Chapter 40

Yan Qingqiu was just lamenting. She knew full well that if she dared to say such a thing to Song Qingre, Song Qingre might actually agree and then tell her seriously, "That's true, but I have one small condition."

Yan Qingqiu would stupidly feel grateful and say, "Tell me, tell me, I'll agree to anything."

She'd lean in earnestly, full of gratitude, thinking Song Qingre was a good person. Song Qingre would say, "The condition is... I'll support your 365 wives. I'm a bit lonely, so you can work for me for 365 years instead, day and night, as my little maid. How about that... I'll even support you."

Thinking about it, Yan Qingqiu immediately slapped herself.

Snap out of it, snap out of it! Yan Qingqiu, do you really think you can live 365 years? If you could, you'd be a demon. Hold yourself together, don't be tempted!

"Qiu Bao?" Su Xingjie reached out to touch her cheek, then pinched it hard. "What are you thinking about? You're so dazed, I called you and you didn't even hear."

"I was just thinking about how much my pearls at home are worth," Yan Qingqiu made up randomly, but Su Xingjie no longer believed her. She said, "Do you have any idea how long you were staring at your maid?"

Yan Qingqiu quickly looked away and smiled modestly.

She secretly asked the System, 【Did you guys break down? I realized that when I talk to you, I can't talk to anyone else, or even hear them.】

The System didn't respond. She quickly snapped back to attention to make sure she wasn't missing someone speaking again. This time she heard footsteps and looked up. Song Qingre had poured her a cup of tea and said, "Boss, tired from talking? Want some water?"

"Mm-hmm." Yan Qingqiu nodded, pinching the teacup. She blew on it and asked, "What were you doing? You were so still just now."

"Looking at a modeling magazine," Song Qingre replied.

"Admiring the beauties, huh."

Song Qingre didn't shy away and nodded, saying, "Indeed, ER's models are all quite striking; they really spark inspiration."

"Bitter," Yan Qingqiu took a sip, then only after wetting her throat did she realize what she'd said. She raised the cup again, "And mellow, sweet."

Bitter, yet mellow, sweet.

Damn, what am I saying?

She didn't dare look at Su Xingjie. Su Xingjie must be shocked, looking at her with a strange expression. She stole a glance and found—shockingly—nothing.

Su Xingjie was practically plastered with the words: Qiu Bao, I'm immune.

Yan Qingqiu felt deeply sorry.

Su Xingjie was searching around on her desk, then rummaging through drawers, puzzled, saying, "That's odd, didn't I ask Xiao Ji to put the contract for you on the desk this morning?"

Ji Xiangsi heard her and went over to help look, saying, "Yeah, I placed it right here. I even put a magazine on top to hold it down."

Su Xingjie's expression turned terrible.

Yan Qingqiu walked over and said, "It's fine, take your time looking. What contract is it?"

"It's the endorsement deal I picked out for you—I chose a few of the bigger perfume endorsements, including the world's top-ranked perfume brand. And now it's missing," Su Xingjie said, her face dark. This was a first for her.

They searched all around, even emptying the drawers, but still couldn't find the contract.

Song Qingre said, "Why don't you check the surveillance cameras first to see who came into this office. If the contract was definitely in here and no one moved it, then someone must have snuck in and taken it. Then have two people guard your office. If the culprit plans to use the contract for anything, they'll most likely try to steal your company seal."

Su Xingjie snapped out of it, her anger boiling over. She truly hadn't expected anyone to dare touch her things, especially something she'd prepared for Yan Qingqiu.

Su Xingjie felt ashamed and said, "I'm sorry you had to see this. I can't believe I made such a mistake..."

"Don't say that. Don't apologize for someone else's wrongdoing," Yan Qingqiu said seriously. "No matter what, the fault lies with the thief."

"Mm-hmm." Su Xingjie made a phone call, summoning her assistant. Yan Qingqiu's other assistant, Xiao Die, came in first. Hearing their conversation, Xiao Die said, "Director Su, this morning I saw Qing Feng come by once."

Qing Feng was another model, under someone called Wu Yue. Yan Qingqiu had never even heard of this model; she only remembered Ji Xiangsi and the others telling her that the famous models in the company all had flower-themed names. This one probably wasn't popular.

