TFS | Chapter 20

Xu Linruan was speechless all at once. Who talked about themselves like that?

But Qi Yue didn’t care at all. He was simply convinced that Xu Linruan felt sorry for him because she liked him. He looked up at her, and his girlfriend’s brows and eyes were soft and curved. When she smiled, she looked like the moon reflected on water, beautiful beyond compare.

Then he suddenly thought of that bet. If he confessed right now, would Ruanruan… break up with him and never bother with him again?

Just thinking about it made Qi Yue’s chest feel tight.

He took her fingers into his palm and played with them lightly, his tone half serious and half joking as he said, “Ruanruan… if you found out someone had lied to you, but later realized his mistake, would you forgive him?”

Even he himself didn’t realize how hopeful and careful he sounded when he asked that question.

Xu Linruan paused, not hard to guess what he meant. Then a gentle smile appeared at the corners of her lips. “Of course not. Why should I forgive someone who lied to me?”

She glanced at him, her gaze carrying a hint of confusion. “Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Did you find out someone was lying to me?”

Qi Yue instinctively denied it, his gaze a little unfocused. “How could that be? I was just asking. Don’t overthink it.” Even as he said that, it felt like something had clogged his chest, making him panic.

So Xu Linruan looked at him seriously, her eyes dim and searching. “…Really not? Why do I feel like your expression isn’t quite right?”

The young master forced a smile and said stiffly, “Really not. If anyone dares to bully you, I’ll definitely help you bully them back.”

That sounded pretty reliable. Xu Linruan suddenly laughed and said, “All right then, I believe you.”

Qi Yue immediately let out a breath of relief. But soon after, uneasiness surged in his heart. Looking at his girlfriend’s gentle, lovely smile, he decided to keep the bet a secret. He would not mention it to Xu Zhou either, and he would not let anyone tell her about it.

That way, she wouldn’t leave him, right?

Qi Yue exhaled deeply. His heart was pounding hard. Looking at Xu Linruan’s pale, soft expression, an inexplicable courage suddenly welled up inside him.

When their eyes met, he suddenly leaned in and kissed her cheek, quick as a brush of wind.

Then, before his girlfriend could react, he took her fingers and said with slightly flushed cheeks, “Ruanruan, there’s a small gathering at my place on Friday night. It’ll just be some friends I’ve known for a long time. Do you want to come hang out too?”

He deliberately turned his face away as if he were being casual, but inside he was incredibly nervous. He wanted to introduce her to his friends, wanted to tell her that he was serious, serious about this relationship.

Xu Linruan smiled faintly and nodded. “Sure.”

The young master’s lips curved. He wanted to grin out loud, but he held it back. Even without a mirror, he knew his expression definitely didn’t look cool at all right now.

He turned his face away and said loudly on purpose, “Then it’s settled. I’ll come pick you up then, so you absolutely can’t stand me up.”

His girlfriend smiled and agreed.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Qi Yue headed back in a very good mood. He even notified the butler in advance to decorate the house properly. After all, he lived there alone, and his parents weren’t around. He could make a mess of the place however he wanted. He just needed to bring her over on Friday.

………

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Before long, Friday arrived. As one of Qi Yue’s close friends who had grown up playing with him, Xu Zhou was naturally invited to the gathering as well.

He arrived quite early. The moment he walked in, he was rather surprised. That guy sure knew how to have fun. Looking at the way the place had been decorated, it looked almost like a proposal venue. Flowers and balloons were all prepared. What exactly was this for?

Xu Zhou didn’t think too much about it, because a few guys nearby dragged him into a team game. Xu Zhou joined on the spot. Just as the match was getting critical, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening beside him. Looking up, he saw Qi Yue walk over and snatch his phone away.

“Fuck, Qi Yue, what are you doing?” Before he even reacted, he could only watch as the game screen turned gray. He immediately shouted, “Damn it, I’m dead. Qi Yue, give me my phone back.”

His good buddy glanced at him and tossed the phone onto the table with a smack. Stretching out those long legs, he leaned sideways against the table and looked at them expressionlessly. “I want to say something. I’ll give you your phone back later.” His tone was indescribably indifferent.

Xu Zhou couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “What could possibly be so important that you can’t wait to say it later?”

Then that guy replied, “Very important.”

He thought he’d heard wrong. What important thing could this guy possibly have? Could it be more important than his game? He paused for a few seconds and was just about to reach for his phone again when the young master swept him with that light, careless look, and he inexplicably stopped.

Fuck, what was wrong with this guy?

Xu Zhou would absolutely not admit that he had been scared even a little bit by that aura just now. Ah Hun

“Listen up, all of you. I lost the bet,” he said.

When he said that, there was no trace of sadness on his face. Instead, the corners of his mouth even held a faint smile, as if he had let out a breath of relief. “I like Xu Linruan, the serious kind of like, so please keep your mouths shut. I don’t want her to know about that matter. Can you do that?”

Everyone froze for a moment, not expecting the young master to be talking about this. That meant he really had fallen for that girl, which was why he was warning them in advance.

