Chapter 49

Ye Sichun spotted Yan Qingqiu and the others as she finished speaking, surprise flickering across her face. Yan Qingqiu turned away, about to leave, then quietly sat back down, sliced up the roasted pear, and set a fork beside Su Xingjie.

"Careful, it's hot," she said.

"Thanks, Qiuqiu," Su Xingjie said, eating cautiously.

Ye Sichun said nothing more. She walked past their table, hesitated as if to speak but couldn't find the words. Yan Qingqiu set a cluster of grapes on the grill to toast, head bowed as she fiddled with her things, squinting at Luo Xi while wiping down a small knife with a napkin.

Ye Sichun passed them and sat down beside Luo Xi, lowering her voice to ask, "You... why did you invite her too?"

Luo Xi frowned outright. "Who invited her? We just ran into each other. She and Su Xingjie got here first. If I'd known she'd be here, I wouldn't have come." She glanced at Song Qingre, who was walking over slowly, and whispered, "And why did you bring Song Qingre along?"

"I needed to talk to her about something, and I figured artists like this kind of atmosphere, so I brought her along. Last time we chatted, it went pretty well." Ye Sichun added, "I'll cover the bill later."

"I'll pay, don't look down on me," Luo Xi shot back, then narrowed her eyes with a smile. She knew exactly how to deal with Yan Qingqiu now.

Ye Sichun didn't argue. "Fine, you win."

Song Qingre didn't sit at Yan Qingqiu's table. She walked right past her and took an empty seat on Luo Xi's side. The seating arrangement was awkward beyond words. Yan Qingqiu squeezed her knife and hacked the roasted orange into mush.

Damn it, she wanted to throw hands.

Yan Qingqiu gritted her teeth. No, public place, she had to restrain herself—it'd be too embarrassing otherwise. She shot Su Xingjie a look: if I can't hold it in, you'd better hold me back.

Luo Xi, flanked by company now, was insufferably smug, her pair of eyes fixing on Yan Qingqiu as if calling her sister-in-law.

"Who'd like that beast?" Yan Qingqiu couldn't take it and shot back, staring right at Luo Xi. "Some people just never learned to act human."

Luo Xi thought she was going too far—how could she call her brother a beast? But then Ye Sichun reached for the tea, and she couldn't hold back either. "You're the one marrying the beast, you were even engaged to one..." With Song Qingre at her table, she kept it mutter-level, "Beast sister-in-law."

Yan Qingqiu's face flushed red with fury—it was a total humiliation. She started to stand, but Su Xingjie grabbed her arm. "Hold it in. Just hold it in."

Yan Qingqiu was breathing hard, aching to tear Luo Xi apart. Somehow, she kept losing these shouting matches lately.

She couldn't help stealing looks at Song Qingre. Song Qingre's face was unreadable, as if she were holding something back—after all, she wanted to marry Yan Qingqiu too.

Su Xingjie soothed Yan Qingqiu, telling her to bear it, then fired off a quick insult of her own: "You loved a beast for years. Your brother's the big beast, you're the little beast—perfect match."

"Right!" Yan Qingqiu was touched—that was a real sister, always stepping up. She quickly added, "Whoever wants to marry him is the beast!"

The two sides traded insults across the tables, loud and lively. A server even came running over to ask if something was wrong.

Ye Sichun smiled and smoothed it over. "Just practicing tongue twisters, it's fine, go on with your work." She kept watching, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Luo Xi gritted her teeth. She couldn't take it either.

All three of them had tossed shame aside, trading "beast" for "beast"—whoever liked Fu Ye was a beast.

When it got too much, Song Qingre turned her head and glanced at Luo Xi. Luo Xi's heart went cold, and she stopped. Song Qingre then looked at Yan Qingqiu. Yan Qingqiu felt the shame too—arguing in such a scenic spot was embarrassing.

Ye Sichun had watched enough. She knew if this went on, whether or not it was embarrassing, they'd end up actually throwing punches.

She stood up. "Alright, stop. How about this—cut the beast talk. Today's a celebration. Celebrate that we're all far away from beasts, how about that?"

"Mm, I think Qiuqiu was the first to get far away from one," Song Qingre agreed, her gaze soft and warm on Yan Qingqiu.

