Although Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing had been dating for several months, their relationship had only progressed to kissing and hugging, never going all the way. Even when they stayed together overnight, they slept in separate rooms.
When she stormed into Xie Lianqing’s room in a rage, she pushed open the door and realized it wasn’t locked. Fuming, she muttered to herself about how terrible his sense of security was—what if a bad person barged in just like she had?
Xu Qingqing stood defiantly at the foot of Xie Lianqing’s bed, ready to wake him up and pick a fight.
But just then, her furious gaze landed on his phone beside the bed.
A thought suddenly popped into her head: If the plot of that novel is real, could Xie Lianqing already know Bai Youlan?
The idea that she might have been cheated on made her anger spike again. But in the next second, another thought occurred to her—If Xie Lianqing really did cheat, then she could justifiably beat him up and break up with him!
And of course, she’d make sure to spread the word everywhere, ruining the reputations of that scumbag couple!
Xu Qingqing’s eyes gleamed mischievously as she stealthily reached for the phone.
Before today, she had never snooped through Xie Lianqing’s phone. Who in their right mind would cheat on her?
She was gorgeous, rich—any guy who got to date her should consider it a blessing! A blessing on par with working 996!
Xu Qingqing wasn’t entirely sure what 996 meant, but all her ex-boyfriends had said the same thing.
She was just that confident!!
Putting aside past grievances, Xu Qingqing hesitated for a moment before quietly crouching by the bed with Xie Lianqing’s phone in hand.
Bent over, she tried unlocking it—888888?
Nope.
His birthday?
Nope.
Wait… what even was his birthday?
…Whatever, it didn’t matter.
Her birthday?
Still wrong.
Ugh, what’s wrong with this bastard Xie Lianqing? His phone password isn’t even my birthday!
Xu Qingqing’s eyes widened in disbelief. To her, this was absolutely unforgivable! Ever since Xie Lianqing had threatened her earlier about not breaking up, his title in her mind had officially upgraded from scumbag to bastard.
Sitting cross-legged by the bed, Xu Qingqing puffed out her cheeks and stubbornly kept trying passwords.
"It’s the date we first got together," a voice suddenly spoke up behind her.
Xu Qingqing whipped her head around in shock, only to find Xie Lianqing already awake. He was lying on his side, propping his head up with one hand as he watched her, his eyes slightly upturned at the corners.
Startled, she blurted out, "How long have you been awake?" Even as she asked, she absentmindedly tried entering the date they started dating—still wrong.
Even though she’d been caught red-handed, Xu Qingqing had no intention of explaining herself or returning the phone. She’d already decided—if Xie Lianqing refused to let her see his phone, she’d use it as an excuse to pick a fight and break up!
"For a while now," Xie Lianqing sighed lightly, then patiently clarified, "The date of our first relationship."
But Xu Qingqing only looked blank, clearly having forgotten entirely.
So he sat up, pulling his bewildered girlfriend into his arms and settling her onto the bed beside him. With his other hand, he took the phone from her and smoothly entered a string of numbers.
Once unlocked, he handed it back to her and asked gently, "What do you want to see?"
Xu Qingqing froze. Clutching the now-unlocked phone, she tentatively suggested, "Photos? Messages… Actually, I want to see everything!" She quickly regained her boldness.
"Go ahead. Look at whatever you want." Xie Lianqing stroked her hair, his voice impossibly soft. "Next time, just ask me openly. You should get proper rest at night."
Being the drama queen she was, Xu Qingqing took an unexpected angle: "If I asked openly, you’d just delete everything beforehand!"
Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow. "Delete what?"
Xu Qingqing shot back, "How would I know? Whatever secrets you’re hiding!"
Xie Lianqing chuckled. "I have no secrets from you."
He handed her the unlocked phone again. "Feel free to check anytime. You can even link our accounts if you want."
Xu Qingqing was stunned: …!!!
