Chapter 25: Dog Training

Without a doubt, Gu Lingyi was innocent, and it was he who had misunderstood her and hurt her out of self-righteousness.

The hope in his eyes vanished bit by bit. Qin Xiao’s gaze dimmed, and he dared not even look at Gu Lingyi again.

"Qin Xiao!"

A crisp voice came from afar. Qin Xiao jerked his head up, and the recently darkened eyes instantly filled with streaks of starlight.

Gu Lingyi did not know when she had sat back in the driver’s seat. She raised her lips, "Are we still practicing driving or not?"

The score had yet to be settled; she couldn't just let him run off like that.

Her phone vibrated. The WeChat interface showed a chat box with Fu Linyuan.

[Cheap Fiancé: I was in a meeting and didn't have my phone. I'll be more careful next time.]
[Cheap Fiancé: Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.]
[01: Eastern Suburb Racetrack, training a dog.]

The latest message:
[Do you have another dog out there?]

Seeing Qin Xiao running toward her with small, hurried steps, Gu Lingyi paused in her reply.

Mainly because...
As soon as Qin Xiao approached, he half-knelt in front of the car door and looked up at her with those watery peach-blossom eyes.

It was true—he was just too much like a dog...

Stowing her phone away, Gu Lingyi did not notice the extra message that had appeared before her profile picture.

[01: Y-Yes.]

Even from a distance, she had overheard every word of the conversation between Yu Liang and Qin Xiao. Since she wasn't the protagonist, Gu Lingyi lacked the ability to empathize, but she felt a sincere sense of pity for the original owner of her body.

"Gu Lingyi!" Qin Xiao stooped, resting his hands on his knees, his eyes gleaming with starlight.

Behind him walked Yu Liang.

"You..." Qin Xiao was earnest, yet found it hard to speak. "Do you... do you still like Brother Qi?"

Yu Liang crossed his arms, looking at the person in the driver’s seat with feigned indifference.

Her long hair was like ink, cascading like a waterfall, and her face was exquisite and beautiful. Her fair arms rested on the car door, and her slender, delicate fingers tapped lightly against her chin.

Her movements were lazy and casual.

Yu Liang let out a short, sharp breath through his nose, his expression caught between a smile and a sneer.

It turned out they had all been blind.

A person like Gu Lingyi deserved to be forgiven regardless of what she had done wrong. Not to mention, she was innocent.

Qin Xiao’s question nearly made Gu Lingyi laugh. She raised her eyebrows, curled her lips, and seemed to show a hint of disdain. "Huo Qi?"

"...Yes!" Qin Xiao knew he was done for.

Whether it was infatuation or guilt, he couldn't say; he just wanted to offer himself to her.

Gu Lingyi glanced at the rearview mirror and suddenly let out a laugh. "Why don't you ask that again to Huo Qi’s face?"

"Huh?" Qin Xiao scratched his head, confused. Yu Liang, standing behind him, was the first to notice the signs.

Gu Lingyi lowered the hand she had been resting on the car door and pointed backward over her shoulder. "Are you two setting up a stage for a play?"

Qin Xiao followed her gesture to the side; the familiar car model signaled the identity of the person inside.

Huo Qi.

"Why did Brother Qi come here?" Qin Xiao straightened up, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"One after another," Gu Lingyi scoffed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think I’d ordered male models!"

Qin Xiao: "..."
Yu Liang: "..."

Gu Lingyi felt that the score could not be settled today. She stepped out of the car. Clad in denim, her legs were long and straight, and even a simple casual outfit could not hide her outstanding temperament.

Huo Qi had spotted the person beside Qin Xiao from far away.

When had they become so close? And Yu Liang—how did these three manage to hang out together?

An nameless fire surged in his heart. Huo Qi slammed on the gas, the tires kicking up heat waves from the track.

As the car front drew closer and closer, Qin Xiao and Yu Liang instinctively avoided the vehicle's path.

Only Gu Lingyi remained standing exactly where she was.

Seeing that the speeding car showed no sign of slowing down, the two men’s pupils constricted. Almost simultaneously, they reached out, intending to pull Gu Lingyi away.

