Grandpa Xu couldn't believe his ears: "Say that again, what do you want to do?!"
Xu Qingqing stood up and announced loudly: "The world is so big, I want to see it!"
Grandpa Xu, holding his fishing rod, was dumbfounded: "So you plan to go see it by begging along the way?"
He never imagined his granddaughter could have such an ambition?!
Xu Qingqing: "...Well, not exactly."
The "wandering" Xu Qingqing spoke of was just a rash statement she made in a fit of pique after being heavily impacted by last night's dream. She actually planned to go on a vacation tour.
Xu Qingqing had actually sensed last night that the sinister aura hidden within the dream probably wasn't anything good; it could very well be a trap specifically set for her.
So, whether the information provided by the other party was a prophecy or a warning, Xu Qingqing couldn't fully trust it.
The information revealed in last night's dream was that the factors leading to her death were related to two things: her engagement and studying abroad.
Since the entity behind the dream wasn't a good person, Xu Qingqing had to reason in reverse. That meant she'd better go abroad—whether to study or not was uncertain—but regarding the engagement with Xie Lianging, Xu Qingqing had reservations.
After all, the entity hiding in the dream couldn't be ruled out as intentionally trying to mislead. Given all the strangeness revealed in this dream, even Xu Qingqing sensed something was off immediately. Perhaps the other party was deliberately mixing truth with falsehood, revealing both real and fake information?
Most crucially, in the first dream, the prelude to Xu Qingqing's death also included the condition of marrying Xie Lianging. And the first dream came from the side helping her, meaning it was the true prophecy.
Compared to the second dream, Xu Qingqing definitely trusted the information revealed in the earlier dream more.
Xu Qingqing pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out the answer, so she could only sigh inwardly. She slowly picked up the fishing rod beside her, put on her straw hat, and said to her grandpa, who was waiting for her answer: "I'm planning to go travel for a few months."
Xu Qingqing was currently on her senior-year vacation. According to the original plan, after the next semester ended, she would formally graduate from A University and then depart to continue her studies at Parsons School of Design abroad.
However, last night in her dream, she witnessed herself unluckily dying in a school shooting. The sensation of death felt too real. After roughly calculating her potential time of death, Xu Qingqing temporarily decided to postpone her enrollment to avoid that timeframe.
Xu Qingqing decided that after graduation, she would apply to Parsons to defer her admission, take a gap year, and travel the world on vacation.
Besides wanting to change her fate of death, she also needed some free time to sort out her feelings for Xie Lianging.
Xie Lianging was the boyfriend she had been with the longest. During their time together, Xu Qingqing occasionally felt annoyed and frustrated, but more often she was happy.
Although Xu Qingqing had been in many relationships, with those other people, she was more like a tyrant in the relationship, making them accompany her in a childish game of playing house.
Only Xie Lianging was the exception.
It was with him that she gave a boyfriend a gift for the first time, got angry and wanted to find evidence when she suspected he might be cheating, lived together with someone... She kissed, hugged, slept with Xie Lianging, did everything intimate couples do, and even set a time for their engagement.
Until recently, when Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan got engaged. Although Xu Qingqing didn't say it out loud, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She quietly thought, if that's the case, then she wouldn't have to break up with Xie Lianging, right?
But now, Xu Qingqing couldn't judge the truth of the dreams. With her life potentially at risk, she knew she couldn't accept his proposal. And because of the second dream, she couldn't get engaged to him either.
In wealthy families like theirs, Xie Lianging would absolutely never agree to such an arrangement. Even if he agreed, his parents wouldn't.
So, barring any surprises, she and Xie Lianging would probably break up.
...
The Xu family's demands on Xu Qingqing had always been limited to her not breaking the law or causing trouble. Even the strictest Grandpa Xu, at most, only demanded that Xu Qingqing study hard and pass the CET-4 exam.
So, Xu Qingqing's decision to take a gap year received support from the whole family. Because Xu Qingqing had previously praised how comfortable Xie Lianging's mansion in New York was, Grandma Xu even suggested that her granddaughter could buy one for this vacation, with the old couple footing the bill.
But regarding Xu Qingqing wanting to cancel the engagement, everyone unanimously objected.
