Chapter 54

She stood there quietly, her face showing only the appearance of someone who had just come of age, yet her presence was undeniable.

A slight smile graced her face, but it didn't reach her eyes, which were icy cold, as if covered in frost. With her arrival, the surrounding air pressure instantly dropped several degrees, becoming even colder than the icy landscape outside.

Qiao Yu pressed her tongue against her upper palate and felt a bit unlucky.

Why did the female lead have to appear right when Ye Yunjian did?! Does she have some kind of special radar for catching cheaters in her head?!

Ye Yunjian naturally noticed Qiao Yu's mournful face. She slowly shifted into a more comfortable posture, her gaze falling on Qiao Yu's hand frozen in mid-air. She smiled enigmatically, "This one is quite delicious." She pushed the small plate back to Qiao Yu, her tone gentle, "You should try some too."

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Jiang Mei's face turned several degrees colder.

The woman had slender, elegant bones, as beautiful as a work of art. Her large hand gently touched the girl's delicate little hand, as if everything was just right. But to Jiang Mei, it was incredibly irritating.

Qiao Yu shivered, ignored Ye Yunjian, and quickly got up to pull Jiang Mei, "You've finally arrived."

She brought out all her years of acting skills and put on a show, saying, "I've been waiting for you for so long." Her tone was intimate and natural, sounding just like a lover who felt that every minute and every second was unbearable. "If Aunt Ye hadn't happened to be here on a date with other ladies."

Qiao Yu paused, then moved closer to Jiang Mei, deliberately lowering her voice to a soft, sweet tone that only the two of them could hear, and said, "I can't help but want to go back to you."

Her voice was soft and sweet, made even sweeter and softer by her deliberate coquettishness. An average alpha would be almost powerless against such an invisible attack. Her clear black and white eyes were also full of grievance, like a little pet that had been locked up at home by its owner who was at work all day, and had finally waited for its owner to come home, feeling both wronged and pitiful.

Jiang Mei's heart softened suddenly, and her expression improved slightly.

Seeing that this tactic worked, Qiao Yu, with superb acting skills, gazed affectionately into Jiang Mei's eyes and asked, "Do you want to eat anything?" She deliberately reached out and touched the other's stomach, "You probably didn't get to eat anything just now, right?"

She said to herself, "I remember you used to love caramel Napoleons the most."

Stopping a passing waiter, Qiao Yu considerately said, "Bring us another caramel Napoleon and an almond frozen tofu." After a pause, she added, "And cheese baumkuchen."

Jiang Mei ordered some of her favorite dishes from the past. However, the first two were dishes she had deliberately tried to cater to Qiao Yu's tastes and pretended to like. Only the latter, because it suited her taste perfectly and was also given the meaning of "the first gift Qiao Yu gave her," remained unforgettable to her.

I didn't expect Qiao Yu to still remember.

She wasn't angry anymore, but her face was still tense. Qiao Yu warmly pulled her to sit down next to her. Jiang Mei couldn't resist, nor did she have any intention of resisting, so she just glared at Ye Yunjian with an unfriendly look.

Ye Yunjian smiled, holding his teacup, a bright and sunny smile that Jiang Mei found irritating no matter how she looked at him.

The female lead finally stopped being angry with her, and Qiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "System, if this continues, I'm afraid I won't even live to be a hundred years old before I die young."

"It's okay," the system said. "Anyway, you've already lived several years longer than others."

Seeing its host baring its teeth and glaring fiercely at it, the system wisely changed its words and coaxed, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. At worst, I'll help you borrow another fifty years from heaven."

Qiao Yu: "..." One hundred and fifty years old is the normal lifespan in this world, okay!

She was so angry she wanted to bite the system, but the two women beside her were also at loggerheads, so she had to pretend to be very gentle and considerate in handling their relationship. She leaned forward, trying to block their line of sight with her body, but Ye Yunjian and Jiang Mei were both taller than her, and they simply walked right past her, continuing their verbal battle above her head.

Qiao Yu felt exhausted and thought that Ye Yunjian was a decent person and wouldn't make things difficult for a junior in public, so she simply pulled over the small plate in front of her and started eating the pastries herself.

I must say, the shop the female lead chose was really nice. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of baking cakes, which instantly lifted my spirits. Coupled with the view of the snow falling softly outside the window and the silver-clad scenery, I felt calm and peaceful.

However, she soon found herself unable to remain uninvolved.

Noticing her actions, Ye Yunjian and Jiang Mei both stopped thinking about her and turned their attention to Qiao Yu, who had just scooped up a spoonful of cake.

Qiao Yu was immediately startled, quickly looked around, and then held the spoon to Jiang Mei's lips, "Want to try some?"

