Chapter 28

The bathroom door was locked from the inside, the faucet running as water cascaded noisily. Yan Qingqiu dipped her fingers into the stream, slowly washing them clean.

Because the gaze boring into her back was so oppressive, she rubbed her fingers together, glancing multiple times in the mirror at the person behind her. Song Qingre simply stood there, saying nothing, watching her quietly, just beneath that calm surface lay a blaze of fury.

"Mm..."

Yan Qingqiu lowered her head again, but before she could lift it, arms wrapped around her waist, and Song Qingre pressed a kiss to her cheek.

But it was only her cheek—why only her cheek?

Those lips lingered at the corner of her mouth.

"Why don't you kiss me on the lips?" Yan Qingqiu turned slightly, understanding now why the younger "her" had been so idle, always wanting to kiss Song Qingre.

But Song Qingre would always refuse her, silently, never initiating, never even kissing her when she was angry.

"Because Qiuqiu still has traces of massage oil on her." Song Qingre's fingers moved forward, as if she could grip her neck.

Her voice turned cold, unnervingly so.

Yan Qingqiu leaned against her shoulder. "Don't say that."

Song Qingre said nothing, so Yan Qingqiu had to continue: "My gland didn't touch anyone else."

Yan Qingqiu said, "The clothes I wore today were quite sheer."

"Then you still dared to roll over them?" Song Qingre countered.

Yan Qingqiu pressed hard into her shoulder, wanting to retaliate, but in the end she just shoved her forehead against her forcefully—so infuriating. Song Qingre clearly didn't understand what she meant.

Song Qingre was deliberately playing dumb!

Someone knocked on the door outside. Yan Qingqiu's fully charged phone kept buzzing—everyone was looking for her. Today's livestream was a huge success, and the company wanted to throw a celebration banquet.

Yan Fu was also looking for her, worried something had happened. With alphas everywhere in the company, what if some reckless one provoked her and set her off?

Yan Qingqiu pulled out her phone to check the messages, her fingertips tingling slightly from the vibrations.

A careless alpha took the phone from her and answered, "Hello, Uncle. Mm, Qiuqiu is with me, in the bathroom... Mm."

Yan Qingqiu leaned weakly against her—this woman actually said it outright, with zero subtlety. Her hand dropped, about to pinch Song Qingre, but she held back, knowing the woman could say something even worse.

Yan Qingqiu stewed in silent anger. This woman was infuriating.

"Alright, I'll bring her over later." Song Qingre handed the phone back to her. Yan Qingqiu gripped it tightly, and Song Qingre let go of her supporting hand. "Your father wants you to go eat."

"I'm not deaf." Yan Qingqiu tried to pull away from her, but she couldn't even stand steady. She said, "I need to use the restroom."

"Hm?" Song Qingre tilted her head at her, confused for a moment, then quickly understood.

Yan Qingqiu had barely steadied herself when her legs nearly gave out. She should have cursed back, her fists clenching.

Step by step, she made her way into the stall, fuming.

When she came out, Song Qingre said, "All taken care of?"

Yan Qingqiu bit her lip, staying silent.

Everyone was already waiting at the entrance to the livestream room—dozens of eyes fixed on her simultaneously. Yan Fu came over to check on her, only relaxing once he confirmed she was fine.

"I can take you home if you're feeling unwell."

"There's nothing wrong with me." Yan Qingqiu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She took two steps and her legs started trembling—everyone saw it. "My high heels, I'm wearing high heels, I'm just nervous walking in them."

Su Xingjie stood beside her, wanting to say something but never finding the chance.

Yan Qingqiu didn't dare get too close to her friend either—Song Qingre was right there beside her. She asked, "Are your models alright?"

As she spoke, that dark-skinned beauty named Miaomiao was staring at her again, several times, her gaze a little too direct. Yan Qingqiu could read the intent in her eyes—no way, she wasn't interested in her, was she?

Her guess quickly became reality. The hot model walked over proactively, phone in hand, asking softly with hope shining in her eyes, "Miss Yan, could I add your contact?"

Yan Qingqiu stood in the middle, flanked by Su Xingjie on one side and Song Qingre on the other. Su Xingjie frowned slightly, while Song Qingre's expression remained unreadable.

At Miaomiao's behavior, Su Xingjie's face instantly turned cold. She said flatly, "I'll give it to you later. Go back to your team for now."

Miaomiao nodded and returned to the model lineup. The other seventeen models all looked at her; Miaomiao shook her head, and all eighteen models turned to look at Yan Qingqiu.

Yan Qingqiu's feet were starting to betray her.