Grandma Xu thought her granddaughter was throwing another tantrum and didn't take the matter to heart. After all, out of 365 days a year, Xu Qingqing would have these kinds of fights with Xie Lianging every so often.
Grandpa Xu, however, seriously consulted his granddaughter's opinion. With a stern expression, he said, "Qingqing, you're not a child anymore; you'll soon be studying abroad. Tell Grandpa, why don't you want to get engaged to Xiao Xie? Did he do something wrong?"
The Xu and Xie families had even discussed the timing of the marriage alliance. Moreover, the Xie family had previously helped the Xu family through a financial difficulty. At this juncture, Grandpa Xu decided to hear his granddaughter's true thoughts. If she had a reasonable and genuine reason for not wanting to, he wouldn't force her.
But if his granddaughter was just being willful again, Grandpa Xu certainly wouldn't agree so readily. Based on his understanding of Xu Qingqing, he thought the latter possibility was more likely.
Sure enough, as expected, Xu Qingqing said, "No reason, I just don't want to get engaged."
Seeing this, Grandma Xu, who was nearby, understood that Xu Qingqing was throwing a fit again. She asked, "Last night you two were still lovey-dovey, making plans to have a meal together today. How come after one night, you've changed your mind?"
She asked pointedly, "Besides, if you don't get engaged, do you plan to break up with Xiao Xie?"
Xu Qingqing immediately stammered, "It's just not getting engaged, that's all."
The second dream deliberately revealed information, undoubtedly wanting Xu Qingqing to leave Xie Lianging. Without knowing the other party's motives or whether they were good or bad, she wasn't willing to let the person behind it get their way.
Furthermore, Xu Qingqing still hadn't broken up with Xie Lianging. They had been together for so long, and nothing had happened to her. On the contrary, she had dealt with Bai Youlan and the system. This indicated that as long as they didn't marry or get engaged, being with Xie Lianging was safe.
In the eyes of the elders, Xu Qingqing's approach was undoubtedly very irresponsible.
Grandpa Xu frowned and criticized, "You young people nowadays, your likes and loves come so frivolously and easily, with no sense of responsibility at all."
Even Grandma Xu said, "Not getting engaged but not breaking up either, Qingqing, do you intend to just keep dating Xiao Xie and never marry?"
Surrounded by her grandparents, Xu Qingqing felt quite dejected. She thought for a moment and gave an example: "Isn't it normal to date without getting married? Auntie is like that, and she changes boyfriends three times a week. I'm not changing boyfriends."
Aunt Xu, who thought this had nothing to do with her and was just called in to make up numbers for the family meeting: "...Huh???"
Xu Qingqing didn't participate in what happened afterward, but judging by her aunt's expression, she seemed to have remembered this.
In the end, Xu Qingqing also failed to get her family's support. Most importantly, she herself was somewhat hesitant, unsure how to face Xie Lianqing.
If it weren't for Bai Youlan, the system, and that predetermined plot, Xu Qingqing certainly wouldn't have done such an irresponsible thing. But now she was forced into a corner, with no other choice.
Finally, Xu Qingqing temporarily set the matter aside, planning to go on a vacation trip by herself first. Anyway, the engagement date was still far off; she didn't need to worry about it so early. At worst, she could just break up when the time came...
Xu Qingqing thought with self-abandonment, perhaps it wouldn't even come to that. After she went abroad to study, putting distance between her and Xie Lianqing, he might gradually lose interest in her and then take the initiative to call off the engagement and break up with her.
If it really came to that, she probably wouldn't blame Xie Lianqing for breaking up with her first.
From that day on, the self-abandoning Xu Qingqing, in order to reduce meetings with Xie Lianqing, often didn't reply to his messages and had no intention of going to the company anymore.
Fortunately, Xie Lianqing had been extremely busy with work recently. Although he had noticed the melancholy and unease beneath Xu Qingqing's hot-and-cold behavior, for the time being, he couldn't free up the time to ask her about it or comfort her.
Meanwhile, Xu Qingqing, to soothe her mood, had already planned a solo travel itinerary at home, just waiting to set off after graduation. But right at this moment, Xie Lianqing came to the Xu residence to intercept her.
