Category: Little Bodyguard(GL)

Chapter 44

Li Qinyue’s touch couldn’t possibly feel “cold”. Zhuo Zhi’s pants were thick; even if Li Qinyue pinched her, she probably wouldn’t be able to feel it.

She had said those words to create a contrast with the tense atmosphere, acting like a carefree rich kid, distancing herself from the situation.

No matter how you guys fight or make a scene, no matter how out of line Lan Xi acts, it has nothing to do with me, Li Qinyue.

You all know I’m just an investor, I didn’t sign her personally, so don’t come to me with your problems.

Li Qinyue was a fox. She wanted to see them fight and get her revenge, but she didn’t want to get involved.

Zhuo Zhi, on the other hand, was completely different. Although Lan Xi’s blatant pursuit of Li Qinyue always troubled her, there was no doubt that Lan Xi was now on their side.

Brothers had to be loyal, protecting each other in times of trouble.

So Zhuo Zhi tried to ignore Li Qinyue’s mischievous hand under the table, her nerves on high alert, ready to jump in if Wang Zilai and Ling Xi tried to bully Lan Xi.

But things didn’t go as she expected.

These people were all cunning foxes. They wouldn’t make a scene and confront each other directly. They would just silently keep a tally of their grudges.

After Lan Xi made her stance clear, Ling Xi and Wang Zilai didn’t bother her anymore. Ling Xi changed the topic, and Wang Zilai followed suit, as if the forced drinking and singing had never happened.

Lan Xi returned to her seat, quietly eating and drinking, looking quite at ease.

Zhuo Zhi, who had been ready for action all night, felt frustrated.

Towards the end of the meal, Li Qinyue suddenly started acting strangely.

Although she had been subtly showing her affection for Zhuo Zhi before, now it was as if she couldn’t control herself.

Her arm was around Zhuo Zhi’s waist, her head resting on her shoulder, her breath tickling Zhuo Zhi’s cheek. Zhuo Zhi felt hot all over, under the watchful eyes of everyone at the table, feeling like smoke was about to rise from her head.

The waiter served dessert. Zhuo Zhi, not interested in food at this moment, didn’t reach for it. But Li Qinyue was unusually proactive. She picked up a piece of cake with her hand and held it to Zhuo Zhi’s lips.

Zhuo Zhi whispered, “I can do it myself, Sister.”

Li Qinyue ignored her, her hand still outstretched. Zhuo Zhi glanced at the people at the table, meeting Lan Xi’s gaze.

Li Qinyue then pressed the cake against Zhuo Zhi’s lips, the sticky sweetness making Zhuo Zhi give in. She opened her mouth and ate the cake, afraid that Li Qinyue would smear it all over her face.

Li Qinyue smiled with satisfaction, then, in full view of everyone, licked her fingers.

Zhuo Zhi, who was still chewing, froze, staring at her.

Li Qinyue looked at her and asked, “Is it good?”

Zhuo Zhi moved her lips, nodding.

Li Qinyue said, “Let me try.”

Zhuo Zhi wished she could stuff Li Qinyue’s mouth with food right now. She nodded eagerly.

But she was completely wrong. Li Qinyue had no intention of eating the cake. She suddenly leaned in and kissed Zhuo Zhi on the lips, her tongue swirling around before she pulled back and smacked her lips.

“It’s not bad,” she said with a straight face.

Zhuo Zhi’s face turned crimson. The cake in her mouth was overwhelmingly sweet, the lingering sensation on her lips carrying a deeply imprinted fragrance.

She was too embarrassed to look at the reactions of the people around them. Li Qinyue suddenly stood up and said to Wang Zilai, “President Wang, I have to excuse myself.”

Zhuo Zhi was confused, but her instincts made her stand up immediately and follow Li Qinyue.

Wang Zilai was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled, “Little President Li, you set up this dinner, and now you’re leaving us behind? That’s not very nice, is it?”

“I’m not feeling well,” Li Qinyue said, her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s waist, her smile not looking sick at all, “Please understand, President Wang.”

Wang Zilai said to the person next to him, “Young people these days are really passionate.”

The person lowered his head and nodded, “Yes, yes.”

“Young people have fiery tempers,” Li Qinyue admitted generously, then leaned closer to Zhuo Zhi, “Those two signature dishes were quite good, order two more servings, and this wine, President Wang likes it, have some more, put it all on my tab.”

Without waiting for Wang Zilai’s response, she turned and left with Zhuo Zhi, turning her head at the last moment to kiss Zhuo Zhi’s earlobe.

As soon as the door closed, there were gasps and whispers from inside the room. Outside, Zhuo Zhi pulled Li Qinyue’s hand away and mumbled, “What are you doing, Sister? There were so many people.”

Li Qinyue took a step forward and put her arm around Zhuo Zhi again, lightly squeezing her waist, “That’s why I had to make a show.”

“A show of what?” Zhuo Zhi looked at her.

“A show of how much I can’t resist you,” Li Qinyue said with a smile.

Her smile was bright, not a hint of shyness. They were walking side by side in the corridor, and although it wasn’t crowded, there were still waiters passing by.

“Sister,” Zhuo Zhi said, a hint of complaint in her voice.

“Look at you…” Li Qinyue paused before saying, “Why are you so stubborn? I set up this dinner, if I hadn’t done that, would we be able to leave early?”

“We left early…” Zhuo Zhi stopped.

“Right?” Li Qinyue squeezed her waist and raised an eyebrow, “Remembered now?”

“Yes!” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes lit up.

“You should thank me,” Li Qinyue said smugly, “Otherwise, they would have all left soon, and you wouldn’t have anyone to beat up.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Sister!” Zhuo Zhi said, “I was thinking about other things, I almost forgot.”

“What were you thinking about?” Li Qinyue asked.

“I was thinking about Lan Xi, I was waiting for Wang Zilai to force her to drink, then I could smash the glass and take her away.”

“Damn,” Li Qinyue was unhappy, “You’re acting like a hero for everyone. What does Lan Xi have to do with you? Aren’t you a little disappointed that Wang Zilai didn’t force her to drink?”

Zhuo Zhi touched her nose and chuckled.

“Besides, she likes me,” Li Qinyue couldn’t resist taking a jab at her, “If it’s a hero saving a damsel in distress, she would only be happy if I saved her.”

Zhuo Zhi’s smile vanished. She just said “Oh” and lowered her head, silent.

Li Qinyue stopped at a corner, “Where are we going?”

“You brought me out,” Zhuo Zhi mumbled.

“You don’t want to beat anyone up anymore, do you?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

“I do!” Zhuo Zhi immediately abandoned her principles, “I’m going to check the parking lot.”

They went downstairs and walked around, but Zhuo Zhi was disappointed, “It’s not convenient here, there are cameras everywhere.”

“It’s not like our deserted mountain villa,” Li Qinyue was also disappointed, “This place is too bustling.”

“Besides, Ling Xi might not leave with Wang Zilai,” This was the biggest problem Zhuo Zhi faced.

“They definitely won’t leave together,” Li Qinyue said.

“So we can only beat up one of them today?” Zhuo Zhi pondered.

Li Qinyue also pondered.

Previously, she wouldn’t have considered resorting to violence against those she disliked.

In the adult world, everyone maintained a facade of peace, not showing their true colors unless absolutely necessary, all the while taking advantage of each other and silently stabbing each other in the back.

But once this mindset was broken, it became addictive. Li Qinyue recalled her joy at seeing the bruises Zhuo Zhi had inflicted on Ling Xi, the feeling was exhilarating.

Everyone had a rebellious streak, especially someone like Li Qinyue who had always admired strength.

So once she had tasted it, it was hard to let go.

It wouldn’t be satisfying if they didn’t fight, or even if they only fought one person instead of two.

After a while, Li Qinyue said, “There’s a place without surveillance cameras, and everyone has to go there.”

Zhuo Zhi looked at her, “The bathroom.”

Li Qinyue: “Like in the movies, can we get some cleaning staff uniforms?”

Zhuo Zhi said, “It’s not that strict in restaurants, we can.”

Li Qinyue: “Let’s get two sets, the kind that covers everything.”

Zhuo Zhi gave her an OK sign.

Zhuo Zhi went back into the restaurant and quickly returned, pulling Li Qinyue into a storage room and closing the door.

“There’s only one cleaning lady for the second floor, she’s upstairs mopping the floor right now. We have at least ten minutes to change.”

“Damn,” Li Qinyue was excited, “They usually only have half a minute in the movies.”

Zhuo Zhi laughed, “You’re not happy about having more time?”

“I am, very happy,” Li Qinyue immediately took off her jacket, “Ten minutes is enough for us to have sex.”

“What?” Zhuo Zhi was stunned.

“Just a kiss,” Li Qinyue corrected herself, pushing Zhuo Zhi against the door and giving her two hard kisses.

She wanted to go further, but Zhuo Zhi pushed her away forcefully, “Don’t be silly, Sister.”

Her face was flushed, but her hands were strong. Li Qinyue, lacking the strength to resist, gave up, “There’s usually a passionate scene at this point in the movies.”

Zhuo Zhi went deeper into the storage room and took out a set of clothes, “Sister, this isn’t a movie.”

Li Qinyue looked at the clothes, “Are they clean?”

“No,” Zhuo Zhi said helplessly, “They’re dirty, just haven’t been washed yet.”

Li Qinyue looked around, “Should we look for something else?”

“Every second we stay here, the chances of being discovered increase,” Zhuo Zhi stuffed Li Qinyue’s clothes and bag into a compartment, “If you really think they’re dirty, I’ll go alone.”

“I don’t mind, I don’t mind,” Li Qinyue quickly put on the uniform, “You’re the boss now, I’ll listen to you.”

Zhuo Zhi smiled, helped Li Qinyue adjust her clothes, tucked her long hair inside, and put the hat on.

Then she took out two clean disposable masks from her pocket, covering everything but their eyes.

After changing, they left the storage room and walked towards the nearest bathroom, which was close to the private room.

This spy-like behavior made Li Qinyue both excited and nervous.

She whispered to Zhuo Zhi, “Should we walk in a more respectful manner?”

Zhuo Zhi said, “What era are we in? Even waiters don’t walk respectfully anymore.”

“That’s true,” Li Qinyue straightened her back.

After a few steps, Li Qinyue asked again, “If we run into someone we know, they’ll recognize us even with our faces covered, right?”

“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi said, “So we can’t let them see our faces.”

“Did you bring sacks?” Li Qinyue asked.

“We have to learn to use what’s available,” Zhuo Zhi patted her pocket, “I have two bread bags here.”

“Tsk,” Li Qinyue sighed, “You’re amazing.”

They took a few more steps and passed two waiters. Zhuo Zhi didn’t even glance at them.

Li Qinyue did well too, but she couldn’t help but look back after they passed, “They didn’t recognize us, right?”

“It’s busy now, the people in the corridor are all busy with their work, they won’t notice us.”

“Oh, okay,” Li Qinyue nodded, feeling a little silly. She added, “That’s what I thought too.”

They took a few more steps, approaching the corridor where the private room was located. Just before turning the corner, Li Qinyue grabbed Zhuo Zhi’s arm, “I remember there’s a camera here!”

“There’s also a camera behind you,” Zhuo Zhi said.

Li Qinyue frowned, her tone professional, “That’s different. Once we turn this corner, it’s the crime scene. If they investigate, they’ll focus on…”

Zhuo Zhi grabbed Li Qinyue’s hand and pulled her around the corner.

Li Qinyue suddenly fell silent, her legs stiff with nervousness.

“It’s fine,” Zhuo Zhi smiled, “Look, that camera is broken.”

“Broken?” Li Qinyue looked up.

“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Either broken or turned off.”

Li Qinyue felt a little embarrassed, “What if it’s not broken?”

“I have pepper spray in my pocket, we can just spray it from a blind spot.”

“Are you Doraemon?”

“I bought it at the supermarket before we came here.”

“Are you a prophet?”

“I also bought allergy medicine and hangover pills, just in case.”

“Damn,” Li Qinyue chuckled, “You really hate dinners, you’re so well-prepared.”

“I can’t kiss you now,” Zhuo Zhi said.

Li Qinyue’s heart skipped a beat. She found Zhuo Zhi’s bluntness at this moment incredibly charming and cool.

She leaned closer and said, “We can kiss if you take off your mask.”

“But,” Zhuo Zhi stopped, “We’re here.”

Li Qinyue: “We can kiss in the bathroom too.”

“Men’s or women’s?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

“Women’s, of course. You don’t have a…”

“Sister!” Zhuo Zhi couldn’t take it anymore and glared at her, “We didn’t dress like this to do that!”

Li Qinyue looked down at her dirty cleaning uniform, “Oh, that’s right! Men’s or women’s?! We can’t go separately, we’ll only be able to beat up one of them!”

“We can beat up one here, then follow the other one out later and find another opportunity,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“You have a point,” Li Qinyue agreed.

Zhuo Zhi sighed inwardly, realizing that Li Qinyue truly lacked experience in this area, “Let’s go to the men’s room, Wang Zilai goes to the bathroom more frequently.”

Li Qinyue: “You even know that?”

Zhuo Zhi tilted her head, “I also know that he’ll definitely be here soon, five minutes at most.”

“Damn,” Li Qinyue chuckled, “Does he have a weak bladder?”

Zhuo Zhi also laughed, “Prostate problems.”

After their laughter subsided, Zhuo Zhi gestured, “Sister, let’s go in.”

Li Qinyue looked inside. The corridor was quite long, “I’ve never been inside a men’s bathroom before.”

“Me neither,” Zhuo Zhi stood behind her.

“You go first,” Li Qinyue gestured.

“You go first, I’ll cover you,” Zhuo Zhi didn’t move.

Li Qinyue looked back at her, “You go first.”

Zhuo Zhi looked down at the floor, “You go first.”

Li Qinyue: “…”

Zhuo Zhi: “…”

Neither of them had expected their perfectly planned, movie-like revenge mission to get stuck at this point.

They heard the sound of running water from inside, then footsteps approaching.

Zhuo Zhi pulled Li Qinyue closer, and they stood against the wall, side by side. They saw a pair of leather shoes walk past.

They kept their heads down, afraid of being recognized.

The shoes stopped in front of them, as if the person was confused.

Li Qinyue suddenly spoke, “Sir, I just mopped the floor, be careful, it’s slippery.”

She had disguised her voice perfectly, using a standard waiter’s tone with a hint of a mainland accent.

After the shoes walked away, Zhuo Zhi burst out laughing, “Sister, you’re a natural.”

“A natural at being a waiter?” Li Qinyue was also amused.

Chapter 43

Zhuo Zhi found this truly amazing.

If a peck on the lips was like a feather tickling her heart, then this passionate entanglement was like a fire burning under her, urging her forward, closer.

Li Qinyue’s scent surrounded her, enveloped her, slowly seeping into her.

Her thoughts were both chaotic and clear. Clear in the sense that every subtle sensation on her tongue seemed to be etched into her memory, permanently sealed. Chaotic in the sense that she couldn’t control her actions.

For example, her mind screamed, Enough, enough, don’t press so hard, but her body couldn’t help but lean in closer, wanting to eliminate every bit of space between them.

For example, her mind screamed, Stop, stop, we’ve done enough, but her tongue continued to explore, licking, nibbling, sucking, each movement sending waves of pleasure through her.

And for example, Zhuo Zhi wanted to obey Li Qinyue’s instructions, to only move her tongue, not daring to move any other part of her body, but her hand, as if possessed, had already untied Li Qinyue’s bathrobe belt and slipped inside.

She touched smooth, supple skin, as soft as water flowing through her fingers, impossible to grasp. She caressed it repeatedly, tracing the delicate curves in her mind, over and over again.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely. Zhuo Zhi didn’t know if a moment had passed, or a minute. Had she just kissed Li Qinyue’s lips, or had they been entangled for an eternity?

She started feeling a sense of urgency, a restlessness she couldn’t explain, like a machine that had been started but had no task to perform, like she had mastered a new martial arts technique, but had no opponent to spar with.

Speaking of martial arts… Zhuo Zhi suddenly opened her eyes, seeing Li Qinyue, her face flushed like her own, her lips glistening, her neck slender.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she finally pulled away, tumbling off the bed.

This time, she couldn’t even utter a “good night.” She ran out of the room, afraid that if she lingered even a moment longer, she would cross the line, forgetting her master’s teachings and the promise she had made.

This night was destined to be restless.

Zhuo Zhi lay in bed, unable to sleep, her mind racing.

She endured until the first light of dawn, then got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face, noticing that her eyes were a little red.

But she felt energized, like she could go for a twenty-kilometer run.

And she did. While the city was shrouded in heavy smog, the air on the mountain was fresh and clean.

As she ran, her body warmed up, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, her back, and even trickled down her legs.

Zhuo Zhi took a deep breath, finally feeling the pent-up emotions from last night dissipate.

As usual, she bought some fresh fruits and vegetables that Li Qinyue liked on her way back to the villa. As she walked slowly, she thought about how to apologize to Li Qinyue so she wouldn’t be angry.

