Category: Little Bodyguard(GL)

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 14

    Chapter 14

    What did Zhuo Zhi think… Zhuo Zhi didn’t think much of it!

    She had envisioned many scenarios where she would protect her employer, including helping Li Qinyue deal with overly aggressive men. Now, with just a single sentence, Li Qinyue suddenly changed her sexual orientation, and Zhuo Zhi would have to deal with overly aggressive women as well!

    Li Qinyue’s pinch tickled Zhuo Zhi’s palm. She hugged her hands to her chest and rubbed them for a while.

    “What’s wrong?” Li Qinyue squinted at her, “Disgusted by me?”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi was lost in her own thoughts, “…Then do you still like men?”

    “Hmm…” Li Qinyue frowned and thought for a moment, “I don’t think so… anymore.”

    “You don’t think so?” Zhuo Zhi stared at her.

    “I haven’t decided yet,” Li Qinyue waved her hand nonchalantly, “We’ll see later.”

    “No, President Li, it shouldn’t be like this,” Zhuo Zhi tried to make sense of it, “Isn’t sexual orientation something you’re born with? How can you suddenly change it?”

    “Who said it’s something you’re born with?” Li Qinyue paused, “But speaking of being born with it… that’s actually even better.”

    “Better for what?”

    “Hehehe.” Li Qinyue laughed to herself, ignoring Zhuo Zhi’s question. She turned on the music and started humming along.

    Zhuo Zhi pondered Li Qinyue’s thought process all the way but couldn’t figure it out.

    When Li Qinyue stopped the car, Zhuo Zhi looked out the window and was startled, “Sister, aren’t we going home?”

    “Who said we were going home?” Li Qinyue turned and drove into the parking lot, “What are we going home for at this hour? To stare at each other?”

    Zhuo Zhi was worried, “Then will you let me in this time?”

    “Of course,” Li Qinyue smiled and pinched the back of Zhuo Zhi’s neck, “Last time was an accident. From now on, you can come to this bar anytime, and everything is free for you.”

    “Wow,” Zhuo Zhi was delighted, “Do I just have to say your name?”

    “No need,” Li Qinyue unbuckled her seatbelt with a flourish, “That’s such a cliché from those low-quality CEO novels.”

    Zhuo Zhi got out of the car with her. Li Qinyue slammed the car door shut, her long limbs moving with the wind, “President Li will show you around, you’ll be recognized from now on.”

    Zhuo Zhi skipped ahead of her and walked backwards, “President Li, your words sound even more like a CEO.”

    “That’s right, so I’m a high-class CEO,” Li Qinyue glanced up, “There’s a speed bump behind you, be careful.”

    “I know.” Zhuo Zhi didn’t even look, jumping over it.

    “You could just step over it, why jump so high?” Li Qinyue had always been envious of this little girl’s jumping ability.

    “Hey, you’re a high-class CEO, I have to be a high-class bodyguard!” Zhuo Zhi jumped again, “See, how high!”

    Li Qinyue laughed and waved her hand, “Little kangaroo, go hop away!”

    “Alright!” Zhuo Zhi turned around and really hopped away.

    The bar that Li Qinyue invested in was called “Shengge” (meaning “Songs and Music”). Zhuo Zhi had sat outside the door all afternoon, preoccupied with her thoughts. She had seen the huge sign, but it hadn’t registered in her mind.

    This time was different. This time, no one dared to stop her. President Li personally brought her here to be recognized, it was very impressive.

    Coincidentally, the security guard today was the same one from that day. Zhuo Zhi held her head high, walking beside Li Qinyue as they entered.

    The entrance corridor wasn’t wide, so Li Qinyue simply pulled Zhuo Zhi closer, placing her arm casually around her shoulders.

    Zhuo Zhi was delighted, and Li Qinyue looked at her sideways.

    Zhuo Zhi turned to her and asked, “President Li, are we going to have a night of revelry?”

    “That’s right,” Li Qinyue nodded, the curve of her lips in the dim light looking very suggestive, “A night of revelry.”

    But as soon as they entered, they realized that “Shengge” didn’t have that kind of suggestive atmosphere. It was just opening for business, with people setting up tables and chairs, wiping glasses, and a large poster on the stand next to the stage, indicating that there would be a live band performance tonight.

    Aijia was wearing a red dress with white polka dots today, her hair permed into a voluminous style, looking like a figure from a vintage magazine as she walked over from behind the bar.

    Zhuo Zhi, as always, didn’t hold back her compliments, “Sister Aijia, you look beautiful today.”

    Aijia smiled and asked her, “Do I look better today, or when you first saw me?”

    “Both are beautiful in their own way,” Zhuo Zhi was very sweet-tongued.

    Someone pinched the back of her neck. Li Qinyue looked at her with a smile, “Who’s more beautiful, her or me?”

    Zhuo Zhi quickly repeated, “Both are beautiful in their own way.”

    “Tsk.” Li Qinyue looked up at Aijia, “This little girl called me the most beautiful in the entire place when she first saw me, now we have to share the title.”

    “What, you’re not happy to share the title with me?” Aijia came over and linked arms with Li Qinyue, “Are you in a good mood today?”

    “Yes, super good,” Li Qinyue, with a beautiful woman on her left and her bodyguard on her right, sat down at the best seat in the bar, “Have you heard about ‘Jitan’?”

    “Of course,” Aijia beckoned for the bartender to bring over drinks, “Who in the entire Nanhai bar scene wouldn’t know about such a big incident? Everyone’s busy doing self-inspections today.”

    Li Qinyue didn’t brag about her involvement, just smiled and said, “Did you do a self-inspection?”

    “What do I need to inspect?” Aijia pointed around the bar, saying each word clearly, “My place is squeaky clean.”

    “I can see that,” Li Qinyue took a sip of the wine in front of her, “Tastes good.”

    “It’s a new blend I made.” Aijia tilted her chin towards Zhuo Zhi, “Honey, try it too, yours is different from hers, no alcohol.”

    “I’m an adult,” Zhuo Zhi immediately said.

    “You look too cute,” Aijia smiled.

    Zhuo Zhi blushed and took a sip of the colorful drink, her eyes lighting up, “It’s delicious!”

    “Come often if you like it, I’ll make it for you,” Aijia said.

    “Hey, hey, hey,” Li Qinyue raised her hand, blocking their gazes, “She’s just a kid, don’t tease her.”

    “I’m an adult,” Zhuo Zhi immediately said again.

    Li Qinyue slapped her head, “You haven’t even grown all your hair yet.”

    Aijia just smiled at the two of them.

    The three of them drank and chatted, enjoying themselves. Not long after, there was a commotion from the stage. Li Qinyue looked over and saw the band for tonight’s performance setting up their instruments.

    “Hmm? So early?” Li Qinyue scanned the stage. Three guys, all looking very ordinary, but dressed quite stylishly, in ripped and tattered clothes, very punk.

    “New band, very serious,” Aijia said, “We just signed them two days ago, a three-month contract.”

    Li Qinyue owned two entertainment agencies, so she was quite sensitive to this kind of thing, “Three months?”

    Aijia knew her well, so she smiled and said, “The lead singer is pretty, her voice is good too, and the band writes their own songs, quite catchy.”

    Li Qinyue leaned forward and looked around, “Where’s the lead singer?”

    “A girl,” Aijia reminded her, “No need to be so excited.”

    Li Qinyue, who had just lowered her body, suddenly straightened up again, “Not necessarily, I might be even more excited if it’s a girl.”

    Aijia looked surprised, glancing at Li Qinyue and then at Zhuo Zhi, who shrugged, her expression helpless.

    Since it was someone Miss Li was interested in, she naturally had to appear quickly.

    Perhaps heaven was on Li Qinyue’s side. The black curtain behind the stage was lifted, and the lead singer did appear.

    Li Qinyue was stunned. She couldn’t say she recognized the person.

    But she recognized the hair.

    She was wearing a lot of clothes today, so the tattoos on her arms were hidden, but her blue hair was very eye-catching.

    Without the chaotic lights and atmosphere of “Jitan”, the blue-haired girl looked simple yet unique today.

    “Hey,” Li Qinyue exclaimed.

    “What, you know her?” Aijia said with a smile, “Don’t tell me it’s such a coincidence.”

    “It’s too much of a coincidence,” Li Qinyue shook her head, “So much so that I have to wonder if she’s here for me.”

    “What happened?” Aijia asked.

    Li Qinyue remembered that when they were talking about the “Jitan” incident, she hadn’t revealed that she had been there, so she couldn’t continue this topic now. She could only say vaguely, “Something quite amusing.”

    “Tsk.” Aijia stirred the wine in her glass, “I need to go to the back for a bit, I’ll leave you two.”

    “Go ahead, go ahead,” Li Qinyue waved her hand.

    As soon as Aijia left, Zhuo Zhi immediately moved her chair closer to Li Qinyue, “What was that amusing thing?”

    “Privacy.” Li Qinyue couldn’t tell this little girl who loved to recite legal articles.

    Zhuo Zhi frowned and looked at the lead singer, staring at her for a while.

    Li Qinyue also looked over. Their intense gazes finally attracted attention, and the blue-haired girl turned around.

    Meeting Li Qinyue’s gaze, she froze.

    Li Qinyue’s expression was calm, not at all embarrassed, nor did she show any signs of wanting to make amends.

    The blue-haired girl stared for quite a while, then suddenly squatted down to tidy up the tangled wires on the floor.

    Li Qinyue smiled, taking a sip of her wine, looking leisurely.

    Zhuo Zhi broke the strange atmosphere. She poked Li Qinyue’s glass and said, “This has alcohol, drink less.”

    “It’s just a little bit,” Li Qinyue said, “I only drank a third of it in half an hour, can you even call that drinking?”

    “If we stay until closing time, you’ll have drunk a lot,” Zhuo Zhi said, “You’re quite…”

    “Quite what?” Li Qinyue frowned and interrupted her.

    “Quite fun,” Zhuo Zhi changed her word.

    “What were you going to say originally?” Li Qinyue insisted on knowing.

    Zhuo Zhi sighed, a worried expression on her young face, looking like a little adult, “Quite troublesome.”

    “Comrade, you need to be clear about this,” Li Qinyue pointed at herself, “I pay your salary.”

    “President Li, I was wrong,” Zhuo Zhi said quickly.

    “Knowing your mistakes and correcting them is a good thing.” Li Qinyue tilted her chin towards the lead singer, “What do you think of her?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “You really are a kid.” Li Qinyue paused, “What do you think of dating her?”

    Zhuo Zhi frowned, “You want to date her?”

    “Just for fun,” Li Qinyue said.

    Zhuo Zhi’s frown deepened, “It’s wrong to play with people’s feelings, no matter who it is!”

    “What, you want me to be serious?” Li Qinyue smiled at her.

    “That’s your private matter, I can’t control it,” Zhuo Zhi said angrily, “But playing with people’s feelings is wrong!”

    “It’s okay,” someone suddenly approached them and said, “It’s okay to play around.”

    Li Qinyue and Zhuo Zhi turned their heads at the same time. The blue-haired girl was standing in front of them, the light behind her illuminating her hair, making the color look beautiful.

    Zhuo Zhi’s frown was so deep it could have been a mountain. Li Qinyue, on the other hand, was quite amused. She looked at Zhuo Zhi with a triumphant smile, then turned to the blue-haired girl and said nonchalantly, “Fancy meeting you here.”

    The blue-haired girl placed her hands on the table, ignoring Zhuo Zhi, her eyes fixed on Li Qinyue.

    “I thought about you all night.”

    Her words were startling, and Zhuo Zhi’s eyes widened.

    “Thought about you all night”, this piece of information was enough for Zhuo Zhi to deduce.

    If the two had met last night, it must have been at “Jitan”.

    Zhuo Zhi knew the plan for last night quite well. Before going to “Jitan”, Li Qinyue had assured her that she was not interested in women. But just one night later, today she claimed to have become a lesbian.

    Everything connected. Li Qinyue’s change in sexual orientation was because of this blue-haired girl in front of her.

    Zhuo Zhi stared at the girl’s profile, lost in another thought: what kind of charm did this girl have that could make Li Qinyue so deeply involved in this act?

    The blue-haired girl stared at Li Qinyue, waiting for her response.

    Zhuo Zhi also looked at Li Qinyue, waiting for her to answer the questions in her mind.

    Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi, then at the blue-haired girl, raised an eyebrow, and said in a gentle voice, “I thought about you all night too.”

    Zhuo Zhi’s fingers unconsciously clenched. Ah, this chaotic adult world!

    Li Qinyue paused and then said with a smile, “I was wondering where you got your hair done, I want to get mine dyed the same color.”

    Ah! Zhuo Zhi’s clenched fingers relaxed. This chaotic world of Li Qinyue.

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 13

    Chapter 13

    Zhuo Zhi had been to the Li family mansion once before. At that time, she couldn’t even hide her shock, and the housekeeper had led her in with amusement.

    This time, she was much more experienced. Zhuo Zhi got out of the car, holding the gift box in her hands, her back straight, her expression serious, looking like a professional bodyguard.

    The housekeeper was still the same housekeeper, his smile forming kind wrinkles on his face. He said to Li Qinyue, “Old Master Li is waiting for you in the warm pavilion.”

    Li Qinyue smiled back at him, “It’s drafty there, why does Grandpa insist on staying there?”

    “The master said the air circulation is good, it’s fresh, and it’s good for his health.” The housekeeper looked at Zhuo Zhi and nodded, “You’re here too.”

    “Hello,” Zhuo Zhi nodded maturely, stating her identity, “I’m President Li’s bodyguard.”

    “I know, I know. After you came last time, the master praised you for a long time…” The housekeeper led them through the corridor, talking just the right amount, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant.

    The Li family’s ancient-style architecture was very exquisite. The scenery in the courtyard was carefully designed according to the four seasons. Therefore, although most of the trees in Nanhai City had lost their leaves in winter, there were still red and green plants in the Li family courtyard, beautiful and artistic.

    Zhuo Zhi followed half a step behind Li Qinyue, her eyes focused, her steps steady.

    However, as they turned a corner, Li Qinyue suddenly grabbed her arm and pointed, “Look.”

    Look at what? Zhuo Zhi became alert and followed her finger, but she didn’t see anything unusual.

    “Did you see it?” Li Qinyue asked her.

    Zhuo Zhi shook her head honestly.

    Li Qinyue slapped the back of her head, “Can’t you see it? That big rock!”

    “I see it.” They were still moving forward, and Zhuo Zhi had to turn her head to look at the big rock.

    “There are words on the rock,” Li Qinyue said impatiently.

    “Hmm,” Zhuo Zhi read out, “Surrounded by Snow.”

    Li Qinyue waited for two seconds, her voice turning cold, “Don’t you have anything else to say?”

    Zhuo Zhi was confused.

    The housekeeper smiled and said, “Miss Li’s calligraphy is very beautiful. It’s been there for fifteen years. The master likes it very much. The surrounding area has been renovated several times, but this calligraphy hasn’t moved an inch.”

    Zhuo Zhi immediately said, “Wow, yes, it’s so beautiful! If you hadn’t told me, I would have thought it was written by a famous calligrapher!”

    “Hypocrite,” Li Qinyue slapped Zhuo Zhi’s head again.

    Zhuo Zhi chuckled twice, not daring to say anything more, afraid of making things worse.

    The three of them arrived at the warm pavilion. It was indeed an excellent location. It was high up with a good view, warm and well-ventilated, with flowing curtains. Old Master Li was sitting at the table making tea, looking like a figure in a traditional Chinese painting.

    The housekeeper retreated. Old Master Li gestured to Li Qinyue, “Try my tea.”

    “It smells good.” Li Qinyue went straight over and sat cross-legged beside him, downing a cup of tea like it was water, “But Grandpa, you know my tongue is too rough to appreciate the taste.”

    “As long as it tastes good.” The old man looked at Zhuo Zhi, nodded for her to sit down, and with a smile that crinkled his eyes like swimming fish, he asked her directly, “How are you two getting along?”

    “Very well,” Zhuo Zhi quickly said, “President Li and I get along well.”

    Li Qinyue leaned back, her hands resting on the warm cushion, “The way you two are talking, anyone would think you found me a blind date, Grandpa.”

    The old man patted her shoulder and glared, “Nonsense!”

    “How is it nonsense? Think about it,” Li Qinyue looked at him, sounding righteous, “You chose someone, brought her to me out of the blue, and said she was a birthday present. Feudal society is over, everyone has human rights, you can’t just throw someone at me like that.”