They made their way down the corridor, heading for the elevator. It couldn't hold everyone at once, so the key people went down first. Inside the elevator, Yan Qingqiu quietly caught her breath.

Scared me half to death.

When the elevator reached the first floor, Song Qingre steadied her waist to keep her from falling.

Yan Qingqiu looked up and saw a long red banner plastered across their company building: "FU YE, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ENTERING UNTIL YOU PAY UP 500 MILLION"

Yan Qingqiu stepped back in awe. Damn, she had to admit, her father's secretary was quick on the uptake. She pulled out her phone to take a picture, planning to use it later to provoke that scumbag into giving her money.

Yan Fu said, "Originally I was going to hang a banner with our sales numbers, but I thought this would make you happier, so I put that up instead."

"Mm, this one's good. Forget the sales banner—don't flaunt your wealth." Yan Qingqiu wasn't sure if it was the right call, but this one suited her perfectly. She snapped several more photos.

Yan Qingqiu bent down to get into the car, hearing a horn behind her. She glanced up and saw a convoy that looked like it belonged to the Fu family. It was a bit far, so she squinted—whatever, she couldn't make them out anyway.

The car drove for a while, and she looked back again. That car hadn't followed them, but Su Xingjie's vehicle had circled around. Yan Qingqiu silently averted her gaze. Her phone had been fully charged during the livestream, so she opened it—the internet was flooded with news.

She thought rolling over them was already peak performance, but Weibo was going absolutely insane, like New Year's Eve. Netizens had picked out the most alluring moments and turned them into GIFs.

The arch of her neck as she rolled, the soft gold high heels landing on the white porcelain floor, and the way she'd grown tired from rolling, falling asleep, lashes half-closed, breathing gently as she gazed at the ceiling, her body rising and falling with each breath.

Her face, framed by golden hair, slightly flushed—so beautiful.

A true sleeping beauty. She was a sleeping beauty.

Those who'd watched the livestream were gushing about how they'd gotten their money's worth, while those who hadn't were howling with regret, begging in the comments for an encore—they'd even buy Yan Corporation's products.

Unfortunately, Yan Corporation had been completely sold out. The moment someone requested a refund, another buyer would snap it up. There was basically nothing left to sell.

Yan Corporation's comments were flooded with messages: 【Please, even if you don't livestream again, just post some photos. Nothing fancy, just high-res pictures of her face... I'll pay anything. I'm a Qiu dog, Sister Qiuqiu's dog】

【Please hurry up and release new products and do another livestream. I'm begging you, I really want to watch. When are you releasing the recording? I'm dying here. I regret not watching the livestream—I had an exam that day. I'm going crazy with regret.】

【She actually dared to do it. She really rolled. Sorry, I'm one of the nineteen hot models in that video. Who gets it? I dug out last year's body lotion and slathered it on my face. Tonight, this is how I'm spending it. So exciting. I want Qiuqiu to rub oil on me!】

【Who knew Yan Qingqiu would become a normal beauty after getting over her obsession? Shocked, absolutely shocked! But I'm in love! Please debut immediately, okay? I want to cheer for sis!】

Yan Qingqiu pinched the bridge of her nose, unsure if this was a good thing. Her father had spent years building this brand—a respectable one, a point of national pride—and she'd turned it into this.

The comment section didn't sound like respectable people at all.

Good thing this was an ABO world, another kind of unserious world. She'd gotten used to it long ago, and after joining in, she'd quickly outdone them all.

She had to admit, the stuff online was too much. Yan Qingqiu herself was blushing reading it. No wonder Song Qingre couldn't handle watching. She put herself in someone else's shoes—if she watched someone else roll over, she'd be stunned too: "Bold. I don't think I could do that."

Yan Qingqiu shifted, angling her phone away from Song Qingre to spare her. Song Qingre was scrolling through her own phone.

Suddenly someone called out, "Qiuqiu."

"Huh?" Yan Qingqiu startled, breath quickening. Song Qingre glanced at her, confused about why Yan Fu calling her name made her pant like she'd done something guilty.

Yan Fu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just saw a scary video. What is it, Dad?"

"The press might want to interview you later. Do you want to be in the public eye?" Yan Fu asked.

Like she had a choice. She'd been so wild, dominating the hot search for ages. Everyone probably knew her by now, their old image of her completely shattered. Now she was just a shameless woman.

"What's wrong, haven't you decided yet?" Worried she'd seem unmotivated, Yan Qingqiu added, "Does Dad have any arrangements? It's just that... I don't think I'd want to go into entertainment."