After all, the way she had run away last night was awful.

However, the carefully prepared apology she had rehearsed in her mind wasn’t needed.

By the time Zhuo Zhi was busy in the kitchen, Li Qinyue had already come downstairs, her steps light, her energy radiating, as she did some yoga stretches in front of the French window, facing the bare trees that looked artistic in their nakedness.

Her posture was graceful, her mind and body at ease.

When Zhuo Zhi served breakfast, Li Qinyue not only served her food, but also brought up Lan Xi, saying that the response to the episode had been good, and based on her performance in the next two episodes, Lan Xi’s spot on “I’m a Musician” should be secure.

Her tone was calm, but Zhuo Zhi was happy, knowing that this was good news for them.

After breakfast, Li Qinyue took Zhuo Zhi down the mountain to “Shengle Media”. Once again, Zhuo Zhi met the candidates for “12 New Stars”. They were about to enter the official competition, five of them in total, including An Qi and Apple. Zhuo Zhi gave them a few extra glances.

In the afternoon, Lan Xi and her band members arrived at “Shengle Media” and went into General Manager Chen’s office. They talked for a long time before coming out.

Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Li Qinyue made two phone calls, then put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder and said, “Comrade Xiao Zhuo, we have another dinner tonight.”

“What kind?” Zhuo Zhi hoped it would be like the last time at “Shengge”, a gathering of friends. Although she had to keep an eye on Lan Xi, the overall atmosphere was pleasant.

“The kind you hate,” Li Qinyue, knowing her well, gave her a sympathetic look.

Zhuo Zhi frowned and went to the supermarket downstairs to buy hangover pills and allergy medicine, just in case.

When it was time, they set off to an upscale restaurant with an ethnic flair. After parking the company car, Li Qinyue rolled up the windows and didn’t get out immediately.

Zhuo Zhi looked out and asked, “Who are we waiting for, Sister?”

“Someone interesting,” Li Qinyue’s hand fidgeted with the cigarette pack on the dashboard. Zhuo Zhi grabbed her hand.

Li Qinyue looked at her. Zhuo Zhi held her hand firmly, “I’ll suffocate if you smoke in the car.”

“You’re not even making up an excuse to care about my health now?” Li Qinyue asked with a smile.

“I care about your health, but that doesn’t mean it’ll work,” Zhuo Zhi smiled back.

“Do you know why saying that is more effective?” Li Qinyue asked.

“Because you’re good to me, Sister,” Zhuo Zhi said, turning to look out the window with a smile.

Li Qinyue chuckled, “So shameless about your self-love, but too shy to look at me?”

Zhuo Zhi rubbed Li Qinyue’s hand, but didn’t turn back.

Li Qinyue didn’t force her. She fiddled with Zhuo Zhi’s fingers, a small indulgence.

After a while, Li Qinyue said softly, “She’s here.”

Zhuo Zhi quickly turned back and followed Li Qinyue’s gaze, seeing a familiar car entering the parking lot.

Zhuo Zhi truly disliked this person, so she immediately became alert, “What’s she doing here?”

“Dinner,” Li Qinyue said.

“Why do we keep running into her?” Zhuo Zhi frowned. “Is she stalking you, plotting against you?”

Li Qinyue chuckled, “That was the only time we ran into her, at Brother Mi’s dinner, right?”

“And now we’re running into her again,” Zhuo Zhi said fiercely.

“This isn’t a coincidence,” Li Qinyue stared at the car, “This is a planned encounter, it’s a setup.”

Zhuo Zhi’s expression turned even more disgusted.

Li Qinyue looked at her sideways, pinching her cheek, “Stop frowning, you’ll get wrinkles. You’re wrong this time, I invited her to dinner.”

“Why?!” Zhuo Zhi immediately exclaimed.

“For fun, of course,” Li Qinyue said with a mischievous smile.

Zhuo Zhi didn’t voice her next “why” because she saw not only the annoying Ling Xi getting out of the car, but also Lan Xi, whom they had just met at “Shengle Media” this afternoon.

They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. As they walked, Ling Xi even put her hand on Lan Xi’s lower back, guiding her towards the elevator.

Before the elevator door closed, Zhuo Zhi even saw Ling Xi leaning close to Lan Xi’s ear, whispering something, completely exceeding the normal social distance.

Zhuo Zhi’s frown deepened. If it were summer, she could have squashed two mosquitoes with that frown.

“What’s going on?” she turned to ask Li Qinyue.

“Lan Xi is joining us for dinner,” Li Qinyue said, “Didn’t I tell you?”

“No,” Zhuo Zhi was a little sad, “So is Lan Xi a spy?”

Li Qinyue chuckled, “You’ll find out later.”

“I want to know now,” Zhuo Zhi squeezed Li Qinyue’s hand, “So I can plan my next move.”

“What move?” Li Qinyue was surprised.

“If she’s helping Ling Xi plot against you, I’ll make her puke her guts out tonight and crawl back home,” Zhuo Zhi gritted her teeth, “And if this is some kind of elaborate spy game you’ve arranged, I’ll find an opportunity to put a sack over Ling Xi’s head again.”

“Wow, wow, wow…” Li Qinyue sighed, “I’ve raised a little wolf cub.”

“Don’t forget my identity, Sister,” Zhuo Zhi said seriously.

“Aren’t you my girlfriend?”

“Sister!”

“Then you’re also my bodyguard. A bodyguard’s main duty is to protect their employer. Your little mind is always thinking about beating people up.”

Zhuo Zhi raised an eyebrow, “Aren’t you thinking about it too?”

“I am,” Li Qinyue laughed and raised her hand, “You’re better at fighting than making people drink, aren’t you?”

This was an answer in itself. Zhuo Zhi’s worries vanished, and she smiled, high-fiving Li Qinyue, “It’s not fighting, fighting is a two-way thing, I just beat people up.”

“Okay, my little attack dog.” Li Qinyue couldn’t resist leaning over and giving Zhuo Zhi a quick kiss on the cheek before opening the door and getting out of the car.

This dinner, not only were Ling Xi and Lan Xi present, but also another person Zhuo Zhi deeply disliked: Wang Zilai.

Wang Zilai never attended dinners alone. As usual, he had brought two companions who would flatter him and stroke his ego, making him appear even more imposing. Everywhere he went, people would address him respectfully as “President Wang”.

When everyone had arrived and the food and drinks were served, Wang Zilai scanned the table. Before he could say anything, Ling Xi volunteered to drink three glasses as a self-imposed penalty, which made Wang Zilai beam with delight.

His two companions followed suit, and the atmosphere at the table quickly became lively.

Zhuo Zhi leaned closer to Li Qinyue and whispered, “Sister, can I put a sack over two heads tonight?”

Li Qinyue chuckled, “Do you really think they can’t trace it back to you?”

“I’ll be careful,” Zhuo Zhi said seriously, “I’ll only act when I’m absolutely sure.”

“Then you’ll have to take me with you this time,” Li Qinyue looked at her, “I want to have some fun too.”

Zhuo Zhi smiled. The way they looked at each other, their smiles full of understanding, caught Wang Zilai’s attention. He immediately said, “Little President Li is so devoted this time.”

“What do you mean ‘this time’?” Li Qinyue said, “This is the only time.”

“One time, one time,” Wang Zilai looked around, chuckling mischievously, “Little President Li has only loved once, only devoted to Xiao Zhuo. How does that song go? ‘To win one’s heart, and grow old together…”

He paused and looked at Lan Xi, “Xiao Lan, you’re a good singer, come on, sing us a song.”

Lan Xi smiled wryly and said, “My throat is a bit sore today.”

“Oh,” Wang Zilai immediately poured a glass of liquor and beckoned to her, “Have a drink to soothe your throat.”

“Drinking will make it worse,” Lan Xi’s face was expressionless. “President Wang, you know I’m a singer, protecting my voice is the most important thing.”

Her words were firm and assertive, completely different from the submissive girl from last time who drank as much as they told her to. Wang Zilai’s face darkened. He said to Ling Xi, “Have you seen that show Xiao Lan is on? She’s a talented girl. It’s a shame the producers don’t have much money for promotion, good content, in their hands, it’s going to waste.”

His meaning was clear. He was dangling a carrot in front of Lan Xi, acknowledging her talent, while also giving her a warning: Don’t think you’re a big shot just because you’re on a small-time show. That show can’t make you famous. You still need to choose your allies carefully and know who’s really in charge.

“I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it,” Ling Xi hurriedly said, “Lan Xi’s performance was indeed excellent. Her songwriting skills are impressive. I don’t think many people can compare to her.”

People in this industry were skilled at reading people and sensing trends. Even Zhuo Zhi, an outsider, knew that Lan Xi was going to be a star. Ling Xi and Wang Zilai were even more aware of this.

They were in this together, and their act was clearly meant to take advantage of Li Qinyue’s setup and recruit Lan Xi, to control her and make her do their bidding.

After speaking, Ling Xi stood up, took Lan Xi’s hand, and walked towards Wang Zilai, “Xi, you’re young, you don’t know, President Wang has a professional understanding of music. The song he just requested, sing it for him, let him give you some pointers.”

She had brought Lan Xi to Wang Zilai, but she didn’t let go of her hand.

Zhuo Zhi, with her sharp eyes, noticed Ling Xi’s fingers rubbing Lan Xi’s hand. A few months ago, she wouldn’t have paid attention to such a detail, but now, she immediately understood the deeper meaning behind it.

She had Li Qinyue to thank for that. Zhuo Zhi glanced at Li Qinyue, who was calmly eating, showing no signs of intervening.

Noticing Zhuo Zhi’s gaze, Li Qinyue smiled at her and reached out under the table, squeezing Zhuo Zhi’s thigh.

Zhuo Zhi’s face flushed instantly. Her thoughts were interrupted by Lan Xi’s voice, “I said I can’t sing.”

Her tone was flat, but that made it even more annoying.

The harmonious atmosphere at the table was disrupted, and everyone looked at Lan Xi.

Lan Xi pulled her hand away from Ling Xi and rubbed her wrist. Before anyone else could speak, she added, “I also said earlier that protecting my voice is the most important thing for a singer. So, I can’t drink this wine either.”

This repeated refusal was direct, firm, and left no room for negotiation. It also carried a hint of arrogance.

An arrogance that, in the eyes of Wang Zilai and Ling Xi, stemmed from her newfound fame, both reasonable and unexpected.

It was like someone at the bottom of the food chain, not yet fully liberated, but already trying to be the master. The most infuriating kind.

The smiles on Ling Xi and Wang Zilai’s faces vanished. From Zhuo Zhi’s perspective, this was how it should be, how it had to be. She spoke clearly and confidently, refusing what was inappropriate and resisting oppression.

She remembered Lan Xi hugging the toilet and vomiting earlier and suddenly understood what Li Qinyue had said in the car. Bringing these people together tonight was for entertainment.

Seeing someone stand up for themselves was far more satisfying and enjoyable than intervening on their behalf.

Ling Xi raised her voice and reprimanded Lan Xi, “What are you doing?”

Lan Xi glanced at her, then looked at Li Qinyue, “I asked you and President Wang to introduce me because I wanted to meet President Li. Thank you both, my goal has been achieved.”

Her gaze was sincere and passionate. As she said the next sentence, she couldn’t help but smile, “I signed with ‘Shengle Media’ today. From now on, I’m with President Li.”

Her smile was like a slap in the face to Ling Xi and Wang Zilai.

For the two sycophants, it was another piece of juicy gossip.

And for Zhuo Zhi, her heart, which had just soared with joy, suddenly felt a pang of displeasure. If she had to describe this feeling, it was like the taste of the lemon slice on her plate, a decorative element, but still slightly sour.

She looked at Li Qinyue, wondering how the recipient of this confession felt.

But Li Qinyue wasn’t even looking at Lan Xi. She was looking at Zhuo Zhi, and when their eyes met, she smiled.

The hand under the table reached out and rubbed Zhuo Zhi’s thigh. Her voice, shamelessly flirty, said, “Honey, is the heating not working? You feel cold.”

Chapter 42

As they walked back home, Li Qinyue clutched the wooden pig, silent.

Zhuo Zhi walked beside her, looking up at her expectantly, hoping for some kind of reaction to her surprise.

She had spent a long time making this little wooden pig. Because of her lack of experience, she had messed up and had to start over. And after all the effort she had put into setting the stage tonight, presenting the gift was the most romantic gesture she could think of.

When they got home, Li Qinyue went upstairs. Zhuo Zhi followed her to the bedroom door, but was stopped by the closed door.

There was no sound from inside for a long time. Zhuo Zhi waited outside, wondering if she had done something wrong.

After thinking about it, she couldn’t figure it out. She knew Li Qinyue wouldn’t be truly angry about the pig. After all, she had seen the messy little grass pig she had given Li Qinyue for her birthday, tucked away in a drawer of her dressing table.

She hadn’t even thrown that away, which meant she liked it.

So why was she angry? Zhuo Zhi sat down on the stairs outside the bedroom, resting her chin on her hands, deep in thought.

Li Qinyue was great in every way, it was just that when she got angry, it was always for inexplicable reasons.

About half an hour later, there was finally some movement from the bedroom.

Zhuo Zhi was familiar with the sound of Li Qinyue’s slippers shuffling around.

She jumped off the stairs, stretched her limbs, and called out, “Sister~~ Sister Qinyue~~ Sister~~”

Li Qinyue opened the door. She had just showered, wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair wet.

“What?” she asked.

“Are you going to bed?” Zhuo Zhi peered into the room.

“Yes,” Li Qinyue hummed.

Zhuo Zhi continued to peek, “It’s still early.”

“It’s not early, it’s 11:30,” Li Qinyue said.

“You usually don’t sleep until after midnight,” Zhuo Zhi stood on tiptoe, trying to see more.

“Do you want to come in?” Li Qinyue asked.

“Yes, yes,” Zhuo Zhi nodded vigorously.

“Come in then,” Li Qinyue opened the door wider and walked inside.

Zhuo Zhi entered the room and, seeing her little wooden pig placed neatly on the table, breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Qinyue started drying her hair. The hairdryer was loud, and Zhuo Zhi, standing behind her with her hands clasped behind her back, said, “Sister, don’t use the hot air too much, it’s bad for your hair.”

“It takes too long if I use low heat,” Li Qinyue said, “My hand will get tired.”

“I’ll help you,” Zhuo Zhi offered.

“Go away,” Li Qinyue turned her back.

The hairdryer continued to buzz. Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue’s slender back, accentuated by the bathrobe belt, her gaze sliding down to her smooth calves. Trying to make conversation, she said, “Sister, I think you’re much fairer now than when we first met.”

“Not as fair as you,” Li Qinyue said.

“My fairness is ordinary. Your skin tone is beautiful, like honey,” Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment. “When I first saw you, I thought you were a foreigner, a supermodel with long legs.”

“So you’re saying I’m not beautiful now?”

“No,” Zhuo Zhi quickly said, “I think you’re beautiful no matter what. You were beautiful when I first saw you, and you’re even more beautiful now. But that doesn’t mean you were less beautiful before. Hmm… how do I describe it? Every day you’re beautiful in a different way, whether you’re fairer or tanner, thinner or chubbier, you’re always beautiful…”

“Get lost,” Li Qinyue said flatly.

Zhuo Zhi mumbled a few words, then finally asked, “Are you angry, Sister? Why are you angry?”

“I don’t want to see you,” Li Qinyue said without turning around.

“You’re lying,” Zhuo Zhi said with certainty. But she had to admit, her heart ached a little when Li Qinyue said those words.

Li Qinyue stopped drying her hair, “I’m giving you ten seconds to go back to sleep.”

“I won’t,” Zhuo Zhi said without hesitation.

“Then don’t regret it,” Li Qinyue turned off the hairdryer, threw it aside, and finally turned around, “Want to know why I’m angry?”

Zhuo Zhi felt that Li Qinyue’s eyes looked different than usual. She thought she understood Li Qinyue very well, but she could still sense these subtle changes.

She was a little apprehensive, but she still nodded resolutely.

“Close the door,” Li Qinyue said.

Zhuo Zhi turned around and closed the bedroom door. Li Qinyue was sitting on the edge of the bed, a cigarette between her fingers.

The cigarette wasn’t lit yet, but Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but say, “It’s late, don’t smoke.”

Li Qinyue raised an eyebrow. Zhuo Zhi took a deep breath, walked up to her, and offered her hand.

Li Qinyue didn’t move. She looked down at Zhuo Zhi’s hand and suddenly smiled.

The bedsheets were a bold crimson. Li Qinyue’s hair was half dry, and the collar of her bathrobe was slightly open, revealing her honey-colored skin.

The way she smiled, holding the cigarette, was breathtakingly beautiful. Zhuo Zhi’s heart fluttered, filled with an urge to shower her with compliments. She even thought that if smoking wasn’t bad for her health, she would let Li Qinyue smoke as much as she wanted.

“You’re getting quite used to this,” Li Qinyue said, looking at Zhuo Zhi’s fingers.