When Xu Qingqing went downstairs for breakfast in the morning, she saw her boyfriend chatting happily with her grandparents.
It had been a week since she dreamed of the future and last saw Xie Lianqing. Seeing him appear so suddenly, Xu Qingqing felt a bit dazed for a moment.
After a week apart, Xie Lianqing seemed even more handsome. He was wearing a black overcoat, his posture tall and slender, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, giving off an intellectual and restrained aura.
Having been apart from Xie Lianqing for several days, seeing him today, Xu Qingqing found she actually missed him a little, pausing in her steps.
Hearing the sound from the staircase, Xie Lianqing slowly turned his gaze, just in time to meet Xu Qingqing's eyes as she appeared.
Xu Qingqing had originally wanted to question Xie Lianqing about why he had come suddenly, but upon meeting his gentle, affectionate eyes, the words instantly died in her throat.
Strange, why hadn't she noticed before how good-looking Xie Lianqing was? Was it because she knew she and Xie Lianqing had no future, that she now suddenly appreciated him more?
Such a handsome boyfriend, who clearly belonged to her. Who knows who would benefit from it later...
Thinking this, Xu Qingqing sighed.
Grandfather Xu, hearing his granddaughter's voice, immediately waved to her: "Qingqing, come quickly, we were just talking about you."
Xu Qingqing walked over and naturally sat down beside Xie Lianqing. After all, he was still her boyfriend now; she might as well take the chance to look at him a little longer. Once they broke up, she wouldn't have this opportunity anymore.
Nanny Wang brought over the milk and eggs. Xie Lianqing very naturally took the egg and began peeling the shell for his girlfriend.
Xu Qingqing took a sip of milk and casually asked her grandfather, "Grandpa, what were you talking about me?"
Grandfather Xu, seeing Xie Lianqing and his granddaughter on good terms, was also very happy. He had been worried a few days ago about Xu Qingqing making a fuss about breaking up. Now it seemed the young couple's relationship was still very good.
He said mysteriously, "Xiao Xie knows about your vacation travel plans. We were just discussing your holiday arrangements."
Xu Qingqing was stunned for a moment, then looked somewhat guiltily at Xie Lianqing and asked softly, "You know about it?" She still hadn't told him about it yet.
Xie Lianqing's slender fingers meticulously finished peeling the eggshell, then handed the egg to Xu Qingqing. Seeing his girlfriend's expression, he smiled gently and said, "It's okay, I don't blame you."
He hoped Xu Qingqing wouldn't blame him either later, after she found out about the suggestion he had given Grandfather Xu.
But he really couldn't rest easy letting Xu Qingqing go somewhere out of his sight. Xu Qingqing was carefree by nature, but recently, for some unknown reason, she had been overthinking things, losing weight, and occasionally even tentatively asking in messages when he would propose.
Finding it both amusing and exasperating, Xie Lianqing could only attribute this to his girlfriend wanting to move their relationship to a new stage.
Grandfather Xu ignored the small interaction between Xie Lianqing and Xu Qingqing and said to his granddaughter, "Since you plan to travel after graduation, you might as well do something meaningful during this free holiday time now. Like learning another foreign language, or going back to work."
After all, if Xu Qingqing was going traveling, learning some additional languages would be very necessary. Even if not mastering them, knowing some everyday phrases would definitely reduce a lot of inconvenience during her journey.
Xu Qingqing was in the middle of drinking her milk when her grandfather's words startled her, making her choke. As she coughed, Xie Lianqing calmly reached out to pat her back, saying gently, "Be careful."
Once she caught her breath, Xu Qingqing immediately protested, "I don't want to."
She had no desire to learn another foreign language. She had finally finished with school applications and her thesis and had just started resting. Now her grandfather was assigning her another language task!
As for going back to work at Xie Lianqing's company, Xu Qingqing wasn't interested either. Besides wanting to reduce meetings with Xie Lianqing, another reason was that after staying home for a few days, she had rediscovered the joy of being a couch potato!
Xu Qingqing had already realized she had been tricked into that situation by Le Jiaojiao. According to Zhou Chenyu, Le Jiaojiao's sudden burst of diligence was because she was apparently being blackmailed by her ex-boyfriend, forced to take a job as a designer's assistant.