She'd rather stay home all day, doing nothing, just going out to buy bags. That was fine by her.

But if there were beautiful women in the entertainment industry who wanted to see her, she wouldn't mind visiting them.

As for acting and such, Yan Qingqiu didn't think she had the chops. She was pretty enough, sure, but her acting skills might be a bit lacking?

If she didn't have the tools, she didn't take on the job.

"That's fine. You've worked hard these past few days; you deserve some rest." Yan Fu said.

Yan Qingqiu nodded. "Mm hm hm."

"Do you want to go abroad? Just for a trip. Your father will arrange it." Yan Fu asked.

Noticing Yan Qingqiu's gaze drifting to the left, Yan Fu felt pleased. He'd planned to have his daughter and Song Qingre go off together anyway, to develop their relationship. "Little Re isn't busy, is she? Do you want to go? The two of you together?"

Yan Qingqiu's heart was racing. Dad, what are you doing?

Song Qingre looked ahead and said, "I don't mind. Up to Qiuqiu."

Yan Qingqiu steadied herself as well. "I'm not in a hurry either. Let's see. When I feel like going, I'll definitely let you know."

"Mm." Yan Fu was in excellent spirits.

··

"Jun Jian" was the city's largest private club, where the upper class loved to dine and entertain. One circle after another—everyone you ran into was a wealthy elite.

They ran into a familiar face upstairs: Luo Xi.

Well, they heard her voice first. Luo Xi was in the private room next door, the door closed, her voice low, almost like she was crying, earnestly advising someone: "Brother, stop drinking. Why do you like her? Look at her, she literally rolled over eighteen models. She never once thought about how you'd feel. Why do you keep going after her? Didn't you used to hate her most?"

"You don't understand." Fu Ye's drunken voice followed. "I've found that old feeling again. I still like the person who stunned me that summer."

"Wasn't it just her cursing you out when you were smoking in the alley? What's there to feel about that? Wake up!" Luo Xi cursed in frustration.

Yan Qingqiu found this amusing. Luo Xi, with her muddled brain, was actually telling her Fu brother to sober up. It was like the bottom of the class tutoring second-to-last.

She wanted to join the fun, wondering what interesting things would happen with her as the subject.

Yan Qingqiu was curious. She planned to walk along the corridor to eavesdrop, but she'd barely gotten close when Song Qingre came over and grabbed her arm. "Let's go. Eavesdropping is rude."

"Hey... it'd be a shame to miss it." Yan Qingqiu was about to lean in closer, but Song Qingre added, "Aren't you afraid Fu Ye will notice you and start bothering you again?"

"... True." The thought of Fu Ye's face annoyed her. He was drunk now, too—a real hassle.

She had no choice but to follow Song Qingre upstairs. The club was enormous, each floor decorated differently, their private room one floor above.

Yan Fu had rented the entire floor. Everyone sat freely, ordering their own dishes. Yan Qingqiu sat down next to Su Xingjie, chin propped on her hand, about to discuss the models with her.

Su Xingjie spoke first: "Don't worry, I won't let them add your contact."

Yan Qingqiu wanted to say, Sis, no need to be so strict. But someone was sitting beside her, so she held her tongue, unable to express her true feelings.

Since she was surrounded by friends, Yan Qingqiu sat sideways, silent.

Su Xingjie, afraid she was bothered, changed the subject: "By the way, I plan to release the promotional photos I took of you this week. I think we can do a magazine feature."

A server brought drinks over. Yan Qingqiu poured a glass of coconut milk—one for her friend, one for herself, and one for her benefactor.

She secretly nudged Song Qingre with her leg: This is for you.

Then she turned back. "Your company's magazine?"

"Yes, a fashion magazine. You'll be the cover." Su Xingjie said.

Yan Qingqiu nodded eagerly. "Sounds good."

As she spoke, she noticed a few models across from them taking photos of her. They immediately lowered their heads when caught, then huddled together, giggling shyly. One of them, after her shy moment, saw Yan Qingqiu looking and snapped a photo right in front of her—unbelievably bold. Wild.

"Is that one an omega?" Yan Qingqiu asked.

"Mm, a newcomer. Probably awed by your roll. They haven't seen much of the world, treating you like some unmatched alpha." Su Xingjie explained, though she didn't mention that the models had nearly gotten into a fight among themselves earlier, privately debating what position they'd rank when Yan Qingqiu rolled over them. They were all pretty wild, hoping to get acquainted with her, this alpha supreme.

