Forbidden to Flirt and Run 34

Chapter 34

Teacher Qi had arrived at Xu Qingtang’s apartment an hour ago.

Xu Qingtang hadn’t been to the hospital for the past two days. Auntie Zhou had hinted that she hadn’t seen Xu Qingtang at the theater, so Teacher Qi had come looking for her.

Unexpectedly, she saw her curled up on the sofa, covered with a blanket, burning with a high fever, and murmuring, “No, Mom, don’t do this…”

Fortunately, her temperature had gradually gone down.

Her daughter had been sensible since she was a child and rarely showed her vulnerability in front of her. Although she was the elder, in the ten years that followed, she was the one who was taken care of more. Teacher Qi couldn’t describe what she felt seeing Xu Qingtang like this. She only felt a bitter sorrow and a surge of guilt.

She remembered the exhaustion that had been written on Xu Qingtang’s face recently.

Had she pushed her daughter to this state…

Xu Qingtang threw off the blanket on her body, feeling hot all over. After a moment’s thought, she decided to be more gentle and lay some groundwork first. “I have a business trip in December. The duration hasn’t been decided yet, but it won’t be too short. You have to take good care of yourself then. I’ll tell Auntie Zhou. You have to be obedient, take your medicine when you should, and get your check-ups when you should.”

Teacher Qi hummed in agreement, took a few tissues to wipe her forehead, and then said, “Mom knows.”

Xu Qingtang’s voice paused for a moment. She organized her thoughts. Just as she was about to speak, Teacher Qi spoke first and asked her, “What’s with the flowers at the door? Throw them away after they’ve withered.”

Xu Qingtang said, “Oh. Those are Gu Yizhi’s.”

Teacher Qi nodded, was silent for a moment, and then asked, “By the way, Qingtang, how did you and Yizhi meet? How long have you known each other?”

Xu Qingtang didn’t know why her mom would suddenly ask this, but it wasn’t important. She thought for a moment. “We had a mutual acquaintance before, but we weren’t very close. We only got to know each other in June. What’s wrong?”

Only about half a year… Teacher Qi tilted her head, her thoughts unknown. Then she looked at Xu Qingtang and said, “What did you want to say just now? Go on.”

“Oh, it’s like this, Mom,” Xu Qingtang pursed her lips, carefully choosing her words before speaking. “I promise you, I’ll definitely bring someone back for you then. But you also know that things are busy at the end of the year, and I have a business trip. Time and space won’t allow me to conjure up a living person for you right away. Hmm… how about March or April next year?”

This was the best and most compromising solution Xu Qingtang could think of for the time being.

Even if she was unwilling, Xu Qingtang couldn’t possibly bring Gu Yizhi to Teacher Qi right now. But she also couldn’t let Gu Yizhi be wronged and go around with other people herself.

So, agreeing to it first was the best way.

When Teacher Qi was better next year, she would tell her. Even if Teacher Qi was angry, it wouldn’t be a life-threatening situation. She could always hold on until Teacher Qi accepted her sexual orientation and Gu Yizhi.

Xu Qingtang carefully observed Teacher Qi’s expression. Teacher Qi was also looking at her. After a moment, she reached out and touched her forehead again, sighing, “Alright.”

Xu Qingtang let out a long sigh of relief.

Two days later, the swelling on Xu Qingtang’s face finally subsided, leaving no trace. She went to Gu Yizhi’s house to wait for her, but to no avail.

After waiting at her door for a long time like a “wang gu shi,” Xu Qingtang finally realized—she probably wouldn’t be able to wait for Gu Yizhi.

This thought made Xu Qingtang feel inexplicably aggrieved. She thought to herself, Gu Yizhi is really hard-hearted. She said she was reluctant to leave, but she left more decisively than anyone else. She told her to think it through, but she really just left her there waiting, without a single text or call these past few days.

But the more she tasted this feeling, the more Xu Qingtang felt that she had been a real piece of work before.

In the end, Xu Qingtang had no choice but to ask her dear sister for help.

She said, “Xiao Gui, are you working overtime?”

Her dear sister said, “You just liked my ‘off work’ Moments post half an hour ago.”

Xu Qingtang: …

“Either you have no me in your heart, or your intentions are not on the wine~” Tang Gui deliberately dragged out her voice. “Either way, let’s talk in person.”

Twenty minutes later, the two of them met at a themed restaurant. Tang Gui ate and ate the whole time, as if she had completely forgotten the content of the phone call, almost suffocating Xu Qingtang opposite her.

“Stop looking at me. She’s not at the company. She’s in City C, on a business trip.” After eating, Tang Gui wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue.

Xu Qingtang caught the key point. “A business trip?”

“Yes, she left the day before yesterday,” Tang Gui propped her hand up and looked at Xu Qingtang with a smile. “I’m going the day after tomorrow too. Do you want to go together? That way you can see Gu Yizhi.”

