DTBS – Chapter 44
Chapter 44: You Dummy
Jiang Lihe turned off the car engine, adjusted his suit collar, and cleared his throat a few times, quite pleased with his look today.
The man picked up the large bouquet of roses from the passenger seat, a look of triumph appearing on his face. He had driven alone to the set of 《Fluttering Butterfly》 today, ready to appear before Qin Qingshang as a savior, using the current online buzz to make her yield to him.
His idea was beautiful. Just as he got out of the car, his leather shoes hitting the ground, a gust of wind swept past him, messing up his carefully styled hair and rustling the red roses in his arms.
And the car that brushed past him, almost hitting him...
He craned his neck to look. It was that gray Volkswagen with privacy film!
What a coincidence! How dare this lowlife be so arrogant!
Jiang Lihe threw the bouquet of roses back into the car, strode forward, and prepared to drag the person out.
What a death-seeking fool, daring to come see Qin Qingshang again. At such a sensitive time, they didn't even know how to avoid suspicion, afraid they wouldn't provide traffic for the media, huh?
As for himself, what a joke. What was his status, and what was that person's? He was capital, able to manipulate hot searches and public opinion at will. Could that guy driving a beat-up car do that?
Suddenly, Jiang Lihe stopped in his tracks, immediately ducking behind a nearby railing and cautiously peeking out.
Qin Qingshang!
She still dared to meet her lover? Was she completely unafraid of the online abuse?
This woman, who had always put on airs and pretended to be aloof with him, was this light, joyful step real?
Why?! Just because this guy was poorer than him?
Jealousy twisted him. Seeing Qin Qingshang get into that gray Volkswagen, Jiang Lihe clenched his fists, mentally slicing the gray car owner into a thousand pieces several times over.
His anger reached a new height. When the gray Volkswagen started moving, he didn't hesitate to run back to his car, yank open the door, start the engine, and follow it.
That sneaky fellow, this time, I'll definitely catch you!
Ever since Qin Qingshang got in the car, Tao Qiuyun had been watching the rearview mirror. Sure enough, she saw Jiang Lihe's car following again.
She looked thoughtful, turning to the Qin Qingshang beside her, who was using a compact mirror to fix her hair. "Miss Qin, didn't you agree to let me arrange bodyguards for you before? Why didn't you bring them?"
"CEO Tao, I'm not some big shot," Qin Qingshang held the mirror, tidying the strands of hair on her forehead. "Having personal bodyguards makes me a bit uncomfortable. Besides, I usually just film on set and have transportation when I go out, so nothing will happen."
"Miss Qin," Tao Qiuyun gestured with her eyes, "Look at the car behind us. Does it look familiar?"
Hearing this, Qin Qingshang looked in the rearview mirror. Seeing the familiar license plate, she immediately closed the compact mirror in her hand and exclaimed, "Jiang Lihe! Why is it him again?"
"Now," Tao Qiuyun shifted gears, "Does Miss Qin still feel safe? Even if you don't have bodyguards right beside you, I hope Miss Qin will ask them to pay more attention to the surroundings of the film set."
"He's probably trying to threaten me, how shameless! CEO Tao," Qin Qingshang turned to look at Tao Qiuyun, indignant, "He's completely embarrassing your CEOs!"
"Miss Qin," Tao Qiuyun frowned slightly, "Isn't it a bit disrespectful to compare him to me? I believe I've been very respectful to Miss Qin, and I hope Miss Qin can put herself in my shoes and give me basic respect."
"I..." Qin Qingshang was momentarily speechless. Then she clasped her hands together and said, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, CEO Tao. I promise I won't compare you two again. Jiang Lihe isn't even one ten-thousandth as good as you!"
The cat, able to bend and stretch, apologized extremely quickly.
Tao Qiuyun curved her lips, placed her phone on the holder, and casually dialed Fang Yu's number. "Since he's clinging to us so tightly, it's time to ask for help from our umbrella."
Seeing her about to use the same trick again, Qin Qingshang tilted her head to look in the rearview mirror. "If he gets pulled over by the traffic police again, won't he get suspicious?"
"Suspicious of what?" Tao Qiuyun didn't take such things to heart. "Let him be suspicious. A cornered dog will jump over the wall, but as long as the wall is high, he can't jump very far."
