Chapter 149: Can you drink it cold?
Chapter 149: Can you drink it cold?
Neither of them were saints. Both had their own bottom lines, and those boundaries were what mattered most. Jiang He wouldn’t rely on her strength to force or bully him, even when angry, and Xu Qing, while taking the occasional liberty, wouldn’t go so far as to deceive her into anything improper.
This mutual understanding had grown so naturally that Jiang He wasn’t even consciously aware of it—she simply followed her instincts to maintain the status quo. It was one of the things Xu Qing liked about her. He despised rule-breakers. Exploiting loopholes in rules was fine, but flipping the board was not. If Jiang He had been unruly, or flatly rejected his kindness without reason or ever softening her stance, he might not have liked her this much.
“Later, I finally learned how to love~” Xu Qing hummed a tune as he held Jiang He’s hand, the two making their way to their meeting spot.
Qin Hao was already there, sitting alone. He waved them over as they approached. “Liu Jingfang isn’t here yet. Have some water while you wait.”
“Liu Jingfang? Why not call her Jingjing or Fangfang? So formal,” Xu Qing teased as he pulled Jiang He into a seat, setting up the tableware and pouring two cups of tea.
“Gross…” Qin Hao rubbed his arms exaggeratedly, pretending to shiver. Then, lowering his voice, he muttered, “It’s just a casual meal, trying to see how things go.”
“Oh, I get it.” Xu Qing smirked knowingly.
Qin Hao felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what. He figured he’d see how things developed—time would eventually reveal the truth. It wasn’t excessive caution, just self-awareness. They had agreed to fake a relationship to appease his family and avoid the endless blind dates. Their interactions were sparse, maybe a meal of braised chicken rice or a staged photo with flowers. Meeting once or twice a month didn’t exactly scream romance. How had this turned into something real?