How is Xie Lianqing this obedient? If he’s this well-behaved, how am I supposed to find an excuse to break up?!
And there’s no way he has no secrets… right?
Her dazed expression was too adorable, making Xie Lianqing lean down to kiss her hair. Softly, he murmured, "Still worried about that dream? Do you want to check my computer too?" He was referring to her nightmare about him cheating.
Xu Qingqing suddenly lost interest. If Xie Lianqing really did cheat, someone as smart as him would never leave evidence for me to find.
Pouting, she grumbled, "Never mind, I won’t look. But if you ever do cheat, I’m breaking up with you!"
Then Xie Lianqing wouldn’t take it out on the Xu Family, right?
When Xu Qingqing brought up breaking up again, Xie Lianqing narrowed his eyes. "Do you really want to break up?"
Xu Qingqing hesitated. Remembering her dream, she thought—if I break up with Xie Lianqing, according to the plot, he might end up with Bai Youlan.
And if that happens, what if I still die like in the dream? With Xie Lianqing’s help, Bai Youlan might actually inherit the Xu Family.
A sudden wave of anxiety hit her.
No way. Xie Lianqing can date anyone except Bai Youlan!
Her mind raced before she cleverly countered, "If we break up, would you date someone I hate?"
Xie Lianqing was sharp. He immediately picked up on her odd behavior.
Xu Qingqing had visited the Xu Family the day before and met Xu Changshan and the others—so the person she hated was likely someone from the Xu Family. Today, she’d thrown a tantrum about breaking up and was fixated on his relationship with Bai Youlan.
Leaning back against the headboard, Xie Lianqing pretended to ponder before answering lazily, "Not sure."
Xu Qingqing gaped: …?!
Under her stunned gaze, Xie Lianqing replied indifferently, "After breaking up, we probably wouldn’t stay in touch."
Xu Qingqing looked lost. "We can’t be friends?"
Xie Lianqing smirked and enunciated each word with deliberate slowness: "No. I could with anyone else—but not you."
Xu Qingqing wanted to bite him in frustration, but then she realized she never kept in touch with her exes either… So she decided to drop the subject for now.
Whatever. I’ll figure out a way to break up with Xie Lianqing while making sure he never gets with Bai Youlan.
Unlike the sulking Xu Qingqing, Xie Lianqing was in an excellent mood.
Earlier that night, when Xu Qingqing had mentioned breaking up, he’d barely contained his fury. Suppressing his anger, he’d gently coaxed her before tossing and turning for hours before finally falling asleep.
Sometimes, he wondered if Xu Qingqing even liked him. Her temper was unpredictable, her personality hard to pin down.
Back when he was younger and more naive, he’d learned that Xu Qingqing had only approached him for a ridiculous reason—to get revenge—and had planned to dump him soon after.
As the favored son of heaven, he naturally couldn’t tolerate being deceived. Furious, he broke up with Xu Qingqing. Later, when he wanted to reconcile, his pride wouldn’t allow him to beg for her affection knowing she didn’t love him.
Torn by his emotions, Xie Lianqing requested to skip a grade and leave school, eventually moving to another country. He thought Xu Qingqing would just be a passing figure in his life, someone he’d quickly forget along with their past. But he was wrong.
Late at night, he still remembered the way her hair curled as she napped beside him, how she tugged at his sleeve and whined to copy his homework.
So, for the first time, he swallowed his pride and went back to find her.
He learned that Xu Qingqing, who had originally planned to study abroad, suddenly changed her mind, unwilling to leave home. Now she had to prepare for the college entrance exams and was scrambling for tutors, though her progress seemed dismal.
Xie Lianqing reached out to old classmates, casually reconnecting with Xu Qingqing under the pretense of catching up. Under the guise of helping a former classmate, he began tutoring her.
At the time, they were separated by an ocean. She was only free during the day for video calls, which meant late nights for him.
