Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 173 - 171: How Good-Looking?

Chapter 173: Chapter 171: How Good-Looking?

At 17 or 18 years old, one is at the peak of teenage angst, always exclaiming, "My fate is in my own hands, not dictated by the heavens." Then at 27 or 28, they’re on their knees, weeping and begging for the sky to give them a break.

Chen Rui was already in his thirties, way past the age of such dramatics. He seemed very stable on a daily basis, except when it came to his ideals and plans, when that teenage spirit would suddenly surge forth.

Enthusiastic—he would always patiently and thoroughly help people with their questions.

Quixotic—his dreams might seem a bit unrealistic, but he was very serious about pursuing them.

Generous—beyond the company’s regular perks, he would frequently treat people to meals and afternoon tea.

Amiable—he was always cheerful and nobody had ever seen him angry.

And he was straightforward, getting to the point in just a few words, unlike other company bosses who could drone on for an hour or two in meetings.

Facing such a boss who was enthusiastic, quixotic, generous, amiable, and straightforward, Qin Guanglin couldn’t stand by and watch someone stab him in the back.

Even if that person was his own university classmate, a close friend of six years.

How did he get involved in this mess? He just wanted to go to work and do his job... Lying on his desk, Qin Guanglin pondered this, and before he knew it, lunch break was over, and he hadn’t fallen asleep at all.

"Boss, about that trip to Chou Mountain... do you think next week or the week after is better? And how should we choose between camping and the farmhouse fun?"

Jiang Lingling was a very competent assistant, immediately getting to work on the task assigned by Chen Rui, collecting opinions.

"Not sure if I’ll participate yet, I’ll give you an answer tomorrow."

He needed to go back and ask Teacher He for his opinion. If He Fang didn’t want to go, he wasn’t keen on participating either.

"Publicly funded food, drinks, and fun, why not join in?" Jiang Lingling didn’t understand and then remembered that she hadn’t seen him last time either, "Were you employed here when we went to Luobei?"

"I had started, just didn’t go." Qin Guanglin shook his head and paused before adding, "Had to spend the weekend with my girlfriend."

It was always good to stress the fact that he had a girlfriend, no harm in it.

"Your girlfriend is that clingy?"

"Yeah."

"What does she do? Also has weekends off?" Jiang Lingling probed from the sidelines.

"Uh... she’s a teacher."

Qin Guanglin thought about it. Saying she was unemployed didn’t sound good, so he decided to upgrade Teacher He’s status a bit earlier—he considered her his teacher after all.

"Wow, no wonder she seems so elegant."

Jiang Lingling’s eyes twinkled as she abandoned collecting opinions, turning the conversation into gossip, "You’ve turned down my offer to treat you several times, is it because you’re afraid your girlfriend will get jealous? She’s not that petty, is she?"

"It’s not that, it’s because I have to go and cook," Qin Guanglin shook his head. He didn’t know if Teacher He was petty, but it was just right to avoid any mixed-gender dining that he could.

It saved time and trouble, and pointless socializing was useless anyway.

"You have to cook for her?!" Jiang Lingling was amazed.

"Occasionally."

"Wow, I’m so envious. Your girlfriend must be really happy, right?"

"What’s there to be envious of?"

"How come I can’t find a man who spoils his girlfriend like that," Jiang Lingling sighed.

"It depends on fate, and also luck. Actually, I’m the lucky one to have met her," Qin Guanglin waved it off. "You don’t know how great she is. She’s a fantastic cook, sings amazingly, and even jogs with me..." He saw Jiang Lingling’s smile stiffen and stopped talking, then changed the subject: "Well... you’ll meet the right one sooner or later too. Hang in there."

"Sigh, if only I had met you sooner," she murmured, her brows and eyes drooping again as she sighed.

"Met me for what?"

Qin Guanglin was surprised, "I’m not into your type."

This guy really does have designs on me... even though he knows I have a girlfriend, he’s so brazen.

"..." Jiang Lingling hesitated for a moment, "So, boss, what type of person do you like?"

"Teachers," Qin Guanglin pondered for a moment, then added, "Graduates from the Literature Department of Luo City University."

...

After the brief interaction in the afternoon, no one disturbed Qin Guanglin again before it was time to leave work. He focused on finishing his sketch, completing the entire story in the booklet. All that was left was the coloring; once that was done, he could hand it over to the company for publication.

"Eh, you’re leaving so early today?" He looked up to see Sun Wen hurrying out with his bag, somewhat surprised.

"I’ve got something on, leaving first." Sun Wen raised his hand in a greeting and strode out of the office with long steps, disappearing from sight in a flash.

Qin Guanglin shrugged and quickly packed up his things, calling Qin’s Mom to tell her he wouldn’t be coming home for dinner tonight as he walked out.

After taking the bus and walking a few steps to He Fang’s place, he found He Fang with her hair up in a bun, wearing an apron, ready to cook dinner for herself.

"Take it off." Qin Guanglin went over to her, gave her a big hug, and kissed each cheek, then deftly pulled at the apron, which came off in one swift motion, "We’re going out to eat tonight."

Thankfully he hadn’t come back too late, or she would have already started making dinner.

"Where are we going?" He Fang nuzzled into his embrace and asked with a laugh, "Is there some good news? Why go out to eat all of a sudden?"

"I won a prize, three thousand yuan."

Qin Guanglin, brimming with pride, pushed her towards the bedroom, "Hurry and change clothes. I found a really nice place. How about we go eat grilled fish? Do you like it?"

"What did you win? Get out, and why are you following me inside?" He Fang pushed him out of the bedroom and closed the door, grabbing clothes while asking, "Bought a lottery ticket? Or what?"

"Aren’t you supposed to be able to calculate? Go ahead and calculate," Qin Guanglin teased from behind the door.

"Calculate my ass, just tell me already."

"The painting I made for the Dragon Boat Festival won a small prize, and the prize money came today."

"That’s awesome; I always said you had a future in painting, right? Hurry up and ditch that lousy comic-style, and focus on your traditional painting."

"It won’t interfere. I can handle both."

Qin Guanglin leaned against the doorway, smiling, "Do you know what a genius is? That would be me."

"Pah, I’ve never seen someone praise themselves as a genius."

"I am a genius. Remember the male lead in ’Titanic’? He needed the heroine in front of him to be able to paint her, but I don’t need that, just one glance and I can do it. Who’s more impressive?"

"Shameless! You really wanted to paint that... that of me, didn’t you?!"

"No, it was just a comparison..."

Creak.

He Fang, all dressed up in a light blue dress, opened the door and glared at him, puffing with indignation, "I shouldn’t have let you see me last night. You had no good intentions. You’re not allowed to paint that."

Those in the arts are a bit nuts, and they like to engage in nude art. Who knows when he might suddenly get a wild idea.

"It was just an example, like that painting I gave you before. Didn’t I also manage to paint that without you posing on the spot?"

Qin Guanglin pointed innocently at the painting on the desk. It was the one he had given her before they were officially together, of her smelling the flowers among the blossoms. He swiftly changed the subject, "You look beautiful in that dress."

He couldn’t let her revoke the permissions she had only just granted.

He Fang glanced back at the painting on the desk, feeling a bit relieved. She stepped out, pulling at her dress and spinning around, "How beautiful do I look?"

"Only a little less than when you’re not wearing anything."

"...Getting fresh again, are we?"

"Hahaha, just kidding, don’t hit me."