Xu Qingqing looked at the smile on Xie Lianqing's lips and felt like he was laughing at her. Fortunately, before Miss Xu could lose her temper again, the server notified them that their table was finally ready.
Then they ate at the restaurant they had waited over two hours for—exorbitantly priced and utterly terrible in taste.
After the meal, Xu Qingqing took out her phone and opened Weibo. She wrote an 800-word essay, passionately analyzing from every angle when this restaurant would go out of business.
After posting it, she even forced Xie Lianqing to like it.
Xie Lianqing: "...A boyfriend's daily task. I get it."
Zhou Chenyu happened to be scrolling through Weibo and immediately liked Xu Qingqing's post upon seeing it, even asking for the restaurant's address.
Only then did Xu Qingqing realize she had forgotten to tag the location!
She immediately lowered her head, focusing on her phone to meticulously edit and perfect her critical essay. Beside her, Xie Lianqing held shopping bags in one hand and grasped his girlfriend's arm with the other, making sure she didn’t bump into anyone while walking.
While Xu Qingqing was busy, Xie Lianqing casually brought up, "Qingqing, in a few days, let’s go visit your family together. It’d be a good time to see Grandpa Xu."
Xu Qingqing looked at him strangely. "Why?"
Then it dawned on her, and she explained, "Oh, you want to discuss business with Grandpa, right? Even though he’s still the chairman, most company matters are handled by Aunt Xu now."
Originally, the heir to the Xu Family was Xu Qingqing’s father, Xu Changshan. However, his mind seemed occupied only with romance, and he was a complete mess in business, losing money left and right. Coupled with his affair with Bai Yaxiu, Grandpa Xu was thoroughly disappointed and chose his youngest daughter—Xu Qingqing’s aunt, ten years Xu Changshan’s junior—as the successor.
When Xu Qingqing found out, far from being upset, she even clapped in delight. She had a great relationship with her aunt, and whether it was the eldest or second branch of the family in power, her status as the Xu Family’s little princess remained unchallenged.
Most importantly, Grandpa Xu had long declared in his will that aside from the shares already allotted to Xu Changshan and Aunt Xu, the majority of his and his wife’s assets would go to Xu Qingqing. Her younger brother, Xu Tianbao, would only get a small portion, while Bai Yaxiu and Bai Youlan could forget about getting anything at all.
As for Aunt Xu, she was determined to give every young man in the world a home—a staunch believer in staying unmarried and child-free—and had openly stated that her assets would eventually go to Xu Qingqing.
A child who was doted on had confidence, which was why Xu Qingqing dared to act so outrageously.
Seeing his girlfriend veer further off track, Xie Lianqing realized waiting for her to figure it out was hopeless. He clarified, "It’s not about business. It’s about our engagement."
His voice was gentle, his gaze tender as he patiently waited for her response.
Xu Qingqing froze, her mouth hanging open. "Engagement?!"
She hadn’t even graduated from university yet!!
Seeing her expression, Xie Lianqing frowned almost imperceptibly. So she had never even considered their future together.
He took a step back to reassure her. "Just a discussion. We don’t have to set a date now."
It made sense. Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing were in a relationship by choice, both from wealthy families. Xie Lianqing had already taken over his company, so marriage was only a matter of time.
But Xu Qingqing was still a little shaken. She thought of the dream she’d had a few days ago—where she died unexpectedly right before her wedding...
She still wasn’t sure if the dream was real, but she had even seriously considered breaking up with Xie Lianqing.
After all, she had money and looks. There were plenty of men in the world—if one didn’t work out, she could just move on to the next. If dating someone meant risking her life, it definitely wasn’t worth it.
The only reasons she hadn’t broken up yet were: first, she didn’t want to hand Xie Lianqing over to her nemesis, Bai Youlan; and second, Xie Lianqing was handsome, came from a prestigious family, was talented, and doted on her. Taking him out in public earned her envious glances from all sides—nothing boosted her ego more.
So until she confirmed whether the dream was real, she was still a tiny bit reluctant to let go of Xie Lianqing.
Besides, even if it was true, shouldn’t she be safe as long as they weren’t married yet?
Xu Qingqing had it all figured out—except she hadn’t expected the male lead to suddenly bring up engagement out of nowhere! If they got engaged, wouldn’t marriage be just around the corner?
Her mind was a mess, and she couldn’t come up with a good rebuttal. She stammered, "But I haven’t graduated yet... and you’ve just taken over the company..."
Xie Lianqing had been frustrated, but seeing her flustered expression softened his heart. He stroked her hair gently. "Alright, it’s up to you. If you’re not ready, we can wait. Now might not be the best time anyway."
The best time would naturally be after Xu Qingqing graduated. Xie Lianqing had only brought it up now because he wanted to settle things sooner.
"Mhm. You’re right, I’ll listen to you!" Xu Qingqing agreed almost too eagerly, clearly still shaken.
Xie Lianqing rarely saw her so docile and sighed inwardly.
Fine. Maybe his girlfriend just hadn’t matured yet.
As for whether Xu Qingqing didn’t like him... He didn’t want to entertain that thought.
