Chapter 53
The scandalous headline was incredibly absurd: “Popular Actor Lu Letian Spotted Having Dinner with Two Women: A Night of Thrills with One Man and Two Women.”
Zuo Bian, one of the parties involved, expressed her opinion: “I think the person who wrote this article must have some intellectual disabilities. The photo is so brightly lit, how could it be dinner? And we were clearly at a restaurant, not a hotel.”
【In this age of entertainment, these kinds of things are normal. Whether it’s true or not, the headline alone is enough to attract people’s attention.】
Zuo Bian frowned, troubled by the new scandals that had emerged.
Because she was a newcomer and seemingly had no powerful backing, she had become a target for fabricated “scandals.”
The most convincing one was that she was being kept by a wealthy sponsor. The second was that she had a chaotic private life and was involved in a threesome. The third was that she and Chang Wensi had fallen in love on set.
These scandals made Zuo Bian confused. She had never known she was such a person.
She wasn’t too bothered by the “sugar daddy” rumors, but she was concerned about the other two.
So, while in the car, she called Du Yundong, asking her to help remove the trending topics.
“Mom is such a bad mother, you even have to ask me to do this. Don’t worry, Xiao Bian, Mom will take care of it. Don’t be sad. Those people don’t know you, they’re just following the crowd.”
“Thank you, Mom. I’m not really sad, I’m just worried that Qin Ai might be unhappy if she sees it,” Zuo Bian said.
Du Yundong was slightly relieved. “That’s good. In Mom’s eyes, our Xiao Bian will always be the kindest and most adorable child. Even if people misunderstand you, remember that there are people who care about you and believe in you.”
“Mm, I understand.”
After chatting with Du Yundong for a while, Zuo Bian hung up the phone. She had almost reached the Qin Group building.
When Zuo Bian arrived at Qin Ai’s office, Qin Ai was on the phone. She quietly entered, trying not to make any noise.
After Qin Ai finished the call, Zuo Bian spoke up. “Qin Ai, I’m here.”
Qin Ai put down her phone, smiled at Zuo Bian, and walked towards her, rounding her desk.
“Why didn’t you come have lunch with me today?” Qin Ai sat down beside Zuo Bian.
Zuo Bian said, “I went to buy a motorcycle this morning and ran into Mr. Lu and Miss Chang.”
【Oh, there it is, “Miss Chang” when there’s nothing to gain.】
‘I can’t address her too intimately, Qin Ai will misunderstand.’
【No drama, no drama! No misunderstanding, no excitement. Host, you always manage to avoid all misunderstandings. Our mission is turning into a pure and innocent romance on Jinjiang, sigh.】
‘I can sense your disappointment.’
[Plus one, ribbit.]
【Hahaha, not at all, this is great!】555 laughed awkwardly.
The mental conversation between Zuo Bian and 555 was over in an instant.
“Lu Letian and Chang Wensi? That’s an interesting combination.” Qin Ai recalled her childhood.
For as long as she could remember, Chang Wensi and Lu Letian had never gotten along. They would bicker whenever they met.
“But they seem to have a good relationship. The three of us even had dinner together. The food at that restaurant was delicious, Qin Ai. I’ll take you there next time, okay?”
Qin Ai said, “Okay. But how did you know that Lu Letian and Chang Wensi have a good relationship?”
Zuo Bian thought for a moment. “Intuition, I guess.”
Qin Ai raised an eyebrow in surprise. “In a way, their relationship is indeed good. Your intuition is accurate.”
Hearing this, Zuo Bian smiled. “My intuition also tells me that I want to kiss you right now.”
Straightforward Zuo Bian strikes again! 555 immediately dragged Little Frog into censorship mode.
Zuo Bian was simple-minded and always acted on her impulses. She said she wanted to kiss Qin Ai, and she did. But her kiss was too simple, just a few pecks on Qin Ai’s lips.
Her arm was still around Qin Ai’s shoulders, their faces close, their breaths mingling.
Qin Ai’s eyes reflected Zuo Bian’s image. Zuo Bian smiled at her, her cheeks slightly flushed, but not with shyness.
To Zuo Bian, it was just a simple kiss, without any other implications.
Qin Ai, however, had other thoughts in mind. Faced with the innocent Zuo Bian, she felt a rare pang of guilt and didn’t kiss her back.
“Want to try some tomato juice?” Qin Ai changed the subject.
Zuo Bian’s interest in peach soda had waned recently, and she was looking for a new drink. She immediately nodded when Qin Ai mentioned tomato juice.
Qin Ai got up and walked to the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of red juice and handing it to Zuo Bian.
Zuo Bian took the bottle and took a gulp without hesitation.
She couldn’t resist the sweet, sour, and rich flavor. Her eyes lit up as she drank. Although she didn’t say anything, her expression showed that she loved the tomato juice.
Qin Ai said, “You mentioned you liked apple cider vinegar before, so I thought you might like tomato juice, which also has a sweet and sour taste.”
Zuo Bian finished half the bottle in one go, finally releasing the straw.
“Thank you, Qin Ai, I love this flavor.”
