Chapter 41: Why Are You Here Again!

“I don’t know either. There’s no need to ask about these things in advance—you’ll find out when you get there.”

Li Ming shrugged, indicating he had no idea.

The real reason he dragged Yu Qing out this time wasn’t just to have someone fill a seat.

Mainly, he wanted to use the opportunity to see if he could help him find a girlfriend or something.

Don’t be fooled by Yu Qing’s constant protests about not wanting a relationship.

Li Ming could tell that if the right girl came along, Yu Qing wouldn’t actually refuse.

Usually lazy, antisocial, and convinced he wasn’t interested in girls—he was just someone who hadn’t tasted the sweetness of love and lacked the motivation to pursue it.

If Li Ming hadn’t invited him out for a meal, Yu Qing probably wouldn’t have agreed so readily.

Though, perhaps more than anything, it was because Li Ming said he wanted someone to come along that Yu Qing decided to help out.

So as a friend, if there’s a chance to help, you help. Besides, Yu Qing had been looking at him like a ghost these past few days, as if he suspected Li Ming had some strange thoughts about him.

He hadn’t even tried to expose Yu Qing’s secret cross-dressing, but the guy suddenly started treating him like a thief.

Going out for a meal together would at least help ease the tension.

Speaking of which…

The girls Qing Huan chose to associate with always had good character. Bringing them along to gatherings was almost like an extra layer of guarantee.

If Yu Qing could find someone he liked here, at least there wouldn’t be any drama over something outrageous.

“I get the feeling you’re plotting something.”

Yu Qing narrowed his eyes, staring at Li Ming suspiciously.

A spark flickered in his mind, but before he could catch it, the elevator chimed, signaling their floor had arrived.

Unable to figure it out, Yu Qing had to temporarily set aside his doubts, suppressing his nerves and doing his best to look normal.

It was his first time eating with multiple girls.

To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

Even though thoughts about finding someone he liked were mostly jokes in his mind, if possible, he still hoped to make a good impression on strangers.

“No need to be so tense. They aren’t here yet—save the nerves for when they arrive.”

Li Ming joked lightly, easing Yu Qing’s anxiety.

Yu Qing rolled his eyes and punched Li Ming’s shoulder.

It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to make Li Ming grimace in pain and loudly lament Yu Qing’s cruelty.

Which earned him another eye roll from Yu Qing.

Thanks to Li Ming’s antics, most of Yu Qing’s tension faded, leaving only a natural sense of anticipation for meeting new people.

With that feeling, Yu Qing and Li Ming entered the buffet restaurant.

Although Li Ming had promised to treat him, Yu Qing still paid for himself.

They were both adults—Yu Qing knew what Li Ming was thinking.

Besides helping out, he also felt a bit guilty for avoiding Li Ming recently.

If he let him pay, he’d probably slap himself awake in the middle of the night out of guilt.

Still, why do couples bring others along when they go out to eat?

Yu Qing couldn’t understand—it must be some kind of tradition.

In any case, he decided to finish dinner early.

Afterward, he still had to go dance with Mei Xue.

Such a busy day—anyone who didn’t know better would think he was a social butterfly.

Speaking of Mei Xue, it had been almost a week since he’d interacted with Zhou Min, Lin Wei, and the others.

Ever since he decided to limit his transformations, he hadn’t had a good excuse to get close to them… ahem, to interact with them.

He found himself missing it.

He sat at a six-person table, and his thoughts began to drift.

Leaning back on the sofa chair, he closed his eyes to rest, and his mind couldn’t help but replay the scene of bathing with Zhou Min.

He’d been so nervous back then that she took full advantage.

If he ever had the chance again, he’d make sure she lost completely!

As for Lin Wei, that dumb husky, forget it—not worth thinking about.

“Senior?”

Hm?

Why did he hear a dog calling his name?

“Hey, Senior?”

Weird.

He had just decided not to think about it, so why did her voice suddenly echo in his mind?

“Yu—Qing—Senior!”

“…!”

Ugh, just kill me.

