Chapter 34: The Ice Queen’s Fierce Love
The Nangong family had indeed fragmented. Seven days after Nangong Yu’s death, the funeral descended into chaos.
Someone, eager to capture the drama, had filmed the brawl that erupted at the memorial service. According to those who had seen the video, even Nangong Yu’s portrait, displayed prominently in the center of the hall, seemed to express outrage. It was quickly scrubbed from the internet.
A few brave souls, however, defying the Nangongs, created gossip threads, detailing the family’s history, their rise and fall, a feast for the internet’s insatiable appetite for drama.
Besides the gossip, many were more concerned about the Nangong Corporation’s stock price, the confirmation of the family’s fragmentation sending investors into a panic, their imagined fortunes evaporating.
As predicted, the divided Nangong Corporation began a steady decline, its future uncertain, the two successors lacking their father’s skill and vision, yet both afflicted with a fatal case of ambition.
It was then that everyone realized the old playboy had been a capable leader, having managed to hold the empire together for forty years.
The students of Mingrui, however, were oblivious to the drama unfolding outside the school walls, their focus solely on the upcoming exams.
Xu Qiuyi, finally allowing herself a moment to catch up on current events, was on a short break before the final exams. Her teachers, ever concerned, had summoned her for another pep talk, urging her to stay calm and focused, to rest and relax during the break.
Xu Qiuyi had dutifully agreed, unaware that they were watching her leave as if she were a fragile, precious object.
They couldn’t help but be concerned. To them, Xu Qiuyi was a guaranteed top scorer, a potential provincial champion, and the prestige of having nurtured such a talent was a tempting prize.
After her meeting with the teachers, on her way back to the classroom, she ran into Nurse Liu, who also offered words of comfort and encouragement.
Xu Qiuyi found it strange. Everyone was telling her to relax, to avoid stress, but she wasn’t stressed.
The classroom was a scene of organized chaos, the students packing their belongings, preparing to take them home.
Mingrui, being a private school, wasn’t used as an exam center, and the students worked at a leisurely pace, the task of packing away three years’ worth of textbooks and notes, however, evoking a sense of melancholy.
What are we packing away? they wondered. Our past? Or our youth?
Xu Qiuyi, navigating the crowded classroom, on her way to her desk, paused at Tao Ning’s desk, straightening a small flower pinned to Tao Ning’s headband.
Tao Ning was asleep, her long hair tied back with a colorful hair tie.
The quiet melancholy was suddenly shattered by a surprised gasp. “They’re… bankrupt? Already?”
Heads turned, the word “bankrupt” triggering a Pavlovian response in the privileged students of Class A. They saw Lü Xinxi being dragged away, her mouth covered.
Jin Yue, a strained smile on her face, hissed, “Quietly, darling. Please.”
Lü Xinxi, nodding vigorously, her eyes wide with panic, convinced Jin Yue was trying to suffocate her, could only manage muffled whimpers.
Jin Yue finally released her, grabbing a hair tie and pulling her own dark hair back. “It was inevitable. Why are you so surprised?”
Lü Xinxi, fiddling with her hair, said, “I was at their… banquet last year. It was so lavish, even bigger than Ningning’s birthday party. And now… they’re gone. It just feels… strange.”
Her words made both Jin Yue and Xu Qiuyi pause.
They hadn’t really processed it. A year ago, the Nangong family had been a formidable force, seemingly capable of rivaling even the established Tao family.
Now, the Tao Corporation remained strong and stable.
The Nangongs, however, were fractured, their empire crumbling, some facing imprisonment, others fleeing with their debts, their downfall surprisingly swift.
Jin Yue, sensing something more sinister at play, something worthy of a case study, said, “Nothing lasts forever. Who knew that banquet would be their last hurrah?”
Lü Xinxi, however, still puzzled, asked, “When did it all… start?”
A quiet voice beside them said, “The Crown Club.”
They turned to see Xu Qiuyi, her fingers still adjusting the small flower on Tao Ning’s headband.
Jin Yue’s eyes widened in realization. “You’re right! That’s when it started. When the Crown Club was shut down, the Nangongs claimed it was just a minor setback, that the rumors were exaggerated. Then they announced a huge profit on some project, and everyone believed them.” She grabbed a pen and wrote down an impressive number.
She tossed the pen aside, continuing, “Then Nangong Yu’s youngest son was born. Double celebration. Everything seemed to be going their way. Who knew they’d be bankrupt and he’d be dead within a year?”
Lü Xinxi, not quite understanding the intricacies of business and finance, simply nodded, impressed.
Jin Yue, looking at Xu Qiuyi, asked, “How did you figure that out?”