This troublemaker, unwilling to suffer alone, then egged Xu Qingqing on to become independent and find work. As a result, Xu Qingqing actually began to believe that all her friends were ambitious and that she was the only one who wanted to be a couch potato, and she even felt rather embarrassed about it.
After learning the truth, Xu Qingqing naturally had no intention of continuing to work.
However, Xu Qingqing's refusal was to no avail. Sitting by the sofa, Grandfather Xu muttered, "What have I always told you? You can't give up halfway through things."
Xu Qingqing covered her ears, her face full of resistance. Even her usually doting grandmother, who was now smiling as she clipped the flowers, did not speak up to contradict the old man.
Faced with her granddaughter's plea for help, she even said cheerfully, "Your grandfather is right. Lianqing mentioned you performed very well at the company recently. You might even be in the running for this year's Top Ten Most Promising Employees..."
Having once helped the old man build the family business, though she had stepped back in recent years, she was a formidable businesswoman in her day. Her favorite granddaughter not being interested in business had always been a quiet disappointment to her and the old man.
But now, discovering that their originally couch-potato granddaughter actually had talent and perseverance in the business world was an unexpected delight.
Grandmother Xu's inadvertent revelation of the truth made Xu Qingqing immediately glare at Xie Lianqing in disbelief: "You really said that?"
At the company, her usual routine consisted of sleeping and playing games, with her biggest work task being making coffee. Xie Lianqing actually said she performed very well and had a chance to be a Top Ten Employee?!
Xie Lianqing spoke with such sincerity that if Xu Qingqing hadn't spent some time at the company, she would have almost believed she truly was an outstanding employee.
Caught in the act of sugarcoating the truth, Xie Lianqing coughed, touched his nose, and went against his conscience to say, "Well, your work is quite good."
A diligent employee is a good employee—at the very least, Xu Qingqing was very diligent when making coffee for him.
Although Xu Qingqing suddenly had her work achievements affirmed, it couldn't stop her slacker heart: "We already agreed to let me go have fun, why did you suddenly change your mind? I still have a vacation to go on, I don't have time for work or studying."
Grandfather Xu was very displeased: "You can go on vacation after you graduate. Right now, you have nothing to do."
Xu Qingqing crossed her arms, saying angrily, "I'm leaving soon, actually!" Coincidentally, the movie she saw at that pre-screening was about to have its premiere, and she could fly over to watch it again.
Grandfather Xu remained unmoved: "A vacation can be taken anytime. Lianqing has promised that in just over half a month, he'll be done with his busy period. Once he has time off, he'll accompany you."
Xu Qingqing felt something was odd. Why did her gap year vacation have to involve Xie Lianqing accompanying her? It wasn't a honeymoon.
She quickly dismissed the thought, deciding she was being too sensitive.
Seeing Xu Qingqing's determination, Grandfather Xu pondered and said, "If you're unwilling to work, then stay home and study a foreign language. I'll hire you a few tutors, and you can review properly at home..."
Before he could finish, Xu Qingqing immediately stood up and said firmly, "Never mind, work is important, work is important. I love work, work loves me."
She took a deep breath and declared, "I'm definitely getting a spot among this year's Top Ten Employees!" Afraid her grandfather would still insist on tutoring, she finished and quickly scurried away.
Just kidding! At Xie Lianqing's office, she could still slack off and play games. At the Xu house, under the watchful eyes of several tutors and her grandfather all day, she wouldn't even be able to sleep in!
Xu Qingqing decided to give Xie Lianqing a piece of her mind later. If he hadn't schemed and talked nonsense in front of her grandparents, she wouldn't have been forced out of her slacker life and into company work.
Watching Xu Qingqing run off, Grandmother Xu shook her head, "This child."
Actually, they were well aware of how much water was in Xie Lianqing's earlier praises of Xu Qingqing. But hoping for the best was one thing; more importantly, they had already discussed the marriage of their children with Xie Lianqing's parents.
This idea also came from young Xie. Since Xu Qingqing hadn't graduated yet, the two would get engaged first. However, all the proper proposal procedures were to be followed, and these two weeks were specifically for preparations and arrangements.
