You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Yan Yiyun stared at her phone, stunned. What kind of wind was blowing today—Qi Zhen actually took the initiative to invite her to dinner?
She quickly typed back a reply:
“Sure! Come find me after work.”
After sending the message, Yan Yiyun happily spun once in her chair, her excitement written all over her face.
Qi Zhen must’ve felt calling her a “little crybaby” was too much and thought she’d upset her—so now she was making it up to her with dinner!
Yan Yiyun’s heart felt all warm and fuzzy. Qi Zhen might not say much, but she was so considerate! And that old-school ^_^ emoji… it was strangely adorable.
She glanced at the time—it was already past five. Almost time to clock out. Her heart couldn’t help but flutter in anticipation.
Handing the materials she’d just received to Yu Xiaotao, she instructed,
“Sort and file these today. I’ll review them tomorrow morning.”
These were the documents of the candidates for the internal promotion interviews. She had to go through them first to pick the right people.
Once the task was assigned, Yan Yiyun went into the break room and took out her makeup pouch to touch up.
For the meeting earlier, she’d dressed formally—a black business suit with a subtle lip color and her hair tied back in a neat bun, with a few strands loose by her ears.
Wearing this to dinner just felt… off.
She redid her makeup, replacing the understated tones with warm, vibrant colors. She took off her suit jacket, pulled out a shirt-necklace from the drawer and put it on, instantly giving herself a livelier vibe.
Satisfied, Yan Yiyun admired herself in the mirror. Now this looked like someone going out on a date.
Wait—not a date!
She immediately stopped that thought. This was just a regular hangout between friends!
She applied a bright red lipstick and let down her hair. Soft black waves tumbled over her shoulders in gentle curls. She walked out of the break room, graceful and radiant.
Yu Xiaotao snuck a glance at her and was momentarily stunned by how gorgeous she looked.
Wow. Beautiful people really look good in anything!
Just moments ago she’d been the commanding CEO-type; now she looked like a charming, stylish young office beauty.
“What are you staring at?” Yan Yiyun asked while scanning a document at her desk, catching Yu Xiaotao’s gaze from the corner of her eye.
Yu Xiaotao quickly looked down and waved her hands frantically.
“Nothing! Just admiring how good you look.”
Yan Yiyun didn’t scold her. Instead, she hesitated for a second and asked,
“Really? I look good?”
Yu Xiaotao was shocked. What is she saying?!
She looked absolutely stunning! That blouse might be from a business suit set, but high-end designer pieces were never boring—tailored yet elegant. With the jewelry and her usual curls and red lips, she gave off a restrained, sultry charm.
Yu Xiaotao nodded seriously.
“You look amazing. Truly.”
Even compared to the celebrities in their company, Yan Yiyun held her own—maybe even outshined them.
Satisfied, Yan Yiyun relaxed. She’d been worried that her outfit, thrown together last minute, might not look good enough. What if she embarrassed Qi Zhen while standing next to her?
She had no idea where Qi Zhen planned to take her for dinner, but just thinking about it made her excited.
Half-distracted, she skimmed through two more documents. Finally, it was 6 PM.
Yu Xiaotao remained seated, but Yan Yiyun stood up right away. After one last look in the mirror, she waited for Qi Zhen to come pick her up.
Yu Xiaotao watched her, puzzled.
What was she going out for? A date, maybe?
Five minutes later, the office door was lightly knocked.
Yu Xiaotao opened it to find Qi Zhen standing there, smiling warmly.
“Are you guys done for the day?”
Yu Xiaotao nodded quickly, stepping aside to let her in.
So it’s really Qi Zhen! She guessed it! Their relationship really isn’t ordinary!
Yan Yiyun and Qi Zhen got in the car. The driver asked for the destination as usual, and Qi Zhen gave the name of a shopping mall.
“What are we eating tonight?” Yan Yiyun asked eagerly.
Seeing her so excited made Qi Zhen smile too—Yan Yiyun always had the power to affect her mood.
“Hot pot or barbecue—whichever you prefer.”
Since coming back to China, Yan Yiyun had been too busy with work to dine out. Barbecue and hot pot weren’t things you could replicate at home easily, so both options hit the spot for her.
She thought for a moment.
“Let’s do hot pot today!”
—Which clearly implied, next time would be barbecue.
Qi Zhen nodded. The mall she chose was in the city center, packed with restaurants. If one place had a wait, they could easily switch to another.
“But…” She looked Yan Yiyun up and down and then turned away slightly, speaking softly,
“Hot pot will make your clothes smell. You don’t mind?”
