17: Chapter 17 Does a rabbit not eat the grass near its burrow?

In the dark, industrial-style restaurant, the lighting was deliberately dimmed to create an intimate atmosphere.

Warm yellow spotlights shone precisely onto the center of the dining table, casting the surrounding environment into a quiet shadow.

Qian Mengsheng sat across the table, her elbows resting on the surface.

Her large eyes, usually full of wit, were blinking as she looked at Zhang Qi. Her gaze held a hint of probing, along with a nervousness she hadn't even realized herself.

Zhang Qi leaned back against the comfortable leather chair, holding a glass of iced lemonade. He didn't reply immediately, instead using an appreciative gaze to look the girl before him up and down without restraint.

To be honest, Qian Mengsheng was definitely the type of top-tier beauty who would make heads turn on the street.

The beige, form-fitting knitted short-sleeve top she wore today was made of soft, clinging material, clearly outlining a silhouette that, while not exaggerated, was perkily full. At the neckline, a stretch of fair collarbone was exposed, glowing with a delicate sheen under the warm light.

Looking down, she wore high-waisted black wide-leg trousers. While they lacked the blatant temptation of a black silk pencil skirt, this outfit actually elongated her leg proportions, making her waist look slim and her legs long, exuding a fashionable, youthful vitality.

The most crucial part was that face. In her early twenties, full of collagen, wearing exquisite "no-makeup" makeup. Sunny, lively, with two shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth when she smiled.

This level of beauty was, in itself, the scarcest resource.

She said her best friend was a great beauty. Zhang Qi believed it. After all, birds of a feather flock together. A beauty's social circle usually consisted of other beauties.

However, Zhang Qi felt it was doubtful that the best friend could be as good-looking as the Qian Mengsheng right in front of him.

Top-tier beauties weren't cabbage at the farmers' market; you couldn't just grab a bunch of them at random.

Most likely, she was just a supporting leaf, or an "atmosphere" beauty propped up by heavy filters and beauty cameras.

Zhang Qi put down his glass, the ice cubes clinking against the side with a crisp sound. Watching Qian Mengsheng's cautious, probing appearance, he saw right through her.

Her volunteering to introduce a date was actually just a little girl's game of saying the opposite of what she meant. Using her best friend as a shield, she wanted to see what his attitude really was.

If it were the Zhang Qi of the past—the simp—he would have been so excited he couldn't find north when faced with an olive branch offered by a girl of this caliber.

He would have definitely sworn on his life immediately, saying he only had feelings for her, and then naturally started the process of wooing her, serving her hand and foot.

But the current Zhang Qi was no longer that "pure love god of war" who could be easily manipulated by others.

He had money now, and he had a system.

Let him lower his status again, guess a girl's thoughts, and exhaust his efforts to be a simp?

—Absolutely impossible!

A playful curve appeared at the corner of Zhang Qi's mouth. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked onto Qian Mengsheng's eyes.

"Introduce a date to me?"

Zhang Qi's tone was relaxed, with a hint of teasing. "Aren't you single too? Why introduce someone else to me?"

This fastball came out of nowhere.

Qian Mengsheng was clearly stunned when she heard this.

Immediately after, her fair cheeks turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and that crimson flush quickly spread to her earlobes and slender neck.

Her heart skipped a beat, and it felt like a little deer was frantically bumping around in her chest.

Is Brother Qi flirting with me? Does he have feelings for me?

A sweet feeling instantly spread through her heart. Qian Mengsheng was very pleased, even secretly delighted.

But the reserve ingrained in a girl's bones still made her subconsciously want to play hard to get.

"Brother Qi!"

Qian Mengsheng pouted coquettishly, her voice soft and full of flirtatiousness. She shifted her gaze in a panic, not daring to look at Zhang Qi, and muttered, "Stop joking around. You're my master, after all."

Zhang Qi watched her shy, coy appearance of feigned resistance.

Of course, he knew Qian Mengsheng was shy and also waiting for him to continue his offensive. As long as he followed up with something like "So what if I'm your master?" or showed an intention to pursue her, it would proceed smoothly.

