Le Jiaojiao certainly couldn't stand this grievance, so starting from the second round, she began targeting Xu Qingqing in every way she could. After drawing the Seer card, she immediately announced that she had checked Xu Qingqing on the first night and that Xu Qingqing was a wolf.
After Xu Qingqing was unanimously voted out by everyone, she shot and took Le Jiaojiao with her.
"Xu Qingqing, are you crazy? I really am the Seer!" Le Jiaojiao broke down.
Xu Qingqing sneered, "If you were the Seer, how could you say I'm a wolf?"
Throughout the entire game, Zhou Chenyu was mediating between Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing, coaxing one moment and scolding the other, just like a kindergarten teacher, busy beyond belief.
Everyone else didn't dare to speak, trembling with fear that they might accidentally get dragged into the war between these two.
Finally, with Xu Qingqing, this troublemaking brat, causing chaos, this messy game of Werewolf ended early. Zhou Chenyu led his frustrated, tearful cousin away, comforting her as they walked, "Alright, alright, don't be angry. Next time we won't invite her, I promise we won't invite her."
"Fine, don't invite her then. Hmph." Xu Qingqing, chased out of the game room by this sibling pair, stood in front of the door feeling utterly disdainful.
She turned her head and waved to Xie Lianqing behind her, saying, "Come on, let's go fishing."
The yacht staff had already prepared the equipment for them. Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing found an unoccupied spot to sit down and get ready to fish.
The sunset gradually descended, painting the sky's reflection on the sea surface. The guests on the yacht were also very tactful; seeing Xie Lianqing and Xu Qingqing on a date, they all avoided this area from afar. So now, the surroundings were filled only with the sound of ocean waves and the cries of seagulls in the sky, the atmosphere quiet and warm.
However, Xu Qingqing had a short attention span. After waiting a while and seeing no fish bite, she grew impatient. In the end, she shoved her fishing rod into the hands of Xie Lianqing sitting beside her, asking him to watch it for her, and then she excitedly pulled out her phone to play games.
Xie Lianqing thought,
This isn't quite the date we agreed upon.
Hearing the game sounds blaring from Xu Qingqing's phone, he hesitated before saying, "If the noise is too loud, the fish might not bite."
Xu Qingqing looked up, her face blank. "Really?"
She thought for a moment, went to ask the yacht staff for a pair of headphones, put them on by herself, and said happily to Xie Lianqing, "Haha, this way it's not noisy anymore!"
Xie Lianqing frowned.
If not for his own temperament, he even wanted to ask Xu Qingqing, "Do you think you're being funny?"
Xie Lianqing held back again and again, unwilling to give up, and tried to salvage the situation. "How about I play with you?"
Now he was no longer hung up on the idea of a romantic sunset fishing date. Anyway, both of them playing games was better than him sitting here alone like a fool.
Unexpectedly, without even looking up, Xu Qingqing said breezily, "No need, you just keep fishing." She was playing against bots; she didn't need him to carry her.
Xie Lianqing was once again left speechless.
He took a deep breath, turned to look at the two fishing rods in his hands, and silently gazed up at the sky.
It wasn't until Xu Qingqing had finished several rounds of her game that she remembered she was supposedly still fishing. She peeked into the fish bucket and found it was actually empty.
As everyone knows, a troublemaker like Xu Qingqing would never reflect on herself. So she looked up at Xie Lianqing's cold, grim face, patted his shoulder, and sighed with feeling, "Little Xie, you're just not good at this."
Little Xie?
Xie Lianqing was so angry he laughed. "I'm not good? Have you tried?" For the ever-graceful and gentle-mannered Xie Lianqing to say such a thing showed just how thoroughly Xu Qingqing had infuriated him.
Xu Qingqing still didn't grasp the deeper meaning of his words; she only heard that he was denying it.
"I don't need to try." She pointed at the fish bucket, reasoning logically, "Look, there's nothing in it."
Xie Lianqing took a deep breath, then said coldly, "Fine." With that, he picked up the fishing rod and left.
Xu Qingqing watched his retreating back and only then belatedly realized he seemed to be angry.
