Chapter 15: He Wasn’t as Disgusting as She Imagined

Chapter 15: He Wasn't as Disgusting as She Imagined

To be able to sit next to Qi Yushu for dinner, Ruan Yi tidied up and went downstairs to sit at the dining table in the living room.

Gu Qiao was the second to arrive. Seeing Ruan Yi sitting at the table, he couldn't help but tease, "Ruan Yi, didn't you tell me you wanted to lose weight? Why are you so eager to eat?"

"You also told me you wanted to lose weight. Shouldn't you skip dinner tonight then?" Ruan Yi retorted casually.

Gu Qiao's face turned bright red. When did she become so good at retorting? Just one episode of the show, and she had left him speechless several times.

"You know, President Jiang is here. If I don't eat dinner, he'll get angry."

Gu Qiao knew that Ruan Yi liked Jiang Yan very much. After saying this, he pretended to be coy, pressing his lips together. He wanted Ruan Yi to know that the person he deeply loved favored him, and would surely feel heartache if he didn't eat.

"But you might not know, if I don't eat, my Qi Yushu will also get angry," Ruan Yi smiled sweetly at him. "If my Qi Yushu gets angry, it won't be easy to calm him down."

"But Ruan Yi, I don't think Qi Yushu looks like someone who would care if you don't eat. Saying that might mislead everyone. What if it brings some negative impact on Qi Yushu?"

Qi Yushu's fans were already fed up with Ruan Yi trying to ride on Qi Yushu's popularity. Gu Qiao's words made them hate Ruan Yi even more.

"Ha, saying Qi Yushu cares about him is like saying my sow can climb trees."

"Qi Yushu cares that you don't eat? Don't fantasize."

"Qi Yushu has clearly expressed his dislike. Why does he still try to cling on?"

"Ruan Yi really sets a new low for me."

"Gu Qiao is quite nice. As long as you stand against Ruan Yi, we're good brothers."

"Ruan Yi raised an eyebrow. 'Sure, he doesn’t like me now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. I’m just getting a head start.'"

Unaware that Qi Yudai was standing behind him, Ruan Yi continued speaking.

"Qi Yudai," Gu Qiao’s voice softened as soon as he saw Qi Yudai approaching.

"Crap..." Ruan Yi stiffened and slowly turned around. "Hi, Qi Yudai, here for dinner? Sit next to me."

Their eyes met, and a flicker of disdain crossed Qi Yudai’s eyes.

He pulled out the chair farthest from Ruan Yi and sat down.

It was ridiculous that Ruan Yi still fantasized about it, even after it had been made clear that it wouldn’t happen.

"How delusional," he thought, having heard Ruan Yi’s words—that he might be liked in the future.

Smugly, Gu Qiao shot Ruan Yi a smug smile before sitting next to Qi Yudai.

"Hello, Qi Yudai."

"Hmm," Qi Yudai responded, not even turning his head to look at Gu Qiao.

The more he ignored him, the more Gu Qiao’s imagination ran wild. He could already imagine what it would feel like to charm someone as aloof and refined as him.

"I’m your fan. I’ve watched many of your movies," Gu Qiao chose to start a conversation about Qi Yudai’s films. "The Sea is my favorite. The atmosphere is beautiful."

He had done his homework before coming. Qi Yudai had once publicly stated that his favorite role was in The Sea, so phrasing it this way would surely get a response.

"Hmm, I like that movie too."

"Really? That's such a surprise. Qi Yushu, I have a question. The blue moon drawn in the protagonist's diary in your movie has a symbolic meaning, right?"

Qi Yushu nodded. "Yes, the blue moon in his diary..."

Ruan Yi's smile vanished when Qi Yushu chose to sit as far away from him as possible.

He watched Qi Yushu and Gu Qiao having a pleasant conversation with a cold expression. Every movement and expression of Gu Qiao's felt incredibly irritating.

When had he ever been treated like this before? He had already humbly asked Qi Yushu to sit next to him, but he ended up sitting as far away as possible, as if he was some kind of virus.

"Host, don't be angry. Qi Yushu's character is like this. You've only known him for a day; it's normal for him to act like this."

"I really don't want to..."

"Host, think about one million, ten million, one hundred million, a billion!!!"

"How could I not want to continue the pursuit? A guy who plays hard to get is the most fun to chase, right, little system?"

"Host, you've figured it out. I'll step aside then."

The system was right. He had only known Qi Yushu for a day, and his character was that of an aloof and detached high-profile actor. It was normal for him to act like this. As long as he persisted, he would definitely win him over.

Ruan Yi gave himself a little pep talk.

Soon, the others came down for dinner. Ruan Yi looked up and noticed that Jiang Yan wasn't there.

Gu Qiao also found it strange and asked Chi Feng, "Where is Jiang Yan?"

Chi Feng sat down next to him. "He drank some vinegar this afternoon and said his stomach was uncomfortable, so he's skipping dinner."

"I see, I'll cook some porridge later and bring it to him."

This was Gu Qiao's way of managing men, Ruan Yi mentally scoffed at her tactics.

Pei Yang was the last to come down and, seeing that both seats next to Gu Qiao were occupied, he had no choice but to sit next to Ruan Yi.

He glanced at Gu Qiao, feeling disappointed, and felt even worse when he realized his crush wasn't looking at him, but was talking to Qi Yushu.

Just then, a playful "Hey!" came from beside him.

He turned his head to see Ruan Yi picking up a piece of fragrant braised pork, putting it in his mouth, and closing his eyes in happiness as he savored it.

After swallowing the pork, Ruan Yi, seeing Pei Yang looking at him, pointed at the dish with his chopsticks. "It's really delicious. Why aren't you eating?"

"I don't have an appetite."

"You can't let love slip away and miss out on a good meal, too," Ruan Yi said as he picked up another piece. "Eat, it'll improve your mood."

Although Pei Yang didn't want to eat at first, seeing Ruan Yi enjoy his food so much made him unable to resist. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. Just as Ruan Yi had said, the braised pork was tender and incredibly tasty.

"Delicious, right?" Ruan Yi raised an eyebrow. "Let's try some other dishes."

"Okay."

Before he realized it, Pei Yang had eaten quite a bit with Ruan Yi.

Even though Ruan Yi often teased the guy he liked, his words about food improving one's mood were indeed true.

"So full," he gently rubbed his stomach. His manager usually kept him on a strict diet, and he hadn't had such a satisfying meal in ages.

He turned to Ruan Yi and saw that he was silently watching Qí Yushu.

"Hey Ruan Yi, thanks."

"What for?"

"Just, I really enjoyed hanging out and eating with you today."

Ruan Yi didn’t expect that and chuckled. "You’re pretty cute, Pei Yang."

Pei Yang was caught off guard by the compliment and paused for a moment. He didn’t expect the supposedly bad-tempered and sarcastic Ruan Yi to talk like that. Turns out, Ruan Yi wasn’t as bad as he’d thought, and maybe even kind of cool.