It was weird for Xi Qian. She thought that seeing her ex-boyfriend with his very pregnant wife would hurt her, but she felt nothing of the sort. With Li Xiran standing next to her, holding her close, Xi Qian couldn't feel any disappointment or pain at that moment. She was expecting jealousy to eat her up by now, but it wasn't the case.
She had avoided attending any social events where there's a possibility that he would show up with his wife. But here they were, unavoidably in front of her. Xi Qian didn't feel anything except relief that things hadn't worked out between her and Wei Zhijuan, because she would never be able to meet Li Xiran and get together with him if it did.
Why did she even fear seeing them together? She couldn't even remember what made her attracted to Wei Zhijuan in the first place.
They made a handsome couple and Xi Qian couldn't deny that his wife was a stunning woman. So different from what she heard from their mutual friends. Wei Zhijuan had a glint in his eyes that told her that he was happy with his current life.
"Thank you. This is a lovely party and it's nice to meet Zhijuan's old friends. He's quite a loner, you see. He didn't even invite any of his friends to our wedding." His wife said with a smile. She was glowing, despite the awkward atmosphere between them.
Xi Qian convinced herself that this woman was innocent, and she shouldn't put the blame on Wei Zhijuan's wife.
"I feel the same, Madam. I only know a couple of friends of Xi Qian's. I'm really glad she agreed to bring me as her plus one tonight." Li Xiran said, reminding Xi Qian that he was there with her.
Xi Qian settled on slipping an arm around him, portraying themselves as a couple madly in love with each other. She sensed Wei Zhijuan's suspicious look but pretended like she didn't even notice it.
"Sweetheart, care to introduce us? Are they your classmates, too?" Li Xiran questioned her.
"This is my senior, Wei Zhijuan and his wife. He used to help me a lot during my intern years." Xi Qian cleared her throat and introduced him to the other couple. "This is Li Xiran, my boyfriend."
Wei Zhijuan's wife gasped, her eyes widened a bit.
"You are Li Xiran? I thought you looked familiar. So you are really him."
"You know him, dear?" Wei Zhijuan asked his wife.
She shrugged. "Not really. I just saw his name and face over the news. He's a business tycoon."
Wei Zhijuan looked at Xi Qian suspiciously.
"I didn't think that you are into businessmen now." He told her, which made Xi Qian arch a slender brow at him. Who was he to question her like this?
"Xiran's more than just a businessman. He's my partner in all aspects."
She then drew him away from the couple. She didn't know what to think about Wei Zhijuan's behavior, but she refused to entertain any of it. Her hand stayed in the crook of Li Xiran's arm as they headed to the doors that lead to the leisure room where guests could take a break.
"Your ex-boyfriend?" Li Xiran asked, once they were seated.
Xi Qian stared at him, trying to see if he was jealous or angry in any way, but he seemed calm. Wei Zhijuan used to be upset when he found her spending too much time with another man and he would argue with her for hours because of how improper it was.
"He is. We dated for three years and broke up a few months ago. Aren't you upset?" Xi Qian knew she shouldn't pursue the subject, but she couldn't stop herself.
"Why would I be upset? He's nothing to you now, isn't he?" Li Xiran eyed her.
Xi Qian blinked twice before leaning close to him, running a hand discreetly on his legs beneath the table. She was somewhat emboldened to know that this man trusted her completely. He had put her first and had stayed with her, no matter how hard it had been for him.
"And here I thought I might need to convince you that he's nothing but an ex. That you and I are on a different plane. Permanent, if you'll allow it. " Her voice sounded sultry and enticing at the same time.
"Hmm… can I change my answer then?" Li Xiran smiled at her, cupping the side of her face, leaning to kiss her cheek. It was so sweet, Xi Qian was stunned by it.
"He's married now anyway, so finders keepers."
But Xi Qian remained silent. She looked at him as if she couldn't believe what he was saying.
"Is something wrong?" Li Xiran asked, when he noticed the sudden change in her mood. He shot her an unreadable look. "If you aren't feeling well, we can leave now."
It must be because of meeting that douchebag earlier. If he had known that this was the reason why Xi Qian was hesitating to come today, he wouldn't have persuaded her.
"Oh no. There's no need for that. Are you getting bored here? I really can't deal with anyone right now."
Li Xiran stared at her face lovingly.
"Then let's go somewhere else where we both can enjoy the night." He smiled at her and took her hand.
Xi Qian laughed and ignored her classmates who cast them a look of confusion. She allowed Li Xiran to take her away and drive her somewhere else with a plan in mind. They ended up on top of the mountain road, leading to another district in Guangshang.
Li Xiran parked his car and lowered the windows, allowing Xi Qian to see the bright lights coming from the city.
"It's pretty here. How did you know there's a spot where we could oversee the city here?" She asked, feeling overwhelmed by the scenery.
"I thought you might want to stargaze with me, but it's really impossible to see them in the city at night. So this is the closest thing I could think of." He shrugged. "I used to come here when I was younger. It gives me the break I need from everyone. No schoolwork, no nagging father, no annoying little brother to eat my ears out. What about you? What do you do when you want a little time to yourself?" Li Xiran asked in return.
Xi Qian pondered for a moment, trying to remember her younger years with Su Xiaofei and Lu Qingfeng
"Did you know that Lu Qingfeng and I didn't get along well when we were younger?"
"Really?" Li Xiran shot his brows up. "Mr. Lu thinks highly of you. I have never heard him utter one word against you when he talked about you."
If it was in the past, Xi Qian would have scoffed and brushed off his claims, but now, she somewhat believed him.
"Is that so? It's good then. I wouldn't want someone to be with Feifei and not accept me as part of their lives." She shrugged. "We used to be breathing down each others' neck. I knew that he liked Feifei, and used it against him."
"He must be annoyed then. Keeping him from his crush." Her boyfriend chuckled amusedly. Li Xiran had never heard her speak about her childhood years or herself during the weeks they had been together. He was glad that she was finally opening up to him and not keeping him at arm's length.
"Damn, you are right. Feifei was oblivious about it, but he would try to get her attention any chance he could. Being close to her didn't stop him from trying to pursue her."
"So when did your cold war with him finally end?" He asked, liking how her eyes lit up when she talked about her friends.
Xi Qian didn't answer promptly. She paused a little to try and recall the past.
"It was a little after my eighteenth birthday."
As much as she wanted to forget what could have happened that day to her if Su Xiaofei hadn't saved her, Xi Qian knew that her life changed for the better since that day. Her best friend finally snapped out of her obsession for Mo Yuchen and the little tyrant had become more tolerable, which Xi Qian didn't fail to notice.
It was hard for her to explain what caused the change in her two friends, but if it wasn't for their influence, Xi Qian didn't think she would be able to completely cut off her ties with her father and his family and try to live the life she always wanted.
"It's not nice to be the third wheel though." She laughed and unlocked the door of the passenger seat to get a good look at the scenery.
Li Xiran followed her shortly and stood next to her, leaning against his car.
"Seeing them fall in love with each other made me realize how lonely I was." Xi Qian continued, her voice a little sadder this time.
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