    “I got Little Zhuo Zhi’s consent, how is that violating her human rights?” The old man looked at Zhuo Zhi, “Isn’t that right?”

    “Yes,” Zhuo Zhi nodded naturally.

    Li Qinyue was unconvinced, “You didn’t get my consent.”

    The old man became serious, “This is for your safety. Little Zhuo Zhi has a good personality, and you two are getting along well now. Isn’t it good to have another companion to play with?”

    “You’re still saying it’s not like finding me a partner,” Li Qinyue smirked.

    “We might as well find you a partner while we’re at it,” the old man also laughed, “I heard that the Zhang boy is back in the country. Haven’t you two met up in private?”

    Li Qinyue glanced at Zhuo Zhi, a little shocked.

    The second son of the Zhang family had gone straight to a brothel upon returning home and was caught in an anti-prostitution raid. This was the hottest gossip in their circle right now. Even if the old man didn’t pay attention to outside matters, Zhuo Zhi, the little spy, should have reported it by now.

    She had some suspicions before, but she didn’t dare to jump to conclusions. Now, looking at the old man’s genuinely clueless expression, Li Qinyue felt a storm brewing inside her. She couldn’t believe that her beautiful guess might actually be true.

    Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi, who was blinking her big eyes and asking what was wrong. Li Qinyue looked away, suddenly feeling very happy.

    Although she had been happy all day, she was even happier now.

    This kind of happiness was indescribable, like a blocked river about to burst its banks, suddenly being cleared by a thunderbolt.

    Crash, crash, crash, the floodwaters rushed out, flowing smoothly towards the sea, refreshing and invigorating.

    “Heh, why would I meet him?” Li Qinyue sat up straight, her whole demeanor becoming much more positive, “Your granddaughter should be the kind of grand princess that people have to beg to see. It would be so embarrassing for our Li family if I went to see him as soon as he came back.”

    The old man thought for a moment, taking a sip of tea, “You’re not wrong.”

    “Of course, I heard he’s quite busy lately,” Li Qinyue refilled his teacup, smiling brightly, “Very busy, the kind of busy where he’s running around like a headless chicken.”

    “Busy with what?” the old man asked.

    “I wouldn’t know,” Li Qinyue’s lying expression was very exaggerated, “I don’t get involved in those things, you’ll have to ask my dad.”

    “I’ll ask him when I have time.” The old man took the bait quickly.

    Li Qinyue thought to herself, “Go ahead and ask, ask clearly, and then you and my grumpy old man can see what kind of person you found for your daughter.”

    But of course, she wouldn’t say that out loud. She reached out to Zhuo Zhi and said, “Where’s the thing?”

    Zhuo Zhi hurriedly handed over the gift box.

    Li Qinyue took it and opened it in front of the old man, “Look, what good stuff I brought you.”

    “Good ginseng.” The old man looked at the beautiful wild ginseng in the red velvet box. A gift from his granddaughter was indeed different. He looked at each ginseng root, each one unique and rare.

    Zhuo Zhi glanced up slightly. The old man picked up the box and showed it to her proudly, “Good stuff, right?”

    This time, Zhuo Zhi’s praise was absolutely sincere, “Very good.”

    The old man asked Li Qinyue, “You really dug this up yourself? You have such skills?”

    “Of course, I tied a red string and a copper coin to it, and brushed each root carefully, afraid it would run away.”

    “Hahaha…” The old man laughed happily, whether he believed it or not, “Did you get anything for your father?”

    “Yes, of course,” Li Qinyue paused, “I found him two good bottles of wine.”

    “He can’t drink anymore!” the old man said angrily.

    Li Qinyue chatted with Old Master Li for a long time. Zhuo Zhi couldn’t join in the conversation, nor did she intend to. In this warm family scene, it was best for her to be a quiet observer, soaking in the warmth.

    However, Old Master Li would ask her a few questions from time to time, and Li Qinyue would deliberately tease her, making Zhuo Zhi blush several times.

    No matter how confident she was in her abilities, no matter how grand her dreams were, Zhuo Zhi knew that in front of the Li family elders, she was just a little ant.

    Of course, although Li Qinyue was much older than her, because of her childish mindset, she didn’t count as an elder.

    When it was time for lunch, they went back inside and started eating.

    The feast Li Qinyue had promised was indeed a feast. The ingredients were expensive, the taste was excellent. There were probably only a few restaurants in the entire Nanhai City that could cook to this standard.

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t understand, but her taste buds were honest. She kept exclaiming how delicious it was throughout the meal.

    Old Master Li liked to see her eat with gusto and repeatedly nudged Li Qinyue, telling her to learn from her. He said young people should eat well to grow well.

    Li Qinyue was very helpless. She was long past the age of growing, but in her grandfather’s eyes, she would always be a child.

    After lunch, Old Master Li took his usual nap. Li Qinyue didn’t stay any longer and left the Li family mansion with Zhuo Zhi.

    She had two goals for coming back today: one was to visit her grandfather, the other was to test Zhuo Zhi.

    Her family had arranged for Zhuo Zhi to be by her side. What kind of person was she? Where did her loyalty lie? How much was it biased? After all the commotion in the past two days, coming back to see the direction of the wind was the best way to judge.

    This was the third plan Li Qinyue had roughly formulated before.

    It was going even more smoothly than she had imagined.

    And it was even more successful than she had imagined.

    Everything was turning out for the best, so good that Li Qinyue even wanted to check if she was going through a lucky streak.

    The two of them arrived at the garage. Zhuo Zhi obediently got into the passenger seat. Li Qinyue got in the car, closed the door, and paused while putting on her seatbelt. She suddenly wanted to have a frank conversation with Zhuo Zhi.

    Seeing her look over, Zhuo Zhi asked astutely, “What’s wrong, Sister?”

    She transitioned to that address quite naturally. Li Qinyue turned to her and said with a smile, “From now on, you must answer every question I ask you truthfully.”

    Zhuo Zhi also smiled, joking, “Will it be used as evidence in court?”

    “Yes,” Li Qinyue nodded, her expression becoming serious, “Was it my father or my grandfather who asked you to be my bodyguard?”

    “Neither of them asked me,” Zhuo Zhi said, “After my eighteenth birthday, I wanted to go down the mountain and experience the world. I begged my master for a month, and she spent two months searching before finding this job.”

    “Logically speaking, with all the great security companies in Nanhai City, this kind of job wouldn’t usually fall on your shoulders, right?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

    “Right,” Zhuo Zhi hesitated for a moment, but eventually admitted honestly, “My master pulled some strings, she has connections.”

    “What kind of connections?” Li Qinyue asked.

    “I’m not sure about that,” Zhuo Zhi said, “The day I came down the mountain, someone picked me up and took me straight to Old Master Li.”

    “What did my grandfather say to you?”

    “He told me some things about you,” Zhuo Zhi smiled shyly, “He even showed me your photos.”

    Li Qinyue’s brows furrowed, “The photo of me with a shaved head when I was little?”

    “How did you know?!” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes widened in surprise, “And the photo of you falling down at the finish line during the school sports meet in junior high.”

    “Heh,” Li Qinyue pursed her lips, “He should be glad he doesn’t know how to use WeChat, otherwise he would post them on his Moments every now and then, as if the whole world doesn’t know.”

    “That’s because he loves you and thinks you’re cute,” Zhuo Zhi defended Old Master Li.

    Li Qinyue pursed her lips again.

    Zhuo Zhi leaned closer to her and said anxiously, “Really, after he showed me the photos, he said that you are his treasure, the Li family’s treasure, so I must protect you well.”

    “Damn…” Li Qinyue lowered her head, a little touched by these cheesy words.

    Perhaps more than a little touched. She took a few deep breaths to suppress the sudden urge to cry, cleared her throat, and said, “He didn’t ask you to spy on me? Didn’t ask you to tell him everything I do?”

    “No, he only asked me to protect you,” Zhuo Zhi paused, “He also said he hoped we could become friends.”

    “Hmm,” Li Qinyue responded, took a deep breath, and started the car, “But he’s also forcing me to get married now.”

    The car drove out of the garage. The sunlight outside was dazzling, making Li Qinyue squint, “Marry that trash.”

    Zhuo Zhi looked at her for a while, then called her, “Sister Qinyue.”

    “Hmm?” Li Qinyue glanced at her.

    “I think this matter…”

    “Are you going to try to persuade me?” Li Qinyue interrupted her, “Saying things like family always wants what’s best for you?”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Family does want what’s best for you, but they can’t live your life for you.”

    “Where did you get that chicken soup quote?” Li Qinyue chuckled.

    “A girl came to the neighboring nunnery last year, she was quite pretty, and she stayed for half a year before going down the mountain,” Zhuo Zhi said slowly, “She liked to run around the forest taking pictures of insects. I ran into her many times and chatted with her.”

    “She said she wasn’t there to become a vegetarian, lose weight, or listen to Buddhist teachings to cleanse her soul. She was there to escape marriage.”

    “She said she was being very unreasonable. Her family had pressured her to go on a blind date, pressured her to date the guy, and then she got engaged in a daze. In the end, when it was time to get their marriage license, she realized she didn’t want to get married at all.”

    “So she ran away, leaving a letter and all her savings behind, without her phone, and went up the mountain.”

    “She said she could run away from the marriage, but not from her family. Her body escaped, but her heart was still filled with guilt. Every moment, she would think about how much this incident had hurt her family, the man, and his family.”

    “But she never regretted it. She had never been so clear about how she wanted to live her life. It was a predetermined path, and no one could go against their own will.”

    “She was only sad that she hadn’t realized it sooner. If she had been clear and firm from the beginning, she wouldn’t be so ashamed to face her family now.”

    Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue, “I think she was right. Sticking to the path you want to take from the beginning, being your true self, is the best way to minimize the harm to your family.”

    “Conflicts always exist, it’s important to cut your losses in time,” Zhuo Zhi touched Li Qinyue’s arm, “So you’re right.”

    After this long speech, Li Qinyue laughed, her silent smile turning into a chuckle. She finally ruffled Zhuo Zhi’s hair and asked, “Have you ever been to school?”

    “Of course I have!” Zhuo Zhi immediately said, “I even took the college entrance exam! I even got into a 211/985 university*!”

    “Then shouldn’t you be a freshman in college now? Why are you talking about going up and down the mountain all the time?”

    “Going down the mountain is the coming-of-age ceremony,” Zhuo Zhi frowned, looking serious, “You exam-oriented kids wouldn’t understand.”

    “Childish,” Li Qinyue concluded.

    You’re the one who’s childish, Zhuo Zhi wanted to retort, but she held back, “Hmph.”

    The car drove on in silence for a while. Li Qinyue suddenly asked her, “That girl didn’t want to get married, was it because she liked girls?”

    “Huh?” Zhuo Zhi was stunned, “I don’t think so, I didn’t hear her say she was gay, and she didn’t seem like it.”

    “Then do I seem like it?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

    “Huh?” Zhuo Zhi was even more stunned, and didn’t answer for a while.

    “Do I seem like it?” Li Qinyue asked her again.

    “I don’t know,” Zhuo Zhi searched her memory, “President Li, you said you weren’t interested in girls.”

    Li Qinyue grinned, looking mischievous, “From today onwards, I am.”

    “Huh???” Zhuo Zhi became a broken record.

    “I, Li Qinyue, am a lesbian from today onwards!!!” Li Qinyue slapped the steering wheel, looking delighted. After saying that, she suddenly reached out and pinched Zhuo Zhi’s palm, “Little naive one, what do you think?”

    ***

    T/N:

    Well, it’s confirmed that the MC’s master is a woman, at least according to the line mentioned in this chapter. Previously, the master was only referred to in a neutral way, without any indication of their gender.

    ***

    In China, universities are ranked and categorized into different tiers. The “211” and “985” refer to two prestigious university projects initiated by the Chinese government.

    • “211” refers to the “211 Project”, which was launched in 1995 to promote the development of about 100 top universities in China. These universities are considered to be among the best in the country and receive significant funding and support from the government.
    • “985” refers to the “985 Project”, which was launched in 1998 to further promote the development of a smaller group of elite universities in China. These universities are considered to be among the very best in the country and receive even more funding and support than the 211 universities.

    So,  “I even got into a 211/985 university!”, means that the protagonist was accepted into a university that is considered to be among the top universities in China.

     

     

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 12

    Chapter 12

    The hug lasted a bit too long.

    The room was already warm, and Li Qinyue’s body was hot. Zhuo Zhi was naturally prone to feeling hot, and soon, she felt sweat forming on her skin.

    But she didn’t move or rush to make Li Qinyue let go. If she had to find a word to describe how she felt at this moment, Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment, it would be “secret delight”.

    She rarely had the chance to be hugged like this. Living on the mountain year after year, she only had close contact with a few people. Her master had a fiery temper, and the nuns from the neighboring temple were gentle, but they would at most pat her head.

    Zhuo Zhi, who grew up in the wild, thought hugging was something only people on TV did. It was a bit embarrassing, a bit shameful, a bit awkward, but also a bit happy.

    Especially being hugged by Li Qinyue. These wealthy people, wearing expensive brand-name clothes, spraying expensive perfumes, even their hair was smoother than ordinary people like Zhuo Zhi.

    Li Qinyue being willing to have this kind of physical contact with her was like a collapse of class barriers, a warmth between strangers who had become closer, and also an affirmation of her first job.

    From the initial confrontation filled with anger to now being hugged and kissed by her, Zhuo Zhi’s lips curved up slightly. Staring at a painting on the wall that she didn’t understand, she thought, I guess I’m quite charming after all.

    Her mind wandered in circles like this until finally, Li Qinyue moved, her hand on her back gently patting her shoulder.

    “Hmm?” Zhuo Zhi still didn’t move, showing with her actions that if Li Qinyue needed, she could continue hugging her for a long time.

    “Okay,” Li Qinyue said, her voice against her neck, damp and warm.

    Zhuo Zhi moved back slightly, and Li Qinyue let go of her, smiling at her, “Good night.”

    Her tone was so gentle, her eyes as moist as a forest after rain. Zhuo Zhi stared at her for a few seconds before responding in a daze, “Good night.”

    Li Qinyue didn’t hesitate any longer, turning and walking towards the bed.

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t repeat her mistake from earlier and quickly left the room.

    That night, both of them felt a mixture of emotions.

    The next day, Li Qinyue slept until almost noon again. There were several missed calls on her phone, and her WeChat messages were about to explode.

    Their circle was small. After such a big event last night, it was like the gossip of the year, everyone wishing they had been there to witness it firsthand and report it live.

    As the person involved, Li Qinyue naturally became the focus of attention.

    Li Qinyue didn’t get up in a hurry. She leaned against the headboard and browsed through all the messages, replying to two people she deemed worthy.

    Then she threw aside this phone and dug out the other one from under her blanket, surprised to find it surprisingly quiet.

    Her father hadn’t contacted her, nor had her grandfather. In the family group chat, there were only two WeChat articles posted by her aunt in the morning, written in a shocked tone.

    Li Qinyue suddenly wanted to laugh. Her head was still a little dizzy, but she laughed for a while.

    She got out of bed, and just as she finished washing up and left the room, she saw Zhuo Zhi standing outside the door.

    “Hmm?” Li Qinyue looked at her questioningly.

    Zhuo Zhi moved aside, revealing the mop behind her, “I’m cleaning.”

    “No need,” Li Qinyue thought she was really silly, “I’ll call a cleaning lady.”

    “Why waste money on that?” Zhuo Zhi bent down and mopped the floor with great effort, “Although the house is big, we only use a small part of it. It’ll be clean after a quick clean.”

    Li Qinyue leaned against the doorframe, not telling her that the cleaning lady had a yearly contract, and the money would be spent whether she came or not.

    Zhuo Zhi was usually quite agile, but she seemed particularly clumsy doing housework.

    Li Qinyue found it amusing. She stared at her for a while, sighing, young people were great, with their long legs, perky butts, and slim waists.

    After mopping the corridor within her reach, Zhuo Zhi started mopping the stairs.

    Li Qinyue straightened up and took two steps towards her, “Do you usually do housework at home?”

    “My master and I share the chores,” Zhuo Zhi said.

    “But you don’t seem very skilled,” Li Qinyue laughed, “Just like me, clumsy.”

    Zhuo Zhi paused and straightened up, looking at her.

    Light shone in through the window, falling right on Zhuo Zhi’s face. The girl’s features were soft and fuzzy, like a fresh peach.

    Her lips moved a few times before she confessed honestly, “I don’t usually do it like this.”

