CHAPTER 440: CHAPTER 440: CHRISTMAS "SURPRISE

The place where Lu Qilin and Tang Yanqi agreed to meet was called "Taohuawu," a place serving Hangzhou cuisine. The environment was elegant, with dim lighting inside, and white mist all around, creating a fairy-tale-like atmosphere.

When Tang Yanqi arrived, only Lu Qilin was there; the three dorm mates hadn’t arrived yet.

Sitting down opposite Lu Qilin, Tang Yanqi smiled slightly, "Senior."

Lu Qilin’s face had regained some of his former charm, looking less haggard, and he handed the menu to Tang Yanqi in a gentlemanly manner, "Take a look, see what you’d like to eat."

"Thanks, let’s wait a moment, they aren’t here yet."

"You look first, we can order when they arrive."

Tang Yanqi did not refuse. The difference between Lu Qilin and Sheng Jianan was that the places he took them to were never those that looked exorbitantly expensive, with menu prices that made one’s eyes pop out.

Although the place wasn’t cheap, it was still somewhere a salaried person could occasionally afford.

This made Tang Yanqi feel very comfortable. In fact, although the places Sheng Jianan took her to were delicious, she really wasn’t particularly fond of them.

But there was no way around it, because he was Sheng Jianan; whatever he did, she liked it.

"The signature chicken feet... Chengzi loves this."

"Salted egg yolk pumpkin, this one’s Bingbing’s favorite..."

Tang Yanqi diligently looked at the menu, while the man opposite her had a complex yet indulgent gaze resting upon her.

One hand was in his pocket, tightly gripping his phone.

[We cooperate, for mutual benefit; they don’t suit each other.]

Thinking of the text he received not long ago, Lu Qilin tightened his grip on the phone again.

He didn’t know who sent the message; it was untraceable due to computer processing, but the person on the other end clearly knew him, and them, very well.

The person had sent a long message, meticulously analyzing the unsuitability between Sheng Jianan and Tang Yanqi: one was domineering, decisive; the other appeared soft but was actually strong-willed and assertive.

One was a favored child of the heavens, the other a girl with a rough journey. One liked excitement, the other preferred quiet.

Standing on tiptoe to love someone is always exhausting, and once their relationship faces problems, emotionally and logically, the one who gets hurt the most is the person before him.

As a lawyer, Lu Qilin had seen too many family feuds. Originally, he had completely given up, but when he saw those so-called "facts," he had to admit that there was a slight wavering in his heart.

If Tang Yanqi truly were a wealthy heiress, he would have nothing to say, but she wasn’t.

Lu Qilin pressed his lips tightly, speaking, "Yanqi."

"Hm?"

Raising her eyes from the menu, Tang Yanqi’s bright eyes shimmered under the lights. Lu Qilin swallowed hard and swallowed the words back down, smiling, "Finished looking?"

The girl before him had happiness written all over her face. The path was hers, one she needed to walk with another man. It wasn’t something he, an outsider, could deem unsuitable and simply break them apart.

Lu Qilin was still a gentleman. He could silently like her, he could appear by her side when she needed, he could even destroy her marriage, but he could not destroy her happiness.

If her marriage wasn’t happy, he could use every means to take her away, but right now... she was very happy.

Lu Qilin stood up with a smile, "Keep looking; I’m going to the restroom."

Walking to a dimly lit corner, Lu Qilin took out his phone and casually replied to the message, then deleted all the messages.