Zhuo Zhi’s face warmed. She answered sincerely, “I think these things are nothing compared to your health and safety, Sister.”

“Tsk,” Li Qinyue looked up at her, “Be honest, don’t you feel anything when you do these things?”

Zhuo Zhi felt like she was being roasted alive, her neck turning red.

She retracted her hand, clasped both hands behind her back, and lowered her head, not daring to look at Li Qinyue.

Li Qinyue threw the cigarette aside and lay back on the bed, “Why am I angry? I’m frustrated.”

Zhuo Zhi glanced at her secretly.

Li Qinyue propped herself up on her hands, her neck arched back, forming a beautiful curve, “It’s fine if you have your principles, but I don’t. You’re teasing me, and then you won’t let me touch you. I’m not a nun from your neighboring temple.”

Zhuo Zhi was stunned. She hadn’t expected this reason at all.

Li Qinyue stopped staring at the ceiling and looked at her, “I’m a healthy, adult woman, understand? So get lost.”

Zhuo Zhi couldn’t speak for a moment. An awkward silence filled the air.

Li Qinyue looked at her sideways, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Zhuo Zhi stammered, “How… how do you want to… to touch…”

Li Qinyue asked, “Have you ever seen porn?”

Zhuo Zhi: “What kind of porn?”

“The kind where people have sex,” Li Qinyue didn’t bother using childish euphemisms.

“No,” Zhuo Zhi’s blush deepened.

“Have you ever read erotic novels?”

“No.”

“What about erotic descriptions in normal novels?”

“Well, the ones that say ‘omitted content’…”

“Damn,” Li Qinyue was both amused and exasperated. She waved her hand, “Just go back to sleep, I won’t eat you alive even if I’m angry.”

“Don’t be angry,” Zhuo Zhi didn’t leave, looking aggrieved, “We went out and had fun all night, I even gave you a Christmas present, you should be happy.”

“You’re even telling me how to feel now?” Li Qinyue squinted at her.

“I want you to be happy,” Zhuo Zhi stared at her, her eyes shining.

Li Qinyue sighed, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She was indeed frustrated by Zhuo Zhi’s teasing. In that kind of environment, with people coming and going, the Santa Claus vendor grinning at them, the bright lights, every detail exposed, Zhuo Zhi could actually kiss her as if nothing was wrong.

It was completely unexpected, so sudden and out of the blue. That light kiss felt like Thor’s hammer striking her, making her mind spin, her heart skip a beat.

If any normal adult had done that to her, it would have been an invitation for a night of passion. But with this silly wooden head, Zhuo Zhi, it meant nothing, absolutely nothing.

Or rather, Zhuo Zhi wasn’t that silly, she simply wasn’t willing.

She didn’t think they had reached that point, she didn’t have those uncontrollable urges for Li Qinyue, like Li Qinyue had for her.

Of course, Li Qinyue was angry. As she walked back to the room, her mind was filled with a repetitive, angsty thought: “The one who falls in love first, loses, loses, loses…”

She refused to lose, but she couldn’t force the pace. She had thought she was a cunning fox, that winning over this little chick would be a piece of cake, but now she realized that this chick was playing with her.

How could she not be angry?

But even when she was angry, Zhuo Zhi wouldn’t let her be. She just had to come closer, preventing Li Qinyue from expressing her anger.

So innocent, so simple, so sincere, her sweet words flowing effortlessly, while she used an invisible rubber band to bind Li Qinyue, pulling her close, then pushing her away, not giving her a moment to breathe.

Effortless dominance, no tricks, the best trick of all.

Li Qinyue remained silent. After a whirlwind of emotions, all that was left was a hint of sadness.

Zhuo Zhi looked at her, took a step forward, and pouted, “Don’t be like this, Sister.”

“Like what?” Li Qinyue’s voice was a little hoarse, her nose stinging.

Zhuo Zhi leaned closer and held Li Qinyue’s hand, “I really want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” Li Qinyue smiled, “I like the pig you gave me.”

Zhuo Zhi said, “I thought you liked it when I kissed you.”

“I do like it,” Li Qinyue said, “But it’s not enough.”

Zhuo Zhi hesitated, as if making a major decision, “Then how about we try something else? We won’t go all the way, but we can try something else…”

“Look at you, acting so pitiful,” Li Qinyue said flatly.

“I’m not pitiful,” Zhuo Zhi quickly shook her head, her face flushed, “I… I like it too…”

This was the first time Zhuo Zhi had admitted that she enjoyed their intimate moments.

Li Qinyue’s sadness subsided, replaced by joy and a tingling sensation.

“Then come here,” she said.

Zhuo Zhi knelt on the bed, moving closer to her.

“Closer,” Li Qinyue didn’t move, her voice alluring like a siren.

Their breaths mingled.

“Actually, I also have a present for you,” Li Qinyue looked at her lips.

“What?” Zhuo Zhi’s lips moved slightly.

“I donated one million yuan in your name to the largest missing children’s organization in the country,” Li Qinyue said, “Every year.”

“What…” Zhuo Zhi mumbled, unable to believe her ears.

“I don’t usually celebrate Christmas. This is my New Year’s present for you,” Li Qinyue smiled. “I also want you to be happy.”

Zhuo Zhi’s lips trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.

Li Qinyue stopped her in time, “Alright, kiss me.”

Zhuo Zhi quickly pressed her lips against Li Qinyue’s.

Their lips met, and Li Qinyue said, “Use your tongue.”

Zhuo Zhi’s warmth, genuine and hesitant, transferred to Li Qinyue, warm, moist, and sweet.

Li Qinyue wasn’t in a hurry, she waited for Zhuo Zhi, their tongues instinctively intertwining, love’s natural instinct.

Chapter 41

When they were ready to go out, not only were they wearing matching scarves, but Li Qinyue had also chosen a coat in the same color as Zhuo Zhi’s.

It was cold outside. As soon as they stepped out, Zhuo Zhi grabbed Li Qinyue’s hand and tucked it into her down jacket pocket, nagging, “Do you know why your hands are always cold? Because you wear such thin clothes! If you know you get cold easily, you should dress warmly. What’s wrong with down jackets? They’re pretty nowadays, why do you insist on wearing a coat…”

Li Qinyue looked at her sideways, “Even calling you Dad isn’t enough anymore. My own dad doesn’t nag as much as you.”

“I’m not nagging,” Zhuo Zhi quickly clarified, “I’m just telling you a story.”

“You call this telling a story?”

“Yes, this is the beginning of the story, the introduction. Now I can say, ‘Once upon a time…” Zhuo Zhi led Li Qinyue towards the plaza. “Once upon a time, when it got cold, I could only wear padded jackets and pants, the kind made by hand. Have you ever worn them? Two layers of fabric with cotton in between, very warm, but also very ugly. Even skinny people looked like they had no gap between their legs. You walked like a penguin…”

There were many more people in the villa complex than usual because of the Christmas events, and it was quite lively outside the residential area. Mostly young people hanging out, but none of them were having conversations like theirs.

Li Qinyue found it amusing and interesting. She looked at Zhuo Zhi, her little mouth chattering away, her eyes sparkling, and felt that she could listen to her talk about anything, it was all so entertaining.

When they reached the plaza, the setup strangely connected with Zhuo Zhi’s story. People nowadays lived comfortable lives and had many forms of entertainment. Having grown tired of modern things, they started reminiscing about the past. Li Qinyue couldn’t find the dance floor, all she saw were open-air stalls.

Ring toss, balloon shooting, gambling games, rocking chairs, bumper cars, bouncy castles… very nostalgic.

“This year’s party,” Li Qinyue said, “Must be the ‘Reminiscing About the Good Old Days’ theme.”

Zhuo Zhi pointed, “Look at the prize area, it’s still very Christmas-y.”

Li Qinyue looked over. It was a colorful display, prizes wrapped in Santa hats and stockings. The staff members were wearing Santa Claus costumes without the headgear, a fusion of East and West, creating a unique atmosphere.

“Oh,” Li Qinyue replied.

“We can play the games first, collect cards if we win, and then draw for prizes,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“You seem to know this quite well,” Li Qinyue teased her.

“I saw the announcement board when I was buying groceries at noon.”

“If I hadn’t used the Lan Xi incident as leverage, you wouldn’t have come out at all, would you?” Li Qinyue pointed, “All those games are like free prizes for you.”

“Not really,” Zhuo Zhi looked down at her toes.

“What are you thinking?” Li Qinyue felt inexplicably irritated, “You only came out to please me just to find out about that?”

“No!” Zhuo Zhi immediately shouted, raising her head and glaring at Li Qinyue.

“I didn’t know you could open your eyes that wide,” Li Qinyue glared back.

“It’s true!” Zhuo Zhi stepped in front of her, taking her other hand, “Lan Xi will definitely advance in the next two rounds, I don’t need to ask you to know the result. I sincerely wanted to come out and play with you.”

“You went to ask her?” Li Qinyue’s focus shifted quickly.

“No, I don’t have her contact information.”

“Really?”

“Really!” Zhuo Zhi quickly took out her phone, “See for yourself…”

Li Qinyue glanced at her phone. Zhuo Zhi’s contact list was sparse.

“What about WeChat?” Li Qinyue asked.

Zhuo Zhi quickly switched to WeChat.

Besides “Sister Qinyue”, there were only a few official accounts she had subscribed to.

Li Qinyue pursed her lips and chuckled, “Who wants to see your phone? I’m not your girlfriend right now, I don’t have the right to check up on you…”

Zhuo Zhi put away her phone, “You can check even if you’re not my girlfriend.”

“Anyone can check?” Li Qinyue frowned again.

“Oh, come on, Sister, why are you so difficult?!” Zhuo Zhi said, “Of course not anyone, I mean, as long as it’s you, you can check in any capacity, I’m your bodyguard, I have no secrets from you.”

“Oh.” Li Qinyue wasn’t sure whether to be amused or annoyed. She pulled Zhuo Zhi along, “Wait, did you just call me difficult?”

“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi suddenly let go of her hand and skipped ahead, “Miss Difficult! Hahahaha…”

Li Qinyue thought it was silly for them to be running around and laughing like this.

Very silly! Super childish! Look at that couple over there, running around like they’ve lost their minds…

“Come on, Sister!” Zhuo Zhi was standing at a cotton candy stall, waving at her enthusiastically, “Come see my performance!”

Li Qinyue pouted, but her feet moved on their own, and she ran over.

She controlled herself and didn’t burst into laughter, trying to maintain a mature demeanor.

After reaching Zhuo Zhi, Li Qinyue glanced at the whirring cotton candy machine, “What’s so special about this?”

“Hehe, I can make shapes,” Zhuo Zhi said to the vendor, “Can I try?”

It was just a promotional event, and the vendor had learned how to operate the machine on the spot. His wrist was tired from spinning sugar all evening, and the cotton candy wasn’t round.

He stepped aside, “Sure, but it’s not as easy as you think…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence because Zhuo Zhi had already added a scoop of sugar and started spinning the stick. She looked much more professional than him.

The vendor stepped back and watched her spin, “I can also make pink ones.”

“Yes, yes, I saw,” Zhuo Zhi’s fingers spun quickly, a small, round ball forming on the stick.

Li Qinyue looked at the growing ball and asked, “What are you making?”

“You’ll see later,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“Tell me now.”

“It’ll be done soon,” Zhuo Zhi added another scoop of sugar, “Otherwise, there’s no surprise.”

“There’s no surprise if I keep staring at it either.”

“Oh, that’s true. Then turn around, Sister.”

“Are you being childish?”

“Please turn around, Sister!”

Li Qinyue turned around, “If you don’t surprise me, I’ll teach you a lesson.”

Behind her, she could hear the whirring of the cotton candy machine and the vendor’s repeated “wow” and “you’re amazing” as he chatted with Zhuo Zhi. Li Qinyue pouted, staring at a Curious George rocking chair nearby, thinking that she had truly gone crazy after meeting Zhuo Zhi.

That couple who had been laughing like crazy just ran past her again…

Zhuo Zhi finally said, “Sister, it’s done, you can turn around now!”

Li Qinyue turned around, but didn’t see the cotton candy. Zhuo Zhi was hiding her hands behind her back, looking at her with a smile.

The vendor, perhaps infected by the mood, or maybe everyone in the plaza had turned into fools today, was also hiding his hands behind his back, smiling at Li Qinyue.

“Guess where it is?” Zhuo Zhi asked, blinking.

“It’s obviously in your hand,” Li Qinyue said, “You wouldn’t let anyone else hold something you made for me.”

“Wow, you’re so smart, Sister!” Zhuo Zhi said, then added a cheesy sound effect, “Ta-da!”

It was such a cheesy sound effect. Li Qinyue stared at the cotton candy that appeared before her, looking it over carefully, and her bad feeling gradually turned into reality.

Li Qinyue took the cotton candy and was about to take a bite.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Zhuo Zhi ran from behind the stall, “Don’t eat it yet!”

Li Qinyue took a big bite, “Isn’t cotton candy meant to be eaten?”

“You haven’t even seen what shape it is!” Zhuo Zhi was anxious and tried to snatch it back, “Look, I even used pink for the other parts so it’s easier to distinguish…”

Li Qinyue raised her hand to stop her, but Zhuo Zhi was Zhuo Zhi. If she really wanted to snatch something from you, Li Qinyue couldn’t stop her.

Seeing that it was about to be taken away, Li Qinyue stomped her foot and shouted, “What else could it be?! A pig, of course! Do I need to look closely?! Are you obsessed with pigs?!”

Zhuo Zhi stopped bouncing. She looked at Li Qinyue, her smile shy and innocent, “You figured it out, Sister, go ahead and eat it then.”

Li Qinyue tore the cotton candy apart and swallowed it in a few bites.

“Sister, how does it taste?” Zhuo Zhi looked up at her expectantly.

“Does cotton candy have any other flavor?” Li Qinyue squinted at her.

“I made it,” Zhuo Zhi said, feeling a little wronged.

“Sweet!” Li Qinyue shouted, “Cloyingly sweet! Sweet enough to make my teeth hurt!”

Zhuo Zhi burst into laughter.

For the rest of the evening, Zhuo Zhi dragged Li Qinyue to almost every stall, trying all the games.

As Li Qinyue had predicted, for games that required some skill, like ring toss and target shooting, Zhuo Zhi could win with her eyes closed.

The little girl showed off her skills at first, attracting a crowd as she shot down balloon after balloon, clearing the entire target board.

But afterwards, amidst the applause, a shy teenage boy came over and asked for Zhuo Zhi’s WeChat ID, scaring her so much that she grabbed Li Qinyue and ran away, not daring to show off her skills again.

Li Qinyue laughed at her all night. Zhuo Zhi’s revenge was to choose pig-themed prizes for every game.

“Sister, I’ll win you a Peppa Pig.”

“Sister, let’s ride the pink pig bumper cars.”

“Sister, look, that star in the sky looks like a little pig!”

Li Qinyue: “…”

As the night grew late and the crowd thinned out, many vendors started packing up. Zhuo Zhi, holding a handful of prize tickets, dragged Li Qinyue to the prize area.

There weren’t many prizes left, hanging sparsely. Zhuo Zhi was a little disappointed.

“We should have come earlier,” she said, handing the tickets to the Santa Claus without a headgear.

“Wow, you’re so amazing, so many tickets,” Santa Claus exclaimed, “You can take all the prizes on the wall.”

He then let out a hearty “Ho, ho, ho” to match his role.

“That wouldn’t be a surprise,” Zhuo Zhi said, tugging at Li Qinyue’s hand, “Which one do you want, Sister?”

“Don’t we have a lot of tickets?”

“But you should choose one at a time,” Zhuo Zhi said, “So we can pretend we only have one ticket and see what we win, then two tickets, and so on…”

“You’re so boring,” Li Qinyue chuckled.

“Come on, let’s see your luck,” Zhuo Zhi nudged her.

Li Qinyue randomly pointed at a prize. Santa Claus took it down, a sock, and handed it to Zhuo Zhi.

Zhuo Zhi opened it and exclaimed in surprise, “Wow! Bluetooth earphones! The second prize! You’re amazing, Sister!”

Li Qinyue smiled, not really caring.

“Continue, continue,” Zhuo Zhi urged her.

Li Qinyue chose a few more prizes.

Zhuo Zhi exclaimed “wow” every time, being very supportive and making Li Qinyue feel like winning these small prizes actually proved she had incredible luck.

“Wait,” Zhuo Zhi suddenly said as Li Qinyue was about to choose the sixth prize, “Turn around, Sister.”

“Why do I have to turn around again?”

“Because it won’t be a surprise if you choose directly.”

Li Qinyue rolled her eyes, “Should I choose with my butt?”

“You can,” Zhuo Zhi chuckled.

Li Qinyue swayed her hips suggestively. Zhuo Zhi said, “We’re outside, Sister, don’t do that.”

Li Qinyue: “Tsk.”

After a while, Zhuo Zhi said, “Okay, you can choose now.”

Li Qinyue jumped slightly and pointed randomly behind her.

