Qiao Si's muscles were all tense. Although his arms were wrapped around her waist, they were as hard as iron, completely different from Zhou Xing's arms.

Qin Xiaoyu blushed crimson with embarrassment and hurriedly broke free from his embrace. The moment she was being rubbed, her hastily altered dress became disheveled. She tried to smooth it out, but to no avail. Her hair, which had been neatly styled, was now completely loose, making her look utterly pathetic.

She had never been so humiliated in her life.

squeak.

It was that familiar voice again. Without hesitation, Qin Xiaoyu closed the distance she had just created between herself and Qiao Si. She carefully pressed herself against Qiao Si's arm and peered into the house.

I could barely make out the furnishings in the room: an old table with several tiny green-eyed rats on it, rats that had become sentient and weren't even afraid of people.

"Brother, brother, let's, let's go out, let's go out, I, I, I'm scared." Qin Xiaoyu heard her teeth chattering and managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Coward. Come out." Qiao Si finally spoke. After saying that, he reached out, grabbed Qin Xiaoyu, and pulled her out of the warehouse. He threw her down, said nothing more, and strode out.

Qin Xiaoyu was covered in cold sweat, and the wind made her shiver even more violently.

"Brother..." she called out weakly in Qiao Si's direction.

"What are you doing!" Qiao Si roared angrily without turning his head.

"My legs are weak, I can't walk." Qin Xiaoyu turned her head and glanced at the warehouse. A little mouse scurried out of the door, staring at her with its big, dark eyes, full of curiosity.

Qiao Si strode back, squatted down, and before Qin Xiaoyu could react, she was already on his back.

Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to reach out and hug his neck. Suddenly, she remembered the purpose of his bringing her here, and it seemed to be going in the wrong direction. But she couldn't ask him about it. She just felt scared and wronged. She lay on his back, not daring to cry loudly. She could only quietly wipe away her tears, but the tears were like a tap that had been turned on, never stopping.

"Alright, stop crying! Wandering around outside in the middle of the night instead of coming home, you're asking for trouble!" Qiao Si's back was soaked with sweat, and he had no choice but to swallow his anger and offer a word of advice. This made Qin Xiaoyu even more aggrieved, and she simply started sobbing.

Qiao Si quickened his pace, his steps creating a swift, breezy feel.

"Go on in, women are so troublesome!" Qiao Si threw her at the school gate and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he didn't hear the door open, so he had to stop and look back.

“Brother…” Qin Xiaoyu stood at the door, thin and small, her face streaked with tears, her long black hair cascading down, making her look even shorter, like a little girl who had suffered a lot of grievances.

"I understand, go in, please go in quickly. I owe you, I owe you for the rest of my life, okay!" Qiao Si waved his hands forcefully a few times and left without looking back.

Qin Xiaoyu tried not to make a sound and quietly climbed into bed.

"What time is it? Why are you only coming back now?" Master Wang murmured, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep.

Qin Xiaoyu pulled the blanket up to her chin and thought carefully about what had happened that night. She felt cold one moment and hot the next, as if she were being baptized in ice and fire.

She cried twice that night, facing two different men. Perhaps these were the two people in the world who were the best to her.

Don't hurt them.

Qin Xiaoyu silently made a vow.

The next morning, Tang Wenwen blocked Qin Xiaoyu's bed. She woke up late, and everyone in the dormitory went out to do their own thing, but she was still leaning against her pillow, lost in thought.

"Sister-in-law! You're amazing, you managed to win Zhou Xing over?" Tang Wenwen's loud voice startled Qin Xiaoyu, who quickly covered her mouth.

"Don't talk nonsense, that's not true!" Qin Xiaoyu was so frightened that she jumped off the bed and slammed the door shut.

"Let's not beat around the bush, sister-in-law, don't take me for a fool, tell me the truth." Tang Wenwen was not someone to be trifled with, and had no intention of leaving.

"Something happened when I went to the provincial capital, so..." Qin Xiaoyu could only recount the dangerous incident in the provincial capital.

"My God, sister-in-law, you're really in deep trouble. Have you thought about the consequences?" Tang Wenwen was terrified.

"Wenwen, you're entangled with Jingtian, and now you're asking me to think about the consequences? Is that right?"

“It’s different. Although Jing Tian and I are separated by a ditch, it’s not as high as the mountain that separates you and Zhou Xing. You can’t cross it, and it will only cause you more trouble. I advise you to give up.”

"I never intended to develop this any further, so it's over now." Qin Xiaoyu gave a wry smile.

"But speaking of which, how did you manage to subdue Zhou Xing? I'm really curious. You were able to melt that block of ice in him. Sister-in-law, you're really something!"

"Stop making fun of me. I'd rather he never existed."

"Don't say that too soon. Before I met Jing Tian, ​​I wasn't an invincible female warrior. But now?"

"Yeah, I found out yesterday. Their relationship is really complicated. What are you going to do?"

“After he goes abroad, he will break up with me soon. A few months or a year later, Bai Weiwei will go abroad to find him, and they will get married after dating for a year or less. When he returns to China, he will have an American baby.” Tang Wenwen said dreamily.

"So you knew all along." Qin Xiaoyu never expected Tang Wenwen to be so clear-headed.

"Sister-in-law, do you really think I'm a fool?"

"I used to think you were very smart, but ever since Jing Tian appeared, I felt like your IQ had been reset to zero. Fortunately, it's back now."

“I know Jing Tian better than anyone. I’m not his last, nor is Bai Weiwei. In his life, I’m nothing. But to me, he is a ray of light. Without him, there would be no awakening of me.”

"It's not that magical!" Qin Xiaoyu couldn't stand it anymore and protested.

"Hearing my sister-in-law say that, I realized I've never truly loved. When you love someone, you meet the best version of yourself. So he helped me find that version of myself. If he hadn't come, I would have been just an ordinary girl, pursuing my dreams and living an ordinary life. But since he came, I'm no longer the same person; I'm a brand new life. When he takes his final bow, I will let him go, but I will always remember him and be grateful to him." Tang Wenwen smiled slightly.

"What kind of theory is this?" Qin Xiaoyu was dumbfounded.

"So, you should thank the person who helped you grow. Sister-in-law, you should also thank the man who hurt you in your past life."

"Damn it!"

"What do you mean? Is this an insult?"

"I learned Sichuan dialect from my college roommate," Qin Xiaoyu said with a mischievous smile.

"Sister-in-law, you're so cute when you're not pretending to be mature. No wonder Zhou Xing is infatuated with you."

"Let's not mention this anymore, and we shouldn't mention it again, okay? Let's just pretend nothing ever happened."

"Hehe, if you put it that way, I really think I'm being selfish. You also have the right to be loved, and the right to love others. If you really like Zhou Xing, then give it a try. Anyway, no matter what, I'll stand by you." Tang Wenwen's words moved Qin Xiaoyu, but also saddened her. Their paths in love were destined to be bumpy.