Love in the Fast Lane - Chapter 66 - Li Ke's Calculations

Qi Xiaomeng is now completely unfazed, like a pig not scared of boiling water. Her drama mom has given up after chasing her and arguing for over half a year, only to be defeated by her shameless daughter. Now, whenever this drama mom calls Mo Zihan, her first sentence is always asking her best friend to keep an eye on Qi Xiaomeng’s love life. Honestly, Mo Zihan gets a headache just seeing Qi Xiaomeng’s mom’s caller ID.

“That’s fine, there’s no rush. Society is so impatient these days, it’s better to wait until everyone calms down a bit. Alright then, I’m hanging up. Tang Ning went to the countryside, and if he comes back at noon to no lunch, that won’t do. I’m going home to cook.”

Qi Xiaomeng scoffed, “Would you die if you didn’t show off? I can’t stand talking to someone who forgets how to ache once they get a husband. I’m going back to sleep. You can enjoy the smoky kitchen. Sooner or later, you’ll turn into a yellow-faced wife.”

Mo Zihan retorted, “Like someone who only knows the taste of meals from a cafe, how could you understand what a happy life feels like? Just go back to sleep; wait until you’re an old maid and see if you’re still envious.”

Right after hanging up with Qi Xiaomeng, an unfamiliar number called.

It must be Li Ke; the number looked vaguely familiar.

However, upon answering, Mo Zihan was speechless; remember that ex-boyfriend who pretended to be rich and handsome? That Wu guy, seems his name was Wu Chengxian.

Wu Chengxian no longer carried that somewhat condescending tone, awkwardly exchanging pleasantries before finally getting to the point, “Are you still with Murong Group? There’s something I need to ask you for help with, of course, I wouldn’t expect you to do it for free.”

That tone instantly made Mo Zihan feel nauseous. Even when they were together, he always had this attitude, always saying he wouldn’t let her efforts be wasted, but she never really saw any so-called reward.

Maybe being with Tang Ning has turned me into such a recluse?

With a curl of her lip, Mo Zihan said, “I just quit my job, so now I’m unemployed. What could I possibly help you with?”

Wu Chengxian, persistent, added, “But there’s still some goodwill between us, right? Even if you’ve quit, people won’t forget you.”

Mo Zihan barely suppressed her urge to vomit, and just as she looked outside and saw Li Ke getting out of a taxi, she said over the phone, “Speak quickly, someone’s here to see me.”

Wu Chengxian hesitated, then meekly said, “Well, maybe we could meet and talk about it some other time? It’s quite urgent, but I wouldn’t want to disrupt your life.”

Thinking it over, Mo Zihan, now indifferent to such people, and seeing Li Ke waving as he approached, replied, “Alright then, since you managed to find my new number, you must have wide connections and lots to do. You go on, I’ll call you in the afternoon if I’m free.”

Wu Chengxian quickly said, “Okay, okay, then you go ahead, I’m always available.”

Damn, that comment reeked of pretentiousness.

Li Ke has always been known for his impeccable taste in clothes. Even in the dead of winter, right after a snowfall, he managed to look trim and stylish today. It would be nearly impossible for him to disregard his appearance like Tang Ning does.

He was wearing a slimming white suit jacket covered by a knee-length overcoat, with a small scarf around his neck and, surprisingly, a pair of glasses that made him look nearsighted, adding to his refined demeanor.

Approaching Mo Zihan, Li Ke casually complained, adding just the right touch of familiarity, “You really made me search for you. I just went to your company, and they said you’d resigned. What’s the matter, found a job with better prospects?”

Despite his efforts to appear close, Mo Zihan could sense the insincerity in his words.

She was sure that Li Ke knew about her starting her own company. His comments were likely an attempt to convey something else or perhaps to gain some information.

After a year of honing her skills, Mo Zihan felt she could now maintain a facade with anyone, barely hiding her disdain. She replied nonchalantly, “Changing jobs doesn’t always mean climbing the social ladder. Besides, someone like me, without capabilities or connections, what better job could I possibly get? I’m just taking some time off to clear my mind.”

She wasn’t lying. At Murong Group, Murong Feng had recently restructured some of the middle and senior management positions. Although Jin Chan didn’t get along well with Murong Feng, her competence and experience were undeniable, earning her the position of Vice President in charge of personnel. This left the senior position of Marketing Department Manager, which Mo Zihan held for nearly two months, vacant. She had resigned from this manager role at a prestigious company like Murong Group, which was indeed a significant position both in the company and in society.

Compared to her own small, uncertain new venture, the position of Marketing Department Manager was definitely a step up. When she had initially resigned, aside from Murong Feng who knew the real reason, even Jin Chan had tried to persuade her, thinking she had found another job.

Li Ke responded noncommittally to Mo Zihan’s comments, tugging at his clothing and suggesting, “It’s so cold today. If there’s no rush, why don’t we find a place to sit down and talk things over?”

Mo Zihan shook her head, “If it’s something important, we can just talk about it here.”

