Forbidden to Flirt and Run 10

Chapter 10

Despite only having truly interacted with Gu Yizhi for a mere ten days, Xu Qingtang had already experienced more embarrassing social deaths than in her entire previous twenty-five years.

She had forgotten how she got home, only remembering that after finishing the remaining liquor in the fridge, she had slept soundly until the next morning.

At eleven in the morning, Xu Qingtang arrived at the entrance of a coffee shop.

Entering the cafe, she walked straight in. In a corner, a long-haired woman wearing a black and white shirt and a beret waved at her. When she got closer, the woman smiled. “Qingtang, you’ve lost weight again recently.”

The woman’s name was Zhao Youling. She was a mutual friend of hers and Lin Huaijia’s, and also another shareholder of Fenghé.

When Xu Qingtang woke up, she saw a message from her asking to meet.

Xu Qingtang sat down opposite her. The sunlight streaming in from the window landed right on her arm. She leaned away slightly and replied in kind, “I’ve been busy with rehearsals lately.”

Youling stirred the black coffee in front of her. “No wonder I rarely see you at Fenghé anymore.”

Xu Qingtang looked up at Youling.

“I’m just a minor shareholder, it’s not appropriate for me to be there all the time.”

Youling suddenly frowned. “So bitter.” She put down the black coffee, her fair and delicate face showing a reminiscent expression. “Can’t be bitter alone, do you remember that line? That was the first time I drank black coffee.”

When Fenghé was just starting out, a few young people were crammed into a small office, working for days and nights on end to secure a sponsorship. Xu Qingtang had bought a few cups of black coffee, taken a sip herself, and then jokingly said that she couldn’t be the only one suffering, and stayed up all night with them.

They were all clueless youngsters with no connections. In the end, it was Xu Qingtang’s mentor who pulled some strings and got them a shoot with a moderately famous actor at the time, which allowed them to slowly gain a foothold in the brutally competitive market.

Youling said gently, “Fenghé probably wouldn’t exist without you, why would you say something like that?” As she spoke, a nostalgic look appeared on her face. “To be honest, I quite liked those times. We were full of drive. Back then, you and Huaijia were still…”

She paused for a few seconds, her gaze fixed on Xu Qingtang. “Qingtang, is what they’re saying true? You and Huaijia…”

Xu Qingtang had guessed Youling’s intentions from the beginning.

“It’s true,” she said. “We broke up.”

Youling nodded. Xu Qingtang had thought she would say something to persuade them to get back together, but instead, she just took something like a ticket from her bag and handed it to Xu Qingtang.

“Huaijia asked me to give this to you,” Youling looked at Xu Qingtang. “By the way, are you free tonight? We haven’t gotten together in a long time. Yanyan has booked a place at XX.”

Youling’s voice paused for a moment, then she smiled again. “If you can go, maybe Huaijia will soften up.”

Yanyan was one of Lin Huaijia’s friends.

Xu Qingtang took a sip of her coffee. Because it had no sugar or milk, it was very astringent in her mouth. Her expression was faint, as if she were talking about something insignificant. “Youling, I’m not in the mood to hear this right now.”

Youling nodded thoughtfully. “I understand.”

They were silent for a few seconds. Youling looked up slightly. Opposite her, Xu Qingtang’s eyes were lowered. The bright sunlight from the window fell on her side, making her fair face look as lustrous as warm jade. Xu Qingtang didn’t have the currently popular melon-seed face; her facial contours were smooth and rounded, yet she still had a delicate and exquisite feel, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Especially when she smiled, she was both generous and radiant. Just like when she performed on stage, confident and dazzling.

An inexplicable itch tickled her silent throat. Youling wanted to say something, but in the end, she held back and said, “Then I’ll head back first. I have a business trip to City A this afternoon.”

“Alright.”

The two left one after the other. The art exhibition ticket on the table was blown to the ground by a gentle breeze.

***

Private room on the third floor of Manhua Hotel.

The light from the huge European-style chandelier above illuminated every corner. The table was filled with a variety of exquisitely presented dishes, yet no one had touched their chopsticks. Everyone looked at the person in the main seat. “Huaijia, do you think Xu Qingtang will really come?”

Lin Huaijia’s expression was not good. She said in a deep voice, “She will.”

The nominal host of the gathering, Yanyan, cleared her throat. “I think you just spoil Xu Qingtang too much, showing you no respect at all. Her temper tantrums are endless. Is she planning to be your ancestor? If it were my girlfriend, I would have kicked her to the curb long ago.”

“That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend now,” a friend shot her a glare, then nudged Lin Huaijia’s elbow and said in a low voice, “Are you out of your mind, handling things like this? If I were Xu Qingtang, I wouldn’t come either. You should hurry up and apologize to her.”

In the past, when the two of them had arguments, Xu Qingtang would never block or delete her as a friend, nor would she give her the cold shoulder like this, refusing to say a single word. In reality, Lin Huaijia had no real experience in coaxing people.

Who knew that when Xu Qingtang really threw a fit, she would be so dramatic.

“That’s enough, whose side are you on? Anyone who didn’t know would think you and Xu Qingtang are a couple,” Yanyan rolled her eyes. “This just goes to show she can’t compare to Gu Yizhi. Look, the difference is obvious now.”

Yanyan added, “You’ve already humbled yourself so much, and she’s still pushing her luck. You can’t spoil people. Whoever bows their head first gets suppressed.”

“Exactly, I’ve never seen anyone so dramatic.”

“Yeah, haha, Huaijia, you haven’t actually fallen for her, have you?”

…

After meeting Youling at noon, Xu Qingtang arranged to meet up with Tang Gui and Jinjin on WeChat. They played in an escape room until six in the evening, then had dinner outside. It was nearly eleven by the time she got home.