Su Xingjie frowned too, asking, "What did she come up for?"

"I'm not sure. When I was coming over, I saw her get into the elevator. I greeted her, but she didn't respond. When you mentioned it just now, I found her a bit suspicious," Xiao Die said honestly.

Yan Qingqiu quickly said, "Xing Xing, let's not casually suspect people. Check the surveillance footage first. After all, we need evidence for things like this."

Losing something was a big deal, but directly accusing someone of theft wasn't good either. Better to have proof.

Yan Qingqiu knew that coming to work at her best friend's company would lead to trouble. If this wasn't handled well, the company would probably look at her sideways.

She said to Ji Xiangsi and Xiao Die, "You two, search again."

They searched the office for a long time but still couldn't find the contract. Su Xingjie came back from reviewing the surveillance footage, which confirmed that Qing Feng had indeed been in the office. Su Xingjie's anger surged, and she was ready to go confront Qing Feng about it.

"Wait a moment," Song Qingre chimed in with advice. "You only saw her enter, but you didn't see her leave with anything. Even if she did something, the item would still be in her office. Calm down. Suppress your anger and just ask her what she came up for, whether she accidentally took the documents, and tell her how important they are. If she says no, hint that there's a corporate spy and you're about to call the police. Without your signature, the contract is just a piece of paper anyway. Don't make a fuss; handle it internally and don't blow it out of proportion."

"Right, right. I don't even know her. Why would she steal my stuff?" Yan Qingqiu knew Su Xingjie was defending her. Today's incident affected Su Xingjie's reputation, so she'd definitely want to deal with it harshly. But what if they were walking into someone's trap?

If it got leaked later that she was bullying people at work, wouldn't that be disastrous? It would directly hurt both her and Su Xingjie.

Su Xingjie suppressed her temper. "If we handle this gently, next time it won't just be a stolen contract."

"I agree with that." Yan Qingqiu nodded firmly.

Su Xingjie pulled out her phone. As she was about to make the call, Yan Qingqiu shot Ji Xiangsi a look.

Ji Xiangsi stepped in and took the call, speaking bluntly: "Qing Feng? I just checked the surveillance footage, and it seems you came by our office. We've lost a document—have you seen it?"

The girl on the other end let out an "Ah," then stammered, "N-no. I just came up to deliver a pot of flowers on Sister May's orders. To congratulate Miss Yan on her signing and wish her an early rise to international supermodel."

"Alright, then we're calling the police. We'll need your cooperation later." Ji Xiangsi glanced at Yan Qingqiu as she spoke. Yan Qingqiu looked at Song Qingre, who nodded. Ji Xiangsi hung up directly.

The other party was clearly flustered, giving the impression that Ji Xiangsi had gotten through to her. But this all seemed a little too smooth.

Su Xingjie also sensed something was off.

They waited, but the other woman never came up.

Su Xingjie was a decisive person who valued strength above all. She could turn a blind eye to models with bad temperaments or erratic behavior, but when someone lacked talent yet still caused trouble and framed others, that was a real problem—it was dancing right on her pet peeve.

She bit her lip.

Yan Qingqiu was getting dizzy. What now?

Song Qingre leaned in and whispered two sentences in her ear.

Yan Qingqiu frowned first, then said, "Xiao Ji, make a call and have that Qing Feng bring a pot of flowers up."

Xiao Ji nodded and passed it along. Soon, the girl called Qing Feng came up, holding a flower pot, walking slowly and still looking quite nervous.

She reached the door and knocked politely. She was a rather delicate-looking girl. Qing Feng knocked courteously and said, "President Su, the flowers are here."

Yan Qingqiu looked at her, skipping the pleasantries and cutting to the chase: "I don't really know you, so I can't figure it out. Why did you stay in my office so long? The surveillance shows you were in there for twenty minutes, but it only took you six to walk over just now. I originally wanted to protect you and not make things ugly, so I gave you two hours to think it over. You didn't cherish that chance, and now I have no choice. Let your President Su handle it, so you don't say I'm picking on you. Xing Xing..."

