While on her vacation, Xu Qingqing's life wasn't exactly peaceful compared to being at home.
Besides her grandparents and aunt, Zhou Chenyu and Le Jiaojiao contacted her daily. Especially Le Jiaojiao, who could call her three times a day, each conversation brimming with a mix of threats, inducements, and intimidation, all aimed at persuading her to return home sooner.
Like this time, as soon as the call connected, Le Jiaojiao asked in a panicked voice, "Xu Qingqing, aren't you coming back yet? Do you know what big thing Bai Youlan has done recently?"
Xu Qingqing, who was sitting on a swing watching the sunset, was taken aback: "What's she done now?" It had been a long time since she'd heard any news about Bai Youlan.
Ever since Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing made a scene together at the Lin family wedding, Le Jiaojiao had kept a close eye on the Lin family, with a particular interest in following Bai Youlan.
As she put it, after causing such trouble at someone's engagement party, if anyone dared to disrupt her own wedding like that, she would absolutely fight them to the death, always seeking to finish them off.
So she spent her days watching Bai Youlan, not even sparing her Weibo or Instagram, always secretly snooping on her updates.
Truthfully, nothing major had really happened to Bai Youlan recently. It was just that with Xu Qingqing out of the country, Le Jiaojiao's life had become rather boring, so she was deliberately exaggerating to scare her rival into coming home early.
On the other end of the line, Le Jiaojiao said purposefully, "You don't know, Bai Youlan pulled off something big. It seems like she's making a comeback!"
Xu Qingqing couldn't understand, frowning: "She can still make a comeback after all that? What investor is that desperate?"
She remembered that after the 'Spring Water' incident, Bai Youlan had essentially vanished from the entertainment industry. Her reputation in the circle was ruined; even if a production team still wanted to use her, the backers wouldn't dare take the risk.
Le Jiaojiao nodded, saying, "Yeah, but she married into the Lin family, right? This time, it's the Lin family funding from behind, investing in a variety show for her to play with."
Le Jiaojiao had clearly done her homework: "I heard Bai Youlan probably brought her own capital to negotiate the deal. The filming will be live-streamed throughout, following the foreign documentary-reality show model. They say it's meant to record her life from her time in the Xu family up until her marriage into the Lin family."
The more Xu Qingqing listened, the more familiar this trope sounded: "No way, would the platform agree to broadcast it?"
Le Jiaojiao said dismissively, "Why wouldn't they? Her die-hard fans are clamoring to spend money for their idol, and Bai Youlan gained extra buzz as a wealthy young madam after marrying into the Lin family. Bai Youlan brings her own investment, equipment, crew, and doesn't even charge a performance copyright fee. Capital isn't stupid."
Getting more worked up, Le Jiaojiao complained, "You have no idea how smug Bai Youlan has been lately. I bet she's the happiest about you and Xie Lianqing breaking up. Among all the third generation of the Lin family, she puts on the airs of a wealthy young madam the most."
Le Jiaojiao couldn't understand why Xu Qingqing suddenly broke up with Xie Lianqing.
It was no exaggeration to say that Xie Lianqing was the golden boy of their generation, the "other people's child" since childhood. The fact that Xu Qingqing managed to land him had shocked countless people back then. Now, just when it seemed the two were perfectly matched and heading for marriage, they broke up!
Given Xie Lianqing's usual behavior as a model 24/7 devoted boyfriend, Le Jiaojiao and Zhou Chenyu didn't need to guess to know that Xu Qingqing was being difficult again!
Le Jiaojiao couldn't help but whine in a coquettish tone, "For goodness' sake, who knows what you're being difficult about this time. I'm telling you, all the wealthy families in City A are now vying for the position of Mrs. Xie. If you don't come back soon, your Mr. Xie might just be snatched up by someone else!"
In fact, even Le Jiaojiao's parents and the Zhou family were very tempted and had tried to persuade her to participate in the matchmaking and blind dates with the Xie family. Le Jiaojiao found it utterly ridiculous.
If Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing broke up, and she went on a blind date with the latter, whether intentional or not, she could forget about being friends with Xu Qingqing for the rest of her life!
So of course, she didn't agree.
Xu Qingqing didn't pay much mind to the Xie family's matchmaking and blind dates. Although it stirred some feelings in her, she also found it normal. Even a clay figure has a temper. After the Xie family's marriage proposal was rejected, it was normal for them to make a big show of arranging blind dates.
Compared to her now ex-boyfriend Xie Lianqing, Xu Qingqing cared more about the situation with Bai Youlan.
Back when she learned Bai Youlan was engaged to Lin Donghan, Xu Qingqing had thought it impossible for Bai Youlan to have any further entanglement with Xie Lianqing, and that she could no longer be the female protagonist of that book.
With Bai Youlan no longer the female protagonist, her initial plans were in disarray, and the system's tasks were probably hard to complete. After all, Bai Youlan was now the daughter-in-law of the Lin family, not the stepdaughter of the Xu family.
Even if something unexpected happened in the future, it wouldn't be Bai Youlan's turn to take over the Xu family.
Yet, judging from the news Le Jiaojiao revealed, Bai Youlan seemed to be struggling to make a comeback and hadn't given up on that task.
Xu Qingqing could easily guess why Bai Youlan would be happy. As the former original female protagonist who originally liked Xie Lianqing, Bai Youlan certainly wouldn't be pleased to see her and Xie Lianqing together.
Xu Qingqing thought of the dream that night and her subsequent sudden weight loss, as if some curse had been placed on her. Thinking about it now, she suspected that the incident with the nightmares and illness back then was also the work of Bai Youlan and the system.
Xu Qingqing roughly understood something.
Le Jiaojiao was still chatting idly on the other end when Xu Qingqing suddenly said to her, "Help me do something..."
The next afternoon, Le Jiaojiao sat in her car. Across the street was the Xu family residence. The butler and a director were directing people installing cameras. The house was bustling with people going in and out.
Le Jiaojiao waited for a long time before finally seeing Bai Youlan come out. She let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, she had asked around about Bai Youlan's recent schedule, otherwise she might have gone to the Lin family and been in the wrong place.
When Bai Youlan appeared, Le Jiaojiao immediately spoke nervously into her headset to the person on the other end: "She's out, she's out!"
As she spoke, Le Jiaojiao rolled down the car window and aimed her phone camera at Bai Youlan across the street.
On the other end of the video call was Xu Qingqing.
[Beautiful Life System binding in progress]
[Obtained Luck Value: 8/100]
[Overall Task Progress: 60/100]
[Task Reward: Inherit billions in family assets, achieve a beautiful life]
Sitting on the swing, Xu Qingqing raised an eyebrow. The luck value above Bai Youlan's head had actually increased by two points.
The last time she saw Bai Youlan was at the wedding, when the luck value above her head was a precarious 6 points.
Who knows what happened during this time. Was Bai Youlan's increased luck value related to the Lin family, or because of her breakup with Xie Lianqing...
She said to Le Jiaojiao, "Alright, let's go."
It was Le Jiaojiao's first time doing something like this sneakily. Nervously holding her phone aimed at Bai Youlan, she immediately urged the driver to leave as soon as she heard Xu Qingqing's voice.
However, as Le Jiaojiao turned her head, she was horrified to discover that Bai Youlan, who had been planting flowers across the street, had stood up at some point and was now staring straight at her.
Because they were too far away, Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing couldn't clearly see the expression on her face, but their intuition told them she looked utterly terrifying.
Le Jiaojiao got a huge fright, patting her chest nervously as she said, "How scary!"
Xu Qingqing on the other end of the video call was also startled. Especially since she had witnessed Bai Youlan's transformation through the screen in its entirety.
