Chapter 67

Lu Shangyi's sharp gaze suddenly fell on her, her cold and beautiful face showing no trace of indifference.

Qiao Yu clutched the money in astonishment, momentarily doubting her ears. The girl didn't answer, but Jiang Mei didn't mind. She took out two movie tickets from her purse, her fingers tightening slightly as she held the tickets. "Didn't you say you wanted to see a movie? I've already bought the tickets."

She heard her own voice tremble slightly, "Is it okay?"

Her heart pounded with nervousness, and Jiang Mei tried her best to appear calm and composed in front of the adults. Her expectant eyes were fixed on Qiao Yu, trying to get the answer she wanted from her.

Qiao Yu was almost scared to death by the sudden invitation. She stiffly turned her neck and looked around, then stammered, her voice lacking confidence, "Y-I guess it's okay..."

If no one dies, she can naturally go with the female lead.

Upon hearing this, the tense alpha immediately relaxed, and the smile in her eyes deepened. She eagerly but still restrained herself as she reached out her hand to Qiao Yu, "Then let's go eat first." The hand holding the movie ticket gently lowered, and Jiang Mei stared at the other person without blinking, "I've already booked a private room in advance."

Qiao Yu finally realized that her idea was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something she had planned for a long time.

Staring at Jiang Mei's outstretched hand, Qiao Yu didn't move for a moment. Jiang Mei also reacted, turned around and faced the four people playing mahjong, her posture calm and her voice slightly hoarse as she said, "Excuse me, I'll take my leave."

After speaking, she ignored the four people with their varying expressions and pulled Qiao Yu up from the seat next to Lu Shangyi, leading her away from the scene with a mix of gentleness and firmness. Qiao Yu, in her high heels, tried to keep up with her, her heart pounding faster.

"System, why do I have this strange feeling that I'm eloping with a wild alpha?"

The female lead was incredibly bold, daring to disregard Aunt Ye and the others like that. She couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes. The system, seeing her eager expression, panicked and quickly interrupted its host's unrealistic fantasies: "You'd better prepare yourself for a severe beating after you do this."

"One meal per person, four meals for four people."

Qiao Yu: "..."

"If you're fickle and offend even the female lead, then that'll be a total of five meals." Let's see if you can handle it.

Qiao Yu fell silent for a moment, then her tone became noticeably more excited, "Oh?"

"Should I hurry up and go to the gym to lift weights these next couple of days?" Qiao Yu said thoughtfully. "First, I'll work on my waist, then stretch my legs, so that everyone can have the ultimate enjoyment."

System: "?" This is not the bus to kindergarten.

However, Qiao Yu was only saying it; she didn't actually intend to do it. Seeing that the people playing mahjong hadn't caught up, she felt relieved and took the initiative to catch up with Jiang Mei, asking her how she had been lately, "Has Lu Shenghui been treating you well?"

Alpha's aura suddenly intensified, his muscles stiffened for a moment, but he quickly relaxed again. "Hmm."

Jiang Mei's nonchalant voice drifted into my ears, "It's alright." Then, seemingly unwilling to discuss the topic further, she changed the subject, "What would you like to eat later? Don't you love seafood? The store had a batch that just arrived from overseas by air today, and I asked the manager to reserve it all for me."

She turned her head, a faint smile between her brows, "Eat as much as you like. If it's not enough, I'll have them save some for you next time."

Qiao Yu's attention was quickly diverted. "How could I possibly eat that much?" she blurted out. "How much?"

"Not much," Jiang Mei said softly, "only a few dozen kilograms."

Qiao Yu stared blankly: "?" Did the female lead misunderstand her tastes?

A soft laugh suddenly reached her ears, making Qiao Yu feel a tingling sensation in her heart. "I know you have a small appetite." Jiang Mei's clear eyes gazed at her quietly, her voice carrying a seductive power, "But I want to give you everything I can."

Now that her aunt has someone she's interested in, she no longer needs to worry about her aunt's feelings and can openly pursue her crush.

Given enough time to grow, she might not be any worse than Ye Yunjian and the others.

The emotions in the female lead's eyes were so deep that they sent chills down one's spine. Qiao Yu looked away, smiled, and had a bad feeling.

Mu Siyan watched quietly as the two people, chatting and laughing intimately, walked out of the club. Her slender fingers gradually tightened their grip. The woman beside her slowly walked over, her voice devoid of emotion, "They're quite a good match, aren't they?"