Yan Qingqiu felt soothed by that and immediately looked at the seat beside her, wanting to pull her over to sit close.

Luo Xi didn't really like Song Qingre anyway and hadn't counted her as one of her circle. She figured it was fine if Song Qingre moved—she could enjoy tea with Ye Sichun alone.

But Yan Qingqiu's mouth was dipped in poison—everything out of it was venom.

She told Song Qingre, "Don't sit with Luo Xi. It'll lower your IQ." Then she tried to steal Ye Sichun too. "Ye Sichun, come over here, sit next to my Xing Xing."

As if her Xing Xing were a star in the sky, and sitting next to her was a stroke of luck. Luo Xi bristled and jabbed at her weak spot deliberately. "Forget about seating—tell me, if you don't want to marry the beast, who do you want to marry?"

Yan Qingqiu finally realized where she kept losing ground—Luo Xi seemed to know that Song Qingre wanted to marry her and kept hammering that wound.

A misstep.

She didn't dare look at Song Qingre now. She pressed her lips together, wanting to call her over but feeling like she'd be inviting a proposal.

Luo Xi was insufferably pleased and wanted to say something too—tell Su Xingjie to come sit with them so she wouldn't be tainted by Yan Qingqiu's idiocy. But Su Xingjie and Yan Qingqiu were a flawless pair of friends, inseparable. Nobody could drive a wedge between them—Su Xingjie would never betray Yan Qingqiu.

Yan Qingqiu sulked, eyes fixed on Song Qingre.

Song Qingre got up and did switch seats. Yan Qingqiu shamelessly inched her chair toward Song Qingre, pressing close to her, and dragged Su Xingjie along too—three of them squeezed together to look like they outnumbered the others!

Luo Xi was sour about it and debated calling in backup.

Ye Sichun blinked. "Look, there's so much empty space on your side. How about we push the tables together and eat as one? That alright?"

Both Luo Xi and Yan Qingqiu were inwardly against it, but this constant bickering wasn't good either. They both knew fighting here would wreck everyone's reputations.

Luo Xi didn't move at first, then Ye Sichun tugged her over, smiling at her with a raised brow. "Come on, let's share some tea. If there are misunderstandings, talk it out."

"I'm only doing this for your sake," Luo Xi said, glaring at Yan Qingqiu as she got up.

They shuffled around to make room. Luo Xi ended up across from Su Xingjie, with Ye Sichun on one side and Song Qingre on the other.

Song Qingre sat down, poured herself some tea, then looked up at Luo Xi with a puzzled expression. "Who were you calling 'Qiuqiu' just now? I didn't quite catch it."

Luo Xi's hand paused mid-reach for food. Now she understood why Song Qingre had sat here—she'd been quiet the whole time because she liked to settle scores after the fact. She wasn't avenging Yan Qingqiu; she was picking a fight with Luo Xi. And honestly, Luo Xi was a little afraid of Song Qingre—that woman had real methods.

Luo Xi knew Yan Qingqiu and Song Qingre had something going on, that the two were involved. She was dying to stir up trouble; if she wasn't causing chaos, she felt itchy all over.

"I said I'm not marrying my brother anymore. Yan Qingqiu got kind of worked up—who knows, maybe she wants to marry him herself," Luo Xi said.

Yan Qingqiu looked up and snapped, "Who wants that? Who'd want to marry him?"

Su Xingjie gently tugged her to keep her calm and spoke up for her. "Qiu Bao doesn't think that at all. Don't twist the truth."

Luo Xi loved seeing her riled up. It used to be Yan Qingqiu chasing her down with insults; now the tables had turned, and she gloated. "Then who do you want to marry? You're not marrying my brother—so who? Such a good chance handed to you on a platter, and you won't take it?"

Heh, go ahead, say you want to marry Song Qingre!

You don't dare, do you? Total coward!

The two started bickering again. The rest at the table didn't chime in, just rubbed their ears and listened to the two of them hurl "beast" at each other.

The first half was pure mutual irritation, both sides fed up.

But everything they circled back to was marriage—that sore spot was enough to drive both of them up the wall.

Yan Qingqiu kept lecturing her: "You've loved a beast your whole life. If you don't marry the beast, who are you going to marry? Can you even fall for anyone else?"