One moment Bai Youlan was warmly chatting with a garden employee, the next her demeanor turned cold and imposing in an instant. She immediately sensed something was off, her gaze sweeping directly and unerringly toward the camera Le Jiaojiao was holding up.
Her gaze was sharp, seeming to pierce through the phone to see Xu Qingqing on the other side.
In that moment, even Xu Qingqing was frightened. For some reason, she felt Bai Youlan was becoming more and more alarming lately.
Upon detecting someone observing her, Bai Youlan walked over. She walked quickly, and within seconds, she was standing right outside Le Jiaojiao's car window.
She looked into the car, fixed her eyes on Le Jiaojiao, and smiled gently, "Jiaojiao? What brings you here?"
Le Jiaojiao inexplicably found her somewhat frightening. Suddenly, she remembered what Zhou Chenyu had told her before about Bai Youlan being strange.
Back then, she hadn't believed it and had even mocked Zhou Chenyu for being such a scaredy-cat for a guy. Yet now, seeing Bai Youlan like this, she too felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
Strange, when she and Xu Qingqing went to disrupt Bai Youlan's wedding not long ago, why didn't she find her so eerie? Could it be that having her wedding ruined by her and Xu Qingqing was too much of a shock, and she lost her mind?
The more Le Jiaojiao thought about it, the more plausible it seemed!
How miserable Bai Youlan's life had been these past two years! From a dazzling superstar to a known fraudster in everyone's eyes, her startup seemed promising but was shut down after being reported for substandard quality... Finally managing to marry into the Lin family, only to have her wedding publicly disrupted by her and Xu Qingqing!
The more Le Jiaojiao thought, the guiltier she felt, increasingly convinced that the Bai Youlan before her was a woman driven to madness at the end of her rope.
Fortunately, Le Jiaojiao was wearing sunglasses, so her expression didn't betray her fear. She forced herself to say, "None of your business."
Bai Youlan glanced into the car and saw only Le Jiaojiao and the driver, no one else. Yet she had just received a notification from the System.
She impatiently asked the System in her mind, "Didn't you say you upgraded? Why does it feel like there's another error this time?"
[Detected that the System is being observed.]
"You're sure?" Bai Youlan was skeptical and asked, "Could that person be Le Jiaojiao?"
[No, she is merely an insignificant side character.]
Bai Youlan and the System had been observed multiple times, even suspecting they had been discovered. After the System upgraded, it strengthened its surveillance for external observation, hoping to catch that person, yet there had been no progress.
Bai Youlan and the System knew that Xie Lianqing, the Lin family, and even the Xu family had people watching them, but these were all ordinary people who could only tail Bai Youlan and were utterly incapable of observing the System.
With no one else in the car, Bai Youlan felt a mix of impatience and instant relief.
Before today, she and the System had suspected the person secretly observing the System was Xu Qingqing. Because for a period, the other party had frequently looked toward the top of her head.
If it was Xu Qingqing, no wonder their plans kept getting thwarted.
Just to be safe, after Le Jiaojiao left, Bai Youlan asked the System again in her mind, "You're certain Xu Qingqing isn't here, right?"
[No presence of the female lead detected.]
Good that it wasn't Xu Qingqing. Bai Youlan breathed a sigh of relief. If the person observing the System was Xu Qingqing, the difficulty of completing their tasks would multiply exponentially.
But then again, Xu Qingqing had broken up with Xie Lianqing and was currently abroad nursing her wounds, so how could she possibly be here?
Thinking of this, Bai Youlan felt a pang of regret. "If only Xu Qingqing were still in the country, your methods could be put to use."
Due to her own location, the System's monitoring and operational range were limited to within the country. Manipulating things from too far away risked alerting the World Consciousness.
[Fate Points increased by 5. Current Fate Points: 13.]
Hearing the System's announcement, Bai Youlan was delighted. "I never expected making the male lead resent Xu Qingqing could yield so many Fate Points."
