"It would be only right to treat you to a meal. How about Song Yue Lou? Xin Yu likes their pastries, and their food is pretty good too. When are you free, junior?"
"Haha, Xiaoyu, your boyfriend is really serious. I'm just kidding. But if it were Xiaoyu, you were to formally introduce your boyfriend to your friends, I would definitely go for a meal. Come to think of it, this is probably the first time I've ever eaten at a meal hosted by one of my best friends' boyfriends."
Shao Qile was in a great mood, even somewhat beaming, because the moment Wu Xinyu mentioned her relationship with Fang Hanwei, the progress bar for winning over Wu Xinyu, which was already close to completion, officially reached its maximum level. This represented the completion of the PK mission target, Wu Xinyu.
This also means that she is one step closer to going home!
She was even somewhat impatient to smash the obstacle in her way. However, she couldn't rush things; haste makes waste. After all, even if she defeated Hong Xinran, there was still an important condition for returning home: Shao Qibin's affection and love.
She must plan and strategize carefully to avoid any problems.
Knowing that Wu Xinyu might be going home at the end of the semester, and that Fang Hanwei, nearing graduation with only his thesis defense remaining, would also be going home with her—oh, I forgot to mention, these two are from the same hometown. Their social standing is even quite similar. Fang Hanwei's family is a scholarly family, the kind of scholarly family Wu Xinyu has always admired. Perhaps that's why Wu Xinyu didn't say much when Fang Hanwei said he wanted to treat her friends to a meal. She's always been a bit stubborn. It took her quite a bit of effort to let go of her feelings for Shao Qibin. Now that she's officially accepted Fang Hanwei, she naturally won't hide it. Besides, she's going home soon, and it's time for her good friends here to get together and have a proper meal.
"I'll come visit you, Sister Xiaoyu, then you'll have to cover my food, lodging, and company!"
A thousand thoughts flashed through Shao Qile's mind, but she ultimately decided to reconsider her original plans. Originally, her plans didn't necessarily require Wu Xinyu's presence. Now that Wu Xinyu was leaving T City, she was genuinely happy for her.
Seeing Wu Xinyu's happiness was like seeing another version of herself. Their upbringing was so similar; Shao Qile struggled and schemed in this world, always experiencing moments of exhaustion and embarrassment. Seeing Wu Xinyu happy made her genuinely happy too. It was like seeing someone complete a game, leave this small world, and return to their family and loved ones.
That must be incredibly happy!
53. Tearing Apart
Chapter 52: Tearing Off the Face
Humans always need something to rely on. The characters in the novel who are invincible, without any weaknesses, capable of coldly dealing with everything and rationally analyzing everything, are either robots or beings who have been honed to an impenetrable defense through countless reincarnations.
Just like Shao Qile, every step he takes is carefully planned, treating himself and everyone around him as a piece on the chessboard. Yet, even when he could have finished perfectly, he would change his plans at the last minute, causing the entire game to develop in another direction.
It's like when Hung Sin-yin discovered that her boyfriend wasn't entirely without romantic feelings for her blood-related sister, Shao Chi-le, the turmoil in her heart caused her to lose control of her reason. If it weren't for the instinctive stress ingrained from years of being a public figure, who knows what she might have done.
Hong Xinran couldn't even remember when the birthday banquet she had painstakingly prepared had ended. She only remembered that Shao Qile, like a proud and beautiful princess, perfectly became the focus of everyone's attention, drawing praise and sighs from all. While her status as a big star gave her access to the top echelons of society, Hong Xinran was still very clear about her place. To most of the powerful and wealthy, an artist like her, though more respectable than the court entertainers of ancient times, was ultimately someone to be admired and entertained, and therefore received far less respect.
Overwhelmed by a complex mix of jealousy and anger, and with her face pale from the effort to suppress it, Hong Xinran said she wasn't feeling well and had to leave. However, her boyfriend, Shao Qibin, had his secretary, He, escort her back to her apartment. He, on the other hand, needed to stay and help Shao Qile see off the guests.
Pride and the unwillingness to let Shao Qibin and Shao Qile stay together led Hong Xinran to decide not to go back for the time being, and she stayed until the very end of the birthday banquet.
"If you're really feeling unwell, don't force yourself. Go sit in the rest area over there for a while, and I'll get you a glass of warm milk." Seeing Hong Xinran's insistence, Shao Qibin led her to the rest area and prepared to ask a staff member for a glass of warm milk to soothe her stomach. After all, Hong Xinran had just said that she felt unwell because her stomach was a little upset.
Hong Xinran, whose emotions were briefly warmed by Shao Qibin's thoughtfulness, couldn't help but frown slightly in front of her friend after seeing that it was Zhang Yue who delivered the milk in the end.
“Here’s your milk. I heard from Mayor Shao that you weren’t feeling well, and he was going to bring it to you himself. But he ran into someone who wanted to talk to him about some work-related matters, and he saw me, so he asked me to bring it to you.” Zhang Yue said as she sat down next to Hong Xinran.
The location of this rest area is extremely clever. It offers a clear view of the entire lobby, yet the people inside remain unnoticed. After all, those sitting in the rest area might be slightly intoxicated from drinking, or perhaps feeling unwell—most of them are in a state where they shouldn't be seen.