Luo Xi didn't back down either, firing back, "What about you? Who do you want to marry? If you don't marry someone else, you're my sister-in-law. Sister-in-law."

Back and forth, until Ye Sichun's head was splitting. "Luo Xi, who do you want to marry? Got a type?"

That shut Luo Xi up. "I—I'm still young... What about you? Who do you want to marry!"

The question bounced right back, and Ye Sichun was equally awkward.

Finally, everyone turned to look at Song Qingre.

Song Qingre, dizzy from the racket, looked from Yan Qingqiu and said, "Let's drop it. You were about to tell me that good news."

"..."

Yan Qingqiu had nothing to say. I've lost, truly. I should've followed Xing Xing's lead and sworn off marriage from the start.

They traded barbs a while longer, then all fell quiet. Too lazy to move, they just grilled steak and lamb chops right there—the meat picking up a natural fragrance after the fruit had been roasting.

News of the scene spread fast. Someone filmed the spectacle and sent it to Fu Ye's secretary, who naturally showed it to Fu Ye.

Fu Ye's head was throbbing. He couldn't be bothered to watch the video and made the secretary relay it instead.

"How did a fight break out?" Fu Ye frowned. "Xiao Xi is always so impulsive. How many times have I told her not to like me? I only see her as a sister. Does she not even want to be my sister anymore?"

Sometimes a man being too charming was a burden.

The secretary hesitated, then said delicately, "It started with Miss Yan calling you a beast."

Fu Ye's frown deepened. So Luo Xi had been defending him. Yan Qingqiu insulting him—that stung, but she was Yan Qingqiu, and she'd insulted him before too. He could stomach that. The thought of Luo Xi defending him softened his tone considerably.

The secretary continued, "Then Miss Luo called her beast sister-in-law..."

Fu Ye nearly bit his tongue. Luo Xi was calling him a beast too?

He narrowed his eyes at the secretary, furious. "Can't you talk faster? Doing this on purpose? What the hell actually happened? Explain clearly."

The secretary said, "Seems like neither of them wants to marry you, and that's what started the fight. Got pretty heated."

"Are they insane? Xiao Xi... she joined in too?" Fu Ye couldn't believe Luo Xi didn't want to marry him. Her whole life, her dream had been to marry him, and it annoyed him to no end. If Xiao Xi weren't a woman, he'd have resorted to force long ago.

"I only heard secondhand, not entirely sure myself."

Fu Ye blew up. "Can't you investigate before you report? What if it's a misunderstanding?"

The secretary didn't think it was a misunderstanding, but he was worried about Fu Ye's temper, so he'd been gentle. He said, "I heard Miss Song nearly hit Miss Luo—maybe that's a misunderstanding."

The secretary was just an employee, not a slave. Getting reamed like that stung; he'd been trying to spare the boss's feelings before, but screw that now. After a beat, he forwarded the full video.

Fu Ye's face turned ugly, as expected. He understood now—he'd gone from being everyone's darling to everyone's pariah, shoved around by a pack of women.

The situation grated on him. He went looking for faults. "Who's that woman sitting next to Xiao Xi? She looks unfamiliar."

The secretary glanced over. "That's Ye Sichun. A friend of Miss Song's. Miss Yan used to get her hair done at her place."

"A hairdresser?" Fu Ye frowned, contempt on his face, as if that weren't a respectable profession.

"Technically a stylist. She runs several of the biggest beauty salons in the country now. She has connections everywhere—basically every heiress and socialite in the circle knows her." The secretary's own wife knew her and said she was well-liked and easygoing.

Fu Ye didn't know Ye Sichun and considered it all women's frivolities. Her businesses were on a different tier from his; sure, beauty was lucrative, but at best she was a nouveau riche.

"Call Xiao Xi later and remind her not to hang around with questionable people." Fu Ye said angrily, seeing no issue with how far he was reaching. The secretary was about to make the call, but Fu Ye stopped him, saying he'd do it himself.

Five people, but they didn't eat much. Yan Qingqiu and Luo Xi had argued themselves hoarse and sipped tea in silence. Neither planned to stay long—they paid and were ready to head home.

Yan Qingqiu left with Su Xingjie, arm linked through hers as they chatted.