Now he really didn’t dare open his eyes.

Yu Qing’s heart filled with bitterness, but he slowly opened his eyes anyway and looked around.

There were three girls now—two strangers and one…

Also a stranger!

Staring at the familiar face in front of him, Yu Qing closed his eyes again in resignation.

“Hey, Senior, don’t act like you don’t know me!”

Lin Wei sat beside Yu Qing, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed in frustration.

Around them, two girls and a guy watched curiously.

Especially Li Ming—his eyes, hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses, seemed to say: “You actually know girls?”

Tch.

Underestimate me, will you.

Your father not only knows pretty girls but has hugged them too!

Yu Qing shot him a look of disdain before turning back to Lin Wei with a bitter smile.

To be honest, if reincarnation were real, he and Lin Wei must have been entangled for lifetimes.

Fourth time.

This was the fourth time!

Nothing good ever came from running into her!

He begged in his heart: please, just stay away from me.

Sigh.

Since there was no escape, he’d have to face it.

“Oh, so it’s Lin Wei Mei Xue? What a coincidence—are you here for the buffet too?”

Yu Qing looked at Lin Wei, pretending to have just recognized her.

He clapped his hands, put on a “delighted” face, then glanced at his watch and adopted a look of regret.

“That’s really unfortunate. I just finished eating and have urgent business to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. I won’t disturb your meal any longer.”

With that, he stood up abruptly and started to leave.

But as he passed Lin Wei, a familiar small hand grabbed his shirt.

History seemed to repeat itself as that not-so-clean hand pulled Yu Qing back with surprising strength.

Alright, Yu Qing wasn’t actually that weak. Still, it would’ve been rude to leave while being held.

“Really, Senior.”

Lin Wei puffed out her cheeks and pointed accusingly at Yu Qing.

“Your acting is way too exaggerated!”

Even after Yu Qing returned to his seat, Lin Wei didn’t let go—instead, she gripped his shirt tighter, her lips pouting so much that an oil bottle could hang from them.

“You obviously saw me but pretended not to. Last time, I misunderstood you, thinking you were up to something with Fu Yitu. Yiyi scolded me too—I really know I was wrong now.”

Once the misunderstanding was cleared and Lin Wei realized Yu Qing wasn’t the type to harbor ulterior motives toward Fu Yitu, she relaxed.

Since they’d gotten along well before, she hoped to become friends with Yu Qing and turn hostility into harmony.

“That’s great.”

Yu Qing forced a smile.

Though he suffered inside, making friends with Lin Wei in his own identity wasn’t a bad thing.

“So Senior is a friend brought by Qing Huan-jie’s boyfriend? What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to meet you here!”

After saying that, Lin Wei finally released Yu Qing’s shirt and cheerfully began chatting with him.

“Qing Huan-jie?”

Yu Qing blinked and instinctively looked at Li Ming.

Only then did he realize Li Ming hadn’t introduced the other two girls.

Li Ming, who had been chatting with the other two, turned at the mention, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and flashed a subtle smile—both satisfied and slightly off-plan.

“This is Qing Huan, my girlfriend. I’ve mentioned her before. These two are her friends.”

He pointed to the two girls who were covering their mouths and laughing at Yu Qing and Lin Wei’s antics, then gestured to Lin Wei beside Yu Qing.

Then he looked at Lin Wei, then Yu Qing, curiosity nearly overflowing from his gaze.

“So you two know each other?”

Can I say I don’t?

Yu Qing thought to himself, plotting how to explain their connection, but Lin Wei answered first.

“Yes, we’re in the same group. Later, we got to know each other better while playing badminton. Senior isn’t just great at badminton—he also did most of the group project work!”

Lin Wei explained clearly, recounting her initial acquaintance with Yu Qing and their later interactions.

Obviously, this dumb husky only behaved properly in front of strangers.

Otherwise, why were the other two girls laughing so much?

Only at times like this did she act human.

Thinking of Lin Wei’s silly side, Yu Qing shook his head more and more as he listened.