Yan Qingqiu felt pleased hearing that. In the real world, no girls were this bold with her. Here, a whole group had taken a liking to her. Guess she just wasn't shameless enough back home.

She said seriously, "They're all quite young. Don't scold them when you get back, okay?" Let them like me for a while longer. I don't find it a burden.

"Fine. Back to the cover."

Su Xingjie chatted with her, but Yan Qingqiu knew nothing about it. She nodded at whatever Su Xingjie said, and somewhere in between, she accidentally spilled sauce on herself.

She got up to wipe it off, but it only spread more. She stood, tugging at her clothes. "I'm going to the restroom."

Su Xingjie stood too. "I'll come with you."

"No need." Yan Qingqiu saw Song Qingre also rising beside her, feeling like a sandwich with everyone watching.

"I'll be right back."

She got up from her chair, thought for a moment, and placed her bag on Song Qingre's lap. Then, worried her friend might overthink, she pulled out her bank card and set it by Su Xingjie's hand, signaling: Keep an eye on these for me. Don't worry, I'm not running off to cause trouble. Cool down, you two.

Yan Qingqiu left the club herself, following the signs to the restroom. The place was huge, and the path was winding. She finally found the restroom and pushed the door open.

What a coincidence—she ran into Luo Xi there.

Both immediately glanced behind the other, wary of anyone else, then relaxed once they confirmed it was just the two of them.

Yan Qingqiu didn't like her, but she didn't find her repulsive either.

Luo Xi was her top anti-fan, a generous spender at that.

Luo Xi's black hair fell to her shoulders as she crossed her arms, glaring at Yan Qingqiu provocatively. "I watched your livestream. One moment you say you don't like my brother, and now you're rushing over here?"

Yan Qingqiu shrugged. "Technically, we just happened to meet here. It's your brother who knows I'm around and wants to ambush me. Tell him this from me: I'm not letting him off the hook. Oh, and..." She smiled. "Thanks for buying our products. According to the backend, besides one other rich woman, you bought the most."

"You..." Luo Xi was furious. She'd bought the products hoping Yan Qingqiu would roll, making Fu Ye give up on her. Little did she know, Fu Ye had given up on her, but it broke his heart—and the more it hurt, the more he loved her.

"Don't return them, okay. Though it doesn't matter either way." Yan Qingqiu kept inching backward as she spoke. She was a bit afraid Luo Xi might snap and hit her. With her high heels today, she wasn't equipped to fight back. Getting beaten up in the restroom would be humiliating.

"Yan Qingqiu, why are you getting more shameless by the day? Don't you feel embarrassed?" Luo Xi fumed.

"Don't you want to roll over eighteen hot models?" Yan Qingqiu suddenly countered. Luo Xi's lips parted. Ever since Yan Qingqiu had rolled over those eighteen models, she'd become the goal for every woman. Who didn't want to challenge themselves the same way now?

Luo Xi swallowed her anger, saying nothing.

Yan Qingqiu caught that small detail, knowing Luo Xi secretly wanted it too. Women understood women best.

"What's the point of clinging to some cold man? Besides, he doesn't even pay you attention. Honestly, now that he's paying me attention, I find him annoying. I'd rather keep my distance with my eighteen hot models." Yan Qingqiu said seriously, trying to correct her worldview!

Luo Xi stared at her, clearly wanting to curse her out.

But Yan Qingqiu's mouth moved too fast, leaving her speechless.

Yan Qingqiu walked past her to wash her hands. As she scrubbed, she dabbed at her clothes. "Oh, by the way, let me ask you something."

Luo Xi didn't want to engage. She dried her hands, about to leave, but Yan Qingqiu quickly blocked her. "What's the rush? I just want to ask you two things."

Luo Xi crossed her arms, tilting her head up to glare at her, disgust plain on her face. "Yan Qingqiu, do you know you're even more annoying than Song Qingre?"

Yan Qingqiu pretended not to hear. Whatever, didn't matter. They were both villainesses; who was she to judge?

"Earlier, your Fu brother said he liked me first. What did he mean by that..."

"Yan Qingqiu!" Luo Xi raised her voice, looking provoked. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Luo Xi shoved her aside to leave, but Yan Qingqiu wouldn't budge, blocking the door with her back. "Why so worked up? I just want to know the specifics. It's not like I'm trying to get back together with him. Look at me—do I seem even a little in love with him? I just want to know if he was lying. I mean, your Fu brother's words are about as reliable as farts."

Luo Xi was infuriated. She snorted coldly. "Don't act so high and mighty. At first, my brother did like you. He pursued you for two days. Then your true nature showed, and he lost interest. Stop being so full of yourself, stop dreaming."

