QTMWSFC Chapter 22

“Who? Who were you talking about not liking?” A head suddenly popped in from the side. Following behind him was another man who looked about sixty or seventy percent similar to him.

The addition of two more people made the originally quiet corner lively.

Xia Qingmeng looked at the two unfamiliar men with a confused expression.

The newcomers were the Qin brothers, Qin Feng and Qin Yu.

They had all attended the same middle school. Their families also had business collaborations, and they got along well. There weren’t so many complicated formalities among them.

“Oh, I get it. So this must be the legendary sister-in-law, right?” Qin Feng had always been blunt and outspoken, saying whatever came to his mind. He enthusiastically greeted her. “Hello, sister-in-law!”

“Hello!” Although Xia Qingmeng was a bit startled by his sudden enthusiasm, her demeanor remained generous and proper.

Long Hao lightly rubbed his chin. He thought the two of them looked quite compatible.

Qin Yu habitually nudged his not-so-smart looking younger brother with his elbow and introduced himself to Xia Qingmeng. “Hello, I am Qin Yu. Qin as in the Qin dynasty, Yu as in Yu the Great who controls the floods. And this is my younger brother, Qin Feng. Feng as in sealed in ice.”

“So what melon¹gossip were you just eating?” Qin Feng was like a weasel bouncing around in a melon field.

Xu Xinghe: …

“Don’t play with them. You will get stupid,” Xu Xinghe said with a completely straight face.

Xia Qingmeng covered her mouth and laughed softly.

It was the first time she had seen Xu Xinghe joke. She thought someone as cold as him probably didn’t even know what the word “joke” meant.

Long Hao, acting as Xu Xinghe’s mouthpiece, explained.

The Qin brothers looked thoughtful and then exchanged a meaningful glance.

No wonder Xu Xinghe didn’t come to pick Yin Xinya up at the airport a couple of days ago. Being busy was one reason, but another important reason was to avoid suspicion.

Come to think of it, they had always thought Xu Xinghe had a crush on Yin Xinya too. They had even fully believed the rumor of the stand-in.

Hearing the person himself refute it today felt a bit strange.

But his explanation made sense.

Back in school, they all knew each other, and their elders were acquainted. They had interacted with each other. That did seem like normal socializing between classmates, right?

So who said Xu Xinghe had a crush on Yin Xinya? And how did that rumor start? Looking back now, it was actually quite terrifying to think about!

From a distance, Yin Xinya watched the group of people chatting and laughing in the corner. When she saw Xia Qingmeng and Xu Xinghe holding hands tightly, she was so angry that she nearly snapped the stem of her wine glass.

Why could Xia Qingmeng, a lowly actress who didn’t belong in high society, so easily infiltrate her circle of friends?

No! She wouldn’t allow it!

Xu Xinghe was the one she had her eye on. No one else was allowed to touch him!

Forgetting her so-called pride and face, Yin Xinya strutted over on her sky-high heels.

Just at that moment, a tall figure happened to be walking quickly from the other direction.

“Ah!”

The classic male and female lead bump-into-each-other encounter.

Yin Xinya’s startled cry drew everyone’s attention.

Xu Xinghe also looked over like everyone else.

Red wine spilled onto her snow-white gown. While feeling pained about the dress, Yin Xinya looked up with some resentment to see who had bumped into her.

The man also instinctively reached out to steady her and apologized repeatedly.

As one looked up and the other looked down, their eyes met.

“It’s you?”

The two spoke in unison.

Chu Xiuwen didn’t recognize Yin Xinya because he was too far from the stage earlier. But now up close, he realized that the woman from the same hometown he met abroad was actually the eldest lady of the Yin family who had been studying abroad for many years!

And Yin Xinya didn’t expect that the man she thought was just a passing acquaintance would appear at her homecoming banquet.

“I’m really sorry. I’ve stained your dress.” Chu Xiuwen took off his coat and draped it over Yin Xinya’s shoulders.

The hint of anger that Yin Xinya originally felt vanished the moment she saw Chu Xiuwen’s handsome face. She smiled lightly and gracefully accepted his coat.

A fleeting glance in a foreign land, followed by a chance encounter after returning home.

“Heh…” Xu Xinghe sneered inwardly.

This was really the classic within a classic.

All that was missing was him to complete the love triangle.

In the original plot, he would have been by Yin Xinya’s side right now, getting jealous over the male lead’s blatantly intimate behavior. But he would only receive a hypocritical explanation from Yin Xinya: Xiuwen and I just met once abroad, Brother Xinghe. Don’t misunderstand.

