Chapter - 5 A part time job maybe?

Hongqui took Qingxi to her favorite restaurant, where they always use to dine five years back.

"You still like pork ribs the best right?" Hongqui asked as he opened the gate for her to enter the restaurant.

"Obviously. Thank god! I'll finally be able to eat country food again, after so long. You know people practically live on pizzas and noodles there. They consume soo much junk food in comparison to healthy food." Qingxi exaggerated as she plopped down on the chair feeling exhausted.

Having traveled for soo many hours she was feeling extremely tired and couldn't wait to have a nice refreshing sleep after feeding her tummy.

As she was plopped tiredly on the chair massaging her knees lightly, two ladies from across few tables noticed her.

"Hey isn't that girl over there, Qingxi?" One of them said aloud. 

"Qingxi? Where?" The other lady looked in the direction her companion was pointing. 

Qingxi was the kind of beauty who could shine even amongst the busiest crowd, so there was no doubt they were able to recognize her in this busy restaurant.

"Hmm...It's indeed her. But why is she here? I thought she vanished or something after soo many years." She murmured squinting her eyebrows in confusion.

"Who cares? Maybe she is back to leach off some money from Luo's family. Look at the way she is sitting. Wasn't she the famous elegant lady? Looks like that breakup hit her hard." The other one laughed.

Thinking of meeting their old friend, she took off with her companion towards the table Qingxi was sitting.

"Omo...Look who is here." She said.

"The fallen elegant lady of Luo family." Another one said before laughing out loud.

Qingxi who was busy massaging her knees while scrolling her cellphone looked up and noticed the soo called princesses of Feng and Su families and couldn't help but roll her eyes at them.

She already knew why they were here. What good a lapdog of Xialing would bring her anyways.

"Ohh...If it isn't the soo called princesses of Feng and Su families. Now that I remember, is everything going fine with your sugar daddy Feng Yi? I hope he is still entertaining your demands." Qingxi commented lazily while smirking.

"You!! What the hell are you talking about? What sugar daddy? What nonsense are you spouting? Who gave you the right to spread false rumors about me. I will screw you if you dare spread these rumors!" Feng Yi yelled.

 "It's okay if you are not at fault. Why are you panicking like that? Yelling and ruining the environment. Can't you see people are dining here? Besides, why would someone panic if he/she is not at fault?" Qingxi smirked again before looking at her nails as if the talk was none of her business.

Feng Yi's affair with the businessman was a matter that nobody except her brother knew about. If this matter spreads out then her starting career as an actress would surely fall to ashes.

Qingxi's lazy comment gained a lot of attention from the nearby tables. Since this was a top restaurant where only rich and influential people set foot in, they all looked at Feng Yi with disgusting eyes.

"Whatever she is saying is false!! It's not true! There is nothing like that!" Feng Yi yelled again.

Seeing how her friend was shamed in front of everyone, who was also affecting her, Su yan couldn't help but comment on Qingxi, trying her best to turn the tables.

"Who are you to say anything Qingxi? So what, if many years had passed. Don't we all know how you had cheated on brother Gao Ying which caused your breakup?" Su Yan said arrogantly.

"Ohh? Are you sure of it? Do you have any proof that the rumor you guys had spread at that time to taint my image was true? But I, on the other hand, have proof supporting everything I am saying. I bet if people would like to know about someone's affair with their sister's husband? Then they can guess which topic is juicier to get details off." Qingxi said while looking at her nails ignorantly.

Su Yan was about to say more, was intelligent enough to know what Qingxi was hinting at. She was glad unlike the case of Feng Yi, Qingxi hasn't said things aloud. 

Little did she know that people had already gotten the hint of what was happening.

"God, the social circle has indeed become dirty and insolent with such girls running around." Someone commented from the nearby tables.

Before Feng Yi or Su Yan could say anything Hongqui returned after taking his important business call.

Looking at the troublemakers standing at their table, he just squinted his eyebrows before sitting elegantly.

Everyone knew Hong Qui as one of the blooming businessmen, and some even knew that he had connections with the underworld.

Not wanting to create any more trouble, both of them turned to leave with angered faces.

As soon as they turned, Qingxi extended her leg nonchalantly making Feng Yi fall on her butt. She looked behind her at Qingxi angrily. Her miserable landing gained her few more snickers from the nearby tables.

"Oops! My bad! Looks like my legs are still sore." Qingxi said extending her legs again and again as if she was soothing them.

However, everyone knew what the real situation was.

Both Feng Yi and Su Yan stomped their foot helplessly, before leaving looking all miserable. Though they left peacefully this time, that didn't mean they were not going to retaliate in the coming future.

"Geez. What was that about?" Hongqui asked while laughing as he raised his hands to call over the waiter for their order.

"Nothing. I was just welcomed back in the city." Qingxi smiled sarcastically, before shrugging her shoulders.

"Welcomed? More like, you are making your presence known to them." Hong Qui commented smirking at his troublemaker.

Hong Qui couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Qingxi ordering the food. She was still a foodie who could eat for five and still feel hungry. 

After placing their orders, Hong Qui who didn't want to start the serious talk but had no choice, muttered,

"Now what Qingxi? You have returned to the country after studying at a prestigious University. Are you going to struggle amidst those people just like that? If you want I can help you set up your base in this entertainment circle without worrying about those lecherous producers." Hong Qui said in his serious tone.

"What? Obviously not! I am not going to climb the ladder while setting foot on someone else's prepared path. Don't you know? I am Xi, I am a survivor." Qingxi said proudly.

"You are way too stubborn Qingxi. Do you think he will agree with you?"

"So what if he doesn't agree. It's not like I am bound to him in anyways. And first and foremost thing, I need a job to start with. A part-time job maybe?" Qingxi said while scrolling her phone to check if the area near her apartment was still secure or not.

"A part-time job? Why do you need that? I may not be one of your brothers, but I still care about you Qingxi. With me here, you don't need to have a part-time job to survive. Till you sign your contract with any company, I will happily fulfill for you." He muttered with anger tracing his voice.

"I know. But I don't care. I am here to make my career in the entertainment business. If someone noticed you lurking around me then, on the next headlines you will be posted as my sugar daddy. Plus, I want to do things alone. You all care about me, I know that. But, in this fight, I am fighting alone." Qingxi said smiling.

Before Hong Qui could make any more comments on her decisions, the waiter came bringing all the dishes in a trolley.

Seeing her favorite dishes all getting placed on the table, Qingxi couldn't help but feel her dampening mood improvising again.

Looking at her happy face Hong Qui couldn't do anything but go with the flow of how things would work. If something dangerous occurs, he can always help her immediately.

With this in mind, he himself picked his fork and started eating, or otherwise, the pig will eat everything.

Unknown to them a man was already watching Qingxi with some foreign emotions in his eyes. How could he forget this young girl who spent years playing with him?

"Boss. This...Since Qingxi is already back in the country why don't we send a man to ask her about the matter and if she is willing to agree with it?" His subordinate asked.

"Now is not the time. After what she had suffered, it will be hard for us to persuade her in this matter so easily. Let's go for now. When the right time will come, I'll myself go to meet her." The boss said before wearing his shades and making his way out of the restaurant.

The waiter who was coming to attend to them scoffed at their behavior. There are always customers coming into the restaurant just to stroll around and not particularly ordering anything. These were the same.