Song Qingre dug in her pocket and handed her a handful of nuts. Yan Qingqiu had eaten plenty and couldn't manage more, so she passed them to Su Xingjie. Su Xingjie took a pecan. Yan Qingqiu offered some to Ye Sichun, who declined, but Yan Qingqiu poured them into her palm anyway—a hint to pass them to Luo Xi.

Yan Qingqiu wasn't that petty; she didn't do special treatment. Since everyone got some, Luo Xi could have a share too.

Luo Xi took a pine nut and glanced at Song Qingre, whose gaze was heavy. Luo Xi shelled the pine nut, still watching her, clearly catching the shift in her eyes—the look that landed on her was featherlight. Luo Xi was genuinely unnerved by Song Qingre, mostly because even at her craziest, Yan Qingqiu had never beaten her in a fight, which said something about how formidable she was.

Ye Sichun and Song Qingre got along great—the two were close friends.

Luo Xi had been having a blast with Ye Sichun lately and really didn't want to lose that. When Song Qingre's eyes flicked over, she didn't know what came over her—her mouth slipped and she called out, "Sis."

Yan Qingqiu heard it and looked over, eyes widening. What did Luo Xi just call her? Did her ears deceive her?

"Sister Song." Once Luo Xi said it, the floodgates opened; she called again, no longer afraid at all.

"Luo Xi, are you actually insane?" Yan Qingqiu had no idea why she'd call Song Qingre that.

Unless... that woman was transmigrated too?

"Mind your own business." Luo Xi nibbled her pine nut. When she heard a laugh, she turned to see Ye Sichun smiling at her, eyes slightly narrowed, the softness bleeding out of her gaze. There was something familiar in that tenderness—like the way Song Qingre used to look at Yan Qingqiu back in their school days. That was the first time she'd seen that look in Ye Sichun's eyes.

Luo Xi found herself a little dazed...

Ye Sichun leaned in closer, murmuring near her ear, "Actually... you're pretty sharp when you're not tangled up with Fu Ye."

Luo Xi lit up at the compliment and sniffed, the wind brushing her ear, leaving it faintly red.

"I've always been sharp."

Yan Qingqiu couldn't figure out why a supporting villainess had suddenly latched onto Song Qingre. She turned to whisper to Su Xingjie, "You think she's got a screw loose?"

She felt Su Xingjie was pretty perceptive—if Luo Xi had been transmigrated, Su Xingjie would probably notice.

Su Xingjie said, "Not sure about her head, but I think she might have a thing for Ye Sichun."

"???"

No way. The villainess was switching crushes?

"What if you're seeing things?" If Luo Xi liked Ye Sichun, she had to be transmigrated—she'd been head-over-heels for Fu Ye, absolutely out of her mind!

"...I'm just guessing." Su Xingjie finished, then saw Yan Qingqiu charging over and grabbed her. "Qiu Bao, hold it in! Hold it in!"

Luo Xi was afraid of getting hit too. She stuffed the pine nuts in her pocket and hurried to her car. Before leaving, she called out to Song Qingre, "Bye, Sister Song."

Then waved at Yan Qingqiu. "Bye, sister-in-law."

"Hold it, hold it." Su Xingjie patted her shoulder, judging she was at her limit, and fanned the air crazily to cool her down.

Yan Qingqiu charged, but Song Qingre was quick—she caught her around the waist and soothed her, "Alright, alright. Ignore her." A low laugh escaped her.

Luckily, few people were around outside, or it'd be mortifying.

Yan Qingqiu's face burned. "She called you sis!"

"Then... why don't you call me that back?"

Yan Qingqiu stomped her foot. That wasn't the point!

So frustrating. So humiliating!

Luo Xi felt she'd genuinely gotten under Yan Qingqiu's skin. For the first time ever, she'd won a fight. She got in the car quickly, admired Yan Qingqiu's red face in the rearview mirror, and floored it.

She replayed Yan Qingqiu's furious expression the whole way home, the glee building. When she got in, the housekeeper came over to tell her Fu Ye had called twice.

The housekeeper stressed: "Twice."

It used to be Luo Xi calling him; Fu Ye picked up if he was in a good mood, but if he wasn't, she could call all day and never get an answer.

Luo Xi was in high spirits. "Really? Did he say anything?"

"Not sure. Just told you to call him back when you got home. Sounded like he was worried about you."

