Chapter 3

Qu Ling’er quickly set her cell phone to ring mode. She was about to ask the car to stop when her phone rang—it was Old Leopard. She immediately picked up. “Hello.”

When Old Leopard heard Qu Ling’er’s voice, he let out a long sigh of relief. “My precious girl, where are you? My friend is still waiting for you. Where did you go? You didn’t pick up your phone.”

Qu Ling’er sighed and said, “I got into the wrong car…”

Old Leopard asked, “What?”

Qu Ling’er said, “I’m already at Qiligang…”

Old Leopard was dumbfounded. “How can you get into the wrong car? Didn’t I tell you that it’s a blue Rolls-Royce? How do you still make a mistake?”

Qu Ling’er’s face darkened. “Blue? You said it was black previously!”

Old Leopard, “Nope. Is color important? That’s a Rolls-Royce—how can there be a second Rolls-Royce on a remote road like the cemetery?”

Qu Ling’er snorted. “Why do you think I mistook the car? I’m in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce!”

Old Leopard: “…”

Qu Ling’er said dispiritedly, “Alright, hurry up and give me the address. I’ll make my way there.”

After ending the call, she turned to look at Luo Yichen. Having heard the contents of her call, the atmosphere in the car became even more awkward. She braced herself and said, “I’m sorry, Brother. My friend asked someone to pick me up but I got into the wrong car. I’m really sorry. But can I trouble you to drive me to the city? There are no cars nearby. I’ll pay your fare. Is that okay?”

Qu Ling’er was polite and pleasant. It was really impossible to refuse her.

Luo Yichen raised his eyebrows. “Do I look like someone who’s hard up for that paltry fare?”

Only then did Qu Ling’er remember that she had slapped him. She continued to apologize, “I’m sorry, I thought… that was a subconscious action. I really didn’t do it on purpose…”

“You subconsciously think I’m a bad person?” Luo Yichen was even unhappier.

“I…” Qu Ling’er was at a loss for words.

Assistant Liu said, “Babe, you’re really vicious. Look, his face is a little swollen. He has an engagement tomorrow and he still has to shoot the cover of a magazine. If you busted his face, how are you going to compensate?”

Engagement? On the cover of a magazine? Was he from the entertainment industry?

Qu Ling’er did not pay much attention to the entertainment industry in general—she did not know many celebrities, except for a few household names. She did find the man in front of her a little familiar.

Knowing that he was from the entertainment industry, she felt even guiltier and apologized again. “I’m so sorry, Brother. Why don’t I compensate you?”

“Indeed, you have to compensate us!” Assistant Liu continued. “We felt that it was not safe for a young lady like you to be in such a remote place, so we let you hitch a ride. But you slapped my boss. It’s really…”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t do it on purpose…” Qu Ling’er wanted to explain, but she did not know what to say—she had indeed hit someone and gotten into the wrong car.

“It may not have been intentional but it is still not okay!” Assistant Liu said grudgingly.

For a long time, no one spoke in the car until they arrived in the city and stopped by the roadside.

Qu Ling’er got out of the car and thanked Luo Yichen profusely before bidding him goodbye.

Who would have thought that they would meet again soon after?

…

The clubhouse that Old Leopard booked was not far from where Qu Ling’er had alighted, so she walked over.

When she arrived at the entrance of the clubhouse, she called Old Leopard who came downstairs to pick her up. She and Old Leopard were schoolmates in the same grade but different classes. The two of them met through e-sports—they had only met up in real life two years ago and developed their virtual friendship into reality.

“Let’s go, I’ve already set it up for you!” Old Leopard smiled and led Qu Ling’er to the private room on the fifth floor of the clubhouse.

This room was very spacious and brightly lit. As soon as Qu Ling’er entered the room, she saw the meticulous decorations inside.

“How is it?” Old Leopard said proudly, “Today is your coming of age ceremony—18 years old. Are you very surprised and touched?”

Qu Ling’er smiled. She was very touched. No one had celebrated her birthday since she was young.

In her memory, her mother was always very busy. Although her mother did not hit or scold her, she never had time for her. Her mother was always busy with work and would only give her money. Even when she was at home on her off days, her mother did not interact much with her. There had always been no warmth in her home. After junior high school, her mother sent her to the Qu family and asked Qu Zhisheng to arrange for her to study in a high school in the city.

She remembered clearly on her birthday that year—when she returned home from school—her mother had died. Her mother had sacrificed her life in exchange for the Qu family to accept her.

Her mother had left a will filled with her love for Qu Zhisheng. Her last wish was for Qu Zhisheng to visit her on the anniversaries of her death.

She also said that she had let her daughter down and asked for her forgiveness. She chose to send her to the Qu family because the Qu family’s circumstance would allow her to have a bright future.

Qu Ling’er felt that her mother was too foolish. A bright future was dependent upon herself, and not given by others.