"Hiss..." Ye Qian took a deep breath in pain. This woman really knew how to retaliate. Turning his head, Ye Qian smiled slightly, pinched Qin Yue's cheek, and said, "Good girl!"
Qin Yue could hardly believe that this rascal was playing along like this. To an outsider, it looked exactly like a couple flirting, which made Wei Chenglong grit his teeth in anger. He couldn't bear to watch any longer, or he might really get a heart attack.
"Qin Yue, I'll leave now. Remember to come to the party on the weekend," Wei Chenglong said before turning and walking out.
"Let go of me," Qin Yue glared at Ye Qian as soon as Wei Chenglong left.
Ye Qian chuckled, letting go of Qin Yue's shoulder and saying, "Ah, burning bridges after crossing the river, it really hurts my heart."
Qin Yue glared at Ye Qian helplessly and said, "You're lucky I haven't settled the score with you yet for pinching my cheek."
"Be reasonable, will you? You pinched me first," Ye Qian said innocently.
"You took advantage of me first. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have pinched you," Qin Yue retorted.
"I was just acting to make it believable for him. Otherwise, how would he believe it?" Ye Qian explained.
"I don't care. It's still your fault," Qin Yue insisted.
"Fine, it's my fault. I was an idiot, okay? Women really are unreasonable," Ye Qian muttered, then asked, "By the way, who was that guy? He seems to really like you."
Qin Yue snorted disdainfully and said, "He's just unwilling to give up. Have you heard of Dongxiang Group?"
"Dongxiang Group? I think I've heard of it," Ye Qian remembered Zhao Tianhao mentioning Dongxiang Group not long ago, so he nodded.
"He's the young master of Dongxiang Group. Dongxiang Group is very powerful in SH City. Aren't you afraid of Wei Chenglong taking revenge on you?" Qin Yue asked teasingly.
"Huh? You should have told me earlier. This is bad. I jumped into a pit of fire. No, I need to clarify with Wei Chenglong that you're not my girlfriend and that I was just brought in to take the fall," Ye Qian said, pretending to be scared.
"You dare!" Qin Yue glared at Ye Qian.
"Damn, why wouldn't I dare? Pretending to be your boyfriend didn't get me any benefits, and now my life is at risk. Why should I do it?" Ye Qian said.
"Don't swear," Qin Yue scolded, then smiled slightly and asked, "What benefit do you want?"
Ye Qian chuckled and said, "Since you're my girlfriend now, at least let me kiss you, right?"
"In your dreams. No way. Besides, we were just acting," Qin Yue rejected immediately. But then she thought she had used Ye Qian, even though he had volunteered. She felt she should give him some reward. Smiling slightly, Qin Yue said, "How about I accompany you to dinner?"
"Just dinner? Do you think I'm Wei Chenglong, that fool?" Ye Qian waved his hand repeatedly and said, "No way. Besides, do I look like I have money?"
"I'll treat you. Is that okay?" Qin Yue asked.
"Well, that's more like it. Alright, I'll reluctantly accept," Ye Qian said, acting as if he was doing Qin Yue a huge favor by letting her treat him to dinner.
Seeing Ye Qian's smug expression, Qin Yue glared at him and said, "Wait for me after school in the afternoon. Be on time, or I won't wait."
"Hehe, I'm always punctual when there are benefits," Ye Qian said with a grin.
Although Ye Qian often acted like a rascal, Qin Yue was sure it was just a façade. She had seen many rascals, and her family had uncles and brothers who were all gangsters. "Alright, go back to class. I need to prepare for my lessons," Qin Yue said, looking down at her notes.
Ye Qian shrugged helplessly and walked out.
Before he reached the classroom door, Ye Qian's phone rang. Answering it, he heard Zhao Tianhao's voice, "Ye Qian, it's Zhao Tianhao. I think your idea is very good. Let's do as you suggested."
Ye Qian was puzzled and asked, "What idea?"
"Didn't you suggest pretending to be Yaya's boyfriend? She called me just now, and I thought it was a good idea, so I went along with it. Don't worry, you can continue protecting her as her boyfriend. This should help with your mission," Zhao Tianhao said.
Ye Qian finally understood. He had planned to call Zhao Tianhao first, but Zhao Tianhao had already cooperated. He wondered what Zhao Ya's reaction was. Thinking about it made Ye Qian smile. "Alright! Sorry for making decisions without your consent, Mr. Zhao. Please forgive me," Ye Qian said, feeling pleased but acting humble.
Zhao Tianhao chuckled and said, "No problem. My daughter needs your care. If she offends you, please don't take it personally."
Ye Qian felt very satisfied, thinking this was like a royal decree to pursue a girl. Zhao Tianhao seemed like an understanding father-in-law. After some more pleasantries, Ye Qian hung up. It was break time, and as Ye Qian reached the classroom door, he saw most of the students had left. Zhao Ya was sitting there, looking angry.
Ye Qian felt a chill and turned to leave. "Stop!" Zhao Ya spotted the culprit and shouted.
Ye Qian turned back with a smile and walked over to Zhao Ya, saying, "Wife, what's your command?"
"Who's your wife? Don't call me that. It sounds awful. I'm telling you, there's no way I'll marry you," Zhao Ya said.
"If not wife, then how about sweetheart?" Ye Qian said. He had planned to avoid or placate her, but standing beside her, he couldn't resist teasing her. "Sweetheart, marriage is about compromise. Don't be picky. There won't be another chance like this. I might not be a handsome guy, but I have what a man should have. Let's get the paperwork done quickly so you can give me a bunch of kids."