IMGH Chapter 78

Do You Believe in Love at First Sight?

Jiang Yi and Qiu Rui laughed and fooled around in the room until evening, when Qiu Chen’s assistant came to invite them to the restaurant for dinner.

Jiang Yi stepped out of the room and came face to face with Chen Yuhe, who was emerging from the room next door.

The two of them made their way to the restaurant, where Qiu Chen had arranged a Chinese dinner.

The round red rosewood dining table was laden with an array of delicacies, most of them wild game from the mountains — many of them rare treasures that money alone could not easily buy in the city.

“Director Jiang, come, sit, sit!” Qiu Chen warmly ushered Jiang Yi and Chen Yuhe to their seats.

Qiu Chen’s assistants — Cheng Dong and Han Yuancheng — joined them for the meal.

Chinese dining, unlike Western dining, placed great emphasis on lively atmosphere.

Toasts and clinking of glasses were naturally plentiful, and after several cups of liquor, Qiu Chen grew somewhat giddy and insisted that Jiang Yi tell the story of his romance with Chen Yuhe.

Chen Yuhe had just bitten into a piece of wild mountain chicken when she heard Qiu Chen say this and nearly choked to death.

Would this man ever stop? Why did he keep singling her out?

Fortunately, Qiu Rui, who stood not far away, maintained his usual calm expression and showed no sign of displeasure at Qiu Chen’s words.

“Director Jiang, you… erm… just tell us — how did you and Miss Chen meet!” Qiu Chen’s eyes were glassy, and he let out a boozy belch, clearly having drunk quite a bit, his words slurring together. “Miss Chen is an employee of our Shengqiu International — how did you manage to spirit her away!”

“Director Qiu, love waits for no one — when you meet the right person, you have to act fast!” Jiang Yi raised his glass and gently clinked it against Qiu Chen’s. “No matter whose employee they are, if you like them, you have to get them!”

Despite being from a prominent family, Qiu Chen had a roguish streak at his core, making him something of a kindred spirit with Jiang Yi.

Over the course of their drinking and toasting, the two had become quite at ease with each other, and neither held back in conversation.

“No, no, no, Director Qiu, I disagree with that!” Jiang Yi waved his hand. “Love is not about taking by force! You can pursue relentlessly, but you must never do anything that forces the other person!”

“Then what do you say is the right way to win someone over?” Qiu Chen, completely baffled, simply stood up, swaying with a bottle of liquor in hand as he drifted over to Jiang Yi and filled his cup. “Director Jiang, you’ve already won yourself a beauty — share some wisdom with your brother here!”

Jiang Yi swirled the liquor in his glass, his gaze fixed intently on a spot not far away. Qiu Chen followed his line of sight and looked over — across from them, Chen Yuhe had her head lowered, her manner coy and bashful. Qiu Chen let out a sly smile, thinking to himself that this young woman was truly thin-skinned; barely a few words had been said and she was already blushing.

Qiu Chen had completely misread the situation. What Jiang Yi was actually looking at was Qiu Rui — constrained as he was by the five-meter restriction, Qiu Rui happened to be standing not far behind Chen Yuhe, leaning leisurely against the wall, paying no attention to the conversation in the dining room. It was only when Jiang Yi’s burning gaze fell on him that Qiu Rui lazily lifted his eyelids, catching the wicked gleam in the man’s eyes. Qiu Rui raised an eyebrow and shot him a warning look; Jiang Yi blinked back, his expression utterly suggestive.

Qiu Chen could not see Qiu Rui, but Han Yuancheng could.

The entire silent exchange between Jiang Yi and Qiu Rui unfolded before his eyes. The hand gripping his wine glass gradually tightened, the bones pressing together and letting out faint cracking sounds.

The resentment that rose from the depths of his heart coiled around him like vines, pulling tighter and tighter, its sharp thorns piercing him with unbearable pain.

Qiu Rui truly had feelings for Jiang Yi — and in just three months, he had lost the person he loved most.

Han Yuancheng withdrew his gaze and slumped powerlessly against the back of his chair.

Seeing that Jiang Yi had not answered him, Qiu Chen nudged him with his elbow and pressed on. “Director Jiang, just tell me how you won Miss Chen over! How did the two of you meet?”

With Qiu Chen asking again and again, Jiang Yi found it hard to deflect any further and said with a light laugh, “President Qiu, do you believe in love at first sight?”

Qiu Chen was momentarily taken aback, then quickly nodded. “I do!”

The first time he had laid eyes on that man, he had never been able to forget him. Qiu Chen glanced at Han Yuancheng beside him, a warm and fervent light gradually rising in his eyes.

Han Yuancheng kept his head down, as if oblivious to their conversation. He was submerged in his own world, his heart completely sealed off. No matter how hard Qiu Chen tried, Han Yuancheng refused to open up to him — his eyes and his heart held only Qiu Rui.

Qiu Chen looked away with a flash of quiet indignation. Before long, he would have everything he wanted. The Qiu family would be his — and Han Yuancheng would be his too.

“Director Jiang, could it be that you and Miss Chen fell in love at first sight?” interjected Cheng Dong, Qiu Chen’s assistant.

Jiang Yi curved the corners of his lips into a warm smile, his gaze growing deep and distant, as though he were lost in a cherished memory.

“Five years ago, at a charity gala, I saw him for the first time. He was seated at a grand piano, and beautiful music poured from his fingertips like flowing water. He was as lovely as a fairy fallen into the mortal world — and yet so elegant, so utterly beyond reach. In that single glance, I fell helplessly in love with him.”