Xu Qiuyi remembered visiting Tao Ning yesterday, finding her by the window, on the phone. The door had been slightly ajar, and she had overheard a snippet of conversation. “…The Nangong Corporation is a hollow shell, ready to collapse. Push it.”
It had been Tao Ning’s voice, calm and detached, as if discussing something trivial.
After ending the call, she had turned, seen Xu Qiuyi, and smiled, her voice cheerful. “I’m hungry. Let’s get some food.”
And it wasn’t just yesterday. She also remembered Tao Ning’s words in that alleyway: “Nangong? And who are they?”
Xu Qiuyi had had a suspicion before… Now, it was a certainty. Tao Ning was somehow involved in the Nangong family’s downfall.
Jin Yue, nudging Xu Qiuyi, who had suddenly gone quiet, asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xu Qiuyi, startled, shook her head. “Just… wondering how I’m going to carry all my books home.”
A groan from Tao Ning’s desk startled them. She sat up, stretching, her voice sleepy. “What’s the problem? Liao Shishi and her team will be here soon. They’ll carry everything for you.”
Seeing Tao Ning awake, Lü Xinxi, eager to share the latest gossip, exclaimed, “Guess what? The Nangong family is bankrupt! Both of them!”
Tao Ning, feigning surprise, said, “Really? Already?”
Lü Xinxi, finally finding a receptive audience, launched into a detailed account of the Nangong family’s downfall.
Xu Qiuyi, watching Tao Ning’s seemingly surprised expression, thought, She already knew.
Tao Ning, unaware of Xu Qiuyi’s thoughts, would have said, As expected of the female lead. A chemistry genius with a talent for political analysis.
But it didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was the future.
Time marched on, the countdown on the classroom wall reaching zero, the day of the college entrance exams finally arriving.
Tao Ning and Xu Qiuyi were assigned to the same exam center, though different buildings, much to the envy of Jin Yue and Lü Xinxi, who had been assigned to a school across town, requiring them to book hotel rooms.
This, however, presented an opportunity for Tao Ning. According to the original timeline, Xu Qiuyi, her “heroine’s luck” activated, would experience a series of unfortunate events on the day of the exam, almost missing it, forced to listen to the English listening comprehension section while rushing to the exam center, then completing the rest of the exam with remarkable speed and accuracy, still achieving a perfect score.
It was a dramatic, almost cinematic, display of resilience, but Tao Ning couldn’t bear to subject Xu Qiuyi to such stress.
She had been worried about how to prevent it, but now, after discussing it with Guan Ruolin, she had arranged for Xu Qiuyi to stay at her house during the three-day exam period.
Xu Qiuyi, receiving a bag of clothes from her mother, thought, I do want to spend time with Tao Ning, but Mom, you’re being a bit… too enthusiastic.
Zhichun, struggling to carry Xu Qiuyi’s backpack, insisted on walking her downstairs, waving goodbye. “Bye-bye, Jiejie! Good luck on your exams! Bye-bye, Ningning Jiejie! Good luck!”
She was determined to show equal affection to both of them.
The Tao residence, now housing two exam candidates, went into lockdown mode, Tao Yan clearing her schedule to focus on their needs.
She still hadn’t given up on adopting Xu Qiuyi, her initial affection now replaced by genuine fondness, especially after learning about her difficult past.
She couldn’t understand how anyone could be so cruel to such a kind and resilient girl.
Xu Qiuyi, however, had gently dissuaded her, and Tao Yan, now well-versed in managing Tao Ning’s… eccentricities, had relented.
She had, after all, learned from the best, now capable of handling even ten huskies simultaneously dismantling her house – or rather, handling Tao Ning’s impulsive nature.
Tao Yan, though disappointed, had said, “Adversity builds character. You have a bright future ahead of you.”
On the day of the exam, the traffic was light, a gentle rain falling, not enough to dampen the spirits of the anxious parents waiting outside the exam center.
Three days passed quickly, and as the final bell rang, Xu Qiuyi set down her pen, letting out a long breath.
Her high school years were over, a new chapter about to begin.
Her first post-exam activity wasn’t celebrating, but sleeping, a solid three days and nights of uninterrupted sleep.
When she finally woke up, the curtains were drawn, the room dark, and she couldn’t tell if it was day or night. Zhichun had been sleeping with their mother lately, and without someone beside her, she had lost track of time.
She checked her phone: 6:30 PM. She opened her messaging app, her recent conversations with Tao Ning limited to time-zone-confused “good morning” and “good night” messages, the rest of their time spent sleeping.