Su Xingjie hadn't understood what she was doing at first, but now it clicked—they were playing good cop, bad cop. Su Xingjie said nothing, stood up, and headed to her own office. Her assistant glanced at Qing Feng and said, "Come on, let's go to the office and talk to the director about what you were doing for those twenty minutes."

Now Qing Feng panicked, nearly dropping the flowers in her hands.

Xiao Die took the flowers from her, but instead of placing them in the office, she set them just outside the door.

Xiao Die sighed, "Usually she doesn't seem like that kind of person. How strange."

Yan Qingqiu didn't even know her. She muttered quietly to herself, thinking, I've never worked at such a high-level job before; I'm not used to this.

In the past, people's conflicts were over small things—someone using your stuff, eating your snack, or accidentally bumping into your things.

People bickered over trivial matters, annoying as it was, and whispered behind each other's backs, but no one was truly evil at heart.

What was the point of this? You can't even use a stolen contract. Gonna keep it in your pocket as a souvenir?

Song Qingre said, "You think they're after the contract? The mastermind wants you to call Qing Feng over, directly accuse her of theft, but then you'd quickly find the contract. After that, word would spread through the company that you slandered someone without evidence, damaging your image here."

"Damn, that's vicious."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Yan Qingqiu definitely did. There was that Fu Sang who'd targeted her before, but since the woman hadn't made a move yet, it wouldn't be right to accuse her outright.

"Why does working here feel like court intrigue? Tsk."

"What, not used to it?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu nodded.

"Then don't work here. Come work for me instead. I'll pay you whatever you ask," Song Qingre said.

The two assistants nearby were stunned. Was Song Qingre really poaching right under the director's nose? She was bold, but what could Yan Qingqiu even do over there?

Song Qingre looked at Yan Qingqiu with blazing intensity, not like she was joking. Yan Qingqiu said, "Seriously? You only played maid for me for a hot second, and now you want me to be your maid in return? No way."

Yan Qingqiu only said that in passing. She knew very well that the look in Song Qingre's eyes wasn't right—it was like she was saying, "Let me take care of you."

Suddenly, Yan Qingqiu thought of those 365 years again.

No, thanks. I can't enjoy such fortune; I simply don't have the ability. I couldn't even handle seven days.

Song Qingre was brimming with enthusiasm. She crossed the line and sat right next to Yan Qingqiu, crossing her legs, and said, "Just consider it. All you'd have to do is be my model."

"...A painter like you needs a model for what?"

"Painters need models. Look at all the famous painters—who hasn't painted portraits? Only me," Song Qingre said. "I want to challenge my own weak spot."

The 18-models incident was ages ago, and she was still talking about weak spots.

How infuriating.

Yan Qingqiu said righteously, "No."

"Why? You can model for her, but not for me?" Song Qingre's tone was clearly off, sour enough to sting her nose.

Yan Qingqiu didn't plan to answer, but Song Qingre kept staring at her, so she had to respond. She lowered her voice and said in Song Qingre's ear, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. If I work for Xing Xing, the pinnacle I'd reach is a lingerie runway show. If I work for you—ha—the pinnacle would be no lingerie at all, and I might even end up hung in a museum for everyone to see."

"Sigh..." Song Qingre pressed her lips together, wearing a half-smile, and tilted her head to whisper by Yan Qingqiu's ear, "What you said makes so much sense, I can't even refute it."

"...Hmph." Yan Qingqiu was quite smug. "Don't try your tricks on me; they're not even enough for me to bother seeing through."

Yan Qingqiu glanced outside—Su Xingjie still hadn't returned. She sent Ji Xiangsi to go find out, and Xiao Die quickly followed along.

The two assistants scurried off fast, thinking to themselves, Absolutely must not be third wheels and interrupt those two lovebirds.

Ji Xiangsi came back a while later to report that Qing Feng had admitted to hiding the item—she'd stuffed it under the bookshelf. When they'd searched earlier, they'd all overlooked the bookshelf because it was crammed with magazines and books; no one would have thought someone had the strength to lift the shelf and slip things underneath.

They worked together to lift the bookshelf and indeed found the contract. Ji Xiangsi dusted it off and handed it to Yan Qingqiu, saying, "Qing Feng keeps insisting that Wu Yue told her to do it, but Wu Yue denies it. The two of them are arguing in the office now."