    “Then why are you doing it like this now?” Li Qinyue bent down slightly, staring at her.

    Zhuo Zhi’s cheeks flushed, now a ripe peach, “Just putting on a show.”

    “Hahahahaha…” Li Qinyue was already in a good mood early in the morning, and now, she laughed out loud without holding back.

    The corner of Zhuo Zhi’s mouth twitched, seemingly hesitating whether to laugh along with her.

    Li Qinyue laughed so hard that she could barely stand up straight. She patted Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder hard twice.

    She usually didn’t hold back her strength when fooling around with others, but with Zhuo Zhi, she didn’t have any reservations. She patted her as hard as she laughed, making Zhuo Zhi’s shoulders sink two inches.

    “Is it… that funny?” Zhuo Zhi gripped the mop handle, feeling awkward.

    Li Qinyue waved her hand, “Stop… stop putting on a show, is… is there anything to eat? Damn, I’m starving from laughing.”

    “What do you want to eat? I’ll make it,” Zhuo Zhi threw down the mop and was about to run off.

    Li Qinyue had a flash of inspiration and grabbed her wrist, “Don’t.”

    “Hmm?”

    “I’ll take you out for a feast,” Li Qinyue flicked Zhuo Zhi’s forehead.

    “Snap”, it was loud.

    Zhuo Zhi thought Li Qinyue was just in a good mood and didn’t want to eat at home.

    But after waiting downstairs for more than half an hour, she realized that it wasn’t that simple.

    When Li Qinyue reappeared, she was wearing exquisite yet subtle makeup and a bright, beautiful, and tasteful outfit.

    Her high heels made her a whole head taller than Zhuo Zhi. As Zhuo Zhi looked up at her, she felt that she should grow taller faster.

    Li Qinyue was holding a box, as delicate as herself, and threw it into Zhuo Zhi’s arms, “Here.”

    Zhuo Zhi caught it and looked it over.

    Li Qinyue smiled at her, “Hold it tight, it’s valuable.”

    Zhuo Zhi hugged the box tightly, “As long as the box is safe, I’m safe.”

    This time, no car came to pick them up. The garage door opened, revealing a low-key yet luxurious starry blue sports car.

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t know much about cars, but she still let out a “Wow,” expressing her admiration for things that looked expensive.

    Li Qinyue was playing with the car key in her hand. She asked Zhuo Zhi, “Can you drive?”

    “Yes,” Zhuo Zhi said, “But I don’t have a driver’s license.”

    Li Qinyue understood, probably because she hadn’t reached the legal driving age before.

    “Want to try?” Li Qinyue twirled the car key in her hand, looking at her provocatively.

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi answered readily, “I can’t afford to scratch it.”

    “It’s on me if you scratch it,” Li Qinyue said.

    “What if I crash it?”

    “It’s still on me.”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi shook her head, “I have to take responsibility for my own mistakes.”

    “So you choose not to make mistakes?” Li Qinyue saw that she couldn’t be tempted and got into the car.

    “Yes,” Zhuo Zhi nodded and quickly went to the passenger seat.

    The car started, the engine roaring. Li Qinyue smiled smugly, “Don’t regret it then.”

    Having been strapped to a bungee jump once, Zhuo Zhi immediately understood her thoughts and hurriedly tried to dissuade her, “President Li, the mountain road is not easy to drive, there are several sharp bends on this mountain…”

    Before she could finish her sentence, the car sped off.

    The braking of a luxury car was really fast. Zhuo Zhi could only let out a single exclamation, “Ah—”

    There was no dissuading Li Qinyue. Once she went wild, no one could stop her.

    The car left the villa complex and turned onto a road Zhuo Zhi had never been on before. There were unfamiliar signs on both sides, “Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,” they flashed past. Zhuo Zhi finally realized that this must be a special racing track.

    So, the idea of using traffic safety laws to persuade Li Qinyue had to be abandoned.

    “Sigh…” Zhuo Zhi let out a long sigh.

    “What are you sighing for?” Li Qinyue glanced at her.

    “Don’t look at me, don’t look at me,” Zhuo Zhi hurriedly said, “President Li, President Li, keep your eyes on the road.”

    “I’ve driven this road eight hundred times, I could drive it with my eyes closed…”

    “No, no, no, no, no,” Zhuo Zhi’s hair stood on end, “It’s my first time, my first time.”

    “You’re not the one driving,” Li Qinyue glanced at her again.

    Zhuo Zhi had a sudden inspiration, “I have a fear of speed.”

    “Huh?” Li Qinyue was stunned.

    “I have a fear of speed! This speed, it scares me!”

    Zhuo Zhi felt she was so smart. She hadn’t mentioned her fear of heights during the bungee jump because she wanted to maintain a reliable image in front of her boss. But now, Zhuo Zhi believed that they trusted each other and had a certain level of camaraderie, so showing a little weakness was appropriate.

    As expected, Li Qinyue abruptly slowed down the car.

    This time, she looked at Zhuo Zhi seriously and asked, “What did you say you have?”

    “A fear of speed,” Zhuo Zhi insisted stubbornly.

    “Hahahahaha…” Li Qinyue laughed and honked the horn, “You’re so cute, little silly girl…”

    Zhuo Zhi was happy to be called cute, but she wasn’t happy about being called a silly girl.

    “I’m not silly,” she defended herself.

    “Oh,” Li Qinyue didn’t speed up again. She paused and said, “Guess where we’re going?”

    Zhuo Zhi put on her professional demeanor, “If we were simply going to eat, you wouldn’t have dressed up for so long. If we were going to meet friends, you wouldn’t be dressed so formally. If it were for business, you wouldn’t be driving yourself. The box contains a gift, judging by its weight and size, it should be some kind of nutritional supplement.”

    The smile on Li Qinyue’s face faded.

    “In conclusion,” Zhuo Zhi snapped her fingers, looking pleased, “You must be going home to see your grandfather.”

    “Why would I take you with me to see my grandfather?” Li Qinyue pouted.

    “Because I’m your bodyguard,” Zhuo Zhi emphasized, “Your personal bodyguard.”

    “Who allowed you to be personal?” Li Qinyue was a little annoyed.

    Zhuo Zhi lowered her head and laughed softly, “You hugged me for a long time last night.”

    It was better not to mention last night. Mentioning it was like announcing to the world Li Qinyue’s uncontrollable blunder.

    Even though there were only the two of them in the car right now, the temperature of the air seemed to rise rapidly.

    Li Qinyue knew exactly what had happened last night, so she thought it was understandable for her to blush. But Zhuo Zhi, this piece of wood who had just come of age, also suddenly blushed, which made Li Qinyue feel a mixture of emotions.

    She didn’t look at Zhuo Zhi again, staring straight ahead at the mountain road outside the window. After driving for a while, she finally said, “That doesn’t mean anything.”

    After saying that, she felt like she was protesting too much, so she slapped the steering wheel angrily and frowned.

    Zhuo Zhi looked at her, her gaze direct and pure. Even with her peripheral vision, Li Qinyue felt like she was adding fuel to the fire.

    Zhuo Zhi paused for almost half a minute, the silence so thick it could stretch hot candy into threads, before finally saying, “At least it means you’re quite satisfied with my services, right?”

    Damn, damn, damn, Li Qinyue wanted to bang her head against the wall.

    Logically, she knew that Zhuo Zhi was talking about bodyguard services, but her wicked desires insisted on twisting it into something indecent.

    After Zhuo Zhi left last night, she had taken care of herself three times in that big bed. Once the memory was triggered, even her foot on the gas pedal felt weak.

    “Shut up,” Li Qinyue said through gritted teeth.

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 11

    Chapter 11

    The journey back to the villa complex wasn’t too far, but it was late, and the driver drove slowly up the mountain road.

    Li Qinyue felt a little tormented. In the confined space, her senses of smell and temperature were heightened.

    She tried her best to lean her body against the window, her face pressed against the cold glass, but the heat kept surging up.

    Zhuo Zhi was completely oblivious. After being ordered not to speak, she sat quietly. She wasn’t used to playing with her phone, and it was dark outside, so she would occasionally glance at Li Qinyue.

    Li Qinyue had her back to her, but she could feel her gaze.

    The car swayed, and Li Qinyue felt like her head was becoming muddled, or perhaps, after spending so long among a bunch of women with ulterior motives tonight, she herself had developed some ulterior motives.

    She even thought about using this little girl beside her to quench her thirst. It was too sinful.

    As soon as the car stopped, Li Qinyue practically jumped out of the car.

    The cool wind hit her face, making her feel much better and clearer.

    She hurried into the house, ignoring the person behind her, and went straight up to the third floor, entering her bedroom.

    The heating in the room was strong, and those feelings crept back up, like ants crawling all over her body.

    Li Qinyue was an adult, she wasn’t going to hold back. She went into the bathroom, turned on the water, and quickly took off her clothes.

    She didn’t set the water temperature too low, but her body temperature was really high. When she stepped into the bathtub, the contrast made her hairs stand on end.

    The gentle water flowed over every inch of her body, and Li Qinyue lay down with a sigh of contentment.

    Zhuo Zhi locked the door, hung up her coat, changed into slippers, washed her face in her room, and changed into comfortable home clothes before going up to the third floor to find Li Qinyue.

    Although it was late, after such a momentous event tonight, they definitely needed to have a good chat to calm down their excitement.

    Zhuo Zhi had so much to say to Li Qinyue and so many questions to ask her. It wasn’t convenient in the car, so she had held it in all the way, and it was really uncomfortable.

    Fortunately, Li Qinyue had said they would talk when they got home. They had nothing urgent to do tomorrow, they could talk all night if they wanted.

    Steam gradually filled the bathroom, creating a hazy, soft, and calming atmosphere.

    Li Qinyue’s fingers slid down, gently caressing her body, which tensed and relaxed, allowing herself to moan genuinely.

    The tide within her body was like the water overflowing from the bathtub, slow and rhythmic, gently surging.

    It was at this moment that Zhuo Zhi’s voice broke in.

    Like a cold mountain spring, it hit Li Qinyue over the head, making her shiver involuntarily.

    “Sister Qinyue, are you taking a bath?”

    She sounded so sweet.

    Li Qinyue’s fingers stopped, her throat dry. She coughed before managing to speak, “Yes.”

    The bathroom wasn’t big, the distance from the bathtub to the door was only three or four meters. Zhuo Zhi was leaning against the door, her tone cheerful as she asked, “When will you be done?”

    Li Qinyue looked down at her hand, “It’ll be a while.”

    “Then I’ll wait for you,” there was a sound outside, the sound of a chair being dragged, “There’s no water sound, are you taking a bath?”

    Li Qinyue was a little flustered, “Are you sitting outside?”

    “Yes,” Zhuo Zhi didn’t hide anything, chuckling, “You said we’d talk when we got back, I’m so excited.”

    The word “excited”, to Li Qinyue, whose mind was now full of indecent thoughts, sounded like a permit to the abyss of sin.

    She slid down further into the water, clinging to a shred of reason, “There’s nothing to talk about anymore, go to sleep.”

    “Aren’t you happy, Sister?” Zhuo Zhi’s chair moved closer, her voice slipping through the door crack, “You can tell me anything that’s making you unhappy. Was it not going well after you went into that shop? Or are you afraid that Ling Xi and the others will retaliate…”

    “You talk so much…” Li Qinyue’s voice was barely a whisper, her fingers involuntarily resuming their previous actions, “But your voice sounds nice…”

    Zhuo Zhi couldn’t hear her clearly and became anxious, “What’s wrong, Sister? Don’t keep things bottled up. Did you drink a lot again tonight? It’s very dangerous to take a bath when you’re drunk…”

    At this point, Zhuo Zhi was truly worried. She stood up abruptly, the chair making a harsh scraping sound, “I’m coming in!”

    Li Qinyue shuddered, thinking that if she were a man, she would have been scared to death.

    Zhuo Zhi was always quick to act. All Li Qinyue had time to do was to move her fingers away and then shout at the blurry figure at the door, “Get out!”

    Zhuo Zhi’s advancing foot stopped, her eyes still peeking inside, “Are you alright? It’s good that you’re okay.”

    After the door opened, the steam dissipated quickly. Li Qinyue was leaning against the edge of the bathtub, her arm gripping the rim, her head turned to glare at Zhuo Zhi, her eyes like knives, “Can you just barge in here like that?!”

    Zhuo Zhi blushed a little, raised her hand, and mumbled, “Sorry, my master and I used to bathe in the same bathhouse, I’m used to it…”

    “Get out,” Li Qinyue looked down at her body in the water, feeling helpless.

    Zhuo Zhi backed out and closed the door, but didn’t leave, “I’ll be right outside, call me if you need anything.”

    After all this back and forth, although Li Qinyue’s body was still restless, her mind was exhausted.

    “What could I possibly need,” she said weakly, “I just want to take a bath.”

    “Oh, okay,” Zhuo Zhi finally realized she was being a bit intrusive, but she was still worried about Li Qinyue, who was drunk, soaking in the bathtub, “I won’t talk anymore, you take your time… But don’t soak for too long, it’s bad for your skin…”

    “Sigh…” Li Qinyue let out a long sigh, got out of the bathtub, and turned the shower to cold water, letting it pour over her head, ruthlessly extinguishing the fire within her.

    After showering, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe, not even bothering to dry her hair, and opened the door.

    Zhuo Zhi was standing by the door. Seeing her come out, she took a step back.

    “You’re done,” Zhuo Zhi smiled, a little embarrassed, “Then you should rest early.”

    After saying that, she didn’t leave immediately, her big eyes staring at Li Qinyue, clearly still full of anticipation.

    Li Qinyue walked barefoot on the floor, leaving a trail of clear watermarks, and went to the sofa, throwing herself onto it, “Didn’t you want to talk?”

    “Ah!” Zhuo Zhi reacted as if she had lost money and then found it again, rushing over quickly.

    Instead of sitting on the opposite sofa, she went straight to Li Qinyue. Feeling that it was inappropriate to stand and look down at her, she simply squatted down.

    Right beside Li Qinyue’s calves, her entire warm body was so close, creating a strange temperature difference.

    Li Qinyue looked at her and said, “What do you want to talk about?”

    “About tonight,” Zhuo Zhi paused, “You said I was useful.”

    Li Qinyue naturally remembered the context in which she had said those words, but she couldn’t be as honest as this silly girl, so she averted her gaze and said, “You were in charge of communication and coordination, those are very important tasks. And in the future, whenever there’s a direct conflict, you’ll have to handle it, right?”

    Li Qinyue’s tone was flat, her expression indifferent.

    Zhuo Zhi looked at her, understanding that something was still wrong. This wasn’t the heart-to-heart talk she wanted.

    Li Qinyue was not interested, not interested at all. Zhuo Zhi clinging to her like this made her look like a sycophantic puppy eager to please, even though she hadn’t actually done anything important.

    This realization made Zhuo Zhi feel ashamed. Heat rushed to her face, forcing her to step back.

    Finally calming down, she carefully thought about her actions just now and realized that everything was a huge mistake.

    Zhuo Zhi was a little panicked. She was fearless, but now, she was afraid of losing this job, afraid that her dream, which had just begun, would be nipped in the bud.

    Knowing your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. Zhuo Zhi stood up abruptly, looked at Li Qinyue, and said seriously and earnestly, “President Li, I was wrong!”

    Li Qinyue looked at her, a little dumbfounded.

    “I shouldn’t have disturbed you so late, and I shouldn’t have barged in when you were taking a bath,” Zhuo Zhi clenched her fists and lowered her head, “Recent events have made me too excited, and I got a little carried away. In the future, I will strictly abide by the rules and regulations of a bodyguard, and I will never disturb your life or invade your privacy unless absolutely necessary.”

    “It’s not…” Li Qinyue was stunned, “What are you doing?”

    “I’m expressing my sincerest apologies to you!” Zhuo Zhi bowed, “This kind of mistake will never happen again, you can punish me however you like.”

    “Damn…” Li Qinyue was both amused and exasperated.

    Zhuo Zhi straightened up, her brows slightly furrowed, “You must be very tired after a busy day. Please rest early. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

    This time, after she finished speaking, she really left quickly and decisively, turning around and walking away with large strides. Li Qinyue had no doubt that she would be gone like the wind.

    But Li Qinyue couldn’t let her leave just like that.

    It might seem ridiculous, but she really couldn’t bear it.

    Whatever was on Zhuo Zhi’s mind, it showed on her face, and her words were even more straightforward. Once she made a decision, set a rule, it was set in stone, the kind that couldn’t be pulled out.

