Chapter 33 Part 2

Han Fangchi grunted in acknowledgment. "I don't mind."

"But my Little Aunt doesn't introduce people to each other, so don't worry," He Lezhi said with a laugh.

As a high-quality, eligible bachelor on the market, Han Fangchi's greatest fear was someone asking "Do you have a girlfriend?" immediately followed by "I have a..."

"I guarantee you won't be disturbed at my home. You can just enjoy your meal," He Lezhi said.

Fortunately, neither Little Aunt nor He Qi liked to play matchmaker, fearing they would be blamed if the marriage turned out unhappy and not wanting to get involved in that kind of trouble. Otherwise, with an eligible bachelor and an eligible bachelorette four years his junior in the house—one handsome, one beautiful, both from families that knew each other well and had met long ago—it would have been a ready-made blind date scene.

"You don't look so weathered today," Xiao An said, looking at He Lezhi.

"I've been sleeping well these past few days," He Lezhi said.

"Then it really must have been the business trip that wore you out," Xiao An said, relieved. "That's what I thought. It's not like you'd be hung up on such a trivial matter for so long."

"What matter?" Han Fangchi asked from the side.

"The breakup," Xiao An said. She was about to follow up with a few curses for the scumbag and, while she was at it, her own ex-boyfriend.

He Lezhi reminded her, "They're brothers, you know. Watch what you say."

"Huh?" Xiao An swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and looked at Han Fangchi.

"And we're not?" Han Fangchi looked over.

Alarm bells went off in He Lezhi's mind, and he quickly added to Xiao An, "Of course, we are too."

Xiao An thought for a moment. "So you're mutual friends, then? Why make it so complicated?"

"You could say that," He Lezhi said, but then felt it wasn't precise enough. Fearing he would be called out on it later, he added, "We each have separate relationships, so it's not exactly mutual."

"Stop, stop," Xiao An made a stop gesture. "Your relationship is so chaotic."

Han Fangchi chuckled beside him. He Lezhi turned to look at him, trying to gauge from his expression whether his answer had been acceptable. He stood there blinking and studying him, wearing a loose, thick white sweater with a green logo. Han Fangchi didn't turn around, but he could see him in his peripheral vision and just found He Lezhi really amusing right now, wanting to pinch his chin.

When the director returned from his business trip, he called everyone into the conference room for a meeting. It was a meeting unrelated to business. He Lezhi sat in his seat, his phone under the table, replying to messages.

Lezhi: I'm free all this week, just let me know your schedule.

Xiao Quan: How about tomorrow then?

Lezhi: No problem.

Xiao Quan: Great, I'll be waiting for you.

He Lezhi sent a sticker, and Xiao Quan replied with another sticker, ending the conversation for the time being.

"Lezhi, if you have something to do, you can go back to your office," the director said. "Our Engineer He is a busy man."

"I'm done being busy, Director," He Lezhi said with a smile, pocketing his phone. "I'll definitely listen carefully to the meeting."

"You have special privileges. You're allowed to skip meetings," the director said, openly showing his favoritism.

"Thank you, Director, but I really want to attend," He Lezhi said.

The others laughed softly. He Lezhi sat up straight and listened to the meeting attentively.

Xiao Quan had been back in the country for over a week. She posted on her Moments last night, and He Lezhi had liked it. Today, Xiao Quan asked him out for a meal.

Her name was Fang Qiyuan. When spoken quickly, it sounded like "Quan," so acquaintances called her Xiao Quan'er. The "er" sound was a must; whether it was her full name or nickname, she would get upset if the "er" sound was left out.

She was Han Fangchi's previous girlfriend, whom he had dated for over two years. Everyone thought they would get married, so it was a surprise when they broke up. Their personalities were compatible, and they were both rational, emotionally stable people. They seemed like a perfect match in every way.

He Lezhi was in frequent contact with her. Both Zhou Muyao and He Lezhi were very close to Han Fangchi, so Xiao Quan was close to them as well. When they used to eat together, she would often sit next to He Lezhi. She also liked hiking, so they had common interests. Furthermore, He Lezhi's orientation naturally made women let their guard down around him, and his gentle personality made him very pleasant to be around.

He Lezhi had given her gifts for her last two birthdays. This time, she had brought back a pair of goggles for him from her trip, so she asked him out to eat to give them to him.

"These feel really comfortable to wear, not heavy at all." Xiao Quan handed him the goggles and took the bag He Lezhi had given her, saying with a smile, "Thank you for the perfume."

He Lezhi accepted the goggles and said to her, "Your hair has gotten so long."

Her hair used to just brush her shoulders, but now it reached her waist. She was wearing a long dress with a coat over it, giving her a particularly gentle aura.

"I couldn't bear to cut it," Xiao Quan said with a smile. "I even told you before that I planned to grow it out for wedding photos. Back then, I was wondering how long it would take."

"It looks beautiful," He Lezhi said.

They hadn't seen each other in a long time, but there were no awkward silences. The two of them finished their meal first before starting to chat.

He Lezhi didn't know why she and Han Fangchi had broken up, so he didn't bring it up rashly. It was Xiao Quan who mentioned it first.

"Is Fangchi okay?" Xiao Quan asked. "Is he busy lately? I wanted to ask him to meet, but I haven't yet."

"If you ask him, he'll definitely make time," He Lezhi said with a smile.

"I'm not so sure," Xiao Quan said. "I don't really dare to contact him."

"What are you afraid of?" He Lezhi asked.

"I'm afraid he blames me." Xiao Quan gave a self-deprecating smile. "He must have told you about me, right? I don't know what's wrong with me, maybe everyone thinks I..."

"He didn't." He Lezhi cut her off, saying firmly, "He's never said anything. None of us know why you two broke up."

"You don't know either?" Xiao Quan blinked in surprise.

He Lezhi nodded. "I don't know either."

Xiao Quan was silent for a moment, then tugged at the corner of her lips. "That makes me even more afraid to contact him."

He Lezhi comforted her, "The Fangchi you know is still the same person. He wouldn't change just because you two broke up. Don't overthink it."

What was Han Fangchi like?

Different people had different answers.

To his friends, he was a reliable and steady person. To his sister, he was a good brother, albeit a bit of a straight-laced guy. To He Lezhi, he was many, many things. To Xiao Quan, he was a perfect boyfriend.

As a boyfriend, she couldn't find a single flaw in Han Fangchi to complain about.

"I've always tried to be more free-spirited, more carefree, but I'm not at all. I always imagine that when everyone is eating together, his friends would stick up for him, just like when Huanyang and his girlfriend broke up, they would speak ill of the girl and then introduce Huanyang to other people." Xiao Quan's eyes reddened slightly, and she smiled to hide it.

"I was the one who initiated the breakup, but when I imagine those scenes, I still feel a little sad." Xiao Quan lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting shadows. She was truly beautiful.

"None of that happened," He Lezhi said firmly. "I promise."

"That's why I'm sadder," Xiao Quan sniffled and said with a smile. "He's an ex-boyfriend, after all."

He Lezhi asked, "What's wrong with an ex-boyfriend?"

Xiao Quan said, "They're a species that just makes you feel worse the better they were."

He Lezhi laughed.

Xiao Quan said, "It would be better if he just cursed me out."

"How could he?" He Lezhi looked at her gently, his gaze reassuring. He told her, "You were protected, even after the breakup."