CHAPTER 50: HE ZEQING’S DISGUST

Both of them were lost in thought as they walked toward the shopping mall, their minds wandering far from the task at hand. What movie they would be watching soon had completely slipped from their consideration.

"Let’s just pick whatever’s showing," Song Chengfeng had said with a shrug, as if the decision hardly mattered.

As Qi Jianyi entered the mall, her footsteps came to an abrupt halt, catching Song Chengfeng off guard. Without knowing the cause of her sudden stop, he paused right behind her, his brows furrowing.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, his voice low as he leaned in slightly, studying the surprise on her face.

Puzzled by her bewildered expression, Song Chengfeng followed her line of sight, and his eyes landed on someone he knew all too well—a man who was hard to miss.

"What’s that guy doing here?" Song Chengfeng muttered, his tone carrying a hint of irritation as he spotted He Zeqing sitting not far away.

Qi Jianyi heard his question but barely registered it. Her thoughts were racing. There was something far more significant than He Zeqing’s mere presence.

"No... what is Zeqing doing here with Xia Ning?" she murmured under her breath, her eyes narrowing slightly.

She searched her memory, trying to recall the details from the novel. As far as she could remember, there were no scenes involving the male and female leads casually meeting at a shopping mall. In fact, they shouldn’t even be close at this point, not before their relationship officially began.

Though she hadn’t bothered to follow the novel’s timeline closely, Qi Jianyi had enough knowledge to be sure—He Zeqing had shown zero interest in Xia Ning so far. Last she knew, he barely tolerated her, especially after the way he dismissed her acting skills during their last encounter.

But here they were, seated together in a cozy corner of a café, looking far too comfortable for two people supposedly indifferent to each other. The sight completely threw her off balance.

Yet, to her surprise, Qi Jianyi missed one glaring detail—her own situation. Walking into a mall with Song Chengfeng to watch a movie together was, by any measure, far more suspicious than He Zeqing and Xia Ning’s little meeting.

Just as Qi Jianyi and Song Chengfeng noticed He Zeqing and Xia Ning, it didn’t take long for the man to spot them in return. Especially since Song Chengfeng’s tall, broad-shouldered frame naturally drew attention wherever he went.

The moment He Zeqing’s gaze landed on them, a frown tugged at his brow, and his temples tightened with confusion. Much like Qi Jianyi, he couldn’t wrap his mind around why his cousin and best friend were together. The sight was unsettling, stirring an odd sense of discomfort within him.

Without sparing a thought for Xia Ning, who was still mustering the courage to say something, He Zeqing abruptly rose from his seat. His movements were sharp, almost impatient, as if the situation called for immediate explanation.

The café where he and Xia Ning sat was right by the mall’s entrance, making it all too easy for them to catch sight of one another. With long strides, He Zeqing made his way toward Qi Jianyi and Song Chengfeng, his thoughts tangled in bewilderment and a slight edge of irritation.

What were they doing here—together, of all places? And why hadn’t either of them mentioned anything to him?

He Zeqing had yet to realise that he had left Xia Ning alone at the café, her face falling as she watched him walk away without so much as a second glance. Despair mingled with embarrassment as she sat there, the words she had been gathering dying on her lips.

"He’s going to nag at us again, isn’t he?" Qi Jianyi sighed, bracing herself as she saw He Zeqing approaching. The look of resignation on her face almost made Song Chengfeng laugh, but he managed to hold it back.

"Just turn a deaf ear later," he said, his voice tinged with amusement, hoping to ease her tension. He leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "It’s what I do."

Qi Jianyi shot him a side glance, though the hint of a smile tugged at her lips despite her apprehension. She knew well enough how protective and sharp He Zeqing could be when something caught him off guard. And seeing the two of them together would definitely prompt a lecture.

"Jianyi, Chengfeng, what are the two of you doing here together?" He Zeqing’s stern voice broke the quiet between them as he strode up, his presence demanding answers before he’d even finished speaking.

Suspicion flared in his narrowed eyes as he studied them both—Qi Jianyi, composed yet slightly off, and Song Chengfeng, aloof with his usual air of indifference. The longer He Zeqing looked at them, the stranger the scene appeared, as though there was something just beneath the surface that neither of them was willing to reveal.

The sight of them together unnerved him, a tension settling in his chest.

