1novels Chapter 192 See You Later
Chapter 192 See You Later
The interview finally ended, and it was time to close.
To reward everyone for their hard work during this period, Lu Yuan treated everyone to a meal.
This list of invitees naturally includes Xia Anqi, who provided much-needed assistance to Yuanxian Wardrobe.
Considering Xia Anqi's upper-class background and her inherent arrogance, it would be disrespectful to invite her to a bustling, smoky food stall for a hearty meal.
After a moment's thought, Lu Yuan finally settled on a private room in an elegant upscale restaurant.
The atmosphere at the dinner was harmonious and warm.
Everyone felt nothing but gratitude towards Xia Anqi.
In fact, it's obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that, given her taste, she probably wouldn't be interested in the affordable clothes in Yuanxian's wardrobe.
But in order to help promote them, she pretended to love the clothes and really liked them when she tried them on. This condescending effort touched everyone.
In addition, since everyone had heard about her complicated past with Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian, seeing her so magnanimous now, they felt even more admiration for her.
Encouraged and urged on by the crowd, Lu Yuan was pushed to the forefront.
As the owner of Yuanxian Wardrobe, he should take the lead in expressing his gratitude.
He picked up his teacup, using tea instead of wine, and looked at Xia Anqi with a solemn expression: "Xia Anqi, thank you so much for your help this time. No matter the final outcome, your help is of great significance to us. On behalf of Yuanxian Wardrobe, this small shop, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you."
"So cheesy." Xia Anqi pouted arrogantly, but a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.
She generously raised her glass and lightly clinked it with Lu Yuan's, acknowledging his gesture.
A burst of hearty laughter immediately filled the private room, making the atmosphere even more relaxed and harmonious.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and the meal continued until nightfall, when they finally dispersed, still feeling the meal was not over.
"Lu Yuan, Yi Xian, let's head back now. We have to go to work tomorrow."
Gao Zhe and Wang Qingyu were the last to leave.
After they left, only Lu Yuan, Ye Yixian, and Xia Anqi remained in the large private room.
Xia Anqi didn't rush to leave, as if she wanted to say something to them privately, which is why everyone tactfully took their leave first.
However, she just sat there quietly without saying a word, which puzzled Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian.
After much deliberation, Lu Yuan broke the silence: "Xia Anqi, in a few days, once our business has completely stabilized, Yixian and I plan to hold a graduation banquet together. We would be honored if you could join us for a meal at our house."
This was naturally Ye Yixian's idea as well.
To be honest, Ye Yixian was somewhat wary of Xia Anqi, but he certainly didn't dislike her.
On the contrary, she even secretly admired this woman, and occasionally wondered when she would be able to grow into a woman as charming, composed, and confident as Xia Anqi.
Xia Anqi lowered her eyes and took a small sip of tea.
She glanced at the two people snuggling together, a complex smile playing on her lips, but ultimately shook her head: "No, I'm busy."
"No, you..." Lu Yuan frowned slightly, thinking that Xia Anqi was still sulking and unwilling to keep the appointment.
Xia Anqi raised her hand to stop his questioning and explained calmly, "I really don't have time. I'm going to Beijing soon. My family has already made arrangements for me. I'll be studying at university there for the next few years and will hardly come back."
Upon hearing this, the air in the private room seemed to freeze for a moment, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
The relationship between the three of them is certainly complicated, but having reached this point, they have developed a tacit understanding of mutual respect.
Now that the time for parting has truly arrived, a sense of melancholy inevitably wells up in my heart.
Perhaps after Xia Anqi has studied in the capital for a few years and met someone better, she will completely let go of her obsession with Lu Yuan, and they will never meet again.
Xia Anqi looked at Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian quietly, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about something trivial: "That's it, Lu Yuan. Back in school, I did cause you a lot of trouble, but now that I've helped you, we're even."
After saying that, she stood up and prepared to leave.
"When are you going to the capital?" Ye Yixian, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
Xia Anqi looked at her with some surprise.
Ye Yixian met her gaze and added, "No matter what, we've known each other for a while, and we should see you off on the day you leave."