Luo Xi handed her keys to the housekeeper and walked inside. She called him on the landline; Fu Ye picked up quickly.

The moment his voice came through, Luo Xi's heart gave a violent lurch. Twenty years of loving him—his voice still triggered that reflexive thrill.

Fu Ye's tone was gentle. "Heard you went to Jiangcheng Bieyuan today and got into a fight with some people. You alright? Hurt at all?"

Luo Xi's grievances welled up. "Not hurt, just didn't quite win." She'd found Yan Qingqiu's weak spot, but Yan Qingqiu's mouth was lethal—she'd still taken real damage.

Fu Ye asked with concern, "You need to be more careful when you're out alone. Take a maid with you. And stay away from those kinds of people from now on."

Luo Xi felt something off. "Why?"

"I looked into them. There's a woman named Ye Sichun in that group who's connected to all sorts of society wives and heiresses. She's not someone you should associate with—she'll lead you astray. Stay home and behave, and I'll take you shopping in France later."

Luo Xi didn't like it. "Ye Sichun isn't like that. Brother, are you sure you don't have it wrong? Maybe you checked the wrong info. I think the only one who's sketchy in that whole group is Yan Qingqiu. The rest seem fine."

It was the first time Fu Ye heard her talk back, and irritation clawed at him. "Xiao Xi, who knows more—you or me? Don't you trust me?"

His pushback made her stomach drop, but...

"Ye Sichun's been good to me," Luo Xi insisted. "I've been around her a lot lately. Yeah, she knows society wives and heiresses, but she's got boundaries. I've never seen her in any messy relationships." If anything, Luo Xi and her had been toeing that line lately.

Fu Ye's displeasure grew. Luo Xi had always listened to him, and now she was defending a stranger. Fu Zhenguo's words flashed through his mind: What, you're going to wait until Luo Xi stops liking you before you start liking her?

A sharp sense of crisis clawed at him. Even if he didn't love Luo Xi, her pulling away would cost him dearly. Without the Luo family backing him, his career would take a hit—he might lose ground to the bastards scrambling for power. And more importantly, if Luo Xi stopped liking him, people in the circle would laugh at him. He had intense territorial instincts; he couldn't bear Luo Xi liking someone else.

"Xiao Xi, do you know Uncle is talking to my dad about our engagement?" Fu Ye implied deliberately, dangling a bit of hope. She wouldn't be able to resist.

"Huh?" Luo Xi was shocked. "I didn't know that!"

It clicked for Luo Xi, and her mind cleared instantly. No wonder Yan Qingqiu had been needling her all day—she must have known about the engagement talks. But she genuinely hadn't known; she'd just figured Yan Qingqiu was running her mouth.

"Brother, talk later. I've got to go." Luo Xi hung up, not sure why she was flustered. She bit her lip and redialed. A familiar voice answered quickly.

"Mm? Home yet?" Ye Sichun's tone was just as caring, but it warmed the heart in a different way.

A small memory surfaced—whenever she'd gone to see Ye Sichun these past few days, she always got a text after they parted: Got home? Text me when you're in, drive safe, don't speed.

"Yeah, I'm home. You... you almost there?" Luo Xi bit her lower lip. Ye Sichun said she was about half an hour from the shop. Hearing her voice, Luo Xi fell quiet for a moment. When Ye Sichun said she had to go, Luo Xi stopped her. "Hey, um, you know the Fu family wants a marriage alliance with me, right?"

A soft "mm" came through the line, carrying an indescribable lowness and warmth.

"So... do you want me to go through with it?" Luo Xi asked.

"That's for you to decide," Ye Sichun said evenly.

"I want your opinion," Luo Xi said seriously.

Ye Sichun treated the question with care. She pulled the car over and thought for a moment, then said with sincerity, "In a way, I don't want you marrying Fu Ye. He's a burning pit right now—you'd be miserable. But if you truly want to marry him, then... all I can do is wish you well."

"I understand." Luo Xi's tone lightened. She had her answer.

Ye Sichun laughed a little. "Honestly, getting to know you, you're not half as bad as people say. You're not as blind as everyone claims. You actually listen when someone talks to you properly."

Luo Xi hummed, head swimming from the praise. "It's all Yan Qingqiu badmouthing me, trashing my reputation."