So she’s on a business trip again.

“What are you talking about…” Xu Qingtang was a little unnatural. “Who’s going to see her? I was just asking if you were working overtime.”

“Oh~” Tang Gui: “Yes, yes, I’m the one who wants to see our dear boss. How could it be you, Master Xu?”

Xu Qingtang: …

Tang Gui rummaged in her shoulder bag, then took out something like a ticket and said, “There’s a tech exhibition there tomorrow. My colleague gave it to me. My schedule doesn’t match, so I can’t go. Aiya, isn’t tomorrow the weekend? It seems I can only ask you to help me make up for this regret.”

Xu Qingtang took the ticket without hesitation.

Tang Gui clicked her tongue and started to wail, “Love~ so dramatic~”

Xu Qingtang: “…My treat today.”

Tang Gui immediately stopped. “That’s more like it.”

After they finished eating, just as Xu Qingtang was about to get up and pay the bill, Tang Gui suddenly sat down next to her mysteriously and asked in a low voice, “Qingtang, let me ask you something.”

Xu Qingtang turned her head. “Hm?”

Tang Gui continued mysteriously, “You and Gu Yizhi, you two, who’s the 1?”

Xu Qingtang said, “Huh?”

Tang Gui: “I’m just asking. Who’s the 1 between you two?”

Xu Qingtang: “…Why are you asking this?”

Tang Gui: “Didn’t I tell you before? A beautiful new colleague came to our department.”

Xu Qingtang’s imagination ran wild. “She knows me?”

“What are you talking about?” Tang Gui said. “Her side job is writing yuri novels…”

After listening for a while, Xu Qingtang finally understood. It was like this—one day, when Tang Gui was slacking off at her desk, she heard her beautiful colleague say that she looked like a 1. She thought the person was quite perceptive. Then, she said that so-and-so also looked like a 1, and then she mentioned Gu Yizhi, saying that she was probably a 1 too.

It was often said in the design industry that apart from those who could design, the most abundant were those who were gay and could design.

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional.

Tang Gui had been thinking about it ever since.

Xu Qingtang held her forehead. “Why are you always so focused on such strange things?”

Tang Gui said, “I’m just curious.”

Xu Qingtang told the truth. “Both.”

Tang Gui’s expression was a mix of confusion and shock. “Is there such a thing?”

Xu Qingtang asked, “Isn’t it always like this?” Xu Qingtang thought of the novels and comics Tang Gui used to read. It seemed that there was indeed only one 1. She suddenly understood and said, “You should look for more categories when you read things in the future.”

Tang Gui gritted her teeth. “That bastard Jiang Wan!”

Xu Qingtang didn’t react. “What does it have to do with Jiang Wan?”

“She told me she’s old and has no energy, and that I’m young and should take care of her and dote on her. Then she just lay down on the bed and waited for me…”

Realizing she had said too much, Tang Gui immediately shut up and said, trying to cover it up, “Actually, it’s nothing. We just chatted under the covers.”

Xu Qingtang couldn’t help but laugh.

She thought of Jiang Wan’s beautiful and seductive manicure and wasn’t surprised at all.

Xu Qingtang was never one to be a dwarf in action. After making up her mind, she started to look for flights to City C and booked the earliest one for the next day.

The next day, Xu Qingtang woke up early to get ready, put on makeup, and picked out a treasured item from the bottom of her closet. She sprayed the same perfume as Gu Yizhi on her wrist, did a very beautiful hairstyle, and put on earrings before leaving. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror and was satisfied before she set off for the airport.

Before boarding the plane, she opened Gu Yizhi’s WeChat profile picture, tapped it twice with her finger to vent her anger, then turned off her phone and boarded the plane.

City C was different from the mild climate of Lin City. The moment she got off the plane, Xu Qingtang could feel the threat of the cold air. She wrapped the scarf around her shoulders and pulled her suitcase out.

She put her suitcase in the hotel she had booked, then went to visit the tech exhibition Tang Gui had mentioned.

As the saying goes, the closer you get to home, the more timid you become. When Xu Qingtang was in Lin City, she had thought that she must go to City C to find Gu Yizhi. On the plane to City C, she had thought that she would go to see Gu Yizhi immediately after the plane landed. But when she actually set foot in this city, she inexplicably became timid.

The tech exhibition Tang Gui had mentioned was held by a leading domestic tech company. The exhibition was more about introducing the various types of artificial intelligence robots developed by their company to the outside world. Now, AI intelligence was widely used in life, but ordinary people still found these things very strange and distant. Xu Qingtang was the same, so she was quite interested in this tech exhibition.

But what Xu Qingtang didn’t expect was that she would run into Zhou Jiaran at the entrance of the exhibition.

Ever since Xu Qingtang had introduced a junior from her alma mater to her last time, the two of them had not met again. She would occasionally receive thank-you messages from the junior on WeChat and knew that Zhou Jiaran’s variety show was recording smoothly.