Still, even if he had temporarily retreated, he wasn’t about to let her keep avoiding the topic. They didn’t have to get engaged now, but it was time for Xu Qingqing to start considering it.
So he deliberately teased, "You’re so panicked, Qingqing. I’m starting to think you’ve never even thought about marriage before."
But Xu Qingqing didn’t respond. An awkward silence fell between them.
Xie Lianqing instantly tensed. He stopped walking, frowning at her in disbelief. "Xu Qingqing?!"
She actually dared? Didn’t want to marry him?!
Xu Qingqing jumped at his tone. Her mind had been too scrambled to properly listen earlier. Now she avoided his gaze, scrambling for an excuse. "Why not? Aunt Xu’s like that, isn’t she?"
Mentioning this, Xu Qingqing suddenly felt justified.
Grandpa Xu had two children: Xu Changshan, Xu Qingqing’s father, and Aunt Xu.
Aunt Xu was now the head of the Xu Family—shrewd and formidable in business, fiercely independent in life, and a well-known powerhouse in their social circle. She had never married, preferring to sponsor ambitious eighteen-year-old boys, determined to give each of them a warm home.
Xie Lianqing had no intention of judging others’ lifestyles, but if Xu Qingqing thought she could follow suit—that was absolutely out of the question.
Who knew Xu Qingqing had such lofty aspirations!
He gave her a sidelong glance and scoffed. "Don’t even think about it." Then he walked away.
Xie Lianqing was usually poised and refined, gentle in demeanor and endlessly accommodating toward Xu Qingqing.
But now, the aura he exuded was so different from his usual self that Xu Qingqing found it unfamiliar—and a little frightening.
Her bravado instantly deflated. "...I-I wasn’t really thinking about it," she mumbled.
Okay, maybe she had thought about it a little.
Who wouldn’t want that? A boyfriend forever stuck at eighteen—obedient, sweet, and clingy. Aunt Xu, who had a harem of handsome men at her beck and call, was practically the ultimate winner in life, the idol Xu Qingqing aspired to be!
Of course, Xu Qingqing envied her aunt. In their free time, the two of them would even gossip about which young boyfriend was more considerate.
But years of being a troublemaker had taught Xu Qingqing one thing: some thoughts were better left unspoken. Voicing them now would likely earn her a beating.
So she firmly denied it: "Of course I’m not thinking about that! I already have you as my boyfriend!"
She wasn’t thinking about it now, but once they broke up and Xie Lianqing was no longer her boyfriend, she could go right back to fantasizing!
Xu Qingqing smirked at her own clever double entendre. That last line, especially—an impromptu sweet nothing? Absolute perfection.
Xie Lianqing saw right through her little act but didn’t call her out. Instead, he scoffed, "You’d better mean that." Did she really think she could provoke him and walk away unscathed?
Clueless, Xu Qingqing patted herself on the back for her quick thinking, convinced she’d fooled him.
With that settled, she returned to drafting her scathing online rant. In her mind, the reason she’d starved after hours in line and gotten ambushed by Xie Lianqing’s marriage ultimatum was all that restaurant’s fault!
Self-reflection wasn’t her strong suit. If she was wrong, then clearly, someone else had to be more wrong.
Just then, her phone rang—Father Xu’s stern voice barked through the speaker: "Have you no shame? How many days has it been since you came home?!" Xie Lianqing, overhearing, frowned.
Xu Qingqing couldn’t care less. Before her father could finish, she hung up and went back to editing her rant.
She’d decided to add a few hundred more words trashing the restaurant. It deserved every syllable.
Seconds later, the phone rang again. Father Xu’s voice roared, "Xu Qingqing, you dare hang up on me?! Do you even see me as your father—"
Click. She hung up again, then blocked him for good measure, making her stance crystal clear.
After a few peaceful minutes, she finally polished her masterpiece and hit send with solemn gravity. To her, Father Xu’s nonsense wasn’t worth half as much as this tweet.
Xie Lianqing knew the Xu Family’s dynamics. Though Father Xu was an elder, his behavior was hardly respectable. So despite his usual emphasis on manners, Xie Lianqing didn’t reprimand Xu Qingqing—he didn’t even interject.
Soon enough, Father Xu called again—this time from a different number. Xu Qingqing answered and drawled, "I’m very busy! You get ten seconds. 10, 9, 6, 4..."
Father Xu: "..." Did she just skip numbers?
But his temper had cooled, likely realizing he’d get nowhere with her. Clearing his throat, he said gravely, "Your grandparents are returning soon. Let’s have a welcome dinner."
"3, 2, 1. Time’s up!" She was about to hang up when Xu Changshan added, "There’s family business to discuss."
Those words changed everything.
Because whenever Father Xu said that, trouble followed.
Last time it was "discussing" his marriage to Bai Yaxiu, Xu Qingqing’s stepmother. The time before that? Bai Yaxiu’s pregnancy, which produced a chubby little heir named Xu Tianbao.
"Discussion" usually meant the decision was already made—they just needed her presence for the announcement.
So even before knowing the details, Xu Qingqing was already plotting how to ruin whatever scheme Xu Changshan had cooked up this time.
