Chapter 184: Letting Go of the Emotional Debt

(Friendly introduction to the new book "Aristocracy" book number 1736660) Author: Gentle and Kind Pig)

Hearing Yurong’s words, Li Yan felt a bit guilty at first, wondering which woman he’d had an affair with had been discovered this time. It wasn’t until he heard ’that clerk’ that he realized she was talking about Huang Ying.

Should we invite Huang Ying too?

He instinctively rejected the idea. Given Huang Ying’s personality, last time they went out to eat, she had to bring Li Jie along. If she joined Yurong and the others, she would only feel more pressured and awkward, and might not enjoy herself.

The fact that Yurong could openly hang out with Wen Qianyi and Hai Fu was already quite rare.

"No need, she’s already left the business department and the company. Besides, you, President Hai, Wen Qianyi, can all be considered elite women. I’m a manager now, and I still feel a lot of pressure in front of you. If she came along, she wouldn’t even dare say a word," Li Yan laughed as he explained.

After hearing his explanation, Yurong commented sourly, "Seems like you understand her quite well and are quite protective of her..."

Li Yan felt a bit sweaty, realizing how subjective this interpretation could be. The more he explains, the worse it might get, so he simply said, "It’s nothing like that, just drop it!"

After hanging up, he felt great and immediately called Wen Qianyi.

"What are you up to? Slacking off at work again!" Wen Qianyi seemed to be in a bad mood, contrasting with Li Yan’s upbeat tone.

"Slacking off at work isn’t something new for me—why the surprise?"

Actually, Wen Qianyi wasn’t really upset. Since the last incident, she hadn’t contacted or met Li Yan. Afterward, she felt that it was too unconventional and hardcore, a bit hard to accept. So, Li Yan not reaching out to her was a bit of a relief; she found it awkward to face him.

Now, hearing his call, she put on a stern front to prevent him from thinking that having a first time meant there could be a second, third time... "I’m not as lucky as you. Tell me what you want, I have work to do!"

Li Yan also remembered that incident and understood her concerns, so he didn’t continue joking, "Here’s the thing, you’re not busy tonight, are you? How about joining me for the New Year’s Eve event? There’s something going on at the seaside Wish Tower tonight."

Wen Qianyi is quick-witted and incredibly observant. Li Yan’s single statement had her catching on to more than just the surface meaning: "Hmph! I knew you wouldn’t call me without a reason! The real motive is showing itself now. But we’re so familiar with each other; why not just speak directly?"

"Didn’t I say it directly?" Li Yan was puzzled, "I just want to see if you’re free tonight and see if you’d join me for a good time."

"It’s that simple? Why go to the seaside? Is it because Yu Xiaodi’s back and her family still doesn’t want the two of you meeting, so you want to bring me along to help you get her out?" Wen Qianyi teased with a chuckle.

Li Yan was speechless, seems like women being too clever can be troublesome, turning simple matters into complex ones.

"That’s not the case, I don’t need you to help get Xiaodi out, I’m just inviting you. Forget it, just think about it. If you’re free, let me know; if not, that’s fine too." The more he explained, the more doubtful she could become, so Li Yan just hung up, leaving Wen Qianyi a bit exasperated.

Inviting Wen Qianyi didn’t really count as successful, but Li Yan knew she would call back later. After Yurong called her, she’d probably call back to refuse, and that’s when he just needed to follow her lead.

But there was one more person he needed to ’settle,’ and that was Qiao Huanxuan.

Qiao Huanxuan was working out of town, and certainly had the New Year’s holiday. Among the people here, Li Yan was the one she knew best, and he didn’t want to neglect her. She also had no shortage of suitors like Wang Lin around her.

After dialing, Qiao Huanxuan didn’t answer.

Over ten minutes later, Qiao Huanxuan finally called back.

"Were you busy just now? What’s up?" she maintained her efficient demeanor.

"Well, it’s just... tomorrow’s New Year’s Day, so you’re off, right?" Li Yan contemplated his wording.

"Right, though when we work, holidays don’t really matter, officially there’s a seven-day break. How about you guys?"

"We have seven days too."

"Oh, so what do you want to say?" Qiao Huanxuan waited for him to express his point.

"I just wanted to know if you’re heading back. If not, I’ll find some time to hang out with you."

When Li Yan said that he would go only if he’s free, it still wasn’t a sure thing, which made Qiao Huanxuan a little disappointed. "I was thinking... of going back to my hometown. There are so many days, so I might as well take the chance to clear my head. How about you? You haven’t been back in over ten years; do you have any thoughts about it? Haha... Maybe you won’t even recognize the place when you go back."

Li Yan felt a slight tension. He had thought about going back to his hometown, but emotionally, he felt a sense of disconnection. Going back would inevitably reconnect him with the first half of his life, which he felt would complicate his mind, so he had been avoiding it.

