Chapter 91

Qiao Yu held her breath for a moment, but finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Bai Yiyu stared at her expressionlessly, her eyes conveying a clear message: What are you laughing at?

Knowing better, Qiao Yu shook her head and pretended to be naive. "I think what you said makes a lot of sense, Aunt Bai." Qiao Yu solemnly echoed her words, "Don't worry, Aunt Bai, I will definitely keep my distance from all women in the future, abide by morality, and respect and love myself."

Bai Yiyu: ...All women?

Suddenly having a premonition that she had shot herself in the foot, Bai Yiyu paused for a moment before slowly adding, "There's no need to keep your distance from all women."

“What I mean is, stay away from those unfamiliar, shady women outside.” Pointing casually, Bai Yiyu gave an example: “Like this kind.”

Mu Siyan was inexplicably pointed at by Bai Yiyu, and her whole body tensed up immediately. She looked at Qiao Yu nervously, but saw that the other woman's beautiful face was speechless and seemed to have something on her mind. Mu Siyan hesitated for a while, then lowered her head and carefully checked her clothes.

There's clearly no problem.

Qiao Yu never expected that someone of Bai Yiyu's status would blatantly lie. She stared at her, receiving a completely serious response in return. The other woman's composure was formidable; Qiao Yu was utterly impressed. "I understand."

Bai Yiyu nodded. "Good that you understand."

It was almost time, and the guests entered the art center's restaurant one after another. The minimalist design and decor exuded an air of luxury and extravagance. Qiao Yu casually found a seat and sat down, with Bai Yiyu sitting next to her. A short while later, Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi arrived together and stopped next to Qiao Yu.

Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi stared at each other, neither willing to back down.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, a hint of fierceness hidden in their deep eyes. Qiao Yu noticed the extremely low pressure around her and looked up, involuntarily shivering. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, she feigned ignorance and asked, "Aunt Ye, Sister Song, why are you both standing instead of sitting?"

Ye Yunjian turned around, a smile playing on his lips. "What do you think?"

The other person's tone was chilling, and Qiao Yu shrank back and quickly shut her mouth.

Bai Yiyu watched the two of them with an air of indifference, realizing that it seemed unlikely a victor would emerge anytime soon. Turning her head to look around, she called out to one of them, "You sit here."

Mu Siyan paused slightly, her relatively calm expression instantly turning to astonishment upon seeing Bai Yiyu. She was genuinely afraid of such a powerful alpha as Bai Yiyu, and instinctively shook her head and waved her hands in refusal, "No need, no need, my friend is over there, I'll just go with my friend..."

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared completely.

Bai Yiyu's expression remained gentle, but her aura grew stronger and stronger. Her beautiful eyes seemed to carry an undeniable meaning, making Bai Yiyu unable to muster the courage to resist.

Stiffly moving her legs, Mu Siyan arrived at the spot Bai Yiyu had indicated. Looking up at Song Wanzi and Ye Yunjian, who were staring intently at her, she nearly felt like she was about to step into a coffin. Bai Yiyu's orders were not to be disobeyed, but Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi were also not people an ordinary young lady like herself could resist.

Mu Siyan stood there, tears welling up in her eyes, utterly bewildered. She lowered her head and called out to Qiao Yu as if pleading for help. Qiao Yu trembled at her call and could only force a smile, feigning surprise, "It's you!" She pulled Mu Siyan closer, "Then sit next to me! We can have a heart-to-heart talk!"

"..." Mu Siyan didn't know what kind of heart-to-heart talk these two rivals could have, but she clearly had no other choice at the moment. Nodding, Mu Siyan awkwardly pulled out a chair, not forgetting to turn her head to greet Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi, "Hello, President Ye, hello, Miss Song."

She sat down nervously, her head still feeling light even with her bottom on the seat, and her feet seemingly dangling in the air.

Ye Yunjian glanced at Bai Yiyu, then at Mu Siyan, and finally let out a soft sound from his nose before sitting down next to Mu Siyan. Since the seat next to Qiao Yu was already taken, Song Wanzi didn't care who she sat next to. She lifted her skirt and sat down with the most elegant posture; even the slightest movement of hers was enough to attract the attention of most of the people present.

But she ignored everyone else, her eyes, full of tender affection, fixed on another young girl in an expensive dress.

Those gentle, honey-like gazes immediately shifted most of the hostile stares to Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu couldn't help but ask, "?"

The feeling of being constantly on someone's back was unbearable for Qiao Yu. She shifted her position and then noticed Mu Siyan, who was just as uncomfortable as she was. Suddenly, as if she had found a kindred spirit, Qiao Yu immediately started a pointless conversation with her, "When do you start school?"

