QTIMP -Chapter 248 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 11)

Wen Luo rode his bicycle, taking the person with him as he twisted and turned through several alleys before arriving at a narrow lane. As soon as they entered the alleyway, a faint sweet fragrance drifted through the air.

He went up and knocked on the door. A young man opened it. Seeing Du Zhenbang, he immediately broke into a grin.

“Brother Wen, I’ve been waiting for you for ages. If you come any later, the freshly baked pastries won’t taste as good anymore.”

“Alright, thanks, Lei Zi.”

After saying that, he saw him carefully shielding a young girl who looked like a celestial beauty as they came in.

Lei Zi froze for a moment, stunned. Only after someone knocked him lightly on the head did he snap back to his senses.

He scratched his head awkwardly, but his eyes still couldn’t help drifting over.

“I’ll take you inside,” he said, quickly lowering his head and running ahead.

Wen Luo lifted the bicycle and leaned it against the side, then led Si Qiu inside as well. But as soon as they entered the main hall, they saw a man in a Zhongshan suit sitting there.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses. His sharply defined features surprisingly carried a gentle, jade-like warmth, and as he sat there sipping tea, he gave off an air of refined elegance.

Hearing someone come in, he turned slightly. His gaze met Wen Luo’s, and he smiled faintly as he stood up to shake his hand.

“I didn’t expect you’d also be ordering pastries from here. Are these for your younger sister?”

After saying that, he turned to Si Qiu and gave a slight nod as a greeting—neither overly familiar nor overly attentive.

Si Qiu merely lifted her eyelids to glance at him, then lowered her gaze and fiddled with the strap of her small bag, not giving him a second look.

“Ah Luo, you came and went in a hurry yesterday. We didn’t really get a chance to catch up. Let me treat you later—let’s go have a drink at Old Zhou’s place.”

Wen Luo did want to catch up with his friend, but he also remembered he was still on a date with Si Qiu. He subconsciously turned to look at her standing there.

Lan Qing also followed his gaze and turned to the pretty girl first, greeting her proactively.

“Hello, I’m this kid’s good friend, Lan Qing. Are you his girlfriend?”

Si Qiu felt that this person really didn’t know how to talk. “We’re not familiar with each other. Don’t go randomly matchmaking people.”

Wen Luo smiled and rubbed her head, but she dodged him and shot him a glare. He didn’t mind.

Still, afraid that Si Qiu might actually get angry and ignore him, he explained, “This is my younger sister’s classmate, Si Qiu.”

Before he could turn to introduce Lan Qing, Lan Qing already took the initiative and extended his hand.

“Hello, classmate Si Qiu. I’m Lan Qing, currently working at the Finance Bureau.”

Si Qiu reluctantly shook his hand. “Hello.”

The delicate beauty and the soft touch of her hand made his throat tighten unconsciously. He had always thought he wouldn’t be someone easily swayed by beauty—but now he realized it was simply because he hadn’t encountered enough temptation.

Fine, he admitted it. He was shallow.

Then he looked at Wen Luo again. “Are you done yet? How long are we supposed to stand here?”

“Are you tired, Qiuqiu? Sit here for a bit,” Wen Luo said, guiding her to a chair in the main hall.

Lan Qing didn’t return to his seat either, instead sitting down beside Wen Luo as if they were already deep in conversation.

“You’re here to buy pastries too?”

Wen Luo wore a gentle smile. “Qiuqiu likes traditional pastries. I placed an order yesterday and came to pick it up today. What about you? Ordering pastries for your grandfather again?”

Lan Qing pushed up his glasses with his hand, the peach blossom eyes hidden behind the lenses flickering slightly. “True enough. As he gets older, he just likes this type.”

Wen Luo was about to say something when the young man called Leizi came over carrying a tray filled with neatly packed pastries.

“Brother Luo, Brother Qing, the pastries are all packed. They’re still warm—perfect to take back and eat.”

Wen Luo and Lan Qing quickly took their bags. Lan Qing looked at the two of them with a smile and extended another invitation.

“Let’s go. I’ve already booked a place over there. We can take Classmate Si Qiu to try it too. Old Zou’s cooking is really good.”

He didn’t want Si Qiu to have too much contact with Lan Qing, but when he saw the brief spark of interest in Si Qiu’s eyes at the mention of Old Zou’s cooking, he still relented and nodded.

The two of them each pushed a bicycle and headed out.

As they rode off, Si Qiu followed a couple of steps and then hopped onto the back seat. Lan Qing watched as Si Qiu grabbed Wen Luo’s shirt with one hand and brushed back her flying hair with the other.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

The weather was gradually getting warmer. Sitting on the back of the bicycle with the wind brushing past felt very comfortable.

Curiously, Si Qiu tapped Wen Luo’s back. “Did you take me there just now to buy pastries privately?”

The simple touch made Wen Luo feel a tickling sensation all the way from his back to his heart. He suppressed it and gave a soft “mm.”

But Lan Qing, riding nearby, cut in.

“Yes, it’s a private pastry shop, but it only accepts reservations from regular customers. After all, the ingredients aren’t easy to gather.”

“Oh!” Si Qiu sounded slightly disappointed. Although she hadn’t even tasted the pastries yet, the sweet and light aroma had already raised her expectations very high.

If it really turned out as good as she imagined, she wouldn’t mind spending more money to satisfy her cravings. After all, if she didn’t spend her money on herself, who would she spend it on?

Wen Luo glanced at her several times. The other man’s expression remained gentle and refined; when their eyes met, he even nodded back politely and naturally joined the conversation.

Only then did Wen Luo’s heart ease slightly.

Old Zou’s small restaurant was known only within a limited circle. It only received a few tables a month—partly because ingredients were hard to obtain, and partly to avoid drawing too much attention with the strong aroma of the food.

Although running a private kitchen at this time usually required connections, it was still better to keep a low profile. If anyone had ill intentions, it could simply be explained as hosting family meals.

The meal consisted of six dishes and one soup, with no particularly exquisite plating. The ingredients were even quite ordinary, but the aroma was extremely rich.

Si Qiu felt that her earlier wonton snack had already digested completely, so once she started eating, although her posture remained proper, her speed was not slow at all.

Instead, the two men found her straightforward and cute, not pretentious at all. Si Qiu didn’t care about their judgment—after all, the food here genuinely suited her taste.

Wen Luo took care of her attentively and considerately. Lan Qing leaned back in his chair, a cigarette in his mouth but not lit, because Wen Luo had reminded him that Si Qiu didn’t like the smell of smoke.

Behind his glasses, his eyes narrowed slightly, hiding a deeper, unreadable emotion.

After eating, the two of them sent Si Qiu back to the alley behind the residential building. Then, in tacit understanding, they headed toward a small park not far away.

If Wen Luo still hadn’t realized Lan Qing’s intentions after spending so much time with him, he wouldn’t have survived in the military.

And Lan Qing—who could say whether he had intentionally revealed hints, leading to the current confrontation beneath the trees?

The cigarette that had been in his mouth, then tucked behind his ear, was taken down again. He lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

Lan Qing had one hand in the pocket of his suit pants and the other holding the cigarette, looking at the surroundings where there were few people due to the heat.

Wen Luo was also irritated, but because he was meeting Si Qiu, he hadn’t brought any cigarettes at all.

“What exactly did you follow me here for?”

“I’ve taken a liking to that girl.”

There was no hesitation, no subtlety—just a blunt, straightforward admission.