Chapter 101: Su Jiaqi Went Too Far

At the Olympic Garden International Exhibition Center in Beiyang City, China, an auto show was underway, featuring over a hundred different models from dozens of global car brands. Crowds of people strolled through the exhibition, admiring and selecting vehicles that caught their eye.

Almost every car had a cluster of onlookers gathered in front of it, predominantly men. It was hard to tell whether they were listening intently to the sales representatives' pitches or ogling the scantily clad swimsuit models posing beside the cars.

Meanwhile, some women attracted equally fervent gazes from the men, thanks to their own striking looks. Among them, Su Jiaqi stood out. Since arriving at the show that morning, she had drawn the wolfish stares of several men.

Yet, the thing troubling her most at this moment wasn’t the leering eyes around her, but rather the man walking closely beside her.

“Jiaqi, I have to say, it seems fate keeps bringing us together. How about we take a stroll together?” Zhang Dexing trailed beside Su Jiaqi, his shifty eyes constantly scanning her chest and face.

“Mr. Zhang, sorry, but I came here today with my boyfriend. I’m going to shop with him,” Su Jiaqi replied coldly, clearly disinterested and somewhat repulsed by the man.

“Look, Jiaqi, you keep saying you came with your boyfriend, but I’ve been with you for over ten minutes, and I still haven’t seen a trace of him,” Zhang Dexing chided as if scolding a child.

Su Jiaqi felt speechless inside. Boyfriend? Of course, she didn’t have one. That was just a line to get rid of Zhang Dexing. But this guy was relentless, completely unfazed.

Zhang Dexing wasn’t unattractive—quite the opposite. He was a well-dressed man in a suit, sporting a Rolex watch—an image of a successful professional. As a project manager at the Li Corporation, he was considered a rising star.

Despite Su Jiaqi’s repeated refusals, he clung to her like a stubborn piece of adhesive tape, draining her patience.

What to do? How could she shake him off? Frustrated, Su Jiaqi glanced around.

At that moment, her eyes caught sight of a tall, slender figure. She paused briefly, then gritted her teeth and walked toward the silhouette.

...

Xue Tianai was staring blankly at a small green domestic hatchback, a QQ model, but his mind wasn’t on the car.

He couldn’t quite make sense of the conversation he’d had with Qin Mengxue that morning. Why did Cen An’an think they were showing off their affection? It had been an entirely normal exchange!

He had wanted to ask Cen An’an what exactly was so lovey-dovey about it, but after hearing Cen An’an’s words, Qin Mengxue blushed fiercely and whisked her away to school without giving him a chance.

After tidying himself up, Xue Tianai had come to the auto show recommended by Xia Shuxiao to browse cars.

Cars were a familiar subject for Xue Tianai. He had driven many well-known brands and owned over twenty customized luxury vehicles at the Butterfly Base.

With such refined tastes, he wasn’t impressed by the Volkswagen Phaeton Qin Mengxue drove. Since arriving, he hadn’t sought out any attractive saleswomen but wandered around, his mind preoccupied with the question about Cen An’an’s supposed display of affection.

Unable to solve the puzzle, Xue Tianai sighed softly and pushed the thought aside to focus on the cars. Just as he was about to leave, a hand suddenly looped around his arm from behind.

“Really, Tianai, how could you just leave me alone and come here?”

Startled, Xue Tianai looked down and froze upon recognizing the person holding his arm. What on earth was going on?

He never imagined he’d bump into someone he knew at the auto show. No, “know” was too mild—“enemy” was a better word. Su Jiaqi stood there with an awkward, stiff smile, her cheeks flushed a deep red.

“Su Jia—”

“Xue, don’t ask questions, don’t say anything! Since we work at the same company, help me out,” Su Jiaqi whispered urgently.

“Jiaqi, why did you suddenly leave? And who’s this?” Zhang Dexing had followed over and now saw Su Jiaqi clinging closely to Xue Tianai’s arm.

Su Jiaqi’s tension melted away. She leaned shyly and affectionately against Xue Tianai. Looking between Zhang Dexing and Su Jiaqi’s unusual closeness, Xue Tianai was puzzled. What was going on now?