"He pursued me for two days and only then discovered my true nature? Sounds like your brother was just after my looks, wasn't he?" Yan Qingqiu asked bluntly.

"You..." Luo Xi shut her eyes, then admitted the truth. "He pursued you for half a year, but later you became completely unreasonable, so he stopped. And then you were the one clinging to him."

"Could you elaborate?" Yan Qingqiu sensed this was a major revelation. She pulled out her notebook and pen, writing seriously. "Go on. Like, when did he start pursuing me?"

Luo Xi glanced at her sideways. "Are you sick? Shouldn't you know this better than me?"

"How would I? At first he pursued me, and I never even noticed. Help me piece together the timeline."

Luo Xi looked at her like she was insane, but Yan Qingqiu refused to let her leave, blocking the door stubbornly. She even threatened, "If you lay a hand on me, I'll tell your Fu brother you hit me. And I'll tell him that as long as he ignores you, I'll get back together with him. Hee hee."

"Damn it, Yan Qingqiu, you bitch." Luo Xi had the classic villainess look—straight out of a TV drama, a pretty waste of space who stamped her feet when angry.

Luo Xi wanted to strangle her. She couldn't understand it—Yan Qingqiu had gotten even more despicable than before, so why did her Fu brother like her even more now? Why? She couldn't figure it out.

"Second half of sophomore year! You bitch! Gold-haired slut!"

Yan Qingqiu noted it down, then asked, "So when did he start pursuing me?"

"Someone tore up your textbook, and my brother got you a new set."

"Someone was bullying me? Elaborate..." Yan Qingqiu flipped to a new page, writing carefully. Luo Xi gritted her teeth and sneered, "I tore the textbook. I just couldn't stand you. My brother was flirting with you, and you wouldn't respond, deliberately stringing him along. Then he went to borrow some books for you, and not only did you use his books, you kissed the covers. Afterward, you pretended you didn't know him and treated him coldly. Disgusting. Slut."

Yan Qingqiu wrote while looking at Luo Xi, then scolded, "Tearing someone's textbook is bullying. How did you become so vicious?"

"You have the nerve to say that? You've done worse. Don't forget, during the summer before senior year, you got a bunch of thugs to corner me. If my brother hadn't passed by, who knows what you would've done. Before judging others, think about what kind of person you are." Luo Xi looked at her with contempt.

They were evenly matched. Yan Qingqiu thought she had a point, so she kept writing: the fight with Luo Xi in the summer before senior year, Fu Ye's disappointment, and then she started chasing him.

"You remembered wrong." Luo Xi glanced at her notes and called out. "After you fought with me, you went back to being cold to him, acting like a stranger, playing innocent. Later, my brother believed your lies and thought you really didn't know me. But of course you knew me—we argued plenty at school. You were playing games with him. Then, because of other stuff, he saw through your two-faced act and didn't want to like you anymore. Who knew you'd turn around and chase him instead. But affection that comes too late is worth less than grass."

Luo Xi said it all in one breath, panting.

"You make a good point. I feel the same way about your brother. Looks like your brother and I were truly never meant to be." Yan Qingqiu thought, it's like stacking debuffs here—you don't like me, I love you; I don't love you, then I like you again.

Luo Xi looked at her with a baffled expression. "You're really weird."

"One day, when you stop loving him, you'll understand what I mean." Yan Qingqiu handed her the notebook, wanting her to check if what she'd written was accurate.

Luo Xi glanced at it. Yan Qingqiu's handwriting was actually quite elegant. She didn't want to read more, but then a thought struck her, and she smiled deliberately. "What, should I be like you? Suddenly stop liking my childhood sweetheart and then keep humiliating her? If we're talking cruel, you take the crown."

Fu Ye might not understand why Yan Qingqiu suddenly stopped liking him, but Luo Xi knew Yan Qingqiu's character well. After all, this ruthless woman had stopped liking Song Qingre within a single year and nearly destroyed her in the process.

Hearing this, Yan Qingqiu's pen paused. She hated it most when others brought up how "she" had bullied Song Qingre—it was like a blunt knife slicing through her flesh, each cut stabbing her vitals, each one wounding Song Qingre deeply in turn.

Yan Qingqiu bit the inside of her cheek.

"You know about me and Song Qingre?"

Luo Xi noticed her discomfort and continued: "Who doesn't know about you two? Song Qingre was always the school beauty—gentle and pretty, with tons of admirers. But she always had that gold-haired slut by her side, clinging to her before and after school, even running up to the higher floors during break. The junior and senior buildings were so far apart, but you could still hear 'Little Re, Song Xiaore' echoing across the campus. The whole school knew you two were childhood betrothed. Oh, and you were the one who said it—that you'd marry her once she presented as an omega."