Zhuo Zhi grabbed her hand, her warm palm enveloping Li Qinyue’s, “Congratulations, Sister, you won the grand prize!!!”

Li Qinyue was ecstatic. She turned around and looked at Zhuo Zhi, “Did I win you, my grand prize?”

“Hehe,” Zhuo Zhi raised her other hand, holding a big red cloth bag, “You won this grand prize!”

Li Qinyue took the bag, opened it, and the smile on her face gradually froze.

It was a wooden pig, a carefully crafted, hollow, smooth, ugly yet cute, wooden pig.

“Merry Christmas, Sister!!!” Zhuo Zhi’s smile was as bright as a blooming flower, “This is my Christmas present for you, I made it myself! You can save money in it, and you can also put little notes of happiness in it. Do you like it?”

“Like…” Li Qinyue’s lips twitched, and she slapped Zhuo Zhi’s head with a loud “thwack,” “My ass!!! Because I was born in the Year of the Pig, I’m a pig now?! Am I obsessed with pigs?! Is my name Pig Qinyue?! I…”

Zhuo Zhi stood on tiptoe and suddenly kissed her on the lips, silencing her outburst.

“You swore, Sister,” she said.

Chapter 40

After Li Qinyue finished speaking, Zhuo Zhi stared at her for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

She patted Li Qinyue’s arm, “Why are you always thinking about that kind of thing, Sister?”

“I’m not always thinking about it,” Li Qinyue looked at her, “I only think about it with you.”

Zhuo Zhi shook her head seriously, “No.”

“Hmm?” Li Qinyue was a little surprised, surprised not by Zhuo Zhi’s rejection, but by her serious tone.

Usually, Zhuo Zhi would just brush it off as Li Qinyue teasing her. Today was different.

“No,” Zhuo Zhi repeated, “That kind of thing requires a special relationship.”

“Like what?” Li Qinyue found her adorable and rubbed her back again.

“Like a couple, or husband and wife,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“Oh, aren’t you my girlfriend?” Li Qinyue asked.

“We’re fake,” Zhuo Zhi laughed.

Li Qinyue was about to ask her about the difference between real and fake when Zhuo Zhi added, “And for me, even if we were a real couple, it’s still not okay right now.”

“Why?” Li Qinyue tugged at her ponytail.

“I haven’t met my master yet,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Master said, if I’m dating someone, I have to bring them to her and let her approve before we can do that kind of thing.”

“Your master is so old-fashioned.”

“But I promised her, otherwise she wouldn’t let me come down the mountain,” Zhuo Zhi said seriously.

“Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes,” Li Qinyue thought for a moment, then tilted her head, “Wait, your master’s logic is flawless. You have to bring your partner to meet her, but she doesn’t allow you to go back for a year. Does this mean that no matter what, it’ll have to wait at least a year?”

Zhuo Zhi chuckled, unable to contain her laughter, “Yeah, my master is very clever.”

“Are you lying to me?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

“No, I wouldn’t lie to you,” Zhuo Zhi shook her head.

“Then do you like me?” Li Qinyue asked immediately.

“Yes.”

“That kind of like,” Li Qinyue squeezed her neck.

“Hmm…” Zhuo Zhi looked at her for a moment, then lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, “Well… I don’t know… I’ve never liked anyone before…”

“Does your heart race when you kiss me?” Li Qinyue’s finger tapped Zhuo Zhi’s chest.

“Does yours?” Zhuo Zhi looked up at her, returning the question.

“I forgot,” Li Qinyue raised an eyebrow, “Why don’t you kiss me again so I can feel it?”

“No way,” Zhuo Zhi jumped off her lap, “It’s getting late, I’m going to bed.”

Only then did Li Qinyue realize that no matter how tightly she held Zhuo Zhi, the little girl could escape effortlessly whenever she wanted.

Her body, Zhuo Zhi’s, was a mystery. So slender yet strong, able to fight fiercely yet also soft as a kitten.

Li Qinyue’s mind filled with inappropriate thoughts. She took a deep breath, feeling like she was torturing herself.

Yearning for something she couldn’t have, unable to use force, and having to pamper her instead.

Zhuo Zhi had already disappeared. Li Qinyue shouted from the sofa, “You haven’t answered my question yet!”

“I forgot too!” Zhuo Zhi’s voice drifted back, her tone cheerful, making Li Qinyue smile.

Li Qinyue chuckled. She felt that tonight’s harvest was plentiful. Contentment was happiness, contentment was happiness.

Mi Xingyi didn’t press charges against Rong Hua. After being released from the police station, she disappeared.

The person behind the scenes was found, but it was a personal matter for Mi Xingyi, and he didn’t tell Li Qinyue the details.

For Li Qinyue and Zhuo Zhi, this matter was considered closed. Some stories didn’t have happy endings, and some might never have an ending at all.

Li Qinyue had initially worried about Zhuo Zhi’s mood, but she soon realized that the girl’s ability to recover was astonishing. She didn’t dwell on it and just carried on with her life, making things easy for Li Qinyue.

They would spend a few days at the villa complex, then go into the city for a couple of days. Life was quite pleasant.

Christmas Day happened to be the day Lan Xi’s episode of “I’m a Musician” was broadcast.

Li Qinyue hadn’t remembered the date, but Zhuo Zhi had prepared snacks and fruits, turned on the TV, and tuned in to the show, not even missing the commercials.

Li Qinyue, feeling a little unhappy, pinched Zhuo Zhi’s cheek and asked, “Do you have a crush on Lan Xi?”

“Huh?” Zhuo Zhi was busy looking at both the TV and her phone, “A crush on who?”

“You know who I’m talking about,” Li Qinyue tugged at the soft flesh on Zhuo Zhi’s cheek, “Can’t you feel pain?”

“You’re not using enough force, Sister,” Zhuo Zhi smiled and leaned closer to her, “I think Lan Xi’s performance this episode might get a good response.”

“Why do you care about her?” Li Qinyue asked.

“Aren’t you planning to sign her?” Zhuo Zhi said, “Of course I have to care.”

Li Qinyue chuckled, “Why don’t you quit being a bodyguard and pick any position at ‘Shengle’, become a nine-to-five office worker.”

“If you become a nine-to-five CEO, then I’ll become a nine-to-five office worker,” Zhuo Zhi picked up a jujube and held it to Li Qinyue’s lips, “Try this, it’s definitely sweet.”

Li Qinyue took a bite but didn’t eat it immediately. She asked Zhuo Zhi, “Does it look good?”

“What?” Zhuo Zhi didn’t understand what she was asking.

“Me,” Li Qinyue’s voice was muffled. She leaned back on the sofa and struck a model pose.

The bright red jujube against Li Qinyue’s red lips did look good. Zhuo Zhi smiled and said, “Very beautiful.”

Li Qinyue was finally satisfied. She took a bite of the jujube, “If it looks good, then keep looking at me. Ignore everyone else.”

“Hahahahaha…” Zhuo Zhi laughed and rolled on the sofa, “How can I recognize people if I ignore their faces?”

“Just recognize me.”

“I’m not a dog, only recognizing its owner.”

“I wish you were a dog, I’d keep you in the house, not letting you go anywhere.”

“Hahahahaha…” Zhuo Zhi burst into laughter again.

Once the show started, Zhuo Zhi barely spoke to Li Qinyue. She watched intently, taking notes in a notebook. When Li Qinyue asked her a question, it would take her a few seconds to react and answer.

Li Qinyue felt like she had spoiled her bodyguard rotten.

She lay down in her “master’s” lap, resting her head on her thighs. Zhuo Zhi propped up her arm, creating a space for her head, and continued writing.

“What are you writing?” Li Qinyue wasn’t interested in the show. She looked up at Zhuo Zhi’s chin through the gap between her fingers.

“Votes, audience votes and judges’ votes.”

“I took you to see the live show, don’t you already know the results?”

“I only saw the later part of the show, I’ve been catching up on the earlier episodes. Now I can calculate each contestant’s support rate, the official Weibo account has published the voting results from each platform…”

“Damn…” Li Qinyue couldn’t help but curse.

Zhuo Zhi lifted her hand, leaned down, and kissed Li Qinyue on the lips.

“That wasn’t a curse word!” Li Qinyue exclaimed, “It was an interjection! An exclamation!”

“You can use…” Zhuo Zhi paused, “Oh my god~~ that kind of thing.”

“Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn…” Li Qinyue said.

“You did that on purpose, no more kisses,” Zhuo Zhi pouted.

The episode was an hour and a half long. Zhuo Zhi watched it intently without missing a single second. Then she immediately started checking the feedback on various platforms.

“Sister, did you buy trending topics for Lan Xi?” she asked.

“I didn’t,” Li Qinyue looked up, “She probably bought them herself.”

“She’s really willing to spend money.”

“You can’t catch a wolf without using bait,” Li Qinyue said, “If she misses this opportunity, she’ll have to wait another twenty years.”

“That’s an exaggeration, ‘Shengle’ isn’t some…” She stopped mid-sentence.

Li Qinyue squinted at her, “Go on.”

“‘Shengle’ is doing well,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“Hehe,” Li Qinyue said, “Just wait, next year, ‘Shengle’ won’t be worth the same.”

“I know, at least two contestants from ’12 New Stars’ will make it big,” Zhuo Zhi was even more aware of the situation than Li Qinyue, the hands-off boss.

When it came to promoting someone, the quality of the content was still the most important factor in determining the final outcome.

Although the trending topics Lan Xi had bought were controversial, her performance on the show was undeniably good.

And it was the kind of performance that easily fooled ordinary viewers.

She wasn’t unattractive, mainly, her aura was unique. If she hadn’t dyed her hair back to black, the effect might have been even more explosive, but it was a requirement from the authorities, there was nothing they could do about it.

That night, Lan Xi gained many followers on Weibo. Her Weibo account had been managed beforehand, with many videos of her band’s performances, showcasing her rock and roll style, which was effective in attracting fans.

As Li Qinyue browsed through it with Zhuo Zhi, she couldn’t help but think to herself, “As expected of someone I chose.”

Although she hadn’t done anything, or rather, hadn’t done anything significant, but as someone who could catch her attention in a crowd, Lan Xi did possess a certain charm.

Of course, this was just Li Qinyue’s private thought. Zhuo Zhi was still bothered by what had happened at “Shengge”, and Li Qinyue didn’t want to remind her of it.

Zhuo Zhi, however, was straightforward. She didn’t hide her interest and asked Li Qinyue, “What about the results of the next two episodes?”

“That’s confidential, how would I know?” Li Qinyue raised an eyebrow.

“You definitely know,” Zhuo Zhi stared at her.

Li Qinyue smiled, “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Then how can I get you to tell me?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

“Hmm…” Li Qinyue glanced out the window. The villa complex management loved creating a festive atmosphere. Two Christmas trees, decorated with colorful ornaments and twinkling lights, stood in front of Li Qinyue’s house.

“Something special has to happen,” Li Qinyue said slowly, fiddling with her fingers.

“Hey,” Zhuo Zhi jumped off the sofa, “Sister, let’s go out!”

“It’s late at night,” Li Qinyue wasn’t interested in anything happening outside the house, “I don’t want to go out.”

“Come on, come on,” Zhuo Zhi grabbed her hand and shook it, “We don’t have to go down the mountain, there’s a Christmas party at the plaza.”

“You know how to dance?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

“No,” Zhuo Zhi said, “But there’s a lucky draw!”

“Tell me what prize you want, I’ll buy it for you,” Li Qinyue said confidently.

“Not for me, for you!” Seeing that her pleas weren’t working, Zhuo Zhi bent down, scooped Li Qinyue up, and carried her upstairs, “Can a prize be the same as something you buy? There’s no surprise in things you buy.”

“Are you trying to be a domineering CEO in a forced love story?” Li Qinyue asked as Zhuo Zhi carried her upstairs, her light steps making Li Qinyue bounce.

“Hehe,” Zhuo Zhi said, “I’m taking you to change. You always take so long to get ready to go out.”

“It won’t take long if you help me change,” Li Qinyue teased.

“I need to change too,” Zhuo Zhi’s cheeks warmed, “Let’s wear the scarves we bought together last time.”

“Okay,” Li Qinyue chuckled.

Chapter 39

When Zhuo Zhi entered Li Qinyue’s office, Li Qinyue turned around, startled.

She immediately got up from her chair and walked towards Zhuo Zhi, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Zhuo Zhi shook her head, her voice hoarse, “Nothing.”

“That doesn’t look like nothing.” Li Qinyue stared at Zhuo Zhi’s red, rabbit-like eyes and cupped her face, “Who bullied you?”

“No one can bully me,” Zhuo Zhi closed her eyes and brushed Li Qinyue’s hand away, “It’s fine, President Mi is here.”

“Even President Mi can’t stop me from caring about my girlfriend.”

“I need to talk to President Mi,” Zhuo Zhi walked past her and stood in front of Mi Xingyi.

“Xiao Zhuo, how’s the situation in there?” Mi Xingyi asked at the perfect moment.

“Rong Hua lost her child. She searched for twelve years but couldn’t find her. In October this year, she was diagnosed with liver cancer and wanted to see her child one last time before she dies. So she listened to someone’s malicious advice and resorted to blocking your car. They told her that your family is full of high-ranking officials and that if they filmed a video and made a big fuss, you would help her find her child.” Zhuo Zhi finished in one breath and sniffled.

“Hmm, so that’s what happened,” Mi Xingyi said, “Thank you for your hard work. You’re amazing, I questioned her for a long time, but couldn’t get any information out of her.”

Li Qinyue handed a tissue to Zhuo Zhi and said to Mi Xingyi, “You should investigate the person who instigated this, I’m sure there will be new discoveries.”

Zhuo Zhi looked at Mi Xingyi’s desk and asked, “President Mi, can I borrow your paper and pen?”

“Of course,” Mi Xingyi handed her the notepad and pen from his desk.

Zhuo Zhi bent down and wrote a few lines, then handed them back to Mi Xingyi, “This is the name and address the person behind this used to contact Rong Hua. Rong Hua described their appearance, but she doesn’t have a picture. I wrote it all down here.”

“Thank you,” Mi Xingyi took the notepad and looked at it, “I’ll investigate this later.”

Zhuo Zhi hesitated for a moment, then asked, “President Mi, is it possible not to send Rong Hua to the police station?”

“Hmm?” Mi Xingyi said, “It’s best to leave this kind of matter to the police, it’s the fairest way for everyone.”

Zhuo Zhi didn’t insist. She thought for a moment and asked, “Then can I take her to the hospital to get her leg treated first?”

“Yes, of course,” Mi Xingyi agreed.

“Thank you,” Zhuo Zhi bowed slightly.

Mi Xingyi immediately had his secretary arrange a car. When Zhuo Zhi and Li Qinyue went to get Rong Hua, she refused to go to the hospital.

She was slumped on the floor, looking listless. She just asked Zhuo Zhi, “Is there really no other way?”

“This method is wrong,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Get your leg treated, then you can continue searching.”

Rong Hua waved her hand, “It’s no use, it hurts every day.”

Zhuo Zhi knew she was referring to her cancer, and she couldn’t respond to that.

“If I go like this, I’ll be sent to the police station.” Rong Hua paused, then suddenly looked up, “Just take me to the police station. Maybe if I make a fuss with the police, maybe, maybe…”

She had been relatively calm, but the moment she uttered those words, tears started streaming down her face again.

Zhuo Zhi’s body trembled slightly. Li Qinyue put her arm around her and said to Rong Hua, “If you go to the police station, they’ll also treat your leg first. Every day you’re alive is a blessing. Get your leg treated, then if there’s any news, you can go, right? And stop thinking about making a fuss with anyone, it’s useless. You should know…”

Zhuo Zhi tugged at her arm, interrupting Li Qinyue.

Zhuo Zhi walked to Rong Hua, turned her back, and squatted down, “Anyway, let’s get your leg treated first. Come on, I’ll carry you.”

Rong Hua’s hand landed on Zhuo Zhi’s back, and she burst into tears, “Daughter, don’t bother with me, don’t bother with me…”

Zhuo Zhi closed her eyes, bending down. A tear slid down her cheek and landed on the floor.

Li Qinyue couldn’t stand it any longer. She went over, pulled Zhuo Zhi up, and walked out, “Leave this to me, I’ll handle it.”

“Sister, I want to take her to the hospital…” Zhuo Zhi said softly.

“I know,” Li Qinyue pulled her out of the conference room, “I’ll take her to get her leg treated, right now.”

Zhuo Zhi’s lips moved. Li Qinyue looked at her, “Having that kind of illness, it’s fate, and fate cannot be changed.”

Zhuo Zhi didn’t say anything more. Li Qinyue wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, “Be good, go home first, okay? Leave the rest to me.”

“I’m going with you,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“No, you’re very tired today,” Li Qinyue asked her, “Do you trust me?”

Zhuo Zhi nodded.

“If you trust me, go home first. This is Brother Mi’s matter after all, we shouldn’t interfere too much.”

Zhuo Zhi nodded again, her eyes downcast.