Yan Qingqiu didn't quite understand, so she handed it to Song Qingre to hold. She said, "Go tell Xing Xing that if Wu Yue says she didn't do it, then she didn't. Just deal with Qing Feng. The surveillance only shows her, so let her be the one held accountable. No need to dig any further; don't force it."

"Is that okay?" Ji Xiangsi didn't understand what she was thinking.

"Go." Yan Qingqiu said.

Ji Xiangsi hurried off again.

Whatever was entangled in this, the matter wasn't resolved even by evening. Yan Qingqiu had wanted to wait for Su Xingjie, but Su Xingjie told her to head home first, saying she needed to hold a meeting and would notify her when there was a result.

Yan Qingqiu was worried. Today's mess was simply too ugly.

"Come on, trust your best friend. She's a director, after all." Song Qingre picked up her bag and led her out. Yan Qingqiu suddenly remembered, "Oh, with all this fuss, I never went to my class today."

Song Qingre asked, "You still have class?"

Yan Qingqiu nodded. "I'll go find the teacher."

She recalled the way and found the classroom. At the door, she whispered to Song Qingre, "Wait for me here. I'll sneak in through the back door. Don't make a sound."

"Alright." Song Qingre nodded and waited by the door. Just as Yan Qingqiu was about to slip in, she asked, "Does your thigh still hurt?"

Yan Qingqiu's face fell. "I'm enduring it."

"Got it." Song Qingre responded.

Yan Qingqiu crept in bent over. The teacher glanced at her, and she didn't dare say anything, silently standing behind the last row of models, following them in the catwalk steps.

Song Qingre's gaze turned tender, her lips slowly curving up. Then her eyes turned cold. She didn't move, listening to the footsteps passing by. Her peripheral vision swept over a blonde model, her gaze resting on the woman's hair for a long time.

When she looked back, she was glared at by Yan Qingqiu inside, whose eyes seemed to say, "Caught you, huh? You dared to peek at a beauty, hmph."

"Yan Qingqiu!" The teacher inside shouted sternly, rapping her thigh with a ruler. "Stand straight. Don't fidget. Stop making faces."

"Oh."

"Don't talk."

Yan Qingqiu pressed her lips together.

"Don't purse your lips."

The blonde woman standing on the floor lifted her neck straight, forcing her head upright, and walked with the teacher's guidance, step by step in a straight line.

Like... a little zombie who'd studied abroad and come back following the latest trend with dyed blonde hair.

Yan Qingqiu felt pretty good about herself. She thought, In Song Qingre's eyes right now, I must be an elegant, sexy, wild hot model on the runway.

Half an hour later, class finally ended. This time, Yan Qingqiu's legs were genuinely wrecked; she had to walk with stiff, bound legs. She came out groaning, "I'm dying."

Song Qingre tried to support her, but she refused, hopping along on her own, stubbornly.

After a few steps, Yan Qingqiu said again, "Last time she said she was strict, I thought she was joking, and I replied, 'I can endure hardship.' I want to slap myself."

Song Qingre laughed. "The teacher is really mean. How about you just be my model instead?"

Yan Qingqiu pressed her lips together. "...I think I can keep enduring."

Song Qingre slung her bag over her shoulder, reached out to support her, and said with a smile, "Qiu Qiu is just like when you were little. You said you didn't want to go to kindergarten, that you didn't like the teacher there. I said I'd teach you to read, but the next day you carried your backpack and said you had to go to class."

"Why?" Yan Qingqiu asked curiously.

Song Qingre said, "Back then, you always said very seriously, very earnestly, that having your wife teach you was embarrassing, so you had to work hard to be first in class on your own."

She walked in front of Yan Qingqiu and said softly, "First place, want me to carry you?"

Yan Qingqiu seemed to have once lived a small scene—a little girl crying and wailing, snot running down her face. She stood at the door, refusing to go to school no matter what. Another little girl looked at her sideways and said softly, "Aren't you always saying that me going to school every day is boring, that you want to go too?"

