Chapter 16: Chapter 015: The Materialistic Female Roommate
"Hey, Li Mei, having a meal? Oh oh… alright, bringing your boyfriend? Did I… did I say I was bringing a boyfriend?"
Lu Qing answered the phone, and on the other end was her college roommate, Li Mei.
A week ago, Lu Qing had been discussing business outside and happened to run into Li Mei and her boyfriend, cruising around in an Audi Q7. After boasting in front of Lu Qing, Li Mei had wanted to treat Lu Qing to a meal, but Lu Qing had declined, citing prior commitments.
Li Mei had suggested another day, insisting that next time Lu Qing should bring her boyfriend along for dinner. Caught up in handling the situation, Lu Qing had agreed somewhat absentmindedly.
She thought that would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, Li Mei actually made the call.
This Li Mei, back during their university days, she and the other three roommates, including Lu Qing, didn't get along well. She was vain, materialistic, and often spoke without considering her words, willing to mock friends for her own pride. She was a classic materialist and egoist.
Meeting Li Mei by chance this time, Lu Qing noticed that Li Mei had had plastic surgery and had become more revealing, and her voice, it could be said, was perfect for voice acting.
"Oh dear, Qingqing, didn't you say you were bringing your boyfriend? My husband and I have already reserved a table at the Jiangnan Restaurant. We're just waiting for you to get off work. It would be too cruel if you don't come, I really miss you… come on, come on…"
On the other end of the phone, Li Mei's voice was almost too much for Lu Qing to bear, prompting her to slightly move the phone away from her ear.
"But I don't have…"
Just as Lu Qing was about to say she didn't have a boyfriend, her eyes fell on Qin Tian, and she quickly changed her response, "Alright then, you set the time and place, and I'll come after work."
Helpless, given her understanding of Li Mei, Lu Qing knew that if she refused this time, the materialistic woman who loved to boast would surely call again in the future. Might as well just go along with her this time.
Of course, Qin Tian's presence was another reason for her agreement. The Qin Tian in front of her was quite passable and suitable to play her fake boyfriend.
"I've figured it out, you're using me as a shield, aren't you?"
When Lu Qing hung up the phone and looked at Qin Tian with a sweet, innocent face, Qin Tian smirked. He had heard everything Lu Qing said on the phone.
"Yes, my college roommate really insists. She wants me to bring a boyfriend along to dinner. She loves boasting, she was never as pretty as me and she always held a grudge about that. After graduating, she had plastic surgery and now looks like a skeleton, plus she found a rich boyfriend. She just wants to show off in front of me. I don't want her to ruin my mood, Qin Tian, this time, you really need to help me."
Lu Qing looked at Qin Tian with pleading eyes, "Consider it another favor you're doing for me."
"Alright, who calls you my master," Qin Tian said, pretending to think it over before nodding in agreement.
It's just playing the part of a shield, right? Perfect, it's been a while since I fought a skeleton demon. This Great Sage is going to see what demon it is this time.
"Hehe, thank you, you're the best." Lu Qing, excited, brewed another cup of coffee for Qin Tian and tenderly presented it herself.
"My roommate is called Li Mei, oh, right, she changed her name, she's now Li Shuya. Her boyfriend seems to be a second-generation rich kid, his father a top executive of a listed company. When you come out with me later, just keep quiet, and I'll do the talking," Lu Qing arranged.
"Sure, listen to the girlfriend," Qin Tian said earnestly as he nodded.
Lu Qing smiled, revealing two shallow dimples: "Uh-huh, you're getting into character quite quickly."
...
In the afternoon, after tidying up, they left under the surprised gazes of colleagues.
The colleagues were all curiously wondering, how close were these two?
Especially the trio led by Wang Chao, who had once pursued Lu Qing, they each felt uncomfortable. Damn it, what's so good about Qin Tian, this pretty boy? There's no way he could outdo me in any aspect. Is Lu Qing blind?
Ignoring the surprised and curious gazes of the crowds, the two took a taxi directly to the Jiangnan Hotel.
In the car, Lu Qing eyed Qin Tian up and down, praising, "Hmm, you look pretty decent in a suit."
Qin Tian chuckled, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
Lu Qing's face turned red, then, recalling something, she immediately hooked her arm through Qin Tian's and, laying her head on his shoulder, nestled against him like a bird snuggling up to a person.
"This is more like how a couple should be, isn't it?" Lu Qing whispered.
