Chapter 9 Chapter 9 A Blow in the Head (Additional Updates

Xia Qingwan was half-asleep, thinking she was dreaming. Through the dazzling sunlight, Ye Peixiu stood under the back porch, his hands in his pockets, looking casual, as if he was looking at her.

In the haze, she only felt that he was pleasing to the eye.

He is indeed a pleasing man to the eye.

His every move exudes nobility and elegance, calmness and affability, and a natural composure.

Her vision became blurry again. After an unknown amount of time, Grandma Xi came to wake her up and asked her to go back to her room to sleep.

"Mrs. Liang and Mr. Ye were here just now. Mr. Ye saw you sleeping here and asked me to wake you up," Grandma Xi said, looking her up and down. "Are you not bitten by mosquitoes?"

"No."

Xia Qingwan regained her senses. "Mr. Ye has come to the backyard?"

"I saw him standing in the corridor for a while. They didn't stay long today. Mrs. Liang sat for a while and then left."

Xia Qingwan lowered her eyes and smiled, sighing softly, "It's really rare that Grandma and Grandma Liang have such a good relationship."

"Yes, for so many years, she came here almost every month or two. You don't know, during the most difficult years for our family, Mrs. Liang came to visit from time to time. At that time, her legs and feet were still very agile. She always drove over without telling her family, but she couldn't help crying every time she came."

Xia Qingwan had heard about the difficulties the Xia family had faced in those years after Xia Xili and Old Man Xia passed away. If the situation had not been dire, Xia Huiqing would never have sent his own granddaughter to be fostered in the south.

Grandma Xi said as she thought about it, "It's a pity that I won't be able to see her for a while."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, are you half asleep? The old lady is going to stay with her sister in her mother's family in the south for two months. Have you forgotten?"

Oh right.

I just woke up and my mind is still a little groggy. I forgot that I helped my grandma pack her luggage in the morning.

Grandma Xi couldn't help but sigh when she talked about this. "That Mr. Ye also said that if needed, he would help take care of our family. I found it rare to hear that. It's rare for someone with his family background to be so approachable."

"...What kind of family background? Is it something extraordinary?"

Xia Qingwan looked a little bewildered and joked with a smile.

"The Ye family, silly girl, you're really oblivious to what's happening outside," Grandma Xi poked her forehead with a smile and said in a low voice, "Don't you think about why the old lady scolded Mingzhou and told him to stop talking about the Ye family last time?"

Xia Qingwan was focused solely on her final exams, her mind filled with definitions and interpretations of various terms, and she didn't listen to anything Xia Mingzhou was saying.

Now, thanks to Grandma Xi's prompting, she was shocked and finally connected the legendary Ye family with Ye Peixiu.

He actually came from the Ye family, which had been enjoying wealth and prosperity for generations?

Judging from his age, he is the eldest grandson of the Ye family who is rumored to be very powerful and difficult to meet.

"I'm going to prepare dinner."

Grandma Xi said.

"good."

Xia Qingwan returned to her room and received a call from her brother Xia Mingzhou while changing clothes.

"Qingwan, have you left yet? Do I need someone to pick you up?"

"I'm changing and leaving soon. No need to pick me up, I can just take a taxi."

"Okay," someone came over to greet him as he was speaking. Xia Mingzhou said, "Then I'll greet the guests first."

After hanging up the phone, Xia Qingwan went downstairs to tell her grandmother and Grandma Xi, and then went out to hail a taxi to the party.

Today is Lin Xiangyu's 21st birthday, and Xia Mingzhou booked a bar in Bar Street to hold a birthday party for her.

Xia Mingzhou even valued this party more than Lin Xiangyu herself, and invited all the important people he had connections with to give her face.

Xia Qingwan rushed to the bar and saw several young ladies whom she had met last time in Beiguanfang Hutong, sitting in the booth and ordering songs boredly.

She found Lin Xiangyu in the crowd, greeted her, and presented her with the gift she had brought.

"Happy birthday, Sister Xiang Yu."

Lin Xiangyu was taller than her and ruffled her hair. "Thank you, Qingwan."

"Where's my brother?"

"He's probably greeting customers. I haven't seen him since I arrived at the bar."

As he was speaking, Xia Mingzhou's voice came from afar, "Xiang Yu, come over and say hello."

"They're here."

Lin Xiangyu responded and said to Xia Qingwan, "Please sit down first. I'll come talk to you later."

Xia Qingwan nodded.

The lobby on the first floor was noisy. Several young ladies surrounded two male models, laughing, screaming and poking their abdominal muscles.

Xia Qingwan ordered a non-alcoholic drink and sipped it slowly while standing at the bar.

I don't know who ordered an old rock song, and a hoarse and old male voice hummed slowly.

She knew this singer, who was active in the same era as her father Xia Xili.

She lowered her eyes and listened silently.

During the chorus, a hoarse male voice suddenly rose to a high pitch. Xia Qingwan felt a tingling sensation in her heart. Suddenly, someone flashed in front of her and said, "Hey, Xia Qingwan."

She raised her head.

The visitor was Xia Mingzhou's friend, Qiao Yingxuan. His sister Qiao Yingxue was studying directing and screenwriting at the China Film Academy. Both the brother and sister were born with good looks, and their tempers were even more domineering than those of ordinary young ladies from wealthy families.

Xia Qingwan nodded as a greeting.

