Jingxia Rose

Chapter 66: Five Hundred and Forty-Nine Days

As dusk fell, the rooftop lights shone as brightly as day, and a large Christmas tree nearby was adorned with colorful lights.

The meat and vegetables on the three grill pans and the barbecue grill sizzled and crackled, their aroma filling the air on this winter night.

Ji Xuan didn't know how the seating arrangement was done; he just inexplicably ended up sitting next to Wen Qi.

The wine was provided by the hotel, but Ji Xian didn't let them bring up the two bottles of Wen Qi's wine that he brought.

Besides red wine, there were also three bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and beer. Judging from this, they were going to drink until they dropped tonight.

They have no plans for tomorrow morning, so they're not worried at all about it affecting their work tomorrow. They're finally getting a chance to have some fun, so they're definitely going to drink to their hearts' content.

The group of men started playing drinking games as they drank, which led to some funny situations.

Ji Xuan couldn't stop laughing.

Looking down, I noticed a few more slices of grilled pork belly on my plate, while the hand holding the tongs next to me was retracting and continuing to flip the meat.

"You seem to really like this,"

Noticing her gaze, Wen Qi offered an explanation.

Ji Xuan said "thank you".

"The chicken wings over there are ready, would you like to try some?"

Because there were many people, three square tables were put together, and each table had a grill pan. The barbecue grill was placed two or three meters away so that they could easily go over and flip the meat.

Once the meat is cooked, it will be portioned out on plates and placed on each table.

However, the chicken wings were placed on a plate after they were grilled, which was a bit far from Ji Xian, and she felt embarrassed to get up and reach for them.

Ji Xuan opened her mouth, not intending to stubbornly refuse; she really wanted to eat, so she nodded.

Wen Qi leaned over and picked up two chicken wings for her.

"Thank you."

Ji Xian thanked him.

The temperature was much lower at night, but with a barbecue grill nearby and some drinks, the group didn't feel cold at all; in fact, they felt hot and even took off their jackets.

Wen Qi glanced at her face, turned slightly to the side, and asked in a low voice, "Are you cold?"

The aroma of roasted meat in his nostrils was suddenly dispelled by a woody scent. Ji Xian was startled, turned his head, and met Wen Qi's deep, peach-blossom eyes.

Being so close, it felt like I could almost feel his presence.

She subconsciously took a step back, and Wen Qi, seeing this, moved closer, his gaze still fixed on her.

Ji Xuan shook his head. "I'm not cold."

Wen Qi nodded, and seeing that the mushrooms on the baking tray were done, he naturally put them into her bowl.

Mushrooms are something she's always loved to eat. The hotel didn't have them, so Wen Qi had to take some time that afternoon to go to two or three Chinese supermarkets to buy them.

As she sat down, she noticed the mushrooms, but there was only one plate of them, and they weren't even on the table where she was sitting, so naturally she didn't reach out to take them.

I don't know when Wen Qi moved the mushrooms over.

She asked, "Is this also a hotel?"

As far as he knew, button mushrooms were not available in every supermarket in China, and they were even harder to buy abroad.

"No, I bought them from several Chinese supermarkets. There weren't many, just the last two boxes."

Five per box, and ridiculously expensive.

Ji Xuan, however, understood the key point in his words: the plate of mushrooms was already on the table before Ye Xueyan and Xiao Yang returned, so it was clear that they hadn't bought them.

Then Wen Qi would have to go and buy it himself.

He himself is so-so about button mushrooms; he wouldn't say he particularly likes them, and there's certainly no need for him to go to a Chinese supermarket just to find them.

Delicate thoughts circled twice in my heart before settling down steadily.

She didn't reply, her mind a momentary blur. She picked up the mushroom without blowing on it and put it to her mouth, unsurprisingly letting out a yelp of pain from the heat. "Slow down."

Wen Qi frowned, put down the pliers, and looked back at her lips. She wasn't wearing makeup tonight, and her lips were a very light pink. They were now red from the heat, like a cherry that wasn't fully ripe.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he reminded him, "It was just taken out of the plate; the soup on it is still scalding hot. Is it alright?"

"fine."

Suddenly receiving so many gazes, Ji Xuan looked slightly embarrassed and gave an awkward smile.

Ye Xueyan's eyes lit up, and she brought up playing Truth or Dare, naturally diverting everyone's attention.

This game is actually quite common and is often played by young people these days, but the average age of this group is over 30, so their suggestion was met with resistance from many people.

Secretary Zhang understood Ye Xueyan's thoughts perfectly. She coughed and said, "Hey, don't you guys have any childlike heart? Do you have to play drinking games like you forty-somethings? It's so boring. Listen to us!"

"..."

Okay, let's play then.

Polina integrated well and had a very outgoing personality. After playing a couple of rounds, she figured out the rules of the game.

Ji Xuan and Wen Qi naturally got involved as well.

They were all drinking, so Ji Xian naturally couldn't be the odd one out.

Although the people present were easygoing and didn't bring their work titles to the party, they were all respectable people. Ever since Secretary Liu stubbornly chose dare and got thoroughly pranked, they haven't chosen dare again.

Ji Xuan was spun around by a wine bottle twice, and the questioners were an executive and a bodyguard, respectively.

The questions asked were all fairly standard, nothing special.

Then, as the bottle spun around, the opening of the bottle was pointed at Wen Qi. Since the start of the game, almost everyone had been spun around once, except for Wen Qi.

This time, the opportunity finally came to him, and Wen Qi chose to answer truthfully without changing his expression.

But coincidentally, it was Polina who asked the question.

It would be difficult for anyone else to bring up his romantic relationship, because everyone knows about Ji Xian and his relationship, but Polina doesn't.

She was genuinely curious about what it would be like for someone as refined and elegant as Wen Qi to be in a relationship, and what kind of person he would choose.

Asking him if he has a girlfriend is clearly a waste of time.

After considering her question carefully, she asked, "When was your last relationship? Are you still in contact with your ex-girlfriend?"

These are two separate issues, but as soon as she said that, the entire room fell silent.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes, like the red dots on an AK, were all aimed at Wen Qi and Ji Xuan.

Both parties were stunned.

Ji Xian suddenly felt that the mushrooms didn't taste good anymore.

She knew everyone at the table and was sure no one would be so naive as to ask them about their relationship, so she felt no pressure at all.

That's a miscalculation.

Polina was an accident.

Wen Qi remained relatively composed, pursing his lips, his hands resting on his lap were unknowingly covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"I broke up with my last relationship last year, which was 549 days ago." He replied without changing his expression, his look serious and focused. "I... am in contact with her."

Polina is a woman after all, and gossip is inevitable for her.

He immediately asked, "You've been broken up for so long, but you're still in contact. Does that mean you're getting back together?"

Wen Qi looked up. "That's the next question."

This means that the previous answer was already an exception.

When Ji Xian heard about the 549 days, his heart skipped a beat, his breathing became unsteady, and his hand holding the chopsticks tightened slightly.

He remembered it so clearly.