"Then who knew you'd dump her without a second thought? I hate Song Qingre too, but even she groveled after that. You cursed her, humiliated her, and she still called out 'Qiuqiu, don't be like this, Qiuqiu, come home, Qiuqiu, I'm sorry.' I even thought her 'Qiuqiu' sounded like 'please, please.' So pathetic. You called her disgusting, and yet she'd stoop so low, begging you not to leave, just hoping you'd look at her once more."

Luo Xi paused mid-sentence, looking at Yan Qingqiu, then panicked. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't go telling my brother I hit you or something."

Yan Qingqiu didn't respond. She leaned against the door. Luo Xi couldn't stand being around her anymore and shoved her aside forcefully. Yan Qingqiu stumbled, and Luo Xi yanked open the door and fled, keeping her distance. Seriously.

Yan Qingqiu's gaze landed on the full-length mirror ahead. Beneath her eyes was a faint pink flush. She blinked rapidly twice, let out a soft sigh.

Damn it.

You worthless thing, why did you make the storyline so angsty?

Ugh.

My ship, pull yourselves together.

As she thought this, her phone buzzed twice.

Yan Qingqiu looked down. The screen showed a voice message from Song Qingre, asking why she hadn't come back yet. She replied, "Coming now, hold on. Just got into an argument with Luo Xi in the restroom."

She tucked her notebook away, washed her hands, and headed upstairs to the private room. Yan Qingqiu didn't take the elevator from that side; she took a detour, going up one floor first before catching the elevator, accidentally ending up on the first floor.

Back upstairs, she sat down and wiped her fingers. The plate in front of her was full of peeled shrimp.

Su Xingjie asked, "What took you so long? Did you fight with Luo Xi?"

"No lie... it was close. We nearly came to blows." Yan Qingqiu picked up a shrimp and dipped it in sauce. So good. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, then asked the server for a menu. She planned to order that king crab she always saw in videos to satisfy her craving. She pointed at items on the menu, and the server nodded.

Song Qingre pinched a shrimp with her fingertips and offered it to her. Yan Qingqiu leaned over, lowering her head to eat it. Song Qingre asked, "Did you lose to her?"

"How could I?" Yan Qingqiu countered. "Do I look like a loser?"

"The corners of your eyes are wet." Song Qingre said.

"Oh?" Yan Qingqiu raised a hand and wiped the back of it across her eyes. "Maybe I got too worked up arguing and shed some physiological tears."

She blinked, and the corners of her eyes grew wetter. Her fine lashes couldn't contain the liquid pooled beneath them. She wiped at her eyes. "Give me a tissue. Some of that seasoning got in my eye. It stings."

Song Qingre pulled a tissue out. "Tilt your head back."

Yan Qingqiu tilted her head back, and Song Qingre dabbed at her eye with the corner of the tissue. Yan Qingqiu blinked, and soon, her eyes felt better.

Hearing what Luo Xi had said, her heart had dripped, dripped, like rain falling, and before she could stop it, she'd started crying in front of Luo Xi.

How embarrassing.

When the king crab arrived, Yan Qingqiu shared it with everyone. Aside from being fresh, it wasn't that impressive. It tasted better dipped in sauce.

Yan Qingqiu still preferred shrimp.

When everyone had eaten their fill, Yan Fu had his secretary settle the bill. He handed the car keys to Song Qingre, telling her to take Yan Qingqiu home. As for Su Xingjie, she wouldn't be riding with them—she'd driven herself and needed to take all the models back.

Yan Fu also shook hands with Su Xingjie. "Thank you for this. I'll have someone send the contract over later, and we'll get your models a few endorsements."

"You're too kind, Uncle. Qiuqiu and I are friends." Su Xingjie smiled. She got into her car and called out to Yan Qingqiu, "Call me if anything comes up."

Yan Qingqiu nodded. "Drive safe."

Only after their car had driven off did Yan Qingqiu get into the car. Just as the vehicle was about to pull away, she heard the sound of arguing in the distance.

No need to analyze it—that was Luo Xi's voice. Luo Xi was having a truly bad day. First she'd bickered with this villainess, and now she seemed to have gotten into a fender bender with someone.

Yan Qingqiu paused, lowering her head to play with her phone. Song Qingre asked curiously, "Why aren't you watching the drama? Did you lose the argument with her?"

"Can't be bothered."