Qin Tian nodded, "Have you never been in a relationship before?"
Lu Qing's cheeks flushed, "No, back during our school days, quite a few boys pursued me, but I just focused on my studies. After graduation, I was so busy with work that I completely forgot about having my first love."
In the taxi, the two spoke softly to each other, and in less than half an hour, the taxi had arrived at the front of the Jiangnan Hotel.
Following the address Li Mei had given, Lu Qing and Qin Tian quickly found the hotel suite that Li Mei had reserved.
Lu Qing, with her arm linked through Qin Tian's, knocked and entered the room.
Sitting inside the hotel were a man and a woman. The man was dressed in a white suit, with a buzz cut, waxed hair, and a large, black mole on his face, about the size of a thumb, which even had a few hairs on it, making it somewhat disgusting to look at.
The man wore a Rolex on his wrist and his clothes also seemed branded, apparently a real wealthy second-generation; next to him sat a woman who looked overtly made up, clearly having had significant cosmetic surgery, and quite garish.
Without a doubt, this woman was Lu Qing's university roommate Li Mei, now called Li Shuya.
"Hey, hey, hey, here we are… come, come, Qingqing, let me introduce…this is my husband, Tian Guang, a private entrepreneur."
As soon as they entered, Li Mei warmly greeted Lu Qing and Qin Tian to sit down, pulling Lu Qing next to her, seemingly oblivious to Qin Tian's presence.
"Li… Shuya, hehe, you seem to be getting prettier. Mr. Tian Guang, hello."
Faced with Li Mei's warmth, Lu Qing also seemed a bit uncomfortable, but being experienced in various social situations, she sat down warmly and started chatting with Li Mei.
"Shuya, this roommate of yours is truly beautiful. Hehe, I didn't see clearly in the car that day, but up close today, she is even prettier than a movie actress, wow, so beautiful, really beautiful."
Tian Guang sat next to Li Mei, staring unblinkingly at Lu Qing and continuously praising her, his eyes gleaming, repeatedly swallowing his saliva.
"Damn, more ferocious than me."
From a distance, Qin Tian saw Tian Guang's behavior and pursed his lips. This guy, clearly up to no good.
"I told you before," Li Mei said coquettishly. "I told you to introduce a boyfriend to my good sister… introduce one of your wealthy eligible bachelors to her. Our Qingqing is so beautiful, and yet she's working as a real estate agent, dealing with all sorts of sleazy men every day. I feel it's just not right for Qingqing."
Upon hearing this, Qin Tian frowned in annoyance. Damn this woman! Isn't she indirectly insulting me as being low-class? Hmph, just as Lu Qing said, always mocking. I really want to see how you pull this off in front of me. Qin Tian smirked internally, choosing to remain silent for the moment.
Hearing Li Mei's words, Lu Qing also felt embarrassed and quickly said, "Shuya, didn't I tell you I already had a boyfriend? This is my boyfriend, and I haven't introduced him to you two yet, his name is Qin Tian."
Only then did Li Mei and Tian Guang turn their gaze towards Qin Tian, who was sitting aside.
"Oh… What does he do?"
Upon his first glance at Qin Tian, Tian Guang immediately showed a disdainful expression.
"He…"
"I work at the same company as Qing'er, also as a property consultant at the real estate company."
Before Lu Qing could answer, Qin Tian interjected.
Upon hearing this, Tian Guang and Li Mei exchanged glances, a hint of disdain visible at the corners of their mouths.
Clearly just a broke nobody, a lower-level salesperson.
In an instant, Tian Guang looked at Qin Tian, filled with various kinds of jealousy, gritted his teeth, feeling like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.
"Hehe, Qingqing, you also ended up with a property consultant? Does his family have a lot of money?" Li Mei asked.
Lu Qing was embarrassed. How could she possibly know the details of Qin Tian's family?
Qin Tian said, "It's average, I guess. Just getting by."
"I guessed as much, otherwise he wouldn't have stooped to selling houses at a real estate company." Tian Guang sneered.
"Mr. Tian, you shouldn't look down on people who sell houses. We earn our money based on ability." As a real estate agent, Lu Qing immediately retorted.
"Hehe, Ms. Lu, don't misunderstand, I wasn't talking about you, not you, hehe. If you ever want a change from real estate sales, I could arrange a job for you. You name the salary, how does that sound?" Tian Guang leered at Lu Qing, suggesting slickly.