Huo Qi found it somewhat amusing; he never expected Yuran to be so delicate.
Her views on matters were completely casual.
Her curiosity wasn’t that strong either, and this kind of distance made people feel very comfortable.
Being with her was also very relaxing.
Yuran shook her head, "Thanking me is too formal, just over this matter?"
Huo Qi made a noise of agreement, "I was afraid you’d think I’m someone who becomes selfish over personal matters."
Yuran laughed, stepping forward to pat Huo Qi’s shoulder, "I am my master’s apprentice, but also your friend, mutual respect is the basic principle of friendship;
don’t think too poorly of me, I am actually quite decent."
Huo Qi couldn’t help but laugh. Their conversation was going smoothly, and although he knew Yuran wasn’t curious, he felt there were things he could share with her, "My acquaintance with Ao Chen was quite by accident."
The circles in New York are actually not that big. Because of his talent, he had entered the upper echelons. In this era, people with knowledge and culture are much more acceptable than those with just money.
After all, knowledge and culture are not necessarily things that money can buy.
How prestigious they are, of course, varies from person to person.
Yuran didn’t doubt Huo Qi’s ability to squeeze in, nor was she surprised that he could meet Ao Chen in the same circle.
But Huo Qi said it was an accident.
That was interesting.
Huo Qi, "Do you know my sexual orientation? Or maybe, Ao Chen’s orientation?"
"If you hadn’t asked me that, I wouldn’t have thought deeply about it, but now that you have, I think I get it. You two have the same sexual orientation?"
In her heart, there was a bold guess: relationships that end in never dealing with each other again are either due to a friend’s betrayal or lovers splitting up.
Knowing Yuran was smart, as soon as she finished speaking, although he didn’t ask directly, he confirmed, "Are you thinking of the relationship between him and me?"
Yuran recovered from her astonishment with a smile, "It’s somewhat unbelievable. I didn’t expect... was it my master who let you down?"
In Yuran’s mind, Huo Qi was a straightforward and focused man, with no chance of flirtation. The only possibility was that Ao Chen played around.
If there was a problem in their relationship, it was certainly Ao Chen’s fault.
This belief, for no known reason, became resolutely formed in her mind.
Huo Qi was astonished, "Do you have any prejudice against Ao Chen?"
"No prejudice really, it’s just that my master comes off as someone who enjoys the high life. Am I wronging him?"
Yuran, "So, my master is actually the bastard of all bastards?"
"Pfft..." Huo Qi laughed uncontrollably, his expression somewhat unmanaged, "If he heard you, would he beat you up?"
Yuran shrugged, "He probably wouldn’t dare, after all, my older brother is much more robust than him, and my master always knows how to pick on the weaker ones."
Huo Qi raised his eyebrows, not contesting this opinion, as Ao Chen was truly a habitual offender in choosing his targets, reeling them in only to kick them away after the deed was done.
This kind of man, with no morals or quality, was indeed the bastard of all bastards.
"I was with him for two years."
Yuran thought, that’s quite a long time.
"Can I ask why you broke up?" Yuran sought his permission, this being a question she could easily backtrack from, should Huo Qi show any discomfort, she would halt immediately.
Huo Qi couldn’t help but smile, feeling that talking to Yuran was really relaxing and not oppressive at all, "I do have some stories I’d like to share with you, of course, not just to complain about your master;
I think that in a breakup, both people are responsible, only to different degrees. Perhaps it was because I cared too much and made it too heavy for him, making him feel constrained;
So he didn’t want to continue with me. That’s it, he wasn’t wrong. When love is gone, it’s gone; forcing it makes both people look bad."
Yuran felt somewhat sorry to see Huo Qi with that expression—as she remembered him, he was a very thoughtful young man, but now, he seemed aged as if the years had parched him.
"Out with the old, in with the new. You’ll find someone better than him."
Encouraging a change of heart.
Huo Qi wanted to laugh even more, his facial expressions much more relaxed, "Can’t find one anymore."
Yuran understood the meaning of his ’can’t find one.’ For example, she had such a good relationship with Bo Yan now; if Bo Yan broke up with her, could she find someone better than Bo Yan?
Perhaps a better person exists, but the feeling he brings could never be topped.