Chapter 213: Can You Not Be So Rude

Hai Fu and Wen Qianyi left the guest room, hoping to find a quiet place to chat, which wasn’t so easy. Basically, they could bump into company colleagues everywhere, and both of them were so eye-catching that people would come up to greet them wherever they went. Although Hai Fu’s authority intimidated many, that fear made it hard for them not to say hello. Of course, with Wen Qianyi there to balance things out, the atmosphere improved a lot.

After a walk, they arrived at the beach. Although there were many colleagues there, the beach was big enough. The two strolled along the sand to a farther, desolate spot before sitting down to sunbathe.

Of course, a number of people noticed them. If it were only Wen Qianyi, some bold male colleagues from different departments might try to chat her up and build a connection, but with Hai Fu around, no one dared to follow.

"Hai Fu, what do you want to say?" They had both kept up their usual facades on the way over, but now with no one around, they could relax without any need for pretense.

Hai Fu gave a wry smile, "What can I say?"

Both of them gazed out at the sea. Such matters were indeed suited to this kind of open space, where the vast view and horizon opening to the sea and sky could free their hearts. If they were in a coffee shop booth or similar, it would feel much more stifling.

Wen Qianyi sighed softly, "We don’t need to be so serious. Between us... there’s no grudge, no competition." She first expressed good intentions, then led with a question, "You and Li Yan... honestly, I know he might be a bit of a flirt, but I didn’t think..."

"You just didn’t think I’d be taken in by him?" Hai Fu chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Wen Qianyi shook her head, "I didn’t mean to look down on you. I know he and his girlfriend haven’t been together that long. You two... right, some time ago, there was gossip in the company chat groups, office rumors and such, saying you and Li Yan... Were you together back then?"

"No!" Hai Fu denied it, "Li Yan had been working here for a few months before you came, but he was just someone in the sales department, getting paid through connections. I had no interest in someone like that, nor any dealings. That occasion you mentioned... could count as our first real interaction. Our story... is not long but maybe a bit vulgar. Do you want to hear it?"

Wen Qianyi smiled, "There’s no one else here, aren’t we here to untangle knots in our hearts? I understand the awkwardness of being caught by me today. If we don’t clear the air, we’ll have nothing to say when we meet in the future."

Hai Fu nodded, hesitating no more.

"To him, I must have seemed just like Master Extinction to everyone else. The change came one weekend when my brother lost money in a hotel’s underground casino and was detained, and then..."

Hai Fu started telling the story between her and Li Yan from the very beginning. A smile was on her face as she narrated, reminiscing about their time. Although brief and not long, it was still a memory worth holding onto for her who once had a blank slate.

When Wen Qianyi heard that Li Yan took advantage of her being drunk, she couldn’t help but secretly curse him for being a beast! Absolutely taking advantage of someone!

As Hai Fu recounted how Li Yan took her to see the sunrise by the sea at midnight, Wen Qianyi silently shook her head; it truly was a vulgar tale!

But she was reminded of her own episode with Li Yan, on that birthday, and blushed. If theirs was vulgar, that incident was unique, even morbid to many. She really had no ground to laugh at Hai Fu!

...

After telling the whole story, Hai Fu sighed lightly, "Now you understand why, though we lived in the same neighborhood, even the same building, we never saw each other before? I’m a homebody and hardly go out after returning home, not much of a social life. It was only later, with Li Yan’s encouragement, that I started to be seen, showing different sides of myself at work. Until yesterday, I dared to come to the company like this..."

"Your story is quite..." Wen Qianyi wanted to say ’touching’ but thought that was too insincere. "Uh, actually you don’t need to feel pressured. I can vouch that when you and Li Yan... his girlfriend and you met, during that time, he and Yu Xiaodi—who you’ve met—weren’t together yet, it was Yu Xiaodi pursuing him then."

Hai Fu was a bit surprised, "You’re saying... his girlfriend actually pursued him?"

Wen Qianyi bitterly smiled, "Unbelievable, right? He doesn’t seem to have any merits, yet he attracted a younger girl, so much younger there should be a generation gap. Maybe just one of those things, fate possibly!"

Though she knew she was talking about Yu Xiaodi, Hai Fu still felt slightly awkward, laughing nervously, "Actually, with him, with you all, I probably have a generation gap too, I’m a few years older than him..."

Perhaps knowing Hai Fu’s story had given her the upper hand, or hearing from her words that their relationship wasn’t deep, Wen Qianyi felt more at ease, even joking around, "What does that matter?"