The brothers weren’t idiots either. They were all sharp. Hearing him say that, they immediately made their stance clear.

“Don’t worry, Qi-ge. It’s just this matter. Brothers will definitely keep your secret. Not a single word will get out.”

“Yeah, boss, don’t worry. We’re not the type to run our mouths…”

Everyone answered with smiles, chattering over one another. Basically, all of them guaranteed they wouldn’t let the bet leak out. Only then did Qi Yue relax.

Since he had made his position clear, everyone understood. Their attitude toward Xu Linruan could no longer be as casual as before.

Qi Yue handed the phone back. Xu Zhou glanced at him again and couldn’t help asking, “You’re serious this time?”

Qi Yue looked even more open and unguarded, his expression rarely so proper. “Yeah, serious. So don’t bring that up again either.”

Xu Zhou paused, swallowing the words he had been about to say.

Looking at him like this, it was obvious he wouldn’t listen to reason. No matter how much he said, it would be useless. Better to say less.

Half an hour later, more and more people arrived. They were all friends Qi Yue knew well. Once they’d exchanged a few words, nobody felt awkward anymore.

A few even brought their girlfriends. Handsome men and beautiful women, all young people. The whole place looked lively and full of energy. Just looking at it was pleasing to the eye.

Qi Yue went upstairs to change clothes. When he came back out, he was dressed much more formally. He wore a loose white shirt on top and black dress pants below. The buttons at his collar were undone by one or two, and his sleeves had been rolled up to his forearms.

The boy’s figure was tall and straight. The white shirt hung loosely on him. Even with a tie on, he still gave off a rather unruly air.

Quite a few girls present were secretly watching him. There was no trace anymore of his old reputation as a delinquent school tyrant. He looked exactly like an exquisite, noble young heir.

Everyone saw him raise a hand to answer a phone call. The impatient look that had been on his face a moment ago immediately lit up with flamboyant delight. The girls sneaking glances at him all went even redder.

So even a no-good hooligan could turn out well after all.

…………

This was also Xu Linruan’s first time seeing Qi Yue like this.

Different from the way she had seen him before.

She was slightly dazed, and the boy immediately walked over to her.

Qi Yue secretly sized her up. His girlfriend had come in wearing a clean school uniform. Her skin was fair, her eyes were dark, and the courtyard lights fell on her slightly fluffy long hair, making her features look even colder and more striking.

After staring for a while, their eyes met, and only then did he awkwardly look away.

Qi Yue’s Adam’s apple bobbed. As if he was very unused to it, he tugged at his tie. He felt that the way he looked now was neither here nor there, not like his usual self at all.

He was afraid Xu Linruan would laugh at him, so he felt very uneasy. “Um, do I… look really weird like this?”

Qi Yue had already started stammering. He was a little annoyed with himself. Mainly because he got nervous easily in front of Xu Linruan, and once he got nervous, he blushed easily. He hadn’t even done anything yet, and his face was already starting to turn red again.

Xu Linruan raised her slender brows and, worried about hurting his feelings, comforted him gently. “Not weird at all. You look very handsome.”

The young master immediately couldn’t hold back his smile. Satisfied, he took her hand. “Mm, I’m the most handsome.” He still had that much self-awareness.

Although he was very handsome, he felt that Xu Linruan was not the sort of shallow woman who cared only about appearances. What she valued must definitely be his inner qualities and talent.

He was very confident about that.

Xu Linruan didn’t know what he was thinking. Even if she did, she’d probably only give him an eye roll.

Qi Yue brought her inside. He had quite a lot of friends, and after some back-and-forth, Xu Linruan more or less understood the situation. This guy was probably serious. He wanted to introduce her to his friends.

She didn’t object to that. After all, getting to know one more friend could always be useful later.

Xu Linruan curved her lips in a small smile, but then from the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure standing at the doorway. The girl was looking around near the entrance, as if searching for someone.

When she saw her, her gaze paused for a moment. The look in her eyes seemed to carry a little… sympathy? Xu Linruan found it inexplicable. What was there about her to pity?

Compared with her, this girl had even bigger problems, okay?

Although Jiang Mian was the female lead, her interactions with Qi Yue had really not been pleasant. Coming here now, she was probably still asking for mercy over the matter of repaying the money.

Xu Linruan didn’t think much of it and stood up to go outside.

Staying inside for too long made the air feel a little stuffy. Xu Linruan wanted to go outside and get some fresh air, but the moment she stood up, the young master beside her instinctively grabbed her hand. “Where are you going?”

Those dark, black eyes looked at her anxiously.

For some reason, Qi Yue suddenly felt an indescribable panic rise in his heart, as if something bad was about to happen.

But Xu Linruan seemed to know nothing, and that made him relax a little. He had already given everyone advance notice, so she wouldn’t know about that matter.

“I’m just going outside to get some air. Why are you so nervous?” Xu Linruan smiled at him, not understanding where his tension was coming from.

Unexpectedly, not only did he not let go, he held her fingers even tighter, as if afraid she might leave. “Then I’ll go with you.”

Xu Linruan raised an eyebrow. This level of clinginess was also rare.