Since the two children were set for an arranged marriage, it was necessary to cultivate their feelings from now on. Thinking of Xu Qingqing's habit of casually threatening to break up gave Grandmother Xu a headache.
Actually, according to Grandfather Xu and the others, letting their granddaughter go play for half a month early wasn't a big deal. Wouldn't it be better for Xie Lianqing to finish work and then go propose? But Xie Lianqing disagreed. He believed that given Xu Qingqing's personality, even with a planned process, what if by the time he arrived at the destination, she had whimsically decided not to be there?
By then, with the time, place, and process all planned, the absence of the heroine would render all the effort wasted.
So, to avoid any and all surprises, Xie Lianqing absolutely had to make Xu Qingqing stay. Knowing his girlfriend's nature well, and to prevent her from acting first and reporting later by sneaking off, he even went through the trouble of having her come back to work at his company to keep an eye on her. One could say he was being very considerate and thorough.
Although the Xu elders doted on their granddaughter, they also knew her personality, so they felt Xie Lianqing's reasoning wasn't without merit.
Given Xu Qingqing's ever-changing whims and personality, what Xie Lianqing said really did make sense.
Upstairs, Xu Qingqing, still unaware she was about to be proposed to, was asking Xie Lianqing, "Are you really only busy for half a month, and then you'll have time off?"
Xie Lianqing glanced at his girlfriend beside him, raising an eyebrow, "Are you in a hurry to go out and play?"
"Not really." Xu Qingqing wasn't in a hurry to play; she simply didn't want to work and wished to continue her slacker life.
Seeing her denial, Xie Lianqing said leisurely, "Is that so? I thought Qingqing was deliberately trying to avoid me."
She hadn't even told him about postponing her studies to travel the world. If he hadn't visited the Xu family today to see Chairman Xu and his wife, who knows how long she would have kept it from him.
Xu Qingqing immediately stammered, "...No, I'm not." She couldn't think of an excuse at the moment.
"Has anything happened recently? Grandfather Xu said you haven't been resting well." Xie Lianqing, however, didn't press her on the evasion. Instead, he frowned and looked at her, asking.
From his angle, he noticed Xu Qingqing's collarbones looked even thinner. Xie Lianqing instantly lost the mood to settle accounts with his girlfriend, feeling only heartache.
Xu Qingqing, having muddled through, felt much more relaxed, "I don't know either, but it's probably nothing serious."
Actually, Xu Qingqing had been eating well, dressing well, and resting fairly well lately. She just didn't know why she had lost a lot of weight and her complexion had paled somewhat. It even resembled how she looked after that time she had nightmares for several nights in a row and fell seriously ill.
Xie Lianqing sighed, then deliberately asked in a joking tone, "By the way, why did you ask me about proposals last time?"
Chairman Xu and his wife hadn't mentioned to Xie Lianqing the incident a while back where Xu Qingqing threw a tantrum. Although they were used to their granddaughter's impulsive nature, of course they would still protect Xu Qingqing's image in front of outsiders.
But even without knowing, Xie Lianqing could tell something was off with Xu Qingqing lately.
Xu Qingqing didn't expect the topic she had tried so hard to avoid would come back around, brought up by Xie Lianqing again.
She hemmed and hawed, secretly thinking about what excuse she could fabricate to get past this.
Seeing his girlfriend's eyes darting around, a clear sign she didn't want to tell the truth, Xie Lianqing sighed helplessly. He took Xu Qingqing's hand and said in a gentle voice, "Miss Xu, becoming Mrs. Xie isn't as terrifying as you imagine."
Imagining the scenes of life with Xu Qingqing, he couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile, saying, "Maybe it would even be quite interesting."
He was using his own way to try to comfort Xu Qingqing, giving her promises, telling her not to be afraid.
Yet at that moment, Xu Qingqing's mood sank even lower.
She said, "I believe you."
It's just that the person becoming Mrs. Xie wouldn't be her.
Xie Lianqing might or might not have seen through her thoughts. He just kept looking at Xu Qingqing, not missing any expression on her face.
After a brief silence, Xie Lianqing stood up, drew Xu Qingqing into his arms, and said softly, "If you have any doubts or worries, please tell me. I will do my best to help you resolve them."