She smiled ingratiatingly, and Jiang Mei was initially taken aback, but then opened her mouth indifferently to eat the food Qiao Yu offered. Qiao Yu believed in treating everyone equally, so she scooped up another spoonful and fed it to Ye Yunjian, saying, "Here, Aunt Ye."

Ye Yunjian raised an eyebrow but didn't move.

Qiao Yu blinked and eagerly offered the food to her lips again. Her wrist was instantly grabbed, and Ye Yunjian leaned closer, her eyes narrowed, her voice slow and deliberate, "Do you believe me?" She paused, "I'm going to beat up EGA in public."

"..."

Reluctantly turning the spoon around, Qiao Yu originally wanted to feed herself, but seeing Ye Yunjian continuing to stare at her with an unfriendly expression, she could only feed Jiang Mei instead, coaxing her, "One more bite."

Jiang Mei slowly raised her eyelids to look at her, but did not refuse.

Qiao Yu's arm started to ache after Jiang Mei had eaten the entire plate of cake. Just as she put down her spoon, the new pastries she had specially ordered for Jiang Mei were served. Jiang Mei stared at her calmly, her meaning clear, and Qiao Yu's face immediately fell.

Since she felt guilty, she could only see it through to the end and serve the person to the very end.

However, as soon as she picked up the caramel Napoleon, the other person turned her head away and said with some resistance, "I don't want to eat this."

Now she no longer wanted to pretend to like things she didn't like. She wanted Qiao Yu to understand her completely, to remember her preferences and tastes, to leave a deep imprint on her like a brand. She wanted to show her her most authentic self.

The female lead not only underwent a drastic change in personality, but her tastes also changed. Qiao Yu was only surprised for a moment before accepting it.

Just as I was about to put the caramel Napoleon at the farthest point, Ye Yunjian suddenly reached out and took it from me, placing it in front of me with a smile, and said, "I like it, give it to me."

Jiang Mei lifted her eyelids to look at her, and suddenly regretted it.

It's not a bad thing to pretend occasionally.

But now it was clear there was no going back. Staring at the woman with a smile on her lips, Jiang Mei said coldly, "Aren't you busy?"

"Not busy at all," Ye Yunjian said casually. "I'm usually quite busy." She smiled, with a hint of sarcasm, "but I just happen to be free today, with nothing to do."

This is an indication that she's determined to persist today and won't leave easily.

Jiang Mei bit the flesh inside her lip, her mood extremely displeased.

Qiao Yu looked around, feeling completely overwhelmed. She could only resort to her superb acting skills to coax him a little. After a few minutes, the atmosphere finally eased a bit. Afternoon tea time was over, and it was almost dinner time. Ye Yunjian slowly got up and said, "Since you paid for this meal, then I'll treat you tonight."

She smiled slightly, looked at Jiang Mei, and said, "I can't just eat your food for free."

Jiang Mei's suspicions were confirmed, and her eyes almost froze. She also stood up, her demeanor no less imposing than Ye Yunjian's, "No need."

Let's just consider it a charity event.

But Ye Yunjian was thick-skinned, like a cunning old fox, and finalized the decision in just a few words. Pulling at Qiao Yu's loose suit, Ye Yunjian raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you getting up?" Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Haven't you had enough to eat?"

"That's enough, that's enough." She quickly stood up; she never wanted to come to this store again in her entire life.

Ye Yunjian looked at her with a half-smile and quickly made a phone call to reserve a seat. Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Jiang Mei's face darkened, and her aura was so strong it could freeze a person to death. Qiao Yu silently put her hands into her pockets, "This world is really tough."

The system wholeheartedly agreed, "It would be even more interesting if we ran into Aunt Bai later..."

"Shut up!" Qiao Yu quickly scolded it, begging it not to!

How many of her could possibly be scared by these alphas every day?

Little did they know that although they didn't run into Bai Yiyu in the end, they would accidentally bump into Lu Shangyi and Chu Mi. Upon seeing them, Chu Mi looked at Qiao Yu with great interest and called out enthusiastically, "It's Yuyu!"

Qiao Yu was taken aback. Were they that familiar?

Chu Mi didn't care about any of that. She took a big step forward with her sexy legs and walked up to Qiao Yu. She took her hand intimately and said, "You guys are here to eat too, right? What a coincidence. Oh? Since we're so destined to meet, why don't we all sit at the same table?"

She glanced back at Lu Shangyi, then lowered her voice and whispered in Qiao Yu's ear, "This time, Boss Lu is treating."

