Love in the Fast Lane

Mo Zihan was fully aware of the type of person Qi Xiaomeng was. This girl was sharp, perceptive, and most importantly, she had misunderstood that there was something going on between her and Tang Ning. Although Qi Xiaomeng probably didn’t know that Tang Ning was here, or that Mo Zihan was here, she would definitely find Tang Ning soon.

As it stood, it seemed this little Cafe was about to host a dramatic scene of “unmasking a faithless lover.” Unfortunately, Mo Zihan felt like she was being implicitly painted as the unlucky girl in this scenario. How did it come to this?

Thinking about that unfortunate possibility, Mo Zihan abruptly stood up. Before she could turn around, the door swung open again. The woman who entered this time, whether or not Mo Zihan was looking at her through tinted glasses, seemed anything but decent. As a result, Mo Zihan now viewed the two girls from earlier with the same suspicion.

The cold wind brought Mo Zihan back to her senses, and she promptly squatted down again.

Let them make a scene, let them cause trouble. After all, she was here to see the show. The bigger the commotion, the better. There’s a saying, “an onlooker never minds the heat.” When the people involved are calm, why should she be anxious?

She seemed to forget that, no matter how you looked at it, she was somehow involved in this whole affair.

After roughly half an hour, once the heavily made-up woman left, Tang Ning took a phone call and then went to the restroom. When he came back, he seemed a bit preoccupied, but he still didn’t leave the Cafe.

Seeing that it was almost time for work, Mo Zihan was about to find an excuse to sneak away when Qi Xiaomeng came through the door.

Huh? Qi Xiaomeng looked rather peculiar today. Mo Zihan had never seen her in a small suit before. On such a cold day too-was she not worried about freezing? She wore a black blazer, high-heeled leather shoes, and had even put on a pair of glasses. Clearly, she was aiming to look like an office lady.

What on earth was she planning?

Mo Zihan blinked and sat back on the sofa once again. It was still early, no rush. She decided to first see what Qi Xiaomeng was up to. This promised to be an entertaining show.

After Qi Xiaomeng entered, she completely shed her usual careless demeanor and moved with uncommon elegance. She held a small purse on her left arm and clutched a rolled-up magazine in her right hand. Scanning the cafe quickly, she soon spotted where Tang Ning was sitting. Even from a distance, Mo Zihan could hear her stifled, cold chuckle.

Strangely enough, after Qi Xiaomeng took a seat, she didn’t cause a scene. A few minutes later, she even took off her glasses and ordered her favorite coffee.

No commotion?

Mo Zihan was utterly puzzled, but she didn’t have time to ponder it further. Her alarm had just gone off, signaling that she had to rush to her office immediately. Otherwise, she’d lose her perfect attendance for the month.

Having experienced days without money, Mo Zihan had become quite frugal. Not even the most riveting drama could keep her from her goal of earning money. Besides, today was the last day of the month. Would she really let this final step jeopardize her perfect attendance and its reward?

For the entire afternoon, Mo Zihan was distracted. She barely glanced at the reports as they came across her desk, and the few minor issues that did appear on those reports prompted Jin Chan to call her in for a discussion.

During her six months at the company, Mo Zihan had been exceptionally careful, never making mistakes, not even at the start. Today’s slip-up surprised Jin Chan. She thought Mo Zihan either had something on her mind or was feeling unwell.

Mo Zihan had always respected Jin Chan because she didn’t align with any particular group within the company and had shown her considerable care. Jin Chan’s concern wasn’t unusual; she’d shown similar kindheartedness before.

Seeing Mo Zihan looking so listless and preoccupied, Jin Chan asked, “Are you worried because the New Year is coming and your family is pressuring you about personal issues?”

Mo Zihan was both surprised and curious. “How did Ms. Jin know?”

Jin Chan smiled and said, “Everyone goes through this at your age. But Xiaohan, you’re not that young anymore; it’s time to consider these issues. Haven’t found anyone you fancy yet? Want me to introduce someone to you?”

