The man she had once met through a casual hookup app was now standing in front of her office building.
For someone like Gu Quan, who had always lived cautiously and avoided offending anyone, her first irrational thought was: Is someone setting me up? She quickly dismissed it, blaming her late-night dramas for her paranoia.
She lowered her head, pretending not to recognize him—until she heard the doll-faced girl behind her call out,
"Yuan Ye."
His previously impassive face lit up with a smile. He walked straight to the girl and said softly,
"No class this afternoon. Thought I'd come pick you up for dinner."
Gu Quan almost laughed. Of course. Handsome guys are all the same—hooking up online one night, then playing the role of the gentle, attentive boyfriend the next.
Behind her, she could hear her colleague Xin Yi murmuring with admiration. Gu Quan tuned it out, more concerned about whether the hotpot place on the nearby pedestrian street would have a long line. Would she get the five-spice broth today, or go with the spicier, numbing chili?
Looking back later, she often thought: If I hadn't gone for that hotpot that day, everything that followed would never have happened.
The hotpot restaurant was buzzing, every table packed. Gu Quan and her friend Liang Xixi managed to claim a spot just as another group left. They ordered, sat down, and barely had time to breathe before spotting Xin Yi and her two companions entering the restaurant.
Liang Xixi waved them over.
"Over here! We've got space—join us."
Xin Yi smiled. "Perfect, we'll order first."
Gu Quan glanced up, inwardly groaning at the coincidence. The last person she wanted to see was Yuan Ye.
"Number 87!" The server delivered a steaming bowl of spicy hotpot to their table. Gu Quan's appetite was big, her taste even bolder—the dish was brimming with bright red chili peppers, its fragrance sharp and fiery.
The doll-faced girl, polite and sweet, sat down beside Gu Quan.
"Hi, nice to meet you both," she said softly before launching into cheerful chatter about her first day at work. She gushed about how professional the company seemed, how nervous but excited she felt, and how it was her dream job.
"…I'm still in school, actually. Senior year, but classes are basically done, so I wanted some part-time experience."
Her voice was soft, almost musical. She talked a lot, but instead of being annoying, it was strangely pleasant to listen to.
Gu Quan didn't respond much, though inwardly she thought: Yuan Ye really does have good taste. Compared to her, the fact that he hadn't bolted the night he saw me almost feels like a courtesy.
It was a six-person table. Xin Yi and Liang Xixi sat across from her, while Gu Quan was squeezed into the inner corner. The doll-faced girl was on her right. When Yuan Ye arrived with his own bowl, he naturally sat next to the girl.
Perfect. By keeping her head down, Gu Quan could pretend he didn't exist. She focused on fishing out fish balls from her bowl while scrolling absentmindedly through her phone, shutting out the little world forming to her side.
Then Liang Xixi leaned forward with a mischievous grin.
"Introduce us, come on. Is this your boyfriend?"
Before the girl could reply, Xin Yi answered for her, almost too eagerly.
"Not yet. Molly says they're just friends." Her lifted brows and drawn-out tone told a different story—the kind of teasing that screamed something's going on.
"Ohhh…" Liang Xixi dragged out her voice, her grin widening. "So he's chasing you then? Don't let him slip away—he's way too handsome."
Molly blushed, lowering her head shyly.
"So, how did you two meet?" Liang Xixi pressed on, eyes sparkling. "I love hearing people's stories."