Chang Qingchuan smiled at the two women and said, "I was so worried when I arranged for you two to meet today, but I didn't expect you to truly reconcile. Now I can finally enjoy a good meal with peace of mind."
Gu Susu saw that he wasn't helping her with the invitation, and insisted, "It's settled, I'll treat. Huo Jin, don't fight me on this."
Before Huo Jin could speak, Chang Qingchuan quickly interjected, "Susu, let her treat. She needs to learn to pay for her own petulance and willfulness. Don't be too lenient with her, or she'll never know where she went wrong."
Huo Jin turned and glared at Chang Qingchuan, her expression fierce, as if warning him to say another word.
Chang Qingchuan immediately shut his mouth and took a drink from the beverage in his hand.
Seeing how afraid he was of Huo Jin, Gu Susu immediately smiled, thinking he would surely be a henpecked husband in the future.
Huo Jin's expression softened again as she said to Gu Susu, "I chose the place today, so of course I'm treating. Next time you choose the place, and you can treat."
Gu Susu was about to say something else, but Huo Jin spoke with a firm tone, "No more arguing with me! Qingchuan and I have already ordered the dishes, so don't you dare complain that the food here is bad."
Her directness and decisiveness left Gu Susu with no choice but to smile and indicate that she wouldn't argue about paying. Only then did she become happy again and busily called the waiter to serve the dishes.
Actually, on the day Qin Tianyi was unexpectedly injured and rushed to the hospital for surgery, she had accompanied Shu Yan and had seen Shu Yan deliberately causing trouble for Gu Susu outside the operating room.
However, Shu Yan's parents were present at the time, and it wasn't convenient for her to step in and help Gu Susu, which made her feel a bit guilty.
She had also heard Chang Qingchuan talk about some of Gu Susu's unfortunate experiences, which made her feel both sympathetic and admiring towards Gu Susu.
Sometimes she wondered if she could have remained so strong if she had gone through the same things. Therefore, she had truly let go of her past feelings towards Gu Susu and even felt that Gu Susu would be a friend worth befriending.
However, she hadn't had the chance to interact with Gu Susu again until now. When Chang Qingchuan mentioned that Gu Susu was treating them to a meal, she took the initiative to turn the tables and insisted on treating them herself.
During the meal, Huo Jin and Gu Susu chatted about everything under the sun and discovered they got along quite well, sharing many similar views and ideas.
She hadn't expected Gu Susu to remain so positive and optimistic about life despite experiencing so many hardships, without complaining or venting negative emotions to others. Chatting with Gu Susu was actually very comfortable.
Chang Qingchuan, sitting beside them, couldn't get a word in. When these two women started talking, they completely ignored his presence as a man, leaving him to eat and drink by himself in boredom.
At this moment, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside. "Huo Jin, you're eating here? Why didn't you call me?"
They all turned to look at Shu Yan, who had pushed the door open and walked in. Huo Jin hadn't expected Shu Yan to come looking for her at this time.
Shu Yan also saw Gu Susu, who was smiling brightly with Huo Jin, and froze on the spot.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Huo Jin stood up and walked towards Shu Yan, saying, "Why are you here? Have you eaten?"
Shu Yan stared at Huo Jin with the look of a traitor and sneered, "You and this woman are so close now, are you planning to share a husband?"
Chang Qingchuan's expression changed immediately. Huo Jin tugged at Shu Yan's sleeve, feeling uncomfortable herself, and said, "Yan, don't say such unpleasant things. Qingchuan and she are really just good friends."
"Good friends? Who would believe that? Only a fool like you would believe it," Shu Yan said in a lecturing tone.
"You're not welcome here, get out." Chang Qingchuan had no tolerance for someone as sharp-tongued as Shu Yan and didn't understand why Huo Jin was friends with her.
Shu Yan, seeing Chang Qingchuan dare to be arrogant in front of her, pushed Huo Jin aside and walked directly up to Chang Qingchuan, saying disdainfully, "What right do you have to tell me to get out? Eating at a place like this, do you think you can afford it! You're just a gigolo, can you afford to spend money here? Who should be the one to leave, you figure it out."
Gu Susu had already picked up her bag and stood up, ready to leave quickly. Shu Yan was simply a mad dog.
"Shu Yan, that's enough! Every time we meet, you only mock my boyfriend. Is this fun for you?" Huo Jin couldn't stand her unreasonable behavior anymore. "I'm sorry, please leave. I'm treating Susu to dinner today, and it has nothing to do with Qingchuan."
Shu Yan looked at Huo Jin in disbelief, "You're falling out with me for these two lowlifes? Have you lost your mind!"
"I haven't. In my eyes, people have no distinction between high and low, only whether we get along. You and I are not as compatible as we used to be. Please leave first, and stop always humiliating my boyfriend and friend," Huo Jin said impolitely.
Shu Yan smiled, pointed at Gu Susu, and asked Huo Jin, "When did you and this woman become such good friends? I had no idea. Oh, right, I wanted to ask you tonight why you rented your house to her so cheaply? What were you thinking? Have you been assimilated by this gigolo?"
Gu Susu was surprised by her words and couldn't help but look at Chang Qingchuan, then at Huo Jin, and asked, "Qingchuan, did you help me rent Huo Jin's house?"
Shu Yan smiled even more brightly and said, "You're still pretending not to know? Don't you know how cheap the rent is in that area? How hypocritical!"
"It's my house, and it's my business who I rent it to and how I rent it. You don't need to manage it," Huo Jin began pushing Shu Yan towards the door, saying, "Can you be more rational and stop acting like this? Why do you always bite down on Susu as soon as you see her?"
Shu Yan had intended to mock Chang Qingchuan and Gu Susu a few more times, but Huo Jin forcibly pushed her out.
Standing at the doorway, she felt increasingly unable to understand Huo Jin, wondering why she was associating with these poor people. She took a wedding invitation out of her bag and said, "I came to your house to give you this tonight. But your mother said you were out eating with Chang Qingchuan, so I came here to find you."
Huo Jin took the invitation from her hand and said, "Okay, I've received it. Can you stop making a scene here?"
"You say I'm making a scene, but I'm doing this for your own good," Shu Yan said, her arrogance gone, revealing a hurt expression. "They are not our kind of people at all. They all want to use us to climb up, but you are willing to be the stepping stone they tread on. Are you crazy?"
Huo Jin said helplessly, "I'm not crazy. In my eyes, there's no distinction of nobility or baseness. Whatever I do for Qingchuan is out of love, and helping Susu is also out of love for him. I also admire Susu's optimism and strength. Don't always be so prejudiced and categorize people into different classes. Can you calm down and discover the good qualities in everyone, and treat people with a peaceful heart?"