"Aren't you being disrespectful to Big Bold by comparing him to Jiang Lihe?" Qin Qingshang prepared to use her words to counterattack. The woman's smile was bright. "Dogs are so cute, why compare them to Jiang Lihe?"
Her original intention was to step on Jiang Lihe, but Tao Qiuyun's face darkened, her voice slightly heavy. "Miss Qin, could it be that in your heart, I'm not even as good as a dog?"
"Huh?"
"You care if I compare a dog to Jiang Lihe, but you actively compare me to Jiang Lihe."
"CEO Tao, I... I didn't mean that," Qin Qingshang suddenly felt a headache. "This is me learning from past lessons and wanting to exclude dogs too. CEO Tao! Don't worry, in my heart, you're definitely better than a dog."
"..." Tao Qiuyun fell silent.
Better than a dog? Is that something to be happy about? Shouldn't that be a given?
"..." The cat pursed her lips.
It's over, CEO Tao must be angry.
"Um," Fang Yu's voice came from the phone, "Can I speak now?"
How awkward. Why did this little couple have to flirt while on the phone with an outsider?
Got it, you're treating me like a dog to abuse, huh!
CEO Tao, I didn't expect you, this seemingly gentle and refined person, to be so... serious when talking to your wife!
Tao Qiuyun explained her request to the diligent Captain Fang. The police acted quickly, setting up a checkpoint on the spot and stopping Jiang Lihe's car.
"Do you have something against me?" Jiang Lihe handed his driver's license to the traffic police officer in front of him. "You stopped me last time, and you're stopping me again this time. Why don't you check that gray car? I think it's very suspicious."
"Sorry, sir," the traffic police officer's expression was serious. "We conduct random checks."
"Random checks? You randomly checked me twice! Do I look easy to bully? Don't you think I look familiar? You checked me last time, and there was nothing wrong with my car or license!"
"Sorry, I see many people every day, I really can't remember if I've seen you."
"Have you seen someone as handsome as me?"
"...The driver of the car that just passed, he's handsomer than you."
Jiang Lihe fell silent.
A man handsomer than him? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
"Aren't you getting out, CEO Tao?" Upon reaching their destination, Qin Qingshang unbuckled her seatbelt, ready to get out, but found that Tao Qiuyun, sitting in the driver's seat, had no intention of doing so.
"I..." Tao Qiuyun looked at her, a hesitant look on her face. "Miss Qin is dressed so beautifully, wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate for me to go in dressed like this?"
After saying that, she immediately added, "Actually, I thought about buying new clothes, but there really wasn't enough time."
"It's okay, CEO Tao," Qin Qingshang smiled. "When we first ate at St. Ya Restaurant, wasn't I also dressed very casually? This time you're also dressed casually, so we're even."
"Okay." Tao Qiuyun nodded, reached out and put on her baseball cap, then opened the door and got out of the car.
Originally, she wanted to change back into her original clothes, but the car space was too small, and Qin Qingshang was also there... Sure enough, she still felt a bit embarrassed.
Tao Qiuyun had booked a Western restaurant called "West Wind Courtyard". The decor was elegant, and the consumption level was upper-middle. Although the restaurant didn't have a dress code for customers, when Tao Qiuyun entered wearing inexpensive clothes that showed signs of repeated washing, the people around couldn't help but give them a few curious glances.
"Hello? Do you have a reservation?" The young waiter came forward with a smile to ask.
"Room 303." Tao Qiuyun looked at the waiter.
Unexpectedly, the person who replied was her. The young waiter looked at her curiously for a couple more seconds.
Her cap brim was pulled very low, and he didn't feel comfortable staring directly at her, so he could only see the lower half of the woman's face. Her features were clear, and her skin was fair. She should be a beauty.
"Ahem!" Seeing him keep glancing at Tao Qiuyun, Qin Qingshang was a little displeased and repeated what she had just said, "Room 303."
"Sorry!" The young waiter immediately apologized, then tapped a few times on his tablet and smiled at Qin Qingshang, "Is it Ms. Tao? Please follow me this way."
The large sunglasses covered the surprise in Qin Qingshang's eyes. Before she could explain, the woman beside her took a step forward and turned back to her, saying, "Miss Tao, it's time to go."
"I..." Qin Qingshang felt speechless, immediately followed, and lowered her voice to whisper, "CEO Tao, it seems you're dressed too simply. Now you've become the backdrop."