It's just not catching any fish, right? She wasn't even angry, so why was Xie Lianqing getting upset for no reason?
Xu Qingqing shook her head, looked down at her phone screen, and exclaimed in shock, "How did I die again?" Someone came to kill her even while she was AFK under her tower—are they even human?
After finishing her game, it was already dark. Xu Qingqing slowly picked up the small fish bucket that had been left on the ground and went to look for Xie Lianqing.
Inside the KTV room.
When Xu Qingqing entered, Xie Lianqing was sitting in the center of the sofa, his expression dark, clearly looking very unapproachable.
The originally cheerful KTV atmosphere was now eerily tense. The person singing stumbled over the lyrics, feeling Xie Lianqing's gaze from behind, their voice growing smaller and smaller. They swallowed hard, really wanting to quit on the spot.
Xu Qingqing plopped down beside Xie Lianqing, patted his shoulder, and asked curiously, "Why are you angry? It's just not catching any fish."
Xie Lianqing's expression was calm as he raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "What do you think?"
Xu Qingqing was baffled by his question. What did she think? What use were her thoughts about not catching fish?
But she still followed his lead and tentatively replied, "I think being angry is bad. We should all be happy."
Xie Lianqing immediately lost his composure, laughing in exasperation. "I think you're the only happy one here!"
Before they met, Xu Qingqing had sweet-talked him plenty to coax him into helping with her homework. But right after meeting, she could abandon him for Le Jiaojiao, and later, she was so clueless she even thought a game was more important than him.
“Yeah, I'm happy, so I hope you're happy too.” Xu Qingqing felt this sentence was utterly redundant. If she weren't happy, not bothering Xie Lianqing would be an achievement; she'd have no time to comfort him.
Seeing Xie Lianqing laugh with her own eyes, Xu Qingqing raised the fish bucket in her hand and comforted him, "Here, for you. Don't be angry anymore."
Xie Lianqing looked at the particularly small fish in the bucket and raised an eyebrow. "Where did this come from?"
Xu Qingqing lied without batting an eye. "Caught it. Guess what? Not long after you left, a fish just bit the hook on its own."
The fish, of course, couldn't have been caught. She had personally gone to the kitchen to get it from today's dinner ingredients. She picked for a long time and decided this little fish looked the best.
Xu Qingqing spun a nonsensical story and, pretending to be a seasoned elder, comforted Xie Lianqing, "So, young man, don't be impatient when things happen. If you had just waited a little longer, wouldn't a fish have bitten?"
Xu Qingqing spouted some incoherent life lesson she didn't even understand herself, yet believed it sounded profoundly philosophical. As she spoke, she felt quite pleased, silently giving herself a thumbs-up in her heart.
Xie Lianqing's temper was really getting worse, daring to get angry so easily. If it were anyone else, they probably couldn't stand him. It's only because she had such a good personality.
Xu Qingqing felt she was truly the world's best girlfriend. So good at comforting her boyfriend, so considerate, knowledgeable, and talented. Xie Lianqing was really lucky to have her as his girlfriend!
Xu Qingqing affirmed herself silently in her heart, almost moved by her own virtues.
Xie Lianqing, meanwhile, stared at the freshwater fish in the bucket, then looked up at the clueless Xu Qingqing, and finally smiled. "You're right. Waiting a little longer might not be the only way."
Hasn't a fish already taken the bait now?
Mr. Xie's face relaxed into a smile, and the people who had been closely watching them immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere in the room lightened considerably. The person who had been singing finally finished and turned to ask the group, "Who's next?"
Xu Qingqing, feeling she had successfully appeased Xie Lianqing and was now free of worries, eagerly raised her hand. "Me, me, me, me! I want to sing!"
She was glad to avoid games that required too much brainpower. She shoved the fish-themed game bucket into Xie Lianqing's hands and happily bounced up to take the stage.
The person holding the microphone felt like it was burning their hand. Seeing an opportunity to pass it on, they promptly handed it to Xu Qingqing.
Xu Qingqing skipped under the spotlight. She was quite hyped up while choosing her song, showing no shyness under the gaze of many. As the intro music began, she even improvised a little, rising on her toes and giving a light hop.
