Love Rival Turned Lover - Chapter 16

With summer vacation approaching, Qian Xun officially began her part-time job life.

It was as if the two people who had left earlier had secretly coordinated—starting the next day, they took turns calling her, one after another. And every night, during their calls, unless Qian Xun explicitly said she was tired, neither of them would hang up.

It left her helpless and amused all at once.

Her work at the café was becoming smoother by the day. One afternoon, while she was in the kitchen taking stock of the cutlery, she suddenly heard the shift lead say someone was looking for her.

Qian Xun blinked and asked curiously, “Who is it?”

The shift lead was a young woman who had just graduated from college, gentle by nature. Hearing Qian Xun ask, she blushed slightly. “It’s a very beautiful girl. Really elegant. I forgot to ask for the details. She mentioned you by name.”

Normally she wouldn’t have made such a rookie mistake, but the visitor’s presence had been so commanding that she unconsciously followed her tempo and let herself be led by the nose.

Qian Xun nodded, washed her hands, and went out.

She had originally thought Ling Qiao’er had come back. But following her coworker’s directions to the corner window seat, she froze.

No wonder the shift lead had called her “very beautiful.”

The girl sitting there had exquisitely delicate features, fair skin—she looked even more stunning than the award-winning young actresses in the entertainment industry. Qian Xun’s gaze flickered; she quietly hid the astonishment in her eyes.

After all, this visitor clearly wasn’t here with good intentions.

If her guess was right, she was—

“Hello, you must be Miss Ye Qian Xun, yes? I’m An Yu, Bingyi’s fiancée. Please, have a seat.”

Qian Xun blanked for a moment. Looking at the soft-browed, gentle-faced woman in front of her, she repeated, “Bingyi’s fiancée?”

An Yu nodded gracefully.

The smile on her face looked as though it had been drawn with a ruler—perfectly measured, perfectly placed, perfectly pleasant.

“I’m Gongliang Bingyi’s girlfriend.”

Expression stiff, Qian Xun sat down with a blank face, silently stabbing a mental straw doll labeled Gongliang Bingyi in her heart.

Didn’t he say he went back to “settle the fiancée situation”?

So why was An Yu suddenly showing up here.

Sure enough, Ling Qiao’er had been right: Men are about as reliable as pigs climbing trees. None of them can resist having beauties in both arms.

And this heroine was indeed stunningly perfect.

Of course, Bingyi wouldn’t want to give her up.

“I know. Bingyi told me about you.” An Yu smiled softly as she looked at the girl who wore her emotions openly, sitting there with a clear I’m not happy face. “You really are just as he described—pure and childlike.”

Qian Xun: “…”

“Do you know? Because of you, Bingyi wants to call off our engagement.”

Looking at the lively, adorable girl across from her—even in a simple café uniform—An Yu continued evenly, “He made a scene at home, had a huge argument with his parents. Then his father ended up in the hospital.”

Qian Xun raised her brows in surprise. “Hospitalized?”

What a wonderfully cliché melodrama.

An Yu nodded lightly. “Yes.”

“His father’s health has been poor for years. His mother and I have been caring for him this whole time. This time, he was so enraged by Bingyi that his heart condition flared up. His mother has been weeping every day.”

An Yu’s voice softened. “Miss Ye, do you understand the pain and fear of watching your close family suffer?”

Qian Xun earnestly shook her head.

She’d never experienced anything like that, so naturally, she couldn’t understand.

An Yu choked on her words.

The smile on her face almost cracked.

Weren’t people saying she was soft and innocent, like a little rabbit?

So why did she have the unsettling feeling that this girl was slipping entirely out of her control?

“Miss An, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Qian Xun looked at her, outwardly calm despite facing a beauty straight out of a painting. “If you’re here to convince me to leave Gongliang Bingyi, then I’m afraid that won’t work. The decision isn’t mine to make. You’ve come to the wrong person.”

If I could convince him myself, I wouldn’t be here talking to you!

Her hands clenched tightly beneath the table, translucent nails digging into her palms. An Yu bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to stay calm.

But the harder she tried, the more her emotions spiraled—scattered, anxious, and beyond control.

Her long-held wish was finally within reach. Just one more step—just one more step and she would marry into the Gongliang family. At such a critical moment, she absolutely could not allow any mistake to appear.

It took a long while before An Yu finally found her voice again.

“Miss Ye, you know very well—Bingyi likes you a lot.” She lifted her coffee and took a sip, her tone composed and steady. “As long as it’s something you say, I believe Bingyi will definitely respect your wishes. Besides, Miss Ye wouldn’t want your presence to cause conflict between him and the Gongliang family, right?”

“His father has already been hospitalized due to a heart attack. If in the end things escalate even further.”

At this point, An Yu paused for a few seconds, her expression taking on a mix of pity and sorrow. “When that happens, Miss Ye—how will you face Bingyi’s affection and pursuit?”

Qian Xun: “…”

Wasn’t this just blatant moral blackmail?

It seemed she, like the original Ye Qian Xun, would also have to play the role of the heartless girl who abandons her first love.

Still, there was something she couldn’t help but be curious about.

“And how does Miss An know that the Gongliangs wouldn’t accept me?” Qian Xun curled her lips, spreading her arms as if evaluating herself. “I’m capable and attractive. My background may be humble, but I work hard. Why wouldn’t I be able to win over his parents and gain their approval for our relationship?”

At her words, a flash of disdain flickered through An Yu’s eyes.

As expected—yet another commoner who didn’t know her place, who indulged in delusional daydreams. If entering a wealthy, aristocratic household were really so simple, then why had she spent so much time and effort currying favor with the elder Gongliangs?

Her own family wasn’t even that far from the Gongliangs in status.

Even she had to use every trick in the book—let alone someone like her?

“Miss Ye, do you even know Bingyi’s family background in detail?”

Seeing Ye Qian Xun’s puzzled expression, An Yu curved her lips into a serene smile.

“Bingyi needs a future matriarch who is virtuous, accomplished, equal in status, and powerful enough to support him—not some delicate little wife who needs constant care and puts him in difficult positions. Understand?”

Little wife.

Qian Xun’s mouth twitched. She almost rolled her eyes.

Seeing Qian Xun stay silent, An Yu continued, “Perhaps I’m being a bit blunt, maybe even a little hurtful. But Miss Ye, everything I’ve said is simply the truth.”

Qian Xun nodded woodenly. “I understand.”

“And what does Miss Ye intend to do?”

“I’ll think it over. Once I’ve decided, I’ll give you my answer.”

“Very well. This is a small token of appreciation—please accept it.”

Seeing that Ye Qian Xun was finally softening, An Yu exhaled lightly in relief. She drew a check from her handbag and placed it in the center of the table.

“I don’t mean to offend you—this is merely a simple compensation.”