She hadn't known that the female lead and male lead breaking up could earn her so many Fate Points. If she had known earlier, she would have focused her efforts in this direction. Why did she even debut as a celebrity? Directly targeting the male lead would have sped up the mission progress much faster!
This idea came from the System.
That night, the System and Bai Youlan were discussing who the person constantly observing them might be. Suddenly, the System issued a warning: [Warning! Warning! According to the plotline, the male and female leads are about to complete a marriage proposal. At that point, the host's mission will have no room for reversal.]
Bai Youlan was panicking like crazy!!
Fortunately, the System was also panicked. It and Bai Youlan were bound together, and the mission absolutely could not fail at this stage. So, it used its own means to alter Xu Qingqing's dreams, plunging her into a virtual space it created.
Only by making the female lead and male lead break up would the male lead, feeling betrayed and resentful, quickly develop dissatisfaction toward the female lead. Every time he felt such dissatisfaction, Bai Youlan could extract Fate Points from it.
However, soon after, the System's voice announced again: [Calculation error. Fate Points decreased by 5. Current Fate Points: 8.]
Bai Youlan's smile froze at the corner of her mouth. "...Fate Points that increased can also decrease?" This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
The System was also exasperated. [Due to the male lead's emotional shift being too rapid, it wasn't fully registered by the System before his emotions calmed down again, so the calculation was cut short.]
Bai Youlan couldn't believe it. Even at this point, with Xu Qingqing disrespectfully fleeing the engagement, Xie Lianqing still didn't resent her?
She suddenly felt that Xu Qingqing could not be allowed to live.
Bai Youlan said to the System, "You said once she returns to the country you can take action, right? When the time comes, you deal with her directly."
The System hesitated. [Repeatedly employing means may be detected by the World Consciousness.]
Last time, it had only used some methods within dreams, not daring to do anything to Xu Qingqing in real life.
The System thought Bai Youlan was being too reckless and advised, [If detected by the World Consciousness, neither the host nor I will end well.]
Bai Youlan, who had always been submissive in the past, was unusually firm this time. "No, we cannot let Xu Qingqing continue living."
From this incident, she had understood Xu Qingqing's standing in Xie Lianqing's heart. If these two kept interacting and spending time together, with Xu Qingqing still alive, they would inevitably reconcile, perhaps even get engaged and married in one go.
What would the World Consciousness matter then? If the mission failed, she and the System were finished anyway.
Bai Youlan gritted her teeth and said, "We'll take action as soon as Xu Qingqing returns."
If the System couldn't act directly, she could help.
Bai Youlan thought of something and asked the System, "Speaking of which, we're currently planning this show... What do you think about our initial plan?"
In the original plan orchestrated by Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan, she would change her surname to Xu. Xu Qingqing would be drawn into the entertainment industry because of her and Lin Donghan, and then be guided to participate in a reality show live broadcast program.
On the show, she would use props, and Xu Qingqing would become her contrasting foil, ultimately becoming universally hated online, withdrawing from the program due to cyberbullying, and then dying after having her luck value seized by her and the system.
Bai Youlan suddenly thought that perhaps after going around in a big circle, this plan could still be completed.
...
On the other end, Le Jiaojiao was on the phone with Xu Qingqing: "Did you see Bai Youlan's look? It was terrifying!"
Xu Qingqing was also a bit flustered. She wasn't scared by Bai Youlan, but at the moment the other girl turned her head, she always felt like the system had discovered her.
Bai Youlan was an idiot, nothing to be afraid of. What she worried about was only that unknown system. She felt that just now, Bai Youlan seemed to be looking for something. Le Jiaojiao and the driver weren't the targets of her search... that left only herself.
In broad daylight with the scorching sun outside, Xu Qingqing felt extremely cold.
She thought for a moment and said to Le Jiaojiao, "Don't tell anyone else about us watching the video of Bai Youlan today."
Le Jiaojiao rolled her eyes and said, "Who would I tell?"
...
After vacationing for a month, Xu Qingqing finally packed up and went home slowly. Actually, she had originally planned to travel for longer, but a solo journey wasn't as enjoyable as she had imagined, so she simply returned home.