"Haha... I might just have that feeling of dread when approaching home; since I’m not successful yet, I can’t return home in glory, so I’d better not go." He laughed it off; he initially wanted to say he would return for the lunar New Year, but that was to go back with Zhang Yurong, and if Qiao Huanxuan came to his house at that time...

"Dread when approaching home? Are you really that close now? Have you come back from abroad and the whole Yun Country has become your hometown?" Qiao Huanxuan wasn’t too disappointed, as she didn’t really expect him to go back with her in the first place.

Hearing her joke, Li Yan laughed too: "Actually, I went to fight off the Milky Way Galaxy invaders and just returned from outer space, so the whole Earth is my hometown."

"Oh really! And you even traveled to alternate worlds, lived for millions of years, and now you’ve returned from the broken void, so the entire universe is your hometown!"

"..." Li Yan was speechless.

"I have some things to do, so I’ll stop here. I’ll be going back tomorrow, and tonight..." Qiao Huanxuan didn’t finish her sentence. It wasn’t that she was particularly enthusiastic about intimate affairs, but she was not shy anymore. Since she loved him and gave herself to him, she certainly didn’t resist, especially since they spent so little time together; being able to seize even one night was still one night.

Li Yan felt a bit apologetic: "I’m not free tonight; I already have plans with someone else... I’ll see you off tomorrow?"

Qiao Huanxuan felt another pang of disappointment but figured he was meeting with Yu Xiaodi and didn’t ask more, forcing a smile: "Never mind, if you stay out late tonight, will you have the energy to get up early tomorrow? You should rest well. I’ll be back in a few days, so there’s no need to see me off."

After pausing for a moment, she swiftly made a difficult decision she had hesitated over for days!

"You don’t need to feel that you owe me either. I was waiting for you before, but that was my own matter, something you didn’t know about, nor was it something you caused, so there’s no need for you to feel like you owe me an emotional debt. For instance, tonight you’re with someone else, and calling to tell me is enough for me to feel at ease and happy. I... don’t need compensation or charity, understand?"

Li Yan was stunned and was about to say ’I’m not compensating or offering charity,’ but when he heard Huanxuan say this, he surprisingly felt much lighter!

Yes, those twelve years of waiting were not just a simple stretch of time or a story of a life that had passed; they unknowingly turned into a heavy emotional debt!

Accepting Qiao Huanxuan is one thing;

Whether he can be free from this burden is another.

He wasn’t sure about the direction of his feelings, but from a psychological standpoint, if he didn’t let go of this pressure, even if he accepted Qiao Huanxuan, there might be trouble someday.

So he didn’t say anything now, and the feeling of being ’relieved’ didn’t make him feel ashamed. Since he could accept, face, and let go, then there’s still a future, so there’s no rush.

"Understood! Then about tonight..."

Hearing Li Yan’s voice sounding much brighter, Qiao Huanxuan felt a pang of sadness. She was actually conflicted about saying what she just did. If she didn’t let go of the emotional debt, what she would get is compensation or sympathy, which might not last; but if there’s no emotional debt, perhaps Li Yan would leave her right now. His lighter tone suggested that he did have this pressure before.

"Haha... don’t worry. Although I don’t live here permanently, I’ve come often over the years. Besides, I’ll call Bai Jie; she should be free." Qiao Huanxuan pretended to laugh cheerfully.

Li Yan thought for a moment; it would be good to have Bai Jie accompany her. After all, she was alone, and they were old classmates, and they had been in touch before. "Be careful, and call me anytime if anything happens. Have fun!"

Qiao Huanxuan was about to hang up when she suddenly wanted to test his reaction: "Aren’t you afraid we’ll get together to flirt with handsome guys? With our assets, snagging a college student or something is a piece of cake!"

Li Yan laughed; how had Qiao Huanxuan treated him? Just because of the vague affection that wasn’t confirmed during high school, she waited patiently for over ten years. Unless after their reunion, she was completely disillusioned, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.

As for Bai Jie, he didn’t know her well from the past, and from He Zhexia’s reaction, it seemed like she was more open.

"Hehe, I’m not worried; you’re my woman; you belong only to me! You were, you are, and you will be in the future. However, if someone does try, they’d better watch out because your man will kill him!"

Hearing Li Yan’s somewhat domineering words, Qiao Huanxuan mumbled: "What do you mean by ’yours’ or ’belong to you,’ am I a thing?" Although she said so, her heart was filled with endless joy, washing away the previous disappointment. Whether it was a joke or not, it was a revelation from Li Yan.

"How can you be a thing? You’re certainly not a thi... uh..."

Qiao Huanxuan also realized something was off, "You’re the one who’s not a ’thing’!"

(Thanks to the brothers who gave rewards on the 5th: しょぅけん, 小紫%, White Water Old, RoManTiC, Yagami Light II, Snowflake Crimson, Cp Pampas, dongmin8061, Wandering - Lonely Satan) (To be continued, for more, please log in to www.qidian.com, more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)