Zhou Jiaran said with surprise, “Qingtang, what a coincidence.” She looked at Xu Qingtang’s beautiful outfit. “Are you here for a trip?”

Xu Qingtang first said yes, then said no, and said with a smile, “I have a business trip here next month. I’m taking advantage of the weekend to check it out.”

This reason sounded very strange, but Zhou Jiaran didn’t press further. She said to herself, “I came here to scout for locations. I heard there’s a tech exhibition, so I came to see it since I have nothing to do.”

Xu Qingtang had a sudden realization. “I remember you don’t seem to be very interested in this…”

Zhou Jiaran sighed. “I’m not interested, but…” who made her have a bad woman at home who was interested?

Zhou Jiaran didn’t finish her sentence. She invited, “Are you going in too? We can go together.”

Xu Qingtang readily agreed. “Alright.”

The two of them wandered inside for more than an hour. When they came out of the exhibition hall, it was only eleven in the morning. Xu Qingtang had originally wanted to treat Zhou Jiaran to a meal, but the latter waved her hand. “No, no. Qingtang, are you here to find someone?”

Xu Qingtang was shocked. “How did you know?”

Zhou Jiaran laughed. “In this one hour, you’ve taken out your phone and put it back, opened and closed it again and again. Only a fool wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Xu Qingtang: “…Uh, indeed.”

Zhou Jiaran said, “Alright, I won’t take up your time. We’ll meet up when I get back to Lin City.”

Being exposed by Zhou Jiaran, Xu Qingtang felt even more anxious. Tang Gui had told her the location of their business trip—Yuexi Pavilion, which was considered a city landmark of City C. It was said that they were preparing for a fashion show, and they had been busy with this matter on their previous business trips.

Xu Qingtang arrived at Yuexi Pavilion. There were quite a few people inside, but she finally discovered a problem—she had no idea where Gu Yizhi was.

She had no choice but to take out her phone and ask her dear sister for help again.

But at this time, her dear sister was probably at work and didn’t reply in time.

Left with no choice, Xu Qingtang had to call Gu Yizhi. After hearing “the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable” for the fourth time, she finally heard Gu Yizhi’s voice. “I was busy just now. What’s up?”

Xu Qingtang walked to a corner and said in a casual tone, “Nothing. I was just wondering if you’re free tonight.”

Gu Yizhi said, “I’m not in Lin City.”

Xu Qingtang put on a surprised tone. “Ah? Then where are you?”

“City C,” Gu Yizhi smiled. “Want to come over?”

Xu Qingtang was very troubled. “Ah, if you insist, it’s not that I can’t go over.” After putting on enough of an act, she finally got to the point. “Tomorrow. If I go, where can I see you?”

Gu Yizhi said, “I’ll pick you up.”

Xu Qingtang said, “No need, no need. I’ll just find you.”

“Yuexi Pavilion.”

“And then?”

“Go to the second-floor lounge. There are signs. Find the staff there, say you’re looking for me, and she’ll take you to my lounge.”

Xu Qingtang was satisfied and said, “Alright then. You can get back to work.”

After hanging up, she found the elevator, went up to the second floor, and found the staff member Gu Yizhi had mentioned. It was likely that she had already informed her. After the staff member confirmed Xu Qingtang’s name, she led her all the way in.

When she reached the lounge, Xu Qingtang first sat on the sofa. After waiting for a few minutes, she began to regret it—she should have asked when Gu Yizhi would be resting.

Then her mind wandered. She should have brought a bouquet of flowers on her way.

How can you see a girl without bringing flowers?

And the other person is Gu Yizhi, the Gu Yizhi she had been thinking of, the Gu Yizhi she wanted to see even if it meant traveling thousands of miles.

Glancing at the time, Xu Qingtang made up her mind to go and buy a bouquet of flowers. But just as she reached the door, she heard a sound from outside. She stepped back and indeed saw Gu Yizhi walk in from outside.

The two of them looked at each other across a desk. Gu Yizhi smiled first, and Xu Qingtang couldn’t help but smile along with her. “Hmm? Why are you here early?”

Xu Qingtang couldn’t control the corners of her mouth. Suddenly feeling playful, she imitated the tone of a robot. “Hello, I’m AI Xiao Tang. To activate, please enter the voice command.”

Gu Yizhi played along with her. “What’s the command?”

Xu Qingtang: “I miss you so much.”

Xu Qingtang didn’t know she could have such a sweet and soft voice. She looked at Gu Yizhi with joy. Before the latter could speak, a muffled cough came from outside the door.

“Uh… CEO Gu, then we’ll go and check the process first…”

Outside the door were the editors-in-chief of the various special features. They all looked at their noses and mouths, and finally walked away awkwardly.

Xu Qingtang’s smile froze. She no longer felt sweet or soft, just that her scalp was tingling, from the embarrassment…