Chapter 61
The air pressure around them suddenly dropped several degrees. Qiao Yu looked up in horror, "Auntie! Who are you on board with?!"
Mrs. Qiao held her chopsticks, and couldn't help but want to rub her temples. She wasn't afraid of trouble, nor was she afraid of anyone, but she was an EVA, and after all, she had a natural aversion to alphas other than her husband, especially top-tier alphas like Bai Yiyu and Ye Yunjian.
No matter how strong she was, she couldn't stand the strong scent of pheromones on the two of them.
Gently putting down her chopsticks, Madam Qiao said expressionlessly, "I'll go check on the kitchen. You all eat first." Glancing at Qiao Yu, Madam Qiao said indifferently, "Yu Yu, take good care of the guests, don't just think about yourself."
She was leaving too, and Qiao Yu immediately looked up pitifully, already mentally rehearsing Er Kang's hand gestures and touching scenes of life and death separations. Unfortunately, with several people staring at her intently, she didn't dare to move at all, and could only plead for help from Madam Qiao with her eyes.
To her surprise, the other person only glanced at her with pity before turning away and walking into the kitchen without a second thought.
Qiao Yu choked, her gaze cautiously meeting Ye Yunjian's. He smiled faintly, casually picking up the tea Aunt Zhang had poured for her and taking a small sip. Sensing her probing, the woman's amorous eyes flickered, her smile deepening, a hint of affection that made one blush and their heart race.
The moment their eyes met, the girl's cheeks flushed. Lu Shangyi frowned slightly, her fingertips subtly tracing the tabletop. Her eyes were lowered, her emotions half-hidden, mysterious and unfathomable.
Bai Yiyu lifted her eyelids, her deep and gentle face as usual, but the color in her eyes was somewhat profound.
Like a dangerous cheetah, it lies in wait, quietly lurking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Qiao Yu quickly looked away, pursed her rosy lips, and seeing Ye Yunjian put down his teacup, she quickly got up and picked up the purple clay teapot, "Let me add some more for you."
Ye Yunjian looked at her smiling and asked teasingly, "I finally made it all this way, and all you're offering me is water?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "Are you deliberately trying to prevent me from having a full stomach?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yu immediately put down her purple clay teapot, picked up the serving chopsticks, and piled a bowl of food, a generous mix of meat and vegetables, for her. "Aunt Ye, is this enough?" she asked expectantly. Ye Yunjian glanced at the food in the bowl, then stared at her intently, saying softly, word by word, "Are you feeding pigs?"
Pfft.
Qiao Yu almost burst out laughing, but after glancing at the other person's forced smile, she quickly suppressed her laughter. "How could that be? I was just worried that Aunt Ye wouldn't have enough to eat."
The girl's eyes crinkled into a smile, and as she tried to suppress her laughter, the snow-white skin on her neck and face glowed with an alluring pink, like it was coated with a layer of pink pearly luster. The two were so intimate, as if no one else was around, the atmosphere just right so that no one could intrude.
Lu Shangyi raised her eyes and stared at the two of them for a moment before suddenly lowering her head. Her expression was somewhat unnatural; she furrowed her brows slightly, and her delicate face paled slightly. Qiao Yu immediately abandoned Ye Yunjian and rushed over anxiously, deliberately lowering her voice, "Sister?"
Lu Shangyi remained silent for a long time, and Qiao Yu became anxious. "Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you back to rest?"
Without giving Lu Shangyi a chance to refuse, she quickly helped her up from her seat. "Aunt Ye, Aunt Bai, I'll take Sister Lu home first. You two eat, don't worry about me."
Her voice was anxious. Ye Yunjian lifted his eyelids and stood up as well, "I'll help you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Qiao Yu refused, "No need, Sister Lu doesn't really like being around alphas." After saying that, she looked at Ye Yunjian seriously and said, "Egas during their feverish period are most afraid of alphas." Maybe Sister Lu is feeling so uncomfortable right now because of the influence of the two of them.
