Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 113 To coax someone, you need to use practical methods.

After finishing her meal, Shen Guining went out to pay the bill and then went to the restroom.

As luck would have it, she had just stepped into the cubicle when she could faintly hear voices coming from outside.

"Yingying, I heard that Mr. Qu is dating that Shen Guining. Is that true?"

Cui Manying's lips stiffened slightly. She stood in front of the sink, turned on the tap, and said in a low voice, "Right?"

"What is Mr. Qu thinking? You're beautiful, gentle, and from such a good family. Why would he leave such a wonderful girl like you to be with someone who will drag him down?" Her best friend continued to complain. "I've heard all about the Shen family's shady dealings. Getting involved with the Shen family just lowers our status. Aren't they afraid of tarnishing the reputation of the Qu family's century-old legacy?"

Cui Manying reminded her to keep her voice down, "Perhaps that Miss Shen has some extraordinary qualities."

My best friend rolled her eyes. "What's so special about him? He's just good at seducing people. Men all like those who are both innocent and alluring. I think Mr. Qu is bewitched."

“He likes it, who can control that?” Cui Manying pulled out a tissue to dry her hands, lowering her eyes to hide her dejection. “My second brother interfered in his private affairs, so he directly cut off the cooperation project.”

Her best friend asked curiously, "What did your second brother do?"

"Ms. Shen's ex-boyfriend works at my second brother's company. My second brother sent a video of her and her ex-boyfriend dating to Mr. Qu's email address."

"So Mr. Qu had no reaction after reading it? I don't think any man would be indifferent, would he?"

"I don't know either." Cui Manying took out a powder compact from her bag to touch up her makeup.

"I think they'll break up sooner or later. Mr. Qu and Mrs. Qu will never agree to a marriage between their families, like the Shen family..."

The sound faded away.

Shen Guining was stunned for a long time, trying to process what those words had said.

No wonder Qu Yanci was so bothered by her meeting with Qi Heng.
-
After leaving the restaurant, Shen Guining and Jin Yuhan parted ways.

She took a taxi directly to find Qu Yanci.

The night was dappled with light, and the lights from the television screens outside the building swept across the car window. Shen Guining leaned back in the back seat, lost in thought.

The words of Cui Manying's friend echoed in his ears, and he couldn't refute them. The Shen family was indeed not respectable and would only cause trouble for Mr. Qu.

She felt a pang of guilt; he shouldn't have gotten involved in all this messy stuff.

Upon arrival at the destination, the driver announced, "Miss, we've arrived."

"Okay, thank you."

Shen Guining paid the fare and got out of the car. Standing by the roadside, she sent a WeChat message to Qu Yanci: 【Are you done? I've arrived.】

He quickly replied: "Okay, wait for me."

Shen Guining didn't have to wait long before a familiar figure walked out of the hotel lobby.

She took a step forward, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw that there were people behind Qu Yanci.

Qi Heng was there too.

Shen Guining stopped in her tracks and stood still.

Qi Heng clearly saw her too. He opened his mouth as if to call out to her, but then suddenly remembered that she already had a boyfriend. Going over there to bother her would only annoy her, so he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Qu Yanci, with his long legs, strode up to Shen Guining and stopped.

With her vision obstructed, she blinked, "You..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man's intense aura suddenly enveloped him.

Qu Yanci reached out and cupped the back of her head, then lowered his head to peck her with a kiss.

A subtle, mellow aroma of red wine enters the mouth.

Shen Guining was embarrassed to kiss in public, so she gently pushed him away, saying, "We're outside."

Qu Yanci released her hand, his deep, dark eyes fixed on her, revealing no emotion. Shen Guining didn't know what he was thinking, but she sensed that he was unhappy.

She grabbed Qu Yanci's shirt sleeve and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips. "Let's go back. Where's your car parked?"

Not far away, Qi Heng witnessed this scene, his legs seemed to be nailed to the ground, and his expression was stiff.

Knowing she has a boyfriend is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is another.

He had experienced this scene before, but unfortunately, she had someone else by her side by then.

No matter how unwilling you are to accept it, it is reality.

In the blurry vision, two figures walked away hand in hand, gradually disappearing from sight.

It was as if an invisible wall had separated him and Shen Guining into two different worlds, so that they would never cross paths again.

The Maybach was parked in the open-air parking area.

Shen Guining asked Qu Yanci to take the key and unlock the door.

After getting in the car, she didn't rush to drive, but took the initiative to ask, "Qu Yanci, you're unhappy, aren't you?"

After a few seconds of pause, she added, "Because of Qi Heng."

The man leaned back in his chair, his eyes clouded with a hint of intoxication from the alcohol he had been drinking.

He knew that it was very ungentlemanly of him to keep dwelling on her past.

However, he couldn't be completely rational and magnanimous in the face of this matter.

He wasn't sure how much Shen Guining liked him, or whether her feelings would be swayed by others.

He even started to speculate: if she had met someone else who could have solved her predicament, would she have avoided him?

After a moment of silence in the car, Shen Guining spoke up, "When I went to England as an exchange student, I did date him for a few months. That was an experience of mine, and I can't deny it. But after we broke up and I returned to China, we never contacted each other again."

“That time at the school gate was the first time I saw him after the breakup. I thought at the time that I would never see him again, so there was no need to mention him to you.”

"But I didn't expect to run into him again at a friend's birthday party. He asked me if there was still a chance, and I told him clearly that I have a boyfriend and that we have a very good relationship."

She didn't want the past to affect her current relationship and make Qu Yanci feel uncomfortable, so she chose to be open and honest about it.

"I know I lied to you, so even if you don't believe me, I have nothing to say..."

Qu Yanci interrupted her, "I didn't say I didn't believe you, nor did I ask you to deny the past."

Shen Guining held the car keys in her hand and said softly, "I'm not someone who's casual about relationships. Right now, I only like you. Don't be unhappy because of other people or things, okay?"

Qu Yanci didn't say anything, but reached out and pulled her from the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" Shen Guining inexplicably sat on his lap, her knees spread apart and resting against his waist.

Qu Yanci lowered his head, his nose touching hers, "To coax someone, you need to use practical things, baby."

Under the roof lights, the brow bone and bridge of the nose were outlined even more deeply, and the contours were strong.

He kissed her, and as Shen Guining opened her mouth, his hot breath slid into her mouth.

The kiss deepened, and their breathing grew heavier.

Just as she was about to suffocate, Qu Yanci released her, his thin lips moving to her earlobe and gently biting it. "Since it's all in the past, then throw away your bracelet."

Shen Guining's body trembled slightly, and her mind cleared up after a while. "...I bought it myself, it wasn't a gift from him."

That bracelet cost tens of thousands of yuan. At the time, they had just started dating, and Qi Heng was a student himself, so he wasn't well-off. How could she possibly let him pay for it?

She happened to run into her friends at the store, and they teased her, thinking it was a gift from Qi Heng. She couldn't deny it and embarrass Qi Heng, so she acquiesced.

After listening to her explanation, Qu Yanci raised his hand and pinched her cheek, "Didn't you say that bracelet was very important to you?"