In the room, Li Jing was texting Wei Jia.
Wei Jia planned to come to Celestial Sea City for business tomorrow and specifically sent a message to ask whether he was in Tianhai, proposing to have dinner together.
Since he would be sending his parents and others away from Celestial Sea tomorrow during the day, Li Jing thought he had no other plans and agreed.
Putting down his phone, he felt a bit thirsty. Just as he got up to leave, he saw a figure peeking inside from the doorway, startling both of them, almost bumping into each other.
"Ge Qin?" Li Jing looked at the embarrassed and awkward Ge Qin at the door with surprise.
Ge Qin’s face instantly turned crimson, and the unexpected incident left her at a loss for how to explain, stuttering for a while without saying a complete sentence.
Seeing the other’s embarrassed look, Li Jing jokingly said, "What, the former school goddess is actually spying on me? This would’ve been sensational news back then."
Hearing this, Ge Qin’s face became even more flushed. She wanted to refute but found no words to defend.
Because she indeed wanted to see what Li Jing was doing inside the room, yet she didn’t even know why she was peeking.
It was entirely a result of impulsiveness and emotional turmoil.
As the other remained speechless, Li Jing didn’t press further, moved to the reception area, and couldn’t find any drinking water after searching around.
Seeing Li Jing’s slender silhouette under the light, Ge Qin’s expression was complex. After calming her emotional waves, she silently walked over, picked up a bottle of beer, and handed it to him, "Do you want some water? This seems to be all that’s left."
Looking at the beer bottle in her hand, Li Jing slightly raised a brow, glanced at the half-finished beer on the table, took a sip, and asked, "Are you drinking alone here?"
Ge Qin’s expression changed slightly, then she nodded and forced a smile, "Mm, I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for some fresh air."
Li Jing casually sat on the sofa, looked at Ge Qin, who was dressed rather coolly today, and laughed, "No worries, I’m not sleepy either, how about I chat with you?"
"You’re willing to chat with me?"
Ge Qin was clearly a bit surprised, her eyes flashed with a hint of joy but she quickly regained composure and sat on the sofa opposite Li Jing, softly saying thank you.
Seeing Ge Qin wasn’t planning to bring up any topic, Li Jing, holding the beer bottle, didn’t bother with pretenses, drank casually, thought for a moment, and then asked, "By the way, did Xiaoxiao tell you about the gift? Have you decided what you want?"
Upon hearing about the gift, Ge Qin’s eyes visibly changed, hesitating for a few seconds before replying, "I... haven’t decided yet."
Li Jing slightly squinted his eyes, observing her expression, then smiled, "You’re not undecided about what you want, but unsure about what price range to choose, right?"
Ge Qin was slightly startled, hurriedly looked up to explain something, but seeing his calm and clear gaze, her words faltered, not knowing what to say.
It was as if Li Jing had seen through her, making her particularly uncertain in front of him.
"Actually, you don’t need to be so restrained. I’ve mentioned my thoughts before, and I understand your intentions, so it’s better to be honest, no need to hide behind."
Li Jing put down the half-drunk beer bottle, pulled a tissue from the box on the table, wiped his mouth, and directly said, "I think women like clothes and bags, so how about I buy you a five-to-six-thousand female purse as a gift?"
Upon hearing this, Ge Qin’s hand slightly clenched on the sofa.
A five-to-six-thousand purse is indeed quite good compared to her usual spending.
But when she thought of the tens-of-thousands-worth branded bags carried by An Tong and Zhang Xinxin, there was still a hint of envy and desire.
Seeing Ge Qin silent, Li Jing raised an eyebrow slightly, lay back on the sofa, spread his arms on the back of the sofa, and asked, "What, do you feel it’s not enough?"
Ge Qin’s hands clenched tighter, her head lowered, almost making Li Jing unable to see her face.
Seeing this, Li Jing said plainly, "Besides my parents, the specialty gifts my uncle wants are worth only about a thousand, and Xiaoxiao wants nothing at all.
Giving you a five-to-six-thousand bag, I think is quite good, isn’t it?"