Seeing her look over, Qiao Jing smiled gently, "One is the only alpha heir of the Lu family, and the other is the only ega heir of the Qiao family. Aren't they a perfect match, a match made in heaven?"

Mu Siyan tugged at the corners of her lips, a subtle curve forming. She didn't respond to Qiao Jing's words, but stared blankly at the doorway where the two figures were no longer present. After a long while, she finally said, "Miss Qiao, although my father has protected me very well, but," she smiled lightly, her raised eyes devoid of warmth, "I'm not a fool."

Taking two steps back, Mu Siyan nodded politely and said, "Farewell."

Tang Shu had noticed Qiao Yu being pulled away by Jiang Mei long ago. She wanted to say a few words, but glancing at the air conditioning generator beside her, she immediately shut up. Huddled obediently beside Meng E, Tang Shu looked miserable. If she had known Meng E was coming today, she wouldn't have come.

She was caught after only two days of hiding, and she could already foresee the tragic end she would face when she returned home.

After lost in thought for a while, Tang Shu glanced at the other woman and saw Meng E staring at Ye Yunjian and the others with a serious expression, her brows slightly furrowed, looking worried. Seeing this, Tang Shu quickly moved closer, trying to make herself look good in front of her, "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"If anyone could actually handle her, they would have been subdued long ago." Seeing the girl glaring at her coldly, Tang Shu immediately changed her tune, "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Even if you don't care about the monk, you still have to consider the Buddha, right? No matter what, everyone still has to give Uncle Qiao and Aunt Qiao some face."

Tang Shu thought to herself that Qiao Yu was really lucky to be born into a good family; otherwise, if she had a different family background, she would definitely be the first one to not let her go.

What utter nonsense about matching partners! She's spouting rubbish! She's treating me like a monkey, making me run around in circles. And then there's everything before that; Qiao Yu's terrible deeds from childhood to adulthood could fill a hundred pages of documents.

Seeing Bai Yiyu and Ye Yunjian's expressions of concern as Qiao Yu left, Tang Shu couldn't help but feel a little desperate. It was already difficult to touch Qiao Yu now. After she got engaged and married to these people, wouldn't she be even more precious and untouchable?

Tang Shu suddenly felt very worried.

As soon as the girl who had been showering him with compliments left, the atmosphere at the mahjong table visibly cooled down. Several bosses who were about to go over and exchange pleasantries immediately took a detour. The assistant was still a little confused, "Mr. Li, aren't we going to give Mr. Ye a gift?"

"What kind of gift are you giving?" President Li roared. "It's more like a death sentence!"

Ye Yunjian's face clearly showed he was in a bad mood, just waiting for someone to come over so he could vent his anger. If he went over now, wouldn't he be walking right into the line of fire? In the end, he wouldn't get what he asked for, and he'd probably end up getting a few more pieces of his fat bitten off.

The mahjong table was eerily quiet. Ye Yunjian slowly tossed a mahjong tile aside, his gaze drifting lightly to the calm and composed Lu Shangyi. "What a fine niece you've raised."

Her tone was clearly displeased. Lu Shangyi looked up, her lips twitching slightly. "Thank you."

Ye Yunjian: "?" Was I praising you?

Her expression slowly froze as Ye Yunjian's probing gaze swept over her, its meaning unclear. Song Wanzi, however, didn't care. After all, she had long seen through Jiang Mei's alarming possessiveness towards Qiao Yu, and now that the other party's status had changed, there was even less reason for her to give up.

From the very beginning, she placed the other person in the position of an equal competitor.

With a leisurely glimpse, Song Wanzi caught the mahjong tile that Ye Yunjian had thrown out, smiled gently, and raised her full red lips slightly, "I won."

Ye Yunjian stared at her expressionlessly. The woman brushed a strand of long hair behind her ear, her expression innocent. "Mr. Ye, pay up." Extending her fair palm, Song Wanzi smiled and raised her eyebrows. "A bet is a bet."

Having no choice but to hand over a sum of money, when they drew mahjong tiles again, Ye Yunjian looked at Lu Shangyi with a forced smile and said, "Your niece is really becoming more and more like you."

Lu Shangyi finally reacted, her voice indifferent, "President Ye, you flatter me."

This ELA was very smooth; no matter what, she would respond with polite, formulaic words. Recalling some things he had secretly investigated, Ye Yunjian's deep face slowly darkened. When she stopped speaking, the table became excessively quiet, and the imposing aura between the Alphas made everyone else afraid to take a step closer.