After saying that, she grabbed Qiao Yu and pulled her towards the private room without thinking twice. Jiang Mei stared at Chu Mi with a complicated expression, but since Chu Mi was her aunt's person, she didn't feel too much emotion. Compared to Ye Yunjian, her heart naturally leaned towards Lu Shangyi, so she followed.

Ye Yunjian remained where he was, staring at Lu Shangyi with a playful look in his eyes. Lu Shangyi raised her eyelids slightly. "Please?"

Ye Yunjian didn't move, but the smile on her lips was even more unfathomable. "You've really kept it well hidden." She scrutinized the woman's calm face. "No wonder your mother risked everything to save you back then."

Lu Shangyi didn't even blink when she heard this. "A mother's love is like water, continuous and gentle. I am lucky to have such a mother."

With her chin slightly raised, Lu Shangyi still maintained her gentle and harmless demeanor. "I will convey your approval of her to my mother."

Ye Yunjian smiled with her eyes lowered, and didn't bring up the matter again. But in the brief moment she lowered her eyelashes, the deep emotions in her dark eyes were chilling.

Chu Mi's enthusiasm overwhelmed Qiao Yu, but perhaps because they talked a lot and got to know each other better, Qiao Yu suddenly felt a sense of regret for not having met sooner. In just a minute or two, Beta and Ega were practically sworn brothers on the spot, wishing they could become one big family.

Even Ye Yunjian felt a subtle displeasure after seeing it.

She already had enough alpha rivals, and there was also someone like Lu Shangyi, whose relationship with her was ambiguous. Now, another flirtatious beta has appeared. Has Qiao Yu become a master of fishing nets? She's so good at attracting people.

Slowly picking up the hot tea beside him, Ye Yunjian narrowed his eyes and stared unblinkingly at the girl who was practically inseparable from Chu Mi. The more he looked, the more irritating she became.

Looking at Lu Shangyi was an eyesore, looking at Jiang Mei was an eyesore, and looking at Chu Mi was even more of an eyesore.

It's an eyesore everywhere.

Ye Yunjian gave a soft hum, put down his teacup, and said to the waiter, "Give me the menu."

She didn't eat much, but she just ordered a few for fun. Sigh, Lu Shangyi spent the money, and Qiao Yu ate.

You're not allowed to go home until you finish your meal.

Qiao Yu suddenly shivered, a chill inexplicably rising up her back. She looked at Ye Yunjian, then at Jiang Mei, and finally at Lu Shangyi, wondering which of the three was plotting against her.

However, although Chu Mi is only a beta, as an ega, getting too close to her would not have a good impact.

She straightened her back instantly, sat up straight, and her attitude turned cold.

Chu Mi saw through her words but didn't say anything, her smile widening even more. "There are rumors outside that Yu Yu is a womanizer." All four of them turned to look at her instantly. Chu Mi blinked. "But I think Yu Yu is quite self-respecting and virtuous."

Qiao Yu couldn't agree more than she could, and her affection for Chu Mi instantly increased by half again, almost reaching its peak.

Chu Mi patted Qiao Yu's head like a doting mother, "Many of the bosses around me want to meet Yu Yu, but almost none of them have succeeded."

"I was wondering why Yu Yu wouldn't even see such a handsome and rich boss." Chu Mi chuckled, instantly flattering everyone present with her words, "So it turns out she specifically turned down the appointment to see you all."

Although they knew that Chu Mi was the type to say whatever came to mind, Ye Yunjian and Jiang Mei's moods undeniably brightened a little.

Stopping his order, Ye Yunjian, for Chu Mi's sake, let Lu Shangyi and Qiao Yu off this time.

However, saying that Qiao Yu is self-respecting, virtuous, and chaste is a bit of an exaggeration. All the EGAs in the entire capital combined don't attract as many suitors as she does. Jiang Mei, Lu Shangyi, Song Wanzi, Bai Yiyu—weren't they all people she actively pursued and provoked at first sight?

These people are all highly powerful and influential; any one of them could easily defeat a large number of alphas.

Especially Lu Shangyi, a woman more cunning than a fox.

She's already offended so many people in such a short time. Once she enters university and has even more free time, won't she start reaching out to the international arena?

Thinking about it this way, Ye Yunjian suddenly felt like he was having a heart attack.

With a barely perceptible smirk, Ye Yunjian slowly picked up his teacup, thinking that he needed to give the little girl a good talking-to before things got out of control, lest she pick all the flowers in the forest.

The chill on Qiao Yu's back had just subsided, but in the blink of an eye, it rose again, as if it were just playing a joke.

"..." But Qiao Yu couldn't figure it out after looking at it for a long time, so she had no choice but to distribute the blame equally among the three people present. Of course, no one could escape the blame if everyone was treated equally.