The door was pushed open. Hearing there was something fun happening in the KTV room, people started streaming in. Zhou Chenyu had just walked in when he saw Xu Qingqing standing under the spotlight. He immediately turned to leave. Halfway out, he stopped and asked, "Xu Qingqing, are you about to dance, or are you stubbornly determined to sing a few lines?"
Xu Qingqing had studied ballet for over a decade and would often dance a little when in a good mood, so her close friends like Zhou Chenyu were used to it.
Xu Qingqing stopped immediately and yelled at him, "Sing! Wait, don't go! I'll give you a—"
Without another word, Zhou Chenyu turned and strode out the door, his tone disbelieving. "You guys actually dared to let her sing?!"
Xu Qingqing snorted, striking a full-on performance pose. However, the moment she opened her mouth, it was pure agony for the listeners.
It was terrible.
Not exactly terrible, but it seemed she had completely rearranged the entire song herself, with every single note off-key. After hearing her version once, the original tune was obliterated by the auditory assault, impossible to recall.
So, while Xu Qingqing sang loudly, everyone else was desperately enduring, wishing they could cover their ears and rush up to stop her.
Xie Lianqing, however, was unfazed, having grown accustomed to it. Under the admiring (or perhaps pitying) gazes of the others, he even calmly took the lead in applauding for Xu Qingqing.
Xu Qingqing had never been able to tell when she was off-key and was having a blast all by herself. Hearing the applause, she turned and gave Xie Lianqing, who was watching her, a proud look, as if to say, "See? Aren't you lucky to have a girlfriend like me?"
Xie Lianqing lowered his head, unable to suppress a quiet laugh.
After Zhou Chenyu's birthday party passed, another major event was about to occur. Xu Qingqing's grandparents had finally finished their travels and were coming home.
Upon receiving the news of their return, Xu Qingqing jumped for joy on the spot. Great! Once Grandma and Grandpa are back, I won't have to keep being forced to study and take extra lessons by Xie Lianqing!
With Chairman Xu's support, Xu Qingqing now had to go to Xie Lianqing's company every weekend to study, not only memorizing vocabulary but also doing practice tests. She had long wanted to quit.
In the office, Xie Lianqing watched his cheering girlfriend, then glanced down at the document on his desk, shaking his head with a resigned sigh.
Xu Qingqing was always so emotional. The smallest things could send her into a rage or make her ecstatically happy. She was lazy, hated studying, and even dreamed about not having to take the CET-4 exam.
But even this imperfect version of her was incredibly endearing in his eyes.
At this moment, Xie Lianqing firmly believed that he would stay by her side in the future, until they both grew old.
A few days later,
Outside the airport, Xu Qingqing watched as her grandparents walked out, followed by accompanying assistants. She immediately ran up affectionately, linked arms with Grandma Xu, and said coquettishly, "Grandma, I missed you so much!"
The moment Grandma Xu saw her, she began showering her with endearments. "My precious granddaughter," she said with a tone of concern, "you've lost weight."
Xu Qingqing was bewildered. "Really? But I gained three pounds..."
Lately, she had been forced to go to Xie Lianqing's company for tutoring every few days. Probably afraid she would lose her temper and walk out, he was utterly indulgent in every other aspect. He would take her wherever she wanted to eat and even had his assistant queue up to buy her snacks and milk tea.
Under such circumstances, Xu Qingqing noticed her face was starting to look rounder.
"You've lost weight! Clearly, you haven't been eating properly at home," Grandma Xu insisted firmly.
Xu Qingqing could only say, "Okay." Listening to her grandma complain about her being thin and saying that she should be well-nourished when they got home, she didn't dare to argue.
There's a kind of thinness called "your-grandma-thinks-you're-thin."
Grandpa Xu was also happy to see Xu Qingqing, but the old man was much more restrained than his wife. He looked at Xu Qingqing and couldn't help but ask with concern, "How's your studying going lately? The CET-4 exam is coming up soon. You need to speed up your review and can't be lazy!"
As he started to nag, Xu Qingqing felt a headache coming on and swiftly changed the subject. "Oh, I just remembered! You've been traveling for months, Grandma and Grandpa. You must have brought a lot of things back. Let me help you with the luggage!"
With that, she trotted over to the assistants pushing the luggage carts, grabbed a handbag, hugged it to her chest, and then trotted back to her grandma's side.
Grandma Xu beamed with joy and praised, "My precious granddaughter is so filial, even knowing to help Grandma with the luggage. Without Qingqing, our old arms and legs really couldn't manage it."
The entourage of assistants and bodyguards behind them: "..."
"I'm your granddaughter, of course I should take care of you!" Xu Qingqing accepted the praise without any modesty, then asked curiously, "Grandma, did you bring me a gift?"
Grandma Xu smiled and said, "Of course we did! We even brought you local specialties!"
She was about to say more when Grandpa Xu chuckled and revealed, "A full set of CET-4 English practice exam papers, imported directly from abroad! Didn't expect that, did you?"
Xu Qingqing: "..."
Grandma Xu: "..."
Xu Qingqing had classes that afternoon and had squeezed out time to pick them up. After saying goodbye to her grandparents, she returned to school, clutching a stack of CET-4 practice papers, utterly dejected.
During class, Xu Qingqing hid her hand under the desk and secretly texted Xie Lianqing, complaining that it was all because he brought up studying that her grandpa had become like this.
Before, although her grandpa also dreamed of training her to be a successor, he wasn't naive enough to truly believe Xu Qingqing was a business prodigy, and his obsession with it wasn't that deep.
After all, professional managers are quite common nowadays, and family businesses don't necessarily have to be run by family members. Moreover, her aunt was still young, and if all else failed, they could always train Xu Qingqing's next generation.
So the Xu family, including Chairman Xu, didn't have high expectations for her. But then, who knows what kind of enchanting potion Xie Lianqing fed them? Ever since Xu Qingqing got into A University, she was somehow mysteriously deemed to have inherited her grandparents' and aunt's business talent!
But she was just an arts student! She hadn't even passed the CET-4 after several attempts. With that, could she really inherit the family business? Xu Qingqing's head was spinning.
On the way back to school, Xu Qingqing was extremely upset.
Not only did she not get any gifts from her grandparents' homecoming, but she also gained an extra ten stacks of CET-4 practice exam papers. When would she ever finish them all?!
For heaven's sake, why could they even buy CET-4 exam papers abroad? Do foreigners have to take the CET-4 too?
Xu Qingqing was utterly bewildered and didn't understand.
However, being accustomed to bullying the weak and fearing the strong, she didn't dare complain to her grandparents who controlled her allowance. So, she could only vent her frustration on her boyfriend instead.
She sent him a message, accusing, "You know what? The souvenirs my grandparents brought me are ten sets of CET-4 practice exams. It's all your fault!"
Xie Lianqing replied quickly, probably just after a meeting, "Mhm, it's all my fault."
Xu Qingqing couldn't accept it and lamented her fate, "Each set has ten booklets, and each booklet has both version A and version B. It adds up to over ten pounds. I suspect these exam papers might be buried with me as grave goods when I die."
Perhaps centuries later, when future humans or aliens excavate her tomb and see that mountain of foreign language test papers, they'd probably think she was a real studious person. The thought alone was tragic.
Xu Qingqing imagined the scene of future people studying modern CET-4 practice exams and couldn't help but shake her head.
She looked at the stack of papers on her desk and made an angry demand to Xie Lianqing, "Grandpa wants me to do one practice test every day from now on. I don't want to! You have to figure this out for me. I mean, you have to do them for me, you get it?" By the last sentence, Xu Qingqing was quite skeptical.
Based on her understanding, Xie Lianqing held great respect for her grandparents. He might help her with regular school assignments, but he likely wouldn't help her fool her grandpa with the homework he assigned.
But Xu Qingqing had already made up her mind: if Xie Lianqing refused, she would make a scene. As for what scene or how... she hadn't figured that out yet, but she'd start with threatening a breakup.
Unexpectedly, this time Xie Lianqing agreed without hesitation, "Mhm, I'll do them for you."
Xu Qingqing was puzzled and confirmed, "Really?"
Xie Lianqing's voice was gentle, "Mhm. But I can only help you with two on weekends. You'll have to do them yourself during the week at school. Otherwise, what will you do for your actual exam?"
He made a reasonable point; Xu Qingqing did ultimately have to take the exam. Besides, she wasn't bold enough to dump all the papers on Xie Lianqing. If Grandpa Xu suddenly decided to check her homework at home one day, she'd be done for.
Grandpa Xu didn't hit or scold, but he could really, really nag.
So, Xu Qingqing hesitantly agreed, "Alright then."
After a moment's thought, she added another request, asking Xie Lianqing to bring her a peach blossom ice cream from "Memories of Xunli" after work. That private restaurant required reservations, and Xu Qingqing wanted it but was too lazy to go get it.
Even though Xie Lianqing's residence was half the city away from the Xu family home, he agreed without hesitation. He even asked if she wanted pastries from another shop, offering to buy them and deliver them together.
For some reason, Xie Lianqing was being extremely agreeable today. Although he had always been good to Xu Qingqing, he would usually stick to his principles on certain requests, holding out until she clung to his arm and wheedled for a long time before finally agreeing with a smile.
But now, no matter what unreasonable demand Xu Qingqing made over the phone, he smoothly agreed to it all.
Xu Qingqing had a gut feeling that Xie Lianqing seemed to be plotting something. But she couldn't guess what he was up to.
After wrestling with it for a bit, Xu Qingqing let her guard down.
Whatever. Only a fool passes up a free advantage.
She was a drama queen anyway. No one could take advantage of her. No one!
With Xie Lianqing granting her every wish, Xu Qingqing had a sudden inspiration and pushed her luck, seizing the chance to make all sorts of wild demands, most of which were things Xie Lianqing had refused her before.
The class dismissal bell rang. Xu Qingqing made her final request, "It's been so long since you picked me up from school."
Xie Lianqing was outstanding and exceptional, a famous top senior at A University. Walking him around campus for a loop would instantly net Xu Qingqing a heap of envious and jealous looks.
Unfortunately, since Xie Lianqing joined the company, he had been busy non-stop, even spending weekends in meetings, so naturally, he had no time to pick Xu Qingqing up from school anymore.
Having lost such a useful spotlight-attracting prop, Xu Qingqing had been disappointed for a while. Now that Xie Lianqing was so accommodating, she remembered this.
Faced with his girlfriend's complaint, Xie Lianqing immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll come pick you up from school in a bit."
Xu Qingqing was a bit confused, "Don't you have to work?" She remembered Xie Lianqing had been very busy lately. He was so busy with inspections this morning he couldn't accompany her to the airport to pick up her grandparents. How did he have time now?
Xu Qingqing, who didn't like to overthink, suddenly felt a twinge of alertness, sensing her boyfriend might be up to something.
She thought about it and replied, refusing, "Actually, I can take a cab home myself. If you're busy, you don't have to come."
On the other end of the phone, Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow at Xu Qingqing's message. He leisurely replied, "A little busy, but I finished things early this morning. I remember you mentioned wanting that bag last time. I had my secretary reserve it for you. It just arrived today. Can I bring it to you later?"
He deliberately added, "If you're not free, it's okay. We can do it next time—"
"You bought it? I'm free! I'm totally free!" Xu Qingqing was thrilled. "Le Jiaojiao hasn't even gotten hers yet! I'm going to wear it right in front of her later!"
Le Jiaojiao was her arch-rival. They often liked the same things, including this bag. But Le Jiaojiao's mother was well-known in the international fashion scene and could always get items for her daughter early, so Xu Qingqing always had to watch Le Jiaojiao flaunt them in her face first.
This time, she hadn't even hoped to get the bag before her rival. To prevent Le Jiaojiao from showing off in front of her, she had even preemptively blocked her on social media and been sneaking around to avoid her in class these past few days.
Who knew Xie Lianqing understood her so well!
Xu Qingqing checked the time and saw there were thirty minutes left before school ended. She immediately told Xie Lianqing, "Hurry up, meet at the main gate of the North Campus. If you're late, I'm breaking up with you!"
