Chapter 093: I'm Angry, Do You Still Like Me?

He Yunqing didn’t answer, simply tugging Jiang Yao along. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Yao, however, held fast to He Yunqing’s arm, refusing to move. If the man in the next room truly was Luo Yixian, then she absolutely couldn’t leave. The woman’s voice coming from the other side of the wall was most certainly not Ye Yiyi’s!

From next door, more voices drifted over.

“Yixian, if only you could be with just me,” the woman sighed softly. “I know you’re seeing others besides me. I saw the lipstick on your collar.”

“A person shouldn’t be too greedy,” the man replied. “The most important thing is to be happy together. Aren’t you happy with me?”

“But…” The woman sounded aggrieved.

“No buts. You know how messy our industry is. Compared to others, I’m already quite decent,” the man insisted.

Jiang Yao inwardly scoffed. Was there anyone else in showbiz quite like Luo Yixian? She doubted it. A man who could say such things was lower than dirt.

Yet the woman seemed utterly entranced, as if brainwashed. She clung to him, “Really? But I don’t think every man is like that. Look at He Yunqing, for example. He’s been doing really well lately, and he doesn’t seem like the messy type at all.”

“It’s all appearances. There are plenty of men in our circle who look perfect on the outside but are rotten within. Take He Yunqing—he’s just as bad. I know for a fact he’s dated so many women that I can’t even count them on my fingers, not to mention those ambiguous flings that never became official.”

Jiang Yao turned to look at He Yunqing. His brows had knit tightly together.

“Enough about other men. Isn’t it good to enjoy the happiness you have now?” “Yixian” said, pulling the woman into his arms again…

When Jiang Yao and He Yunqing left the hot springs, both their faces were gloomy. Jiang Yao cursed inwardly that she hadn’t had her phone with her—otherwise, she would have recorded every word that man said and played it for Ye Yiyi, so she could see the truth for herself.

The moment she got her phone, she called Ye Yiyi.

Ye Yiyi’s voice on the other end was listless. “Hello, Yao?”

“Didn’t you say you were going on a date with Luo Yixian today? Are you together right now?” Jiang Yao asked directly.

“No,” Ye Yiyi replied, disappointment evident in her tone. “I was just about to leave when he called to say some work came up and he couldn’t see me. I offered to accompany him to work, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Still, I can’t blame him—work should come first. It’s just a pity about our date, and the makeup you did for me…”

Hearing this, Jiang Yao was even more certain that the man next door was indeed Luo Yixian. She took a deep breath. “Yiyi, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Ye Yiyi’s voice was distracted.

“I…” Jiang Yao began, but the words caught in her throat. After a long hesitation, she finally said, “Never mind, I’ll tell you properly when I get back.”

Some things were best said face-to-face. At least then, Ye Yiyi could cry her heart out in her arms.

After hanging up, Jiang Yao grew angrier the more she thought about it, and her steps sped up accordingly. When she reached the car, she yanked at the door several times before realizing it was still locked. She turned to He Yunqing, who then unlocked the car.

“Are all men in your industry like this?” Jiang Yao demanded, cheeks puffed in indignation. She couldn’t tell if her anger was on behalf of her friend, or if Luo Yixian’s slander about He Yunqing had also unsettled her.

“Like what?”

“You know exactly what I mean!”

Jiang Yao slid into the car first, feeling both aggrieved and frustrated.

He Yunqing got in after her but didn’t start the engine. He stared ahead. “Are you angry because of what Luo Yixian said?”

“No, why would I be angry?” Jiang Yao pouted. “All that’s in the past, isn’t it? Besides, what right do I have to be angry?”

She turned her face to the window, trying to hide.

“You’re lying,” He Yunqing said, seeing right through her. “You’re obviously upset.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes reddened, and after a long silence, she suddenly burst out, “Fine, I am angry! I wish I wasn’t, I wish I could be magnanimous. I wish I could talk myself into being like that woman, telling myself not to expect too much. But I just can’t—I’m so mad I could burst!”

He Yunqing looked at her flushed cheeks and suddenly broke into a dazzling smile.

“Why are you laughing?” Jiang Yao frowned.

He Yunqing gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Yao, I like seeing you angry on my behalf.”

“You like it when I’m angry?”

He Yunqing curved his lips. “I like that you don’t bottle it up, that you let it out with me.”

“Pervert!” Jiang Yao grumbled, turning her face away.

“But…” He drew out the word, his tone slow and deliberate.

As she expected, the change in topic piqued Jiang Yao’s curiosity. She turned back. “But what?”

“But there’s not nearly as much past as you think.”

Jiang Yao pouted. “He’s in the same circle as you, he’d know. He spoke in such detail—if I pressed him, he could probably give me names and addresses.”

“I’m busy working all the time, crisscrossing the country. Where would I find the time for so many women?” He Yunqing countered. “Besides, Luo Yixian and I are business rivals. It’s not surprising he’d spread rumors about me.”

“Then…” Jiang Yao hesitated. “How many girlfriends have you had?”

He Yunqing pretended to ponder.

“He Yunqing!” Jiang Yao’s face hardened.

He Yunqing grinned slyly, then held up a single finger.

“One?” Jiang Yao considered it. For someone as outstanding as He Yunqing, having had one girlfriend hardly seemed excessive. She nodded. “When did you two break up?”

He Yunqing shook his head.

“You didn’t break up?” Jiang Yao’s eyes widened. “Then why are you with me?”

He pointed at her helplessly. “Break up? Why would I? That girlfriend is you. In all the time we’ve known each other, have you ever seen any other woman by my side?”

“Me?” Jiang Yao stared at him in disbelief. “You’re lying! If you never had a girlfriend before, how come you’re so… when you kiss me…”

Halfway through, she fell silent, her cheeks slowly turning crimson.

He Yunqing raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing. “So you’re admitting I’m a good kisser?”