Lu Shangyi glanced at Chu Mi, who winked innocently at her, her smile radiating pure innocence. Lu Shangyi's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly withdrew her gaze without saying anything. Seeing this, Chu Mi put even more effort into getting closer to Qiao Yu.

Beta was too enthusiastic. Qiao Yu wanted to chat and joke with her, but when Ye Yunjian and Jiang Mei turned their cool eyes to her at the same time, she immediately gave up the idea.

She felt like a meditating monk, able to remain unmoved and completely unaffected by beauty that rivaled Song Wanzi's.

Jiang Mei subtly observed Ye Yunjian's expression and keenly noticed the subtle exchange between Chu Mi and Lu Shangyi. Her pale lips gradually tightened. She wasn't strong enough yet. If she were strong enough, she would have the confidence to confront them and compete with them openly and fairly.

Thinking about Lu Shenghui's arrangements yesterday, Jiang Mei clenched her hands and hardened her heart.

Lu Shangyi ordered many dishes, and Ye Yunjian ordered several more, filling the table to the brim. Qiao Yu, without realizing it, was chatting happily with Chu Mi, seemingly having forgotten about the other three people at the table. By the time she realized what was happening, she was almost stuffed.

She glanced nervously at the people opposite her a few times, and seeing that the three of them had calm expressions and their emotions were not too volatile, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After finishing her meal, Qiao Yu made an excuse to go to the restroom to temporarily escape the group's sight. As she was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror, Ye Yunjian's tall figure suddenly appeared slowly from behind her. His face, lightly made up, held an enigmatic smile. He stood quietly against the wall, one hand in his pocket, his deep eyes fixed on her.

The woman is very well-maintained and doesn't look her age at all. However, what's even more striking than her age is her aura that makes strangers want to stay away.

Qiao Yu held up the powder compact, hesitantly looking into the woman's eyes in the mirror.

The previously listless man sprang into action the moment he caught her gaze, his imposing figure drawing closer and gently pulling her into his arms, instantly encircling the girl's slender waist. It was so thin and soft, as if it could snap at the slightest twist.

After a dizzying moment, Qiao Yu found herself in an embrace filled with the scent of high-end women's perfume.

Ye Yunjian lowered his head, leaned down slightly, and gently stroked Qiao Yu's rosy and soft lips with his fingers, his tone intimate, "How could you be so careless?"

Her fingertips had a slight callus, but it wasn't too rough. Qiao Yu's attention was focused on the tingling, itchy feeling evoked by Ye Yunjian's fingers rubbing against her. Hearing her suddenly gentle words, her scalp tightened instantly, and she looked at her in a flustered manner.

We're doomed!

Aunt Ye is going to settle accounts with her later!

Qiao Yu felt a little flustered, but the woman held her tightly, giving her no chance to escape.

Forced to press herself against the other person's body, Qiao Yu had to once again put on her years of superb acting skills, blankly raising her hand to wipe the corner of her mouth. "Really?" she said. "Maybe I was too focused on eating just now."

"Are you too engrossed in eating?" Ye Yunjian chuckled teasingly, his low voice making Qiao Yu's heart flutter. "I think you've hooked up with a new love and are too absorbed in chatting."

Although the other person's voice was gentle, it carried a chill. Before Qiao Yu could react, Ye Yunjian's breath landed on her nose again. The two were so close that they could even clearly see their own reflections in each other's pupils.

The woman's fingertips lingered around her lips, reluctant to leave.

She moved closer and closer, meeting Ye Yunjian's increasingly intense gaze. Qiao Yu subconsciously held her breath, her fingers unconsciously tightening around Ye Yunjian's clothes.

Glancing at the other person's nervous little hands, Ye Yunjian's deep eyes held a hint of a smile, not strong, but very obvious.

Gently raising her hand to cover Qiao Yu's eyes, the woman's gentle voice sounded in her ear, "Close your eyes."

What she was going to do after closing her eyes was self-evident.

Qiao Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she didn't move. However, the other person didn't seem to care and slowly leaned closer. Warm breath fell on her lips, and she could almost smell the faint fragrance of Ye Yunjian's lipstick.

The familiar scent suddenly became ambiguous, and Qiao Yu heard her heartbeat growing stronger and stronger, as if it was about to burst out of her chest.

When they were almost touching, another voice suddenly sounded softly in her ear, "Sorry."

Lu Shangyi spoke slowly and deliberately, "Excuse me."

Ye Yunjian turned his head and met Lu Shangyi's calm gaze.

Without releasing the girl in his arms, Ye Yunjian raised an eyebrow at Lu Shangyi, a hint of provocation in his deep eyes, "You did indeed disturb me."

Author's Note: