Chapter 42 Are You Feeling Sorry for Her?
The two left the house and, sitting in the car, began searching for nearby restaurants with good grilled fish. They found a nearby one and drove there without much thought.
In the car, Chen Jiamu thought about Yang Kang from that afternoon, and a sigh escaped his lips.
“How could Yang Kang bring himself to do that? Kneeling and begging you in front of so many people.”
At this, Li Qi sighed helplessly, “The boasts you made earlier backfired.”
“I didn’t expect anyone to actually believe that, it’s unbelievable.”
“Such an outlandish story, and someone actually believed it.”
Chen Jiamu shrugged, he too found it unbelievable.
“He’s being chased by his gambling debts, do you think he’d dare not gamble?”
“Someone like him, a gambler pushed to the limit, will definitely cause trouble.”
They hit a red light, and Li Qi stopped, her tone serious. Seeing her expression, Chen Jiamu became worried, “So, do you think he’ll cause more trouble?”
“Will he come back and bother you again?”
Staring at the red light countdown, Li Qi frowned slightly; she was also quite worried.
“I don’t know, it depends on whether he values his family or something else.”
“And bothering me won’t help; I won’t give him another cent.”
The red light turned green, and Li Qi’s tone was firm. Not a single cent more.
“Let’s not talk about him anymore. Let’s think about what kind of grilled fish we’ll have later!”
Finding the topic too heavy, Chen Jiamu waved his hand to end it.
“Spicy.”
“Can you handle it?” Li Qi had fair skin, and the veins on his forehead were slightly visible. Chen Jiamu rarely saw him eat spicy food; hearing him say he wanted spicy food made him doubt it.
“Yes.”
As Li Qi said this, he felt a little guilty. He hadn’t eaten spicy food since he was abroad…
Soon, the two arrived at the restaurant they had booked. After speaking to the manager, a waiter led them to a private room on the second floor.
The private room was by the window, offering an unobstructed view. After they sat down, under the warm yellow light, Chen Jiamu felt like they were a young couple on a date.
“What are you looking at?”
Li Qi put down her phone and looked up to see Chen Jiamu frowning, with a strange expression.
“Nothing, just a strange feeling.”
Biting his lip, Chen Jiamu looked around nervously.
“If this private room makes you uncomfortable, we can change it.”
Seeing his discomfort, Li Qi got up to find a waiter. But Chen Jiamu grabbed her hand, “No, no need to change.”
“Sure?”
“Mm.”
Chen Jiamu nodded affirmatively, and Li Qi gave up. It was called a private room, but it was just enclosed by two screens and surrounded by antique-style screens.
Their seats were relatively far back, and Chen Jiamu felt strange because the place was too suitable for a date.
He and Li Qi sitting here felt out of place.
After a moment of quiet, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Chen Jiamu could see the entrance to the stairs and instinctively looked up; a white figure caught his attention.
This figure…
It looked familiar.
“Manager, I’m not really hungry.”
“Oh, come on, have a bite before you leave.”
As soon as these two voices were heard, Chen Jiamu knew who it was.
Zhang Xin and Qian Chengfeng…
As his gaze fell back, it landed on Li Qi’s face. Their eyes met. Chen Jiamu made a shushing gesture, pointing towards the stairs.
Li Qi also recognized the familiar voices and hadn’t expected to meet these “familiar faces” here.
Nodding subtly, Li Qi even moved back slightly, making room for Chen Jiamu.
“Xiao Zhang, have you been very busy recently?”
“Why every time I want to ask you out for dinner, you’re not free?”
The waiter led the way, and the two followed behind. Qian Chengfeng, still showing his true colors, intentionally brushed his shoulder against Zhang Xin’s.
Zhang Xin’s hand, hidden in her bag, clenched into a fist, her fingernails digging into her palm, causing her to bite her lip in pain.
“It’s normal for girls to go shopping together after work.”
“Is it?”
Qian Chengfeng raised an eyebrow, a knowing look on his face.
“Is this seat alright for you both?”
The waiter led them to a seat not far from Chen Jiamu and Li Qi. Chen Jiamu could only see their upper bodies, not the full view.
Qian Chengfeng seemed dissatisfied with the location and was about to ask the waiter to change it when he saw Chen Jiamu and Li Qi’s seats.
The waiter, perceptive, quickly stepped forward, “Sorry, sir, that seat is already occupied.”
Since the waiter had spoken, Qian Chengfeng couldn’t say anything more, only nodding perfunctorily, “This will do.”
After they sat down, the waiter handed them the menu. Qian Chengfeng casually selected a few dishes, and the waiter left.
Now that no one was around, his boldness increased. Sitting opposite Zhang Xin, he reached out, but Zhang Xin subtly dodged him.
“Xiao Zhang, how long have you been at Jingyi?” Qian Chengfeng didn’t rush, leaning back in his chair.
Zhang Xin fiddled with her clothes, her heart pounding, her voice trembling slightly, “Almost…almost a year.”
“You’re a senior employee then. Did you apply for the recent team leader position?”
“Ah?” Zhang Xin had heard about the team leader selection, but her abilities weren’t up to par, so she hadn’t given it much thought.
“You didn’t apply?” Qian Chengfeng sat up straight, his voice tinged with regret.
“I…I don’t think I’m qualified, so I didn’t.”
Zhang Xin couldn’t gauge his intentions from his expression. Did he want her to apply?
But wasn’t the application deadline already passed?
And with so many applicants, how could she possibly be chosen?
“Tsk! What do you mean you’re not qualified?”
“I think you’re quite capable!”
Qian Chengfeng grabbed Zhang Xin’s hand, his tone firm, like a senior’s affirmation of a junior.
“Ah!”
Zhang Xin was startled, letting out a small cry. Fearing being overheard, Qian Chengfeng lightly coughed and reluctantly released her hand.
Chen Jiamu didn’t see the action clearly but guessed what the old lecher was doing.
“Sigh, openly taking liberties.”
Chen Jiamu spoke softly, leaning close to Li Qi’s ear so she wouldn’t miss it.
Warm breath sprayed against his ear, Li Qi’s heart skipped a beat, her body softening.
Her ears instantly flushed red, but under the dim light, Chen Jiamu didn’t notice.
“What? Are you feeling sorry for her?”
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