It’s About You (GL High H) - Chapter 23

“Wanqi Lang.”

Xing Enxi spoke, her voice lighter than the wind, yet it reached Wanqi Lang’s ears clearly. “What kind of relationship is this we have now? Friends?”

Wanqi Lang was about to take her second sip of alcohol, the flask hovering at her lips. The smile on her face did not change, but her eyes flickered.

“What kind?” Wanqi Lang set down the flask and shrugged exaggeratedly. “Strategic partners, haha. Each getting what they need.”

She said it lightly, laced with teasing, wrapping the definition of their relationship in a joke.

“What do you mean?”

“…It means friends with benefits.”

“…”

Xing Enxi stared at her smirking face, a fire igniting in her heart. Disappointment and irritation seized her.

“Fine.” Xing Enxi’s voice was freezing cold. She turned abruptly, snatched the helmet from the ground, and without sparing Wanqi Lang another glance, swung her long legs over the motorcycle.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Wanqi Lang jumped at her sudden movement, nearly dropping the flask.

Xing Enxi ignored her completely. “Vroom!” She started the engine, the massive roar echoing through the valley, carrying its owner’s fury.

“Xing Enxi!” Wanqi Lang grew truly anxious now; she had not expected such a strong reaction. “What do you mean by this?”

Xing Enxi paused in the act of putting on her helmet, her voice full of suppressed anger. “It means our strategic partnership ends here. See you around.” With that, she fastened the helmet buckle.

“You…” Wanqi Lang watched helplessly as Xing Enxi twisted the throttle, the motorcycle shooting off like an arrow from a bow, leaving only swirling dust in its wake.

“Fine! Xing Enxi! You’ve got guts!” Wanqi Lang yelled at the vanishing figure. “You just leave me here in this wilderness! Wait till I get bitten by snakes! Dragged off by wolves! It won’t be your problem! You better not regret this!”

She acted like a child whose toy had been snatched, angry and aggrieved, completely forgetting that this was a proper mountain road with no such abundance of snakes and wolves.

The motorcycle’s silhouette disappeared around the bend.

The wind seemed to stop, leaving only Wanqi Lang’s own panting and the rustle of leaves. Grievance and bewilderment surged up; her eyes even stung a bit. This bastard had really just left.

Less than thirty seconds passed, just as Wanqi Lang’s anger and grievance threatened to overwhelm her.

The familiar engine sound approached from afar, returning.

The motorcycle executed a sharp U-turn and charged back in front of Wanqi Lang, tires screeching against the ground.

Xing Enxi planted one foot on the ground, flipped up her helmet visor, revealing a face still hard as ice, her voice devoid of any warmth.

“Get on. I’ll take you down to the highway; you can call a cab from there.”

This stemmed purely from her last shred of decency, absolutely not from any softness or other messy feelings.

Wanqi Lang looked at her return, her anger flaring even more.

“Who needs it? I can walk myself!”

“Suit yourself!” Xing Enxi snapped too; coming back had been pointless. “Then I wish Boss Lang a pleasant hike!” She slammed down the visor and gunned the throttle, the motorcycle speeding off again! This time, truly without looking back.

Wanqi Lang trembled with rage and kicked a pebble viciously.

“Xing Enxi, you bastard!”

In the end, she gritted her teeth and trudged down the mountain road, deep step after shallow one. Fortunately, she wore flat shoes that day; it took a full hour before she flagged down a car.

In the days that followed, the two tacitly avoided contact, their chat window falling silent, never to be opened again.

…

A month later.

In the opulent banquet hall of a downtown luxury hotel, crystal chandeliers blazed brilliantly. A charity awards gala gathering local business luminaries was underway, glasses clinking amid the revelry.

Wanqi Lang had unusually set aside her flashy clothes for a well-tailored deep green velvet gown, her long hair pinned up to reveal her graceful neckline.

A polite smile graced her face as she linked arms with her family’s old head Wanqi, fielding wave after wave of greetings.

On the other side, Xing Enxi accompanied her parents. Her mother was a low-key yet formidable industrialist. Xing Enxi wore a simple yet elegant black satin gown, her long hair cascading smoothly over her shoulders, her demeanor cool and aloof, perfectly embodying the role of a refined heiress—utterly unlike her decisive efficiency at the office.

She never actively leveraged her family’s resources, but she could not fully detach from this circle either.

When Wanqi Lang’s gaze, threading through the sea of finery and faces, accidentally landed on that black-clad figure engaged in conversation, her breath hitched.

Xing Enxi spotted her across the crowd at the same instant, their eyes meeting.

Longing? Definitely not.

Wanqi Lang denied it immediately; it was just surprise from not seeing her in a while.

Both quickly averted their eyes, feigning nonchalance.

Wanqi Lang continued chatting and laughing, while Xing Enxi turned slightly, focusing on her mother’s words, but the corners of their eyes inevitably strayed, quietly noting each other.

Halfway through the banquet, Wanqi Lang excused herself for some air and stepped onto the terrace.

The cool night breeze brushed her face, somewhat dispersing the hall’s stuffiness and perfume haze.

Light footsteps sounded behind her. Wanqi Lang turned; Xing Enxi had emerged too, standing a few paces away, gazing at the distant city lights.

A strange silence hung in the air, memories of their unhappy parting resurfacing.

“Ahem…” Wanqi Lang cleared her throat. “Legal Counsel Xing, fancy meeting you here.”

Xing Enxi’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, equally calm and unruffled, though something dark and inscrutable lurked in the depths of her eyes. “Boss Wanqi, what a coincidence.”

Another few seconds of awkward silence; Wanqi Lang felt the air nearly suffocating her. Looking at Xing Enxi’s face, its contours sharper in the dim light, the resentment bottled up for a month heated her brain.

“That time you agreed to let me top you once—does it still count?”

Xing Enxi clearly had not anticipated her bringing it up here and now. Her jaw clenched; the bastard’s question enraged her, but her upbringing clamped down the fire. She looked into Wanqi Lang’s inexplicably burning eyes, a tumult rising in her chest. Was that all she could think of when with her?

Several long seconds passed before she forced two words through her gritted teeth.

“It counts.”

She never went back on her promises.

Wanqi Lang finally received this unexpected yet anticipated answer; all reason and restraint be damned.

“Good,” Wanqi Lang said, a manic smile curling her lips as she seized Xing Enxi’s wrist. “Come with me.”

She pulled Xing Enxi along, threading purposefully through the crowd, ignoring all inquisitive stares, straight to the hotel’s underground garage, where she spotted her eye-catching red sports car at a glance.