Bai Yiyu, a seasoned and composed woman, didn't find Jiang Mei's youthful and impetuous behavior inappropriate; on the contrary, she felt a sense of admiration for her. If she were twenty or thirty years younger, she might have been even more passionate and blatant than Jiang Mei.

Youth gives you the right to be arrogant.

Unfortunately, her current status and position prevent her from being so unrestrained.

The store wasn't crowded today, but it was quiet. Qiao Yu followed Jiang Mei into a private room, her eyes fixed on Jiang Mei as she spoke softly to the waiter. After a while, Qiao Yu looked away. "Was it just my imagination? Why do I feel like the female lead is exceptionally charming today?"

The alpha aura, somewhere between youthful and mature, was well-controlled. However, beneath his seemingly calm exterior, every cell in his body was filled with youthful passion. When the other person glanced at her unintentionally, the barely suppressed desire was touching, immediately making Qiao Yu's heart itch, and she almost couldn't resist.

It is said that feng shui is good for people, and the Lu family has good feng shui. Jiang Mei has already inherited some of Lu Shangyi's aura, and she looks very pleasant.

Qiao Yu couldn't help but sigh, "I'm definitely not a fickle person."

system:"?"

Qiao Yu added, "I still like the same type of woman from beginning to end."

System: "..." Isn't this being unfaithful?

After Jiang Mei finished speaking with the waiter, she turned her head with suppressed emotions in her eyes and said, "Yu Yu, take another look and see if there's anything else you'd like to eat."

"No need," Qiao Yu declined with a smile. "Didn't you just order all my favorites?"

Jiang Mei was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."

When Qiao Yu first met Jiang Mei, she immediately realized that she was a cold-faced but warm-hearted alpha. Although she appeared aloof and difficult to get along with on the surface, she was actually gentle and meticulous, making her hard not to like. During the meal, Qiao Yu was well taken care of. Jiang Mei would pick out the bones from the fish, notice if her dipping sauce was too spicy, and even refill her water glass when it was almost empty.

In short, Qiao Yu noticed every detail she could think of.

The food was delicious, and the movie was pretty good too. It was already past ten o'clock at night when we came out of the theater. Jiang Mei stared at her coat and asked, "Are you cold?"

Shaking her head, Qiao Yu put her hands in her bag, exhaling a breath of warm air from her rosy lips, "I'm not cold."

However, Jiang Mei still gave her her coat after all. Thinking of Ye Yunjian and Lu Shangyi, who had tried to be brave but ended up catching a cold that night, Qiao Yu felt lingering fear. She quickly hailed a car by the roadside. "I'm leaving now. You should go home too." Before getting in the car, she returned the coat to Jiang Mei, then hesitated for a moment before opening her arms and quickly hugging her. She stood on tiptoe and whispered in her ear, "Happy New Year."

"And... goodnight."

She hugged her briefly and was about to let go and get into the car when Jiang Mei suddenly pulled her back and hugged her tightly in her arms.

Qiao Yu stumbled and fell into the other woman's arms, looking up at her in surprise. Jiang Mei lowered her head, her lips slightly pursed, then relaxed. After a long while, she spoke softly, "See you tomorrow."

Reluctantly releasing the fragrant, soft body, Jiang Mei watched as she quickly got into the taxi, her gaze gradually hardening.

Qiao Yu turned to look at the person standing in the snow and couldn't help but ask, "System, don't you think the female lead seems a little different than before?"

"Really?" the system asked casually, as if it hadn't noticed anything. So Qiao Yu argued with it with great interest all the way. Only when she got off the bus did she shut her chattering mouth, temporarily ending today's debate.

As Qiao Yu walked to the door and entered her password, she belatedly realized that a dark figure was standing next to her.

Tall and slender, the person was so tall that she had to crane her neck to see their features. As she paused, the person began to walk slowly towards her, a slight smile playing on their lips, but their eyes, hidden in the darkness of the night, were unfathomable.

Lu Shangyi slowly stood in front of her. "You're back."

Qiao Yu hesitated for a long time, "Hmm..." But before she could finish speaking, the world suddenly spun around her, and when she came to her senses again, she was already imprisoned against the wall by the woman, her hands and feet were both held and she could not move.

"So late."

"What have you been doing?"

A note from the author: I'm giving out red envelopes today. The system can't recognize 0-point comments, so they might be missed. I'm just letting you know in advance.