However, Zhang Qi couldn't be bothered to pursue.

In the world of adults, especially adults with absolute wealth, the thing they hated most was this kind of meaningless emotional tug-of-war.

His mind was now full of how to earn money and how to enjoy life. He could have women, but they absolutely couldn't be the type of "ancestor" that needed him to worship and pamper them.

Although it was thanks to Qian Mengsheng's reminder that he awakened the system.

As a reward, Zhang Qi could treat her to a big meal, buy her a 20,000 yuan bag, and take care of her often in the future.

But dating was out of the question...

Zhang Qi leaned back into the comfortable leather chair, hands crossed over his lower abdomen, adopting an extremely relaxed posture.

"That's true." He nodded in deep agreement, his tone becoming serious. "Even rabbits don't eat the grass by their own nest, so you should introduce your best friend to me."

The air seemed to be sucked out of the room in that instant.

The coyness and flush on Qian Mengsheng's face seemed to have had a pause button pressed on them, frozen stiffly in place.

She widened her eyes, looking at the Zhang Qi across from her in disbelief.

This script is wrong!

He really wants me to introduce my best friend to him?

Could it be that he didn't mean anything by it at all, and that just now was really just a casual remark?

Qian Mengsheng felt a wave of bitterness in her heart. But she was the one who said it, and it was too late to take it back now. She could only force down the disappointment in her heart and pull out a forced smile.

"Then... then let's talk about it when she gets here."

Qian Mengsheng picked up the lemonade in front of her and took a huge, covering gulp. The ice-cold liquid poured down her throat, but it couldn't extinguish the depression in her heart.

Zhang Qi looked at her and shook his head helplessly.

People are like this; those involved are confused.

Before, from the perspective of an observer, Qian Mengsheng was incredibly clear-headed.

Now that she was really in the middle of it herself, she had already become a bit lost.

The waiters began to serve the dishes one after another.

Black truffle roast chicken, molecular gastronomy Wagyu tartare, sea urchin and caviar steamed egg. Dishes with exquisite plating and mouth-watering aromas filled the table.

The atmosphere in the private room had become somewhat subtly quiet because of that conversation just now.

Qian Mengsheng kept her head down, poking at the plate in front of her with her chopsticks, not knowing what she was thinking.

Zhang Qi, on the other hand, ate with a calm expression, completely unaffected.

Just then, a crisp sound of high heels tapping on the wooden floor came from the corridor outside the private room.

Click, click, click.

The rhythm was steady, neither fast nor slow.

Immediately after, the light wood-colored sliding door of the private room was pulled open from the outside.

"This place is really winding; the navigation even got me confused."

Accompanying a cold yet slightly lazy voice, a tall figure walked in.

Zhang Qi lifted his eyelids to look, his gaze pausing slightly the moment it touched that figure.

He silently retracted his previous evaluation of a "supporting leaf" in his mind.

This woman was definitely a top-tier stunner who didn't lose to Qian Mengsheng. And the two had completely different styles.

If Qian Mengsheng was a daisy blooming towards the morning sun, covered in dew, youthful and fashionable.

Then the woman before him was a red rose blooming quietly in the dark night, looking mature and elegant.

She was wearing a khaki long-length, form-fitting trench coat with an extremely meticulous cut.

The trench coat was unbuttoned, and inside the open lapels, she wore a dark green silk shirt.

The silk fabric clung smoothly to her skin, perfectly outlining that astonishing fullness on her chest.

As she walked, a glimpse of deep, snowy white could be vaguely seen at the neckline.

On her lower body were black wide-leg trousers with excellent texture, and a pair of black pointed-toe stilettos peeked out from under the cuffs. She appeared curvaceous and full of presence.

Her features were bright and striking, with a high, straight nose bridge. Especially eye-catching were those long, narrow, beautiful eyes, slightly smiling, looking poised and elegant.

Her long hair was draped casually over her shoulders with a slight curl, and overall, she radiated the unique charm that only a top-tier beauty could possess.

Su Ran walked into the private room, walked very naturally to the empty seat beside Qian Mengsheng, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

Her gaze fell on the dishes covering the table at the first moment.

"Wow."

Su Ran raised her exquisite eyebrows and let out an unpretentious exclamation. "Black truffle roast chicken, sea urchin steamed egg. Mengmeng, these are all dishes I love; you really understand me."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Qian Mengsheng.

Subsequently, she raised her head, and her gaze naturally crossed the dining table to look at the man sitting opposite.

Just one glance.

A flash of surprise couldn't help but flicker in Su Ran's long, narrow eyes.

Before coming, she had guessed whether Qian Mengsheng was dating a wealthy boyfriend.

Now that she saw him, she felt it was confirmed!

The man sitting across from her fit the characteristics of a high-quality boyfriend in her mind.

He was wearing a dark blue, high-end casual suit. Su Ran also understood fashion and luxury brands, and at a glance, she could recognize the cut and fabric of this outfit; it was definitely something starting at five figures.

The man's hairstyle was also fashionable, and looking at the texture, it was clearly not cheap either.

His wrist rested casually on the edge of the dining table, and that Vacheron Constantin Overseas blue-dial watch refracted a cold and expensive metallic luster under the light.

And then there was the temperament of this man.

It was a kind of completely relaxed, unhurried sense of ease.

He sat there, his eyes calm and deep, without the nervousness and fawning that ordinary people had when seeing a beauty, instead exuding a kind of fearless confidence.

This kind of temperament couldn't be faked.

Only those who truly had the strength and the backing could cultivate it.

Su Ran's gaze swept imperceptibly over the huge LV shopping bag beside Zhang Qi, and she understood everything in an instant. No wonder the WeChat Moment post Qian Mengsheng made this afternoon had a hint of blossoming romantic feelings.

Facing a man of this caliber, what young girl who had just entered society could resist?

Su Ran reined in the surprise in her heart. A bright and generous smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She leaned forward slightly and took the initiative to greet Zhang Qi.

"Hello, handsome. I'm Mengmeng's best friend, Su Ran."

Her voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying a kind of affinity that made it impossible to refuse. Immediately after, her calm, beautiful eyes stared straight at Zhang Qi, and she asked very bluntly.

"Are you Mengmeng's boyfriend?"

As soon as these words came out, the air in the private room seemed to freeze instantly.

Qian Mengsheng had just picked up her chopsticks to pick up some food; hearing this, her hand shook violently. The chopsticks clattered against the porcelain plate with a crisp sound.

She widened her eyes and turned her head to look at her best friend in disbelief.

Who asks that directly?

Qian Mengsheng felt her cheeks instantly ignite, as if they were on fire, scaldingly hot.

Her foot under the table kicked Su Ran's high heels desperately.

Su Ran was kicked, but her expression didn't change; she maintained that bright smile, looking at Zhang Qi with burning eyes.

She was doing this to test the waters for her best friend, and also to probe the depth of this man.

Zhang Qi looked at the two beauties with completely different personalities across from him. One was anxious like an ant on a hot pan, the other sat firmly on the fishing platform, pressing step by step.

Interesting.

Zhang Qi didn't rush to answer. He leaned back against the chair, his fingers gently rubbing the rim of his water glass. His deep gaze lingered on Su Ran's exquisite face for two seconds, then slowly moved to Qian Mengsheng, who was sitting to the side, flushed with anxiety.

A playful curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You should ask Mengmeng about that."

Zhang Qi's tone was flat, lightly kicking this hot potato back to Qian Mengsheng.

A flash of surprise flickered in the depths of Su Ran's eyes; she clearly hadn't expected Zhang Qi to respond in this way.

Su Ran turned her head and looked at Qian Mengsheng beside her with a half-smile.

Qian Mengsheng was completely dumbfounded.

She sat blankly in the chair, being stared at by her best friend with that "watching a show" look, and feeling that playful gaze from Zhang Qi across from her.

Her brain completely shut down, leaving it blank.

How was she supposed to answer that?