Qin Ai leaned forward, cupping Zuo Bian’s face with one hand.
“Let me try.” Then she pressed her lips against Zuo Bian’s.
Zuo Bian felt Qin Ai’s tongue trying to enter her mouth and instinctively opened her lips.
Qin Ai had initially intended to just give her a quick peck, but some things were hard to control.
Once the dam of suppressed desire was breached, it poured out uncontrollably.
Zuo Bian’s dress was lifted, her collar loosened, her eyes becoming hazy. However, Qin Ai stopped.
She straightened Zuo Bian’s clothes, trying to cover up her actions. “I can’t finish a whole bottle of tomato juice by myself, so I wanted to try yours.”
“Mm.” Zuo Bian lowered her head and mumbled a response.
The heat from their previous encounter lingered, making Zuo Bian’s cheeks flush.
“Tonight, do you want to…”
“Yes.”
Zuo Bian answered before Qin Ai could even finish her sentence.
Qin Ai turned her head away, a smile on her lips. “Mm, I understand.”
Zuo Bian realized that she had been too eager, and the heat that had just subsided on her face returned.
Since she had decided not to go home tonight, she called her mother.
Du Yundong asked if she was going to have a heart-to-heart talk with Qin Ai tonight. Zuo Bian thought for a moment, deciding that it could be considered a heart-to-heart talk, so she nodded and said yes.
“Then have a good talk with Xiao Qin, Mom won’t disturb you.”
“Mm-hmm, bye, Mom.”
Zuo Yuan had been listening to their conversation. He said to Du Yundong with a serious expression, “Mom, premarital sex is not something we should encourage.”
Hearing this, Du Yundong almost rolled her eyes to the back of her head.
“You talk a big game, but what about you? Where’s my daughter-in-law? When are you bringing her home?” Du Yundong’s soul-piercing question rendered Zuo Yuan speechless.
His girlfriend, Tao Zi, was even more engrossed in her celebrity worship now that the drama starring her idol was about to air.
Zuo Yuan had initially wanted to use this as an opportunity to bond with his girlfriend, but Tao Zi refused to tell him who her idol was, afraid that he would blacklist them.
Was he that kind of person? Why did she think he was such a bully?
Then he heard Du Yundong say, “It seems it’s time to prepare for their engagement ceremony. Xiao Bian is still young, it’s not good for her to get married so soon. I still want to keep her by my side for a few more years. After thinking about it, engagement is the best option. It’s both legitimate and allows us to keep Xiao Bian with us.”
“I think…” Zuo Yuan didn’t even have a chance to speak.
Du Yundong glared at him. “You think? What do you think? You, as an older brother, can’t even compare to your younger sister. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Zuo Yuan shut up and didn’t dare to say another word.
===============
Meanwhile, Zuo Bian spent the entire afternoon in Qin Ai’s office. She was curious about everything in this world. A book, a small toy, could keep her entertained for hours, let alone in this age of information overload, where countless knowledge could be obtained with just a phone.
Time flew by, and Zuo Bian had dinner with Qin Ai.
She took Qin Ai to the restaurant where she had eaten with Lu Letian and Chang Wensi at noon. The food at this restaurant was truly delicious, but the portions were tiny.
The table was full of dishes, but it was only enough for one person with a big appetite.
Zuo Bian finally remembered her “delicate young lady” persona and ate with restraint.
555 couldn’t help but comment, 【Host, you should just give up on that persona. Your “delicate” appetite is actually a bottomless pit. There’s no need to hide it. And after I censored myself and Little Frog for so long, this is all you’re going to show me?】
Zuo Bian pretended to be focused on her food, ignoring 555.
【Don’t ignore your little cutie!】
[Right, ribbit, right, ribbit.]
Somehow, Little Frog had started siding with 555, even though it didn’t even have arms, let alone elbows.
‘555, I’m not ignoring you, I’m just trying to eat properly.’
【Hmph, that’s more like it.】
Zuo Bian thought to herself that 555 was easier to appease than Little Frog. Little Frog needed milk to be coaxed, while 555 only needed a few sweet words.
After dinner, Zuo Bian went to the villa with Qin Ai. Qin Ai said she didn’t come here often, only when she was too busy with work and didn’t want to disturb her mother and brother at home.
The reason for bringing Zuo Bian here today was the same, to avoid disturbing her mother and brother.
However, 555 saw through her excuse. 【She’s not afraid of disturbing her mother and Qin Tian, she’s afraid of being disturbed by them! Late at night, two women alone… Oh! And there’s wine!】
“Would you like a drink?” Qin Ai poured Zuo Bian a glass of wine.
The red liquid swirled gently in the transparent glass, releasing a faint aroma.
Zuo Bian took the glass and sniffed it curiously.
“Try it, you might like it,” Qin Ai said with a smile.
Zuo Bian looked up at Qin Ai’s face. Qin Ai was turned sideways, the red wine slowly flowing into her lips. Her tongue darted out, licking away a stray drop of wine.
For some reason, Zuo Bian suddenly felt very thirsty and instinctively emptied her glass in one gulp.
Leave a Reply