"Hehe, forget it." Xia Anqi chuckled lightly, instantly reverting to her haughty demeanor. "Ye Yixian, to be honest, I don't really like you, especially when I see you with Lu Yuan. Of course, if you're willing to let Lu Yuan come and see me off alone, I might consider accepting."
"Then do you need it?" Ye Yixian wasn't angry; instead, she asked him with utmost seriousness.
Her eyes seemed to say that as long as Xia Anqi nodded, she could really let her boyfriend take her away alone.
Lu Yuan stood aside, understanding the situation perfectly.
This was Ye Yixian's absolute trust in him, and also her final act of tenderness and comfort towards Xia Anqi.
Xia Anqi was visibly taken aback for a moment, then shook her head and chuckled, "Never mind, I don't need it. I don't need anyone's pity. I'll get what I want through my own efforts."
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and placed her hand on the doorknob.
Just before leaving, she stopped and turned back to look at Ye Yixian, her gaze intense: "Ye Yixian, see you after graduation. I hope that by then, you'll be worthy of being my opponent."
Ye Yixian pursed her lips.
She knew that Xia Anqi's words were not meant to be contemptuous, but rather to state an objective fact: she was indeed not yet qualified to be Xia Anqi's opponent.
But she knew she needed to become better.
So she smiled faintly and met his gaze without flinching: "Yes, I will try my best to become better. See you after graduation."
"Okay, goodbye!"
Xia Anqi casually tossed out two words, pushed open the door, and left Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian's world completely.
As the door closed, Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian breathed a sigh of relief, but a sense of melancholy welled up in their hearts.
They simply couldn't bring themselves to dislike Xia Anqi.
Xia Anqi's departure is truly permanent.
She knew her mission well; she was destined to be a woman who would achieve great things in the future.
But what happens after she reaches the top?
What kind of trials will Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian face?
Will her undying obsession with Lu Yuan one day turn her into the most formidable villain in Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian's relationship and career?
Of course, we will leave these unknown challenges for later.
……
In the following days, Yuanxian Wardrobe was busy preparing to reopen, and the store was unusually quiet for a while.
That day, Uncle Qian came to the door.
He was full of regret, saying that he shouldn't have taken over Lu Yuan's batch of goods. Although they could be sold, it was still unknown whether he could break even.
However, his main purpose in coming today was to find out who was behind the rumors circulating online about Yuanxian Wardrobe.
Lu Yuan was naturally confused, since they hadn't posted those messages.
He was also very curious about who hated Yuanxian Wardrobe so much that they would openly write so many rumors.
Could it be some jealous competitor?
Fortunately, these rumors inadvertently helped Lu Yuan by generating buzz, so there was nothing to delve into.
"If I catch that bastard, I'll skin him alive!" Uncle Qian cursed angrily, his expression fierce and quite frightening.
As the situation developed, the person who spread the rumors seemed to realize that things were not going well, deleted the posts and ran away, making it difficult to track them down.
But Uncle Qian couldn't swallow this insult and kept asking around for information.
Lu Yuan thought the matter would just end there, but unexpectedly, that night when he was lying in bed scrolling through his phone, someone in the group said that Hou Mingyu had been beaten up and hospitalized.
It is said that he was the one who spread rumors about Yuanxian Wardrobe behind people's backs, which led to this beating.
Upon seeing the message, Gao Zhe immediately sent a private message: [Brother Yuan, you're ruthless! You actually took care of Hou Mingyu?]
Lu Yuan stared at the screen, completely bewildered, and replied: "I didn't even know it was him, how could I possibly punish him?"
Gao Zhe: [Not you? Could it be Uncle Qian? But how did Uncle Qian know it was him?]
Lu Yuan also felt that it was most likely Qian Shuqian's, after all, Qian Shuqian hated the rumor-monger to the bone.
He didn't expect that the mastermind was Hou Mingyu, but considering that he and Hou Mingyu had some past grievances, the other party did have a motive for committing the crime.
The question is, how did Uncle Qian manage to trace it back to Hou Mingyu?
Could it be that Uncle Qian has connections everywhere and can find out about such underhanded dealings?
Of course, it's also possible that an acquaintance tipped them off.
As for who the informant was, that remains unknown.