    If this stubborn little girl went downstairs like this, she would definitely blame herself all night. Today was a great victory, it shouldn’t end like this.

    So she said, “Come back.”

    Zhuo Zhi immediately stood at attention, her back straight, “What are your orders?”

    “Orders my ass,” Li Qinyue waved her hand, “Didn’t I just tell you to come back?”

    Zhuo Zhi stood still, as if considering how much truth there was in Li Qinyue’s words.

    “Damn, can’t you move?” Li Qinyue glared at her, “Can’t you see that my hair is so wet it’s dripping?”

    Zhuo Zhi immediately turned and walked towards the bathroom, “I’ll get you a towel.”

    “You can go into the bathroom now?” Li Qinyue teased her.

    Zhuo Zhi stopped and asked, “President Li, may I come in?”

    Li Qinyue laughed, throwing herself onto the sofa, giggling for a while.

    “You silly girl,” she said, “No, come here.”

    Zhuo Zhi obediently stepped back and came to her side.

    Li Qinyue patted the sofa next to her, “Sit down.”

    Zhuo Zhi sat down, her back straight.

    Li Qinyue said, “Weren’t you afraid I’d drown just now? What’s wrong with going into the bathroom, we’re both girls.”

    Zhuo Zhi’s eyes lit up.

    Li Qinyue’s heart itched, and she couldn’t help but tease, “How much did you see just now?”

    Zhuo Zhi quickly waved her hands, “Not much, just your arms, neck, shoulders, collarbone…”

    “Was it nice?” Li Qinyue asked.

    Zhuo Zhi’s throat bobbed inexplicably, and she answered honestly, “Yes, you have a great figure, Sister.”

    Hearing her call her “Sister”, Li Qinyue felt relieved.

    From the moment they had clenched their fists, ready to conquer the world together, Li Qinyue hadn’t thought about distancing herself from Zhuo Zhi. Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. Using some tactics to win her over was the right path.

    So she leaned closer and put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder, looking into her eyes seriously, “I’m not angry, I’m just a little tired, that’s why I was so fierce just now.”

    “Not fierce…” Zhuo Zhi was lost in her focused gaze, enduring Li Qinyue’s still-wet hair dripping water onto her.

    Li Qinyue reached up and cupped the back of her neck, “Do you know why I’m explaining this to you?”

    “Why?”

    “Because I consider you one of my own,” Li Qinyue said, “I wouldn’t bully my own people.”

    “That’s great!” Zhuo Zhi was genuinely happy, her eyes shining like light bulbs.

    “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Li Qinyue’s gaze couldn’t help but slide down again.

    Zhuo Zhi’s cheeks flushed, a tender, peachy pink, “Your hair is dripping water onto my clothes, Sister.”

    “Oh, really?” Li Qinyue’s gaze slid down shamelessly, passing over Zhuo Zhi’s nose and lips, seeing a drop of water fall from her hair, landing in the hollow of Zhuo Zhi’s collarbone before sliding down.

    Zhuo Zhi’s home clothes were conservative, and this was the only bit of her delicate skin visible.

    Li Qinyue’s mind, out of her control, suddenly had an idea: if she used Zhuo Zhi taking off her clothes to test her sexual orientation, perhaps the result would…

    Nonsense.

    Li Qinyue tightened her grip, pulling Zhuo Zhi into her arms, hugging her tightly, and letting out a long sigh.

    It was just the aftereffects of the medicine.

    “What’s wrong, Sister?” Zhuo Zhi’s voice, small and obedient, came from beside her ear.

    “Nothing,” Li Qinyue’s throat was a little dry, “Let me hold you for a while.”

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 10

    Chapter 10

    “Jitan” (meaning “No Fear”) hadn’t been open for long, and its location wasn’t conspicuous, but it had quickly gained notoriety for its audacity.

    It was a high-end club, accepting only members by reservation. The number of people entering each day was limited, and it could maintain absolute secrecy when necessary.

    When Ling Xi called Lin Haitao to inform him of the change in plans, Lin Haitao was a bit worried that the sudden change would displease Zhang Xitan, causing him to leave in a huff.

    But Ling Xi was very considerate. She sent photos of the new escorts to Lin Haitao’s phone: a Western model and a pure-looking schoolgirl. Zhang Xitan glanced at them and said with a smile, “It’s all the same to me.”

    So everything went smoothly. As night fell and the city lights illuminated the streets, Lin Haitao brought the second son of the Zhang family to “Jitan”. They entered through the VIP passage, going directly to the luxurious private room on the third floor.

    As usual, their friends welcomed Zhang Xitan back first. This time, everyone present was tactful. They toasted, sang songs, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

    At the same time, Li Qinyue, under Ling Xi’s urging, left the house. Unlike the past, in order to present herself as someone going to “explore a new world”, she wore a casual suit, her makeup clean and sharp, with only a touch of smoky eye shadow.

    Her hair was loosely tied up, and two buttons of her shirt were undone, giving her a seductive yet aloof look.

    Zhuo Zhi went down the mountain with her. For convenience of conversation, they were still sitting in the back seat. Halfway through the ride, she couldn’t help but nudge Li Qinyue with her elbow and say, “President Li, you look so good.”

    “Really?” Li Qinyue smiled, her eyes slanted, the curve of her lips just right, alluring without being excessive, the most captivating expression.

    Zhuo Zhi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly frowned, “You haven’t forgotten our main objective, have you?”

    “What else is there besides the main objective?” Li Qinyue pretended not to understand.

    “Don’t get carried away and…” Zhuo Zhi pursed her lips, not finishing her sentence.

    “And what?” Li Qinyue stared at her.

    Zhuo Zhi paused for a long time, struggling with her words, but still felt the need to advise her, though her wording was much gentler than when they first met, “And get lost in the pleasures of the moment.”

    Li Qinyue leaned against the car window, laughing for a long time.

    When it was time for them to split up, Miss Li still kindly patted Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in women that way.”

    Zhuo Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly, “I thought you rich people didn’t care about gender.”

    “Heh,” Li Qinyue pinched her cheek, “That’s right, we rich people care about love.”

    After three rounds of drinks, it was time for relaxation.

    Zhang Xitan didn’t drink much. No one dared to force him to drink, but this slightly tipsy state was the most comfortable.

    It blurred his senses, making everything seem more beautiful, but it didn’t affect his actions. He could do whatever he wanted.

    The Western model and the schoolgirl had been serving him for most of the evening. After drinking and being touched, his desire was burning. Zhang Xitan waved at Lin Haitao and said, “It’s noisy, I need some peace and quiet.”

    Naturally, no one stopped him. Lin Haitao quickly opened the door and led him to the innermost part of the club, the VIP presidential suite, where everything was prepared for his enjoyment.

    Zhang Xitan leaned on the Western model as they entered the room. He turned around, pressed her down, and gave her a passionate kiss, reeking of alcohol.

    Lin Haitao helped close the door but deliberately didn’t lock it. He walked into the corridor, lowered his voice, and said into the phone, “It’s starting.”

    Ling Xi pressed on the earpiece in her ear, turned around, and smiled at Li Qinyue, “Is it too noisy here?”

    They were in the Left Bank dance floor on the second floor of “Jitan”, where, besides female patrons looking for female partners, there were only hot and energetic dancers.

    Li Qinyue’s gaze was fixed on a corner, not in a hurry, “It’s alright.”

    Ling Xi followed her gaze, “Have you found someone you like?”

    Sitting in the corner was a girl with tattoos, wearing hot pants and a tank top. Her hair was dyed in the trendy smoky blue color, looking both rebellious and eye-catching.

    Ling Xi smiled and said, “So you like this type, no wonder.”

    Li Qinyue didn’t deny it, only said, “I’m just looking.”

    “It would be a shame to come to ‘Jitan’ just to look,” Ling Xi handed a glass of wine to Li Qinyue, “There are many things you won’t understand if you don’t try them.”

    “Hmm,” Li Qinyue took the wine, took a sip, and lowered her head to play with her phone, “Wait a little longer.”

    Ling Xi racked her brains trying to guess what Li Qinyue was waiting for. There was indeed no rush, but Zhang Xitan might not last long, and she wanted Li Qinyue to see the most exciting scene.

    Thinking about excitement, a light bulb went off in Ling Xi’s head. Miss Li always liked excitement, but she was also someone who cared about face. In the years they had known each other, Ling Xi had never seen her take the initiative to hit on anyone, it was always others who threw themselves at her.

    So now, she was waiting for the other side to take the initiative.

    Ling Xi sighed inwardly, got up, and called over a waiter, asking him to send a glass of wine with strong suggestive meaning to the blue-haired girl, saying that it was from President Li.

    People came to “Jitan” to find partners. With Li Qinyue’s looks, as long as she extended an olive branch, no one in this room would probably refuse.

    Everything was under control. As the blue-haired girl walked towards Li Qinyue with a glass of wine, Zhang Xitan was impatiently undoing his belt in the suite on the third floor.

    The Western model took care of the upper body, while Zhang Xitan held the schoolgirl’s hand, asking her to take care of the lower body.

    The alcohol made his head spin, the heat made him lose his mind, and there was a faint fragrance in the air, urging him on.

    At that moment, the schoolgirl suddenly pulled her hand back and dodged.

    Zhang Xitan was about to lose it. He pushed the Western model aside and reached for the schoolgirl who had dodged.

    The schoolgirl was wearing a JK(high school student) uniform, with long, straight black hair and big, innocent eyes.

    The moment Zhang Xitan was about to touch her, she let out a soft cry and ran away, her short skirt bouncing, revealing two long, white, slender legs.

    Paired with knee socks and small leather shoes, her half-hearted resistance only fueled his animalistic desires.

    Zhang Xitan chased after her, grabbing her uniform jacket, but she struggled, breaking free from his grasp and dodging away.

    White shirt, plaid collar. Zhang Xitan tried to grab her again, but the schoolgirl’s evasions became incredibly agile, one step, two steps, incredibly rhythmic, like a butterfly circling around, beautiful to behold, but impossible to catch its wings.

    Zhang Xitan gradually became agitated. He stopped his staggering steps and shouted, “Stop right there!”

    The schoolgirl whimpered, “I don’t want to.”

    “It won’t be fun if you keep running away. Come here, I’ll give you whatever you want,” Zhang Xitan tried to coax her. What he couldn’t have was the best. He had even forgotten about the Western model who was left aside.

    The schoolgirl continued whimpering, “I don’t want to, I don’t want to play anymore, this isn’t right.”

    “What do you want then?” Zhang Xitan asked.

    “I want to go home,” the schoolgirl blinked her big eyes, tears streaming down her face, like a trafficked woman.

    “Damn, is this script so interesting?” Zhang Xitan was a little excited, “‘Jitan’ really lives up to its name.”

    “I want to go home, I want to go home,” the schoolgirl shook her head, mumbling, “I’m only selling wine, I’m not selling my body.”

    “Hahahaha…” Zhang Xitan laughed. As he lunged forward again, he saw a small whip among the props by the bed and grabbed it.

    The schoolgirl looked terrified. As he pressed down on her, she pushed him hard, with great force, causing Zhang Xitan to fall back, his elbow hitting the leg of the table, a sharp pain shooting through him.

    Zhang Xitan completely lost his temper. He swung the whip in his hand, hitting the schoolgirl. She screamed.

    Li Qinyue’s phone beeped, indicating a file transfer.

    The blue-haired girl was sitting on the armrest of the sofa, leaning down and whispering in her ear. Li Qinyue wrapped her arm around the girl’s neck and said, “Let’s go upstairs and talk.”

    This was the cue Ling Xi had been waiting for. She immediately led the way, going up to the third floor VIP reception area and walking towards the target room.

    However, as soon as they reached the corridor, the door of the presidential suite suddenly flew open. The schoolgirl, with disheveled clothes and hair, stumbled out, screaming as she ran.

    “What happened?” Li Qinyue frowned and released the blue-haired girl from her embrace.

    The schoolgirl ran straight towards Li Qinyue, grabbed her arm, her face full of terror, tears streaming down her face.

    “Help me, save me. I don’t want to, I don’t want to…”

    Ling Xi looked concerned, “What happened?”

    “He hit me, he hit me…” the schoolgirl glanced back, revealing Zhang Xitan at that moment.

    He was also disheveled, his face flushed, looking crazed.

    Their eyes met. Zhang Xitan didn’t recognize them, his mind only on the escaping schoolgirl.

    Ling Xi was overjoyed, feeling that God was on her side, adding fuel to the fire at every moment.

    Li Qinyue’s expression gradually changed from shock to anger, and then, with a desperate and determined look, she grabbed the schoolgirl’s wrist and pulled her behind her, “Let’s see if he dares to touch you again.”

    Ling Xi was ecstatic. But in the next moment, an urgent message came through her earpiece, saying that the Municipal Bureau was conducting a surprise inspection.

    Ling Xi stomped her foot in frustration and grabbed Li Qinyue’s shoulder, “Qinyue, we have a situation, let’s go.”

    When Li Qinyue was stubborn, she was as stubborn as a mule. She didn’t move an inch, her expression resolute, like a righteous hero rescuing a damsel in distress, “Even if the heavens fall today, I’m not leaving.”

    Ling Xi whispered, “The police are coming, it’s the real police this time.”

    The moment the schoolgirl heard the word “police,” she abruptly let go of Li Qinyue’s clothes and dashed towards the stairwell, “Police uncle! Help me!! Help me!!!”

    She ran like a rabbit, fast and agile, and no one could stop her.

    Ling Xi finally realized something was wrong. Her mind was in a mess, and she froze in place.

    Li Qinyue flung her sleeve, ready to leave now, “What the hell is going on?”

    Zhang Xitan, probably high on drugs, stumbled past them, still trying to catch the little rabbit.

    He didn’t catch the rabbit, but instead ran straight into the fully armed police.

    In this pleasure den hidden in the dark corners of the city, at the most indulgent time, the music stopped, the lights came on, and the police loudspeaker blared, sending chills down everyone’s spines.

    The first battle of the “Anti-Pornography and Illegal Publications Special Operation 1212” launched by the Municipal Bureau was the raid on “Jitan”, a notorious prostitution den. Cameras were set up, men and women of all shapes and sizes covered themselves with clothes and lowered their heads, those who should squat in the corner squatted in the corner, those who should line up to leave lined up to leave.

    No matter how well you had managed things before, without a strong backing, once you were caught as an example, you would be made an example of, with no chance of survival.

    The investors hiding behind the scenes lost everything and had to spend a fortune to settle the matter. This was the first step in Li Qinyue’s revenge plan.

    Amidst the chaos in “Jitan”, Li Qinyue strode to the back door and nodded at the police guarding the door. She was allowed to pass without any trouble.

    Zhuo Zhi was waiting in the car outside. As soon as Li Qinyue got in, the car drove away from this troubled place.

    She threw her phone to Zhuo Zhi, “Check the video and send it to Director Li.”

    Zhuo Zhi connected the phone to the computer and checked the video content, her fists gradually clenching.

    Li Qinyue glanced at her and said, “It’s fake, don’t get worked up.”

    “I know, I know this time was staged,” Zhuo Zhi stared at the screaming girl in the video, “But in places we can’t see, this kind of thing happens every day.”

    Li Qinyue’s joy of victory was dampened by her words. She stared at Zhuo Zhi’s profile, illuminated by the computer screen, and said after a moment, “Today, we destroyed a den, which may indirectly save some people like this.”

    “You know more about this, don’t you, Sister?” Zhuo Zhi turned to look at her, “Can we report them every day?”

    Li Qinyue wanted to laugh at her naive words, but she couldn’t. Zhuo Zhi’s brows furrowed tightly. She quickly realized she was being unrealistic and continued to look at the computer, rephrasing her question, “We’ll still intervene if we encounter this kind of thing in the future, right?”

    Li Qinyue could make this promise. She said, “Yes.”

    Zhuo Zhi finished checking the video and sent it to the email address Li Qinyue had given her. The topic was heavy, and the car fell silent.

    Li Qinyue had drunk quite a bit of alcohol tonight, and Ling Xi had spiked her drink, so her thoughts were becoming muddled.

    She reached out and grabbed Zhuo Zhi’s hand, which was right beside her, and said, “Talk to me.”

    Zhuo Zhi’s mind was full of thoughts of fighting for justice, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Will this video bring down that Zhang Xitan?”

    “Of course not,” Li Qinyue smiled, “At most, it’ll just get him a beating. If the Zhang family can’t even handle this, how can they survive in our circle?”