Yet he cherished every moment.
During that period, he’d sip coffee while reviewing lessons with her, never feeling exhausted. Instead, he rediscovered a sense of stability.
But he wasn’t in a hurry to confess his feelings. He hadn’t returned home yet. Someone like Xu Qingqing, who couldn’t even handle a long-distance relationship, would never endure an international one.
Later, Xie Lianqing watched as she dated others, maintaining his role as a friend while slowly weaving his net. Then, after he returned to China, Xu Qingqing complained to him about her disappointing boyfriends, even remarking that none were as good as he had been.
The fish had finally taken the bait. Seizing the moment, Xie Lianqing suggested, “Why don’t we try again?”
……
Xu Qingqing remained blissfully unaware. She lived in her own world, indifferent to others’ opinions or hatred, and even less concerned about who loved her. No matter how much her suitors sacrificed for her, she saw it as nothing more than her due.
She had doting family members, vast wealth, stunning looks—she lacked for nothing, least of all love.
Xie Lianqing often wondered if Xu Qingqing even cared about him at all. If he left, she’d probably just be upset for a while before moving on to the next distraction.
Especially when she wanted to leave him over a dream, his frustration reached its peak.
But then he woke up to find her crouched on the floor, frowning as she repeatedly tried to unlock his phone. Only then did his heart settle.
So she wasn’t completely indifferent to him after all.
He watched her quietly, his gaze both greedy and tender.
The next morning, when Xu Qingqing stumbled out of bed in her pajamas, Xie Lianqing was still there. On the table was a spread of freshly made food, looking utterly tempting.
Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes. “Who made this?” she mumbled. Just then, Aunt Wang emerged from the kitchen. She was a long-time servant of the Xie family, responsible for Xie Lianqing’s meals.
Of course, Xie Lianqing didn’t cook. His meals were always prepared by the family’s staff, who cleaned up afterward before leaving. Even when he studied abroad, servants accompanied him—he’d never lifted a finger in the kitchen.
As Xu Qingqing ate, she snapped photos of the breakfast with her phone.
After gathering enough shots, she typed out a post while spooning congee into her mouth: “My sweet boyfriend made me breakfast! So delicious~”
Xie Lianqing watched her, hesitating. He wondered if she’d missed the fact that Aunt Wang had done the cooking.
After posting the update, Xu Qingqing noticed him staring. She bit her spoon and asked, “What?”
Xie Lianqing felt compelled to clarify. “Aunt Wang made this.” He loved her admiration, but he wasn’t about to take credit for someone else’s work. Besides, his lack of cooking skills would eventually be exposed.
Xu Qingqing rolled her eyes. “Obviously. You can’t cook.”
The young master of the Xie family had everything handed to him—it was only natural he couldn’t cook. Xu Qingqing judged by her own standards: she couldn’t even make instant noodles, so why expect him to?
Her phone buzzed incessantly as her post stirred reactions. Friends flooded the comments, gushing about how lucky she was and how devoted Xie Lianqing seemed.
Xu Qingqing replied to a few she liked: “Thanks, I know~”
Then Zhou Chenyu chimed in: “Oh? Not breaking up anymore?”
She glanced at Xie Lianqing across the table and quickly deleted the comment.
Normally, Xu Qingqing wouldn’t bother with such public displays of affection. There was no need—just like how she never checked her boyfriends’ phones. With her as the perfect girlfriend, how could they even think of cheating?
Unless they had a death wish!
But after the incident with Bai Youlan, she’d grown wary. Xie Lianqing’s evasive answers the night before had shaken her confidence. Maybe this jerk didn’t love her as much as she’d thought.
He wouldn’t even promise not to date someone she hated!
So now she was flaunting their relationship. These posts were evidence. If they ever broke up and Xie Lianqing ended up with Bai Youlan, Xu Qingqing would print out every single one and hand them out as flyers at their wedding.
That’d teach them.