"Jianyi wants to treat me to dinner," Song Chengfeng replied nonchalantly, his tone flat, uninterested in offering any explanation beyond the bare minimum.

He Zeqing’s gaze flickered between them, clearly unsatisfied. As if a short answer could possibly put his suspicions to rest. His brows furrowed, the deep crease between them a telltale sign of his confusion and displeasure. Song Chengfeng, standing coolly to the side, acted as if the entire situation was beneath him, which only made He Zeqing’s frustration mount.

"Since when do you owe him dinner?" He Zeqing asked, his voice thick with skepticism.

"Isn’t it because Chengfeng sent me home last time?" Qi Jianyi answered with a shrug, her tone casual, almost as though the entire matter was too trivial to be questioned. "I haven’t repaid him yet, so I thought I’d take him to dinner today."

But the words barely registered in He Zeqing’s mind as soon as he latched onto the way she addressed Song Chengfeng—so informally, as though they had grown close in ways he had not anticipated.

"Chengfeng?" His voice grew sharper, his disbelief clear. "Since when did the two of you get so familiar that you’re calling each other by name?" Although the question was directed at Qi Jianyi, his piercing gaze landed on Song Chengfeng, as if daring him to explain.

Regret gnawed at him. Bringing Song Chengfeng to He Zejin’s birthday party had been a mistake. A big one. If he hadn’t introduced them, maybe this... thing between them would never have formed. Yet here they were, and He Zeqing had no one to blame but himself. Not once, but multiple times, he’d brought Song Chengfeng along to lunches with Qi Jianyi. It was his own doing, and now he had to deal with the consequences.

"Cousin, are you here on a date?" Qi Jianyi’s voice broke through his thoughts, her tone light and teasing, clearly trying to change the subject before He Zeqing’s inevitable nagging began. She cast a glance toward Xia Ning, who was steadily approaching them, her heels clicking softly on the marble floor.

At her words, He Zeqing’s expression darkened, irritation flashing in his eyes before he quickly suppressed it. His already cold demeanor seemed to grow icier as Xia Ning came nearer, and it was obvious to anyone watching that he would rather be anywhere else than in her company.

Qi Jianyi raised a brow at his reaction, sharing a brief, knowing glance with Song Chengfeng. Both of them silently wondered what had brought He Zeqing and Xia Ning together—an actress no less, someone He Zeqing should have been avoiding like the plague.

Song Chengfeng’s curiosity spiked, knowing full well that He Zeqing rarely interacted with women outside of work, much less met one at the mall. As his closest friend, he was privy to the young master’s disdain for actresses—those climbing the social ladder with ulterior motives.

He Zeqing, ever guarded, had drawn thick lines between himself and the stars of the entertainment industry, allowing only professional exchanges and never letting anyone cross over into personal territory.

Yet here he was, in public, with Xia Ning, of all people.

He Zeqing had once confided in Song Chengfeng that actresses tended to approach him with self-serving motives, seeking to use him for fame and status. It wasn’t uncommon, given his position as a company president.

What he couldn’t tolerate, though, were the brazen tactics they used to capture his attention. They disgusted him to the point of vowing never to fall for anyone connected to the industry.

But Qi Jianyi’s thoughts diverged. She wasn’t merely curious—she was invested. The more she observed them, the more she wondered if this was the turning point for He Zeqing and Xia Ning, the main characters in the novel. If they ended up together, perhaps, just perhaps, it could alter her fate and lead her one step closer to returning home.

"Cousin?" she called softly, pulling him from his dark thoughts.

He Zeqing shook his head, fighting to keep his distaste from showing. "It’s nothing. We just ran into each other. She said she had something to say to me," he replied tersely, clearly wanting to end the topic then and there.

Xia Ning, by now, had reached them, her presence shifting the mood. She had overheard his words, and her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. The actress stood awkwardly, unable to hide her discomfort as He Zeqing’s curt explanation hung in the air.

For years, Xia Ning had known of He Zeqing’s cold reputation—how he could freeze someone out with just a few words, cutting them down without a second thought.

But now, experiencing it firsthand, she felt the full weight of it. His dismissive tone had left her feeling like a tag-along, someone unwanted, and the sting of his public rejection gnawed at her pride.

And the truth was, she had followed him. Yet, standing here now, under his indifferent gaze and the watchful eyes of others, she desperately wished she could disappear.