiss the back of her hand? That would have made it much easier for her to rationalize.
Her work efficiency that day was truly terrible. Thank goodness the boss wasn't in, or she definitely would have had her salary docked. When she got home at 8:30, she ran into Ruan Xian in the corridor as soon as she reached the top of the stairs.
"Morning."
"Ha." For once, she'd made it home before nine o'clock, and her dear sister wasted no time seizing the opportunity to needle her.
"Tomorrow at noon, clear your schedule. I've arranged to have lunch with Zhao Lin, and you're coming with me." Ruan Xian leaned against her door frame, issuing commands.
"Why should I go to your old classmates' gathering?"
"She's bringing Zhao Qiyan, so I'm bringing you—as a buffer."
"Buffer for what? To celebrate something auspicious?" Ruan Jing took off her coat and turned back to offer a fake smile.
This time, Ruan Xian didn't curse back, instead musing, "Zhao Qiyan is really hard to pin down. Zhao Lin says he's especially busy." Completely immersed in her own world.
Ruan Jing originally wanted to say he was lying to you—that man was basically always free. But then she thought better of speaking ill of people behind their backs. Instead, she offered her sister an objective reminder. "Sis, don't you want to reconsider?"
"Reconsider what? Right now, I'm waiting for him to consider me." Then, making the decision unilaterally, "Tomorrow at noon, I'll pick you up at your workplace. That's settled." She turned and walked away.
Ruan Jing's mouth hung open for a long time. Finally, she quietly borrowed one of Ruan Xian's favorite phrases: "Get lost."
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