Mu Siyan: "...Next week."

Although she knew the other person was just making small talk, she desperately needed to distract herself and forget her current predicament, which felt like the depths of hell.

Qiao Yu opened her eyes wide in surprise, "Why are you so late? I have to go to school to register this Sunday."

Mu Siyan pursed her lips and explained, "I'm preparing to go abroad right now, so it's okay if I don't go to school regularly."

After the sentence ended, the atmosphere fell silent again. Qiao Yu and Mu Siyan could feel the dangerous aura in the shallow breaths of the people next to them. Qiao Yu racked her brains and finally found another topic, "You and Sister Jingjing seem to be very familiar with each other."

Mu Siyan instinctively knew this was a deadly question, so without thinking, she answered, "Not familiar with it."

“She’s always the one who comes to me when we meet.” Mu Siyan straightened her back instinctively. “But I’ve always been indifferent to her. Don’t misunderstand.”

Qiao Yu was somewhat surprised, "Actually, she's a really nice person..."

“If she’s a good person, then why don’t you get along with her?” Mu Siyan said calmly. After saying that, she suddenly realized that Ye Yunjian was still next to her, and quickly explained, “What I mean is, I don’t think someone who schemes against their family behind their back is a good person.”

"We're not on the same wavelength, so neither now nor in the future, I can have any deep contact with her."

Mu Siyan felt she had given a very clear hint, and sure enough, after she finished speaking, she noticed that Ye Yunjian's gaze softened, no longer as sharp as before that made her so afraid that she wanted to run away.

Mu Siyan breathed a sigh of relief and suppressed the thoughts that had almost crossed her mind.

As a middle-class heiress, she understood all too well the importance of choosing sides. To her, these romantic entanglements were far less important than the interests of her family.

She would not and could not ruin her parents' life's work because of her romantic feelings for them.

Qiao Yu was surprised by Mu Siyan's sudden show of goodwill, but this straightforward expression made her feelings for Mu Siyan soar. Nodding in agreement, Qiao Yu took out her phone and said, "Let's add each other as friends. We can hang out together on weekends..." Noticing three pairs of eyes shooting over her, Qiao Yu quickly changed her words, "We can also study together."

Mu Siyan: "?" You love studying this much?

Seeing the other person's doubt, Qiao Yu immediately spoke up, "Right now, all I can think about is studying. Studying is my life, my spiritual sustenance. If I don't study for a day, I feel uncomfortable all over, and I can't eat or sleep. If I don't learn anything new within an hour, I will suffer from acute mental shock and feel like I'm living a life worse than death."

Mu Siyan: "..." I don't believe you for a second.

She had always imagined her ideal man's ideal woman to be a gentle, quiet, unassuming, and innocent girl. But now, her feelings were becoming somewhat complicated. She even felt...

Only a girl like this could make Jiang Mei so deeply infatuated with her.

A beautiful appearance is a dime a dozen, but an interesting soul is rare indeed, and someone with both a beautiful appearance and an interesting soul is even rarer.

If she were Jiang Mei, she felt she would also love the other person deeply, even if it was just watching her silently.

"Excuse me, could you please move to another seat?" Mu Siyan was lost in thought when someone suddenly called her name. She reflexively looked up and saw Lu Shangyi's polite face with a gentle smile. She instinctively stood up and quickly stepped aside, saying, "Please, go ahead."

She couldn't be happier to have Lu Shangyi take the place of Ye Yunjian's gaze.

Before anyone could react, she hurriedly turned and left, afraid that Bai Yiyu would call her back.

Once she was out of sight and sat down next to her friend, she breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had escaped a close call. She never wanted to experience anything like that again. Her friend leaned closer, gossipy, "What happened? Did Qiao Yu bully you just now?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Mu Siyan retorted unconsciously, frowning. "She's not that kind of person."

Suddenly feeling that this explanation was somewhat subtle, she pursed her lips and said, "If she really wanted to do something to me, why would she choose such a time when everyone is watching?"

It seems to be getting stranger and stranger. Mu Siyan was silent for a long time, and finally said in a desperate tone, "She would disdain to do such a thing."

Her friend stared at her strangely, then couldn't resist slapping her forehead. "Did she drug you? Why are you taking her side now?"

"...No." She was simply telling the truth.

Ye Yunjian and Song Wanzi stared at Lu Shangyi, who was smugly occupying Mu Siyan's seat, and thought, "What?!" How can you be so shameless?

They had considered pushing Mu Siyan aside, but it wouldn't look good if people of their status did such a thing in public, so they gave up on the idea. But how could Lu Shangyi be so shameless? She even bullied a young girl.

Ye Yunjian, who prided herself on her strong mental fortitude, was completely outmatched by Lu Shangyi's shamelessness. However, she felt inferior to Lu Shangyi in the face of her.

Lu Shangyi seemed completely unconcerned about what others thought. She gently lifted her eyelids, and her eyes met Bai Yiyu's. Two pairs of calm eyes stared at each other silently. Although neither of them said a word, the atmosphere around them was as tense as an arrow about to be released from a bow.

After a long silence, Bai Yiyu broke the stillness first, "They're here."

"Mm," Lu Shangyi replied calmly, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Let's grab a drink sometime."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yiyu raised her eyebrows. "Okay."

Lu Shangyi's signals were so clear, and she was so proactive; whether out of politeness or self-interest, she wouldn't directly refuse her. Besides, to be honest, she also wanted to know how Lu Shangyi planned to handle the current situation.

After all, Lu Shenghui's men are not easy to deal with.

After receiving Bai Yiyu's affirmative answer, Lu Shangyi turned her head and quietly looked at Ye Yunjian, "President Ye, are you coming too?"

Ye Yunjian casually crossed her arms, glanced at Qiao Yu, and didn't refuse, "Sure, let's confirm the time with my secretary later."

When Lu Shangyi said "have a drink," she didn't mean it in a simple sense. Since Bai Yiyu had already gone, she didn't need to put on airs and leave herself isolated and helpless.

Lu Shangyi also invited Song Wanzi. Song Wanzi had been busy with work and family matters lately, working non-stop every day and not getting more than five hours of sleep a night, but she would definitely go if it was related to Lu Shangyi.

She and Lu Shangyi had known each other for so many years; even if they weren't like brothers, they were at least acquaintances. Naturally, she couldn't bear to see him fall into a desperate situation.

After all three agreed, Lu Shangyi looked at Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu perked up and quickly raised her hand, "I'll go too, I'll bring my review materials."

The woman watching her chuckled softly, a fleeting smile crossing her eyes. Qiao Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "System, I remember you told me I was a woman at the top of the food chain."

Something's definitely not right now.

She was practically a pitiful little thing at the bottom of the pyramid, being bullied by the big shots.

The system choked for a moment, "Host, if you can't be the woman at the top of the food chain, you can be the woman of the woman at the top of the food chain."

Qiao Yu: "?" Are you trying to recite a tongue twister to me?

As the time came, the banquet dishes were served one after another. Apart from Lu Shangyi and a few others, the rest were all prominent figures from the capital. Occasionally, a few people would exchange a few words and chat, which was considered a form of social interaction. Qiao Yu was the youngest person at the table. Unable to get a word in edgewise, she ate in silence until a prominent figure called out, "Yu Yu, school will be starting soon, right?"

Qiao Yu raised her head, swallowed the cherry meat in her mouth, and said, "Yes, it'll be over in the next few days."

The other person shook their head with a sigh, "You guys are working much harder now than we were back then."

Qiao Yu felt that the other person wanted to say more than just that, but after that one sentence, they steered the conversation elsewhere, so Qiao Yu had no choice but to give up. After filling her stomach and sitting with the others for a while, she quickly packed her things and prepared to go home.

Before leaving, she called out to the furtive An Yilin, "Young Master An, you must help my brother."

An Yilin paused, then a bright smile spread across her face. "Of course. Whatever you ask for, I'm willing to do my best."

Qiao Yu smiled and said, "I will definitely thank you properly after it's all done."

Her promise successfully tempted An Yilin, and he immediately became somewhat carried away, patting his chest and assuring him, "Don't worry, I'll take care of this."

Qiao Yu was very satisfied and immediately gave him a bright smile. An Yilin was so dizzy from her smile that he almost bumped into a pillar as he left. He didn't dare to look back and awkwardly quickened his pace, walking faster and faster until he was almost jogging.

Qiao Yu smiled gently, "Please don't disappoint me."

The system realized that what it said earlier was a bit inaccurate: How could the host possibly learn tricks from a scumbag? She clearly knows far more tricks than a scumbag! If it weren't for the aunties above her keeping her in check, she probably would have already turned Beijing upside down.

Thank goodness, the system patted its chest. Fortunately, everything has its counterpart, and one thing can subdue another, so it didn't give the host too many opportunities to act recklessly.

Qiao Yu turned around with a smile, but the first thing she saw was Lu Shangyi's meaningful face. Alarm bells immediately went off in her mind, and she quickly asked the system, "Did Sister Lu see everything just now?"