Mo Zihan quickly declined. Was she kidding? Anyone connected to Jin Chan wouldn’t be an ordinary person. She didn’t want to get entangled in the company’s high-level politics. Besides, how many trustworthy men are there in the business world?

“Thank you, Ms. Jin, but that’s not why I’m worried. With the New Year coming, both families want me to spend the holiday with them, and that’s what I’m troubled about.”

Jin Chan laughed, “Oh, that’s your concern? That’s easily solved. This year, go to one family’s place, and next year, plan to go to the other’s. In the future, when you have your own place here, you could invite both families to spend the New Year together. More people, more fun, and it’s less likely that any serious conflicts will arise.”

Around 5 PM, Qi Xiaomeng called again. Her laughter sent chills down Mo Zihan’s spine.

“This time, I really helped you out. So, don’t you think you should treat me to a nice meal as a thank you?” Qi Xiaomeng teased after laughing enough.

Mo Zihan felt a pang of anxiety. Help? Qi Xiaomeng’s help? She was certain it would be trouble.

“Wait a minute, come clean. What did you do that you can’t show your face? I’m warning you, if you ruin my mood, there will be consequences!”

Qi Xiaomeng scoffed, “Relax! Tang Ning is pretty great, you know. He has a decent income now. If you’re not interested, I’ll take him. And when you regret it later, don’t blame me for snatching him away. Good men are rare, and I managed to find one!”

Mo Zihan furrowed her brows, unable to figure out what Qi Xiaomeng was up to.

Her approach to relationships was different from Qi Xiaomeng’s. While Mo Zihan felt she was almost clueless when it came to matters of the heart, Qi Xiaomeng was definitely a genius. Despite her numerous relationships, she never got the short end of the stick. According to her, it was just that she hadn’t met the right man yet.

Is Tang Ning a good man? Mo Zihan wasn’t sure. However, if those three words came from Qi Xiaomeng’s mouth, it meant she genuinely thought he was quite exceptional.

“Then go ahead and jump into the fire-I won’t stop you,” Mo Zihan retorted, annoyed.

Qi Xiaomeng humph-ed, “Come on, no one would believe that you aren’t interested. Seriously, you need to act fast. Good men are rarer than endangered animals these days. I’ve said my piece. The rest is up to you. By the way, there’s something about Tang Ning that… never mind, you can ask him yourself. I’m hanging up. Bye!”

What’s she so annoyed about?

Mo Zihan was speechless. What had gotten into Qi Xiaomeng today? She seemed more scatterbrained than usual, her words not making much sense.

With a stack of cash weighing down her bag, Mo Zihan picked up her phone. No matter what, she needed to return the money. It wasn’t right to keep it with her. But just as she was about to dial, Tang Ning called, asking if he could take her out to dinner and if she could do him a favor.

A favor?

Mo Zihan blinked, hesitated for a moment, and then agreed, “So, where to?”

She didn’t even realize her voice was trembling. The room was warm. The windows were tightly shut with no cold air coming in.

Seeing Tang Ning again, Mo Zihan couldn’t help but notice how serious he looked, almost making her want to laugh. What could have made her, in the middle of the afternoon, meet him again and agree to his request?

“My parents are coming the day after tomorrow. I went out to rent a girl to pose as my girlfriend,” Tang Ning said gloomily after finishing a cigarette.

“And then? Did it work or not?”

Mo Zihan felt like the perfect listener at this moment.

“I couldn’t find one,” he admitted. “So…”

“Why not?”

Tang Ning looked irritated and casually flicked his hand, “Too expensive. No money.”

Mo Zihan barely managed to keep from stumbling onto the street.

“So, what now?”

“I want to ask for your help.” Tang Ning shoved his hands into his pockets, looking around awkwardly-too awkwardly.

Mo Zihan paused. Instead of getting angry or refusing, she softly said, “Oh, so you came to me because I’m free.”