Chapter 28: Boyfriend

Page 1 of 3

Qin Qing had never imagined that she would one day find herself in such circumstances.

When she was a girl, she loved reading romantic novels. They always contained scenes like this: the delicate and beautiful heroine was struck by a luxury car and fell helplessly to the ground. The car door opened, and a handsome man in expensive clothes stepped out. He carried her to the hospital, and from that moment on, the two fell deeply in love. Through a twist of fate, the heroine married into a wealthy family and began a luxurious, happy life.

When she grew older, she knew that such things were practically impossible. Yet deep in her heart, she had never stopped harboring that hope.

Her family was not badly off. At the very least, they had been able to provide her with food, clothing, and a carefree life, allowing her to attend university and graduate before entering the workforce. Still, she was not entirely satisfied. The rise of the internet made it effortless to glimpse other people’s lives, and that only bred more vanity.

On social media, Qin Qing followed many influencers. They used every kind of designer handbag and cosmetic, always dressed in expensive and elegant clothes. They lived in grand villas and drove sports cars, as though their only concerns in life were pleasure and flaunting their wealth, never having to worry about money at all.

Where did all their money come from? Their parents? Men? How much of it had truly been earned through their own efforts? Fate had never been fair. Little by little, her outlook became warped, and she began secretly telling herself that one day, she too would live such a life.

That was also why she had initially joined Mingxi Hospital: private hospitals catered to the wealthy, making it easier to encounter rich men.

The result, however, disappointed her. The work was exhausting, and after more than half a year, she still had not found herself a boyfriend. Director Zhang had taken an interest in her and was willing to give her special treatment, so she had halfheartedly accepted his advances. After all, once she found someone better, she could simply discard him.

What happened afterward, however, was far beyond anything she could have anticipated. She was still a young woman inexperienced in the ways of the world and had never imagined that the consequences would be so severe. Afraid to let her parents find out, she went to the hospital every day to make a scene, begging for a chance to see the dean and hoping to return to work.

Until that luxury car appeared.

Instinctively, she did not try to avoid it. When she saw the man’s face as she had wished, her breath caught. His gaze was exceedingly cold, but was he not exactly the destined man she had dreamed of?

After that, everything seemed to unfold according to her hopes. Although the man had not gotten out of the car himself, he had someone send her to the hospital. After the examination, he paid her medical expenses and a sum of compensation before having her escorted safely home.

After that, she stopped making trouble at the hospital. Instead, she waited by the telephone at home every day. On the third day, an unfamiliar number finally called. A strange middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end.

“Miss Qin? The Second Young Master would like to see you.”

Even after she entered the luxurious villa and stood in its grand hall, Qin Qing still could not quite believe it. Had she really succeeded? Had that rich and handsome man truly come looking for her again?

In a daze, she got into the expensive sports car with him and went to a hotel for dinner. A blissful smile remained on her lips the entire time. When he brought her a woman’s coat, she obediently put it on. Then he led her into the corridor and kissed her deeply. She was so intoxicated and exhilarated that it felt as though a thousand fireworks were blooming in her mind.

Until three crisp, measured claps rang out.

There was someone else nearby?

Startled, she tried to turn her head, but the man’s broad hand suddenly clamped around it and forced her face against his hard shoulder, making her wince with pain.

From beginning to end, Zhou Qingyan had kissed her with complete indifference. Impatiently, he pressed the woman’s head against himself to hide her face, then gave a provocative smile.

“Seeing your woman being kissed by me, you can still applaud so leisurely? Su Yu, your relationship is nothing special after all.”

“My woman?”

Su Yu stood calmly a short distance away, watching him. His cold gaze swept over the woman in his arms, and the corner of his mouth curved mockingly.

“Don’t tell me you think that any stray cat or dog wearing this outfit automatically becomes my woman.”

Page 2 of 3

“Since you recognized her, I suppose I overestimated how much she resembled her.”

Even after being exposed, Zhou Qingyan remained unhurried. A trace of disgust appeared on his pale face. With a harsh shove, he pushed away the woman he had just been embracing and kissing, as though throwing away a useless piece of trash.

“Ah!”

Qin Qing was flung to the ground. Her foot twisted painfully in its high heel, and she cried out. With tears clouding her eyes, she turned back, wanting to say something, but several bodyguards seized her by the arms and dragged her away without mercy.

Only two equally tall, broad-shouldered men remained facing each other in the corridor.

“What an embarrassingly poor performance.”

After a long while, Su Yu finally let out a contemptuous laugh.

When the waiter had summoned him earlier, he had already sensed that something was wrong. He had come along merely to play along and see what trick they intended to pull. No matter how much that woman’s figure resembled Gu Yao’s, he could distinguish them with a single glance.

Besides, given what he knew of Gu Yao, how could she possibly be kissing someone else? Was this Second Young Master Zhou out of his mind?

Across from him, Zhou Qingyan studied him with a dark gaze. At last, his impassive face revealed a trace of obsession. He gave a cold laugh.

“Spare me your grand principles, Su Yu. The only reason I failed today was that the woman I found did not resemble her enough. Or perhaps I should have drugged the real one and brought her here. There is no such thing as genuine affection in this world. It is all an illusion that vanishes like smoke, woven from desire and suspicion.”