Just like when she left, Xu Qingqing's return was also quiet, only notifying close friends. Many people didn't know she was back, even Xie Lianging was unaware.
The Xu family ancestral home.
Zhou Chenyu looked at Xu Qingqing and couldn't help asking, "So, Miss Xu, you were really serious about breaking up?"
This coward Xu Qingqing, after breaking up, didn't dare to face Xie Lianging and ran off abroad for a vacation alone. He had been busy recently and hadn't had a chance to ask about the situation between these two.
Coincidentally, his grandfather would soon be celebrating his birthday with a banquet. Zhou Chenyu had come to the Xu family specifically this time to deliver an invitation and, by the way, ask his childhood friend what exactly she was thinking.
Xu Qingqing was squatting on the sofa drinking juice and didn't even turn her head at his words. She had broken up for so long already, for Zhou Chenyu to ask this now was just silly.
She doesn't talk to fools.
Miss Xu was starting to act up again, something Zhou Chenyu was used to. He wasn't angry either, leaning back on the sofa himself and saying leisurely, "You're living quite carefreely, vacationing and watching fashion shows. Lianging hasn't been in such a good mood lately."
He had visited the other man's company a few times. The people from the secretariat reporting for work were all trembling with fear, the atmosphere was extremely tense, and the office felt freezing cold even without the air conditioning on. After seeing it, Zhou Chenyu felt a bit sorry for Xie Lianging.
Only Xu Qingqing could infuriate the gentle and refined Xie Lianging to this extent, keeping his mood this foul for a whole month.
"What does it matter to me whether he's doing well or not?" Xu Qingqing drank her juice without speaking, putting on an uncaring front.
Then she picked at her nails, pretending to ask casually, "What's been up with him lately?"
After the breakup, she had blocked all of Xie Lianging's contact methods and hadn't heard any news about him recently.
Zhou Chenyu smiled and said, "Nothing much."
Xu Qingqing was stunned, suddenly raising her head to stare at him. Zhou Chenyu immediately burst out laughing: "I thought you could really hold out! Miss Xu!"
Xu Qingqing narrowed her eyes and glared at him. Zhou Chenyu shrugged, still smiling, and said, "Why look at me? If you want to know, go ask him yourself. He made a special trip to see you last time, and you refused. Even playing hard to get shouldn't be done like this."
After testing the waters today, Zhou Chenyu found that Xu Qingqing didn't seem entirely without reluctance towards Xie Lianging. Compared to her ex-boyfriends from before, she probably would have forgotten their names by now and naturally wouldn't care how they were doing afterward.
Zhou Chenyu still considered his childhood friend's interests, saying, "Not wanting to get married isn't a big deal. If you want to get back together, talk properly with Xie Lianging..."
Xu Qingqing immediately composed her expression and, to Zhou Chenyu's surprise, said seriously, "We won't be getting back together."
She had figured it out now. If the matter of Bai Youlan wasn't resolved, there would be no future for her and Xie Lianging.
And right now, she had no way to deal with Bai Youlan and even had to avoid her.
That system could make her sick if it said so, control her dreams if it said so. She was utterly defenseless against Bai Youlan and the system. Who knew if she could last until the day Bai Youlan was dealt with.
Under such circumstances, Xu Qingqing also couldn't resolve the issues between her and Xie Lianging. It was better to just break up.
Zhou Chenyu couldn't persuade her; he thought she was just having another spoiled young lady's tantrum and could only leave helplessly.
...
Xie Lianging and Xu Qingqing met again unexpectedly at a gathering. The host was a second-generation heir in their circle who had invited his friends for a barbecue and dinner party.
Xu Qingqing and this host had also only recently met, thanks to an introduction from elders a month ago. They occasionally chatted a bit. When he invited her this time, she happened to want to go out for a change of mood and accepted the invitation.