“Can you go back by yourself?” Li Qinyue smiled, “Did you learn how to use that ride-hailing app I taught you?”

“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi forced a smile.

“You’re so smart,” Li Qinyue kissed her forehead, “I want to eat the handmade noodles you make.”

“Okay,” Zhuo Zhi’s voice was hoarse.

They parted ways. On her way back home, Zhuo Zhi received photos of the hospital from Li Qinyue.

Zhuo Zhi clutched her phone. When she arrived home, Li Qinyue sent her a photo of Rong Hua’s leg in a cast.

Zhuo Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, but the knot in her chest didn’t loosen.

Li Qinyue messaged her: Brother Mi’s people will be watching her here. He’ll contact me about the next steps. I’m going home now, I’m starving.

Zhuo Zhi replied: I’m starting to knead the dough.

Li Qinyue sent a voice message: “Noodles kneaded by my wife, wife, make them chewy.”

Zhuo Zhi knew she was trying to cheer her up. She smiled, but Li Qinyue couldn’t see it.

It was very late when Li Qinyue returned to the villa complex.

Zhuo Zhi was staring blankly at the dough in the kitchen. Hearing the sound of the door opening, she quickly straightened up, removed the lid of the bowl, and started cutting the noodles.

Li Qinyue walked in and called out to her as she entered the kitchen. Zhuo Zhi responded, “Yes.”

She slightly regretted not clearing her throat beforehand, her voice was still a little hoarse.

Li Qinyue turned and left. Zhuo Zhi paused in her cutting.

She felt a little uneasy. This time, she forcefully cleared her throat and asked in a louder voice, “Just plain noodles tonight, Sister?”

“Yes,” Li Qinyue replied loudly, then turned around and came back as quickly as she had left.

This time, Zhuo Zhi looked at her, “Tomato and egg?”

“I want meat,” Li Qinyue stood behind her, “Don’t you ever give me meat?”

“It’s late, you should eat less meat,” Zhuo Zhi continued cutting the noodles, making conversation.

“I won’t get fat,” Li Qinyue said proudly, then suddenly reached out and said, “Open your mouth.”

Zhuo Zhi was stunned. Li Qinyue was holding a mint candy, already unwrapped. The beautiful green candy shimmered slightly under the light.

“I can do it myself,” Zhuo Zhi put down her knife.

Li Qinyue raised her other hand and swatted Zhuo Zhi’s hand, “Your hands are covered in dough, I washed my hands, they’re clean.”

“I don’t think your hands are…”

“Then eat it.”

Zhuo Zhi opened her mouth and ate the candy.

The candy was too small. No matter how carefully she tried to take it, it still brushed against Li Qinyue’s finger.

Li Qinyue’s eyes narrowed into a smile.

The mint wasn’t strong, but the cooling effect was refreshing.

The coolness spread through her mouth, up her nose, and into her lungs, making Zhuo Zhi feel much better.

Li Qinyue was standing very close to her, watching her intently, “Hurry up and eat it, I’ll give you another one after you finish.”

“How can I eat candy quickly?” Zhuo Zhi looked down at the noodles, not meeting her gaze.

“Just chew it a couple of times and it’ll be gone.”

“Cavities.”

“You’re eighteen, you can’t get cavities anymore.”

“Is that so?” Zhuo Zhi laughed, nudging Li Qinyue with her elbow, “Sister, move back a little, I’m going to cook the noodles now.”

Li Qinyue finally moved back a little, leaning against the kitchen door, arms crossed, but still watching her.

Zhuo Zhi could feel her gaze and unconsciously put on a show with her movements. Cooking could also be a performance.

The ingredients were already prepared, so the meal was ready quickly.

Plain noodles with a fragrant tomato and egg sauce. Zhuo Zhi made two large bowls and asked Li Qinyue, “Can you finish this?”

“You’re not concerned about my figure now?” Li Qinyue took the bowl from her and walked to the dining table with her, “I’ll show you my true appetite.”

Zhuo Zhi sat down across from her and smiled, “I already know.”

During this meal, Li Qinyue didn’t stop talking, not just about the food, but also about random things, even sharing the story of how she almost got liposuction in college to lose weight. Her goddess image was completely shattered.

Zhuo Zhi was amused by her stories and almost didn’t finish her meal. Li Qinyue, getting into the mood, went to the refrigerator, grabbed two cans of beer, and proposed a post-dinner drink with Zhuo Zhi.

Zhuo Zhi hesitated and said, “There’s no need, Sister.”

“Hmm?” Li Qinyue raised an eyebrow, “No need for what?”

“Are you trying to get me drunk so I’ll go to sleep? Or to drown my sorrows?” Zhuo Zhi looked at the beer can, “Or maybe to get me to confess my true feelings?”

“All of those, but not all of them,” Li Qinyue said.

Zhuo Zhi chuckled, “What else are you trying to do?”

“I won’t tell you until you drink,” Li Qinyue said.

“Then let me tell you,” Zhuo Zhi said, “I was kidnapped when I was one and a half years old. Someone took me to a faraway place, and the police rescued me, but they couldn’t find my parents.”

Li Qinyue froze, her whole body stiffening. Zhuo Zhi’s words were too sudden and too calm.

Child abduction was a common news story, there were even TV shows dedicated to reuniting families. It was a topic that always evoked tears.

Previously, Li Qinyue had only heard about these stories, and she wasn’t fond of hearing about such tragedies.

But now, a real tragedy had been revealed, and Li Qinyue, who had a high tear threshold, couldn’t help but shed a few tears after hearing what Rong Hua had to say when they took her to the hospital.

Now, even the little girl beside her was a real victim.

The feeling was indescribable, a coldness in her heart, making her feel uncomfortable.

On the way back, Li Qinyue had considered this possibility, but now that it was confirmed, she still found it hard to accept.

While she was still in shock, Zhuo Zhi smiled.

This silly girl could actually still smile? Li Qinyue frowned.

Zhuo Zhi suddenly stood up and said, “Sister, let’s go to the sofa.”

“Okay,” Li Qinyue felt like she would even do the dishes if Zhuo Zhi asked her to right now.

Zhuo Zhi stood by the sofa, waiting for Li Qinyue, who also stopped.

Zhuo Zhi said, “Sit down.”

Li Qinyue sat down.

Zhuo Zhi squeezed beside her, leaning against her, “Sister, I’m so pitiful.”

Li Qinyue hugged her tightly, rubbing her back and arms, “It’s okay, it’s okay, if you want to find them, I’ll help you. I know a lot of people, rich people, officials, it’s much better than searching blindly…”

Zhuo Zhi turned around, resting her forehead against Li Qinyue’s chest, “It was comfortable when you held me like this in the car last time.”

“Okay, okay,” Li Qinyue was willing to do anything for her, “Whatever makes you comfortable.”

Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but smile, her face hidden against Li Qinyue’s chest. She knew Li Qinyue would be shocked and feel sorry for her, just as she had predicted.

But before she could even finish her thought, tears started rolling down Zhuo Zhi’s cheeks.

They landed on Li Qinyue’s skin, sliding down, making her tighten her embrace.

Once the floodgates opened, tears flowed like a torrential downpour.

Zhuo Zhi had held back her tears when she saw Rong Hua crying, but now, every detail, every word from today echoed in her mind, making her break down.

Li Qinyue’s chest was soaked with tears. The person in her arms was trembling, but she wasn’t making any loud noises.

No one had ever cried like this in front of her, or rather, no one in Li Qinyue’s circle would ever cry like this in front of her.

Unrestrained sadness, a grief Li Qinyue couldn’t comfort. She felt helpless, all she could do was rub Zhuo Zhi’s back and hold her tighter.

“Sister…” Zhuo Zhi’s voice was choked with sobs, “You’re… hurting me…”

Li Qinyue loosened her grip, finally finding something to say, “It’s not comfortable holding you like this.”

She patted her leg, “Sit here.”

Zhuo Zhi looked up, her face covered in tears, her eyes and lips red, “Won’t I crush you?”

“No,” Li Qinyue pulled Zhuo Zhi onto her lap, “Although I’m not as strong as you, I’ve also climbed mountains and crossed rivers.”

Zhuo Zhi straddled her lap, their eyes meeting at close range, their emotions laid bare.

Zhuo Zhi confessed honestly, “I just wanted to cry for a bit, I’ve been holding it in all day.”

“Hmm, it’s okay, cry,” Li Qinyue held her back, preventing her from slipping off her lap.

Her voice was so gentle. Zhuo Zhi’s lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face, “I’ve been holding it in for so long. I stopped crying after I grew up, Master didn’t like me crying.”

“I like you crying,” Li Qinyue felt like her logic had gone to the dogs, “You look good when you cry, cry all you want.”

Zhuo Zhi laughed through her tears. Li Qinyue didn’t mind. She pulled up her sweater sleeve and wiped Zhuo Zhi’s face.

Zhuo Zhi sniffled and asked, “Do you know what the worst part is?”

“What?”

“When I was six, the police said they found my parents. I lived with that family for six months, and then they realized they had the wrong child,” Zhuo Zhi said through tears, “That mother, her eyes were almost blind from crying.”

“Damn,” Li Qinyue couldn’t help but curse.

“No swearing,” Zhuo Zhi said.

Li Qinyue didn’t say anything, just looked at her.

A subtle, inappropriate atmosphere, like a feather brushing against her spine.

Zhuo Zhi leaned in and kissed Li Qinyue’s lips. It was cool and wet, making Li Qinyue’s heart skip a beat.

This time, Zhuo Zhi lingered for a few seconds before pulling away. Then she continued, “Thankfully, I have Master. When I was taken away by that family, she went to the nunnery next door and drank all night. When I was sent back, she took me to eat roasted lamb.”

“A good master,” Li Qinyue said.

“I miss her,” Zhuo Zhi’s lips trembled.

“We’ll go see her tomorrow,” Li Qinyue said quickly.

Zhuo Zhi continued to pout, “She said we can’t go back, not until a year later. She said, if I don’t experience the pain of missing her, I won’t know how good she is to me.”

Li Qinyue couldn’t help but laugh, “A bad master.”

Zhuo Zhi also laughed, wiping her tears, “I’m not sad anymore.”

“Really?” Li Qinyue asked.

“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi nodded vigorously, “I’m done crying.”

“Good,” Li Qinyue smoothed her hair, “Cry whenever you want to cry from now on, anytime, anywhere, just one condition.”

“What?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

“I have to be with you,” Li Qinyue said.

“What if you’re not with me?”

“Call me, I’ll be right there.”

“What if we’re far apart and I can’t hold it in anymore?”

“We won’t be far apart,” Li Qinyue pulled her closer, “Bound together, inseparable, never more than ten meters apart.”

“You’re so clingy,” Zhuo Zhi teased her.

“It’s all for your own good,” Li Qinyue said.

Zhuo Zhi didn’t reply. The room was silent, only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.

Li Qinyue’s hand slowly moved upwards, cupping the back of Zhuo Zhi’s neck, pulling her closer.

Zhuo Zhi suddenly said, “Sister, you said I didn’t say everything.”

“What?” Li Qinyue’s mind was elsewhere.

“The reasons for drinking,” Zhuo Zhi repeated, “You said I didn’t say everything.”

“What? Are you going to fulfill all of them?” Li Qinyue asked.

“You’re so good to me, Sister, just tell me.”

“Drunken recklessness,” Li Qinyue said with a smile.

Chapter 38

After receiving that kiss, Li Qinyue was happy for the rest of the evening.

In a good mood but lacking a suitable outlet for her energy, she decided to top up Zhuo Zhi’s game account.

She had downloaded the game, helped register the account, and even typed in the password as Zhuo Zhi dictated it, so using it felt as natural as her own account.

But it wasn’t her own account. This simple connection sparked a secret thrill.

So, after topping up the account, the usually impatient and short-tempered Miss Li spent two hours power leveling for Zhuo Zhi, secretly determined to bring the little fool up to her level.

Having stayed up late playing games, she woke up late the next morning.

Zhuo Zhi, skilled with her new phone, had only added Li Qinyue on WeChat. She sent her a picture of breakfast she had found online early in the morning, probably trying to entice Li Qinyue to wake up early.

Li Qinyue got out of bed and went downstairs. Zhuo Zhi was doing some strange stretches on the living room carpet. Seeing Li Qinyue, she grinned, “Good morning, Sister.”

“Good morning,” Li Qinyue was happy to see her back to her energetic self.

Zhuo Zhi jumped up and finished the last steps of breakfast in the kitchen. After they ate, as usual, Li Qinyue played on her computer while Zhuo Zhi read.

However, Zhuo Zhi no longer borrowed books from the bookstore. She had downloaded a reading app on her phone and was engrossed in a book.

It was an ordinary day, yet also somewhat unusual.

Li Qinyue couldn’t help but glance at Zhuo Zhi every now and then. Zhuo Zhi would often catch her gaze, smile, her cheeks flushed.

It made Li Qinyue’s heart itch.

That afternoon, Mi Xingyi called Li Qinyue. The news was shocking.

At first, Li Qinyue hadn’t intended to avoid Zhuo Zhi, but Zhuo Zhi was very perceptive and immediately looked over, her eyes wide with curiosity. Li Qinyue, afraid of giving herself away with her expression, went to the back garden.

Although Mi Xingyi seemed calm and collected, he was still young. When he was upset, he needed to vent to his close friends, so the phone call lasted a bit long.

After hanging up, Li Qinyue turned around and saw Zhuo Zhi pressed against the French window, like a gecko, staring at her intently.

The moment their eyes met, Zhuo Zhi quickly walked around the window and came to her side.

But she didn’t ask directly. She draped her jacket over Li Qinyue’s shoulders, saying, “It’s cold in the garden, why didn’t you wear a jacket?”

Li Qinyue’s body felt warm, and so did her heart. She put her hand in Zhuo Zhi’s, “Yeah, why didn’t you bring me a jacket earlier? Feel how cold my hand is.”

Zhuo Zhi took her other hand, holding both in hers, and said, “I was watching you talk on the phone, Sister, you didn’t want me to overhear.”

Li Qinyue said, “Well, it wasn’t…”

Zhuo Zhi cut her off, “It’s about Rong Hua.”

Li Qinyue’s prepared excuses died in her throat.

Zhuo Zhi diligently warmed her hands, not looking up, “It’s true that this has nothing to do with me, but I’m a little curious, I just want to know the truth.”

Two “buts” in a row, so pitiful, so weak, so endearing.

Li Qinyue felt like a monster if she didn’t indulge her.

Telling her the truth wouldn’t make her happy, and not telling her would make her feel wronged and angry. So, Li Qinyue decided to be honest.

“There’s still no truth. Rong Hua showed up again, still trying to scam Mi Xingyi, and ran away before the police arrived.”

Zhuo Zhi was stunned, “Ran away? Is her leg healed?”

Li Qinyue sighed, “According to Mi Xingyi, no.”

“That’s dangerous!” Zhuo Zhi was a little agitated.

“If she doesn’t care about her own safety, there’s nothing others can do,” Li Qinyue paused, “By the way, there was someone filming the scene today, stirring up trouble.”

Zhuo Zhi frowned, her expression troubled.

“Alright,” Li Qinyue pulled her hand away, “Let’s go inside, it’s warmer in there.”

“Do you think she’ll continue tomorrow?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

“I guess so,” Li Qinyue said.

“What about Brother Mi?”

“He thinks so too.”

“Doesn’t Brother Mi have any plans?” Zhuo Zhi followed Li Qinyue inside.

Li Qinyue closed the door and sighed, “Didn’t I tell you yesterday? Brother Mi isn’t an ordinary person, whatever plans he has are none of our business. I can’t send you to his side, following him…”

“No, no, no,” Zhuo Zhi waved her hands repeatedly, “No need, no need.”

“Then what are your thoughts?” Li Qinyue asked.

“Brother Mi will definitely try to catch her next time. Whether it’s through official channels or a private settlement, I hope I can meet Rong Hua then.”

Zhuo Zhi’s guess was accurate. Mi Xingyi was planning to catch her. Li Qinyue agreed, “Okay, that’s doable.”

But on the third day, Rong Hua didn’t appear, nor on the fourth.

Every day, Zhuo Zhi watched Li Qinyue intently, reversing their usual dynamic of stealing glances. Li Qinyue found it amusing.

By the fifth day, Zhuo Zhi was practically glued to Li Qinyue, almost following her into the bathroom, afraid that Li Qinyue would get news but not tell her.

Li Qinyue prayed for Rong Hua to show up soon.

And her prayer was answered. On the fifth night, Mi Xingyi sent her a message, saying that they had caught her.

Li Qinyue asked him what he planned to do. Mi Xingyi said he hadn’t decided yet. This time, after catching her, she just kept crying, which was a bit tricky.

Li Qinyue beckoned to Zhuo Zhi, “I’m going to talk to her, women understand each other better.”

Mi Xingyi chuckled, “You’re not exactly easy to talk to.”

Li Qinyue put her arm around Zhuo Zhi, “I have someone who’s easy to talk to.”