    “Then what’s the point?” Zhuo Zhi frowned again.

    Li Qinyue looked at her like that and poked her between her brows, “It can protect our undercover agent, and it can also make Zhang Xitan think that tonight’s embarrassing incident was all planned by Lin Haitao and Ling Xi.”

    “Huh?” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes lit up, “This is the second step you mentioned before.”

    “Right, the video was taken by a hidden camera in the room. When Zhang Xitan comes to investigate, those two won’t have a good time,” Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi, “They tried to set a trap, but they ended up falling into it themselves. Let them fight amongst themselves.”

    “Such a clever way to borrow a knife to kill someone!” Zhuo Zhi almost wanted to applaud Li Qinyue.

    Li Qinyue smiled, her gaze unconsciously sliding down to Zhuo Zhi’s pink, moist lips.

    Zhuo Zhi’s low spirits came and went quickly. She was happy again now, smiling brightly and flattering her softly, “You’re so amazing, Sister. You’ve been planning everything from start to finish this time. I just made a few phone calls and sent a few messages, I’m so useless…”

    “You’re useful,” Li Qinyue stared at her opening and closing lips, her voice low.

    Zhuo Zhi was completely oblivious to the danger. She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling, and asked Li Qinyue, “What use? Do you have any backup plans, Sister? This time, we must…”

    Before she could finish her sentence, Li Qinyue suddenly raised her hand and covered her mouth.

    Zhuo Zhi was silent for two seconds, then looked warily at the car windows, whispering, “President Li, what’s wrong?”

    Li Qinyue didn’t let go of her hand and leaned back in her seat, looking dejected. When she spoke again, her voice was a little hoarse, “We’ll talk about it when we get back.”

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 9

    Chapter 9

    The second son of the Zhang family was named Zhang Xitan, and he was rumored within their circle to be Li Qinyue’s fiancé.

    Actually, they had only met a handful of times, and the last time they spoke was back in sixth grade.

    In recent years, the business cooperation between the Zhang and Li families had been flourishing. The official Weibo accounts of their two brands had gained millions of fans by playing up their “bromance”. Netizens joked about them being online in-laws, while friends in their circle teased Li Qinyue and Zhang Xitan.

    It was rumored that they had been engaged since childhood, that they had attended the same elementary school and were childhood sweethearts. It was rumored that Zhang Xitan was returning from abroad this time to marry Li Qinyue.

    Bullshit.

    That was Li Qinyue’s summary of these rumors.

    She didn’t care what others said, but what was scary was that two months ago, her father had shifted his focus from criticizing her “unserious” extreme sports career to criticizing her love life.

    Then, her grandfather listed a bunch of suitable “high-quality” candidates for marriage, and her father, during several phone calls, specifically praised Zhang Xitan.

    The New Year was approaching, and there would be a family dinner gathering. If Li Qinyue didn’t object, everyone, from her friends to their families, would take their non-existent relationship as a fact.

    Of course, Li Qinyue wouldn’t let that happen. She was originally prepared to fight it head-on, but then Ling Xi presented her with this opportunity.

    If Ling Xi hadn’t had ulterior motives, Li Qinyue would have suspected she was trying to help her.

    Now, with a lively little bomb by her side, stirring up her blood and making her mischievous instincts surge, she wouldn’t let any of those who tried to scheme against her off the hook.

    That day, Li Qinyue didn’t return to the villa complex. She took Zhuo Zhi to several places, broadening her horizons.

    Although she disdained being deeply involved in their social circle, she had grown up in it after all, and she had all the connections she needed, both black and white.

    Zhuo Zhi was like an errand boy, going wherever Li Qinyue told her to, even buying cigarettes without a second thought.

    After a busy day, they finally made all the arrangements. Everything was in place, waiting for the fish to take the bait.

    Two days later, the second son of the Zhang family, Zhang Xitan, landed at Nanhai Airport, amidst much anticipation.

    Lin Haitao had been waiting for a long time. He picked him up and showered him with compliments, making the second son, who had lost money running a company abroad and was back to ask his father for money to pay off his debts, sound like a leading figure in promoting Sino-foreign economic cooperation returning home in triumph.

    Meanwhile, Ling Xi tried her best to subtly tell Li Qinyue about how fun a certain club was, even getting her the number tag of a certain pheasant rock climbing champion who worked there as an escort.

    Li Qinyue laughed as she read the messages on her phone. Knowing everything, she shook her head and sighed to Zhuo Zhi, “Her acting is too bad, too bad!”

    Zhuo Zhi leaned closer, wanting to see the messages too, but felt embarrassed to keep looking at someone else’s phone.

    Li Qinyue simply pulled her closer and placed the phone with its large screen in front of them both.

    Li Qinyue typed quickly, enjoying playing hard to get. Suddenly, she turned to Zhuo Zhi and asked, “After all these days, do you think the marks you left on them are still there?”

    “They probably haven’t faded yet,” Zhuo Zhi said.

    “Hey, great!” Li Qinyue picked up her phone and suddenly started a video call.

    Zhuo Zhi instinctively dodged to the side.

    “Come here,” Li Qinyue beckoned to her.

    “What for?” Zhuo Zhi squeezed into the corner of the sofa cautiously.

    “It’s nothing,” Li Qinyue pulled her closer and put her arm around her shoulder, fixing her in a suitable position.

    The video call connected, and Ling Xi’s face appeared on the screen, wearing a mask. She asked, “Why did you suddenly want to video call?”

    Li Qinyue said, “Too lazy to type.”

    “Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh…” Ling Xi noticed Zhuo Zhi, who was showing half of her face, “Who, who, who is this?”

    “Don’t you recognize her?” Li Qinyue tilted her head, resting it on Zhuo Zhi’s forehead, “My person.”

    Ling Xi remembered, “I remember, the super cool little cop from that day, right?”

    “The bodyguard my grandfather found for me,” Li Qinyue pinched Zhuo Zhi’s cheek, her smile mischievous, “Super cute.”

    Zhuo Zhi felt a little uncomfortable. Li Qinyue was being too touchy-feely right now.

    Li Qinyue let go of her and said, “Go, wash some grapes for me.”

    Her eyes conveyed her meaning clearly. Zhuo Zhi obediently stood up, afraid of disrupting any step in Li Qinyue’s plan, and went to the kitchen to wash grapes for Miss Li.

    Li Qinyue laughed at the phone, “Cute, right?”

    Ling Xi said, “President Li, something’s not right with you, what do you mean?”

    “What do I mean, I’m just asking if my person is cute?”

    “Do you know in what situations people ask that question?” Ling Xi pointed to herself, “I usually only ask that when I’m dating a girl.”

    “Tsk,” Li Qinyue stood up, “Wait a minute.”

    She took her phone and went upstairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

    The video call wasn’t hung up, creating a very secretive atmosphere.

    When Li Qinyue’s face reappeared on the screen, Ling Xi was already impatient, “Miss Li, what’s going on? Don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.”

    Li Qinyue said, “Take off that damn mask, it’s annoying me.”

    “I have a cold sore, I’m afraid of scaring you.”

    “A cold sore can scare the shit out of who? Was I raised by wolves?”

    “Okay, okay, okay.” Ling Xi took off her mask. There was a colorful patch on the corner of her mouth, red and swollen, with yellow ointment on it.

    Li Qinyue thought to herself that Zhuo Zhi, that little fool, actually lied to her. She had clearly been punched in the mouth too.

    Li Qinyue didn’t hold back, “It is pretty disgusting.”

    Ling Xi picked up the mask, “I’d better put it back on.”

    “No, no, no, it’s fine, it’s more comfortable to see you like this,” Li Qinyue quickly stopped her.

    It was more satisfying to see her like this.

    That was what she was looking for, satisfaction.

    Ling Xi put down the mask. Li Qinyue asked the question Ling Xi had been waiting for, “What does it feel like to like a girl?”

    Ling Xi looked like she had won the lottery, “Which girl do you have your eye on?! Li Qinyue, aren’t you a straight woman?! I remember that certain actress was making moves on you, but you weren’t interested at all!”

    “Not my type,” Li Qinyue said, “Take off your clothes.”

    “Huh?” Ling Xi was stunned.

    “Your top, take it off,” Li Qinyue paused, afraid of being disgusted, but still reminded her, “No need to get naked, keep your bra on.”

    “Tomboys don’t wear bras,” Ling Xi said.

    “Then aren’t you afraid of your nipples showing?!” Li Qinyue became impatient.

    “I’m wearing a tank top.”

    “Take it off!” Li Qinyue said, “Didn’t you also want to hook up with me before? Now you can’t even take off your clothes.”

    “Okay, okay, I understand, I understand,” Ling Xi looked like someone experienced, “You want to see if you have any feelings for a woman’s body, so you can decide whether to pursue your crush.”

    Li Qinyue scoffed, she was really good at finding excuses for herself.

    Ling Xi said, “I’m taking it off.”

    “Hurry up,” Li Qinyue was getting impatient.

    Ling Xi propped up her phone and started taking off her jacket and sweater, her movements full of suggestive meaning, making Li Qinyue’s skin crawl.

    Li Qinyue narrowed her eyes, blocking her vision. After a full minute, Ling Xi finally reached the level of undress that Li Qinyue wanted.

    “Leave the tank top on,” Li Qinyue said.

    Ling Xi smiled wickedly, “I won’t even let you see if you want to.”

    Who the hell wants to see, Li Qinyue stared at the marks on Ling Xi’s arms and shoulders, her heart filled with joy.

    The bruises hadn’t faded yet, they were very obvious if you looked closely.

    Hearing about Zhuo Zhi beating them up for her and actually seeing the marks were two completely different feelings.

    Now, her joy was doubled, so happy that she wanted to dance.

    “Have you seen enough?” Ling Xi looked at Li Qinyue, thinking she was looking very handsome, “If you want to see more, we can find a time…”

    “Enough,” Li Qinyue interrupted her.

    You try to scheme against me and you still want to sleep with me? Dream on, you idiot.

    After saying that, she turned the phone screen down, “Put your clothes back on, let’s discuss the topic we were talking about earlier.”

    Ling Xi put her clothes back on. Li Qinyue asked pointedly, “What are those bruises on you?”

    Ling Xi paused, then smiled, “What else could it be, I’m just getting overheated.”

    “You’re overheated all over your body?”

    “Hey, hey, hey, can’t you be more subtle?” Ling Xi said, “It’s the fire in my body.”

    Okay, Li Qinyue understood.

    Li Qinyue almost wanted to laugh out loud. She had clearly been beaten up, yet she was still lying and implying that she was vigorous in that aspect. What kind of idiotic logic was that?

    But for the sake of the bigger picture, she held back her laughter, feeling that her brilliant ideas were flowing like a spring.

    Picking up the phone again, Li Qinyue said with a worried expression, “I think we’re too familiar, it’s hard to tell.”

    “Then what do you want to do?” Ling Xi couldn’t wait for her to come out of the closet, it would be adding fuel to the fire.

    “Didn’t you say you were going out tonight?” Li Qinyue said, “Why don’t we try something new?”

    “Huh? Not meeting the champion anymore? That’s a shame.”

    “Right now, compared to the champion, I’d rather meet a pretty girl,” Li Qinyue said, “I heard there’s a place on Wei’er Street, first floor is for men and women, second floor is for men and men and women and women, third floor is for groups of 3, 4, 5, 6, anything you want.”

    “Damn…” Ling Xi laughed, “You really go all out when you play.”

    Li Qinyue lit a cigarette, “Are you going or not?”

    “I’m going,” Ling Xi readily agreed.

    Of course she was going. What Ling Xi feared most was that she would plan everything and then Li Qinyue wouldn’t go.

    It was just a change of venue. As long as Li Qinyue went, it didn’t matter where they went. It was hard to find a four-legged frog, but there were plenty of girls who could be thrown at Zhang Xitan.

    Moreover, the place Li Qinyue mentioned was actually one of Ling Xi’s own investments.

    On her own turf, everything would be easier to handle. She had chosen other places before because she was afraid that Li Qinyue would become suspicious afterwards. Now, God had presented her with this opportunity, the timing, location, and people were all perfect, Ling Xi was ecstatic.

    When the video call ended, both of them had their own schemes, but both were in high spirits.

    After hanging up, Ling Xi even sent several messages asking if Li Qinyue had her eye on the fresh and tender little bodyguard from earlier, acting like she wanted to give her advice on how to pursue her.

    Li Qinyue ignored her, throwing her phone aside. She was too happy right now and needed to share her joy with Zhuo Zhi.

    She ran downstairs. Zhuo Zhi was trying to peel and seed the washed grapes, mixing them with yogurt, waiting on Miss Li.

    She was still holding a grape when Li Qinyue suddenly appeared in front of her and said, “Stand still!”

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she didn’t dare to delay, quickly straightened up, and stood properly.

    “Open your hands!” Li Qinyue ordered, and at the same time, she jumped up. The moment Zhuo Zhi opened her hands, Li Qinyue hung onto her.

    A face-to-face embrace, the young lady’s long legs were flexible, wrapped around her waist, tight enough not to fall off.

    Bearing Li Qinyue’s weight was no problem for Zhuo Zhi, but this sudden intimate gesture felt like someone was squeezing her heart, sending a strange sensation through her, making her hair stand on end.

    “What’s wrong?” Zhuo Zhi’s hands were dirty, so she didn’t dare to hug her back.

    Li Qinyue wrapped her arms around her neck and gave her a loud kiss on the forehead, “Little one, you did a great job!”

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 8

    Chapter 8

    When Li Qinyue opened her eyes, she felt dizzy.

    It took a full two spins before it stopped, followed by a splitting headache.

    She frowned, staring at the ceiling, enduring it silently. When the dizziness subsided, she got out of bed and sat up.

    The old air conditioner was running, making a rhythmic sound.

    No matter how carefully the cleaning lady came to clean, it was still an uninhabited place. The floral wallpaper in the room was yellowed, with a slightly musty smell.

    Li Qinyue leaned against the headboard, recalling the events of last night, a little shocked that she had brought Zhuo Zhi here in the end.

    This was her old home, the place that could be considered “home” in her heart.

    Although it was only due to some unexpected events that her already wealthy father had temporarily fallen into poverty and had to move into his wife’s pre-marital house with his wife and daughter, this was where Li Qinyue’s memories began.

    At that time, she didn’t have her troublemaker brother yet. Li Qinyue liked to run around upstairs and downstairs with the older kids in the courtyard, and then be called back by her mother’s voice at mealtime.

    It was this house, with windows facing the courtyard downstairs. Her mother liked small floral patterns, and the curtains and wallpaper were all floral. She had beautiful long hair, permed into a fashionable style at that time. When the sunlight fell on the window, the scene of her pulling back the warm curtains and waving to Li Qinyue made her playmates extremely envious.

    Having a beautiful and gentle mother was the thing Li Qinyue was most proud of in her childhood.

    Later, this pride was gone, along with those warm times, those feelings of stability and happiness, all gone.

    As an adult, when Li Qinyue wanted to recapture those feelings, she could only constantly challenge her own heart, constantly experience the thrill of survival, constantly abandon everything and gain it again, in order to obtain a brief moment of satisfaction.

    What unsettled her was that during yesterday’s bungee jump, when Zhuo Zhi held her tightly, when they swayed together in mid-air, when Zhuo Zhi whispered in her ear, advising her not to do such dangerous things again, Li Qinyue felt a long-lost joy from the bottom of her heart.

    It was a kind of joy that made her want to lean in, sink in, and completely open her arms to embrace it.

    It was both touching and unsettling.

    After her mother’s death, her father had devoted himself to work, disappearing for most of the year. Now that she thought about it, Li Qinyue didn’t blame him.

    This was the most common family situation in their wealthy neighborhood, there was nothing to be sentimental about.

    What angered Li Qinyue was that one day, her father suddenly “repented,” “saw the light,” and began to interfere in her life, wanting to make up for the lost family warmth.

    His methods were simple and crude, always telling her what she could and couldn’t do.

    Therefore, because his actions in this regard were absurd, Li Qinyue could strongly refuse and fiercely resist. Year after year, they had actually reached a subtle balance.

    Now, this little spy sent by her father was going to break this balance.

    She was truly more effective than a therapist. In just two or three days, she had managed to make Li Qinyue’s emotions fluctuate greatly, giving her the urge to break free and start anew.

    If Zhuo Zhi weren’t a girl, and a young one who had just come of age, Li Qinyue would even suspect that she had fallen in love with her at first sight.

