Love Has Fireworks - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: No Taking Off the Overcoat

The three-day New Year holiday quickly passed. On January 4th, when Qian Fei went to the enterprise to continue her on-site due diligence work, Zhao De pulled her aside and said mysteriously, "I saw Yifei at Yansha Outlets yesterday!"

Qian Fei looked at him tracklessly. "Little Dezi, do you really have nothing better to brag about? I see Li Yifei every single day, but what's the big deal about that!"

Zhao De took a sharp breath and said fiercely, "Can you let a person finish talking! I'm saying I saw Yifei at Yansha yesterday, and he had a girl with him. That girl was holding his arm, acting very close. It looked like she should be his girlfriend!"

Qian Fei looked at him with an expression that said 'you're making a fuss over nothing.' "Are you trying to brag that you found out he has a new girlfriend before I did? Haha! You poor child, I already knew!"

Zhao De looked at her with a face full of worry. "Feifei, I'm asking you, can you let me finish talking completely! I'm saying that his new girlfriend is no ordinary person! She's a minor celebrity! I've seen her in several advertisements on TV!"

Qian Fei froze for a moment. "That's impossible, right? You must have seen wrong. He's just a poor loser who even has to rent his place from me, how could he afford to get a female celebrity as a girlfriend? Could it be that the poorer a person is, the more they play for true love?"

Zhao De nodded with absolute certainty. "There's no way I saw wrong! I hid in a corner afterward and heard Yifei call that girl 'Jin Tian'! That minor celebrity is named Jin Tian!"

Qian Fei took a long, deep breath. "This buddy is doing alright for himself. Throwing money around like that, he really considers himself a wealthy second-generation heir! But tell me, since this young master has the money to date a little beauty from the film academy, why can't he save up money to buy a house?"

Zhao De thought about it and said, "If I had the chance to date Jin Tian, I'd rather sell my house to throw money at her!"

Qian Fei rolled her eyes at him. "With your looks, you really do have to use money to make up for it in a girl's heart!" She shifted the topic, suddenly saying, "Hey, do you think it's possible that the little beauty thought Li Yifei looks good as a pretty boy, and she's using the money she makes from commercial shoots to support him instead?"

Zhao De almost choked on his own breath.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, a chilling voice cut in sideways from behind them.

"Even if this young master were to sell his body, could the advertising fees from just a few commercial shoots support me?"

Qian Fei turned around, looked up at the newcomer, and gave a stiff laugh. "I think she just hasn't figured out the trick yet. Actually, supporting you doesn't really require money at all. Just carrying a sack of eggplants and dumping it at the head of your bed would settle you perfectly!"

● ︶ 3 ︶ ●

For a period of time after the New Year, the primary task for the two brokerages was to confirm relevant matters with the heads of certain departments within the enterprise. Because of this working relationship, Qian Fei, Li Yifei, and Gui Lili inevitably had many moments where they had to face one another directly.

Qian Fei discovered that Gui Lili's state of mind was getting worse and worse. A few times, she almost lost control in front of others, nearly letting the words "Yifei" slip from her lips in a tone filled with suppressed anger and resentment. It was just like how it used to be when they were still together, every time they were about to make up after a fight.

Sometimes Qian Fei felt she was a bit pitiful. From her words and actions, one could tell she really still liked Li Yifei. But more often than not, Qian Fei still felt she didn't deserve sympathy. Between material wealth and love, since she had chosen material wealth, she should just enjoy it properly. Why bother harboring a lingering affection and refusing to forget about love?

On this point, Qian Fei felt Wang Ruohai had done a good job. After he chose material wealth, he did it ruthlessly and thoroughly, never once lingering over her, his ex-girlfriend.

In contrast, Li Yifei's state of mind was getting better and better, and he was becoming more and more relaxed. Even when the project team members held a meeting with the enterprise owner—who was also the legendary fiancé of Gui Lili—he performed with perfect grace and poise, which instead made the awkwardness of that engaged couple look petty and small-minded by comparison. His leisurely, self-assured working state, handling everything with ease, made it so his old flame couldn't tear her eyes away from him despite her unwillingness to accept things.

Qian Fei felt that, to a certain extent, Li Yifei was truly a terrifying person. He could pick things up, but he could also put them down. After wallowing fiercely in his room for a week when they first broke up, he completely turned the page on the past.

He did not dwell on the past; once he adjusted his state, he could quickly throw himself into a new life. In truth, an exceptionally handsome man with such a fierce and decisive style of conduct was like an addictive poison, making him most attractive to women. However, falling in love with a man like this, Qian Fei felt, would probably be a woman's misfortune.