Upon hearing this, Ge Qin’s face heated up, blushing, lowering her head with shame and uncertainty about what to say.
If it were any other guy, she could confidently come up with countless reasons to explain, but facing Li Jing, she didn’t know why she felt his aura suppressed her, making her speechless.
Finally, she gathered enough courage to lift her head, trying to relax, and made an effort to smile, "Mm, thank you, thank you for the gift, it’s already very good."
Seeing her accept his gift, Li Jing smiled.
In fact, his initial idea was that if she asked for something under twenty thousand, he could accept it.
After all, the clothes she bought herself cost thousands, so if he were to gift, he’d give something higher grade than what she bought herself.
However, seeing her reaction just now, Li Jing intentionally lowered the price, wanting to see her response. Unexpectedly, she accepted it like that, not even saying a word for herself.
Li Jing could see Ge Qin did want a more expensive gift, but she couldn’t say it, or perhaps she was suppressed by his aura.
He discovered Ge Qin, though materialistic and vain, was ultimately just a small town girl, unmatched in sophistication and mentality compared to women from Celestial Sea City.
Li Jing could guarantee if he were with a materialistic woman from Celestial Sea City, she would ask for all sorts of expensive gifts without any psychological burden.
Some adept materialistic women could play a man like a fiddle, yet never even let him touch them.
Compared to those women, Ge Qin is considered a sensible good girl.
At this moment, Ge Qin seemed to feel she should initiate conversation, finally found a topic, and said, "Well... since we last met, it’s been over ten years, right?"
Li Jing raised his brow, recalling they knew each other from high school, thought for a moment, and also reflected, "Almost ten years indeed, time flies so quickly."
Ge Qin’s beautiful eyes slightly trembled, looking back at Li Jing’s face, "I didn’t expect you to change so much, back then I just thought you were a good student."
Hearing this, Li Jing laughed, "My biggest impression of you then was that you were very pretty."
Regarding his inner memories and feelings, Li Jing expressed them very frankly, then glanced at Ge Qin again, "Of course, you’re even prettier now."
Not expecting such a direct compliment, Ge Qin’s face blushed slightly, hurriedly said thank you, and continued, "I’m far behind the two elder sisters."
Hearing the two elder sisters, Li Jing was first perplexed, then realized she was referring to Zhang Xinxin and An Tong, explained, "You all have different styles, plus even in Celestial Sea City, their looks are rather rare. You don’t need to compare with them."
Ge Qin looked at Li Jing, with a complex yet admiring expression, "You’re really amazing, such beautiful girls are willing to be with you. I can tell they are willingly with you."
"Haha, money is a man’s biggest charm."
Li Jing calmly smiled at her, "The attitude you choose towards me now, isn’t it also because of my financial strength?"
Hearing this, Ge Qin’s expression changed slightly, wanted to explain but could not utter an insincere word under his gaze.
"Rest assured, I won’t be upset because of this; on the contrary, having money is my advantage. You liking the things I possess makes me more confident, doesn’t it?"
Li Jing laughed freely with confidence, "Just like the reason I’m nice to you is because you are attractive, it’s the same rationale.
I assume you wouldn’t be discontented just because I’m nice to you because I find you attractive?"
After hearing Li Jing’s words, Ge Qin thought for a moment, finally feeling he indeed made a valid point.
Her complexion changed several times before she genuinely smiled again, sincerely nodded:
"Mm, you’re right. After hearing your words, I suddenly feel I can face you more naturally."
Li Jing raised his eyebrow, "Why?"
"Because I don’t have to worry that liking your money will make you upset, and I’m sure you have a favorable impression of my looks."
Ge Qin seemed to regain a bit of her original confidence, tucked her hair behind her ear, and made an effort to smile:
"Thinking this way makes me feel the gap between us isn’t that significant.
At least, I think I can still communicate with you on an equal level."
Seeing her regain some confidence and sincerity, Li Jing watched her for several seconds, then picked up the beer bottle, smiled:
"That’s good; it makes our conversation interesting. Cheers."