Hong Xinran held the glass in her hand. The warmth of the milk seeped through the glass, but it couldn't warm her heart. Instead, it made her feel even colder. Hong Xinran quickly found Shao Qibin's location. This man, no matter where he was or how outstanding the people standing beside him were, was always eye-catching. But not in a dazzling, blinding way; rather, he exuded a comforting and soothing aura.
His gaze shifted and he noticed Shao Qile chatting happily with a woman who looked somewhat familiar. He took a sip of milk, but only tasted a fishy flavor in his mouth.
"What? Are you sure about my guess? You look so pale?" Zhang Yue naturally followed Hong Xinran's gaze and noticed the situation in the hall.
Hong Xinran smiled bitterly. In front of her best friend, the strong fortress she had been forcing to maintain finally opened a window: "I thought he was special. I really thought he was different from other men. But now, I find that a man who can develop feelings for his sister who is in love with him seems even more unbearable than other philandering, fickle, and promiscuous men."
"What hurts me the most is that even though I've discovered his imperfections, I have no intention of getting out of this swamp of mud. Instead, I hope that Shao Qile can disappear completely from Qibin's world. I even think that as long as Shao Qile stops hanging around in front of Qibin, then Qibin will be able to belong to me alone in peace."
“Xinran, if you can’t let go of Mayor Shao, then finding a breakthrough through Shao Qile is indeed the fastest and most convenient way. However, if you can tolerate their ambiguous relationship, you don’t actually need to do anything, and Shao Qile can’t threaten you. After all, as long as Mayor Shao is in this position, or wants to climb higher, he won’t allow himself to make such an obvious mistake.”
"I need to think about it some more."
When Shao Qibin came to the rest area to find Hong Xinran, Hong Xinran had already gone through countless thoughts in her mind, and her emotions had calmed down.
"Qibin, look, Yueyue's male companion left because he had something to do while she was with me. I think Secretary He has finished his work as well. I wonder if it would be possible to trouble Secretary He to take Yueyue home."
"No need, Xinran. I drove back myself, so there's no need to trouble Secretary He." Zhang Yue declined directly. "Mayor Shao, Xinran just got back from filming and was busy with Lele's birthday party. She hasn't had a good rest. You're her man, so you need to take good care of her."
"Don't listen to Yueyue, it's just that I can't stay idle."
"It's my fault for not being a good enough boyfriend. Xinran, you must be tired. Lele just went to the dressing room and will be out soon. We can go back soon."
As soon as Shao Qile approached, she heard Shao Qibin's words and quickly stepped forward with a smile: "What's wrong? Is Sister Ranran feeling unwell?"
Hong Xinran instinctively trembled slightly when Shao Qile's hand touched her injured hand. Fortunately, she reacted in time and didn't brush away Shao Qile's outstretched hand. Looking at Shao Qile's face, full of concern and without a trace of feigned worry, and recalling Shao Qile's enthusiasm and fan-like behavior from their first meeting, Hong Xinran couldn't even discern the true intentions of the girl in front of her. She was even more skilled at acting than she, a professional actress.
When they got home, it was already very late, so they didn't talk much and just washed up and went to bed.
Although Hong Xinran was physically exhausted, she couldn't fall asleep for half the night due to the overwhelming amount of information. Looking at Shao Qibin's handsome profile beside her, her thoughts were in turmoil, forming a disturbing spell, until she finally drifted off to sleep as dawn broke.
When Hong Xinran woke up, she found the entire apartment deserted. She found two notes on the table. One was from Shao Qibin, reminding her to rest more as she wasn't feeling well, and saying he had already called Zhang Yue to come and keep her company. The other was from Shao Qile, saying breakfast was prepared and placed in the kitchen, and she had to leave because of something with her advisor.
Hong Xinran stared blankly at the note for a long time before hearing the doorbell ring. It was Zhang Yue who had arrived.
After a long talk with Zhang Yue, Hong Xinran was filled with mixed emotions. She thought that perhaps she should have a serious talk with Shao Qile. If Shao Qile was truly her fan and genuinely cared about Shao Qibin, she should know that her affection would only hurt both of them.
Hong Xinran entered Shao Qile's room by some strange twist of fate, only to find that the photo album in Shao Qile's bedside table was full of photos of Shao Qibin from childhood to adulthood. There was even a cryptic love message written on the back of a photo of Shao Qibin and Shao Qile together.
"A graceful gentleman is sought after by a virtuous lady."
The ambiguous shifts, borrowing from the words of the Book of Songs, directly expose Shao Qile's thoughts to the light of day.
When Shao Qile returned, it was already afternoon. She entered the room and saw Hong Xinran there, along with the photo album in her hand. The smile on her face vanished instantly, leaving only a cold and somber expression.
"Hong Xinran, who gave you permission to enter my room!"
Seeing Shao Qile's arrogant coldness revealed after shedding her obedient and enthusiastic mask, Hong Xinran couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips and replied rather sarcastically, "Why don't you call me Sister Ranran anymore? Why aren't you pretending anymore?"
“Hong Xinran, if you know what’s good for you, put down what you’re holding and leave my room immediately. That way, I can still pretend nothing happened in front of my brother.”
“Shao Qile, it seems you’ve got one thing backwards? It seems you’re the one who’s disregarding moral principles and falling for your own brother, not me. And I’m your brother’s official girlfriend. Now that I’ve discovered your abnormal feelings as his sister, as your brother’s girlfriend, it’s my duty to help you, this lost sheep, get back on the right track.”