They rushed over. This time, Rong Hua had chosen Mi Xingyi’s company entrance for her scam. Mi Xingyi had caught her along with the person filming the video. They were all in the conference room now.

When Li Qinyue and Zhuo Zhi arrived, Mi Xingyi was standing at the door, smoking. The scene was familiar, but the context was completely different.

“She’s crying so hard, it’s giving me a headache,” Mi Xingyi said.

“President Mi has always had a weakness for women’s tears,” Li Qinyue said.

“Yes, regardless of their age or status, I get a headache whenever a woman cries,” Mi Xingyi paused, “I think I’m almost there.”

“What do you mean?” Li Qinyue asked quickly.

“She asked me to save her child,” Mi Xingyi had put out his cigarette when Zhuo Zhi arrived. Now he was fiddling with the cigarette butt.

“Sigh…” Li Qinyue sighed, “Only your family encounters this kind of thing.”

“Yeah, this time it’s a real drama, playing hard to get.”

Zhuo Zhi, who had been waiting anxiously at the side, knew from their conversation that there was more to this story, and it made her even more anxious.

Although she didn’t move or speak, her gaze was fixed on Li Qinyue, almost tangible.

Li Qinyue sighed inwardly, patted her back, and said to Mi Xingyi, “My girlfriend is very concerned about this matter, she can’t figure it out, she’s been talking about it for days. If there’s nothing confidential, let her go in and see. She works in security, she won’t be at ease until she sees it with her own eyes.”

Mi Xingyi smiled, his eyes crinkling, and said to Zhuo Zhi, “Thank you for remembering. I’m fine, they’re all in there, you can ask whatever you want. I’ll still be sending them to the police station later.”

“Okay, thank you, President Mi,” Zhuo Zhi said quickly.

“I should be thanking you,” Mi Xingyi said politely.

Zhuo Zhi entered the conference room. Mi Xingyi led Li Qinyue to another office and made her tea.

“I heard you found a little girlfriend. You brought her to dinner that day, but didn’t formally introduce her. I thought it wasn’t serious.”

“Of course it’s serious, have you ever seen me bring anyone else?” Li Qinyue took a sip of tea and smiled. “She’s young and shy, so I didn’t make it formal.”

“Relationships are interesting,” Mi Xingyi said. “No one expected you to find a little girlfriend.”

“Age and gender don’t matter, as long as you like each other.”

Li Qinyue had initially mentioned “girlfriend” to emphasize her relationship, to ask Mi Xingyi for a favor so Zhuo Zhi could intervene in this matter. But now that they were talking about it, she found herself enjoying the conversation.

So she added, “You wouldn’t believe it, but she’s really good at martial arts.”

Mi Xingyi chuckled, “What kind of martial arts?”

Li Qinyue also chuckled, “All kinds. The way she fights, the last time I saw someone like that was that assistant my uncle brought to a meeting.”

“He’s a bodyguard,” Mi Xingyi said, “Do you have a thing for certain professions?”

“No, I only have a thing for my girl.” Li Qinyue sounded smug.

When Zhuo Zhi entered the conference room, a man was arguing with Rong Hua, something about how she had made him do this and that it was her responsibility if he got arrested.

It was a one-sided argument. Rong Hua didn’t respond, she just kept crying.

Her eyes were swollen, her eyelids drooping, barely recognizable.

Zhuo Zhi’s heart ached. She said to the man, “Stop yelling.”

The man, seeing that it was a young girl, shouted, “I’m not yelling! I’m going to jail! I just took some money to film a video, how did I become a criminal? Where can I go to complain about this injustice?”

“The police station,” Zhuo Zhi walked towards Rong Hua. There was a pack of tissues on the table, but Rong Hua wasn’t using them. Zhuo Zhi took out two and handed them to her. “Stop crying.”

The man took a step forward, about to argue again. Zhuo Zhi was getting annoyed. She reached out and twisted his arm behind his back.

The man cried out in pain. Zhuo Zhi said, “I told you to stop yelling, wait over there.”

The man, a bully at heart, didn’t dare to make another sound and obediently went to sit in a corner.

Rong Hua didn’t take the tissues. Zhuo Zhi held them.

She said, “You don’t really want to go to the police station, do you? If calling the police was useful, you wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble, right?”

Rong Hua glanced at her, then broke down, “I really have no other choice, I have no other choice…”

“Yes, I know,” Zhuo Zhi squatted down in front of her and wiped her tears with the tissues, “Who would want to do this if they had a choice?”

“My child is missing, my child is missing…” Rong Hua’s voice was low, but every word seemed to be repeated a thousand times, pain, despair, relentless torture, heart-wrenching.

Zhuo Zhi’s eyes reddened. She reached out and grabbed Rong Hua’s hand, “If she’s missing, we’ll find her, we’ll keep looking, we’ll find her.”

The hand was rough, so rough, like a gnarled tree root.

Tears streamed down Rong Hua’s face. She looked at Zhuo Zhi, her other hand reaching out hesitantly, wanting to touch Zhuo Zhi’s cheek, but ultimately stopping short.

Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, stared intently at Zhuo Zhi. She seemed to smile, but it quickly disappeared, swallowed by her grief-stricken face.

Rong Hua said, “My daughter, if she’s still alive, she’d be about your age, about your age…”

Zhuo Zhi looked down, tears falling, quickly wiped away.

She knew crying wouldn’t solve anything. She took two deep breaths and looked up at Rong Hua, “She must be alive. Did you find some clue about her, so you came to find President Mi?”

Rong Hua shook her head, her voice hoarse, “I couldn’t find her, couldn’t find her, so I came to find a high-ranking official.”

Zhuo Zhi asked, “Did you report it to the police? File a missing person report? Join a missing children’s support group? Where’s your hometown? Where have you searched?”

“I’ve searched everywhere, everywhere I could,” Rong Hua shook her head. “It’s been twelve years, I couldn’t find her, couldn’t find her.”

“Why are you using this method now, after so long?” Zhuo Zhi’s chest tightened, her throat dry.

Rong Hua pulled her hand away from Zhuo Zhi’s grasp, and as she spoke, tears streamed down her face again, “I don’t have much time left. Others told me about this method, so I tried it. If my daughter is still in this world, I want to see her one last time. If she’s gone, I’ll go find her in the afterlife…”

Chapter 37

As Li Qinyue pushed her way through the crowd, she saw Mi Xingyi squatting beside the person who had been hit, asking if she was okay.

It was a woman in a black down jacket, about forty or fifty years old, with dry, thinning hair and wrinkles etched deeply around her eyes and mouth, giving her a weary appearance.

She didn’t cry or make a fuss when Mi Xingyi asked her. She just shook her head, her wrinkles deepening, her expression pained.

Zhuo Zhi was squatting on the other side of the woman, holding her arm and asking similar questions as Mi Xingyi.

“Where did you get hit? Where does it hurt? Can you stand up?”

The woman remained silent. Someone in the crowd shouted, “She’s in too much pain to speak, take her to the hospital quickly!”

Mi Xingyi stood up and said to the woman, “Get in my car, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

He was wearing a neat coat, he was handsome and gentle, and although he drove a luxury car, his demeanor was kind and polite. He shouldn’t have provoked any anger, but someone suddenly said, “Rich kid hit someone, now he’s trying to run away!”

Li Qinyue turned around and saw a young man holding a phone, looking excited. He was probably live-streaming.

Li Qinyue’s anger flared. She raised her hand and slapped at the man’s phone, but she was too far away to knock it out of his hand.

“Who’s trying to run away? Are your ears just decorations? Didn’t you hear him say he’s taking her to the hospital?”

Since it was Mi Xingyi’s matter, she had controlled her language a bit, not using any harsh words.

“He says he’s taking her to the hospital! Who knows if he’ll actually take her to the hospital after they get in the car!” The man fiddled with his phone, continuing to shout at Li Qinyue, “You rich and powerful people, you can just dump her somewhere without surveillance and run away, where would we even find you?”

Li Qinyue couldn’t hold back anymore, “Are you fucking stupid? Maybe I should take you along and get your mental health checked, no, you need to see a vet.”

The man shouted, “Rich kid is cursing! Rich kid is cursing!”

“Damn it, rich kid is cursing at a pig!” Li Qinyue was pulled back by Mi Xingyi.

“Don’t bother with him,” Mi Xingyi said to her.

Li Qinyue took a deep breath and forced a smile at him, “It’s your matter, I’ll listen to you.”

Zhuo Zhi wanted to help the woman up, but she was afraid of aggravating any injuries, so she kept talking to her softly.

But the woman was strange. Almost ten minutes had passed since the accident, and she hadn’t said a single word.

Mi Xingyi was at a loss. He said to the woman, “Ma’am, if you have any concerns, I’ll call the police now and let them handle it, okay?”

The woman shifted her position, her leg extended. Zhuo Zhi immediately noticed something was wrong and said to them, “Her calf is fractured.”

There were gasps from the crowd. The idiot with the phone shouted excitedly, “Rich kid broke her leg! Rich kid broke her leg!”

Mi Xingyi didn’t hesitate any longer. He first called the ambulance, then the police.

He deliberately raised his voice while making the calls so that everyone around him could hear.

He was gentle, polite, and composed, leaving no room for criticism.

The live-streaming idiot was still yelling, but Mi Xingyi didn’t even spare him a glance. Li Qinyue truly admired his patience.

At this point, many people had dispersed. This location was off to the side, not blocking the main road, so it hadn’t caused a traffic jam.

The live-streaming man was still filming. Li Qinyue said to Zhuo Zhi, “That guy, in the gray coat, with hair that looks like a pile of shit, remember him.”

Zhuo Zhi looked up. She knew who Li Qinyue was talking about even without the description. Miss Li was just venting her frustration.

Zhuo Zhi nodded, staring at the man coldly, “I remember him.”

The man immediately shouted, “Who are you calling names?”

Then he shouted again, “Who are you threatening?”

Li Qinyue looked at him, her eyes challenging. She wished he would rush over and attack her, so she could justifiably unleash her little bodyguard.

But the man was all bark and no bite. He grumbled into his phone, but didn’t dare to take a step closer.

Li Qinyue scoffed.

The traffic police arrived first. When the woman on the ground saw them, her eyes flickered.

Mi Xingyi spoke to the traffic police first, explaining the situation briefly. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he said, “I didn’t hit her, I’m sure of it. You can check the dashcam footage and the surveillance cameras.”

The traffic police officer nodded and squatted down to question the woman.

The live-streaming idiot muttered into his phone, “The rich kid says she’s faking it. Her leg is broken, and he says she’s faking it. He can afford a luxury car, but not medical expenses, tsk, tsk, tsk…”

Li Qinyue, with her fiery temper, couldn’t hold back any longer, even with the police present. She stepped forward and slapped at the man’s phone.

This time, she aimed accurately and used all her strength. The man’s phone fell to the ground and bounced twice.

The man immediately shouted, “What are you doing! Officer, officer, look! She broke my phone!”

The officer looked over. Li Qinyue said to the man, “If you dare to film me, be prepared to have your phone broken. It’s fine, I’m a rich kid, I can afford to pay for your phone.”

The officer said, “Everyone disperse, there’s nothing to see here.” Then he continued to question the woman on the ground.

This woman was truly strange. The police questioned her for a while, but they only managed to get some basic information like her name and address. She wouldn’t say a word about how she got there or how she was hit.

The ambulance that Mi Xingyi had called arrived, and the woman was carried into the vehicle. Mi Xingyi asked the police, “Is there anything else I need to do?”

“Aren’t you going to the hospital to oversee things, the medical expenses, and all that?” the officer said.

“I didn’t hit her,” Mi Xingyi repeated.

“Then come with me to the police station,” the officer said into his walkie-talkie.

Mi Xingyi didn’t object. He spoke to Li Qinyue, thanked her, and drove away with the police.

With no more excitement to watch, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Li Qinyue looked around for the live-streaming man, but Zhuo Zhi came over and said, “He ran away.”

“Idiot,” Li Qinyue cursed, “Wasn’t he going to make me pay for his phone?”

“Sister,” Zhuo Zhi’s brows furrowed slightly, “This matter…”

Li Qinyue interrupted her, “There’s a lot to unpack here. I’m starving after walking around for so long, let’s talk while we eat.”

“Okay,” Zhuo Zhi could only agree.

After all the commotion, neither of them felt like finding a specific restaurant. They went back to the mall and found a hotpot restaurant.

Li Qinyue ordered a lot of meat. After the broth boiled, she cooked some for Zhuo Zhi and placed it in her bowl, a rare gesture of consideration.

Zhuo Zhi took a few bites and said, “Sister, Brother Mi said he didn’t hit her.”

“Hmm,” Li Qinyue responded.

Zhuo Zhi’s chopsticks stopped completely, “But her leg is fractured, and when I went over there, I did see the car very close to her.”

“What kind of analysis do you want to hear?” Li Qinyue asked.

Zhuo Zhi’s feelings were complicated. She couldn’t help but sympathize with the weaker party. A bone fracture was no joke, but Mi Xingyi was Li Qinyue’s friend, she felt a little awkward saying anything negative.

Li Qinyue swished a piece of tripe in the hotpot, chewed slowly, and said, “Let me analyze this situation for you.”

Zhuo Zhi nodded eagerly, “Okay.”

Li Qinyue said, “If Mi Xingyi had really hit her, he would have just taken her to the hospital, paid her off, he can afford it, he’s rich. What he’s afraid of is trouble. If that woman was a professional scammer, she would just be after money, she wouldn’t have sat there silently and even called the police.”

Li Qinyue took a bite of meat, “So this isn’t as simple as it seems. Since she’s not after money, it means it’s big trouble. That’s why Mi Xingyi insisted he didn’t hit her. He’d rather go to the police station than be involved in this mess.”

“As for what happens next, it’s none of our business. If you really want to know, I can ask him.”

“Sister,” Zhuo Zhi’s brows were deeply furrowed, “Isn’t it possible that Brother Mi really did hit her, but he doesn’t want to admit it?”

“Why wouldn’t he want to admit it?”

“Bad publicity? After all, it’s not a good thing.”

“It’s just a normal traffic accident, what kind of impact could it have on him?”

“Driving violation? Points deduction? Making the news?”

Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi, who raised her hand, “Okay, points deduction is nothing.”

“You mentioning the news reminds me,” Li Qinyue said, “That guy who was filming was very suspicious.”

“Suspicious how?” Zhuo Zhi had been focusing on the injured woman and hadn’t paid much attention to him.

“He was being an idiot,” Li Qinyue pursed her lips.

Zhuo Zhi couldn’t refute this logic.

Then, Li Qinyue told Zhuo Zhi about Mi Xingyi’s background, making Zhuo Zhi’s eyes widen. She didn’t know whether to praise him or criticize him, “There are no simple people in your circle, Sister.”

“What’s so complicated about it? Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, we need people from all walks of life, right?”

“But officials, no matter what dynasty, are the most powerful,” Zhuo Zhi said with a knowing look.

Li Qinyue chuckled, “That sounds so outdated, we’re a socialist country.”

“Same difference,” Zhuo Zhi took a few bites, then her face clouded with worry, “Sister, if what you said is true, Brother Mi’s grandfather is a high-ranking official, his father is a high-ranking official, his brother is a high-ranking official, this kind of family background could scare any ordinary person to death, why would that woman dare to scam him?”

Li Qinyue sighed, “I wasn’t interested at first, but now you’ve made me curious too.”

Zhuo Zhi hurriedly said, “That woman is at the hospital, and Brother Mi didn’t go. Who’s going to pay for all the expenses?”

Li Qinyue laughed at her, “What? Do you want me to pay?”

“No, no, no,” Zhuo Zhi said, “We have nothing to do after dinner, why don’t we go and see? Maybe we can find out the truth, wouldn’t that be helping Brother Mi?”

“Oh,” Li Qinyue was amused, “You’re thinking of helping Brother Mi? Shouldn’t you be eager to fight for justice and rob the rich to help the poor?”

“Even a Robin Hood can’t fight the government, it’s a losing battle,” Zhuo Zhi sighed.

Li Qinyue chuckled, watching her act like a little adult.

After dinner, Li Qinyue figured she was probably too free, so she actually went to the hospital with Zhuo Zhi.

Zhuo Zhi didn’t even try to use the excuse “I don’t know where the hospital is”. This silly girl remembered the name of the hospital from the ambulance and the name of the injured woman that the police had asked about.

Rong Hua.

A common name, a unique surname, together they sounded quite nice.

When Zhuo Zhi went to the nurses’ station to inquire, the unique name made it easy to find the person.

But in the end, they couldn’t find her. Rong Hua, with her fractured leg, had run away.

Zhuo Zhi was shocked, and Li Qinyue was surprised. She immediately called Mi Xingyi and asked about the situation.

Mi Xingyi said it was fine, the police had checked the surveillance footage and the dashcam footage, and they confirmed that he hadn’t hit her. It was a classic scam.

Li Qinyue told him about the situation at the hospital and reminded him to be careful. After a brief conversation, they hung up.