“Mr. Zhang, this is my boyfriend, Xue Tianai. We came to buy a car together today. He just went to the restroom. Thank you for your kindness,” Su Jiaqi said coquettishly, casting a radiant smile at a stunned Xue Tianai. Her cheeks flushed deeper.

Though her smile seemed flawless to outsiders, to Xue Tianai it was like a witch’s sly grin. Now he understood—she was playing the role of girlfriend to fend off suitors.

Almost instinctively, Xue Tianai raised his hand in protest. “No... I don’t—”

With a subtle but firm motion, Su Jiaqi pinched the flesh on his arm hard.

“Hi, I’m Jiaqi’s boyfriend, Xue Tianai,” he quickly changed course, cursing silently in his mind. Damn, this woman always had tricks up her sleeve.

Zhang Dexing narrowed his eyes, evaluating Xue Tianai. The man was indeed handsome but wore cheap casual sportswear, lacked a luxury watch, and had no fancy belt—hardly the image of a wealthy man.

His demeanor instantly shifted to one of arrogance. He deliberately extended his Rolex-clad hand, feigning warmth. “Mr. Xue, hello. Miss Su told me she had a boyfriend, but I wasn’t convinced. May I ask where you work?”

“Tianai, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zhang Dexing, project manager in the entertainment department of the Li Corporation,” Su Jiaqi said smoothly.

“Oh, so you’re Mr. Zhang, the manager. Nice to meet you. I work at home as a professional adult content reviewer, an expert in anime criticism, and a competitive e-sports player!” Xue Tianai promptly withdrew his arm from Su Jiaqi’s grip and shook Zhang’s hand firmly, giving it a little shake.

“In short, I’m a professional homebody who watches adult videos, anime, and plays games,” he added as if fearing Zhang wouldn’t understand.

...

Silence. A stunned Su Jiaqi and a somewhat dumbfounded Zhang Dexing. A professional homebody? Was that even a career? And how could Xue Tianai say it with such pride?

Su Jiaqi felt uneasy. Xue Tianai was the assistant to the president of DreamGlory Group, yet here he was, playing the role of a homebody. Clearly, he was deliberately acting for her sake.

“Um, Mr. Zhang, if there’s nothing else, Tianai and I will continue looking at cars. We don’t want to take up your time,” Su Jiaqi quickly said, pulling Xue Tianai gently away, anxious to prevent him from saying anything else awkward.

“No trouble at all. Since it’s such a coincidence, why don’t we look together? I’m also planning to get a new car and know a thing or two about vehicles. I can offer you both some advice. What do you think?” Zhang Dexing said nonchalantly, though his gaze toward Xue Tianai was full of contempt.

“Great! With Mr. Zhang as our guide, I’m sure Jiaqi and I will find the perfect car!” Xue Tianai smiled lightly, looping his arm around Su Jiaqi’s slender waist.

“Right, Jiaqi?” he said with a playful grin. Since she wanted him to play boyfriend, he might as well act the part—and take advantage of the opportunity.

“Ah... yes...” Su Jiaqi’s lips twitched as she forced a smile, looking back at him. That scoundrel was shamelessly wrapping his arm around her waist while pretending to be her boyfriend. But now there was no turning back—they had to keep up the act and get rid of Zhang Dexing first.

As for settling scores with Xue Tianai later, there would be plenty of time.

“That’s perfect. I’ll do my best to help you find the right car,” Zhang Dexing said, watching Xue Tianai holding Su Jiaqi’s waist with growing jealousy, though he masked it well. After a pause, he continued, “By the way, Mr. Xue, which car were you looking at earlier? Is there a favorite?”

“Yeah, I was eyeing that green QQ. It’s compact, simple, and only costs twenty thousand yuan—cheap and economical. The value for money is excellent!”

...

Su Jiaqi wished she could disappear into the floor. Her face burned with embarrassment. Whether or not Xue Tianai was telling the truth, she felt utterly humiliated. Inwardly, she screamed: this was a disaster.

(Happy Qixi Festival to everyone!)