Chapter 123: You Are Only Taking Advantage of My Love for You

The person who arrived was none other than Xu Qichen, who happened to be handling business nearby and decided to drop by to see Wen Zhixia before her staff dinner at the restaurant.

Although Xu Qichen kept a low profile, Wen Zhixia had introduced him from the very beginning. When he appeared, someone noticed him and called out, "Mr. Xu is here!"

Xu Qichen offered a gentle smile and greeted the group, but after scanning the room, he did not see Wen Zhixia. "Is Xia not here?"

"General Manager Wen?" Asked by him, the staff, who had been fully immersed in the festivities, suddenly realized that Wen Zhixia was missing.

"I think she said she was going to make a phone call just now," one person replied. "Did you not see her when you walked in, Mr. Xu?"

Xu Qichen paused slightly. He had noticed Ye Lanzhou, who stood out among the staff like a crane in a flock of chickens. Even in the dimly lit corner, his refined temperament and attire clearly set him apart from the average office worker.

Ye Lanzhou sent a message to Gu Pingsheng, stood up, and reached out a hand. "Ye Lanzhou. I’ve heard much about you."

Xu Qichen gracefully raised his hand to shake his, not bothering to probe into his identity.

At that moment, inside the restroom, Gu Pingsheng glanced at his glowing phone screen, his sharp eyebrows arching. "Xu Qichen is here."

Wen Zhixia stiffened instantly.

"It seems we don't need to watch any videos; we can watch the live version instead," Gu Pingsheng said, eyeing her with a hint of malice.

"Let go." Wen Zhixia frowned, pursing her lips as she warned him, "If you dare to stir up trouble, I will never forgive you for the rest of my life."

The hand Gu Pingsheng had clamped around her wrist faltered.

"Gu Pingsheng, I am not the Wen Zhixia of over a decade ago who would let you run wild just because you acted like a rogue. If you think this is enough to sabotage my relationship with Xu Qichen, by all means, try it!" Wen Zhixia stared him down, her voice low and stern.

Gu Pingsheng’s thin lips pressed into a straight line. They locked eyes for several seconds. "You are threatening me."

Wen Zhixia replied, "Yes."

He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with cold, seething rage. "You’re only doing this because you know I love you."

He loosened his grip, and Wen Zhixia pushed him away, smoothing out her clothes. "I never asked you to love me. You are free to love someone else."

She could no longer bear his so-called love. She could no longer distinguish the truth from the lies in his words.

Gu Pingsheng’s pupils constricted, ice gathering in his brow. He reached out to block her path as she moved to leave.

"I’ll go out first. You wait ten minutes before coming out. He cannot see you, or... I promise you won't see me ever again." She blocked him, seizing the opportunity to say what she hadn't said before.

Gu Pingsheng gritted his teeth, feeling like he could just bite her to death right then and there. She actually treated him like a secret lover and even warned him not to let the "wild man" outside discover him! He was her man!!

"You—"

Before his angry words could escape, Wen Zhixia pushed open the restroom door and slammed it behind her with a loud "bang." The action was so sudden and swift that it nearly hit his nose.

Gu Pingsheng stood with his hands on his hips, fists clenched so tightly the veins on the back of his hands bulged. He steadied his breathing for a few seconds, turned, and leaned against the vanity, checking the time—ten minutes was...

Outside the door:

"General Manager Wen, Mr. Xu is here," some of the rowdier staff said, winking at Wen Zhixia when they saw her.

Xu Qichen turned around in the dim environment. Even with the poor lighting and the noisy surroundings, his mere presence brought a sense of peace, as if one were standing in the Vienna Golden Hall.

Wen Zhixia’s own temperament had, in its formative years, been influenced by Xu Qichen to a certain extent.

"Why are you here?" Wen Zhixia walked toward him.

Xu Qichen tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I was passing by, so I thought I’d come see you. Have you been drinking?"

Wen Zhixia nodded. "Just a little." Had he not come, she likely would have found a designated driver to get back to Jingyuan.

"It’s not safe for a girl to go home alone so late. You should have called me before you started drinking," he said.

The female employees who overheard the exchange turned into "green-eyed monsters," begging them not to show off their affection in front of the single people. "Please, have mercy..."

Wen Zhixia gave an absent-minded smile.

"General Manager Wen, Mr. Xu, we specifically requested a love duet for you two. How about one?"

It was the highly popular song, "Endless Love."

Coincidentally, Wen Zhixia and Xu Qichen both knew the song. Since Wen Zhixia was the one who brought the staff out to have fun, she didn't mind, but Xu Qichen... she couldn't imagine him, a man raised with elite upper-class schooling, singing in public in such a setting.

"It’s alright if you don't want to sing," Wen Zhixia whispered.

Xu Qichen took the microphone. "It is fine. I wouldn't want to spoil your fun."

He rarely attended such gatherings, but since she had organized it, he was willing to go along with it.

When he picked up the microphone, a burst of cheers erupted in the room. People are like this; if it were someone of the same social standing, no matter how kind they were, others wouldn't react much because they’d take it for granted. But when someone in a high position does the same thing, it feels exceptionally endearing.

Xu Qichen: "The person in my dreams / A familiar face / You are the tenderness I wait for..."

