Chapter 58
Mrs. Qiao's sharp eyes immediately swept over the two of them.
Bai Yiyu pursed her lips, and when she spoke again, her tone carried a hint of helplessness, "I meant for your mother to hand it to you; I'm too far away to reach it."
Qiao Yu: "..." This is so embarrassing.
Under her mother's murderous glare, Qiao Yu braced herself and took the water glass from her hand to change the subject, "Mom, have you ordered yet? I'd like to see the menu too."
Upon hearing this, the other person immediately retorted without any politeness, "You look like a menu to me."
Qiao Yu caught a glimpse of Bai Yiyu out of the corner of her eye. She seemed about to laugh, but because the timing and occasion were inappropriate, she forced herself to hold it back. However, the slight curve of her eyes still betrayed her emotions. When Bai Yiyu smiled, she seemed much more approachable, and even her deep-set eyes appeared gentler.
This person, who is usually so cold and aloof, now has a soft look in his eyes. The stark contrast makes one feel as if a strong hand is gripping their chest, almost causing them to succumb on the spot.
Qiao Yu carefully compared Bai Yiyu's gentleness with Lu Shangyi's. Bai Yiyu's gentleness was different from Lu Shangyi's. The former was gentle from the inside out, becoming completely harmless in an instant, catching people off guard and captivating them before they could even react. The latter, on the other hand, appeared gentle on the surface, but was actually incredibly strong at heart. Lu Shangyi's personality was a perfect blend of gentleness and strength, like spring rain nourishing things silently. Even if one sensed something, there was still no power to resist.
As she was carefully comparing the menus, a menu was suddenly thrown in front of her. Mrs. Qiao said coldly, "Looking at the menu? What are you looking at, woman?"
"Can looking at women fill your stomach?"
“Of course!” Qiao Yu retorted reflexively. “If I read Aunt Bai’s words more carefully, maybe she’ll be so happy that she’ll feed me herself?”
Mrs. Qiao sneered, "If you really want to do this, I can break your hand right now and grant you this little New Year's wish."
Qiao Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. "?" How could you be so heartless! I'm your own daughter!
However, she didn't dare stare directly at the woman anymore, and quietly lowered her eyelashes to carefully scan the menu. Bai Yiyu withdrew her gaze from Qiao Yu and was just about to change her posture when she noticed her old classmate's burning gaze looking over.
Even though the other person had no expression, Bai Yiyu could still sense a subtle feeling on their face that said, "My little cabbage has been eaten by a pig, and I'm very unhappy now."
Bai Yiyu coughed lightly, clenching her fist, and looked away, avoiding her old classmate's accusing gaze.
It wasn't that Mrs. Qiao disliked Bai Yiyu; she simply felt: "I consider you a friend, and you want to be my daughter-in-law." Although she had prepared herself mentally and was quite satisfied with Bai Yiyu, these two feelings didn't conflict.
After all, it was a pig that I had painstakingly raised for more than ten years. It would be hard not to feel a little upset if it was suddenly taken away by someone else.
Once this feeling arose, Mrs. Qiao truly couldn't stand her old classmate no matter what.
Even though Bai Yiyu used to be someone without any flaws in her eyes, she could still find fault with her and point out some flaws that weren't even real flaws.
Qiao Yu was terrified during the meal. She couldn't understand why her two friends had suddenly become so hostile. After glancing around several times and confirming that it was only Ms. Qiao's displeasure, Qiao Yu suddenly realized what was going on. She quickly moved closer to her and whispered earnestly, "Mom, don't worry, you'll always be my only mom."
Mrs. Qiao turned her head expressionlessly, her eyes devoid of emotion as she looked at her. "You're like someone whose brain has been through a blender."
Qiao Yu blinked, “…?”
A moment later, she quietly left Ms. Qiao, saying, "As expected of you, my mother, even your cursing is so elegant."
Mrs. Qiao was too lazy to pay attention to her and turned back to chat with Bai Yiyu about the rest of the matter as if nothing had happened. Qiao Yu felt listless eating alone, so she played on her phone while eating. She had been under Lu Shangyi's tight control and had been exploited a lot in the past two days, so she was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and really didn't have much time to go online.
When she opened the app, she realized that no sooner had she and Lu Shangyi left than Song Wanzi was discharged from the hospital.
