Chapter 90

An Yilin froze instantly, and the smile on her face stiffened.

He suddenly felt a pang of regret, regretting that he had rashly probed Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi's feelings for Qiao Yu. He was now truly in a bind; no matter what answer he gave, it didn't seem like the perfect solution, especially since he couldn't think of a better excuse to fool the two of them in such a short time.

An Yilin's expression twitched slightly, and her heart pounded wildly, as if it would burst out of her chest at any moment.

Just as he was at a loss, a soft voice rang out and came to his rescue, "Aunt Bai, Sister Song, please don't scare Young Master An." Qiao Yu smiled and her eyes crinkled, "He is my friend."

Friends? When did she have friends like that?

Bai Yiyu frowned slightly, finding Qiao Yu's taste in friends baffling. Unconsciously putting herself in the parent's shoes, Bai Yiyu found An Yilin utterly unpleasant. His appearance gave her a terrible premonition that her daughter, whom she had raised with such care and hardship, was about to be abducted by some random man.

However, her parental feelings were fleeting; she knew all too well that she had other intentions towards him.

These thoughts have nowhere to be expressed, so they can only be quietly buried deep in my heart.

"Since she's your friend, then sit with us," Bai Yiyu heard her own voice say calmly. Taking her away? Don't even think about it. Entrusting Qiao Yu, an EVA, alone to a young, impetuous, and hot-blooded Alpha is inherently dangerous.

Bai Yiyu slowly raised her chin. Although there was a height difference between her and An Yilin, her aura completely overwhelmed An Yilin. Her tone was unquestionable, carrying a threatening tone that threatened to kill An Yilin if she dared to refuse.

An Yilin's forehead was already beaded with cold sweat. He was naturally pleased that such an important figure as Bai Yiyu had invited him to sit down and have dinner together, but the problem was...

This is his love rival!

He glanced at the alluring Song Wanzi, and there was more than one of them!

He was to sit down and dine face-to-face with two rivals?! Just thinking about it made him feel a little dazed. Two such top-tier alphas would definitely make him feel utterly inferior!

Qiao Yu thought the suggestion was brilliant and immediately agreed on An Yilin's behalf, "Great! You've hit the jackpot today, Young Master An!" Qiao Yu winked with a smile, "So many people want to have dinner with Aunt Bai and Sister Song but don't have the chance."

An Yilin: "..." Does he even want to eat this meal?

He would rather starve to death or jump off the rooftop to his death than eat at the same table as Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi.

Although he harbored grand ambitions to make a fortune, donate the money, and escape, his targets were only naive, delicate girls who couldn't live without him. People like Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi, if he cheated them out of even a penny, they would probably hold a grudge and try to destroy him.

An Yilin forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "That would be my honor."

Qiao Yu immediately perked up, "Oh, don't say that. What kind of relationship do we have? Why are you being so polite with me? My aunt is your aunt, and my sister is your sister. Don't be so formal with me."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. An Yilin immediately felt Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi's gazes, which seemed to say, "You have no attachment to this world anymore, do you?", coming at him again, even more piercing than before, like a knife about to cut him to pieces.

An Yilin is now filled with regret, deep regret.

However, he was already in a bind and couldn't escape, so he had no choice but to sit down with a reasonably decent smile on his face. But before he could even get comfortable on the chair, Qiao Yu seized the opportunity to get up and said to Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi, "Aunt Bai and Sister Song, dinner won't start for a while. I'll go play with Young Master An over there for a bit."

Without giving the two a chance to refuse, she quickly turned her head and winked at An Yilin.

An Yilin was taken aback at first, then immediately reacted and stood up to assure everyone, "Don't worry, I will definitely bring Yuyu back safely before dinner starts."

Neither of them showed any emotion upon hearing this. Only after the young man had walked away did Song Wanzi slowly pick up a glass of wine, muttering to herself, "Why do I just dislike him so much?" After taking a leisurely sip, Song Wanzi suddenly turned her head and asked, "What about you?"

Bai Yiyu lifted her eyelids slightly. "What?"

Song Wanzi chuckled softly, "Don't play dumb with me." She blinked, "You don't think we're all fools, do you?"