"But Yan Qingqiu woke up before you did. There are things you should learn from her. Don't keep wavering. Learn to decide for yourself whether you like someone."

Luo Xi felt like Ye Sichun was hinting she shouldn't keep flip-flopping. She had to admit it—every time her brother said something, she still got happy. She'd loved him for so long; letting go hurt, like a habit she had to wean off gradually.

"I'll work on it..."

"No rush. Take it slow. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Mm-hm."

Ye Sichun waited quietly for a moment, confirmed she had nothing else to say, and said, "I'll hang up now. Still driving."

After the call, Luo Xi held the phone and grinned like an idiot. She gamed with her friends for a while. The housekeeper noticed something off—a female voice on the other end, and the young miss was chatting so happily about it.

But Luo Xi was happy, so the housekeeper didn't pry, just reminded her her father would be home later.

It was late when Luo Xi sat down for dinner. Her father came in smelling of alcohol, in a fantastic mood, and said mysteriously, "Girl, guess what good news I brought you."

Before she could guess, he laughed. "I talked with Fu Ye's dad. November—we're setting the engagement date."

Luo Xi rose from the couch and handed him a glass of water, her voice gentle. "Thanks, Dad, but I don't want to marry him anymore."

Luo Xi's dad was still chuckling, taking a sip. But as he kept laughing, he paused. "What?"

He hadn't seen this coming. "Why not?"

Luo Xi hadn't prepared an answer. "Maybe I don't like him as much as I thought. Brother and I aren't a fit... and I don't think he likes me that much either. I just don't want to rush into marriage."

Luo Xi's dad wasn't entirely convinced. "Think it through. Miss this chance, and there won't be another. Don't mess around."

"Mm... yeah, this is it."

··

News that Luo Xi wouldn't marry Fu Ye spread fast—nearly as big a stir as when Yan Qingqiu had ended her engagement with Fu Ye amid mutual insults. The reasons behind it were juicy gossip.

Luo Xi hadn't loved Fu Ye for a day or two. Yan Qingqiu's love had been seven years of devotion; Luo Xi had orbited Fu Ye since childhood. Even if the sky fell, Luo Xi couldn't possibly stop loving Fu Ye.

But now Luo Xi had outright refused, and Fu Ye had gone from a hot commodity to an obvious burden. People whispered privately that Luo Xi and Yan Qingqiu had even fought over who'd marry him—because neither wanted to.

Fu Ye's reputation crashed. The whole company soured on him. They wouldn't push him out over a failed marriage alliance, but they were plenty discontented, looking for faults wherever they could.

Fu Ye couldn't believe Luo Xi actually didn't love him. He kept thinking Song Qingre and Yan Qingqiu had something to do with it—one of them was definitely scheming. He'd seen Luo Xi with them that day. Song Qingre had likely pulled some strings to suppress her. What was she after, exactly?

With Luo Xi refusing to marry him, the pressure shifted to Yan Qingqiu. Publicly, Fu Ye couldn't admit Luo Xi had rejected him, so he claimed he was in love with Yan Qingqiu—that he'd marry no one but her.

Yan Qingqiu was ready to explode. Is he insane? I got shot while lying down. Who wants to marry him? Even Luo Xi doesn't want him!

She was scrolling through entertainment gossip at work when she saw a piece about how much Fu Ye loved her. She was so mad she tugged at her hair. This had to be Fu Ye's doing. She cursed at her phone, stewing in anger. The System even butted into her head, saying, 【You could try accepting him. It doesn't mean you have to marry him—just view it as a chance to see if you can trigger plot points.】

Plot points didn't do much for Yan Qingqiu. She flat-out refused.

The System said again, 【Don't you want to know what's behind Song Qingre's persona that gets *erased later?】

Yan Qingqiu: 【I want to know, but I don't want anything to do with Fu Ye.】

The System, after a pause, said, 【Spoiler for you: if you get your plot points to 100%, I can grant you a bigger reward.】

Yan Qingqiu sneered: Hilarious. I have zero interest in rewards.

Rewards were a disaster for her. She didn't want to get all flustered with Song Qingre in front of the 365 wives again. That time, Song Qingre was licking her, and she couldn't move a muscle, clamping a hand over her mouth as those non-biological beauties crept closer, trying to get a piece. She couldn't even scream, trembling all over, tears streaming down her face...