Because of this sudden move, rumors began circulating online that Song Wanzi was going to retire from the entertainment industry, with particularly outrageous reasons: she was being forced by her family to marry the daughter of the Qiao family, which was actually her. These people were making it sound very convincing, and even rumors spread that some relatives had already received invitations.
Qiao Yu was astonished. "Is that so? How come I didn't know?"
Seeing this, the system quickly said, "These people are just bored and have nothing better to do. Host, please don't take them to heart."
If this were taken seriously, it would be a serious matter.
After saying that, it lowered its eyes and, sure enough, found Qiao Yu's face full of disappointment.
It breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been even a fraction later, the host might have sneaked into the other person's bed that very night and taken advantage of them.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed, but for the sake of Song Wanzi's reputation, Qiao Yu still posted a righteous rebuttal to the rumor, saying, "Spreading rumors is a legal offense. I advise everyone to be careful with their words and actions and not to make things up."
As expected, no one discussed it anymore after the blog post was published, which pleased Qiao Yu greatly.
Lu Shangyi stared at Qiao Yu's clarification statement and curled her lips slightly before putting her phone aside and continuing to work.
Those present tonight are all high-ranking executives from Lu's Southwest region, and 90% of them are Lu Shenghui's confidants. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let her come alone so confidently.
Qiao Yu wanted to spend more time with Bai Yiyu, but Ms. Qiao was acting out of character, keeping a closer eye on her than on her own dog. So, let alone being alone with Bai Yiyu, with Ms. Qiao standing between them, she could barely see her at all.
Just as she stood on tiptoe, intending to strike up a conversation, Ms. Qiao suddenly noticed and turned around, saying, "You go to the car first."
"And what about you guys?"
She didn't reply, but instead narrowed her eyes dangerously and stared at her. Qiao Yu weighed her options for a moment. There would be plenty of time in the future, and she would have many more opportunities to meet Bai Yiyu. There was no need to rush. So she obediently said goodbye, turned around, and got into the car.
The two stood in the dim light, talking about something. Occasionally, Bai Yiyu's deep gaze would drift over, carrying a meaning that Qiao Yu couldn't understand. Every time Bai Yiyu looked over, Qiao Yu would carefully strike a pose, trying to leave the most perfect impression on the other person.
Ten minutes later, the two finally separated and got into their own cars.
After the car started, Qiao Yu leaned closer curiously. "Mom, you weren't saying bad things about me to Aunt Bai, were you?"
Mrs. Qiao looked over coldly and gave a forced, insincere laugh.
Qiao Yu immediately switched into her dramatic persona, "No! No matter what you said to Aunt Bai, even if mountains crumble and the heavens and earth unite, we two will never be separated!" She pulled a bank card from her bag and slapped it on Mrs. Qiao's leg, saying arrogantly, "Here's five million for you, to agree to my marriage with Aunt Bai."
Finally, she added, "I advise you not to be ungrateful."
Ega narrowed her eyes slightly, her beautiful eyes sweeping over Qiao Yu, who made a lot of noise but did little, and then over the bank card that was offered to her mouth. She hesitated, "Okay, I'll keep this card for you for now."
"If you don't get into Peking University during the college entrance exam, don't even think about getting this card back."
Qiao Yu: "?! ...
She immediately reached out to snatch the card back, but to her surprise, Mrs. Qiao, who usually seemed so gentle and mild-mannered, was anything but weak when she got going. Qiao Yu was instantly grabbed by the back of the neck. She cried out a few times and quickly begged for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong!"
Mrs. Qiao pinned her down with one hand and slowly approached, "Will you dare to do it again?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," she replied repeatedly.
The other party finally let go, and Qiao Yu tidied her appearance with mixed feelings. "I wonder who this world's EGA protection law is actually protecting."
She was oppressed by Lu Shangyi, and the EGA protection law couldn't protect her. She was lectured by her elderly mother, but the EGA protection law still couldn't protect her. She was furious. Qiao Yu hugged her arms angrily, and the system pinched the bridge of its nose, "Who told you, host, to always be at odds with EGA?"
What was said in jest was taken seriously by Qiao Yu, who immediately perked up her ears. "You mean you want me to get involved with alphas and betas?"
System: "!" I didn't! Don't misinterpret my meaning and stir up trouble everywhere!
Qiao Yu thought about it and agreed. She couldn't handle Lu Shangyi and Ms. Qiao, but surely she could handle an alpha?
With her eyes darting around, Qiao Yu smiled mischievously, silently calculating in her mind. Aunt Bai had already gone back, and Song Wanzi was too busy to be seen, so now only... Tang Shu was left!
She hadn't seen him in a long time.
Tang Shu suddenly shivered and glanced around in confusion. Everything seemed normal. Without thinking much of it, Tang Shu continued to pester the impatient Ega, "How can you be so cold-blooded and heartless? You were the one who pursued me, you were the one who said you liked me, but it's only been a few years and you've already fallen for someone else."
She circled around Meng E from every angle, saying, "Meng E, one shouldn't be so heartless and ungrateful."
Tang Shu's mouth never stopped, and Meng E was so annoyed by her that she stopped what she was doing. "Are you going to review or not? If you're not going to review, then get the hell out of here and go home."
Tang Shu stared at her in disbelief, her expression a mixture of grievance and sadness. "How could you say such rude things to me?"
"You never used to be like this."
"A woman's love is indeed fickle. When she likes you, you are the most adorable darling in the world. When she doesn't like you anymore, when she's annoyed, even your breathing is wrong. You have less dignity than a blade of grass by the roadside."
Meng E: "..." Please, please watch less idol dramas.
This guy is like a fly, you can't bring yourself to curse him, you can't shoo him away, and you can't beat him. He's so annoying. With a bit of anger, Meng E turned a page of the document, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and told herself to calm down. But when she opened her eyes, Tang Shu's magnified face was clearly in her line of sight, which startled her.
Tang Shu didn't think she was scary at all. She grabbed the girl who was about to back away, her eyes wide open innocently. "Meng E, tell me." Her tone was very serious. "Have you fallen for Qiao Yu and started having feelings for her?"
This was the same question again; she asked it several times a day. Meng'e was so annoyed that she frowned and said "yes" on the spot.
Tang Shu immediately wore an "I knew it" expression.
Qiao Yu stared at the two people standing very close together, quickly raised her hand to cover her eyes, and then peeked through her fingers again, "Am I disturbing you?"
She had only asked casually, but Tang Shu immediately strutted up to her like a rooster, gritting her teeth and saying, "Qiao Yu, let's fight now."
She looked at him with an expression that said, "It's either you or me today," leaving Qiao Yu completely bewildered. "?"
"No, thank you." Qiao Yu politely declined, puffing out her chest. "I'm sorry, but I'm a precious species protected by law. I'll pay you 100,000 yuan for each beating."
"One hundred thousand?!" Tang Shu shrieked, "Why don't you just rob someone?!"
However, she was really unwilling. She glared at Qiao Yu, who dressed up every day to seduce women, and smiled coldly, "Fine, 100,000 it is. It's not like I can't afford it."
Qiao Yu: "?!!!" This crazy woman.
She immediately took off running, "Tang Shu, did something happen to you today?"
Tang Shu relentlessly pursued her, shouting, "The hatred of having your wife stolen is irreconcilable!"
Tang Shu had finally found someone who liked her so passionately, but before she could even try to win him back, she was bewitched by that vixen Qiao Yu. Tang Shu wished she could peel off Qiao Yu's delicate, womanizing skin right then and there.
Finally, Meng E couldn't stand it any longer and stepped in to stop Tang Shu. She stood in front of Qiao Yu expressionlessly, her tone cold, "Tang Shu, haven't you made enough of a scene?"
Tang Shu was both angry and aggrieved by her protectiveness of Qiao Yu, but she didn't dare to anger Meng E any further. So she reached out her hand in a pitiful and ingratiating manner and hooked Meng E's finger with hers, "I'm sorry, I apologize to you."
Qiao Yu raised an eyebrow. "So, you've finally met your match?"
Tang Shu glared at her immediately, then sneered, "Don't worry, you can't escape either." She forced a smile, "In a couple of days I'll arrange for Aunt Bai, Ye Yunjian, Song Wanzi, and Lu Shangyi to have dinner at the same table." She smiled slightly, "Oh, right, and Jiang Mei too, right?"
"..." Qiao Yu raised her hand, trembling, "You have such a vicious mind, woman!"
Tang Shu smiled gently, "Likewise, likewise."
Upon seeing this, Qiao Yu immediately turned to Meng E, sobbing, and complained, "E'e, look at her!"
Meng E immediately raised her eyes coldly to look at Tang Shu, who was speechless.