Wen Zhixia: "Through ten thousand generations of life’s vicissitudes / Only love is the eternal myth / As the tide rises and falls / I never regret the vow of true love..."

Ten minutes later, Gu Pingsheng emerged from the restroom just as Xu Qichen and Wen Zhixia were looking at each other, smiling, and singing the line, "Through the joys and sorrows of the years / Only love is the eternal myth / No one has forgotten the ancient / The ancient vows..."

They were a handsome couple with melodic voices, and some people were even filming with their phones, looking like a picture of perfect harmony.

Ye Lanzhou nudged him with his arm. "Why did you only come out now?"

Gu Pingsheng rubbed the ring on his ring finger with a deep, dark gaze, staring straight at the two of them as they soaked in their affection. "What a terrible song. How awful."

Ye Lanzhou: "..."

He suspected that even if they invited a world-renowned opera master to perform, it would sound like screeching noise to Gu Pingsheng.

When Xu Qichen saw Gu Pingsheng appear, his gaze faltered for a moment, but maintaining his refined upbringing, he gave a slight nod toward him.

Gu Pingsheng sat down, propping up his leg, pretending he hadn't seen him at all, and poured himself a drink. "Pretentious."

Ye Lanzhou looked at him teasingly. "Little Manager Wen eats up that 'pretentious' act. A refined gentleman nurtured by a century-old family, combined with such an extraordinary bearing—even men feel ashamed in his presence, so it’s only natural that women would admire him."

Gu Pingsheng’s hand, clutching the wine glass, paused. "How do I compare?"

Gu Pingsheng had never really paid much attention to his appearance, but he had known since childhood that he was good-looking and had never lacked admirers. He had only focused on his appearance during two stages of his life: the first was when he was chasing Wen Zhixia, and the second was after Xu Qichen appeared.

For no other reason than the fact that, in the former case, he had once heard from someone—he couldn't remember when—that women also appreciated a man's looks. Thus, whenever he appeared before Wen Zhixia, he never repeated an outfit and occasionally made sure to strike a pose; he was determined to seduce her with his face.

The latter was because... ever since Xu Qichen returned to the country, many had praised him for being a man of profound elegance and extraordinary bearing.

This inevitably made Gu Pingsheng feel a sense of crisis. For the life of him, he couldn't see what was so impressive about this sickly weakling who looked like he would end up in the emergency room if he took a single punch.

"Compare what?" Ye Lanzhou asked, knowing the answer.

Gu Pingsheng glanced at him sideways.

Ye Lanzhou chuckled. "...Six of one, half a dozen of the other." Roughly the same.

Gu Pingsheng’s brows knit, clearly dissatisfied with the result. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other" meant he held no advantage, especially since... how could an old flame be more attractive than a new love?

"However, Xu Qichen’s temperament is much more likable than yours," Ye Lanzhou said bluntly, taking a sip of red wine.

Gu Pingsheng’s brow furrowed into a capital "川" (three horizontal lines), and he pressed his fingers heavily against his stomach.

Does she like that soft, spineless temperament of Xu Qichen's now?

"Clap, clap, clap—"

As the duet finished, applause broke out in the private room.

Wen Zhixia knew Gu Pingsheng had come out, but she never looked his way. She sat down with Xu Qichen, and when someone came to toast Xu Qichen, Wen Zhixia politely declined on his behalf.

"He isn't feeling well and shouldn't drink."

Watching her gentle, protective demeanor, Gu Pingsheng tilted his head back and downed the rest of his drink in one go. The harsh, spicy liquid burned his throat, and he pressed his fist to his lips, coughing twice.

Seeing this, Ye Lanzhou wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He said, "If your stomach hurts, drink less. This is strong liquor, you..."

Before he could finish, Gu Pingsheng was already walking toward Wen Zhixia and Xu Qichen with his glass.

He stopped beside Wen Zhixia, and the staff subconsciously moved aside, leaving Wen Zhixia sandwiched between Gu Pingsheng and Xu Qichen.

A few employees who noticed the strange atmosphere exchanged glances and simultaneously looked away, their curiosity piqued. Although gossip was human nature, it was best to keep quiet about the boss's affairs.

Wen Zhixia paused and looked at Gu Pingsheng as he approached. Not knowing what kind of trouble he was planning, her eyes carried a warning.

"I’m leaving now," Gu Pingsheng said, pressing his temples.

The fact that he was leaving so easily caught Wen Zhixia off guard.

"I hurt you earlier by mistake. Now... does it still hurt?" Gu Pingsheng poured a glass of wine and handed it to her.

Such ambiguous words were easily misinterpreted by those listening. Xu Qichen’s gaze swept over them.

Gu Pingsheng was, of course, doing it on purpose. He straightened his cuffs and finished the glass of wine Wen Zhixia hadn't taken. "My tolerance is low. I’ll... be heading out now."

He stood up and reached out a hand toward Xu Qichen, appearing friendly.

No matter how good Xu Qichen’s temper was, he couldn't maintain his composure at this moment and ignored the gesture.

Gu Pingsheng withdrew his hand. The moment he stepped out of the room, he clutched his stomach and leaned his arm against the wall.

Seeing this, Ye Lanzhou stepped forward. "What's going on?"