She typed a message, then, setting down her phone, decided she couldn’t sleep any longer. She was about to get out of bed when her phone rang.
A. Ningning: [Just woke up.]
A. Ningning: [Starving. Dinner? Let’s try that new restaurant Xinxi’s aunt opened.]
Xu Qiuyi, after a moment of thought, replied, [Are Yueyue and Xinxi going?]
A. Ningning: [Yep. They practically broke down my door to wake me up. Lü Xinxi is currently wailing at the foot of my bed.]
A. Ningning: [It’s… loud.]
A. Ningning: [Voice message 7″]
Xu Qiuyi clicked on the voice message, pulling the phone away from her ear as Lü Xinxi’s loud voice filled the room. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! I’m hungry! Let’s go eat! …Okay, okay, fine, we’ll go…”
Tao Ning’s resigned voice could be heard at the end.
Xu Qiuyi laughed, then another voice message arrived. She clicked on it, hearing Tao Ning’s sleepy voice. “I’ll pick you up. Wait for me…”
Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if she had just woken up, a low murmur that sent shivers down Xu Qiuyi’s spine.
Xu Qiuyi, her ears burning, listened to it again, then saved it.
Accepting Lü Xinxi’s invitation meant committing to the full experience, and after dinner, under the pretense of needing to “walk off the meal,” she herded them all to a movie theater.
Lü Xinxi, having fully embraced her post-exam freedom, after sleeping for a full day, had dyed her hair two different colors, pink on one side, blue on the other, her twintails making her the most vibrant person in any room.
Jin Yue, still undecided on her next hair color, had returned to blonde.
Tao Ning, ever agreeable, said, “Let’s see what’s playing.”
Lü Xinxi, as if by magic, produced four movie tickets. “Already bought them. After you.”
Jin Yue, looking at the title, then at the familiar face on the ticket, said, “Oh, it’s him… That’s why you didn’t want to watch it at home on your giant screen. It’s his new movie.”
Lü Xinxi grinned.
As they discussed the movie, Xu Qiuyi, looking at the genre, said, “Mystery, war, action… It’s going to be loud. Should we get some snacks?”
Tao Ning, as always, was agreeable.
They settled into their seats, the previews ending, the movie beginning, a fast-paced action thriller, just as advertised.
The opening scene, a flurry of explosions and fight sequences, was captivating, the sound effects keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Xu Qiuyi, not a frequent moviegoer, found herself drawn into the story. Suddenly, a hand rested on hers, the cool touch sending shivers down her spine.
She froze, not because of the touch, but because she felt the person beside her leaning closer.
It was Tao Ning, separated from her only by the armrest. Did she want to say something?
Xu Qiuyi, her heart pounding, didn’t dare turn her head, her body rigid.
Her mind raced, imagining classic movie scenes, like… two protagonists sharing a stolen kiss in the darkness.
The theater quieted, the movie now showing the protagonist stealthily infiltrating a building, the music fading to create suspense. Xu Qiuyi could almost hear Tao Ning’s breathing.
Then, the protagonist, perched on the roof, was discovered, the woman inside the room launching a counterattack, the force of it shattering the roof, sending tiles flying.
The music swelled, the visual effects stunning.
A fight ensued, a flurry of acrobatic moves, the two figures demolishing the building, a one-man, one-woman demolition crew.
Xu Qiuyi, startled by the sudden noise, jumped, the hand on hers instinctively tightening its grip, then a weight settled on her shoulder.
Her heart pounding, she turned to see Tao Ning, unfazed by the explosions and fight sequences, her head resting on Xu Qiuyi’s shoulder, her eyes closed, fast asleep.
Xu Qiuyi’s heart, which had been racing moments before, now felt like a deflated balloon. Seriously? she thought. How can she sleep through this?
She wanted to shake her awake, a strange mix of frustration and… disappointment swirling within her.
Then, she remembered the New Year’s Eve party, the drum solo lullaby. This was nothing.
I’m losing my mind, she thought. Thinking such ridiculous things.
Looking at Tao Ning’s sleeping face, she smiled wryly. I’m crazy. How could I even…
Then, the same person who had just mocked her own foolishness gently nuzzled Tao Ning’s hair, a blush creeping up her neck as she watched the rest of the movie in that awkward position.
She leaned on me first, she thought defensively. It’s not like I… initiated it.
The light from the screen flickered, the movie now showing the protagonist’s tragic backstory, the scene darkening.
In the shadows, unseen by Xu Qiuyi, the person she had assumed to be asleep smiled slightly.
If her thoughts could be heard, they would be a simple, heartfelt: She’s so cute.
Even when annoyed, even when refusing to pull away, so cute.
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