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{Chapter: 233 Chi Qian gets rejected!}
Lin Yuan was slightly surprised when he saw the name of the person who had just sent him a message.
It was Chi Qian.
She was the last person he expected to message him on her own initiative.
Chi Qian was not someone who typically reached out to others. In fact, she almost never sent messages first—especially not to men. It simply wasn't in her character. She was elegant, composed, and often seemed emotionally distant to most people.
But today was different.
Lin Yuan tapped on the message, and a soft chime played as it opened. He read the text displayed on the screen:
<"Brother Lin Yuan, are you free tomorrow? A few days ago, I said I owed you a meal, and I haven't had the chance to treat you yet. Can I invite you tomorrow? (Smiley face😊)."
A gentle smile touched the corners of Lin Yuan's lips when he saw the message.
Especially the emoji at the end—it confirmed it was definitely Chi Qian who sent it. She rarely used emoticons, and when she did, it was always that soft, polite smile.
It seemed Chi Qian was serious about following through on her word. She genuinely wanted to treat him to a meal—something she had promised some time ago.
Lin Yuan had nearly forgotten about it.
His memory jogged back to the day at WuShi Fighting Club, where he and Chi Qian had playfully made a bet during target practice. The loser would have to treat the winner to a meal.
Back then, he noticed something.
The very fact that Chi Qian was willing to make such a playful wager with him hinted at a shift in her attitude.
She had even allowed him to call her Qian Qian, a far more intimate form of address. And he, in turn, had asked her to call him Brother Lin Yuan, the same way Yu Shanshan did.
These weren't small gestures—they were subtle but meaningful changes.
At that time, her favorability score was only 12. Compared to the other heroines, it wasn't very high. But Lin Yuan knew Chi Qian well enough to understand how rare that number truly was.
Aside from her immediate family, she likely had a favorability rating of zero for everyone else.
He wasn't sure about her relationship with Yu Shanshan, but when it came to men—especially potential romantic interests—he was likely the only one she saw in a positive light.
And that was enough for him to understand the importance of that simple meal invitation.
He also suspected there was another reason she wanted to see him.
Probably revenge.
Not the serious kind—but a playful one.
After all, he had teased her quite a bit that day, and Chi Qian wasn't the type to let it slide without getting even, in her own elegant way.
The idea of her making a date—taking the initiative to invite someone out—was almost unthinkable. Chi Qian was the kind of girl who would make countless hearts flutter just by walking past.
Now imagine her taking the first step.
If word got out that Chi Qian had invited someone out to a meal, it would send shockwaves through her school, her social circles, and maybe even her fan base— she had one.
It was the kind of gesture that no ordinary man could possibly resist.
Even if one wanted to decline, it would be nearly impossible to say no directly to her face.
But Lin Yuan didn't hesitate.
He calmly typed his response and sent it without any unnecessary delay:
<"Sorry, Chi Qian. I have something important I need to take care of tomorrow. Let's talk about the meal another day."
Just like that—he turned her down.
Even when the invitation came from a woman as breathtakingly beautiful and refined as Chi Qian, Lin Yuan declined without second thought.
Because tomorrow, he had something else—something far more important—that he needed to do.
---
For a moment, silence lingered on the other end of the message.
Chi Qian's response didn't come immediately.
It seemed she hadn't expected Lin Yuan to refuse her.
Seated in her pristine room, Chi Qian stared at her phone screen, her black, jewel-like eyes fixed on his reply.
She blinked once, slowly.
She had been planning to tease Lin Yuan a little tomorrow—perhaps get back at him for the jokes he made at her expense during their previous encounter.
But she hadn't expected to be refused.
She had never asked a guy out before.
Not her classmates.
Not even someone she found interesting.
This was the first time she had initiated a "date," even if it was masked as a friendly meal.
And just like that, her first attempt was met with rejection.
She didn't feel angry. Just… quietly stunned.
Her pride remained intact, but something deep in her chest stirred—a rare emotion she couldn't immediately name.
The great Chi Qian, goddess of her campus and daughter of one of the most prestigious families in the country, had taken the initiative for once.
And still, it hadn't worked.
Chi Qian slowly shook her head, a faint sigh escaping her lips.
How could she have failed?
She was rarely the one to initiate anything, especially not something like this. Yet when she finally took the step, her invitation was politely declined.
But Chi Qian wasn't the kind of girl to dwell on rejection. She wasn't angry, only a little surprised. After all, she had a strong feeling that Lin Yuan must have something genuinely important scheduled for tomorrow. He wouldn't turn her down without a good reason.
If she had invited anyone else, they would have jumped at the opportunity to dine with her. But Lin Yuan… he was different.
And wasn't that precisely what made him so special?
Chi Qian's lips curled into a charming smile as she picked up her phone again to respond.
