28: Chapter 28, Step Three: Testing Each Other!

After recounting her past, Xu Qian felt a sense of melancholy.

Qin Yi did not disturb her. After a brief pause to compose herself, Xu Qian continued, "All in all, this is my sixth year in Magic City."

"In these six years, I've sold milk tea, worked as a restaurant waitress, sold clothes, worked as a real estate agent, and now I'm selling cars... I keep a portion of the money for my own living expenses, and the rest I send to my mother to help with household expenses and to pay for my younger brother's schooling."

"So, that's why I've worked for so many years but have never been able to save any money."

Qin Yi sighed silently; he chose to believe Xu Qian's words.

Actually, if this had been six months ago, he wouldn't have been particularly moved by her story.

After all, he had grown up without ever worrying about food or clothing. If it hadn't been for the changes in his father's business, he never would have turned from a rich second-generation heir into a poor kid.

Naturally, he wouldn't have been able to appreciate how difficult it was for an ordinary person to survive and live in this society.

However, Qin Yi still had a doubt. His gaze shifted to the Gucci bag sitting beside Xu Qian.

Qin Yi roughly knew the price of this bag. According to what Xu Qian said, she shouldn't have been willing to spend money on a luxury brand like Gucci...

Could it be that this Gucci bag was a gift from her boyfriend?

Qin Yi frowned as he thought, completely unaware that his current expression was being fully observed by Xu Qian.

For some reason, Xu Qian seemed terrified of being misunderstood by Young Master Qin and hurriedly began to explain.

"This bag... I saved up for several months to buy it..."

Perhaps feeling that saying this made her seem a bit vain,

She added as a corrective, "After all, in the luxury car sales industry, there are a lot of female colleagues. When there are many women, there's more comparison. I didn't want to be constantly ridiculed by those people... so I... I saved up to buy this bag."

But after saying it, Xu Qian felt a bit of regret.

Young Master Qin hadn't even asked, so why was she in such a hurry to explain...

Doing this actually made it seem even more like she was lying.

Thinking this, Xu Qian's face turned red again.

However, this side of Xu Qian made Qin Yi feel that she was likely different from Su Mo.

Thus, Qin Yi decided to tease her a bit more and, while he was at it, check if she was currently single.

After all, Qin Yi had already seen with his Eye of Truth that Xu Qian's opposite-sex intimacy value with the opposite sex was 1.

If she denied having a boyfriend, then Qin Yi would have to cross Xu Qian off in his heart...

"Cough, so you saved up to buy it. I thought it was a gift from your boyfriend."

Xu Qian looked up, her face still flushed as she responded, "No, it's not. He didn't have the money to give me such an expensive bag... If Young Master Qin doesn't believe me, I have the transaction record for the bag in my Zhifubao."

After a pause, Xu Qian added, "And, he and I have been broken up for a long time..."

However, when she said this, Xu Qian's voice was very low, as if she wanted Qin Yi to know she was single but didn't want to be too obvious about it...

Qin Yi was paying close attention to Xu Qian's eyes; her gaze was sincere, without the slightest hint of panic or the lingering attachment to an ex that follows a breakup.

It seemed that Xu Qian's ex-boyfriend probably wasn't a good man, or they really had been apart for a long time, which was why she could be so composed when mentioning him.

However, this was quite surprising to Qin Yi.

An opposite-sex intimacy value of 1 meant that she had at least been intimate with this ex-boyfriend.

Of course, Qin Yi wasn't some chauvinist; he didn't care too much about whether she was a virgin.

As long as she wasn't like Xing Zhenkun or Dong Bairen, Qin Yi could still accept it.

What Qin Yi hadn't expected was that a girl like Xu Qian would so frankly admit to having had a boyfriend.

This honesty made Qin Yi feel a bit more favorable toward her.

Qin Yi looked at Xu Qian with a smile and pressed, "So, are you also single now?"

Xu Qian didn't answer directly. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and looked at Qin Yi with a skeptical gaze, asking in return, "'Also'? What does that mean? Could it be that Young Master Qin doesn't have a girlfriend either? That can't be possible, right?"

Qin Yi spread his hands and didn't give a direct answer either, instead asking back in a noncommittal tone, "What? Do I not look single? Or do you think I'm the kind of scumbag who juggles multiple relationships?"

"I can't tell if you're a scumbag or not. It's just that I feel, with Young Master Qin's capabilities, you shouldn't be without a girlfriend..."

After Xu Qian finished, she seemed to think of something. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly into a mischievous smile, and she winked at Qin Yi, teasing, "Young Master Qin, you... couldn't be saying you don't have a girlfriend just because you want to hit on me, right?"

