MLROCSHR Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Just Playing Around

Chapter 10: Just Playing Around

Waking up from a night’s sleep, the day was bright.

As expected, Qi Luzhi wasn’t home again. After this happening twice, Lian Xun was actually getting used to it.

He ate breakfast as usual and went to work. This time, he finally remembered to cover the marks on his neck, so Ling Yu wouldn’t make a fuss again.

Having contact information made things a lot easier. Lian Xun would harass Qi Luzhi whenever he had time, even though Qi Luzhi might only reply to one out of every ten messages he sent.

That day, after finishing his work, Li Yang carried his coffee and ran to Qi Luzhi’s Office to chat.

“Hey, Qi, you’ve been getting pretty close to Lian, the CEO of Xun Qi Technologies, lately. I’ve seen him come to the company to find you several times.”

“Don’t tell me there’s really something going on between you two? I still remember Lian sending you those corny pick-up lines publicly in the group chat the other day. I don’t believe he accidentally sent them.”

Li Yang sat on the sofa, elegantly crossed his legs, and leisurely swirled his coffee cup in one hand.

“Are you very free?” Qi Luzhi was too lazy to pay attention to him, flipping through the contract in his hand without looking up.

“I am quite free.” Li Yang took a small sip of coffee. “So, what’s really going on between you and CEO Lian?”

“Nothing, just playing around. I won’t get back together with him,” Qi Luzhi said nonchalantly.

It took Li Yang several seconds to react. “You won’t… get back together with him?”

“Wait, let me sort this out. So, Lian Xun is that scumbag ex who dumped you twice?”

Li Yang was just bored and wanted to gossip a little, but he didn’t expect to get such a big scoop.

“Hey, Qi, don’t tell me you really can’t let him go? Take a brother’s advice, if you still like him, then just give him another chance. If you don’t like him, then just break it off cleanly.”

“What’s the difference between you ‘just playing around’ and him? That’s scumbag behavior!” Li Yang said bluntly.

Qi Luzhi’s hand paused as he was flipping through the contract, as if his secret thoughts had been exposed.

Still… like him?

He seemed to have never seriously considered why he was getting tangled up with Lian Xun like this. Did he still like him? Or was it just because he was unwilling to accept it?

He just couldn’t reject Lian Xun’s advances every time.

Letting things develop ambiguously like this seemed pretty scummy indeed.

But if he were to break it off cleanly, a strong voice in his heart said that he was unwilling.

Lian Xun had dumped him twice, so it wouldn’t be too much to get back at him, right? It wouldn’t be too late to break up after he got tired of playing around.

“He’s just a plaything to me now. What’s wrong with that? Is he allowed to be a scumbag to me, but I’m not allowed to be a scumbag to him?” Qi Luzhi smiled dismissively. “I wasn’t a good person to begin with.”

“Sigh, love is terrible. Do whatever you want, just don’t get carried away,” Li Yang shook his head helplessly.

“When I’m tired of playing around, I’ll naturally break it off cleanly with him. I know what I’m doing, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Li Yang knew that he couldn’t persuade Qi Luzhi, so he didn’t say anything more. However, after learning that Lian Xun was Qi Luzhi’s ex, he had a “scumbag” filter towards Lian Xun in his mind.

Someone suddenly knocked on the door. The two of them put away their laziness and called for the person to come in.

Secretary Feng opened the door and smiled, making a gesture to invite someone in. “CEO Lian, please.” Then, she looked at Qi Luzhi again. “I just saw CEO Lian standing at the door for a while. I thought you weren’t in the Office, so I came over to check.”

“Okay, go back to your work,” Qi Luzhi’s heart tightened. How much of his conversation with Li Yang had Lian Xun heard?

“Oh, CEO Lian, you’re here again. Is there anything I can help you with?” Li Yang’s tone became sarcastic.

Lian Xun looked at Qi Luzhi, his expression not very good. “CEO Qi said that there’s a dinner party tonight that requires my attendance and asked me to come to the company to find him before getting off work.”