Xu Qingqing had no idea that Xie Lianging would be there today. She was watching everyone start the fire when she suddenly felt someone seemed to be looking at her.
She turned around and saw Xie Lianging not far behind her.
After more than a month apart, Xie Lianging's hair had grown a bit longer, falling by his ears, making him appear even colder in demeanor.
Xu Qingqing didn't know she would run into him. If she had known Xie Lianging would also attend, she would never have come.
Wasn't it said that he had been very busy lately and rarely participated in these entertainment activities since returning to the country? Why did he suddenly appear today?
Xu Qingqing hesitated uneasily, unsure for a moment how to face him. Should she go up and greet him openly and generously, or pretend they were strangers, keeping a cold face and not speaking?
Many thoughts flashed through Xu Qingqing's mind rapidly. The more she thought, the more tangled she became, even considering just running away. Although it was a bit cowardly, it was still better than facing Xie Lianging.
While Xu Qingqing was struggling internally, Xie Lianging watched her from afar. Finally, he moved. Xie Lianging stepped forward with a wine glass, looking like he intended to speak to her.
Xu Qingqing was instantly startled and, without a second word, turned and ran. Her escape move was just as proficient as when she had fled from the bathroom back then.
Seeing her actions from a distance, Xie Lianging felt both exasperated and amused. After being apart for so long, he himself had felt a little unfamiliar when he saw Xu Qingqing earlier and had steeled himself before walking over to speak with her. He never expected that after months apart, Xu Qingqing would still be as timid as ever, running away the moment she spotted him from afar.
Xie Lianging was both angry and amused, having no choice but to give chase. Finally, at the entrance, he caught up with Xu Qingqing and said, "Why are you running?"
Xu Qingqing was instantly filled with regret and resentment!!
Damn it, she shouldn't have been so lazy for so long just because of a breakup. After not practicing for ages, she actually couldn't even outrun Xie Lianqing in a sprint! Sprinting was one of her life-saving skills for getting out of trouble!
Xu Qingqing felt annoyed inwardly, but she straightened up outwardly. Her eyes darted around, refusing to admit it: "No, I wasn't running."
She said casually, "I just came out to get some air."
Xie Lianqing glanced at the door and raised an eyebrow. "Here?" This was the downwind side, and there was a restroom nearby.
Only then did Xu Qingqing notice her surroundings, instantly feeling embarrassed. She could only stubbornly insist, "Yeah! Right here!"
Xie Lianqing stared at her, his gaze amused, as if waiting to see how she would continue her act.
Under his stare, Xu Qingqing inexplicably grew flustered. "I just came to get some air! Is that not allowed?!" When flustered, she habitually became unreasonable.
Xie Lianqing had no choice but to say, "Okay, of course it's allowed." When Xu Qingqing threw a tantrum, he instinctively soothed her like he used to.
As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them froze. Xie Lianqing's eyes darkened with an unreadable emotion, while Xu Qingqing felt awkward.
She said somewhat guiltily, "We broke up." She didn't know if she was reminding Xie Lianqing or herself.
Suppressing the irritation in his heart, Xie Lianqing joked lightly, "So you have to run when you see me after a breakup?"
"Even after breaking up, we can still be friends." Xie Lianqing stared at Xu Qingqing and said, "How big is City A? Take today's gathering, for example. Can we really avoid each other forever?"
He didn't know why Xu Qingqing insisted on breaking up. Was it really just because she didn't want to get married? He wanted to win her back but didn't want to scare her off by being too eager.
But if Xu Qingqing ran off for another month without coming home, Xie Lianqing really couldn't guarantee he'd have that much patience.
Xu Qingqing didn't answer. Instead, she stared at him and suddenly said, "Before meeting Zhou Chenyu, we had never seen each other."
City A wasn't that big, but their social circles and friends were different. If not for that accident back then, they might truly never have met.
Just like today's party—if he hadn't come specifically to find her, Xie Lianqing, being so busy, would never have attended a gathering of this caliber.