Yan Yiyun was dressed up today—different from her work look earlier. At lunch, she’d still been all sleek and professional. Now, she had this lazy, alluring charm.
Qi Zhen could tell she hadn’t changed her clothes—just restyled her outfit, makeup, and hair.
Did she really redo all that… just for dinner with her?
Qi Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. If that were true, did that mean… Yan Yiyun might feel something for her too?
Yan Yiyun smiled and answered casually,
“Of course I don’t mind! Hot pot is more important!”
Then she leaned in and started counting on her fingers.
“I haven’t had hot pot in almost a year! The last time, I went alone. My parents are into healthy eating and never eat anything spicy.”
She was sitting so close that Qi Zhen felt a bit flustered.
A sweet fragrance drifted from Yan Yiyun’s body in the confined space, wrapping around her, making her heart race even more.
Qi Zhen subtly shifted away. If this continued, she didn’t know if she could keep her feelings under control.
Yan Yiyun sensed her pulling away and felt a little hurt.
Was she really making Qi Zhen that uncomfortable just by getting close?
She turned to look—and caught Qi Zhen’s expression.
Qi Zhen wasn’t looking at her, but rather somewhere far off… and yet, Yan Yiyun felt like Qi Zhen was looking at her. There was a hidden intensity behind that aloof gaze—like a volcano that hadn’t yet erupted.
Yan Yiyun’s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly didn’t dare look at her either.
Something had shifted—something she’d always longed for, but hadn’t been able to name. It was rising from her heart, warm and sweet, drowning her in it.
She pulled back, returning to her side of the car. Her heart thudded wildly.
She instinctively felt she shouldn’t sit so close anymore.
Heat crept up her cheeks, blushing the tips of her ears.
What’s going on?! Yan Yiyun was confused.
She didn’t understand why a single glance from Qi Zhen could make her feel so shy—Qi Zhen hadn’t even said anything!
She subtly scooted farther away, and Qi Zhen seemed to relax a little. Still, the tension between them lingered, stretching taut, refusing to dissipate.
Something inside her had changed, altered by that one look Qi Zhen gave her.
She felt disoriented and overheated. Trying to sound normal, she asked,
“You can’t handle spicy food, right? Should we get a split pot?”
Qi Zhen’s emotions calmed a bit. Somehow, she could sense that something between them had shifted—she didn’t know yet if it was good or bad. But she knew she shouldn’t say too much or push too hard. All she could do was wait—let whatever this was between them quietly evolve.
Thankfully, she was patient.
Qi Zhen rolled down the window. A breeze blew in, cooling the moment’s tension.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Let’s get a yin-yang pot.”
Actually, she did like spicy food. But too much of it upset her stomach.
She’d thought that for a rare occasion like this, eating a bit of spice would be worth it—but hearing Yan Yiyun’s concern made her abandon that idea.
Someone cared about her now—she couldn’t let Yan Yiyun down.
If she ended up with another stomachache tomorrow and had to miss work, wouldn’t Yan Yiyun blame herself again like last time?
Qi Zhen didn’t want that to happen.
Hearing her agree to a split pot, Yan Yiyun nodded quickly.
“Mhm! You don’t need to eat spicy stuff just to keep me company—don’t upset your stomach.”
She was worried Qi Zhen might force herself to eat the spicy side for her and end up with another stomachache.
Qi Zhen smiled.
“No worries. I like spicy food too. I can still have a little.”
Yan Yiyun blinked in surprise, then remembered something.
Last time, she’d taken Qi Zhen to eat stir-fried beef with chili peppers, and Qi Zhen hadn’t refused. In fact, she’d looked like she really enjoyed it.
It was only after eating the spicy pickled chili rice that her stomach had started hurting and landed her in the hospital. If it had been in moderation, that wouldn’t have happened.
“So you do like spicy food!”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“That sucks though—liking spicy stuff but having a weak stomach means you miss out on so much!”
Qi Zhen nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, there’s not much I can do. It’s not going to get better anytime soon.”
Yan Yiyun felt a twinge of heartache. She lived for food—if she couldn’t eat what she loved, what was the point?
Besides, she and Qi Zhen had similar tastes. It’d be fun to eat together more often. But if Qi Zhen’s stomach couldn’t handle it, wouldn’t that limit their hangouts?
But she didn’t want this to just be a few dinners. She wanted to eat with Qi Zhen often.
Maybe, over time… she could become someone special to her?
She immediately patted her chest.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me! I’ll make sure you drink soup every day to heal your stomach!”
Qi Zhen looked at the spark in her eyes and felt her heart soften.
“Okay,” she said with a smile.