"Well, for the very busy Young Master Lin, I suppose tomorrow won't work. Can we perhaps make it the day after tomorrow instead? (Smiley☺️)(Smiley☺️)(Smiley☺️)"
Even though this was the first time someone had turned her down, she found herself feeling an odd kind of happiness. Rather than feeling humiliated or frustrated, she felt a flutter in her chest.
She sent three smiley emojis in a row, simply to express her light-hearted mood. It never occurred to her that this particular emoji combination was often misinterpreted in chat etiquette.
---
On the other end, Lin Yuan stared at the message for a few moments, slightly taken aback.
Three smiley faces in a row?
His first reaction was that she might be upset. In internet slang, that string of emojis was sometimes used to hide frustration or subtle sarcasm.
But almost immediately, Lin Yuan chuckled to himself.
He knew Chi Qian well. She wasn't someone who followed the rules of online texting or emoji culture. She probably thought it was just cute.
And just as he was chuckling, the system voice rang out in his mind:
[Ding! Chi Qian's favorability +1! Reward: 1000 Counterattack Points!]
Lin Yuan blinked.
She actually gave favorability after being rejected?
And the system gave him a hefty bonus of counterattack points on top of that.
He smiled to himself, fingers quickly moving across the screen as he replied:
"Alright then, let's go with the day after tomorrow."
---
When Chi Qian received his reply, a satisfied smile lit up her face.
---
After closing the chat window with Chi Qian, Lin Yuan opened his contacts and made a video call to Qiu Wanxi.
This "important thing" he had referred to in his message wasn't about business or social events.
It was something much closer to his heart.
Tomorrow was the day he had set aside specifically for Qiu Wanxi—to be with her personally during the treatment of her lingering illness.
Although Qiu Wanxi's liver disease is no longer serious and critical after he treated her, Lin Yuan had never stopped worrying about her well-being. He had always taken her health seriously.
After everything she had done and how deeply she adored him, how could he do any less?
He had waited patiently until the chaos surrounding the Mei Banquet was settled and until the Qingshan Gang had been thoroughly dealt with. Only then did he finally make time for this important matter.
The video call connected with a soft tone.
On the screen, Qiu Wanxi appeared, holding her phone with both hands.
"G-Good evening, young master…" she said shyly, her voice soft and almost whisper-like.
It was obvious that Qiu Wanxi didn't often make video calls. She was a little nervous, her large, bright eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to maintain eye contact through the camera.
Lin Yuan didn't speak right away. Instead, he gazed at her with a gentle smile.
Her fair, pink-tinted cheeks were slightly flushed, and her silky black hair was still a little damp—it looked like she had just taken a bath. Combined with her innocent and bashful expression, she looked adorably vulnerable.
She resembled a soft, helpless little lamb, freshly bathed and waiting to be held in the arms of someone she trusted completely.
Seeing Lin Yuan continue to look at her without saying anything, Qiu Wanxi became more flustered.
Her fingers fidgeted slightly as she asked in a small voice, "Young master? Did something happen?"
Lin Yuan let out a soft laugh. "No, nothing happened. It's just that... Wanxi, you look especially cute tonight."
If it had been any other girl, they might have rolled their eyes and replied, "So I wasn't cute before?"
But Qiu Wanxi's response was pure and genuine.
She nodded bashfully and said, "Thank you, young master, for your compliment. You look very handsome too…"
Her voice was so sincere that it made Lin Yuan's heart warm.
The two chatted casually for a while—about her day, her favorite cakes, and little things from life.
Then, Lin Yuan suddenly recalled something—how she had once made a cake for him at Hope Cake Shop that had left a deep impression on him.
Smiling, he said, "Wanxi, tomorrow morning, I'll come visit you at Hope Cake Shop. I've prepared a little surprise for you."
"Huh? A surprise?" Qiu Wanxi's soft features lit up in curiosity, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Yup. So get a good night's rest, and I'll see you tomorrow," Lin Yuan said, still smiling.
"Okay… good night, young master," Qiu Wanxi replied sweetly, nodding her head like a gentle rabbit.
---
After the call ended, Qiu Wanxi hugged her quilt tightly and rolled on the bed.
Her heart thumped with excitement.
"A surprise…? What kind of surprise could it be?" she murmured to herself, staring at the ceiling.
She thought hard, brows gently furrowed in thought, but still couldn't guess what it might be.
Eventually, she whispered dreamily, "It would be so nice… if the young master could hug me to sleep. I really miss his embrace…"
Then her thoughts wandered further.
"I wonder… would it be too much to ask? I mean… the young master is always so busy."
"But… if he hugged me while we slept, would we sleep together in the same bed? And… would anything happen between us?"
Qiu Wanxi's cheeks turned crimson as she hid under the covers, burying her face in the pillow with a tiny squeal.
She couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow.
And her heart wouldn't stop fluttering.
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