In any case, she would never fall for someone like him because she had self-awareness. She knew she didn't possess the kind of traits that could make a man love her to death, so she wouldn't provoke someone she couldn't handle.

Qian Fei filtered out several candidates on Baihe Matchmaking Network, carefully comparing and considering among them. Finally, she selected the one she felt was most suitable for her and began to cultivate a relationship.

After chatting online for a while, the other party suggested meeting up first. Qian Fei agreed.

The meeting time was set for Friday evening after work.

On Friday morning, Qian Fei stuffed her makeup bag into her large daily bag before going to work. On the way, Li Yifei saw how bloated her bag was and asked her, "What did you bring that's such a huge lump?"

Qian Fei smiled without speaking. Li Yifei shifted his eyes and said, "The bag is quite heavy, right? Come on, let me carry it for you!" As he spoke, he snatched the bag from Qian Fei's hand into his own.

"Pfft! How come I never saw you having this much gentlemanly flair normally?" Qian Fei couldn't help but mock him.

"Normally you don't carry so much stuff!" Li Yifei said as he squeezed the items inside through the large bag.

"What is this? Huh? This texture feels like English letters... isn't this Steve... holy crap, this is the makeup bag Steve gave you!" Li Yifei narrowed his eyes and looked askance at Qian Fei. "You actually brought a makeup bag to work? What's the situation? Are you longing for spring romance?"

Qian Fei spat at him. "Pfft! A dog's mouth can't produce ivory! You, the one who broke up later, have already found your second spring. What's wrong with me, who broke up first, longing for a little spring romance?"

Li Yifei raised his eyes to scan the down jacket on Qian Fei's body, which practically reached down to her heels.

"You're wearing this outfit to go seek spring romance?"

"How could that be!" Qian Fei laughed mysteriously and slyly. She unzipped her down jacket and opened the front flaps to both sides. "This is called a whole different world inside, you know!"

She let Li Yifei catch a glimpse before quickly closing the coat and zipping it up. When she looked up, she found Li Yifei tilting his head, knitting his brows, and curling his lip as he stared at her.

"What kind of expression is that?"

Li Yifei narrowed his eyes. "This is an expression of being frightened by your flashy vanity!"

Inside, she was actually wearing a dress that looked dignified at first glance, but the skirt part of the lower half was so short it barely covered her hips, while the upper top section from her cleavage line up to the collar was made of semi-transparent lace. This outfit actually outlined her body curves beautifully and enticingly, but those leggings... no, they should be called stockings! Those black silk stockings were way too flirtatiously seductive! No wonder she wore such a long down jacket; if she didn't wear it like that, it would be a wonder if she didn't freeze out a kidney infection in the dead of winter!

"What kind of person are you going to see? Dressing up in such an erotic, loose, and gaudy style?" Li Yifei asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Erotic your sister! Truly, whatever is in a person's eyes is what they see! This is the trendiest coordination I learned from the latest issue of a fashion magazine, alright! You were the one who threw that magazine to me to read anyway! Why is it that when a model wears it, it's called high-end, elegant, and classy, but when I wear it, it's called erotic, loose, and gaudy?"

Ever since Li Yifei accompanied Qian Fei to the shopping mall to optimize her image, he had been focusing on fundamentally transforming her sense of aesthetics and coordination. He taught her many dressing and matching skills, and often tossed a pile of fashion magazines to her so she could learn how other women dressed. He hadn't expected that someone who was usually so careless and tomboyish would have such high comprehension once she seriously learned to be a woman. She was turning herself out to look more and more proper.

Li Yifei looked at Qian Fei expressionlessly. "Don't take off your down jacket during the day. I'm afraid if someone sees you in this outfit, they won't be able to resist dialing the public security bureau's anti-vice hotline."

The corner of Qian Fei's mouth twitched, giving him a fierce "pfft."

● ︶ 3 ︶ ●

The two of them were the earliest to arrive at the office. Just as Qian Fei was about to take off her down jacket inside the room, Li Yifei immediately spoke up to stop her. "No taking it off!"

Qian Fei glared at him. "Are you trying to roast me to death?"

Li Yifei looked askance at her. "You won't roast to death. The air conditioner is broken!"

Qian Fei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Broken your sister! It's broken just because you say so?"

Li Yifei raised his chin. "Yes! It's broken because I say so!" After saying that, he ripped a sheet of paper from his notepad with a rip sound, waved his arm, and wrote on it: The air conditioner is broken and will be repaired next Monday. To prevent catching a cold, everyone please wear your overcoats while working.

He pasted this piece of paper right next to the air conditioner switch.

Consequently, throughout the entire day, everyone from both brokerages in the whole office sat in their overcoats inside the office where the air conditioner was allegedly broken, working diligently without a single doubt...

When Gui Lili came over to check the data for the incoming and outgoing contracts, she wasn't wearing an overcoat. After sneezing twice from the cold, she pulled out her phone to call the building property management.

Amused, Qian Fei waited to see what kind of expression Li Yifei would have when his lie was exposed. However, Zhao De, that big-mouthed guy, immediately put his specialty to use. Before Gui Lili could dial her phone, he spoke up ahead of her, "Assistant Gui, you'd better not bother calling. It's probably useless even if you do. A notice has already been posted on the wall saying they'll come to fix it on Monday."

Gui Lili had no choice but to put away her phone. After sneezing two more times, she clutched her contract folder and ran off in a hurry.

Qian Fei felt that Li Yifei might really carry some dog-shit luck in his life that others didn't have. If Gui Lili had just taken one look at that "notice" on the wall, she didn't believe she wouldn't recognize whose handwriting it was, or if she simply pressed the button on the wall to test it, she would know whether the air conditioner was broken or not.

Qian Fei said to Li Yifei in a low voice, "You're going to give our Assistant Gui a cold soon!"

Li Yifei looked askance at her and said calmly, "Remove the word 'our,' thank you."

● ︶ 3 ︶ ●

When it was almost time to leave work, Qian Fei went to the restroom carrying her makeup bag.

The air conditioning was on in the restroom, and she was sweating inside her down jacket, so she took it off and draped it to the side.

She washed her face first, then carefully recalled the makeup steps and techniques Steve had taught her, applying those powders and foundations little by little onto her face, before meticulously sculpting it with color cosmetics. She wanted to paint herself as naturally as possible, so the color makeup she chose consisted of soft, delicate pastel shades. After applying lipstick, she let her hair down. While she was fixing it, a person came in from the door. Qian Fei had seen her before; she was the general manager's secretary, surnamed Rong.

Secretary Rong looked at Qian Fei and let out a sigh of admiration, "Wow! Manager Qian, you look so beautiful dressed up today! Both pure and charming!" She sized Qian Fei up from head to toe, her admiration coming straight from the heart, "Your figure is simply incredible! Why did you enter investment banking? You should have gone to the film academy!"

Qian Fei felt embarrassed by her praise. She mumbled a couple of responses with a flushed face, grabbed her makeup bag and down overcoat, and fled the restroom as if running for her life.

She felt she really only had this much courage. She had always lived like an ugly duckling, and suddenly changing into a white swan made her unable to withstand people's praise. As soon as someone praised her, she felt so bashful and awkward all over that she wanted to find a place to hide her face.

Stepping in her high heels, she walked forward while lowering her head, hurriedly trying to stuff her makeup bag into her daily bag. In her busy distraction, she accidentally bumped into someone.

While saying "sorry" repeatedly, she raised her head to see whom she had bumped into.

The moment she looked up, she truly wished she could find a dirt pit or something to bury her face in.

The people from the office were currently taking advantage of the end of the workday to walk toward the elevator in groups. And the person she bumped into, by a stroke of complete misfortune, happened to be her nemesis, the young master Li Yifei.

She heard everyone start with gasps of "hey," "oh," and "yaha," and uniformly end with "Qian Fei looks really beautiful dressed up today, she must be going to see her boyfriend."

Her ears began to burn hot.

She felt she probably wouldn't be able to accomplish any great things in her lifetime because just being stared at by a few gazes like this made her feel like she was about to catch fire.

The elevator arrived, and her colleagues filed inside one after another. When only Li Yifei and Qian Fei were left, Li Yifei waved his hand to the people inside, "It's too crowded, we'll wait for the next car."

The elevator doors closed. Qian Fei let out a long sigh of relief, raising her hand to wipe away a layer of fine sweat that had beaded on her forehead.

"Do you know what I fear most? It's when I wear a new piece of clothing to work one day and get noticed by my colleagues, and they grab me and say, 'Oh my, Qian Fei, you're wearing new clothes, it looks so good!' Whenever this happens, I just want to find a crack in the ground to hide in. I don't know why this is either, but every time I encounter colleagues doing this, I feel so ashamed that I can barely lift my head!"

Li Yifei pressed the down button for the elevator to light it up again, saying in a flat tone, "I'll tell you why. Because deep down in your heart, you consider yourself an ugly woman, so when others praise you for looking good, you feel a guilty conscience." He lowered his head to look askance at Qian Fei, "So it turns out you've always thought of yourself as an ugly woman."

Qian Fei startled, raised her head, and looked at him. "You say it as if you didn't think the same way. Didn't you always say I'm a tomboy!"

Li Yifei rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her. "Hmm, who would have thought that even this young master would have a lapse in judgment sometimes!"