Before he could finish, a pair of powerful hands slammed him against the wall. The man’s eyes were as savage as a beast’s, and his fist came down without mercy.

“Zhou Er, don’t assume I wouldn’t dare lay a hand on you. You can go home and complain to the Zhou family. Better yet, describe every detail clearly and let them know exactly how I, Su Yu, beat you with my fists.”

Su Yu was not the sort of person who liked to endure humiliation in silence. On the contrary, he had always been meticulous about settling scores. Otherwise, he would never have sent Su Xingshui to prison so decisively.

Just as Zhou Qingyan had said, the two families had long since ceased to have any real dealings. They were nothing more than distant relatives. The only reason Su Yu had not acted before was that the timing had been wrong. He had never expected this lunatic to come pestering him again.

Behind Zhou Qingyan, his bodyguards immediately rushed forward. With a light tug, Su Yu hauled Zhou Qingyan upright by the collar, despite the latter’s limp body, and held him in front of himself as a shield.

“If you want your master to suffer even more, by all means, come at me.”

In Su Yu’s hands, a man nearly six feet tall was as fragile as a toy. Zhou Qingyan barely managed to stand upright. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he said calmly, “Stay back.”

The bodyguards had no choice but to retreat.

Then Zhou Qingyan’s gaze passed over Su Yu’s shoulder and fixed on the person behind him. A sickly smile blossomed across his pale face.

“Hello, Miss Gu.”

Gu Yao was leaning against the wall. She had been watching the scene for quite some time and was beginning to grow impatient. Her feet were tired from standing in high heels, so she raised one foot slightly and shifted her weight to rest the other.

“Hello.”

She greeted him blandly and straightened.

Zhou Er continued, “I had intended to let you enjoy the show, but it seems it was not very entertaining.”

Gu Yao raised an eyebrow. A trace of disdain passed through her cool, lovely features.

“Mr. Zhou, I’ve discovered that you really are quite bored. Is your life so dull that you had to find a substitute, steal my clothes, and stage this little performance?”

Like Su Yu, she had been led there by a waiter. She had known there was something suspicious going on, but had remained composed, wanting to see what trick they were hiding. She had followed the man from a safe distance, ready to turn and run at the first sign of danger. She had never expected to witness such a scene instead.

Page 3 of 3

After thinking it over, she found it somewhat amusing.

“You weren’t trying to test our relationship, were you? Did you really think Su Yu would fly into a rage merely because he saw a vaguely familiar figure? You came all this way just to kiss a woman who resembles me?”

“But look—your man really did get angry.”

Zhou Qingyan still wore a smug expression that made him look thoroughly deserving of a beating.

Gu Yao could not help feeling a little sorry for him.

Had this man never experienced genuine affection? Because of what he had endured during childhood, he regarded everything with suspicion.

She crooked a finger and sighed.

“All right. Since I pity you, I’ll let you see what sincere affection looks like. Kissing isn’t just nibbling at someone’s lips. When two people who truly care for each other kiss, it naturally feels different.”

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. Although he had no idea what she intended to do, he released Zhou Qingyan and walked over to her.

The next second, the woman rose slightly onto her toes. Her bright, lovely face slowly drew near, and she kissed him on the lips. Then the kiss deepened and lingered. The faint fragrance of wine passed between their lips and tongues, while her slender arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her soft curves pressing against him as well.

She was the one who had initiated the kiss.

Su Yu froze for only a moment before his broad hand settled against the back of her head. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, the woman had already pulled away. She gave him a sly smile, then glanced at Zhou Qingyan, who was still sitting on the floor.

“All right. That poor man has had enough of our public display of affection. Any more and he’ll burst.”

“Young Master!”

The bodyguards, who had been anxiously waiting nearby, finally dared to rush over. They called out over one another as they tried to help him up.

“Go away.”

With an impatient wave, Zhou Qingyan drove them off. Only then did he slowly climb to his feet. Watching the backs of the two people walking away, he wiped the blood from his face. His pale, handsome features revealed nothing.

When they returned to the private room, Su Zhou came stumbling over, his breath thick with alcohol.

“Brother, Sister-in-law, where did you two disappear to?”

Gu Yao merely glanced at him, too lazy to respond. She turned to Su Yu instead.

“Let’s go home.”

He answered with a quiet assent, rose to his feet, and casually draped his coat over her shoulders. Together, they walked out, one following the other.

Outside, the night had grown deep, and a fine drizzle had begun to fall. A waiter hurried over with an umbrella, and the two of them opened it before stepping into the rain.

Gu Yao turned her head and glanced at him. The man beside her wore a faint smile and seemed to be in a good mood.

“Have you gone silly?”

“No.”

He lifted his arm and drew her tightly into his embrace. At the same time, his large hand dropped down and enclosed hers in his palm, sending warmth into her fingers. Even in the rain, she did not feel cold at all.

Gu Yao glanced at his awkward posture. Fortunately, his arms were long; an ordinary person could never have managed it. She smiled, raised her free hand, and grasped the umbrella handle together with him.

Then she remembered something.

“I still have two of your suit jackets at my place. I never got around to mailing them back. Why don’t you come and pick them up while you’re there?”