    Thinking of this, her temples throbbed, her mind muddled from the hangover, yet her logic clear.

    Zhuo Zhi had probably already told her father about what happened yesterday. Li Qinyue felt that in this unpredictable battle, she had to adjust her mentality in time according to the situation, stick to her uncompromising stance, and at critical moments, use a spy within a spy to turn the tide.

    She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Zhuo Zhi had only taken off her shoes and jacket, stuffing her into bed all dirty, not very considerate.

    Li Qinyue turned over and felt for cigarettes in the jacket by the bed. She clearly remembered there was a pack, but she couldn’t find it.

    She completely lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and opened the bedroom door, ready to go to the bathroom.

    The disadvantage of a small house was that no one could avoid each other, and what everyone was doing was clear at a glance.

    It was almost noon now. The curtains in the living room were fully drawn, and the light streamed in, falling on the old furniture.

    Zhuo Zhi was sitting on a small stool, reading a book. Li Qinyue narrowed her eyes. Her eyesight was good, and she could see that it was a collection of elementary school essays.

    A collection of elementary school essays…

    What was there to read about that?

    Li Qinyue coughed, and Zhuo Zhi looked up, rubbing her eyes and saying, “You’re awake.”

    Wasn’t it obvious? Li Qinyue hummed in response.

    “I didn’t disturb you this time,” Zhuo Zhi stood up and put down the book, “You slept for a long time.”

    “I drank too much,” Li Qinyue couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t it normal to sleep for a long time after drinking too much?”

    As if remembering something, Zhuo Zhi suddenly laughed.

    Li Qinyue continued towards the bathroom. When she reached the door, she suddenly turned around and asked Zhuo Zhi, “What are you laughing about?”

    Zhuo Zhi raised her hand, hesitating a little, “Do you get blackouts when you’re drunk?”

    Li Qinyue felt that this topic wasn’t very friendly, so she said half-truthfully, “It depends.”

    “Do you remember what happened yesterday?” Zhuo Zhi took a few steps closer to her.

    “What do you mean?”

    “The fight?”

    “I remember.”

    “They called the police in the end.”

    “I remember.”

    “You made a phone call, and we didn’t have to go to the police station.”

    Li Qinyue grinned, “Of course, we were in the right.”

    Zhuo Zhi knew that this wasn’t a matter of right or wrong. They had directly used their connections to skip the process.

    She paused and said, “We shouldn’t do this again.”

    “Do what?”

    Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment, “We shouldn’t play music while beating people up.”

    Li Qinyue couldn’t help but laugh, “What’s wrong with playing music? Weren’t you having fun fighting?”

    “It’s too childish,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Now all I can think about is ‘Sekai ga owaru made wa hanareru koto mo nai(As long as the world exists, we will always be together)’, and you’re playing it on repeat.”

    “I wouldn’t have to play it on repeat if you weren’t showing off your moves,” Li Qinyue teased, staring at her, “Wasn’t it awesome?”

    “You keep asking me that. Actually, I was holding back, just some minor pain and bruises.”

    “Hypocrite,” Li Qinyue entered the bathroom.

    “It was awesome,” Zhuo Zhi looked up and said directly.

    Li Qinyue splashed water on her face. It was cold and refreshing.

    She didn’t speak anymore, just washed her hands, face, and combed her hair. Zhuo Zhi stood by the door watching her.

    “Spit it out,” Li Qinyue said.

    “Do you still remember what happened afterwards?” Zhuo Zhi showed one eye in the mirror, “You brought me here.”

    “Hmm.”

    “You magically pulled out a key from that compartment at the door.”

    “Hmm.”

    “Then you said you were hungry, and I went downstairs to buy you late-night snacks.”

    “Hmm.”

    “The snack shop was an old one, it’s been open for decades, you said it was delicious,” Zhuo Zhi paused, “Then you said I looked like your father.”

    Li Qinyue turned off the water and didn’t respond.

    Zhuo Zhi pressed, “Do you remember?”

    Li Qinyue pulled out a tissue to wipe her face, then wiped her hands.

    “Don’t you remember?” Zhuo Zhi continued asking.

    Li Qinyue glanced at her, her tone icy, “What if I remember or don’t? Do you want me to call you dad?”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi rubbed her hands, a little embarrassed, “I just want to say, if you have anything happy or unhappy, you can talk to me, I can keep a secret. Don’t drink alone anymore, it’s bad for your health.”

    Li Qinyue stared at her, holding the door with her hand, “Okay dad, can I go pee now?”

    Zhuo Zhi’s face turned red instantly.

    Li Qinyue raised her hand and slammed the door in her face.

    When she came out of the bathroom, Zhuo Zhi had already set the takeout boxes on the dining table.

    The water and electricity in the old house still worked, but the gas was unnecessary and had been cut off. Otherwise, Li Qinyue had no doubt that Zhuo Zhi would buy groceries and cook her a meal.

    The two of them sat at the dining table. Zhuo Zhi tried to make conversation, “This bok choy is delicious. Don’t judge it by its appearance, it’s actually very tender.”

    “This cucumber is a little old. I don’t really understand why people stir-fry cucumber with eggs. The cucumbers I grew in the backyard were super pretty, I ate them all raw before they grew up.”

    “Some ingredients don’t need to be overcooked. Natural is best to bring out the ultimate flavor.”

    “People are the same…”

    “Dad,” Li Qinyue interrupted her, “Can’t you shut your mouth even when eating?”

    Zhuo Zhi shut up and muttered after a while, “Don’t call me that.”

    “You think I like calling you that?”

    “Oh, I won’t say anything more.” Zhuo Zhi stuffed a mouthful of rice into her mouth, her cheeks bulging.

    After lunch, Zhuo Zhi cleaned up. Li Qinyue lay on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.

    Then she suddenly sat up and beckoned to Zhuo Zhi.

    Zhuo Zhi finished wiping the table and walked over, “What’s up?”

    “Where did you hit Ling Xi and the others last time?” Li Qinyue asked.

    “Arms, legs, and back. They didn’t look like they could take a beating, so I didn’t dare to hit anywhere dangerous,” Zhuo Zhi paused and added, “That guy bumped his own chin when he was waving his arms around.”

    Li Qinyue stared at her, “Is that all you’ve got?”

    “President Li,” Zhuo Zhi said cheerfully, “The key is that you weren’t there to give me live instructions.”

    “Heh.” Li Qinyue was pleased by her words, but after a pause, she was not so pleased, “Even if I was there, I couldn’t give you instructions openly.”

    “We can plan ahead,” Zhuo Zhi leaned closer and sat down next to her.

    Li Qinyue smiled, “Are you here to be my bodyguard or my thug?”

    “Actually…” Zhuo Zhi paused and said, “You can use me however you want.”

    “Huh?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

    Zhuo Zhi repeated, “You can use me however you want.”

    “Even if it’s illegal?” Li Qinyue raised an eyebrow.

    “Oh, let’s not do anything illegal, my master will beat me up…” Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment, “Yesterday’s level of control is acceptable.”

    Li Qinyue laughed for a while, “That level of control was possible because I have money and power.”

    “That’s right,” Zhuo Zhi sighed, “Before, when I injured people, I had to work part-time to pay my master back for the medical expenses, it was tiring.”

    “So you stopped fighting?” Li Qinyue was very interested in this.

    Zhuo Zhi turned to look at her, her eyes wide, and lowered her voice, “Later, I only hit places where the injuries wouldn’t be visible.”

    “Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Li Qinyue clicked her tongue.

    “So, Sister Qinyue,” Zhuo Zhi suddenly grabbed her hand, “I’m confessing to you now, my motive for coming down the mountain is impure, and my motive for being your bodyguard is even more impure. I know your family is rich, so it’s good to have a big tree to rely on. I can use your influence to my advantage.”

    The girl’s hand was soft and warm, like a hot water bottle when she held Li Qinyue’s hand.

    She became more and more excited as she spoke, her face flushing red, “In these past few days following you, I know you’re not a bad person, but you’re someone with guts. You wouldn’t do anything truly illegal like cheating, deceiving, or harming innocent people, but when it comes to beating up bad guys, you’re ruthless.”

    “I’m very happy,” Zhuo Zhi suddenly got up from the sofa and knelt down in front of Li Qinyue, her hand still holding hers. Looking up at Li Qinyue from this angle, her eyes seemed even brighter, her whole person lively and vivid, “I’m really happy to have met you. I feel like I can roam the world with you, fight for justice, achieve great things, and live a fulfilling life.”

    Li Qinyue laughed, “Did you learn those idioms from reading elementary school essays?”

    “No, it’s my dream,” Zhuo Zhi said seriously.

    “Are you going to swear an oath of brotherhood with me? Not asking to be born on the same year, month, and day, but to die on the same year, month, and day?”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi denied again, seriously, “If there’s real danger, I will definitely save you, you will definitely live a long life.”

    “Damn,” Li Qinyue muttered, looking out the window.

    An eighteen-year-old girl coming down the mountain to roam the world was so youthful, passionate, childish, and stupid.

    But perhaps because she herself hadn’t matured much over the years, she actually felt a little touched, and almost teared up on the spot.

    “So,” Zhuo Zhi emphasized again, “Sister, you can use me however you want.”

    Li Qinyue looked at the bright sunlight outside the window, suppressed the surge of excitement in her heart, coughed, and made sure her tone was normal.

    Then she said, “Ling Xi and the others said they wanted to use the second son of the Zhang family to deal with me, do you remember?”

    “Yes, yes,” Zhuo Zhi quickly said, “I’ve always remembered, just waiting for your instructions.”

    “There are no specific instructions,” Li Qinyue patted the back of her hand and stood up, “Just those disgusting things. I was originally planning to go with the flow and turn the tables, but now it’s different.”

    Zhuo Zhi stood up and asked, “How is it different?”

    “I have you now,” Li Qinyue sighed, looking helpless, “You like to play, so let’s make a big move.”

    Zhuo Zhi was so excited, but she still tried to suppress her childishness. Her lips moved, and in the end, she could only clench her fist and strike a comic book pose, “Okay, let’s make a big move!”

    Li Qinyue also clenched her fist and said in a dramatic voice, “Let’s go, Zhuo Xiaokui!”

    ****

    T/N:

    • Zhuo: This is simply the first part of Zhuo Zhi’s real name.

    • Xiaokui (小葵): This means “Little Sunflower”. Sunflowers are associated with brightness, positivity, and following the sun. Also this nickname is related to the character Himawari Nohara, a character from the Japanese anime and manga series Crayon Shin-chan.(Personality)

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 7

    Chapter 7

    Go to sleep with me.

    If Li Qinyue’s tone had been softer, Zhuo Zhi would have thought it was a drunk girl acting cute.

    But Li Qinyue was clinging to her arm, her entire body limp except for her fingers which were gripping tightly, her brows furrowed, clearly indicating that it was an order.

    “Okay,” Zhuo Zhi agreed. After all, accompanying someone to sleep was much easier than being shut out.

    Aijia looked at the two of them, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “President Li, where do you want to sleep?”

    She was indeed someone closer to Li Qinyue. Li Qinyue patted Zhuo Zhi’s head, “Home.”

    “Uh, okay.” Zhuo Zhi half-carried Li Qinyue downstairs. The stairs in the bar were narrow and steep, with hollow iron railings.

    Li Qinyue had only taken one step down when Zhuo Zhi suddenly steadied her, quickly taking another step down, “Here, I’ll carry you on my back.”

    Aijia’s eyes widened slightly behind them. She quickly took a step forward, “I’ll help…”

    She didn’t get to help. In an instant, Li Qinyue was already on Zhuo Zhi’s back. Zhuo Zhi adjusted her grip on Li Qinyue’s legs, carrying her as steadily as if she were a backpack.

    Aijia withdrew her outstretched hand and took out her phone, “I’ll call a car for you.”

    Zhuo Zhi walked downstairs steadily, her breathing even, “Thank you.”

    The car was the bar’s private car. The heater was blasting inside, making Li Qinyue even more drowsy.

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t sit in the front passenger seat this time. She sat close to Li Qinyue, acting as her pillow.

    Li Qinyue slumped down, resting her head on Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder.

    The car was silent. As they approached the intersection, Zhuo Zhi asked softly, “Sister Qinyue, which home are we going to?”

    She thought that when a person is vulnerable, they wouldn’t want to return to the empty and cold villa in the resort. But this seemingly thoughtful question didn’t elicit any gratitude from Li Qinyue. As if a switch had been flipped, she suddenly stared at Zhuo Zhi and said, “Which home do you think we’re going to?”

    Zhuo Zhi had met Li Qinyue’s grandfather. It was an even more luxurious house, and she remembered the address.

    But she didn’t dare to say it, just pursed her lips and said, “The villa complex?”

    Li Qinyue’s eyes flickered, and she turned to tell the driver an address.

    It was completely unfamiliar to Zhuo Zhi.

    After the car turned the corner, Li Qinyue moved away from Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder and leaned towards the other side.

    She looked out the window, lost in thought, just like when they were going down the mountain this morning.

    Zhuo Zhi felt a little troubled. For the first time, she truly felt that this job was indeed not easy.

    The car drove through the bustling city center and gradually headed towards the outskirts.

    Finally, it stopped at the entrance of an alley. This was as far as the address Li Qinyue had given could take them.

    Before Zhuo Zhi could react, Li Qinyue had already opened the car door and gotten out, on the side closer to the road, startling Zhuo Zhi.

    Fortunately, the road here was deserted. On a winter night, there were few cars and few people.

    Li Qinyue’s steps were unsteady, her walk resembling a catwalk.

    Zhuo Zhi went to support her, but she was pushed away.

    So, she could only stretch out her hands to form a semi-circle around Li Qinyue, keeping her eyes on the ground, afraid that something might trip her up.

    The two of them stumbled into the dimly lit alley.

    On both sides of the narrow road were low, old shops. Few of them were open at this time, and most of the peeling signs were swaying in the wind.

    As someone approached them, Zhuo Zhi only looked up when their elongated shadow entered her line of sight.

    Upon seeing them, she immediately became alert.

    Three sleazy-looking men were standing in front of them. One was leaning against the closed door of a shop, smoking, another was squatting by the roadside, staring at them with dead fish eyes.

    The other one was standing in the middle of the road, clearly blocking their way, his hand in his pocket. He suddenly grinned at Zhuo Zhi.

    His teeth were really yellow. Zhuo Zhi frowned in disgust.

    She grabbed Li Qinyue’s arm. Li Qinyue tried to shake her off, but failed.

    Zhuo Zhi lowered her voice, “President Li, it’s time to wake up.”

    Li Qinyue’s eyes focused, and after two seconds of silence, she said, “There’s a dog blocking the way?”

    Zhuo Zhi: “…”

    Yellow Teeth took the label for himself and raised his chin, “Little sister, what’s with that attitude?”

    Li Qinyue also raised her chin and smiled, “Grandson, have you forgotten what your grandpa looks like?”

    Zhuo Zhi: “…”

    “Oh wow, this girl is interesting,” Yellow Teeth beckoned, calling over the squatting and leaning men, “Little sister, do you know where this is?”

    Zhuo Zhi looked around. The squatting man said, “Don’t bother, no one will hear you even if you scream your lungs out.”

    Li Qinyue: “That line is as old and stupid as you are.”

    Zhuo Zhi sighed almost inaudibly and said to Li Qinyue, “Sister, there’s surveillance here.”

    The squatting man said, “The surveillance is broken, no one will know even if we beat you to death.”

    Li Qinyue pouted at Zhuo Zhi, “See, he’s really an idiot.”

    Zhuo Zhi pulled her back and said to the three men in front of them, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

    Yellow Teeth pointed backwards, “This little sister is understanding. Just around the corner is my place, you can do whatever you want.”

    The leaning man said, “I like that one.”

    He was referring to Li Qinyue.

    Li Qinyue smiled, her body limp from alcohol, but still pretending to stretch her limbs.

    The squatting man wasn’t to be outdone, “I like both of them.”

    Zhuo Zhi thought these three men were really long-winded. As Li Qinyue was about to move forward, she pulled her back again.

    Li Qinyue was a little dissatisfied. Zhuo Zhi asked the three men, “Are you robbing us for money or for fun?”

    Li Qinyue stared at Zhuo Zhi, “Why are you asking that? You should be asking them how they like it cooked.”

    Yellow Teeth said, “That depends on how you ladies like it cooked.”

    “Disgusting,” Zhuo Zhi looked down at her hands and muttered to herself, “Let’s just count both then.”

    “Go ahead! Little dinosaur!!!” Li Qinyue patted Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder hard, looking excited.

    Zhuo Zhi glanced at Li Qinyue before rushing forward. Li Qinyue’s eyes were shining, her smile genuine and carefree.

    It was like how she had said goodnight last night. Even though she had given Zhuo Zhi the cold shoulder for more than ten hours today, Zhuo Zhi felt that this smile was incredibly precious and long-awaited.

    Li Qinyue enjoyed watching her fight. Zhuo Zhi had noticed this during their first encounter.

    And Zhuo Zhi enjoyed fighting. In the past, she always had to find excuses and opportunities, and afterwards, she had to think about how to explain it to her master. Now, she didn’t have to consider any of these problems.

    This was her job, she was here to fight for Li Qinyue.

    “Woohoo!” Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but let out a low cheer.

    Before Yellow Teeth could even react, he received a hard punch to his chin.

    His limited brain cells were only enough to wonder how this person had pounced on him, how she had punched him, and was it really this seemingly weak girl who had hit him? She was only up to his chest…

    Then he received a second punch, landing on his waist, as heavy as a thousand-pound stone, sending waves of pain through him.

    Yellow Teeth fell to the ground, tears welling up, his vision spinning.

    In his blurry and upside-down vision, he saw his buddies receiving the same treatment as him. His other buddy was standing there dumbfounded, not helping, and even forgetting to run.

    Silent punches, silent falls. Yellow Teeth’s cry of pain was choked in his throat, as if he had been poisoned and muted. Only the wind whistling through the alley amplified the sound.

    Suddenly, the sound of passionate music blasted through the wind. Yellow Teeth couldn’t understand the lyrics, but the uplifting emotion in the music infected him, making him cry even harder.

    Soon, his buddies were either lying or kneeling on the ground with him, all crying their hearts out.

    Zhuo Zhi shook her fist and looked back at Li Qinyue, speechless.

    Li Qinyue was holding her phone, swaying to the rhythm of the music with passion, like she was at a concert.

    The theme song of Slam Dunk(basketball anime) was playing on her phone. The scene was beautiful, but paired with the current situation, it was strange and childish.

    Zhuo Zhi asked her, “What are you doing?”

    Li Qinyue shouted, “Giving you some background music!”

    “You think I’m playing basketball?!”

    “Playing hooligans!” Li Qinyue responded smoothly.

    “Hooligans” was a dialect term in Nanhai City, used to describe idiots and troublemakers.

    She wasn’t wrong. Zhuo Zhi wanted to laugh, but she felt that laughing right after beating people up would affect her aura.

    Especially with Li Qinyue playing background music for her.

    Zhuo Zhi took two steps back, looked down at the three hooligans lying on the ground, cleared her throat, and said solemnly, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

    The only reply she got was the singing of “Sekai ga owaru made wa hanareru koto mo nai” (Until the world ends, we will never be apart).*

    “Do you know what you did wrong?!” Zhuo Zhi raised her voice, sounding imposing along with the music.

    “Are you done?” Li Qinyue asked from two meters away.

    “Huh?” Zhuo Zhi looked back at her.

    “Are you done fighting?” Li Qinyue clarified.

    “Yes, I am,” Zhuo Zhi pointed at the three men, “I slapped them for robbery, and hit their kidneys for attempted assault. None of them fought back, and they’re all down.”

    “My song just reached the climax!” Li Qinyue swung her phone, unhappy.

    Although Zhuo Zhi had never owned a phone like Miss Li’s, she had seen many advertisements online. The price was astonishing, and she was really afraid that Li Qinyue would smash it in anger.

    “Then what should we do?!” she quickly asked.

    “Keep fighting!” Li Qinyue pointed and walked over aggressively, “You guys! What about all the crap you were talking about earlier? Did your arms and legs degenerate when it came to actually fighting? Even embryos are tougher than you! Even if you were reborn ten thousand times, you wouldn’t be this weak!”

    “Get up!” Li Qinyue kicked them, “If you don’t fight now, when you get to the police station, watch your asses!!!”

    The three men panicked. The squatting one shouted, “The surveillance is working!!!”

    What a quick-witted little guy.

    “So what if it’s working!!!” Li Qinyue roared back, “Are you stupid, providing evidence to get your asses kicked?!”

    Zhuo Zhi grabbed her arm and pulled her back, “President Li, President Li…”

    “What!!!” Li Qinyue was drunk and turned her head to yell, an indiscriminate attack that made Zhuo Zhi’s head hurt.

    But for the sake of the bigger picture, Zhuo Zhi tiptoed closer and whispered in Li Qinyue’s ear, “The surveillance only captured them blocking our way, we were the ones who attacked first.”

    “So what!” Li Qinyue said, “If I want to put these bastards in jail, they’ll never get out…”

    The squatting one suddenly lunged forward, kneeling in a particularly pitiful posture, “Sister, sister, we were wrong, we weren’t really going to rob you, we were just playing…”

    Li Qinyue glared at him, “Playing with me?”

    Yellow Hair also reacted, crying out repeatedly, “Grandpa, grandpa, we were wrong, we were blind, please have mercy on us…”

    Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi, “Did they change the person who’s reciting the old lines?”

    “Yes,” the sober Zhuo Zhi replied.

    Li Qinyue suddenly smiled, “You’re my little bodyguard who’s full of righteousness and morality.”

    “Yes,” Zhuo Zhi was almost amused by her.

    “Now be moral, quick,” Li Qinyue urged her, “Find me an excuse to keep beating them up.”

    Zhuo Zhi: “…”

    The three men on the ground: “…”

    “Then I’ll find one myself,” Li Qinyue frowned and said seriously, “You think you’re just playing, have you considered the consequences of your actions? How many girls would be traumatized by you, afraid to go out…”

    At this point, Li Qinyue paused, unable to continue the act, and shouted, “What the fuck are you playing at, if you had the chance, wouldn’t you do those disgusting things you’re thinking about?! Wouldn’t you!!!”

    Zhuo Zhi took a deep breath.

    Li Qinyue suddenly seemed to have sobered up, her voice cold as she ordered, “Hit them.”

    Zhuo Zhi asked, “How badly?”

    Li Qinyue raised her hand, “Keep up with the rhythm, hit them until the song ends.”

    ***

    T/N: The original text was in Japanese, so I left it as is.

    世界が终わるまでは 离れる事もない-Sekai ga owaru made wa hanareru koto mo nai: (Until the world ends, we will never be apart)

     

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 6

    Chapter 6

    As they plummeted from the sky, Zhuo Zhi held Li Qinyue tightly.

    To make the act more realistic, Li Qinyue didn’t take the more protective role in the tandem jump.

    Her back was pressed against Zhuo Zhi’s chest, and only then did she realize that although the little girl had just come of age, her body had developed where it should.

    The wind roared past them as they fell rapidly, the world spinning.

    Li Qinyue was so used to the heart-stopping feeling of weightlessness that she found it a brief moment of tranquility.

    In this tranquility, she could hear the sound of the air, see another form of nature, and feel Zhuo Zhi’s breath in her ear.

    Surprisingly, Zhuo Zhi, who was bungee jumping for the first time, didn’t scream, didn’t tense up excessively, and even her breathing was long and even.

    The wind against her face was cold, but her body was warm from the embrace.

    This was an experience Li Qinyue had never had before.

    The first rebound of the rubber rope was high, the opposite cliff face rushing towards them, as if they were going to crash into it in the next second.

    Li Qinyue narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Zhuo Zhi, seeing a blurry outline, a long, thin eyeliner, and thick, closed eyelashes.

    Li Qinyue smiled softly.

    The rubber rope bounced several times before finally stabilizing.

    The two of them swayed above the valley, like two birds snuggled together in the empty air.

    “Hey,” Li Qinyue said, “Scared silly?”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi quickly replied, but her voice was a little hoarse, “Not afraid.”

    “Did you open your eyes?” Li Qinyue looked down at the trees and forest.

    “Yes,” Zhuo Zhi’s voice was in her ear, and then she moved her body.

    The rubber rope swayed with her movement.

    “Wasn’t it awesome?” Li Qinyue asked.

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t answer. After a brief silence, she said, “There’s something I didn’t tell you when we left this morning.”

    “What?” Li Qinyue swung her feet.

    “You look super pretty even without makeup, and you look super pretty in sportswear too. I’ve never seen anyone look so good in sportswear.”

    The compliment was so sudden that Li Qinyue thought she was calm, but the tips of her ears suddenly felt hot.

    Whenever there was a tandem jump project at a scenic spot, it was basically for couples, for a high-altitude confession or something, it seemed very romantic.

    Li Qinyue had always scoffed at this kind of behavior. When doing extreme sports, even for the first time with no experience, she wouldn’t bring a coach. Because this kind of exciting and enjoyable time belonged only to her.

    She wouldn’t share the things she truly loved with others.

    But today, bullying a little girl had somehow made this thing vulgar.

    Li Qinyue was a little irritated and asked, “Why are you suddenly saying this?”

    Zhuo Zhi paused, “You’re so beautiful, don’t do such dangerous things in the future.”

    The slight swaying of the rope also stopped. For a moment, the world was silent.

    Li Qinyue didn’t know what to say. If she wasn’t restrained right now, she would have directly hit her.

    Some people’s words didn’t sound wrong, but they just made you want to punch them.

    After half a minute, Zhuo Zhi asked her, “How do we get up?”

    Li Qinyue twitched the corner of her mouth, her tone extremely rogue, “We can’t get up, we’re hanging here.”

    Zhuo Zhi didn’t panic at all, her hand moved, “Don’t worry, I have my phone in my pocket, there’s signal here, I’ll call someone…”

    Li Qinyue blew a whistle angrily.

    The whistle was loud, echoing in the valley, like birdsong.

    Footsteps sounded from above the facility. Zhuo Zhi looked up and saw three burly men standing above them, one lowering a rope, the other two ready to pull them up.

    Zhuo Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Li Qinyue grabbed the rope being lowered, and the two of them slowly ascended steadily.

    As soon as they stepped back onto solid ground, the three men were still packing up their things, but Li Qinyue had already strode forward.

    Zhuo Zhi quickly followed, noticing that Li Qinyue was angry, so she slowed down a little.

    Li Qinyue walked through the forest, and even when they reached the road, she didn’t wait for a car, just kept walking forward, enveloped by the wind.

    Zhuo Zhi kept a distance from her and didn’t chase after her. The two of them walked silently on the silent mountain road.

    Until the sun rose high, the temperature in the mountains rose, and their bodies were warm from walking.

    Li Qinyue finally stopped and made a phone call. Zhuo Zhi stood behind her. A moment later, a car drove over.

    The two of them got in the car. When they reached the entrance of the villa complex, Li Qinyue suddenly said, “Go down the mountain.”

    The car turned around and continued driving forward. Zhuo Zhi looked back at Li Qinyue, who was looking out the window, silent.

    It didn’t take long to get down the mountain. After another street, they could experience the bustling atmosphere of Nanhai City.

    Li Qinyue got out of the car in front of a bar. It was clearly not open for business, but she pushed the door open and walked in without any obstruction.

    When Zhuo Zhi was about to follow, someone stopped her and said, “We’re not open for business, sorry.”

    “Then why can she go in?”

    “She’s the owner,” replied the muscular security guard.

    “I’m President Li’s bodyguard,” Zhuo Zhi cleverly changed her address.

    However, the security guard remained unmoved, just looked at her quietly, his meaning clear.

    No matter who you are, President Li doesn’t want you to go in now.

    “Okay,” Zhuo Zhi smiled wryly, took a step back, looked at the bar, and then started jogging along the street.

    After circling around, she found two back doors to the bar, but they were both locked tightly, with no way to break in without violence.

    Zhuo Zhi returned to the front of the bar. Looking around, there were no tables or chairs, so she simply sat down on the steps.

    The security guard looked down at her. Zhuo Zhi cupped her face in her hands, pretending not to see him, her gaze fixed on the snack bar across the street.

    The security guard didn’t say anything, and Zhuo Zhi gradually became as still as a statue, not even bothering to move her eyes.

    She sat like this for two hours. Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, the security guard simply closed the door and went back inside to rest.

    Li Qinyue was sitting at the bar. The entire bar was empty and dark, only a light above her head was turned on, casting a shadow over her eyes, making her look gloomy.

    There was a half-eaten steak in front of her, and the wine bottle was half empty.

    The security guard walked up to her and said, “That person hasn’t left yet.”

    Li Qinyue glanced up at him, “What is she doing?”

    “Sitting at the door,” the security guard paused and added, “Not moving at all.”

    “Hmm,” Li Qinyue lowered her head and refilled her glass, “Let her sit.”

    The security guard nodded and retreated. The empty hall was left with only Li Qinyue again.

    Drinking alone like this would seem lonely, but Li Qinyue didn’t want anyone standing next to her, nor did she need anyone to talk to her.

    She would digest all the inexplicable and seemingly suppressed emotions by herself. Exposing them would be truly embarrassing.

    Zhuo Zhi went to the snack bar across the street to buy some food to pad her stomach, and then she continued to sit on the steps and wait.

    The opening hours on the door said 7:30 pm, but by 8:00 pm, there was still no movement inside.

    A few customers came over and looked at Zhuo Zhi curiously. She didn’t care, just moved aside so as not to block the way.

    At 8:10 pm, the security guard came out and hung a sign: Closed.

    So capricious, it was really too capricious.

    Zhuo Zhi stood up and stared at the sign, incredulous.

    Could a shop open and close as it pleased? Didn’t they care about money? Didn’t they care about customer trust?

    Wouldn’t they explain? Although she thought the reason was that Li Qinyue didn’t want her to go in, wouldn’t they at least find an excuse to explain?

    Zhuo Zhi frowned, she couldn’t help it, and stomped her foot.

    This stomp was a big mistake. The delayed numbness in her foot quickly rushed up, straight up one leg, then spread to half of her body.

    Zhuo Zhi gritted her teeth and shook her leg vigorously, grimacing in pain, unwilling to just wait for it to pass.

    With her frantic efforts, the numbness subsided quickly.

    Zhuo Zhi took out her phone from her pocket and dialed Li Qinyue’s number.

    No one answered the first time, so she called again, the second time no one answered, so she called a third time…

    If Li Qinyue had turned off her phone, then she would have a good reason to break into the shop and tear down the door that had blocked her all afternoon.

    On the fifth try, the call finally connected.

    A female voice, gentle and pleasant, but not Li Qinyue’s, asked what she wanted.

    “Looking for someone,” Zhuo Zhi said concisely, “I’m her bodyguard.”

    “The one at the door?”

    “Yes.”

    The female voice didn’t waste any words, “Come in, she’s drunk.”

    The door finally opened for her. Zhuo Zhi strode in, sweeping through the corridor like the wind, and quickly through the hall.

    Upstairs, someone tapped on the iron railing, the sound echoing in the empty hall, “Come up, she’s upstairs.”

    Zhuo Zhi looked up and saw a woman in a black silk miniskirt, looking at her with cat-like eyes.

    Zhuo Zhi went upstairs. The woman’s lips were bright red, reflecting a faint shimmer in the dim light, very eye-catching.

    She was tall, with slender arms. When she raised her hand to point Zhuo Zhi in the right direction, the color of her fingertips blended with her lip color, creating a harmonious feeling that matched the bar’s decor.

    Zhuo Zhi nodded and said, “Thank you.”

    “You’re welcome,” the woman smiled, her voice soft, “I’m also worried about her.”

    Zhuo Zhi walked into the room. The air conditioning was set to a comfortable temperature. Li Qinyue was lying on the sofa, her head resting on a cushion, her arm covering her eyes.

    Zhuo Zhi lightened her footsteps. Not knowing if she was asleep, she carefully moved closer and stopped a meter away from her, calling out, “Li Qinyue.”

    Li Qinyue didn’t move at all.

    Zhuo Zhi called out again, “President Li.”

    Li Qinyue rolled over, facing the inside of the sofa, and pulled the blanket around her waist.

    Zhuo Zhi saw her face clearly, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes closed.

    She walked over and pulled the blanket up to cover her, carefully studying her face for a while before straightening up and leaving the room.

    The woman was still standing in the same place. Seeing her come out, she offered her a cigarette.

    “I don’t smoke,” Zhuo Zhi raised her hand to decline.

    The woman put the cigarette back in the pack and casually placed it on a shelf, smiling, “What a coincidence, I don’t smoke either.”

    Zhuo Zhi glanced at her fingers. They were smooth and delicate, without any discoloration, and she didn’t look like a smoker.

    But then she thought of Li Qinyue. In their short two days together, she had seen Li Qinyue smoke quite a lot. Judging by this frequency, she must be a heavy smoker.

    However, Li Qinyue’s fingers were also fair, with only a slight callus at the lower end of her knuckles.

    It was a bit like the palm of her own hand.

    Zhuo Zhi glanced at her own hand. The woman asked her, “What are you thinking about?”

    Zhuo Zhi looked back and said, “My name is Zhuo Zhi, how should I address you?”

    “Aijia,” the woman extended her hand, “I’m the manager of this hotel, President Li’s employee.”

    Zhuo Zhi shook her hand. In comparison, her own hand was really rough.

    “I thought you were her friend,” Zhuo Zhi said.

    “I wouldn’t dare,” Aijia smiled, “I thought you were her younger sister.”

    Zhuo Zhi leaned on the railing and looked down at the bar, “Do President Li and I look alike?”

    Aijia said, “You have the same hairstyle and style today, so you do look alike.”

    Zhuo Zhi smiled, “President Li is very beautiful.”

    “That means you’re also beautiful,” Aijia seamlessly connected.

    Zhuo Zhi laughed, not holding back, “You’re also beautiful, different from President Li, but like the bar.”

    “Really?” Aijia obviously liked the compliment, “It’s my bar after all.”

    “Hahaha…” Zhuo Zhi stopped laughing halfway through. She asked Aijia, “Why was the bar suddenly closed today?”

    “President Li is here,” Aijia said.

    “She’s alone, even if she wanted to rest, the sound insulation in this room is so good, there’s no need to close the bar.”

    “She’s not happy,” Aijia frowned, looking helpless.

    “Why is she not happy?” Zhuo Zhi finally asked the question she wanted to ask, straightening up involuntarily.

    Ever since they got off the bungee jump, she had been thinking about this question.

    She had thought about it all afternoon but couldn’t figure out what had upset Li Qinyue and made her suddenly lose her temper.

    Although Li Qinyue’s temper was not good to begin with, and they had argued and fought quite a lot during their time together, Zhuo Zhi was not stupid, she knew that this time was different from all the previous times.

    Rather than being angry, it was more like she was sad.

    This made Zhuo Zhi very anxious.

    “She was already unhappy before she came to my bar,” Aijia said, “She was drinking alone, not talking, I don’t know either.”

    Zhuo Zhi’s body slumped, but Aijia suddenly added, “But usually, there are only two things that can make President Li this unhappy.”

    “What?” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes lit up. If she could figure out these two things, she could try to avoid them in the future, and their relationship would be harmonious.

    “It’s…”

    Just as Aijia uttered one word, the door behind Zhuo Zhi suddenly opened. A figure loomed over her, almost falling on her back.

    If it weren’t for the familiar scent of Li Qinyue, Zhuo Zhi would have instinctively thrown her over her shoulder. But knowing it was her, she could only stumble forward a small step, then turn around and catch her in her arms.

    Li Qinyue’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes filled with a hazy alcoholic mist. Her legs seemed unable to touch the ground, and her entire weight was pressed against Zhuo Zhi.

    She opened her mouth to speak, her hot breath against Zhuo Zhi’s neck, “Sleep.”

    “Hmm?” Zhuo Zhi was a little confused.

    “Go to sleep with me,” Li Qinyue repeated impatiently.

  • Little Bodyguard(GL) 5

    Chapter 5

    Despite being in the mountains, there were no roosters to wake Zhuo Zhi up the next day.

    The curtains in the room were thick and heavy, blocking out all light. Zhuo Zhi jumped up and ran over to pull them open, only to find that the sky was already bright.

    She was startled. Oversleeping on her first day of official work was really terrible.

    After quickly washing up in the bathroom and getting dressed, Zhuo Zhi went downstairs with light footsteps. She first walked around the first floor hall, but didn’t find Li Qinyue.

    She then ran out of the house and circled the front and back gardens, still no one.

    The location of the villa was good, with an excellent view, and she could see the sun hanging over the distant mountain ridge.

    The entire Nanhai City was shrouded in the misty morning light, bustling and crowded.

    Zhuo Zhi subconsciously wanted to go outside to look for her, but suddenly remembered that Li Qinyue had said that she could call her if anything happened.

    She turned around and ran back, taking large strides up to the second floor and back to her room, where she picked up the phone on the table.

    Thus, on the second day of Miss Li’s return to Nanhai City, she was woken up by the ringing of her phone at 6:50 am.

    This phone number, which she hadn’t turned off, was her important contacts number, and she rarely hung up on incoming calls.

    After answering the phone reflexively, she found out that it was just her newly hired little bodyguard who couldn’t find her.

    Li Qinyue’s temper wasn’t usually that bad, if it was within her normal waking hours.

    Or if there was really something urgent happening, she could also handle it rationally and calmly.

    But neither of these conditions applied now. Li Qinyue’s head was groggy and heavy, and she yelled into the phone, “You little idiot, where the fuck else could I be?! At this hour, where the fuck else could I be?! In bed!!! Do you fucking know what a bed is for?! It’s for sleeping!!! Sleeping!!! It’s not for me to fucking do jumping exercises in the early winter morning!!! You know?!”

    Her voice was loud and fierce, causing a hissing noise from the speaker of Zhuo Zhi’s phone.

    Zhuo Zhi moved the phone away to protect her ears and spoke softly to calm her anger, “Oh, oh, I see. It’s good that you’re okay. Um, get up, there are eggs in the fridge, I’ll make you steamed eggs.”

    “I’ll eat your eggs!” Li Qinyue was almost hysterical, “I have things to do!!! I have fucking things to do!!!”

    “What things?” Zhuo Zhi asked.

    “Fuck…” Li Qinyue yelled until her head spun even more. She leaned against the headboard and took a moment to gather her thoughts from her groggy mind, “What did I tell you last night?”

    “You said a lot of things,” Zhuo Zhi touched her nose, also realizing that she had done something wrong, “Which one are you referring to?”

    “Heh,” Li Qinyue was so angry that she didn’t want to speak.

    “I’m sorry,” Zhuo Zhi suddenly apologized, “I miscalculated the time you would sleep in.”

    “Sleep! In! In! In! In!” Li Qinyue tapped the headboard with her fingers, “Does this fucking need to be calculated?! What time did you calculate?!”

    “I usually get up at cockcrow, around 4:30 or 5:00,” Zhuo Zhi walked out of the room, “I overslept today, and it was already so bright when I woke up, so I thought you were up too.”

    “Fuck…” Li Qinyue grabbed the cigarettes from the nightstand, “Are you a little monk?”

    “There’s a nunnery next to my place. If I were to become a nun, I’d be a little nun. The head nun comes every year to persuade my master to let me go to her nunnery to listen to Buddhist scriptures…”

    “Damn…” Li Qinyue held the cigarette in her mouth and searched for a lighter.

    “Don’t smoke,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Have a glass of water in the morning.”

    “Is your surname Tang?” Li Qinyue couldn’t find the lighter within reach, so she simply lifted the quilt and got out of bed.

    (T/N: Tang Sanzang: This is the name of a famous Buddhist monk from the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. He’s known for being incredibly pious, righteous, and somewhat long-winded with his moral lectures)

    “My surname is Zhuo, the Zhuo in Zhuoyue (excellence).”

    “You’re quite good at forming words,” Li Qinyue scanned the table, then opened two drawers, still unable to find the lighter.

    “Since you’re already up, don’t go back to sleep. Wash your face and come down. The steamed eggs I made are delicious, smooth and tender, melt in your mouth. I added a little soy sauce and chopped green onions…”

    “Tang Sanzang!” Li Qinyue took the cigarette out of her mouth and threw it on the table, “Are you here to be my bodyguard or my nanny?”

    “It’s my duty to take good care of you,” Zhuo Zhi said cheerfully.

    “Silly girl,” Li Qinyue muttered, her anger almost gone. She simply went into the bathroom, “Make it delicious, or I’ll break your legs.”

    “You can’t beat me.”

    “I’ll seal your mouth with tape.”

    “Oh,” Zhuo Zhi quickly said, “I’ll hang up first.”

    When Li Qinyue finished getting ready and went downstairs, Zhuo Zhi was wearing a brand new apron and had just brought out a bowl of steamed eggs.

    It was steaming hot, a pale yellow color, with a bit of seasoning and chopped green onions, it looked good.

    Li Qinyue sat down, and Zhuo Zhi handed her a spoon, “Eat slowly, it’s a little hot.”

    Li Qinyue glanced at her. Zhuo Zhi’s makeup-free face had a youthful glow, her eyes wide and blinking, her eyelashes quite long.

    “Where did you get this thing?” Li Qinyue pointed at Zhuo Zhi’s apron with her little finger while holding the spoon.

    “The second drawer of the left cabinet in the kitchen,” Zhuo Zhi answered truthfully.

    “Hmm,” Li Qinyue took a spoonful of the eggs, her eyes narrowed comfortably, “Like a little wife.”

    Seeing her eating happily, Zhuo Zhi boldly sat down, “You just said I was a little monk.”

    “Nagging,” Li Qinyue didn’t want to pay attention to her, “You only made one bowl?”

    “The pot is too small. If it’s not enough, I’ll make more right away, it’ll be quick.”

    “Do I look like someone who eats that much?” Li Qinyue said, “Where’s yours?”

    “I have dry rations,” Zhuo Zhi replied.

    “Master Ke Braised Beef Noodles?”

    “Hehe, yes, and also dry mixed noodles, turkey noodles, hot and sour noodles, snail noodles…”

    Li Qinyue put down the spoon and looked at her, wanting to roll her eyes, “You actually came down the mountain to eat snacks?”

    “Ah…” Zhuo Zhi pursed her lips.

    “Immediately, right now, you eat what I eat,” Li Qinyue pointed at the kitchen, “I’m on a healthy diet, eight glasses of water, you won’t miss a single one!”

    In the past, when she returned to Nanhai City, after Li Qinyue had her first meal, she would lie on the sofa, listen to the TV, and plan her nightlife.

    But today, Zhuo Zhi had finished washing the dishes, and she still hadn’t figured out what to do so early in the morning.

    Zhuo Zhi took off her apron, folded it neatly, put it back in the second drawer of the left cabinet, came out, looked at Li Qinyue standing in the middle of the living room, and said, “Are you sleepy?”

    Li Qinyue glared at her.

    Zhuo Zhi smiled, “Don’t sleep now, you can take a nap at noon.”

    Li Qinyue: “Nag.”

    “You’ve given me so many nicknames,” Zhuo Zhi walked up to her and hopped twice, “If you have nothing to do, let’s go for a run!”

    Zhuo Zhi jumped quite high, really high.

    Just from these two jumps, you could tell that this little girl had good jumping ability. Li Qinyue said, “Jump again.”

    Zhuo Zhi obediently jumped again, deliberately jumping higher, showing off.

    Li Qinyue said, “Can you pause in the air?”

    “Hang time?” Zhuo Zhi smiled brightly, “Of course I can.”

    This time, without waiting for Li Qinyue’s further instructions, Zhuo Zhi took a step back, bent her knees, and jumped. Not only did she demonstrate hang time, but she also switched hands under her crotch and did a slam dunk.

    The movements were very beautiful. Regardless of her height and whether she could actually dunk, her movements were like those of a professional athlete who had done it countless times.

    “You have a basketball court on the mountain?” Li Qinyue asked with a smile.

    “There’s a university on the other side of the mountain. I often sneak into the gym to play basketball.”

    “Heh, you have quite a few story chapters,” Li Qinyue stretched and moved her wrists and ankles, “Running is so boring, I’ll take you to play something fun.”

    “Okay!” Zhuo Zhi’s eyes sparkled.

    Li Qinyue changed into sportswear and tied her hair up into a high ponytail.

    When she went out, Zhuo Zhi was waiting for her in the courtyard. When she saw her, her eyes lit up significantly.

    But she didn’t say anything, just smiled happily.

    The car from the villa complex was already waiting at the intersection. The two of them walked over, Li Qinyue got into the back seat, and Zhuo Zhi sat in the passenger seat.

    The car drove out of the villa complex and up the winding mountain road. Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi’s profile and found that she had been very serious since getting in the car.

    She didn’t speak or smile, her brows were always slightly furrowed, and her expression was cold.

    Even though Li Qinyue knew how she smiled, how silly she could be, and how she looked when cooking, she couldn’t say that she was pretending to be an adult now.

    Zhuo Zhi was working seriously, her displayed combat effectiveness made her seem very reliable.

    Li Qinyue had only hired bodyguards on a few occasions, and Zhuo Zhi was the most special one, and also the most ordinary one.

    After the car stopped, Zhuo Zhi got out first.

    She quickly scanned the surroundings and then opened the car door for Li Qinyue.

    Li Qinyue got out of the car and took a deep breath. The morning mountain forest was cold and fresh.

    She gestured for the driver to go back, then patted Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder and said, “Relax, we’re here to have fun.”

    Zhuo Zhi looked around and, after making sure there was no one else, she reverted to her usual self in the villa, smiling and asking, “Sister Qinyue, what are we playing?”

    She only called her that at the very beginning.

    Li Qinyue smiled, “Don’t rush, you’ll find out soon.”

    Twenty minutes later, they stepped through the damp, cold fallen leaves and weeds, and came to a cliff by a rift valley.

    A small bungee jumping facility was set up on the cliff, standing tall, with rust stains visible up close.

    Li Qinyue pulled out a thick rubber rope from somewhere, untied it, and threw it in front of Zhuo Zhi, “Have you ever played this before?”

    “No,” Zhuo Zhi shook her head.

    “Do you know how to play?”

    “I’ve seen it on TV.”

    “Want to play?” Li Qinyue stared at her, her eyes smiling.

    Zhuo Zhi raised her hand and said, “Wait a moment.”

    Li Qinyue was not in a hurry, waiting to see what she would do.

    Zhuo Zhi took out her phone and checked it carefully. There were two bars of signal. She tried making a call, and it connected.

    Then she opened a web page and searched for bungee jumping precautions. After quickly browsing through them, she walked around the facility twice.

    Finally, under Li Qinyue’s expectant and provocative gaze, she shook her head and answered, “No.”

    Her answer was straightforward, without any hesitation or excuses, and her emotions were calm, without any shame or hesitation.

    Li Qinyue waited for two seconds, but Zhuo Zhi didn’t speak, just looked at her quietly. Li Qinyue felt that if there was a mirror in front of her now, she would probably be able to see her face turn green.

    “That’s all you’ve got,” Li Qinyue twitched the corner of her mouth, “You’re good with words, but your courage is only enough to hit people who can’t fight back.”

    “The people I hit were all healthy adults. Whether they could fight back or not is uncertain, but they definitely had the ability to resist,” Zhuo Zhi said calmly, “This facility is left here without any maintenance, and judging from its appearance, it’s not reliable. I’ve never bungee jumped before, and I don’t know much about it, so I don’t have the ability to truly assess its safety. That’s why I won’t put myself at such a big risk for no reason.”

    Li Qinyue shrugged, indicating that she didn’t want to listen to her.

    She stepped onto the platform and started to put the buckle of the other end of the rubber rope around her ankle. Zhuo Zhi rushed over.

    She grabbed Li Qinyue’s arm tightly, frowning and saying, “You can’t jump, it’s too dangerous.”

    “I want to jump,” Li Qinyue looked at her, putting on her most arrogant expression in the past twenty years.

    “I’m going to knock you out and carry you back,” Zhuo Zhi said fiercely.

    Li Qinyue smiled and stretched out her neck, “Hit me then.”

    Zhuo Zhi’s mouth twitched, her expression on the verge of tears, “Why are you so childish?!”

    Not many people said that Li Qinyue was childish, only her father and grandfather.

    Especially her father, who had been saying it from when she was truly childish to when she no longer wanted to be childish, over and over again, always mixed with endless disappointment and scolding.

    So Li Qinyue sometimes really wanted to revert to being childish. Since she was already labeled as such, why not just go for it?

    So she smiled at Zhuo Zhi, a rather provoking smile, “I’m just that childish.”

    Zhuo Zhi stared at her for a long time, her expression turning cold, then suddenly said, “Can we do it together?”

    “Huh?” Li Qinyue looked at her.

    “Can we bungee jump together?” Zhuo Zhi’s ponytail was blown by the wind, scattering over her shoulders. Against the backdrop of the mountain forest and cliff, she had a heroic beauty like a splashed-ink landscape painting, “I’ll accompany you.”