As she spoke, she heard honking. Song Qingre didn't drive off right away; instead, she turned toward the sound and pressed the horn. Yan Qingqiu looked at her in confusion. Song Qingre drove over and asked through the window, "Need any help?"

Only then did Yan Qingqiu see the familiar face Luo Xi had collided with—she recognized the person but couldn't place the name. Song Qingre exchanged a few pleasantries with the woman.

The other woman waved at Yan Qingqiu, looking at her hair and laughing, "Princess, I watched your livestream. You rolled hot."

Yan Qingqiu immediately realized: Tony!

Tony had done her hair, and she'd been very satisfied with it. She smiled and asked, "How's your car? Need any help?"

"No worries, I'll wait for the traffic police to assign fault. You two go ahead." Ye Sichun waved them off.

Yan Qingqiu stared curiously at her sports car, then at the sleek silver-blue Aston Martin in front. She was inwardly amazed—so even rich people had to wait for the traffic police to determine fault in a crash.

Song Qingre didn't linger, turning the wheel toward home.

Back in the real world, Yan Qingqiu had needed extracurricular credits for college, so she'd learned and gotten a driver's license. But she'd never had the money to buy a car, and since passing the test, she'd never actually held a steering wheel, let alone driven a car worth millions.

Her old dream was to save up a million and live off the interest, becoming a useless person forever, never drifting again.

The neon-lit city was no different from the steel city she'd lived in for twenty-four years. The night was the same night, the wind the same wind, with the same cycle of seasons. Everything here was warm, romantic, dripping with extravagance.

In the real world, she'd been just an ordinary worker with nothing to her name. When things were this beautiful, she couldn't help but wonder if this transmigration was just a fantasy born in her final moments—that if she chose never to wake, she'd simply die for real.

"What are you thinking about?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu looked back at the scenery ahead. "If one day you had a dream, and everything in it was wonderful, would you..." choose to wake up?

The System suddenly appeared, saying, 【Host, please do not over-hint at the boundary between reality and the game. If you become too aware, you will discover many unexpected things.】

Then it lightly pricked her nerves as a minor punishment.

Yan Qingqiu frowned, pressing a spot above her ear.

"Why did you stop?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu said, "I thought of a dream where I had everything. I really didn't want to wake up."

Song Qingre made a soft "oh."

After another long while, as they neared home, Song Qingre said, "Don't you have everything in reality? What was in the dream that made you not want to wake?"

Yan Qingqiu didn't answer. It struck a nerve.

She didn't know why this dream was so beautiful either.

·

The car pulled into the courtyard. The maids were all waiting by the door, ready to pamper her again. Yan Qingqiu tossed her bag to them. One maid said, "Miss, we've drawn your bath. Would you like to wash up?"

"In a bit. It didn't rain today." Yan Qingqiu said, stretching. She noticed everyone staring at her, and that strange feeling crept up again—just... weird. Awkward as hell.

Yan Qingqiu still had a bag in her hand. She took out a food container she'd brought back from the restaurant and handed it to the maids. "I went out for a big meal today, so I packed some for you. Want some?"

A few of the maids kept staring at her. Yan Qingqiu thought they were being picky, so she added, "These are fresh dishes that never touched the table."

"We'll eat, Miss." The head maid, Du Huan, nodded, taking the container and setting it on the table. The others opened the boxes and, seeing all the seafood, gasped in delight. "Thank you, Miss! Thank you for thinking of us!"

Yan Qingqiu gave the desserts that hadn't been served yet to the butler.

"You all eat. No need to wait on me tonight. I want to rest early."

Under the maids' gazes, Yan Qingqiu walked upstairs. She unlocked her door, shook her head—these young betas in the house had never seen much of the world, probably all stunned by her rolling over the models today.

She shook her head again. "There's just no helping it. Sigh."

She went inside, found a set of pajamas, and while everyone downstairs was eating, she cracked the door open, crouched down, slipped out, and closed it behind her. Moving slowly, step by step, she crept forward. Song Qingre, in the middle of opening her own door, looked down at her.

"What are you... doing?" Song Qingre asked, utterly baffled.

"Open the door and you'll see. Hurry, don't let anyone see you." Yan Qingqiu crouched by her leg, urging her, poking the door with her finger to make her open it faster.

Song Qingre gave an "mm," opened the door, and Yan Qingqiu immediately scurried inside. Song Qingre closed the door behind her. Yan Qingqiu headed straight for the bed, laying the clothes down on it. "If we do it on the bed, do you mind it being dirty?"