He had originally come to find Qi Luzhi happily, wanting to give him a surprise, but he had heard those words at the door.

He had thought that these days of getting along, he and Qi Luzhi were slowly getting closer, but he never expected it to be just a pipe dream.

Qi Luzhi always used harsh words to embarrass him. It seemed that he really didn’t love him anymore. Was there still any need for him to persist?

It was just humiliating himself!

Li Yang was stunned for two seconds, then got up and came to Qi Luzhi’s side, whispering, “Hey, Qi, is he the partner you mentioned for the dinner party?”

“Yes, do you have any objections?” Qi Luzhi raised his eyes slightly.

“No, good luck to you!” Li Yang patted Qi Luzhi’s shoulder and left the Office.

In the large CEO’s Office, only Lian Xun and Qi Luzhi were left. Lian Xun stared at Qi Luzhi intently, with a hint of sadness in his eyes, making Qi Luzhi feel uncomfortable all over.

“Sit down for a while, it’s still early,” Qi Luzhi raised his chin and pointed to the sofa.

Lian Xun didn’t move, still standing in place. After a while, he said softly, “Qi Luzhi, I have a question I want to ask you. Please, be sure to answer me truthfully.”

Lian Xun’s tone was so solemn and serious that Qi Luzhi couldn’t bear to refuse him.

“Ask.”

“Do you… still have a little bit of affection for me? Even just a little bit?”

Qi Luzhi was silent, his hands on the table gradually clenching.

“I know that leaving without saying goodbye seven years ago was my fault. I thought about looking for you, but I couldn’t… You’re right to hate me, and I have no objections if you want to take revenge on me, but… but, no matter what, please don’t drive me away, okay?”

Qi Luzhi had just said that when he was tired of playing around, he would break it off cleanly with him. Lian Xun was afraid that this day would really come.

As he spoke, Lian Xun felt his eyes getting more and more sore, and his nose felt like it was being stung by onions.

He stopped talking because he would not be able to hold back his sobs if he spoke.

Qi Luzhi’s eyes were dark. The person in front of him was on the verge of tears, humbly asking him if he still loved him. He felt that his heart was aching as if it was being repeatedly trampled on by a pair of large hands.

He didn’t want to see Lian Xun sad, it hurt him more than Lian Xun dumping him.

“Forget it, it’s better if I don’t know,” Lian Xun lowered his eyes and walked to the sofa aside dejectedly, sitting down.

“Lian Xun,” Qi Luzhi called out urgently.

“Give me a little more time, I’ll think it over and give you an answer.”

A steady and firm voice came, Lian Xun looked up and met Qi Luzhi’s serious eyes, as if he had seen hope again.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

For some reason, Qi Luzhi suddenly regretted the trash talk he had with Li Yang that afternoon.

What “just playing around?” When did he become such a terrible person?

In any case, Lian Xun was the person he had loved in the palm of his hand, the only person he had ever loved.

He had hated Lian Xun’s betrayal, but now if he were to ask him if he still hated him? He didn’t know. Perhaps from the moment they reunited, he had already had the answer in his heart, but he was afraid of repeating the same mistakes and was unwilling to face it.

The two of them were silent, the atmosphere in the Office was awkward and dull. There were still two hours before leaving for the dinner party, and it was really uncomfortable to just stay there.

Lian Xun found an excuse to go out for a stroll, but everywhere he went, people were secretly gossiping behind his back, probably because the incident of publicly flirting with Qi Luzhi in the group chat had already spread like wildfire in the company.

Lian Xun had no choice but to return to the Office.

His stomach rumbled inappropriately, sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet Office.

Qi Luzhi got up and picked up his suit jacket, putting it on. “Let’s go, let’s eat first.”

“Isn’t the dinner party still early?” Lian Xun asked in confusion.

“You won’t be full at that kind of event, I’ll take you to eat a proper meal first.”

“Oh.” Lian Xun smiled, feeling a little better.