Li Ke, slightly annoyed, replied, “After all, we are old friends. Don’t we even have time for a meal together?”

Mo Zihan explained, “I need to hurry back home. My boyfriend is out running errands alone, and I have to cook for him. In this freezing weather, if I eat out and he comes home to an empty stove, he certainly won’t want to cook for himself, and he doesn’t like eating out. If there’s something to discuss, we can just get it over with quickly. Besides, it’s the end of the year, and in a few days, we’re planning to visit his hometown. There’s a lot to prepare, and I need to start getting things ready these days.”

Li Ke smiled in understanding, “Oh, is he the friend you went home with last year to meet the parents? I’ve heard about that. I totally get it. But, you know, you can keep this a secret from the parents, there’s no need for us to keep pretending like it’s real among ourselves, right?”

How did he know about this? Mo Zihan wondered, glancing at Li Ke with a hint of suspicion. She replied calmly, “Last year, there was indeed an element of pretense in it, but as time went on, we both felt good about it, and it turned from pretend to real.”

Li Ke, disbelieving, chuckled, “Really? I’m telling you, when it comes to personal issues, especially those involving feelings, you can’t just act on impulse. It’s only been a few days, how well can you truly understand him? Sometimes, it’s better to think things through to avoid getting too deep into something before you realize what you’ve gotten into.”

Mo Zihan grew increasingly puzzled by his behavior. Was he closer to her than Qi Xiaomeng now? If not, even as just a friend, now that she had found her emotional partner, he should at least offer his congratulations, even if insincerely.

Why such a cold response? What was he aiming at?

Mo Zihan remained silent, and Li Ke, thinking he had caught her in a lie, smiled and said, “Don’t worry about your parents. How could I possibly help them trick you into revealing anything? Let’s just find a place to chat then. We haven’t caught up in a while, and I don’t know how you’ve been doing. That’s not okay. In such a big city, you don’t have many friends. As the saying goes, friends are your support network when you’re away from home. If even a meal is a stretch, that’s really not suitable for living in modern society.”

Mo Zihan finally realized what made her uncomfortable about Li Ke. This person is quite assertive, to put it nicely; to put it bluntly, he can be rather presumptuous. No matter how he found out about her and Tang Ning’s staged meeting with their parents last year, it’s been a year-can he not accept that things might have changed?

Faced with such assumptions, Mo Zihan didn’t quite know what to say.

She took out her phone, intending to immediately contact whoever was feeding Li Ke these outdated details and ask them to update their information. Just as she did so, a call from Tang Ning came through.

Tang Ning said, “The negotiation is almost done, but I need to take them out for lunch, so I might not be able to come back. Maybe you can get in touch with Qi Xiaomeng and have lunch outside? I’ll come home early in the afternoon and we can cook dinner together.”

Mo Zihan chuckled, “Are you worried I can’t manage on my own? Don’t worry about it; if you’re negotiating business, some socializing is inevitable. Just take care of yourself and go easy on the drinks. As for me, a friend seems to need some help. I’ll see what I can do.”

Tang Ning didn’t ask who the friend was. He briefly updated her on his side before saying, “That’s the situation. To save some money, this meal is necessary. Be careful, and do call home this afternoon. It seems your mom called earlier. I didn’t get a chance to look, but it seemed urgent.”

Mo Zihan laughed silently, recalling how unique her mom was. Every time she called Tang Ning, he’d end up all tense and stressed. Imagine leaving him alone to handle a conversation with her mom-it would almost be better to put him on trial.

“I got it. If you’re coming back, just take a taxi. The roads are tough after the recent weather change, and the public transport to the outskirts isn’t that safe,” she advised. She wondered why her mom called Tang Ning instead of her. They had just spoken a few days ago, so what could have happened now? And why had she not called Mo Zihan directly? Under normal circumstances, her parents would try her if Tang Ning didn’t answer, especially knowing how busy he was with company matters.

Li Ke, who had overheard part of her call, appeared suspicious before falling into deep thought.

After she hung up, Mo Zihan had to call him several times before he snapped out of it. He frowned a bit and then asked, “You still haven’t told your family?”

What kind of question was that?

Mo Zihan replied irritably, “Told them what? Even if it started as an act, it’s real now. We’re already considering marriage. Who says it can’t turn into something genuine? Your perspective is quite strange.”

Li Ke stared at Mo Zihan for a while, then, with a curious smile that belied his thoughts, said, “Alright then, let’s go. We can talk over lunch.”

Mo Zihan added, “Wait a second, Qi hasn’t eaten yet. I’ll invite her to join us.”

To her surprise, Li Ke seemed suddenly agitated and raised his voice, “Why would you invite her?”

Stunned, Mo Zihan saw him quickly adjust his tone, “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m looking for your help with something today. It’s simple for you, but a bit hard for me to bring up. It would be better not to involve unrelated parties.”

How peculiar. What was Li Ke planning today? What was so tough to ask for that required her assistance alone?