She Seems to Struggle with Having a Wife - Chapter 5

Qin Mu only opened her phone after getting in the car. While fastening her seatbelt, she tapped on the address Gao Jingchen had sent, checked the traffic on both sides, and then turned the steering wheel to drive out of the parking lot.

The restaurant was a Western-style eatery located in a commercial street. On weekends, the area was crowded, making it difficult to find parking.

When Qin Mu arrived, she couldn’t find a parking spot, so she drove a bit farther and parked there. After turning off the engine, she quickly changed into high heels in the car and hurried toward the restaurant.

At the entrance, a server greeted her, “Please come in, miss. It’s quite busy today since it’s the weekend. Do you have a reservation, or is someone waiting for you?”

Qin Mu paused her hurried steps, took a deep breath to steady herself, and replied, “A friend is waiting for me.”

“Alright, please come this way.”

The server led her inside.

Qin Mu glanced around briefly but didn’t spot anyone. She took out her phone and sent a message to Gao Jingchen, asking where he was.

Before she received a reply, she heard someone call her name, “Qin Mu, over here.”

Following the voice, she spotted Gao Jingchen standing up and waving to her from a table further inside.

Qin Mu closed her phone and walked over slowly, instinctively smoothing down her slightly messy hair.

Due to the high-backed seats, from Qin Mu’s angle, she could only see Gao Jingchen across the table. It wasn’t until she got closer that she noticed someone else sitting opposite him Wei Qing’an, who was intently focused on eating a plate of spaghetti.

So, she was the friend the boss had mentioned.

Did the boss invite her out to dinner just so she could meet the person he’d mentioned last night?

Wei Qing’an was thoroughly enjoying her meal. When she noticed Qin Mu’s arrival, she quickly wiped her mouth and greeted her with a smile, “We meet again.”

Qin Mu nodded, her gaze lingering on Wei Qing’an’s face, momentarily unable to look away.

Today, Wei Qing’an wore light makeup and black semi-rimmed glasses. Her white formal shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing her delicate collarbone. Her long hair was left loose, casually falling over her chest, giving off an intellectual and refined aura.

“Sit next to Teacher Wei,” Gao Jingchen instructed.

Qin Mu didn’t say anything and obediently took a seat beside her. But why did the boss call her “Teacher Wei”?

Once everyone was seated, Gao Jingchen called the server over to order. Glancing at Wei Qing’an’s nearly finished plate of spaghetti, he clicked his tongue and explained to Qin Mu, “Teacher Wei is Wei Qing’an, the last disciple my grandmother took in, whom I mentioned last night. You’ve met before. She just got off work and hadn’t eaten all day, so we ordered her some spaghetti first. I hope you don’t mind.”

Qin Mu looked at Gao Jingchen and replied, “I don’t mind.”

After saying that, she frowned slightly. Had she really not eaten all day?

The server came over with menus and handed them to the three. “What would you like to order? Our special today is ribeye steak, it’s highly recommended by our customers lately. Would you like to give it a try?”

“Sounds good, I’ll have that,” Wei Qing’an said without further deliberation. She closed the menu and handed it back to the server. “Also, please bring me a serving of French pan-seared foie gras. I can’t drink alcohol, so juice will be fine.”

“Certainly, ma’am.” The server took the menu.

After placing his order, Gao Jingchen flipped to the wine page and asked Qin Mu, “Can you drink, President Qin?”

Qin Mu, still looking at the menu, replied, “I’ve been cutting back on alcohol lately.”

“Alright then.”

Once they finished ordering, both handed their menus back to the server.

Wei Qing’an must have been truly famished. After the waiter left, she lowered her head, picked up her fork, and continued eating the remaining pasta on her plate, showing no intention of engaging with the two of them.

Gao Jingchen chuckled at the sight and asked, “Hey, Teacher Wei, what about that person you mentioned last night who looks just like our President Qin? Why didn’t you bring them along tonight? I even sent you a message specifically asking you to bring them.”

Qin Mu watched Wei Qing’an with a playful gaze, equally curious as to why she hadn’t brought the person along.

Wei Qing’an was thoroughly enjoying her meal when his question caught her off guard. Turning her head, she met Qin Mu’s teasing eyes and guiltily lowered her gaze, deliberately mumbling, “She’s a very busy person. She went out to eat with friends and said she’d contact me when she has time.”

Hmph. Qin Mu lowered her head with a light laugh.

So this person could lie without even batting an eye.

The waiter brought the juice first. Qin Mu naturally picked up one glass and placed it in front of Wei Qing’an, then took the second one for herself to drink.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it for now.”

Gao Jingchen stopped prying into Wei Qing’an’s affairs and shifted his full attention to Qin Mu.

In an instant, the way he looked at her changed entirely.

Qin Mu was dressed in a more mature, sophisticated style that evening, a light-colored camisole underneath and a chic little black jacket on top, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders. Her clear, bright eyes and every gesture as she laughed and talked captivated Gao Jingchen’s gaze, and his appraisal was blatantly obvious.

Qin Mu grew somewhat uncomfortable under his stare and simply turned her attention to Wei Qing’an, who was diligently focused on her meal.

The change of scenery lifted her mood, and the slight frown on Qin Mu’s brow gradually eased. She casually handed Wei Qing’an a napkin.

When Wei Qing’an took it, her fingers seemed almost deliberate. She could have easily taken the napkin from the other side, but instead, she let her fingers glide over the back of Qin Mu’s hand, giving them a light, intentional squeeze.

