Author's Note:
27. Happy Meeting
Chapter Twenty-Six: A Joyful Reunion
The dinner party was a pleasant affair for all the guests and hosts. Towards the end, Shao Qibin jokingly suggested that Shao Qile, as the host, take Wu Xinyu around T City to familiarize herself with the place.
“Brother, I just remembered, Li Jianmei invited me to afternoon tea tomorrow afternoon.” Shao Qile mentioned it casually, noticing the slight, inexplicable emotion that flashed across Shao Qibin's face because of her words, and continued, “Sister Xiaoyu, Li Jianmei is my high school classmate, and she just became a student at T University this year. Speaking of which, Sister Xiaoyu, you will soon be a student at T University with Li Jianmei as well. If you don’t mind, Sister Xiaoyu, we can go to the shopping street for a stroll tomorrow morning, have lunch, and then meet up with Li Jianmei.”
Wu Xinyu felt a jolt in her heart. Li Jianmei and Shao Qile were actually classmates! The Li and Shao families were longtime friends, so it was natural for their children to be acquainted from childhood. Judging from their demeanor, Shao Qile and Li Jianmei seemed to have a good relationship. Was Li Jianmei planning to start from within, building a good relationship with Shao Qile to win over her future sister-in-law?
"I've heard of this Miss Li; I've heard she's an exceptionally beautiful and elegant girl. I never expected to have the chance to meet this stunning rose of the capital here."
If Shao Qile hadn't known about the rivalry between Wu Xinyu and Li Jianmei, he would have assumed Wu Xinyu genuinely had a good impression of Li Jianmei upon hearing her words. Moreover, such words, if spoken by a man, would have carried a certain flirtatious charm, but coming from Wu Xinyu, they took on a different, ambiguous meaning.
It didn't sound like anything nice.
After agreeing on a meeting time for the next day, the two groups parted ways. He Shengming took Wu Xinyu and her brother back to their temporary hotel, and the next day He Shengming would also help Wu Xinghua find a suitable apartment near T University.
Shao Qile woke up early the next morning and went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. After everything was ready, Shao Qibin came out of the room.
"Brother, come and have breakfast."
The brother and sister ate a simple breakfast, and Shao Qibin felt that the gloomy mood he had been experiencing in the mornings had suddenly disappeared. Having someone prepare three meals a day so thoughtfully for you, considering your preferences, is indeed a pleasant thing; it can keep you in a good mood all day. Especially after seeing that Shao Qile had also taken out a delicate box containing some of his favorite snacks.
"Brother, I heard you have meetings all morning. You can replenish your energy during your break." Shao Qile naturally handed over the snack box. "Brother, what do you think Li Jianmei wanted to see me about this time? I heard from Secretary He that you and Li Jianmei seem to have reconciled. Should I start calling her sister-in-law now? Would it be inappropriate for me to bring Sister Xiaoyu to see Li Jianmei today?"
"You silly girl, only now do you realize how impulsive you were? You're not a child anymore; you need to think things through more carefully in the future." Shao Qibin took the snack box, looking at his younger sister's somewhat apprehensive yet slightly mischievous expression, and shook his head helplessly. However, he keenly sensed the unusual emotion in Shao Qile's address of "sister-in-law." "Li Jianmei is your classmate and the daughter of a family friend, nothing more. Have fun this afternoon, you girls."
"Yes, I think my brother is the best." The brother and sister exchanged a knowing smile, everything was understood without words. Shao Qile looked completely at ease, knowing that her brother would tolerate her little whims and mistakes.
After Shao Qibin left, Shao Qile quickly dressed up and changed into a pair of wedge heels. She first went to pick up Wu Xinyu from her hotel. When Shao Qile saw Wu Xinyu, dressed in a sharp, neutral outfit that exuded a confident and carefree spirit, her eyes lit up. Seeing Wu Xinyu's neat short hairstyle, she realized it was the first time she had ever seen a girl look so good with short hair.
"Sister Xiaoyu! You're so cool! You've almost captivated me."
"Beautiful Miss Lele, I wonder if I, in my handsomeness, have the honor of being your protector?" Seeing the amazement in Shao Qile's eyes, Wu Xinyu was pleased. She knew she was different from the other women around Shao Qibin, whether pretty or glamorous; she wasn't charming enough, nor did she possess femininity. But that was who she was—Wu Xinyu! She did like Shao Qibin, but she wouldn't let pride corrupt her true nature. Deliberately changing herself against her own will not necessarily bring the desired results. She had once grown her hair long, letting it flow freely, even wearing dresses that made her feel extremely insecure, all to win Shao Qibin's favor.
But as it turned out, she only caused her family worry. Not only did she not get the love she wanted, she also lost herself. Now that she could live her life again, although she still hoped to fight for her own happiness, she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes—losing herself and hurting her family for a love affair.
She simply wanted a fair competition before Shao Qibin had anyone else by his side or before anyone else had taken his heart.
That morning, Wu Xinyu was basically the one accompanying Shao Qile shopping. Wu Xinyu essentially played the role of the man, carrying bags and offering advice.
"If my brother knew I was shopping with Xiaoyu like this, he'd definitely scold me!" Who wants a customer to carry their bags while they happily shop alone? Shao Qile had a great time shopping that morning, happily swiping her card to buy things. Wu Xinyu, on the other hand, only bought a pair of unisex trousers and nothing else.
"Then we won't let your brother know." As she spoke, Wu Xinyu winked, looking like she and Shao Qile had a tacit understanding, which made Shao Qile wink mysteriously as if they were exchanging some secret code.