Bai Yiyu didn't react. Song Wanzi paused in her act of raising her glass, her eyes widening in surprise. "You really think we're fools?!"

Feeling a little conflicted, Song Wanzi swirled her wine glass and gazed at the serious-looking Bai Yiyu, saying quietly, "You're quite the imposter." With a soft laugh, Song Wanzi's tone revealed a hint of anticipation, "I don't believe you can keep up the act forever."

"She's been very concerned about the Lu family lately, don't you think?"

Bai Yiyu's expression remained calm. "Now, everyone is paying attention to the Lu family's movements."

Song Wanzi gave her a deep look, but in the end, she couldn't be bothered to argue with her. Although there's only a one-word difference between "concern" and "attention," their meanings are worlds apart. Bai Yiyu was stubborn and refused to admit it, and Song Wanzi had no intention of forcing her to.

Smiling, Song Wanzi stood up and lightly clinked glasses with her, saying, "Good luck."

Bai Yiyu looked up and stared at her. Song Wanzi shrugged and, holding her wine glass, gracefully blended into the crowd. Watching the dazzling lights and the clinking of glasses, Bai Yiyu slowly withdrew her gaze, her lowered eyelashes concealing all the suppressed emotions in her eyes.

It's not that she's afraid to admit it, but...

Bai Yiyu closed her eyes briefly and picked up her vibrating phone.

Mrs. Qiao's voice came through the phone, "Was Yuyu well-behaved today? Did she cause me any trouble?"

A slight smile unconsciously curved her lips as Bai Yiyu answered calmly, "No, she's been very well-behaved all day."

Mrs. Qiao: "...?" She was skeptical of her old classmate's words, but since she had no evidence at the moment, she had no choice but to believe Bai Yiyu. "Then you can keep an eye on her for me tonight." Mrs. Qiao said, "Don't let those random alphas get close to her."

Mrs. Qiao's biggest fear right now is that Qiao Yu might suddenly lose her mind, fall for the wrong person at such a crucial juncture as the college entrance exam, and end up neglecting her studies because of her relationship. Although the possibility is extremely small, what if it happens?

Lately, she has been suffering from insomnia and vivid dreams, and each time she has the same type of dream over and over again.

Adding to the unease, just two days ago, a woman she knew had a daughter who had fallen for a poor young man and eloped with him, cutting off all contact with her family and leaving them frantic with worry. Every time Mrs. Qiao heard about this, her anxiety grew uncontrollably, making it almost unbearable for her.

There were a lot of things to do at the company today, and she couldn't leave for the time being, so she had to ask Bai Yiyu to do it.

Having known Bai Yiyu for so many years, Mrs. Qiao felt comfortable letting her help look after the children.

She glanced at the time and said, "Then I'll leave Yuyu in your care. I'll treat you to a beauty treatment another day."

Bai Yiyu nodded slightly, "Okay."

A bunch of random alphas…and there’s one right now? An Yilin? She’d never heard of him before, not even the somewhat well-known An family. After a moment’s thought, Bai Yiyu picked up her phone again. “Investigate someone for me.”

An Yilin felt like he had come back to life after leaving Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi. At the same time, he felt that Qiao Yu seemed to understand his thoughts and intentionally or unintentionally led him to a less crowded place. After quickly going through his plan and words in his mind, An Yilin spoke first, "Thank you."

The girl walking ahead turned around at the sound, a slight look of confusion on her fair face. "Why are you thanking me?"

Qiao Yu stopped. "I should be the one apologizing to you." A hint of apology appeared on her face. "Actually, Aunt Bai and Sister Song didn't mean any harm. They were just afraid that I would be deceived and bullied."

An Yilin nodded. "I know." Then he added, "But don't worry, even if the whole world lies to you, I will never lie to you."

The air was silent for a few seconds, then Qiao Yu smiled faintly, "I know you're a good person."

“However…” Qiao Yu frowned, feigning difficulty, looking hesitant. An Yilin’s eyes brightened slightly, a hint of expectation rising in her heart, “Just tell me what’s wrong with you, and I’ll do anything to help you, even if it means going through fire and water.”

He guessed that Qiao Yu was probably going to tell him that she didn't like the strong and domineering Bai Yiyu and Song Wanzi.