The room was still dark, lit only by the streetlight outside. Its light slanted in, falling across Yan Qingqiu's smooth, narrow shoulders.

"Didn't you get enough rolling on the floor in the studio?" Song Qingre rubbed her own wrist, her voice low, cold as ice.

"It's not like I'm rolling on the floor like before. Just say it already." The breeze brushed Yan Qingqiu's shoulders, tickling and tingling. She raised a hand, palm covering her shoulder, rubbing it.

Song Qingre didn't understand what she was doing and gave no response. Yan Qingqiu approached on her own, sitting on the edge of the bed, hands braced on either side, her high heels making her legs awkward.

"Come on..." Yan Qingqiu said proactively. "Come on, don't hold back. Do whatever you want."

Song Qingre's throat moved slightly. Yan Qingqiu looked at her, her eyes bright like a deep-sea mermaid's, as if each blink would produce a string of large pearls. Then she turned her head away, not looking at Song Qingre.

Being proactive had drained all her courage. She bit her lip hard. She couldn't be any more forward.

"Will you do it again?" Miss Song asked beside her.

Time crept forward in silence. Yan Qingqiu was nervous, the pearl bracelet on her wrist shifting forward, the string snapping under her movement. White pearls scattered to the floor one by one, rolling away.

"Mm." Yan Qingqiu lifted her voice slightly, trembling as she looked at her.

She was about to stand when Song Qingre scooped her up entirely.

Yan Qingqiu's eyes widened slightly. Twice makes a habit—had Song Qingre gotten that practiced at carrying her already?

She looked at Song Qingre's profile. Because her bangs always swept to one side, half her face looked shadowed, calm and gentle on the surface, but if that surface were torn away, it would kill her.

Song Qingre carried her step by step into the bathroom and asked, "Should I put you in, or will you do it yourself?"

Yan Qingqiu wanted to say she'd do it herself, but she was scared no matter what.

So she just chose to stay silent.

Song Qingre set her down. Yan Qingqiu undressed herself to bathe, but she was too embarrassed.

Forget it. In the end, she climbed into the bathtub fully clothed. She was about to step in when she glanced back—Song Qingre's fingers by her side twitched. Of course she was still watching.

Yan Qingqiu quickened her pace inside, stepping into the tub with her clothes on. Her back sank into the water, splashing; her hair got soaked, water streaking down her cheeks.

Song Qingre knelt beside the tub, helping her undo the hidden clasp on her heels. The heels were set down on the white porcelain floor. Yan Qingqiu's fingers rested on the edge of the tub.

Song Qingre took her hand, washing it slowly and gently, invisibly pressing down on her.

Song Qingre sat quietly by the tub's edge, her trousers dampened by the water.

Yan Qingqiu could feel the slight tremor in her fingertips as she touched her cheek. Song Qingre had incredible restraint—she'd held it in this whole time, never once raising her voice to scold her. It was truly frightening...

"Lower your head." Song Qingre's voice was heavy—a command.

Yan Qingqiu's neck had gone stiff; she couldn't move at all. She didn't obey. Was she going to wash her hair?

She stared at her, not moving for a long moment. Song Qingre lowered her own head, looking into her eyes and face, and asked, "Qiuqiu, are you afraid of me?"

Yan Qingqiu didn't dare answer, but the ripples spreading across the water's surface betrayed her. She was a little afraid—a fear that had existed from the moment she transmigrated and had never stopped.

Song Qingre slowly lifted her head, her tone softening as she reminisced: "Suddenly, I'm thinking of before. Qiuqiu used to be so cute. Lots of people chased you. Some even asked me to pass along love letters, but I tore up quite a few. My fingers would tremble back then. I thought, if you ever found out, it'd be over. You'd be shocked that your gentle sister would do something like that to you."

The shirt slipped over Yan Qingqiu's head, and she couldn't see a thing.

She lost her bearings in the darkness. She was a little afraid of Song Qingre. She'd thought she'd be out in no time, but she wasn't.

Song Qingre's fingers came to rest on her chest, feeling her heartbeat—she didn't know if it was the same as before, but she didn't want her to see her expression.

Her heart was about to burst.

"Lies start with the first one, piling up—once, twice..." She reminisced in a gentle voice.

Yan Qingqiu emerged from the shirt, eyes red, breathless from being trapped too long. She looked at Song Qingre helplessly, like a drenched little kitten, pitiful and in need of care.

Outside, the moon was veiled by clouds, its hazy white swallowed by the ink-black night. Song Qingre's anger wasn't loud or violent; she remained gentle as ever, carefully cleaning her.