After lunch, the two ordered some tea and snacks at the restaurant and sat quietly for a while before checking the time and heading to the place they had arranged with Li Jianmei.
When the two arrived, Li Jianmei was already seated in the tea bar, gracefully and fluidly performing a tea ceremony with the tea set in front of her. Today, Li Jianmei was wearing a gradient sky-blue long dress, which, amidst the fragrant tea aroma, exuded a refined and elegant air, befitting a lady from a prominent family.
In fact, Li Jianmei was indeed a carefully cultivated daughter of the Li family, and tea ceremony was merely an essential skill to enhance her image. After all, many elderly people still enjoy brewing a cup of tea in their leisure time, and they especially appreciate younger generations who can calmly prepare tea.
"Li Jianmei, I'm sorry I'm late." Shao Qile broke the silence caused by their sudden arrival, seemingly oblivious to the sparks flying and the tension that was instantly building between Li Jianmei and Wu Xinyu. "You two don't know each other yet, do you? Let me introduce you. This is Sister Wu Xinyu. Sister Xinyu is from the Wu family in the S Province Military Region. Li Jianmei, Sister Xinyu is about to become an exchange student at T University, so she'll be in the same school as you. Sister Xinyu has just arrived in T City, so you'll have to help me take good care of her. Sister Xinyu, this is Li Jianmei, she's my high school classmate."
"Senior Wu, it's a pleasure to meet you!" After a brief moment of surprise, Li Jianmei was the first to recover, her gaze thoughtfully sweeping over Shao Qile, who seemed completely unaware of Wu Xinyu's feelings for Shao Qibin. She suddenly remembered that even if her guess was correct—Shao Qile, like her, was also a reincarnation—when Shao Qile died in her previous life, Wu Xinyu hadn't yet entered the social circles of Beijing. Judging from Shao Qile's affectionate manner towards Wu Xinyu, she probably still didn't know about Wu Xinyu's feelings for Shao Qibin.
However, Wu Xinyu should still be in S Province at this time, so why is she in T City as an exchange student? Recalling the emotions that Wu Xinyu had concealed so well but then revealed in an instant, my heart skipped a beat. This Wu Xinyu is not simple!
When did rebirth become such a common and popular trend?
If one or two people can go back to the past and change it, can everything still be under our control?
Compared to Shao Qile, who has a clear blood tie and is destined to be unable to be with Shao Qibin, Wu Xinyu is obviously a greater threat!
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully aroused the reborn heroine's wariness and dislike towards the reborn female supporting character, activating the side quest: Reborn Heroine vs. Reborn Female Supporting Character. Please help the reborn female supporting character defeat the reborn heroine. Success reward: 10 attribute points and one life-saving pill!"
What kind of game is this? Does the enemy of my enemy become my friend?
Well, compared to Wu Xinyu, Li Jianmei already preferred Wu Xinyu a little more, so she accepted the task.
Author's Note: Is nobody even commenting? So lonely, so pathetic!
28 Dragon Tiger Fight
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Dragon and Tiger Clash
Although Wu Xinyu was not good at scheming and plotting, she had an almost intuitive sensitivity to the emotions of others, a kind of beast-like keenness that allowed her to instantly determine that Li Jianmei, who was smiling and enthusiastic in front of her, disliked her.
"Junior Li, it's been a long time!"
A single, meaningful sentence directly revealed the truth that both of them knew. Wu Xinyu, who had been watching Li Jianmei's expression and observing every change in her facial muscles, was truly certain when she saw Li Jianmei's pupils slightly constrict and her cheeks instantly stiffen. It was clear that Li Jianmei, like herself, had been favored by the goddess of fate and given a second chance.
"Hey, do Sister Xiaoyu and Jianmei know each other?" Shao Qile raised an eyebrow, looking surprised, then smiled. "That's great! Since you two know each other, Jianmei, you won't be angry that I brought Sister Xiaoyu here so abruptly, will you?"
Shao Qile acted as if he was unaware of the undercurrents between the two, and even patted his chest innocently. But to Li Jianmei, who knew Shao Qile's background, it seemed like a provocation.
Almost instantly, Li Jianmei recalled a few years ago the open and covert struggle between her and Zhang Mengxin, which ended in mutual destruction. On the contrary, Shao Qile benefited from the situation and successfully entered Shao Qibin's field of vision, transforming from an unimportant younger sister into a younger sister who could influence Shao Qibin's emotions and was cherished by him.
A few years ago, before she returned, she was immature, impulsive, and arrogant, and was taken advantage of by Shao Qile, who returned first. She accepted her fate. But now, judging from the way Shao Qile went to great lengths to find Wu Xinyu, is Shao Qile planning to use the same trick again, hoping to profit from the conflict between the two?
Why wasn't she worried that she would directly expose this secret to Wu Xinyu, telling her that she, Shao Qile, was also someone who had to start over, just like them? Why wasn't she worried that she and Wu Xinyu would team up to oust her, Shao Qile, first?
Despite her inner scorn, Li Jianmei had no choice but to admit that she had to accept Shao Qile's blatant and overt scheme! How could she possibly cooperate with Wu Xinyu? It was as if she had known from the beginning that Wu Xinyu was her greatest adversary at this moment, far more so than Shao Qile!
Just the fact that she is Shao Qibin's sister means that Shao Qile can only look up to Shao Qibin from afar for the rest of her life, and can only ever desire him but never obtain him!
"I've interacted with Senior Wu a few times before, but I didn't expect her to come to T University as an exchange student. After all, T University's reputation is not as good as Senior Wu's original school, S University."