Although she didn't say the second half of her sentence, Ye Yunjian clearly understood. Seeing Qiao Yu's firm stance, Ye Yunjian couldn't say anything. Staring at the scene of her intimately embracing Lu Shangyi as they left, Ye Yunjian felt utterly displeased.
Ye Yunjian rolled up his sleeves and sat back down in his chair. He turned to Bai Yiyu and asked, "Has she always been like this?"
Bai Yiyu's eyelids twitched slightly, and she thought for two seconds before replying, "Just recently."
Their eyes met for a moment, then they looked away. Ye Yunjian casually crossed his arms and said, "Shouldn't she be getting married?"
Bai Yiyu laughed upon hearing this, "Who in the whole world would dare to marry her?"
After a brief silence, Ye Yunjian smiled and turned to the other person, his smile polite and gentlemanly. He was met with a cold expression from Bai Yiyu, but Ye Yunjian didn't mind. He lowered his voice, a hint of amusement in it, and said, "You two are a perfect match, aren't you?"
Bai Yiyu retorted, "Aren't you the same?"
“One is a powerful and wealthy woman who can make the most of the capital, and the other is a helpless parasitic plant surrounded by enemies. Isn’t that a perfect match?” Bai Yiyu smiled slightly. “She runs away while you chase, and you chase while she runs away. Neither of you can escape.”
Ye Yunjian remained expressionless: "..."
Dodder? Even if all the EGAs in the world are dodder, Lu Shangyi could never be a dodder.
Mandala is more like it.
An eerie silence fell over the room. Mrs. Qiao and Aunt Zhang came out with the freshly cooked dishes and noticed the awkward atmosphere. "Where's Yuyu?"
Ye Yunjian lifted his eyelids slightly. "I'm leaving."
Qiao Yu sneezed violently twice. Lu Shangyi stopped, enduring the discomfort, and with one hand raised, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. Despite the cold winter, she was drenched in sweat. Qiao Yu watched anxiously, but Lu Shangyi gritted his teeth and remained silent, quickly walking towards the spiral staircase.
When they reached the spiral staircase, she frowned deeply and suddenly stopped. "Go open the third door of my wardrobe. There's a hidden compartment behind the wooden panel in the lower right corner. Press it to open it, and you'll see a safe. The password is your birthday."
Her dark eyes remained fixed on Qiao Yu. "Bring me the syringes and medicine inside."
She blurted out so much in one breath that Qiao Yu stood there, stunned and unable to react. It wasn't until Lu Shangyi, as if using all her strength, said, "Go quickly!" that she suddenly realized what was happening and took off running. She was in such a hurry that she didn't think much of it until she brought down what Lu Shangyi needed and watched her large hands tremble slightly as she injected the medicine into her body. Only then did she realize that something was wrong.
Lu Shangyi pursed her lips, and after noticing Qiao Yu's hesitant expression, her tense face remained expressionless.
If someone is caught doing this a second time, even the dumbest person would realize what's happening.
Lu Shangyi closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she had regained her usual composed demeanor. After carefully collecting the syringe and broken medicine bottle, Lu Shangyi turned her head, leaning on the sofa with one hand, and asked, "Don't you have anything to ask?"
Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Lu Shangyi's tightly pursed lips tightened even more.
She had already prepared to confess, but to her surprise, the girl's eyes suddenly lit up like stars as she looked at her expectantly. "Sister, your safe's combination..." Qiao Yu scratched her cheek, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy, "Why is it my birthday?"
Lu Shangyi couldn't quite describe the intense sense of loss and complex emotions she felt at that moment.
Not knowing whether she should breathe a sigh of relief, a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes. "What do you think?"
She leaned closer, her husky voice, warm with breath, gently touching Qiao Yu's ear, "Naturally because..." She paused, and just as Qiao Yu's heart involuntarily jumped, she finally uttered the last three words, "I like you."
Lu Shangyi lowered her eyes. "Do you believe me?"
Of course she believed it! Absolutely! Qiao Yu immediately grasped Lu Shangyi's hand, her face filled with emotion: "Sister Lu, once we're sisters, we're sisters for life. From now on, you'll be my best sister in this world!" Qiao Yu held Lu Shangyi's fingers tightly, "Don't worry, when I get home, I'll change my safe's combination to your birthday!"