They left the hospital and went home. Zhuo Zhi was silent the entire way.

Li Qinyue asked her what she was thinking, and Zhuo Zhi said she was thinking about Rong Hua.

Li Qinyue asked if she had come up with any conclusions. Zhuo Zhi, looking at her phone, said that the phone number she had given to the police was fake.

Li Qinyue said, “Stop investigating, the address is probably fake too.”

Zhuo Zhi put away her phone, her excitement about getting a new phone gone. She was also unenthusiastic about watching TV with Li Qinyue.

When it was time for bed, Li Qinyue flicked her forehead, “Stop thinking about it. If anything else happens, I’ll definitely tell you. Besides, what’s there to think about? The scam failed, her attempt to cause trouble failed, what are you thinking about? Did you fall for Mi Xingyi and are now worried sick about him?”

“No!” Zhuo Zhi immediately objected. After mumbling for a while, she finally said, “I just don’t think Rong Hua is a bad person.”

“Huh?” Li Qinyue stared at her, “What makes you think that? Your sixth sense?”

Zhuo Zhi looked at her seriously and pointed, “Her eyes.”

“What about her eyes?” Li Qinyue was confused, “Are they clear and innocent like Bambi’s?”

“There’s something wrong with her eyes,” Zhuo Zhi said, “It’s a condition caused by chronic crying.”

Li Qinyue froze, then after a long silence, asked, “You know what eyes damaged by chronic crying look like?”

“I know,” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes held visible sadness.

Li Qinyue didn’t understand, but she didn’t dare to ask further.

Whoever this person with eyes damaged by chronic crying was, it must be a sad story.

Li Qinyue couldn’t bear to see the usually cheerful girl so deeply saddened. She put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s neck, pulled her in for a hug, and said, “Did you download all the necessary apps on your new phone?”

Zhuo Zhi leaned her head on Li Qinyue’s shoulder, “Yes.”

“Tell me what you downloaded,” Li Qinyue rubbed her back.

Zhuo Zhi listed a few apps: a map, a banking app, even a fitness app, but none of the commonly used social media apps or games.

“Little monkey,” Li Qinyue mumbled, taking Zhuo Zhi’s phone and teaching her how to be a modern person.

With something to distract her, Zhuo Zhi’s mood improved significantly.

Li Qinyue, wanting to tire her out so she would fall asleep as soon as she got into bed, played games with her for a while.

By the time they finished, it was very late.

They said goodnight to each other at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Li Qinyue turned to go upstairs, but Zhuo Zhi didn’t move.

Li Qinyue took two steps, stopped, turned around, and asked, “What are you looking at? Why aren’t you going to bed?”

Zhuo Zhi said, “There’s something I haven’t told you, Sister.”

“What is it?” Li Qinyue turned to face her.

“Please try not to swear anymore,” Zhuo Zhi said seriously, “It’s fine when I’m around, but what if I’m not there and that guy hits you? No matter what happens later, you’ll be the one who suffers at that moment.”

Li Qinyue froze, then burst out laughing. Just as she was about to speak, Zhuo Zhi suddenly took a step forward and kissed her on the lips.

Li Qinyue’s laughter died in her throat, she couldn’t believe it.

Zhuo Zhi said, “Exchange complete.” Then she turned and ran back to her room.

Chapter 36

The moment her body lifted off the ground, Li Qinyue was wide awake.

It was an instinctive alertness. She was much taller than Zhuo Zhi, not necessarily thinner, and had decent muscle mass. If they compared their weights, people would be surprised, as Li Qinyue didn’t look like she weighed that much.

So her first reaction was to worry that Zhuo Zhi had overestimated herself and would drop her.

But after Zhuo Zhi took two steady steps, Li Qinyue’s worries completely vanished.

It was effortless. The arm around her was effortless, the steps were effortless, and even the breaths, visible in the cold air, were effortless.

Li Qinyue looked down, wanting to laugh. She had almost forgotten that this little girl could defeat an underground boxing champion.

Zhuo Zhi carried her, not through the main entrance, but around the small garden by the door, entering the house through a side entrance.

Li Qinyue continued to pretend to be drunk, or maybe asleep. This feeling of being taken care of like a child was quite comfortable.

Zhuo Zhi carried her into the living room and asked softly, “Should we go upstairs directly, Sister?”

“Hmm,” Li Qinyue mumbled in response, wrapping her arms around Zhuo Zhi’s neck and nuzzling her shoulder.

Zhuo Zhi carried her up to the second floor, pushed open the bedroom door, and placed her on the sofa.

Li Qinyue shifted into a more comfortable position and looked up at her with a smile, “I haven’t washed my face yet.”

Her voice was soft, almost like a whine.

Zhuo Zhi squatted down in front of her and asked, as if talking to a child, “Should I bring you a basin of water, or carry you to the bathroom?”

“Carry,” Li Qinyue stretched out her arms.

Zhuo Zhi smiled, amused.

Li Qinyue was the aloof and fierce Miss Li in front of others, and most of the time, she was a cunning fox spirit in front of Zhuo Zhi.

Only at these rare moments, when she was sleepy, drunk, and in a good mood, would she become soft and cuddly like a ball of cotton.

It made Zhuo Zhi want to cherish these moments even more.

She bent down and lifted Li Qinyue again. The bathroom door was ajar, a bit narrow. Instead of pushing it open with her hand, she simply kicked it gently with her foot.

Li Qinyue giggled in her arms.

Zhuo Zhi asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Li Qinyue said, “You look so… domineering right now.”

Zhuo Zhi, happy to hear that, shook her head and said, “When am I not domineering? I’ve fought so many battles for you.”

“Yes,” Li Qinyue patted her face, “I love it when you fight for me.”

Thinking of that cage match that had complicated their relationship, Zhuo Zhi blushed. She looked around the bathroom, “Should I put you down now, Sister?”

“No,” Li Qinyue shook her head in Zhuo Zhi’s arms.

“Don’t you need to wash your face?” Zhuo Zhi looked at all the bottles and jars, “You need to remove your makeup, right? I don’t know how to do that.”

“I’m not removing my makeup, I’m taking a bath,” Li Qinyue said.

“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi carried her further inside and stopped in front of the beautiful bathtub, “You have to get down now, I’ll run the bath for you.”

Li Qinyue finally agreed and kicked off her shoes.

Zhuo Zhi filled the tub, testing the water temperature, “Come to think of it, I’ve only done these things for you, Sister, making the bed, cooking, bathing… like a maid…”

Feeling that the temperature was just right, Zhuo Zhi turned around, “Sister, are you going to give me a raise…”

She couldn’t finish the word “salary”. If there was one thing Li Qinyue was fast at, it was taking off her clothes.

Her previously neat clothes were now scattered on the floor. She was truly rich, some of these clothes definitely needed to be dry-cleaned, but she didn’t seem to care, even though the bathroom was already filled with steam.

For a moment, Zhuo Zhi didn’t know whether to help her pick up her clothes or to advise her not to leave them lying around like this, lest she catch a cold.

Li Qinyue had removed her tights and was now only wearing her underwear.

Zhuo Zhi had seen her like this before, but she still couldn’t help but feel a wave of admiration. She was truly beautiful.

Especially in this environment, with this lighting, this steam, and the sound of running water.

Zhuo Zhi felt inexplicably thirsty. Her gaze lingered on Li Qinyue for a full half minute, unable to look away.

Li Qinyue was still undressing, ignoring her completely. Her hands were behind her back, ready to remove the only barrier that needed censoring at any moment.

Zhuo Zhi took a deep breath and, just as Li Qinyue’s hands were about to unhook her bra, rushed over and grabbed her arm.

Li Qinyue’s fingers were on her bra strap. She finally looked up, her beautiful eyes peeking out from her messy hair, “What?”

“Sister, I’ll go out, you can undress after I leave!” Zhuo Zhi exclaimed, staring at her, “Just give me two seconds.”

“Just close your eyes and don’t look,” Li Qinyue said with dissatisfaction. “Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to repay me? Why don’t you go the extra mile and carry me to the bathtub?”

“That’s not… it’s just…” Zhuo Zhi was struggling, “Sister, if you like, I can carry you around the garden every day…”

“You’re already reluctant to carry me now, and you’re talking about the future?” Li Qinyue pouted, looking aggrieved.

“I’m willing,” Zhuo Zhi said earnestly, “Then how about you put your bra back on, and I’ll carry you in, okay?”

This was her bottom line.

Li Qinyue pouted again, “Who takes a bath with their clothes on…”

“You can take them off after I leave,” Zhuo Zhi started to act cute, “Okay? Okay? Okay, Sister? I’m embarrassed like this.”

After a long silence, Li Qinyue sighed, “Fine.”

She moved her hands behind her back and said, “Done.”

Thinking that it was better to get this over with, Zhuo Zhi quickly picked her up and placed her in the bathtub.

The movement was a bit sudden. Li Qinyue was caught off guard and slipped as she was placed in the water, but her hand didn’t let go, grabbing Zhuo Zhi’s collar.

Zhuo Zhi was pulled down, her vision filled with water and the reflection of Li Qinyue’s beautiful skin.

Li Qinyue hadn’t bothered to re-fasten her bra. Now it was hanging loosely, like swaying seaweed.

Zhuo Zhi straightened her back, trying to stand up, but Li Qinyue also rose with her, her red lips moving closer, pressing against Zhuo Zhi’s.

Zhuo Zhi shuddered and jumped back, rushing out of the bathroom without looking back.

Li Qinyue’s laughter echoed from the bathroom, like a fox spirit’s spell, making Zhuo Zhi restless.

She ran all the way back to her room on the second floor, sat on the sofa in a daze, and touched her lips.

She couldn’t help but think, Li Qinyue’s lips were so soft…

Were her own lips this soft? Zhuo Zhi touched them, they felt a little dry.

When she lowered her hand, there was a faint red mark. Zhuo Zhi stared at it, realizing it was Li Qinyue’s lipstick.

She stared at her finger, her face flushing for no reason.

That night, Zhuo Zhi tossed and turned, feeling like something was missing, like the day shouldn’t have ended this way. She felt empty and unsatisfied.

In the middle of the night, her phone suddenly beeped. Zhuo Zhi grabbed it and checked.

It was a message notifying her of a bank transfer. Because she had contacted the company’s finance department a bit late, her first official paycheck was also a bit late. But Li Qinyue was truly generous. No matter how Zhuo Zhi calculated it, the amount was much higher than she expected.

She had money in her account, the starting funds her master had given her, and the money she had won from the boxing match. She seemed quite well-off.

But it was only at this moment, staring at the transferred amount, that Zhuo Zhi felt like this money truly belonged to her.

Her master’s money, it was best to return it to her. She would take good care of her in the future, repaying her kindness over the years.

Although Li Qinyue didn’t want the prize money from the boxing match, Zhuo Zhi still felt that it wasn’t hers. She would keep it safe for Li Qinyue for now.

Only this current amount, not a huge sum, but definitely not small either, was the result of her hard work and dedication. The more Zhuo Zhi thought about it, the happier she felt.

And with this excitement, she couldn’t fall asleep.

She calculated how much she would spend and how she would spend it. Then, despite the late hour, she sent a message to her master, telling her that she had received her salary and asking if there was anything she wanted to eat, drink, or play with, so she could buy it and send it back to her.

Her master always lived according to the sun, rising with the sunrise and resting with the sunset. She didn’t carry her phone with her often, so whether this message would be seen depended on fate. But Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but send a long message.

After sending it, she stared at her contacts list, suddenly envious of Li Qinyue, who had people to chat with even at one or two in the morning.

When she was on the mountain, Zhuo Zhi had friends of all ages. But after coming down the mountain, the only person she could truly consider a friend was Li Qinyue.

Thinking about this, she felt another surge of emotion, realizing that her life down the mountain was so comfortable, her work so exciting and smooth-sailing, it was all thanks to Li Qinyue’s kindness.

She should thank her properly.

But how? Li Qinyue had everything she needed. Her only hobby was…

Zhuo Zhi fidgeted with her fingers, blushing.

…teasing her, that was all.

Despite her insomnia the previous night, Zhuo Zhi woke up early, went for a run, bought groceries, and made breakfast.

And today, she put extra effort into her cooking. Following an online recipe, she tried making soup dumplings for the first time.

The steam billowed as she lifted the lid of the steamer. Zhuo Zhi was experienced in making buns, and the soup dumplings looked beautiful. It was just that the dough hadn’t risen long enough, so the skin wasn’t soft enough.

After a busy morning, when Li Qinyue came downstairs, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow.”

Zhuo Zhi, wearing a small apron, stood beside the table, bowing with a perfect smile, like a hotel waiter.

Li Qinyue rushed over, picked up a soup dumpling with her chopsticks, and took a bite, “You made this yourself?”

“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi leaned closer, “How is it? Is it good?”

“Haven’t you tried it yourself?” Li Qinyue mumbled as she ate.

“I did, but I don’t know if it suits your taste.”

Li Qinyue finished one dumpling before saying, “Don’t you know my taste? I like everything you like to eat.”

Zhuo Zhi chuckled, “That’s how you rich people are. You’re used to delicacies, so you find simple homemade food delicious.”

“Your cooking is more like farmhouse fare,” Li Qinyue sat down and started eating properly.

After finishing their meal, Li Qinyue wiped her hands and asked with a smile, “You seem different today.”

“Different how?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

“Especially attentive,” Li Qinyue said.

Zhuo Zhi wondered if it was that obvious. She denied it, “Aren’t I always attentive to you, Sister?”

“You’re being extra sweet,” Li Qinyue raised her hand and brushed her finger against Zhuo Zhi’s lips.

Her movement was swift and unexpected.

Zhuo Zhi only had time to blurt out, “Dirty.”

“What’s dirty?” Li Qinyue looked at her hand, “Do you think my hand is dirty?”

“My mouth is dirty,” Zhuo Zhi took a napkin and wiped her lips, “I haven’t wiped my mouth yet.”

Li Qinyue still stared at her finger, a mischievous smile on her face, “I don’t mind.”

Zhuo Zhi didn’t understand her. She stood up to clean up the dishes. As she entered the kitchen, Li Qinyue said, “When I said you were being extra sweet, I meant it sincerely.”

Zhuo Zhi replied from the kitchen, “Of course I have to keep you happy, Sister.”

“Not just happy,” Li Qinyue shouted back, “I meant, your lips are sweet.”

After a pause, as if afraid Zhuo Zhi wouldn’t get it, she added, “They taste sweet.”

Zhuo Zhi almost dropped the bowl in the dishwasher.

As she cleaned up the kitchen, Zhuo Zhi carefully analyzed Li Qinyue’s train of thought, and the more she thought about it, the more terrified she felt.

Li Qinyue had said she was being attentive, probably attributing it to the kiss on the lips the previous night. Although Zhuo Zhi felt like she was the one who had taken advantage of Li Qinyue’s soft and fragrant lips, it would be wrong to be extra attentive because of that.

So, after leaving the kitchen, Zhuo Zhi didn’t dare to delay any longer. She said to Li Qinyue, “Sister, when are you free? Can we go to the city to buy some things?”

“I’m free now,” Li Qinyue was interested, “What do you want to buy?”

“A new phone, some snacks for my master, and I want to treat you to dinner,” Zhuo Zhi paused, “A proper dinner.”

“Treat me to dinner?” Li Qinyue said with a smile, “Didn’t you just treat me?”

“A more formal one,” Zhuo Zhi thought of the restaurant they had gone to that day and fidgeted with her fingers, “I got paid.”

“Eh? You just got paid?” Li Qinyue frowned.

“I contacted the finance department a bit late, so I missed last month’s payment and got paid this month instead.”

“You’ve only been here for two months?” Li Qinyue looked at her, “It feels like it’s been much longer.”

“It’s been more than two months,” Zhuo Zhi walked closer to her, “Does it feel like every day with me is a year, Sister?”

Li Qinyue glanced at her, “You’re asking the obvious.”

Zhuo Zhi raised her chin, grinning like a fool, “I don’t know.”

Li Qinyue reached out and pinched her chin, “Because I like you, it feels like it’s been a long time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have realized how much I like you…”

Zhuo Zhi let Li Qinyue pinch and shake her chin, her heart sweet, her face warm.

“Sister Qinyue, let me treat you to dinner,” she pleaded.

“Let’s go then, Is there any other meaning behind this dinner invitation?”

“No!”

“You answered so quickly, do you even know what I’m asking?”

“Anyway, I don’t have that kind of meaning.”

“Tsk.”

“You look beautiful today, Sister Qinyue.”

“Flattery won’t work. You have to let me hug you for it to work.”

“Go ahead and hug.”

“You never object to this kind of thing.”

Li Qinyue leaned half her body weight on Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder, hugging her as they got into the car, hugged her as they got out of the car, hugged her as they strolled through the mall, buying a mountain of things.

They left the mall, had someone deliver the things back to the villa complex, and then went to find a restaurant for dinner.

Zhuo Zhi let Li Qinyue choose her favorite restaurant. Li Qinyue took out her phone and carefully browsed through the options, trying to find a place that wouldn’t be too expensive for the little fool but still had good food that she had tried before.