"But you didn't tell me that school means I'd be in my own class, where I couldn't even see you if I wanted to. You also didn't tell me there'd be counting, and learning one plus one equals what. My daddy is so, so rich, why do I have to learn one plus one... I can't even figure out what one plus one equals."

"Then I'll come teach you in your class?"

The little girl cried for a while, then said, "No way. Having my wife teach me one plus one is even more embarrassing... Because of you, I can't hold my head up anymore."

"Not wife, it's sister..."

"TV says it's wife."

"So are you going to school or not? The school bus is leaving."

"You don't even care if I cry, you only care about the school bus leaving."

"Then I'll carry you." The girl crouched down. The little girl hemmed and hawed, "Then you tell me what one plus one equals first."

"Two."

"You, me, two people—two."

Yan Qingqiu wanted to laugh. She shook her head, looked at Song Qingre's shoulder, and somehow ended up leaning onto it. She thought slowly, Is this the butler's update?

Why does this memory feel so clear?

She breathed in the orange scent on Song Qingre, so sweet.

Down a corridor, she buried her face in Song Qingre's shoulder. When they reached the elevator, she immediately got off, and as the doors opened, she darted inside.

The elevator was packed, everyone staring at her. Blushing furiously, she made room for Song Qingre and hid behind her.

Being seen being carried by your wife is way more embarrassing, you know.

Got it, little kid?

When they left the building, Yan Qingqiu was thinking of going to check on her wives, but Song Qingre had been carrying her bag all day, so she felt she owed her. She decided to treat her to dinner first. There were still three days left; she could say goodbye properly later.

··

At night.

Yan Qingqiu lay in bed, her legs aching unbearably. She thought about going to find Song Qingre later to give her a massage, a proper one, wondering if the feeling might tempt her to kiss her there.

She burrowed under the covers, embarrassed! Shameless!

Thinking about it, she felt strange.

She grew a bit drowsy.

Yan Qingqiu yawned, about to check the phone for the surveillance feed.

But as she turned over, she soon fell asleep.

Half-conscious, she thought working was just too tiring. Then she drifted into a dream—she was in pitch-black night, shouting desperately, but no sound came out no matter how hard she tried. She grew frantic.

The darkness around her was too thick; she didn't know what to do. She ran in circles, then tripped and fell to the ground. Through the haze, someone pulled her up.

She started babbling:

"Song Xiaore, I like you. I really like you. I truly, truly like you." She tried to take her hand. "Sometimes I dream about you, dream about marrying you."

"We become mermaids, we share our breath in the water, we become jellyfish in the deep sea, stars sinking into the water. I will really love you forever. Is that ridiculous, childish, absurd?"

In the dream, she held on tight, afraid that if she let go, she'd never catch hold again. She kept talking, "Don't like anyone else. Like me, like this."

"Since I was very, very little, I dreamed we were getting married—I was a princess, and you were a princess too. I watched TV with my dad, and whenever I saw other people getting married, I'd think of you. I even turned into a bird and carried you far, far away. Sky, land, sea—I want to go to so many places with you."

"It's so strange, in my dreams I always imagine us turning into weird things... and then we get married, always that same ending. I'm so happy."

"The thing I hated most in this life was homework, but loving you—that I seriously wrote down in my little notebook. I just like you, like you so much that I think about marrying you. I don't care about fate or destiny—I just love you."

In her dreams, no matter what creature they became, her lover always wore Song Qingre's face. Her love was obvious to heaven and earth, sun and moon; she wanted to be with her forever.

But the person holding her hand said, "Qiu Qiu is too young. Wait until you're a bit older, okay?"

"How much older?"

"I... when we're adults." Little Re held her hand so tightly. She knew Little Re had feelings for her too.

"Will you marry me?"

"Mm." Song Xiaore nodded hard, eyes sparkling.

"Then I'll wait for Little Re to grow up..." she whispered.

Her bizarre fantasies were all the pent-up love she'd never been able to express. She waited to grow up, waited with anxious impatience...

Finally, she came of age. She said to Song Qingre again:

"Can you hear me?"

"I'm confessing to you."

Song Qingre looked at her in confusion: "What did Qiu Qiu say?"

She'd said so much, but Little Re hadn't heard a single word. Her head began to ache, as if something was trying to force its way in, trying to stop her confession.