Lu Shangyi fell silent, “…”
Seeing that she didn't speak, Qiao Yu assumed that she felt her sincerity wasn't enough, so she tentatively asked, "Then two?"
Lu Shangyi was silent for a long time. "You have two safes?"
“No.” Qiao Yu shook her head and told the truth, “I have a total of five safes.”
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Lu Shangyi said expressionlessly, "Then let's change all five to my birthday." Seeing that Qiao Yu was about to object, she smiled slightly, "After all, I only have one in my family."
Qiao Yu agreed. She figured that since the safe was at her own home, changing it to Lu Shangyi's birthday wouldn't prevent her from using it, so she went along with the woman's wishes. Besides, Lu Shangyi was a patient now, and she couldn't afford to upset her further.
After a few minutes, Lu Shangyi's complexion improved considerably. Qiao Yu diligently prepared hot water for her, found her clothes, and dried her hair. By the time she helped her lie down, almost an hour had passed.
The woman finally fell asleep. Qiao Yu quietly closed the door and left. When she went back, Bai Yiyu and Ye Yunjian had already left.
Mrs. Qiao stared at her coldly, "Does it take this long to send someone away?"
"Oh, Mom, the situation is special," Qiao Yu said with a grin, then looked around a few times. "Mom, you didn't leave me any food."
She cried out in utter grief, "Am I still your biological child?!"
Mrs. Qiao's head was throbbing from her noise, and she waved her hand impatiently, saying, "Keep it, go eat in the side room yourself."
Qiao Yu took two steps, then stopped. Mrs. Qiao became alert, but then heard her daughter ask in confusion, "Daddy hasn't come back yet?"
She breathed a sigh of relief. "No, something came up at the company."
Qiao Yu nodded in sudden realization and walked into the side hall. Aunt Zhang brought out the food that had been kept warm and whispered to her, "Yu Yu, you'd better try to appease President Ye and Yi Yu tomorrow. You don't know, they almost came looking for you with knives when you didn't come back for a long time."
She shuddered immediately, and Qiao Yu asked with a hint of disbelief, "Really?"
Aunt Zhang blinked. "Why would I lie to you?" she said. "If you don't believe me, then don't go looking for them. Just wait for them to come looking for you later."
...I reckon by the time they find me, I'll be close to my death.
Aunt Zhang went to her room to watch TV, while Qiao Yu shoveled food into her mouth without saying a word. Her sudden quietness made the system uneasy, and this unease reached its peak when Qiao Yu quietly put down her chopsticks.
She slowly pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth, and said in an ambiguous tone, "This world has really surprised me quite a bit."
The system's heart skipped a beat. Had the host discovered it?
It wanted to play dead, but couldn't resist its curiosity, so it hesitantly asked, "For example?"
Qiao Yu just smiled, then got up, stretched, and yawned. "I'm sleepy." Touching her stomach, a hint of regret appeared on Qiao Yu's face. "I accidentally ate too much."
The system didn't dare to respond, but followed behind her eagerly, its curiosity almost driving it crazy.
Does the host know or not?
Qiao Yu slept very well that night. As soon as she opened her eyes, she sent a "good morning" message to Lu Shangyi, Ye Yunjian, Bai Yiyu, Song Wanzi, and Jiang Mei. Jiang Mei glanced at her phone without making a sound, but had no mind to reply. Lu Shangyi was sitting opposite her, Lu Shenghui was next to her, and Lu Yi and his wife were in the main seats.
Several people were discussing company matters when Lu Shenghui spoke first: "My sister is an adult now, so shouldn't we adjust the company's shares as well?"
The atmosphere in the study was so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Jiang Mei clenched her fingers and remained silent. She had no right to speak here, so she only needed to listen quietly.
Mrs. Lu's face darkened slightly, as if she was displeased. "My sister is still young, she hasn't even graduated from high school yet, what's the rush?" She said, "It's not too late to readjust things after she graduates from university."
"Graduated from university?" Lu Shenghui said slowly, "I planned to find her a marriage partner after she graduated from high school."