Qiao Yingxuan ordered a glass of wine and smiled at her while drinking, "Why don't you go play with them?"

"I'm not familiar with any of them."

"You'll get to know each other after you play together," Qiao Yingxuan said with a smile. "Shall I take you? Let me introduce you to someone."

"Thank you, but no need."

"Oh, by the way, it's my birthday next month, come visit!"

Qiao Yingxuan said.

"I won't be in Beijing next month, so I can't go. Sorry."

"Going out to play? Where to?"

"No, it's a field survey organized by the institute."

"Going to the countryside," Qiao Yingxuan's smile deepened. "You're such a good student." He looked her up and down and commented, "You're different."

Xia Qingwan put down his wine glass and said, "I'm going to the bathroom."

After saying that, he turned and left.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly remembered that the last time Xia Mingzhou called her, the male voice chattering beside her was Qiao Yingxuan.

He has a high-pitched voice with a strong Beijing accent, which is very recognizable.

It wasn't just Qiao Yingxuan; most of Xia Mingzhou's rich kid friends were always urging him to bring his sister out for a chat.

The gossip and snippets of information behind the scenes occasionally reached Xia Qingwan's ears.

However, she has her own way to go, and other things have nothing to do with her, so she doesn't take them to heart.

The bathroom was spacious and bright, and Xia Qingwan was in a daze in the cubicle.

After a while, I heard a burst of laughter coming in, and the sound of girls' high heels approaching. "Hey, the girl from Mingzhou is here, did you see her?"

"She's here too? I didn't see her."

"Your second brother even went over to talk to her, but she didn't even give him a smile. It's hilarious."

"My second brother?!"

Qiao Yingxue was surprised, "Pah, my second brother wouldn't fall for her, would he?"

"That's hard to say. I overheard a few guys talking about her the other day, and they all looked incredibly envious."

"Tacky!"

Qiao Yingxue said with disgust, "These men are so vulgar and cheap. They usually look down on all the women who throw themselves at them, but when they see someone who's pretentious and pretends to be pure and proud, they all act like they've found a rare treasure and shamelessly cling to her."

This remark caused the others to burst into laughter.

Some people said, "That's right." "It's not cheap at all."

Several people were probably touching up their makeup; Xia Qingwan could hear the hissing sound of the spray.

I heard someone mention it again, "Hey, I heard a piece of gossip."

"Don't be mysterious, just tell me what you have to say."

"There's something going on with Mr. Ye." His voice lowered a bit. "I heard that a while ago, he took a girl out to dinner, and they were talking and laughing."

"What kind of girl? How old is she?"

"She seems to be a college student. I heard that she is very, very beautiful and has a very good temperament."

Someone, whether out of dissatisfaction or intentional provocation, said, "Prettier than Yingxue? I don't believe it."

"Hahaha, Yingxue is just a little beauty, but that girl seems to be a rare beauty."

"Shut up!"

Qiao Yingxue got angry, "Are you guys ever going to stop? What does it have to do with me if Mr. Ye plays around with a female college student? Don't drag me into this, or I'll tear your mouths off."

A little follower coaxed her repeatedly, and the people dispersed in twos and threes.

Once silence returned, Xia Qingwan pushed open the door to the cubicle.

When I walked over to wash my hands, I saw Qiao Yingxue leaning on the dressing table at the other end of the sink, with her head down, angrily tapping on her phone screen.

Hearing the sound, Qiao Yingxue looked up.

Realizing that her words had probably been overheard, her face flushed red and then turned pale. She snapped, "Are you crazy? Hiding here to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

"What did you say?"

Xia Qingwan said lightly.

"You dare say you didn't hear me?" Qiao Yingxue stood up straight, walked over angrily, pointed at her and said, "You better watch out! If you dare to go out and talk nonsense, see how I deal with you."

Xia Qingwan didn't want to waste her energy on these trivial matters and didn't want to argue with her, but Qiao Yingxue kept pressing her and insisted that she bow her head and apologize.

She tilted her head back, avoiding Qiao Yingxue's finger, and looked quietly into her eyes, saying, "I have no interest in your gossip, nor in spreading rumors. Instead of wasting your time with me, why don't you think about who brought up the topic of you when you were talking just now?"

These words stunned Qiao Yingxue.

Xia Qingwan brushed her hand away and walked past her.

-

Lin Xiangyu and Xia Mingzhou were surrounded by a crowd and difficult to approach, so Xia Qingwan sent them each a message and then took a taxi home.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She should have realized that a man who possesses such a calm and relaxed demeanor at the age of 27 must not come from an ordinary family background.

Normally, men of this age, who have just graduated for three to five years, are either busy preparing for the future or have developed sophisticated and tactful skills. If they had not been living a life of luxury and admiration since childhood, it would be difficult for them to be so calm and composed in the face of the bright moon and breeze.

Upon careful reflection, she realized that in the two years since she came to Beijing, she had heard countless people talk about Mr. Ye.

Grandma and Grandma Xi talked about it inadvertently, Xia Mingzhou and Lin Xiangyu mentioned it, and the young men and women around Xia Mingzhou all talked about it in whispers.

She was just as Grandma Xi said, turning a deaf ear to what was happening outside. As for all the gossip, she just ignored it and never took it to heart.

When I think about it carefully now, the fragments of words gradually overlap, like a blow to the head.

Mr. Ye is not someone she should contact.

A note from the author:

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