The System said, 【I could even skip you past the hard part.】

"!"

"Without cutting the gland?"

The System said, 【Mm-hm, depends.】

【Take this plot, and I can start the gland-removal countdown. Finish the plot points on time, and there's a good chance you can skip that part.】

That was a lot of pressure.

Wasn't the System basically forcing her to eat garbage?

Thinking about Fu Ye... ugh.

Yan Qingqiu hesitated, then said seriously, "I need to think about this."

··

That evening, Yan Qingqiu rushed home. Yan Fu had come back early too—he said he'd run into Luo Xi's dad at a dinner, and they'd actually exchanged a few words. Luo Xi's father was baffled why his daughter had suddenly stopped liking Fu Ye.

Yan Fu had comforted him as an older man, and the other had reciprocated with a warning: Fu Ye was looking to save face and had set his mind on marrying Yan Qingqiu.

"He's clinging to me now?" Yan Qingqiu was indignant. Looked like that crying act hadn't been enough. She sat on the couch, crossing her legs.

Yan Fu sat down beside her, heavy with worry. "He wants his pride back, and he's fixated on you. That man really has no shame."

"Well, I'm never marrying him," Yan Qingqiu said firmly.

Yan Fu tilted his neck. "I'm afraid he'll play dirty."

He was genuinely vexed. Fu Ye had started losing it, going around saying he and Yan Qingqiu were destined, with a one-hundred-percent match rate.

"Don't go running around lately. I'm worried Fu Ye might do something to you. Say, if he loses it and bites you—you're an... alpha, you might not be able to handle it," Yan Fu said.

Yan Qingqiu nodded. If Fu Ye tried to force things, she might not be able to fight him off.

They chatted a while longer, then Song Qingre came home on time, hanging her coat on the rack. She'd clearly seen the news too—her expression was heavy.

Yan Fu looked at Song Qingre. Given how close the two had gotten, it should be fine to ask her for help.

"Xiao Re, if you're not busy lately, could you keep an eye on Qiuqiu? Just in case Fu Ye loses it and tries something."

Yan Qingqiu snorted. "If she's around... who knows who'd be protecting who."

"Hm?" Yan Fu didn't follow. Song Qingre was a high-ranking alpha—when she'd undergone differentiation, she'd been rated a rare SSS level. She just had no interest in the military, so it had never been made public.

Thinking about it, Yan Fu felt a swell of pride. His daughter was also set to differentiate into an SSS-level omega. It was a shame about the hundred-percent match, though—who'd want to be matched with a scumbag?

That was his biggest worry: that the scumbag wouldn't give up and would force the match.

Song Qingre said seriously, "Uncle, don't worry. I'll do everything I can to protect her this period."

Yan Fu was reassured and told the butler to arrange dinner.

Dinner was light. After eating, Yan Qingqiu headed upstairs. Pausing on the stairs, she glanced back down and saw Song Qingre looking at her with something unsaid in her eyes.

What was this shy little alpha up to?

Yan Qingqiu bet herself that Song Qingre would come find her later.

Her mood, dampened all day, always lifted at the sight of Song Qingre.

She scrolled through her phone in her room. The ad she'd filmed had done well and trended on hot search. She skimmed the comments.

Some praised her; some bashed her.

People deliberately left nasty comments: 【Isn't Yan Qingqiu a bit short for this? Is Su Xingjie wasting resources pushing her?】 followed by a row of crying-laughing emojis.

【Oh, so I'm not the only one who thinks Yan Qingqiu's figure isn't model material. She's just a resource-rich nepo getting by on connections. Her shoots are so awkward.】

【Why do people even like Yan Qingqiu? I don't get it. I had some goodwill toward her at first, but seeing her name everywhere is getting old.】

【She's got a bad temper and a messy reputation. Who knows how many people's resources she's stepped on since debuting... spare my eyes, please. Also, I still can't figure out why Fu Ye ended up liking her. Most importantly, she doesn't even look like a model. Can anyone just be a model now? No standards at all? Save my aesthetic sense!】

There were genuine compliments mixed in, but it was like her eyes had an auto-filter—all she saw were the insults.