Xu Qingqing wasn't a fool; she could tell he had come looking for her on purpose.
She didn't understand and asked Xie Lianqing, "You said before that we couldn't be friends after breaking up."
Xu Qingqing felt she had wronged Xie Lianqing, and she didn't want to see him again either.
Cornered by her question, Xie Lianqing suddenly remembered their casual conversation from back then. He never thought those words would come true, and they actually did break up...
A sense of loss washed over Xie Lianqing, but he maintained his graceful composure on the surface. He asked, "Can't I change my mind now?"
He hesitated, then asked, "Or... are you unwilling to stay friends with me?"
Countless people wanted to know Xie Lianqing, to befriend him. If anyone else from inside the party were standing here, they probably wouldn't refuse the chance to get to know Xie Lianqing.
But Xu Qingqing said, "Yeah, unwilling."
She said very seriously, "In my past relationships, I never stayed friends with my exes after breaking up." Xu Qingqing wasn't lying. She had been in so many relationships that she couldn't even remember many of their names.
Xu Qingqing would date again in the future; she would meet other people. If Xie Lianqing was always around, she would inevitably compare the people around her to him.
And Xu Qingqing had some self-awareness in this regard. She felt that there were probably very, very few people in this world who could measure up to Xie Lianqing.
If she was unlucky and never met anyone better than Xie Lianqing, then with every future relationship, she would unconsciously compare them to him. Then she could forget about happily dating for the rest of her life.
Especially this time—Xu Qingqing had been traveling for a month, seen countless handsome guys: fun ones, gentle ones, even a few with noble titles from abroad. With her past personality, she would have probably started a new relationship long ago. But she kept thinking of Xie Lianqing.
Comparing those people to Xie Lianqing, she simply lost all interest in dating.
Xu Qingqing sometimes felt regret, thinking that if she hadn't been in such a hurry to separate back then, maybe they could have continued traveling together.
Xu Qingqing knew very clearly that if this continued, this sense of regret and loss would only grow worse.
But she hated regret. Only losers regretted.
So Xu Qingqing thought it was better to make a clean break, to just stop contacting Xie Lianqing. That's why she refused his request without hesitation now.
Hearing Xu Qingqing's words, the gentle expression on Xie Lianqing's face twisted for a moment, almost impossible to maintain.
In that instant, he even felt like just ending it all with her.
She's so cruel. She only thinks of herself, never considering him at all.
Xie Lianqing suddenly regretted it deeply. He felt he shouldn't have come back to find Xu Qingqing in the first place. This woman simply had no heart; her cruelty was utterly innate.
Gritting his teeth, he looked at Xu Qingqing and repeated, "So no more contact?"
"Right." Xu Qingqing nodded seriously. Since contact wouldn't lead anywhere anyway, it was better to be ruthless and end it now.
Xie Lianqing immediately turned and left without looking back, purely angered by Xu Qingqing.
He was afraid that if he walked any slower, he wouldn't be able to resist strangling her.
This woman!!
Xu Qingqing remained completely unaware of Xie Lianqing's thoughts. With him gone, she simply felt a weight off her mind.
If it was like this, she wouldn't have to keep comparing others to Xie Lianqing anymore.
Recalling those inexplicable feelings during her travels, Xu Qingqing felt wistful for a minute, then happily went back to the party to eat.
She would turn her sorrow into motivation! She had just bravely said goodbye to her ex-boyfriend; now she deserved a good meal! She had actually lost two pounds during her month-long vacation.
One can imagine how frustrated Xie Lianqing was when, after angrily returning home, he saw someone's social media post with a group photo from the gathering and spotted Xu Qingqing in it.
Xu Qingqing truly had no conscience! After something like that happened, she could still calmly go back to the party to eat. Was she that desperate for food?!
She might as well just be the death of him. Fuming, Xie Lianqing loosened his tie, tossed his phone onto the bed, and fell backward onto it.