“Thank you,” Wei Qing’an said, composing her expression.

Qin Mu withdrew her hand, her thumb gently rubbing the index and middle fingers where Wei Qing’an had touched her.

After Wei Qing’an finished her pasta, the three of them sat and chatted.

Gao Jingchen, unaware of the relationship between the two women, enthusiastically made introductions. Qin Mu remained somewhat indifferent, chiming in only when addressed and otherwise just listening. Wei Qing’an, however, seemed particularly eager to get to know Qin Mu.

Qin Mu smiled faintly without saying much, quietly taking it all in. Soon, the waiter began serving the dishes, and the two of them finally quieted down.

Having slept the entire day and skipped lunch, Qin Mu was hungry and ate without speaking.

Buzz, buzz, buzz a phone vibrated on the dining table.

Qin Mu glanced over and saw it was Wei Qing’an’s.

Wei Qing’an set down her knife and fork, turned slightly, and answered the phone in a hushed tone, “Hello? I’m out having dinner right now. Mm-hmm, okay, I understand. The gold foil inventory is still available, but we’ll need to submit a report for approval. I don’t think the chances of it getting passed are very high.”

As she spoke, Qin Mu unconsciously stopped chewing.

A work call. Is she going to leave?

Wei Qing’an hung up after less than a minute, picked up her knife and fork, and resumed eating. Only then did Qin Mu feel relieved.

Gao Jingchen looked up at her and asked, “Is work that busy? My grandmother mentioned you’ve been away for two months, and this time they forced you to come back and rest. How come you still can’t seem to take it easy?”

Wei Qing’an finished her last bite of foie gras and said contentedly after a satisfying meal, “I’d love to take it easy and rest, but the higher-ups just can’t sit still. They don’t want me to rest, they’d rather I live in the studio and restore artifacts 365 days a year.”

“If that’s the case, your future wife would be left alone at home every day. I genuinely feel sorry for your future spouse’s married life. With your workaholic tendencies, staying single is probably for the best. Maybe you shouldn’t even think about getting married.”

Gao Jingchen’s casual remark made Qin Mu choke up, the delicious foie gras suddenly hard to swallow.

Wei Qing’an instinctively glanced at Qin Mu. Under the warm glow of the overhead light, her fair, delicate face flushed with a hint of awkwardness, which looked rather adorable.

“True enough,” Wei Qing’an replied casually.

Hearing this, Qin Mu paused while cutting her foie gras. Perhaps in Wei Qing’an’s eyes, she was just a roommate and nothing more.

Buzz, buzz, buzz this time, it was Gao Jingchen’s phone that rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and stood up, saying, “I need to take a client’s call. You two keep eating.”

“Mm,” Wei Qing’an nodded.

With only the two of them left at the table, Qin Mu relaxed her stiff posture and continued eating.

Wei Qing’an, having finished her meal and with nothing to do, tilted her head and propped her left cheek on her hand. Her idle gaze drifted from the artificial flowers on the table upward to Qin Mu’s face her rosy lips, straight nose, and fluttering long eyelashes. On closer inspection, every part of her seemed beautiful, like a flawless work of art crafted by a master.

Wei Qing’an stared intently, watching her eat slowly and deliberately, listening to the gentle clinking of her knife and fork against the plate. Paired with the elegant piano music in the restaurant, the atmosphere between them felt serene and warm.

After a long while, Wei Qing’an suddenly remarked, “Looking closely, you really are quite charming.”

Her tone didn’t sound like a compliment.

Qin Mu continued eating without even glancing at her. “Of course I’m charming, I’m good-looking.”

Wei Qing’an chuckled lightly. “Praising your own wares, are you?”

Qin Mu finished her last bite, wiped her mouth, and said calmly, “If I weren’t good-looking, why would you be staring at me? Unless you have a thing for ugly people and enjoy looking at them?”

Stumped by her retort, Wei Qing’an fell silent.

This woman’s demeanor perfectly matched her personality aloof, sharp-tongued, and unapproachable.

Wei Qing’an straightened up and stopped looking at her.

Both had finished their meals, and with Gao Jingchen absent, they seemed to have nothing to say to each other, sitting quietly in their own worlds.

The atmosphere felt distant, almost like that between strangers.

At least, that’s how Qin Mu perceived it.

After a while, the awkwardness became too much to bear. Qin Mu picked up her phone, opened the camera, and took a picture of the flowers on the table. After capturing the shot, she opened a photo-editing app, cropped the image, applied a filter, and saved it.

Then, she opened WeChat to post it on her Moments. Wei Qing’an, as if witnessing something extraordinary, exclaimed in surprise, “You actually post on Moments?”

“Mm,” Qin Mu replied, tapping on the emoji options.

Wei Qing’an picked up her phone and clicked on Qin Mu’s profile, only to find her Moments completely blank no “posts visible for three days” or “posts visible for one month” settings.

Qin Mu finished editing and posted it with one tap.

Seeing that she had already shared it, Wei Qing’an opened her own Moments but found no update. She refreshed a few more times, but Qin Mu’s post of the flowers still didn’t appear. Realizing what had happened, she turned off her phone, masking a flicker of inadvertent disappointment.

After sending the message, Qin Mu scrolled down.

She had never liked any of her own posts.

A moment later, a notification popped up on Wei Qing’an’s phone. After replying with a few words, she stood up, phone in hand, and said to Qin Mu, “It’s getting late. I need to head back to the museum for work. When Xiao Chen returns, let him know.”

“Huh?” Qin Mu looked up at her.

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