Yan Qingqiu felt like she was half awake, half drowning, bubbles streaming from her mouth. She tried to reach out and grab, but sank deeper and deeper.

She hadn't even told Song Xiaore she loved her. Was she turning into a fish, one nobody knew? Would she meet Song Xiaore in the undersea world?

She wanted to go home.

She saw a hand reach into the depths of the sea. It was grasping for her desperately, calling her name, though the name was dashed apart by the waves again and again.

"Qiu Qiu."

"Yan Qingqiu... Yan Qingqiu..."

"Answer me, Yan Qingqiu—do you love me?"

"Pervert, lesbian, aren't you disgusted? Liking a little sister you grew up with—you must have been lusting after her since childhood. Disgusting."

No, no, that's not it. She struggled to reach for that hand, but every time she was knocked over by the waves.

The last light vanished. The water's surface returned to stillness.

Is Little Re waiting for her on the shore?

But she was so sleepy. She wanted to sleep, to close her eyes. I'm Yan Qingqiu. She had to remember—she couldn't forget. She was going to marry Little Re. She had to go home. Daddy was still at home.

··

When Yan Qingqiu woke, her head throbbed violently, her brain feeling like it was about to split. She kept massaging her temples. Had she been dreaming last night? A nightmare? Why couldn't she remember anything? She patted her head—it really hurt... She rubbed her forehead; it was awful. Was she running a fever?

She felt her head, then lay back down, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Not hot.

She touched her pillow and found it damp. Drool, maybe.

She picked it up and sniffed—no, it must be tears.

The System said, 【Good morning, Host.】

Yan Qingqiu was baffled by its greeting. She froze for a moment. This piece of trash was being this enthusiastic today?

Did they send it back for repairs?

She set the pillow down, uncertain of its intent, and simply didn't reply.

The System spoke again, 【Host, have you seen the news today?】

Yan Qingqiu was confused: 【What news?】

The System said this strange thing and then went silent, bizarrely.

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling face. The System was trying to mend fences, and she couldn't speak too harshly. She didn't want to fight with the System every day and get zapped in the brain.

She changed clothes and came out of her room, her mind still churning over yesterday's question: if she couldn't help crying during her heat, having Song Qingre lick away her tears would be so soothing.

I'm so shameless, so despicable!

But thinking about it couldn't hurt.

With that thought, she headed downstairs. Her father was still reading the newspaper. Yan Qingqiu quickly recalled the System's reminder from this morning—had another wife been photographed? She pulled out her phone, but there was nothing on it.

She asked the System, 【What did you want me to see?】

The System said, 【Nothing...】

It cut off before finishing. She turned her head to see Song Qingre standing behind her, offering her a smile.

Yan Qingqiu said, "Morning."

Song Qingre sat across from her. Today her hair was up in a bun, wearing a thin black sweater with a high collar.

"Is there any news in Dad's paper today?" Yan Qingqiu tested, afraid of making a fool of herself if one of her wives was floating around.

"Let me see..." Yan Fu flipped through the newspaper back and forth. "What are you looking for?"

"Just anything like jellyfish news..." Yan Qingqiu probed.

"That was just a prank. The media already covered it," Yan Fu said.

"Oh, oh, oh." Yan Qingqiu continued eating. That explained it, but there was still something off she couldn't put her finger on. She pulled out her phone and searched for yesterday's jellyfish news. What she saw now was very different from yesterday. Yesterday everyone was speculating about aliens; today it was directly reported as a quirky, funny story about someone flying a weird jellyfish costume into the sky.

It looked similar but was actually quite different. Before, people were doubting; now it was firmly confirmed.

Did Luo Xi do this?

She didn't have that kind of power, because yesterday there were many accounts that looked like official media reposting it.

Thinking about it, she pressed her brow. She looked up at Song Qingre, wanting to ask but not daring to. Did the System do something? Had her wives already disappeared? Wasn't it supposed to be three days? She glanced around, secretly opening her phone and syncing to the surveillance feed. Just as she was about to look—

"Miss..."