"It's not that I'm too simple, it's that Miss Qin naturally has an outstanding presence. Besides, I'm very happy to be Miss Qin's backdrop." Tao Qiuyun was calm and didn't feel annoyed.
"You have this kind of hobby?" Qin Qingshang teased her.
"Being the backdrop for the great star Miss Qin, how many people would beg for that?"
"Stop saying nice things to flatter me!"
The two chatted casually, and soon they arrived at the private room door.
"Ms. Tao, your ordered set meal will be delivered in ten minutes. Enjoy your meal!" The young waiter finished speaking and left, clearly very experienced.
"Come in," Tao Qiuyun pushed open the door, a hint of a smile on her face. "I hope Miss Qin likes the meal I ordered for you."
Hearing this, Qin Qingshang thought Tao Qiuyun felt sorry that she wasn't eating well on set and was taking her out for something good as an exception. But the result was...
"CEO Tao, you brought me out just to eat this?"
Qin Qingshang fiercely poked a roll of lettuce in her bowl with her fork. "I trusted you so much, and you brought me here to eat grass!"
"Grass doesn't look like this," Tao Qiuyun cut a piece of steak and brought it to her mouth, trying to reason with her. "It's vegetables."
With rosemary as the base, mixed with appropriate spiciness and rich pine aroma, paired with flavorful steak, it created a faint woody scent. The woman's red lips opened and closed, making one's appetite even more stimulated—no, it was making one's appetite open wide.
"You're eating so well, but you're making me eat grass!" Qin Qingshang clenched the knife and fork in her hand. "CEO Tao, do you believe I'll leave right now?"
"Didn't Miss Qin want to control her diet and eat vegetarian?" Tao Qiuyun was puzzled, put down her knife, and poured her a glass of lemon water.
"And this," Qin Qingshang pointed at the glass pitcher in the woman's hand, accusing her again. "You're even making me drink lemon water. Shouldn't Western food be paired with red wine? CEO Tao, shouldn't you show your domineering CEO aura and buy the most expensive red wine in this restaurant to drink?"
Tao Qiuyun chuckled softly. "Can't do that, your alcohol tolerance is very poor."
"What do you mean?" The cat was stunned.
"Literal meaning," Tao Qiuyun handed the glass to her. "I'm driving, so I don't drink. It just so happens you can't drink much either. Isn't it good for us to drink lemon water together?"
"Are you looking down on me?" Qin Qingshang leaned back against the chair, crossing her arms. "My classmates who went to the bar with me all said I could drink a lot~"
"Drink a lot?" Tao Qiuyun covered her mouth, suppressing the smile at the corners of her lips. "If you could really drink a lot, how could you not even know you were picked up by me?"
"CEO Tao," Qin Qingshang blinked. "You don't have a habit of picking up drunk girls at bars, do you?"
"What if I said I did?"
"Then you must have picked up those girls to prevent them from falling into the hands of bad people."
"I've only picked you up. For others, I would choose to contact their friends, family, or call the police." Tao Qiuyun lowered her head to cut her steak. "Miss Qin, we have a great connection."
"I think I have a great connection with the steak on your plate." The cat was craving. "Can I have a piece? Just one piece. Besides, beef doesn't affect anything, and I don't have to eat only vegetables."
"No." Tao Qiuyun fed the steak into her own mouth, trying to use the chewing motion to hide her uncontrollable expression.
Qin Qingshang, she's so cute!
Fortunately, I'm quite good at holding back.
"They all say that before marriage, you treat your wife to big fish and meat, and after marriage, you only give her steamed buns." The cat complained mournfully. "But CEO Tao, you're even worse. Before marriage, you treat me to a feast at a top luxury restaurant, and after marriage, you only give me grass!"
"We're going to get a divorce, Miss Qin." Tao Qiuyun said seriously.
"You!" Qin Qingshang suddenly stood up, took a deep breath, "I'm going to the restroom!"
Seeing her leave in a huff, Tao Qiuyun finally put down her knife and fork, leaned back in her chair, and pondered. She sighed softly...
Why did she suddenly bring up divorce? It was like bringing up a sore subject.
You're such an idiot, Tao Qiuyun.
Now
CEO Tao: We're going to get a divorce.
Qin Catcat: ?!
Later
CEO Tao: You said you'd give me grass after marriage.
Qin Catcat: ?!
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