In the plot, the original owner would confess his feelings in a fit of anger, confirming the stand-in rumor and putting Xia Qingmeng in an impossible position.

Basking in the attention of the entire room, Yin Xinya had acted innocent and flustered. A single “I’m sorry, I’ve always seen you as my dearest brother” had wounded him deeply, thus beginning the tangled love-hate relationship among the three of them.

Xu Xinghe cast a faint glance at the male lead and female lead who were now chatting happily and silently recited to himself:

Thank you! Please, by all means, stay locked together. The kind where the key is thrown away!

Although Yin Xinya was talking with Chu Xiuwen, she didn’t forget to observe Xu Xinghe’s reaction from the corner of her eye.

But disappointingly, he looked very calm. Aside from exchanging a few words with his friends, he mostly kept his head down and focused on talking with Xia Qingmeng.

The anger in Yin Xinya’s heart bubbled up again. It wasn’t exactly jealousy, just the unpleasant feeling of something that had always belonged to her being taken away.

Not wanting to be outdone, Yin Xinya excused herself to change clothes. Chu Xiuwen acted very gentlemanly and escorted her all the way.

As they passed a few passersby, Yin Xinya overheard someone complimenting them, saying she and Chu Xiuwen made a perfect couple. Her earlier displeasure turned into smugness.

After all, Chu Xiuwen was a young master of the Chu family and a strong contender for the heir position. As the male lead of the story, he was also exceptionally good-looking. He was a talented person and could easily become the center of attention.

Yin Xinya emerged in a red dress, only to run into her mother.

“Oh dear, why are you still here? Hurry, hurry, go downstairs and entertain the guests properly, especially Xu Xinghe, do you hear me? Talk to him more. Don’t ignore him. He doesn’t owe you anything. Building a good relationship with him won’t hurt you.” Mrs. Yin rattled off like a machine gun.

“Alright, I understand.” Although impatient, Yin Xinya obediently agreed.

She knew the power of her mother’s sharp tongue. In short, it was best not to talk back.

Seeing her daughter reply obediently, Mrs. Yin was very satisfied.

She hoped her daughter would marry Xu Xinghe.

First, the Xu family was wealthy and powerful, holding an important role in A City. Second, Xu Xinghe had a clean private life. He had only ever dated one girlfriend, and rumor had it that she was a stand-in chosen because she resembled her daughter. That showed how deeply in love he was.

So Mrs. Yin was very confident in her daughter and constantly urged her to be more proactive with Xu Xinghe and not to act so aloof. If a marriage alliance succeeded, the Yin family would be the absolute beneficiary, with only benefits and no disadvantages!

But Yin Xinya valued freedom and disliked the feeling of being arranged. The more her mother pushed her to get close to Xu Xinghe, the more reluctant she became. And the more Xu Xinghe looked after her, the less she appreciated it. She also enjoyed the process of being secretly admired and pursued. It gave her a sense of being specially favored, a feeling of superiority and happiness.

Yin Xinya smoothed her dress and went back downstairs. She was confident in herself, believing this red dress would once again capture everyone’s attention. She didn’t think Xu Xinghe could remain so calm and not be drawn to her.

Only…

When Yin Xinya came out, Chu Xiuwen was indeed stunned by her beauty, but the corner of the hall where Xu Xinghe had been standing was now empty.

Chu Xiuwen looked at the radiant Yin Xinya and became even more interested in her.

Yin Xinya pretended to casually glance around but couldn’t see Xu Xinghe anywhere. Xia Qingmeng was also nowhere to be seen.

Long Hao, drinking casually, noticed Yin Xinya in her new, even more dazzling dress. He walked over and gave a slight nod. “Miss Yin, long time no see. I see that you’ve been well.”

Yin Xinya clinked glasses with him, her tone playful. “Brother Hao! Long time no see! Why isn’t Brother Xinghe with you?”

Long Hao’s lips curved almost imperceptibly. “Oh, you mean Xu Xinghe? He took his girlfriend home.”

“Home?” Yin Xinya was slightly stunned.

What time was it? The banquet wasn’t even halfway over!

She hadn’t even exchanged a single word with Xu Xinghe tonight!

Long Hao explained, “His girlfriend wasn’t feeling well. She has only recently recovered. It’s only natural he’d worry and take her home early. Ah, the sour stench of love.”

“Mm.” Yin Xinya did her best to keep her face calm and smiled as she nodded.

“Haha, enough about them. Xinya, welcome back to China. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.” Long Hao raised his glass politely, offered his well wishes, and then slipped away.

Yin Xinya: …

Why did it seem that her return to China wasn’t as happy as she had imagined?