Just as she was thinking about it, a knock came at the door. Yan Qingqiu snapped back to attention, set her phone down, and pointed at it. She'd almost been dragged down by them. She said silently to herself: Vile wretches, I wish everyone who insults me drops dead on the spot! May your whole families be plagued with illness!

You want to curse me? Fine, I'll send you all my plainest, most heartfelt blessings!

She'd been genuinely furious, but when she opened the door and saw Song Qingre, her mood lifted despite herself. She looked at Song Qingre and asked, "What's up?"

Song Qingre said, "I came to pick up the painting you promised me yesterday."

"Oh." Yan Qingqiu had stopped painting after yesterday. She went to get it for Song Qingre.

"Should I sign it?"

Song Qingre nodded. "Whatever you'd like."

Yan Qingqiu picked up the brush, then paused before signing. Never mind—if someone saw it one day, they'd wonder why an artist's home had a painting by a model, and that would kill the aesthetic. She handed the painting to Song Qingre and asked, "What do you think of it?"

"It's like fireworks," Song Qingre said seriously.

"Really?" Yan Qingqiu looked at it again. She'd just thrown all the paints together and gone wild. Song Qingre nodded again, pointing out a few spots. "Stunning. A very distinctive way of expressing."

"So how much do you think it'd sell for?" Yan Qingqiu couldn't help asking.

"A million," Song Qingre said.

Yan Qingqiu had felt a little insecure about it, but the compliment buoyed her, and she said generously, "It's yours, it's yours. One million, okay."

Song Qingre held the painting and said, "Thank you."

After taking it, she didn't leave.

"Something else?" Yan Qingqiu looked at her and stepped back inside, settling onto the hanging chair and swaying gently. Her fingers tingled slightly, as if she could catch a whiff of the scent left behind from the other day.

"...Nothing." Song Qingre smiled faintly.

Yan Qingqiu savored the flicker across her face. So shy, huh.

Thinking that, she swung in the chair. I'm not shy at all.

Song Qingre never left. She stood by her side, so quiet she might as well have been a tree, ready to be shaken by whatever Yan Qingqiu said.

Their eyes met—a conversation without words.

Yan Qingqiu knew what Song Qingre was going to say. But knowing and hearing it aloud were different. She wanted the certainty.

Ah, why do I want that answer?

"Qiuqiu..."

"Mm." Yan Qingqiu heard her own heartbeat. She swayed the chair, the creak-craak loud in the stillness of the room.

"Marriage..." Song Qingre's words came haltingly, those red lips parting.

"Like, have you ever thought..."

She was too shy, all hesitation and stumbles. It made Yan Qingqiu shy too, almost biting her tongue.

"Never mind. I'll head back first," Song Qingre said.

"Stop right there! If you have something to say, say it. I hate people who leave sentences hanging!" Yan Qingqiu snapped.

Song Qingre paused. "Mm... remember how you said you'd model for me last time?"

"..."

Yan Qingqiu stared at her, feeling like she'd waited for nothing.

"To pay off my debt?" Yan Qingqiu asked.

Song Qingre nodded.

"But my painting's worth a million, right?" Yan Qingqiu tilted her head. Then I don't owe you anything!

Now that she knew Song Qingre's secret, she couldn't stop stirring the pot.

Song Qingre was quiet for a few seconds. She took a deep breath, as if bracing herself, stepped forward, and looked at Yan Qingqiu with devout eyes. "Like... have you ever thought about getting married..."

Yan Qingqiu had anticipated the question but not the buildup. It still caught her off guard. Her face flushed, her feet stepped back unconsciously, and the chair swung high enough to launch her.

Song Qingre watched her, moving closer. She caught the chair and gently pulled her back, meeting Yan Qingqiu's eyes. Softly, she said, "I have a small idea—it could help with your current problem and let me get the money from the fund. Want to hear it?"

Yan Qingqiu tensed up. Damn, she'd only thought about getting someone else to say it; she hadn't planned a response... but she desperately wanted to hear Song Qingre say it.

Was she going to ask for the nude painting... or say, Qiuqiu, marry me.

Her mind raced, fear building. She wanted to dodge the marriage topic entirely and blurted, "So for the nude painting now... do I still have to take off my underwear?"

Song Qingre looked at her. She wasn't picky. "If you're shy, you can strip completely. We can paint and talk business at the same time. You can have it all—your call."