As long as she brings it up, he can openly defend her in front of them. His conflict with Bai Yiyu and the others will inevitably attract more attention, thereby further enhancing his fame and status, and he will be able to hunt even more prey.

As if she could already see the luxurious life she would live in the future, An Yilin's smile deepened.

Qiao Yu pretended not to see through his thoughts and asked softly, "It's like this, I heard that you have a big project and are looking for partners." Qiao Yu looked up sincerely, her eyes and expression extremely innocent, "I know it's not appropriate for me to do this."

"But I'd like to ask if, for the sake of our relationship, my brother could also be involved in a small part?"

“My brother and I have always been close since childhood. I know he’s been struggling to achieve a breakthrough and promotion lately, and as his sister, I feel sorry for him seeing him in so much pain. So I want to help him so that he can realize his wishes and goals as soon as possible.”

After listening to Qiao Yu's story, An Yilin couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

Although it was somewhat different from what he had imagined, he had already planned to trap Qiao Junhao. Now that Qiao Yu had taken the initiative to speak, he could also take the opportunity to make the other party owe him a favor, which was truly killing two birds with one stone. Pretending to be troubled, An Yilin tactfully said, "I can't make this decision by myself."

"I know, I know." Qiao Yu nodded considerately at the right time. "It's okay. Whether or not you can help my brother in the end, I'm very grateful to you."

Looking at the other girl's innocent and obedient appearance, An Yilin couldn't help but think that young girls are indeed the easiest to fool. A few sweet words and a few candies are enough to easily win their hearts.

No longer keeping him hanging, An Yilin gazed intently into his eyes. "Don't worry, I will definitely do my best to help you."

Qiao Yu was immediately moved and smiled broadly, "Thank you, you're such a good person."

An Yilin simply took this as a compliment from Qiao Yu. Smiling contentedly at Qiao Yu, An Yilin felt as happy as if he were walking on cotton. "I'd do anything for you."

Qiao Yu: "...Aunt Bai seems to have been watching us the whole time."

An Yilin immediately turned around, and sure enough.

The thought of sitting down to eat with Bai Yiyu face to face sent chills down his spine. He quickly made an excuse, saying, "I need to call my friend first." He deliberately said, "Let's talk about the collaboration with your brother. You can go back now."

Qiao Yu softly replied, "Then come over soon, I'll wait for you."

An Yilin nodded repeatedly, but as soon as Qiao Yu turned around, he immediately disappeared in another direction.

He made up his mind: even if Qiao Yu kept calling him tonight, he would absolutely not go over.

Bai Yiyu casually asked about An Yilin's whereabouts, and Qiao Yu replied casually, "He suddenly had something to do and went to make a phone call somewhere else." Qiao Yu smiled slightly, "But he should show up when we eat."

There wasn't much of a reaction; Bai Yiyu simply reminded her, "Your current task is to prepare well for the college entrance examination."

Qiao Yu turned around innocently, "I know."

She suddenly smiled brightly at the person, "And aren't there Aunt Bai, Aunt Ye, Sister Lu, and Sister Song too?"

Bai Yiyu's heart skipped a beat, and she looked away almost instinctively. After a long while, she raised her head, but instead of looking at Qiao Yu, she stared elsewhere and said quietly, "I don't care what you do after the college entrance exam, but..."

She turned her head and said, "You are not allowed to have a relationship before the exams are over."

"Early love can ruin a year, and early love with a man can ruin a lifetime."

Qiao Yu: "...?" There's such a saying? She's never heard of it before. But now is clearly not the time to worry about these things, so she nodded obediently, "Aunt Bai, you're right."

The child seemed very obedient, which put Bai Yiyu at ease.

But before she could even calm down for three seconds, she heard the other person's soft voice ask, "Aunt Bai, what happens if you fall in love with a woman too early?"

Bai Yiyu suddenly turned her head, her heart skipping a beat.

Bai Yiyu's throat suddenly tightened. She lowered her eyes and heard herself say emotionlessly, "Women are tigers. If you encounter one in the future, stay away from her." After a moment, she asked calmly, "Remember that?"

Author's Note: Aunt Bai: When I get ruthless, I don't even spare myself.