"Cough, cough..."

Qin Yi hadn't expected Xu Qian to suddenly say such a thing. He choked on his lemonade and couldn't help but cough.

Seeing this, Xu Qian hurriedly pulled out a few tissues and stood up to hand them to Young Master Qin, explaining with an incredibly awkward expression, "That... I was just joking. I don't know why, but the thought just popped into my head and I blurted it out. Young Master Qin, you... won't be angry, right?"

Qin Yi took the tissues from Xu Qian and wiped himself. Seeing her nervous face, he smiled and waved his hand.

"Qianqian, why are you so nervous? Do I look like someone who gets angry easily? It's just a harmless joke between friends; don't take it to heart."

Friends?

When did she become friends with Young Master Qin?

Xu Qian was somewhat surprised. Did this count as Young Master Qin confessing to her?

Her mind, which loved to overthink, began to stir again.

Seeing that Young Master Qin really wasn't angry, Xu Qian continued to probe, "So, Young Master Qin, you really don't have a girlfriend?"

Qin Yi nodded and said in a calm tone, "I used to. But we broke up a month ago. So, right now I'm just like you—a Single Dog!"

"No, no, no, the two of us are different. I am indeed a Single Dog. As for you, Young Master Qin, you should be a Diamond Bachelor!"

Qin Yi laughed and replied, "How is that different? Aren't we both single?"

Xu Qian put down her fork and said with mock seriousness, "There are many differences. Listen to my analysis..."

"The term 'Single Dog' sounds quite cute. But in the end, isn't a Single Dog still a dog? When you think of a dog, what do you think of?"

As Xu Qian spoke, she looked at Qin Yi, seemingly waiting for his answer.

Qin Yi thought for a moment and said, "Loyalty? Cuteness?"

Xu Qian nodded and continued her elaborate analysis.

"Exactly. But why is it loyal? Isn't it because the owner treats it with love? Then why does the owner love the dog?"

"Why?"

"Because it knows how to please its owner! Think about it, dogs are cute and easily satisfied. Give them a little sunshine and they'll shine; give them a bone and they'll stick out their tongue and wag their tail at you..."

"Uh, so?"

Qin Yi didn't understand what Xu Qian was trying to say, but he felt her ability to keep him in suspense was quite impressive.

"So, dogs are actually quite pitiful. When the owner is happy, they hug it, pet it, and give it a bone. When the owner is unhappy, they might give it a couple of kicks. But dogs are loyal; even if the owner treats it badly, the dog thinks it did something wrong and won't blame the owner at all."

"Sigh, sometimes when I think about it, a Single Dog is basically equivalent to a 'Licking Dog.' The only difference is that to be a Licking Dog, there has to be someone for you to lick. But a Single Dog doesn't even have the chance to lick..."

Qin Yi looked at Xu Qian, his face full of shock. He cupped his hands in a gesture of deep admiration.

"Qianqian, your perspective is truly... incisive! It seems you must be quite good at 'licking' too... otherwise, you wouldn't be able to summarize such a sharp viewpoint..."

Xu Qian heard that Young Master Qin was teasing her. She glared at him, angrily forked a piece of Blue Lobster meat, and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out completely.

And truth be told, her angry look was actually quite cute.

...

Qin Yi gave a knowing smile and stopped teasing her. He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious.

"To be honest, you're really quite amazing. At least, you're better than me!"

Xu Qian hadn't finished chewing the Blue Lobster in her mouth, but her eyes widened to express her shock and skepticism at Qin Yi's compliment.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm serious!"

Xu Qian chewed the lobster meat vigorously. To help herself swallow faster, she even reached out and patted her chest.

However, that pat was no small matter; the two 'large rabbits' on her chest began to bounce along with it.

Watching this scene, Qin Yi silently swallowed his saliva and took a large gulp of lemonade to hide his embarrassment.

A few seconds later, Xu Qian finally managed to get the lobster meat down. She looked at Qin Yi and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Young Master Qin, please stop joking with me... You're so young and can spend so much money on a car; I can't compare to you."

"I'm not joking!"

Qin Yi looked at Xu Qian with sincere eyes, paused, and then continued, "I admit, in terms of family conditions, I am indeed much better off than you."

"But, you are self-reliant."

"To be honest, I really admire you. Look, you graduated high school at eighteen, just becoming an adult. A young girl who just reached adulthood dared to come to Magic City all by herself to make a living. Honestly, I couldn't do it! From childhood to now, I've always relied on my family. Even when I had a girlfriend in college, I was spending my family's money..."

Hearing Young Master Qin mention his girlfriend again, Xu Qian somehow felt a bit disappointed.

Perhaps it was hearing that he had a girlfriend in college; compared to someone like her who only had a high school education, Young Master Qin's girlfriend must have been much better than her.

Thinking this, Xu Qian's gaze toward Qin Yi became hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

Qin Yi looked at her and gave a helpless smile, saying, "What's with that expression? If you have something to ask, just ask."

"Cough, cough..."

Xu Qian took a tissue, wiped her mouth, and then looked at Qin Yi, asking hesitantly, "Actually, it's nothing, I'm just a bit curious—who initiated the breakup?"

"What do you think?" Qin Yi asked back.

"I guess... it was probably initiated by Young Master Qin."

"How so?"

"After all, you're so rich, Young Master Qin. Unless that girl was stupid, she wouldn't take the initiative to break up..."

Qin Yi gave a self-deprecating laugh and said calmly, "Then you guessed wrong. It wasn't me; she was the one who brought it up."

*Clang!*

The fork in Xu Qian's hand accidentally slipped and fell onto the table. As luck would have it, it also knocked the water glass next to it askew.

Fortunately, there wasn't much water left in the glass, otherwise Xu Qian would have been deeply embarrassed.

Hearing the noise, the waiter was quick and immediately came over to wipe the table for Xu Qian and then replaced the glass.

Xu Qian gave Qin Yi an awkward smile and said apologetically, "Sorry, my hand slipped..."

Qin Yi shook his head, indicating he didn't mind.

Xu Qian was about to continue asking the questions in her heart, but she saw the waiter coming over again, pushing the champagne.

"Hello, Sir. Your Louis Roederer Cristal Millésime Brut Rosé Champagne has finished breathing. May I serve it now?" the waiter asked respectfully.

Qin Yi nodded and replied, "Yes, pour it."

As Qin Yi spoke, he very gentlemanly gestured toward Xu Qian and added, "Ladies first."

The waiter understood, said 'Alright,' and went to Xu Qian's side first.

He elegantly lifted the champagne flute, tilted it at a 30-degree angle, pressed the rim close to the bottle's mouth, and slowly poured a small amount of wine into the glass.

At this moment, bubbles surged rapidly, immediately forming a thick mousse of foam.

The waiter paused for a moment, waiting for the mousse level to drop slightly before continuing to pour.

The pink liquid flowed down the side of the glass in a slow, steady rhythm until it was 70% full.

Then, he repeated the process to fill Qin Yi's glass.

After the waiter left, Xu Qian looked at the wine glass and remarked, "No wonder this wine costs over twenty thousand. The way the waiter poured it just now was so elegant..."

Qin Yi smiled, raised his glass, and gestured to Xu Qian: "Come. Let's forget the unhappiness. Let this first sip be a toast to your brother getting into his dream university!"

Xu Qian smiled, a genuine smile from the bottom of her heart.

"Thank you, Young Master Qin!"

The two raised their glasses and clinked them gently.

Xu Qian had never learned about wine tasting and didn't know the rules for drinking champagne, so she followed Qin Yi's lead and took a small sip.

"How is it? How do you find the taste?" Qin Yi asked with a smile.

Xu Qian savored it for a moment before slowly speaking, "Hmm, it has a fruity aroma of strawberries and cherries, and a hint of almond, but I can't really describe the specific taste. However, it's definitely not bad to drink. At least, it's better than Baijiu."

"Haha, you can actually taste that many flavors?"

"Could it be that I was wrong?"

Qin Yi laughed, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, "Actually, I can only taste the flavor of 'money'..."

Hearing Qin Yi say this, Xu Qian was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed, "Hahaha, Young Master Qin, you are way too honest."

Seeing that he had made Xu Qian laugh, Qin Yi decided to keep going and continued, "You know, actually pouring wine isn't difficult or particularly elegant. It can be summarized in four words."

Xu Qian's interest was piqued, and she asked curiously, "Which four words?"

Qin Yi looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he whispered, "Yaimen, Xiedao, Beibi, Xialiu!"

Xu Qian didn't understand at first, but after recalling the waiter's pouring movements, she immediately caught the pun and burst out laughing.

Then, she quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Young Master Qin, you're too wicked, how could you even link those together..."

"Hahaha, just a joke."

After that little interlude, the two continued to eat and chat.

...

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in Qin Yi's ear.

"Yo, I thought you looked familiar. Young Master Qin, we meet again!"

Qin Yi looked up and saw that the person speaking was none other than Wang Hao.

However, the woman standing beside Wang Hao at this moment wasn't Su Mo, but a petite woman with a typical 'internet celebrity' face.