In that tense moment, a mocking voice sounded inopportunely: "It seems you don't trust him that much either."

As the words fell, Gu Lingyi dodged their reaching hands and retreated to a safe zone on her own.

Two pairs of hands were left hanging in mid-air.

Yu Liang and Qin Xiao exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of embarrassment in the other's eyes.

The car screeched to a halt less than half a meter away from them. Huo Qi stepped out, dressed in his usual shirt and suit trousers.

Even as the protagonist of a novel, he couldn't escape the "office fatigue" he brought from the company.

Fu Linyuan didn't have that problem—but then again, he was the big boss.

Thinking of this, Gu Lingyi blinked; she realized she had forgotten to reply to her message.

Ignoring the icy aura radiating from Huo Qi, Gu Lingyi pulled her phone from her pocket and unlocked it.

Gu Lingyi: "..."

What had she just seen!

[01: Y-Yes.]
[Cheap Fiancé: Heh.]
7 minutes ago
[Cheap Fiancé: The wedding suite [Image]]

Gu Lingyi reacted with lightning speed, locking her screen before a blush could rise to her cheeks.

Perhaps her movements were too abrupt, as three gazes swept toward her in unison.

For the first time, Gu Lingyi experienced what it felt like to break into a cold sweat.

She guiltily hid her phone behind her back, protesting too much, "Cough... my phone died..."

*Oh my god—Fu Linyuan! You really do have issues!*

Gu Lingyi’s temple twitched, and she silently backed away from the other three.

The content on her phone was truly too scandalous to be seen.

The so-called wedding suite was a dimly lit room with a wall of mirrors. Leather equipment hung from the bed frame, and golden chains extended from the corners of the bed, ending in a creamy apricot-colored restraint strap, the narrow loop just big enough to fit an ankle.

At first, she hadn't realized what it was, until she saw the handcuffs covered in soft pink fur in the corner.

Gu Lingyi bit her lip gently.

Five minutes—in the five minutes between her replies, Fu Linyuan had sent her such a photo!

Who would believe it wasn't premeditated?

It seemed the rumors weren't groundless; Fu Linyuan really did have peculiar fetishes!

"Gu Lingyi." The cold, deep voice interrupted her thoughts. Huo Qi looked ready to hold her accountable. "Why are you here?"

Gu Lingyi glanced at him, too lazy to speak.

Qin Xiao explained from the side, "I brought her here."

"Oh?" Huo Qi tucked his hands into his pockets, his brows etched with displeasure. "Since when did you get so close to her?"

Qin Xiao moved his lips, not yet knowing how to respond, when Gu Lingyi spoke up: "Qin Xiao."

She didn't even give Huo Qi a direct look. "I’ll answer your question from earlier now."

Except for the clueless Huo Qi, Yu Liang and Qin Xiao looked solemn, waiting for Gu Lingyi’s answer.

She said, word by word, "He. Is. Not. Worthy!"

Huo Qi hated the feeling of being the only one left in the dark.

Just as he was about to demand an explanation from Qin Xiao, he saw two complex gazes cast upon him—a mix of obscurity, hidden joy, and relief.

Huo Qi completely lost his patience. Not wanting to probe any further, he stated his purpose for coming: "Let's run a few laps."

He walked toward the driver’s seat, resting his hand on the roof of the car, his gaze darting between Qin Xiao and Yu Liang. "Are you coming?"

Ever since he saw that lighter in Gu Yanyue’s bag last night, his mind had been in turmoil, and he hadn't felt better all day.

As it had been in the past, racing was his way of letting off steam.

Yu Liang answered crisply: "I'm in."

Qin Xiao hesitated, glancing at Gu Lingyi from time to time.

There was no help for it; the car was no longer his, and he had to get the owner's permission to use it.

Qin Xiao’s eagerness was impossible to hide. Gu Lingyi raised her eyebrows with amusement: "If you want to race, then race. Why are you looking at me?"

"Is it okay?" Qin Xiao’s tone was like a shy young wife.

Huo Qi’s face darkened. "Do you need her permission to do anything?"

"Qin Xiao! Who is she to you!?"

The cold, sharp words sank like a stone into the sea, meeting with no response.