With that, she ignored Xie Lianqing, quickly unblocked Le Jiaojiao, and sent a message: "Meet at the school gate after school."
Le Jiaojiao looked suspiciously at the girl beside her and asked, "Are you challenging me to a fight?"
"And you're sitting right next to me! Why send a message for this?" Just as she sent this, the system popped up a notification saying the sender had enabled friend verification; she was no longer a friend.
For a moment, Le Jiaojiao's fists clenched.
After class, by the time Xu Qingqing walked out of school, Xie Lianqing was already waiting outside the gate.
His features were handsome, his stature tall and slender. The top button of his shirt was undone, and his sleeves were rolled up a turn, revealing his fair wrist and watch.
Xie Lianqing leaned against the car door, his expression calm, eyes downcast as if lost in thought. People passing by couldn't help but glance at him.
A flood of students poured out after class. Xie Lianqing slightly turned his head and, amidst the crowd exiting the school gate, his eyes instantly found the familiar young woman. His calm gaze instantly softened to the extreme.
The weather was overcast today. Layers of clouds floated above, blocking the scorching sun. A cool breeze carried the scent of grass and earth, foretelling the arrival of rain.
Her skin was fair, her eyes clear and bright, her long, slightly curled hair swaying in the wind. It was clearly an overcast day, with oppressive dark clouds overhead, but the moment she appeared, Xie Lianqing felt as if he had seen a brilliant sunrise.
Xu Qingqing dashed through the crowded throng and ran up to him. Xie Lianqing gazed at her tenderly, his eyes brimming with warmth.
He was always restrained and gentle, but at this moment, he really wanted to kiss Xu Qingqing.
However, the next second, Xu Qingqing craned her neck to look behind him, and he heard her ask nervously, "The bag?" It seemed someone was following close behind her.
Le Jiaojiao was chasing from behind, shouting, "Xu Qingqing, are you crazy? Why are you running so fast?!" But because her voice was so sweet and girly, even her scolding didn't sound very intimidating.
It seemed now was not the opportune moment for a heartfelt reunion with his girlfriend. Facing Xu Qingqing's inquiring gaze, Xie Lianqing answered succinctly, "In the passenger seat." He had a pretty good idea of what Xu Qingqing was up to.
Xu Qingqing immediately leaned in through the car window, grabbed the bag, and then, putting on an act of delighted surprise, said to the person gradually approaching from behind, "Jiaojiao, look! It's that bag you've always wanted! Oh? Has yours arrived yet? When it does, we can carry them together, sister bags!"
As she said this, she deliberately mimicked Le Jiaojiao's sweet Taiwanese accent, one hand clenched in a fist and the other delicately holding the small bag, her expression excited and her movements exaggerated to the extreme.
Le Jiaojiao's expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to utter devastation. "You asked to meet me at the school gate just for this?!"
She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, looking very much like she wanted to deliver a serious punch to some clueless, drama-stirring brat. Seeing the situation turning sour, Xu Qingqing instantly dropped the act, ducked behind Xie Lianqing, and hid herself nervously, her meaning clear: if you want to hit someone, hit him first.
At that moment, all the romance vanished from Xie Lianqing's heart. His fists were about to clench too.
Xu Qingqing, this mischievous, troublemaking brat, was seriously asking for it.
Le Jiaojiao finally left, throwing down a fierce threat: "You just wait."
Xu Qingqing said, "Hmph, as if I'm scared of you!" She had, after all, trained in sprinting.
The moment she got in the car, Xu Qingqing immediately urged, "Quick, get us out of here! Escape!"
Xie Lianqing, irritated by her earlier antics to the point where his temples were throbbing, couldn't help but rub the space between his eyebrows, both annoyed and amused. "If you knew you'd be scared, why did you provoke her?"
Xu Qingqing glared at him, refusing to admit it. "Don't talk nonsense. Who's scared of her? I'm not scared of her at all." She had specifically trained in sprinting, so who was she supposed to be afraid of?
(The part where the female lead is at the KTV, she was wearing flat dance shoes, the kind with lace-up elements, really pretty qaq)