As she stepped out of the elevator, Xu Qingtang was replying to a message while trying to open her door. When her hand touched the doorknob, she paused, her nose wrinkling slightly. A moment later, she keyed in the password and pushed the door open.

Click.

She reached out to turn on the lights.

In their small WeChat group, Tang Gui was saying that the receptionist was very pretty, her voice ambiguous. “Qingtang, want me to get her contact info for you?”

Before Xu Qingtang could start replying, a figure flashed in front of her and snatched her phone.

Xu Qingtang was stunned for a few seconds, then looked up to see Lin Huaijia’s gloomy face. “Xu Qingtang, I’m being gossiped about because of you, and you’re out hooking up with people, is that it?”

Xu Qingtang quickly snatched her phone back, frowning. “What are you doing here?”

Lin Huaijia said angrily, “If I weren’t here, how would I know you’re cheating on me behind my back? What, did I ruin your good…”

Slap.

Xu Qingtang looked at Lin Huaijia coldly. “Watch your mouth.”

Lin Huaijia was stunned by the slap. When she came to her senses, her face was stinging and painful. She glared at Xu Qingtang. “Xu Qingtang, I won’t stoop to your level, but you’d better not have done anything with anyone else!”

Xu Qingtang’s gaze flickered over her face for a few seconds, completely unconcerned. She even curled her lip into a sneer. “Who are you putting on a show for?”

Lin Huaijia was stung by her attitude, her heart aching. She said, enraged, “A show? Do you know how much face I’ve lost because of you? They’re all laughing at me, laughing at me for being your simp. What, are you happy to see me humiliated?”

Just now, her friends had been joking about her, and every word was like a thin, sharp needle, piercing Lin Huaijia’s heart without fail.

“Is that so? If you think they’re all laughing at you, don’t worry, you still have me.” Hearing this, Lin Huaijia’s expression softened slightly, but the next second, she saw Xu Qingtang’s malicious smile. “I also think you’re a dog.”

Xu Qingtang was never one to be pleasant to people she disliked. Lin Huaijia had known this not long after they met, but she had never imagined that there would be a day when Xu Qingtang, who had always been gentle with her, would look at her as if she were a piece of trash.

Lin Huaijia was stunned for a moment, then said angrily, “Xu Qingtang, don’t you have any intention of repenting at all?”

“Of course I do,” a coldness gathered in Xu Qingtang’s eyes. “I must have been blind back then.”

Lin Huaijia took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. After a few seconds of silence, she said helplessly, “Xiao Zhi, can we talk without any emotions? Why are you so angry? Didn’t I explain it to you? Do you not believe me or what? Is there anything we can’t talk about properly? Why are you being so unreasonable?”

Her series of “whys” made Xu Qingtang almost laugh out loud. “Xiao Zhi…” After a pause, Xu Qingtang looked at Lin Huaijia and smiled. “Let me give you a nickname too. How about ‘Disgusting’? If that’s not good, is ‘Bitch’ enough to suit you?”

“You’re being completely unreasonable!” Lin Huaijia’s voice changed with anger. “I must be out of my mind, working day and night for you, and still having to coax you. Do you think all of this is a matter of course?”

Xu Qingtang couldn’t be bothered to deal with her anymore. Without saying a word, she opened the door, pulled Lin Huaijia out, and said coldly, “I’ll say it one last time, we’ve already broken up. Don’t come here and pretend to be deeply in love.”

“What do you mean? Are you questioning my feelings?” Lin Huaijia met Xu Qingtang’s dark, bright eyes and felt a little guilty, but her voice grew louder. “If everything I’ve done for you only gets me a ‘pretending to be deeply in love’ in return, then I really feel it’s not worth it.”

“Whether it’s for me or for someone else, you know very well in your heart.”

“Don’t bother me again. I find you disgusting.”

Xu Qingtang’s expression was indifferent when she said this. She looked at Lin Huaijia as if she were an insignificant person, or a piece of dirt to be casually discarded.

Heh, on what grounds?

Xu Qingtang was just a substitute she had found.

If she wanted to, she could kick her away at any time. This visit was just to make Xu Qingtang realize her mistake.

Lin Huaijia kept repeating this in her mind, but when she saw Xu Qingtang turn around without any hesitation, she had a delusion—as if, as if she was about to lose Xu Qingtang.

This made her a little flustered.

Lin Huaijia suddenly grabbed Xu Qingtang’s hand, pushed her inside, and eagerly tried to kiss her lips. The thoughts in her mind gradually became frantic—

If she slept with Xu Qingtang, would she be more obedient? Would she stop throwing tantrums, stop saying hurtful things, and quietly be the reflection of that moonlight by the window?

But before she could come up with an answer, another slap landed on her face.

Xu Qingtang called the police.

In the end, the police took Lin Huaijia to the station for a lecture and made her return the key to Xu Qingtang.

The world finally fell silent. Xu Qingtang closed the door and sat quietly on the sofa for a few minutes, feeling an indescribable sense of annoyance and bad luck. She got up and opened the fridge, wanting to get a bottle of liquor, but it was empty.

Xu Qingtang became even more irritated and slammed the fridge door shut.

So annoying, damn it.

She sat back down on the sofa. Just as she was about to arrange a drinking session with her friends, a message suddenly popped up on WeChat. The sender was Gu Yizhi.

She opened it and saw a long image.

The picture showed two women in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, engaged in some indescribable act. The interplay of light and shadow, the depiction of their bodies and expressions, were all exquisitely beautiful and also quite erotic.

Gu Yizhi: [Remember to buy a blanket that can cover two people.]

Xu Qingtang: …

Thanks a lot.

***

Author’s Note:

Friend Gu Yizhi has requested to enter your blanket nest.