Suddenly, there was a screech of brakes from the street outside. Li Qinyue, hearing the sound, thought it was a nice car. But Zhuo Zhi had already rushed outside.

Li Qinyue quickly looked up. When Zhuo Zhi ran, she was so fast she was almost a blur.

There had been a car accident. Even though they were in a crowded area where cars were mostly moving slowly, there had still been an accident.

Li Qinyue only had time to see a person lying on the ground before a crowd of people rushed over, blocking her view.

As for Zhuo Zhi, she was probably in the middle of the crowd, long gone from sight.

Li Qinyue quickly put away her phone and rushed over. There were so many people, it was noisy, and many of them were filming with their phones.

As she approached, Li Qinyue realized that the car looked familiar. And when the person inside got out, her heart skipped a beat.

It was Mi Xingyi.

Chapter 35

The group went to “Shengge.” Zhuo Zhi was familiar with the place by now, especially with her “girlfriend” status. She walked in as if she owned the place.

Aijia was also there. Zhuo Zhi not only greeted her but also invited her to join their dinner.

Lan Xi’s band’s residency contract wasn’t up yet, and Aijia was heavily involved in that.

Li Qinyue approached them and chimed in, “Join us.”

Aijia didn’t refuse. She arranged a private room for them on the second floor, ordering not only the bar’s snacks but also some famous dishes from the street.

They sat down, and the three other band members, all quiet guys, toasted Li Qinyue and Aijia one by one. They didn’t pressure them to drink, finishing their own drinks in one gulp as a gesture of gratitude.

The main conversation was between the four girls.

Aijia was gentle and knew how to create a harmonious atmosphere. Zhuo Zhi had initially thought that she would have to show some hostility towards Lan Xi tonight to discourage her from pursuing Li Qinyue. But with Aijia present, they spent the evening talking about music, current variety shows, and celebrity gossip. There was no tension at all.

It was quite enjoyable.

After dinner, they chatted over drinks, the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable, completely different from the previous dinner. Lan Xi loosened up, and whenever she looked at Li Qinyue, her eyes would light up.

That sparkle made Zhuo Zhi nervous. She squeezed her orange juice glass, reminding herself of her mission.

Li Qinyue glanced at her and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Wanting to play the role of a clingy girlfriend, Zhuo Zhi immediately said, “Me too.”

Lan Xi and Aijia both looked over. Lan Xi lowered her head to drink, while Aijia just smiled.

Zhuo Zhi followed Li Qinyue out of the room and whispered, “Why is Sister Aijia smiling?”

Li Qinyue led Zhuo Zhi through a couple of turns, “Probably proud of her own design.”

Zhuo Zhi didn’t understand what she meant. Just as she was about to ask, Li Qinyue pushed open a door, and Zhuo Zhi understood.

The bathroom was uniquely designed, spacious and clean, with only one toilet stall. A large glass window faced the toilet, the light dim and suggestive. The painting on the wall was abstract, both artistic and provocative.

Zhuo Zhi stopped and gestured awkwardly, “You first, Sister.”

“You’re wasting Sister Aijia’s design if you don’t come in with me,” Li Qinyue said with a smile.

Zhuo Zhi looked at her mischievous smile, knowing that her mind was full of those adult things. She pushed Li Qinyue playfully and said, “Do you think you can go with me staring at you?”

Li Qinyue leaned against the door, “How would you know if you don’t try?”

Zhuo Zhi stomped her foot, “Oh, come on!”

Li Qinyue glanced outside, “Come in, I’ll show you a magic trick.”

Zhuo Zhi followed her gaze, “What kind of magic trick?”

“Don’t ask,” Li Qinyue said, “There’s someone watching us around the corner, give me some face, okay?”

There was indeed someone around the corner, Zhuo Zhi had noticed earlier.

But she thought it was normal for people to be around in a bar. They weren’t doing anything sneaky, so she hadn’t paid it any mind.

Now that Li Qinyue mentioned it, it suddenly felt awkward and embarrassing.

Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but take a step back. Li Qinyue didn’t bother discussing it with her anymore and pulled her inside.

The door closed behind them. Zhuo Zhi leaned against Li Qinyue’s arm, took a deep breath, and said, trying to make conversation, “Sister Aijia is really thoughtful, even the bathroom smells so good.”

Li Qinyue smiled, “Not everyone comes here.”

“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi obediently replied.

“Lan Xi was flirting with me throughout dinner, don’t you have any thoughts about that?” Li Qinyue asked.

“Huh?!” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes widened, “How was she flirting with you?”

“Can’t you tell?” Li Qinyue squinted at her, “Where’s your renowned observation skills?”

“I could tell she was interested in you,” Zhuo Zhi paused and added, “She’s still interested in you now.”

“Then that’s it,” Li Qinyue said.

“But being interested and flirting are two different things, right?” Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment. She had been paying attention to everything happening above the table. The only thing she hadn’t noticed was what was happening under the table.

Realizing this, Zhuo Zhi was shocked, “Did she touch your leg?”

Li Qinyue froze, let go of her arm, and flicked Zhuo Zhi’s forehead, “What are you thinking all day? Touching legs is such a cliché, even TV dramas don’t use that anymore…”

“Then what did she do?” Zhuo Zhi was a little anxious.

“Go away, go away,” Li Qinyue waved her hand dismissively, “I’m going to use the toilet.”

“You’re really going?” Zhuo Zhi was not only anxious, but also at a loss.

“What else would I do? I came here to use the toilet. You insisted on coming with me, and now you’re not even doing anything…” Li Qinyue grumbled as she walked towards the toilet, pulling a circular curtain closed behind her.

Zhuo Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was a curtain separating them.

She stood there quietly, head down, waiting for Li Qinyue to finish.

After two minutes, Li Qinyue’s voice came from behind the curtain, “Get out.”

“Hmm?” Zhuo Zhi was stunned. Although she knew Li Qinyue couldn’t see her, she pointed at herself, “Me?”

“Is there anyone else here?” Li Qinyue’s voice sounded a little annoyed, “Hurry up and get out.”

Zhuo Zhi immediately opened the door and left, her movements swift. After stepping out, she realized that Li Qinyue hadn’t locked the door. How unsafe. She stood by the door, waiting diligently.

The music from downstairs drifted up. The person who had been around the corner was gone. Zhuo Zhi stood by the bathroom, arms crossed, and finally couldn’t help but laugh.

They had been the same when they left, but now they were different.

Aijia didn’t understand why Li Qinyue looked annoyed. It wasn’t something she could ask, so she just brought up a topic that Li Qinyue liked.

“Ling Xi lost a deal the other day, I heard it was related to the second son of the Tan family.”

Li Qinyue was indeed interested in this topic. She smiled and said, “Second Young Master Tan is quite petty, people have been laughing at him for a month, he must be trying to save face.”

“He definitely can’t save face anymore, but he’ll still want revenge,” Aijia leaned closer to Li Qinyue and asked, “Didn’t Old Master Li urge you to meet with Second Young Master Tan again?”

“Of course not, after that incident, it would be too embarrassing.” Li Qinyue put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder, “Besides, I have Zhuo Zhi now.”

They had been to “Shengge” several times, each time with a different relationship, but Aijia didn’t find it strange at all. She accepted it readily.

She just nodded and said with a smile, “That’s good.”

Li Qinyue, unable to satisfy her desire to show off, needed to find some other amusement. She rubbed Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder and turned to her, asking, “Do you think it’s good?”

The three male band members, unable to keep up with the conversation and having finished their meal, had left to give the girls some space.

Now, only the four girls remained in the room. The lights in the private room were dim, the heater was on full blast, and the warm, cozy atmosphere created a sense of intimacy.

Remembering what Li Qinyue had said in the bathroom, Zhuo Zhi quickly replied, “I think it’s good too.”

She paused, feeling that it wasn’t enough, and added, “Meeting you, Sister Qinyue, is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Li Qinyue was a little surprised. She looked at Zhuo Zhi, “Your life is still long, and you’re already calling it the best thing?”

“It’s the best thing so far,” Zhuo Zhi looked at her and said with a smile, “As for whether there will be anything better in the future, I can’t imagine it. I think this is good enough.”

Her words were sincere, mainly because they resonated with a genuine feeling in her heart, making them simple yet touching. Li Qinyue looked at her, speechless for a moment.

A strange atmosphere flowed between them. Aijia lowered her head, smiling as she sipped her wine. Lan Xi looked at them, her eyes dim.

Li Qinyue finally spoke, she said with a smile, “This is just the beginning. Follow me, and there will be many more good things to come.”

“Hmm,” Zhuo Zhi nodded vigorously, her expression resolute. Li Qinyue couldn’t help but squeeze her shoulder again.

And she didn’t let go. The four of them moved to a comfortable sofa, and Li Qinyue simply pulled Zhuo Zhi into her lap.

At first, Zhuo Zhi didn’t dare to lean in properly, but seeing Lan Xi’s watchful gaze, she relaxed and settled against Li Qinyue’s chest.

Li Qinyue’s shoulders were slender, not very comfortable to rest on, but human heads seemed to have a mind of their own. Zhuo Zhi’s head slid down until it rested on Li Qinyue’s chest.

Li Qinyue was only wearing a sweater, warm and soft, with a faint fragrance, different from her usual perfume. Zhuo Zhi thought it smelled like the winter sun and spring flowers.

Li Qinyue didn’t seem to mind the weight as Zhuo Zhi nestled against her. She gently nudged Zhuo Zhi with her arm, adjusting her position so she could rest more comfortably.

Zhuo Zhi felt like the alcohol in the room was getting to her head, even the air seemed to be filled with alcohol molecules. Even though she had only been drinking juice all night, she felt dizzy and a little drunk.

The four of them lounged, occasionally chatting. As it got late, it was time to go.

Zhuo Zhi was so comfortable that her mind was hazy. When she stood up, she felt dizzy and just wanted to go home and sleep.

But as they left the bar, Lan Xi called out to Li Qinyue, “President Li, I have something to tell you.”

Zhuo Zhi frowned, thinking, “You’ve been talking all night, what couldn’t you have said then?”

Li Qinyue still had her arm around Zhuo Zhi, she didn’t let go, and said, “Go ahead.”

Zhuo Zhi inwardly cheered and nodded along.

Lan Xi glanced at Zhuo Zhi and said, “About that matter.”

“It’s fine,” Li Qinyue said, “Zhuo Zhi knows.”

Since Li Qinyue had said that much, Lan Xi couldn’t insist. She said, “I heard Sister Ai talking to you about President Ling. She approached me before and gave me your contact information.”

“Oh,” Li Qinyue wasn’t surprised. Even when she was busy, Ling Xi was still scheming to bring her down.

Lan Xi hesitated, “She said some things, quite unpleasant things.”

Zhuo Zhi tensed up immediately. Li Qinyue said, “Then there’s no need to repeat them.”

Lan Xi said, “In short, I think she’s a terrible person. I didn’t agree to her offer. I hope you’ll be careful, President Li, don’t fall for her tricks.”

Li Qinyue smiled and asked, “Do you know that Ling Xi works for Wang Zilai?”

Lan Xi was stunned.

“Otherwise, how could Wang Zilai have ‘bumped into’ you so coincidentally?” Li Qinyue rested her head on Zhuo Zhi’s, “Anyone who didn’t know would think you two were working together to set me up.”

“No, I didn’t!” Lan Xi quickly said, “President Li, I really didn’t know. I explained to you on the phone why I went to that dinner with Wang Zilai, I just wanted a chance…”

Li Qinyue interrupted her, “Okay, I understand.”

Lan Xi didn’t say anything more, frowning, looking sad.

Li Qinyue turned around, her arm still around Zhuo Zhi, “Work hard and make something of yourself.”

After getting into the car, the arm that had been resting on Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder finally let go.

Although the heater was on in the car, Zhuo Zhi still felt a chill on her shoulder, strangely missing the warmth.

She hadn’t fully understood the situation with Lan Xi, so she quickly asked, “Did you make some kind of deal with Lan Xi, Sister?”

“Yes,” Li Qinyue said, “I’ll get her on ‘I’m a Musician’. If she makes it to the finals, I’ll sign her.”

“Then did her winning today have anything to do with you?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

Li Qinyue smiled, “Do you think she sang better than the one she was up against?”

“Bai Zixi,” Zhuo Zhi had been paying close attention, “Her name is Bai Zixi.”

“Do you think she sang better than Bai Zixi?” Li Qinyue asked again.

“I don’t even know who Bai Zixi is,” Zhuo Zhi said, “She wasn’t in the episodes that have already aired, and we arrived late, so we didn’t see the earlier recordings…”

Her voice trailed off, clearly feeling regretful.

Li Qinyue squinted at her, “You like watching live shows that much?”

“Yes, it’s so much more exciting live, and you can see celebrities in person.”

“I don’t like watching live shows, it takes too long, there are too many procedures, it’s annoying.”

“So did you bribe the judges or not?!” Zhuo Zhi shook her arm, genuinely curious.

Li Qinyue glanced at her, “I let you lean on me all night, I’m very tired, stop shaking me.”

Zhuo Zhi stopped and looked at Li Qinyue with understanding. She quickly sat up straight, offering her shoulder, “Sister, come, lean on me.”

“Did I ask you to offer your shoulder?” Li Qinyue touched her shoulder, “Will it even be comfortable leaning on your shoulder?”

Zhuo Zhi looked down, “But mine can’t compare to yours, and you can’t lean on your own.”

Li Qinyue followed her gaze, landing on Zhuo Zhi’s chest, and couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s fine, you’re still young, you’ll grow. For your age, this is already pretty good.”

Zhuo Zhi blushed slightly, “It doesn’t matter, I don’t care about this.”

“I care,” Li Qinyue said, pausing before adding, “After all, I’m the one who’s leaning.”

Zhuo Zhi blushed and didn’t speak for a while.

Seeing that they were about to forget the previous question, Li Qinyue patted her leg, “Move over a little, I’m going to lean on your leg.”

Zhuo Zhi quickly moved closer to the car door. Li Qinyue lay down, resting her head on Zhuo Zhi’s thigh, adjusting her position several times before sighing, “Comfortable.”

Zhuo Zhi looked down at her. From this angle, Li Qinyue’s face still looked beautiful, “Sister…”

“I didn’t bribe anyone,” Li Qinyue closed her eyes, “They had already planned this ‘airdrop’ rule. This kind of thing generates the most buzz. ‘I’m a Musician’ has been too harmonious so far, it needs some controversy.”

“Oh, I see,” Zhuo Zhi quickly responded.

“I know one of the directors, so I just put in a good word for Lan Xi, gave her a chance,” Li Qinyue paused and said, “Don’t think of it as a good opportunity. The other contestants have all gone through auditions, they have some popularity and recognition. Suddenly having someone ‘airdropped’ in to take a spot, Lan Xi is definitely going to get hate.”

“Ah,” Zhuo Zhi sighed briefly, then thought for a moment and added, “With hate comes love. Only those who can evoke strong emotions in the audience can become truly popular.”

“Yes,” Li Qinyue smiled, “Opportunity and price always go hand in hand.”

With that matter cleared up, Zhuo Zhi felt much more at ease.

She wasn’t so naive as to be completely against the idea of “hidden rules”, but she didn’t want to see unfair things happening to people she knew.

If Li Qinyue had really pulled strings to pave the way for Lan Xi, then what Lan Xi would have to offer Li Qinyue in return was beyond Zhuo Zhi’s imagination.

So, it seemed it was just a normal business deal. Zhuo Zhi was happy. She straightened her back and moved slightly upwards, making Li Qinyue more comfortable.

The car drove smoothly. As they went uphill, there were occasional bumps, making Li Qinyue’s head sway on Zhuo Zhi’s thigh, sometimes bumping against her stomach, sending a strange tingling sensation through her.

Li Qinyue had drunk some wine at dinner and was probably really sleepy now. She slept soundly, her eyes closed the entire time.

Zhuo Zhi, on the other hand, was wide awake. She spent a small portion of the time looking out the window at the road and most of the time looking down at Li Qinyue’s face.

Li Qinyue’s face was truly captivating. Even with her eyes closed, her slightly upturned eyelashes gave her a fox-like allure.

When the car stopped at the villa, Zhuo Zhi called Li Qinyue’s name softly several times before she finally woke up.

She opened her eyes a crack, still groggy. As Zhuo Zhi helped her out of the car, her legs wobbled, and she almost lost her balance.

Thinking that Li Qinyue had gone through all this trouble just to take her to the show, Zhuo Zhi’s heart warmed. She said, “Are you too lazy to even walk a step now, Sister?”

Li Qinyue nodded, her chin resting on Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder.

Zhuo Zhi continued, “Sister, you got me that autographed album from Old Xu. Didn’t you ask me how I would repay you?”

Li Qinyue opened her eyes slightly and looked at her.

Zhuo Zhi smiled, tightened her grip on Li Qinyue’s waist, and swiftly lifted her horizontally.

“How about I carry you inside?”