The system found it strange, "You know Sister Lu so well, can't you guess it yourself?"

Qiao Yu: "..."

Qiao Yu walked over with small steps and said with a regretful look, "Although I've only just met you, Sister Lu, I'm also very reluctant to leave. But if I don't go back soon, my mother will scold me." She spoke quickly, "I can only spend more time with you, Sister Lu, in a few days."

Lu Shangyi's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she didn't expose her. "Be careful on the road."

Qiao Yu nodded repeatedly, "Then... good night, sister, you should also get some rest and not overwork yourself."

A slight smile curved Lu Shangyi's lips as she nodded. "Okay."

Later, Qiao Yu did not attend the gathering that Lu Shangyi and Bai Yiyu had arranged, because she had started school. On the first day of school, the entire school, from the principal to the subject teachers, went crazy, wishing they could monopolize all of the students' rest time.

In such a tense and oppressive learning atmosphere, Qiao Yu felt dizzy. She had just finished one test paper and hadn't even had time to catch her breath when a new test paper was handed out.

Rubbing her temples, Qiao Yu noticed Meng E playing on her phone and became interested. "Dating secretly again."

Meng E shook her head. "No, I'm contacting a nurse at the hospital."

Qiao Yu was taken aback. "Is your father alright?"

Meng'e pursed her lips slightly, unwilling to say more. She smiled and asked, "Have you finished your exam?"

"That's about it." Qiao Yu flipped through her desk. "There's only this one left, the one that was just handed out."

Meng E cast an envious glance at her. "I still have ten cards left." Putting down her phone, Meng E picked up her pen. "I'm not going to talk to you anymore, I'm going to do some practice questions now."

Just a week into the new semester, Qiao Yu nearly died on the spot from staying at school. The thought of having to repeat this intense studying every day for the next few months made her wish she could immediately fast-forward to after the college entrance exam.

But that's clearly impossible.

Before the mock exam, her parents, homeroom teacher, and subject teachers all kept a close eye on her. When Jiang Mei was still in school, the teachers felt that Jiang Mei's level was slightly lower than theirs, so they focused their attention on Jiang Mei.

Now that Jiang Mei is gone, she has immediately become a key target of surveillance.

Although Jiang Mei is a rising star, her strength should not be underestimated. Now that Jiang Mei has transferred to another school, her own students have suddenly become competitors. How can the teachers, especially the principal, be willing to accept this? They don't care how many points Jiang Mei can get at the other school, but their own child absolutely cannot lose!

Even if we don't say they're on equal footing, they should at least score one point higher than others to prove their school's strength!

After listening to the class monitor calmly relay the teachers' discussion, Qiao Yu thought, "..." They really dared to say that. She remembered when she transferred here, the school was barely even in the upper-middle tier.

Qiao Yu was completely helpless against her teachers' sudden competitive spirit. By the time she finished the mock exam, her vision was blurred, a whole month had passed. Her phone had long been confiscated by Mrs. Qiao, and apart from her classmates at school, she couldn't contact anyone, let alone a ghost.

It wasn't until the exam was over and she successfully got her phone back that she learned about all the things that had happened in the past month.

First, as expected, Lu Shangyi replaced Lu Shenghui as the new CEO of Lu's Group. Then, internal turmoil erupted within Lu's Group, with senior executives leaving en masse, leaving Lu Shangyi with only an empty shell. In addition to the above, Lu Shangyi also faced difficulties from the company's board of directors, making her life extremely difficult.

With Lu Shangyi's immense popularity, various media outlets naturally followed up with reports, almost eager to dig up every news item related to her.

Unfortunately, Lu Shangyi has been sleeping at the company every day for the past month. Lu's Group has excellent security, so reporters can't get in. They can only stake out the company's gate every day and fabricate all sorts of baseless rumors. But this has no effect on Lu Shangyi whatsoever.

Holding her phone, Qiao Yu couldn't help but sigh, "It turns out everyone has it tough."

A feeling of shared misfortune welled up in her heart, and Qiao Yu opened another gossip app, scrolling through the screen as she said, "So, rounding it up, we're practically best friends who've been through thick and thin together." Qiao Yu said confidently, "The bond between Sister Lu and me is unbreakable."

System: "???" Your rounding is a bit too far off.

Qiao Yu was very satisfied with her conclusion. She was leisurely scrolling through the news when she suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in astonishment. "What?! The female lead had a public argument with Sister Lu yesterday?!"

"And unilaterally severed ties with Sister Lu as aunt and niece?!"

The author has something to say: Today may be late, but it's still a long day.