QTIMP -Chapter 168 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 39)

“I heard you’re developing a new feature for the phone—video calls, voice messages… Are regular texts and calls no longer enough for you two lovebirds?”

While busy, Tian Shuang answered for her, “Indeed. It’ll be ready in a few days. This will definitely become a trend in the future.”

Then she glanced back at the person on the phone. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on her, making her face, already full of affection, even more radiant and glossy.

“So Si Qiu’s about to get another big windfall.”

“How can someone be so well-rounded? Able to have a passionate romance and excel at their career at the same time.”

All three eyes turned to her, filled with admiration but no trace of jealousy.

Tian Shuang said softly, “She deserves it!”

What he did for Si Qiu was nothing short of a lifesaving favor. He had never imagined that his own parents would go so far for his cousin from his eldest uncle’s family.

In truth, no one knew that finding someone who could meet her wildly emotional romantic needs was something they had mutually made possible for each other.

While the group was admiringly chatting, Si Qiu’s phone was suddenly slammed onto the table.

She herself was fuming.

The three put down their coffee and turned to look at her.

“Si Qiu, what’s wrong?”

“Did someone at home make you angry?”

Si Qiu leaned heavily back in her chair. “Not sure what triggered him, but these past few days he keeps bringing up my ex-boyfriend.”

With a fake smile on her face, she mimicked the dialogue between the two of them.

“What did you do today?”

“Oh, went shopping with Tian Shuang.”

“Just with Tian Shuang? Didn’t run into your ex? That guy surnamed Xue must have called you, right?”

Then she switched to another expression.

“Honey, do you think the sunglasses I bought are pretty?”

“Oh, let me see. Didn’t think of letting that guy Gao Yang, your ex, take a look?”

“Gao Yang has already gone to the military academy. When have we even contacted each other?”

“Really? He’s still asking me about you!”

After finishing her imitation, Si Qiu slapped her hand on the table.

“He just texted me, saying he’s setting up a mahjong game with my exes. Asked if I had time to join.”

Xu Duo said, with a serious look, “What else could it be? He’s just jealous. How did you reply?”

Si Qiu smiled, “He’s obviously testing me! How could I reply? I told him those are all in the past, nothing to compare with him. I don’t know what got into him—these past two days he keeps bringing up my ex.”

Chang Li, hearing her, touched her nose, then slowly raised her hand. “I think I might know a bit.”

In an instant, everyone’s eyes shifted to her.

“Spill it, so the two of them don’t end up arguing over this.”

Tian Shuang patted her on the arm.

Chang Li smiled, cleared her throat, and said, “Isn’t there a plenary meeting these days? Representatives from all sides are coming to Beijing, so maybe your guy ran into a few of them.”

As soon as she finished speaking, several people immediately turned their sympathetic gazes toward her.

Si Qiu felt a bit embarrassed and picked up her coffee cup, pretending to take a sip.

Then, under their watchful eyes, she put the cup down. “Why are you all staring at me like that? I don’t have any connection with them, alright? Besides, they were the ones who dumped me back then. Now they want to reach out to me again—there’s clearly no good intention behind it.”

Chang Li nodded seriously at his words. “That’s true. Otherwise, those people wouldn’t have contacted me first to ask for your contact info. I didn’t give it to them because I knew you were married now. I suppose they also ran into Secretary Zhou.”

Their guess was correct—not only did they run into him, but all of them were also eating in the cafeteria.

A man in full military dress saw Zhou Chengyu carrying a tray and said, “Secretary Zhou, I hope you don’t mind me sitting here!”

Though he said that, he had already taken a seat.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Gao Yang, Qiu Qiu’s first love. When we met, she was two grades below me…”

As he rambled on, Zhou Chengyu’s grip on his chopsticks grew tighter and tighter. Finally, he slowly put them down and used a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth.

“First love? I seem to recall her first love was someone surnamed Xue. As for you, which one you are doesn’t really matter. After all, no matter how ‘romantic’ it was, it’s all in the past.”

Gao Yang tightened his grip on his chopsticks. Just as he was about to say something, a man in a suit with striking features walked over.

“I just heard Secretary Zhou mention someone surnamed Xue. You wouldn’t be talking about me, would you?”

Gao Yang frowned and looked at him. “Xue, the CEO of Fengqi Group?”

Xue Feng glanced him over and then gave a charming smile, extending his hand. “Hello, I’m Xue Feng, Si Qiu’s first love.”

Gao Yang’s face darkened. Of course, he knew this man. Back then, Si Qiu had taken a whole week off for him.

But he was no longer a schoolboy. He reached out to shake the man’s hand, secretly applying force. The two tested each other’s strength, but Gao Yang, after all, was trained in a military academy.

By the time they separated, Xue Feng’s hand could barely hold the chopsticks.

As the atmosphere remained tense, a man in an administrative jacket approached. Smiling, he said, “Sorry to bother you,” and sat down.

“Hello, Secretary Zhou. I’m Ji Mingzhe. You probably don’t know me, but I was in high school with your wife, Si Qiu. We lost touch a bit after college, but being the same age group, I’m sure we’ll still have things to talk about when we meet again.”

Zhou Chengyu sneered inwardly. This meal was unbearably awkward—it was like they were hinting he was old.

Beside him, He Shuo saw Gao Feng’s expression—it was beyond gloomy. Just as he was about to speak up and help his friend save face, Zhou Chengyu stopped him.

Zhou Chengyu’s face immediately returned to its usual calm, spring-like demeanor. He slowly placed his phone aside.

He Shuo tried to ease the tension. “What’s wrong? Is something from above?”

Zhou Chengyu shook his head, smiling. “Nothing, it’s just… Qiu Qiu…”

He trailed off, his gaze sweeping across the three men’s faces, noticing how they pretended to be indifferent while secretly listening carefully.

Squinting slightly, he said, “I’ve been busy these past few days and haven’t spent time letting her throw little tantrums at me. But I did mention you three.”

Seeing their gazes turn toward him, he calmly took a sip of water and continued, “She said that past events are just part of her history. It’s better not to bring them up—they can’t compare to me at all.”

The moment he saw their displeased expressions, his mood immediately brightened.

No matter how many ex-boyfriends she had, nothing reassured him more than these words from his wife. And he would do everything to make her words a reality.

Thinking this, his eyes shifted to the computer screen, where dense lines of code reflected the strategic, meticulous look on his face.

His other half, naturally, deserved nothing less than a meticulously woven web of protection.