"Ah?" Yan Qingqiu's finger twitched, and the phone clattered onto the table with a thud, then rolled toward the floor. The butler, quick-eyed, snatched it up—his gaze landing squarely on the screen. Instantly, Yan Qingqiu felt the atmosphere stiffen. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly; her head ached.

"Your phone." The butler set it on the table.

Yan Qingqiu hummed in acknowledgment, lowered her head, and opened it with the resolve of someone facing death. She took a deep breath—then was stunned. The surveillance showed the house completely clean. Her wives were all gone, leaving the place in a serene emptiness, as if no one had ever lived there.

She looked at the butler, who said, "Miss, please eat. The food is getting cold."

"Hm? Yeah. Okay." Yan Qingqiu lowered her head and ate, feeling Song Qingre's gaze on her from across the table. She fed herself bite after bite. When she looked up at Song Qingre—so fast. Hadn't they agreed they'd disappear in three days?

Why was the System in such a hurry? Was it afraid of something?

She hadn't even said goodbye properly.

Hadn't even said goodbye properly... She chewed on that phrase over and over.

That morning, Yan Qingqiu was the first to finish eating, her mood low.

Song Qingre wiped her mouth and asked, "Want me to come with you to work today?"

Yan Qingqiu felt embarrassed. Song Qingre said, "You've been hurting since yesterday. Should we go to the hospital to check it out? Seems a bit strange to me."

She just had to say it in front of my dad, didn't she?

Seeing the expressions on Yan Fu's and the butler's faces, Yan Qingqiu nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Let's go." Song Qingre rose and walked over to grab her bag. Yan Qingqiu walked irregularly now, limping with every step.

Yan Fu shook his head, covering his face with the newspaper. Disgraceful. He'd already told the youngsters to take better care of their bodies.

Song Qingre started the car, ready to navigate to ER. "Not going to the company today. Somewhere else—Qiu Wan, the new villa my dad gave me."

Song Qingre paused in inserting the key and said, "What are we doing there?"

Yan Qingqiu said, "Ambushing someone!"

"Huh?" Yan Qingqiu didn't explain her confusion. Song Qingre turned around, started the engine, and drove off in that direction, saying, "Qiu Qiu doesn't look well."

"I dreamt all night and woke up remembering nothing, so I didn't sleep well," Yan Qingqiu rubbed her face. "I feel awful."

"Let's still go to the hospital."

Yan Qingqiu leaned back in her seat. She called out to the System in her mind, but it didn't respond—still being suppressed by Song Qingre's presence, it seemed.

She hoped this suppression would last a while.

When they arrived, they didn't rush in. Yan Qingqiu kept her eyes fixed on the gate, peering inside. Song Qingre waited patiently by her side.

After about two hours, a Lamborghini drove out.

"Honk the horn," Yan Qingqiu said.

Song Qingre pressed it immediately. Soon, the car noticed them and the Lamborghini pulled over, honking back.

"Are you crazy? What are you honking for?" Luo Xi shouted from inside the car.

Yan Qingqiu pushed open the door and got out, saying, "Come out. Let's talk."

"Tsk." Luo Xi gave a mocking laugh. "Are you kidding? Don't think I don't know—you're here to beat me up. Your eighteen bodyguards are probably lurking nearby, right? I'm not getting out."

"It's just me and Song Qingre!"

"That's still two of you against me. Hah." Luo Xi had zero trust in her. Last time, she'd even hit her Brother Fu.

"Fine, staying in the car works too." Yan Qingqiu was speechless. How cowardly. She walked up and crouched down, but her legs wouldn't bend well, so Song Qingre came over to support her. Luo Xi glanced at her, snorted, and said, "So fake."

"...Bitch."

"Blond bimbo!"

"Let me ask you," Yan Qingqiu took a deep breath and squinted, "Was it you who said I was into tentacle play, even flew tentacles into the sky, running around naked?"

Luo Xi didn't understand what she was saying: "What? That sounds so weird."

"Wasn't it you who took the jellyfish photos?"

"What jellyfish?" Luo Xi was dizzy from her rambling, saying, "You think I'm as shameless as you, spouting nonsense about anything? I swear to heaven, if I said that, I'd die a horrible death. What jellyfish, what a mess."

"Is 'Xi Xi Flows Gurgling' you or not?"