The man spoke slowly and deliberately, his deep voice carrying a hint of threat, "Wouldn't it be too late to break up then?"
"Since we're going to separate sooner or later anyway, what's the difference between separating sooner or later?"
Lu Yi naturally chimed in, "Of course there's a difference."
Madam Lu was so angry she couldn't speak. She knew they wouldn't give up easily. Gritting her teeth, Madam Lu said coldly, "Lu Yi, don't forget, that one-third of the shares was my dowry. I can do with it however I want." She enunciated each word heavily, "You have no right to interfere."
The atmosphere instantly became tense, and both of them looked rather unpleasant.
Madam Lu was unyielding. "If you dare to covet my betrothal gifts," she said with a slight smile. "Then I won't mind going back to my parents' home for a few days."
Her threat was blatant and aboveboard, and although Lu Yi was angry and embarrassed, he was helpless. In recent years, the two companies had close business ties, and any small move by the other would have a significant impact on the company.
Since Mrs. Lu's shares were untouchable, the man started targeting Lu Shangyi's share, saying, "Shangyi, what do you think?"
All eyes turned to her. Upon hearing this, Lu Shangyi slowly raised her eyes. "Give mine to my sister," she said calmly. "I'll have someone come over this afternoon to handle the formalities."
She agreed so quickly that Jiang Mei stared at her in astonishment, her lips trembling slightly. But one cold glance from Lu Shenghui silenced all her words, leaving only a barely audible "Thank you, Auntie."
Lu Shangyi's original shares were not many, but they were more than enough for Jiang Mei.
However, Lu Shangyi still held the share that belonged to Madam Lu, which still made Lu Shenghui wary. Fortunately, after taking over Jiang Mei's share, he was able to surpass Lu Shangyi and occupy an absolute dominant position in the company.
After the meeting ended, Jiang Mei lingered and didn't leave. Lu Shangyi raised his chin and asked, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Jiang Mei stood awkwardly in front of her, without saying a word. After a moment of silence, Lu Shangyi stood up, a smile in her eyes, "What you can hold onto is yours; everything else is fleeting."
At the time, Jiang Mei didn't understand. It wasn't until the afternoon, when Lu Shenghui confidently stated that he would hold her shares on her behalf while she was still in school, that Jiang Mei realized what was happening. She looked at Lu Shangyi, whose expression remained calm, as if he had long anticipated this outcome.
Watching helplessly as the promised item from Lu Shangyi fell into the man's hands, Jiang Mei slowly lowered her head.
The share transfer went smoothly, and Lu Shenghui's position in the company became much more secure. Looking at his daughter, who had been keeping her head down and remaining silent, Lu Shenghui asked, "I heard you've been getting quite close to Mu Siyan lately?"
Jiang Mei raised her head but didn't speak. Lu Shenghui didn't want to hear her answer either, "Keep it up, her father is very useful to me."
Jiang Mei stared at his back quietly for a long time before picking up her phone to reply to Qiao Yu's message, "Good morning."
Qiao Yu rubbed her eyes. "You just got up? It's almost evening!"
"No, I've been busy just now," Jiang Mei typed calmly. She gripped her phone tightly, her raven-feather-like eyelashes drooping, a hint of struggle appearing in her eyes.
Qiao Yu tapped the screen. "Take care and get some rest."
After a soft "hmm" in response, there was no further news. Qiao Yu scratched her cheek, went downstairs, and walked over to Aunt Zhang, saying, "Aunt Zhang, could you make me some pastries? I'll take a portion to Auntie."
Aunt Zhang immediately put down her phone with interest, her eyes sparkling with gossip. But before she could even ask, someone else had already asked, "Which auntie are you referring to?"
Qiao Yu turned around and saw Lu Shangyi leaning against the door, quietly watching her. His clear black and white eyes held a hint of a smile. Qiao Yu pursed her full lips and said softly, "Of course it's Aunt Ye and Aunt Bai."
"Besides them, do I like any other aunties?"
Author's Note: System: Yes, you like it, you like it very much. Sister Qiao has begun to repeatedly test the limits of danger.
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