He had originally thought he could let go, which was why he had specifically gone to the gathering to intercept Xu Qingqing, wanting to talk things out properly—whether to get back together or just stay friends.
Whichever the outcome, he could have properly bid farewell to this relationship, proving that she didn't matter that much in his heart after all.
But now, seeing this photo, Xie Lianqing felt it wasn't working! He just couldn't let go.
Xu Qingqing, that coward, only knows to hide from him when something happens. Why is it that after they broke up, he's here seething and unable to sleep, having to wake up early for overtime work every day, while Xu Qingqing can still shamelessly have fun everywhere?!
And in that photo, why is that man standing so close to Xu Qingqing? And why is he looking at her and smiling so happily?
Does he have a death wish?!
Xie Lianqing's anger flared up instantly.
Actually, Xu Qingqing wasn't as carefree as Xie Lianqing imagined. She sometimes thought of him too, after all, he was the best boyfriend she had ever met. She even doubted whether she could ever meet someone better than Xie Lianqing in the future.
But what was the use? They had already broken up, and by the looks of it, there was absolutely no chance of getting back together. So it was better to let go early.
Xu Qingqing was someone very good at rationalizing things for herself and seeking out happiness.
Otherwise, after experiencing Xu Changshan and Bai Yaxiu's affair, and later encountering Bai Youlan and that system, with her life constantly under threat, she might have long since collapsed under the pressure.
So even though Xu Qingqing sometimes felt down inside, on the surface she maintained a carefree, happy-go-lucky appearance, to the point where everyone thought she had moved on.
To avoid wallowing in past feelings, Xu Qingqing decided to keep herself busy. For example, by causing trouble for her arch-nemesis, Le Jiaojiao.
Ever since Le Jiaojiao found out about Xu Qingqing's breakup, she had swiftly gotten back together with her designer ex-boyfriend. Then, she proceeded to flood her social media feed with posts showing off their affection, posting photos with captions as regularly as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It looked like she was going to post the same set of photos until the end of time.
And that wasn't all. She made sure to tag Xu Qingqing, the single dog, individually under every single lovey-dovey post.
Xu Qingqing, busy traveling at the time, casually commented—"You'll break up."
Le Jiaojiao, putting on a sweet, fake act, replied in a cutesy voice, "I know Qingqing must be feeling down after the breakup. People without boyfriends are just like that. I understand you~"
Psycho!
Without another word, Xu Qingqing added Le Jiaojiao's boyfriend's account. Then, by scrolling through his friend circle, she dug up the contact information and photos of all of Le Jiaojiao's ex-boyfriends, along with their lovey-dovey couple photos and comments.
Every time Le Jiaojiao posted a photo with her current ex-boyfriend (now boyfriend again) on her feed, Xu Qingqing would post one of Le Jiaojiao with a different ex on her own feed, and make sure to tag Le Jiaojiao's current boyfriend individually.
Le Jiaojiao's boyfriend, now friends with both these women: …?
Le Jiaojiao: …
Le Jiaojiao was stunned, Le Jiaojiao was dumbfounded, Le Jiaojiao fell silent as a mouse, quietly deleting all the photos and posts.
Xu Qingqing achieved a resounding victory.
Hah, trying to fight her? Nobody gets to live happily in this scenario, okay?!
Zhou Chenyu, after watching this battle between women, laughed so hard he could barely hold his cigarette. He said to Xu Qingqing, "Damn, Xu Qingqing, you're something else."
Who knew she had skills like this?!
No wonder his cousin had never been able to outdo her all these years.
Xu Qingqing shook her head and sighed, "You don't understand." Dealing with a drama queen like Le Jiaojiao was her specialty!
If Le Jiaojiao had the guts, she could post Xu Qingqing's photos with her ex too. Xu Qingqing was already broken up, what did she have to be afraid of? Even if she weren't broken up, she wouldn't be scared. She was the demanding, high-maintenance one anyway; Xie Lianqing could never out-drama her.