"Yeah, it's me. So what?"

Luo Xi fell silent, finding her inexplicable, and said, "I was home all day thinking about my brother. Who went and spied on you?" She gritted her teeth in anger. "I even drank several bottles of wine. Am I crazy enough to spread rumors about you?"

"...No need to go that far." Yan Qingqiu said. "Just stay alive. Could you have gotten drunk and forgotten?"

She was utterly certain that the account 'Xi Xi Flows Gurgling' had posted photos yesterday, but today Luo Xi said she hadn't. Even her auto-reply was gone. If Luo Xi wasn't lying, then her own memory was faulty.

The System had altered the jellyfish incident, changing it from "alien spotted" to a "funny, ridiculous news story." Why go through all that trouble?

"You don't believe me?" Luo Xi frowned, speaking seriously. "If I ever said such a thing, then I'll never win over Brother Fu. Believe that?"

"I believe, I believe." Yan Qingqiu nodded, immediately convinced. "Fine, fine, it wasn't you, wasn't you."

"Honestly, I drank all night and my head hurts like I was scraped raw. Would I go spread rumors about you? Do I have nothing better to do? Never mind the fact that I didn't even eat a single peanut yesterday." Luo Xi was annoyed to death by her. Then she looked at her, her gaze turning suspicious. She said, "You... aren't you the one into that tentacle play thing? You think I found you out, so you... you, you're just too shameless!"

She let go of the steering wheel, convinced that Yan Qingqiu was exactly that shameless, the type to do it.

"You're overthinking nonsense! Who'd be that stupid!" Yan Qingqiu turned and got back in the car without explaining, afraid she'd let her imagination run wild.

Luo Xi stayed in place, thinking Yan Qingqiu was utterly baffling. The more she thought, the weirder it got—so weird that she felt spending all these days thinking about Brother Fu was boring. She should go watch Yan Qingqiu's ridiculous play or whatever. What a shame, what a shame! Maybe Yan Qingqiu really was running around naked, having her fun!

What was the point of thinking about Brother Fu? Watching Yan Qingqiu embarrass herself was way more interesting!

Luo Xi felt shame at having such thoughts and chanted Fu Ye's name several times to no avail.

The more she thought, the more she felt they were hiding something, and regretted missing the juicy details with no evidence. After convincing herself, she'd originally been heading to see Fu Ye, but now she secretly drove behind them.

Yan Qingqiu guessed that she'd probably had some memory deleted yesterday. But what had been deleted? She remembered everything from yesterday. Something from the dream? What had she dreamed about? What was in the dream worth the System deleting?

Even though she couldn't remember, she desperately wanted to recall.

She grabbed at her hair, asking herself over and over.

But for some reason, she felt her fingers growing damp.

After a moment, she realized something was wrong—her face was getting wet too.

Why am I crying?

She sensed someone else sharing her confusion.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a beauty cry?" Yan Qingqiu wiped her face, but she couldn't help making a sound, couldn't control it. She couldn't understand why she kept crying. She just felt awful, so awful.

Her chest felt tight and heavy. So uncomfortable.

She pressed her temples. What was going on?

Why did she feel so sad?

She didn't want Song Qingre to see her like this—it was embarrassing—but she didn't want to snap at her either. She went back and forth, over and over.

Song Qingre watched her from the rearview mirror, looked away, then a few seconds later, looked again, and finally pulled the car over to the side.

After a moment, Song Qingre got out of the front, reached out to touch her eyes, wanting to wipe her face. Yan Qingqiu turned away in shame.

Song Qingre's hand reached out again. She firmly pulled Yan Qingqiu into her arms. This time, Yan Qingqiu could hear her heartbeat—not calm, racing rapidly.

Song Qingre was really worried about her.

She said, "When Qiu Qiu cries, my heart aches in waves. Sorry you had to see that."

Yan Qingqiu couldn't help but laugh through her tears at that, then, like a fool, inexplicably started crying again. Just hollow, not knowing what was wrong. Her head hurt too.

Song Qingre's brows furrowed. She gently stroked her back, soothing her, "It's okay, it's okay."

Yan Qingqiu thought: It's not okay. I feel like I forgot something very important.