Just then, she received a message from Yang Shaowei, saying he would pick her up from work later, and that a highly-rated Korean restaurant had opened nearby, which he wanted to invite her to try with him.
Her lips curved into a happy smile, and she quickly agreed to his invitation.
As soon as work ended, she couldn't wait to meet Yang Shaowei.
Her colleagues entered the elevator with her, and seeing her radiant face, they knew she was going on another date and playfully teased her.
The elevator stopped briefly on the 9th floor, and Qu Zhaojia stepped in with his long legs; he was replying to messages in the company group chat and didn't notice the strange atmosphere around him.
Qu Zhaojia had chosen to join Xuan Guang Games not only because it offered the best benefits but also to be closer to Guan Xiaoxiao, making it convenient for them to commute together.
He often waited for Guan Xiaoxiao at her company, and over time, everyone at Guan Xiaoxiao's company became familiar with him.
But now, Guan Xiaoxiao's current boyfriend was waiting downstairs to pick her up, and Qu Zhaojia, her ex-boyfriend who almost married her, also appeared here—what a chaotic scene!
The smile on her face, still there from the recent flattery, froze awkwardly.
Qu Zhaojia, however, seemed to notice nothing, still engrossed in his phone.
They worked in the same building and would inevitably run into each other from time to time.
After they broke up, she had been somewhat worried that if she ran into Qu Zhaojia in the elevator at work, he might question or pester her.
But more than a month had passed, and she hadn't encountered him.
She wondered if he was deliberately avoiding her.
Now that they had met, Guan Xiaoxiao believed she was a different person now, someone with a broad perspective; even if they couldn't be a couple, they could still be friends.
So she was the first to break the ice.
"What a coincidence, you're here too."
Qu Zhaojia was focused on replying to a game bug a colleague had found; he heard someone speaking but didn't think it was directed at him.
The elevator instantly fell into an even more awkward silence; Guan Xiaoxiao's kind greeting was ignored, and with so many colleagues watching, her face darkened.
Was he deliberately appearing before her and then ignoring her, trying to get her attention in such a childish way?
Qu Zhaojia finally realized, belatedly, that the surroundings were unusually quiet.
He turned his head slightly and found a group of familiar strangers standing around him.
The one in the middle was quite familiar—it was the narcissistic Miss Guan.
Her expression was still strange at the moment, and he wondered what she was imagining in her mind.
He rarely worked overtime today, so he was able to leave at the normal time and ran into her.
Her female colleague, perhaps wanting to help her save face, deliberately brought up the topic, "Xiaoxiao, your boyfriend is picking you up from work again today."
"Yes, we're going out to eat soon," Guan Xiaoxiao said, then casually glanced at Qu Zhaojia, hoping to see jealousy or dissatisfaction on his face.
However, he merely stared calmly at the elevator door in front of him, as if there were flowers inside.
"I really envy you for finding a rich boyfriend. He drives the latest BMW, right? I heard it costs over a million yuan."
"Really? I don't really understand these things," Guan Xiaoxiao said, feigning shyness.
How could she not understand? On the very first day of their blind date, she had frantically searched for the price of Yang Shaowei's car, the location and price of the house he mentioned, and the cost of his accessories and outfit that day.
Since she intended to marry him, she definitely needed to know his financial background to avoid making a mistake.
Yang Shaowei waited in his car for a long time before he saw Guan Xiaoxiao walk out of the building.
Walking beside her was the guy he had seen at the restaurant last time, who was also Lin Yichan's current boyfriend.
Yang Shaowei narrowed his eyes; after dinner that day, he noticed Guan Xiaoxiao chatting with the people at the next table, and after asking, he learned that it was her ex-boyfriend sitting there.
If he were just a poor loser, he wouldn't have paid much attention.
But this poor loser was with Lin Yichan, who 'almost became his blind date,' and this twist of fate made him very displeased.
Lin Yichan rejected an excellent prospect like him; if she had found someone better, he would have nothing to say, but what did it mean to choose a poor loser?
It was practically a slap in his face.
"Xiaoxiao, what a coincidence, your ex-boyfriend is here too."
Guan Xiaoxiao was a little nervous, and she quickly explained, worried that Yang Shaowei might misunderstand: "We work in the same building, and we just happened to run into each other in the elevator."
"I know, I didn't say anything," Yang Shaowei was quite confident in himself; with him around, Guan Xiaoxiao would be foolish to maintain any lingering ties with Qu Zhaojia.
He scornfully watched Qu Zhaojia pull out his phone, seemingly to call a taxi.
At his age, he couldn't even afford a car for transportation and still had to take taxis—what a tragic life for someone at the bottom.
He decided to be magnanimous for a moment: "Hey, it's peak hour now, taxis will be dozens of yuan more expensive. I think it's more cost-effective for you to take the bus."
Yang Shaowei stared at Qu Zhaojia; there was no one else nearby calling a taxi, so he was indeed talking to him.
Qu Zhaojia tapped his screen, "It's fine, the company reimburses."
"Heh, where do you want to go? I happen to have a car, why don't I give you a ride?" Seeing that his previous remark hadn't achieved his intention, Yang Shaowei invited Qu Zhaojia to ride in his car again.
Surely, he couldn't bear such humiliation.
However, Qu Zhaojia's eyes widened, full of sincerity, "Really? Won't that be too much trouble for you?"
He showed his ride-hailing app screen to Yang Shaowei, "It's this place."
Yang Shaowei hadn't expected someone to be so brazen; the destination he showed was a full ten kilometers away, and all along the most congested roads!
Guan Xiaoxiao wanted to stop him, but it was too late; Qu Zhaojia had already smoothly gotten into the back seat of the car.
Hadn't they agreed to go to dinner together tonight? Why was he dropping Qu Zhaojia home here!
The BMW was indeed a comfortable ride, much more pleasant than taking a taxi himself.
He also saved the company dozens of yuan; he was truly excellent!
Yang Shaowei sat in the driver's seat with a darkened face, the constant red lights along the way making him irritable, his foot aching from pressing the brake.
Looking into the rearview mirror, Qu Zhaojia was playing a game in the back; he was really treating him like a chauffeur!
When Qu Zhaojia finally got out of the car, Yang Shaowei still maintained his composure.
Anyone sitting in a million-yuan BMW, driven by their ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend, would feel an inescapable sense of inferiority.
He didn't believe Qu Zhaojia didn't feel it; if he truly didn't, then it could only be said that he was very good at hiding it.