After Qiao Yu presented the gift, Meng E's expression grew even happier. Tang Shu, seeing the two so intimately behaving as if no one else was around, became increasingly annoyed. With her arms crossed indignantly, Tang Shu glared at the girl beside Meng E. Besides being pretty, having fair skin, a slim waist, and long legs, what other redeeming qualities did Qiao Yu possess?
She flaunts herself in public every day, as if she's afraid people won't know she's still single.
The more Tang Shu thought about it, the angrier she became. She walked over with a stiff face, trying to blend into their world, but Meng E completely ignored her. Since Meng E wouldn't pay any attention to Tang Shu, Qiao Yu naturally ignored her as well, and instead asked, "How's your father's condition lately?"
"It's just like that," she said in a low voice, but Meng'e quickly perked up and smiled, "It's good sometimes and bad sometimes, but there's nothing too serious."
Thanks to Qiao Yu's help, her father was able to receive better treatment. Although his condition still fluctuated, it was much better than before. Meng E got up and took out a box. "Yu Yu, thank you."
Upon seeing this, Tang Shu's eyes reddened again.
She'd been pestering him for so long, but she hadn't even gotten a cup of milk tea, let alone a gift. But what about Qiao Yu? She received a thoughtful gift specially prepared by Meng E as soon as she arrived.
Tang Shu, standing next to her, was staring intently at her like a dog, which Qiao Yu found unbearable. And when she looked up, Tang Shu immediately bared her teeth, giving her a threatening look, clearly having turned into a dog.
Qiao Yu pinched the bridge of her nose, patted Meng E's shoulder with a sympathetic look, and said, "Get some rest, see you when school starts."
After Qiao Yu left, Tang Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but tease Qiao Yu, "What does she have that makes you so fond of her?"
Meng E didn't even look up when she heard this, as if she hadn't heard her at all, completely ignoring her. Tang Shu felt even more depressed seeing this. What bad luck! She had to run into such a flamboyant woman like Qiao Yu in her life.
While Lu Shangyi was away, the flamboyant Qiao Yu went out and had a wild time for several days, going from one party to another almost every day. In response to Lu Shangyi's daily inquiries about her progress, Qiao Yu would stay up all night to finish the next day's study assignments, take photos of them, and save them in her album. Whenever Lu Shangyi sent a message, she would obediently reply.
Since she was so obedient, Lu Shangyi didn't suspect anything else.
The matter of the Southwest regional branch has been completed. Although it took her a lot of effort, she has managed to get the most important people under her control. Lu Shangyi took a plane back ahead of time, but did not make a fuss. She only invited two or three confidants to a bar, ostensibly for pleasure, to discuss the follow-up matters.
After sitting down in the bar, Lu Shangyi didn't forget to send a message to Qiao Yu to supervise her studies, "Don't forget to practice the types of questions you got wrong before."
Qiao Yu had anticipated Lu Shangyi's response, so she immediately sent over the photos she had taken beforehand, saying, "It's being done now."
Ega, who was traveling with her, was very unhappy to see her looking at her phone while out having fun. "Looking at your phone while out having fun? What a spoilsport!"
Qiao Yu didn't take it seriously, only saying, "It's different. If I don't reply to the message, someone will die." After quickly replying, Qiao Yu picked up the cards again, "Come on, let's continue. I only have six cards left, so be careful."
Lu Shangyi stared at the well-behaved and sweet little girl in the photo, her expression softening slightly. Just then, Chu Mi walked in with her entourage, and Lu Shangyi immediately composed herself, regaining her nonchalant demeanor, "You're late."
"Ugh, traffic was terrible today," Chu Mi explained, taking things out of her bag. "I had to put in a lot of effort to shake off the little tail behind me."
She looked disgruntled. "Recently, some unscrupulous marketing accounts have been spreading rumors that I'm a speed racer. All the goodwill I've worked so hard to build up is almost gone."
Another person immediately sneered, "You still have public goodwill? Ever since you started trying to piggyback on Song Wanzi's fame, you've been hated by everyone. If you ever find yourself alone, you'll probably get beaten to death by Song Wanzi's fans on the spot."
Chu Mi: "..."
Lu Shangyi carefully examined the things Chu Mi handed her. Chu Mi, bored, looked around for a new target. To her surprise, she turned her head and spotted the beaming young girl who had just won money. Staring at Qiao Yu, Chu Mi nodded appreciatively and said, "When looking for an EGA, you have to find someone like Yu Yu, outgoing and lively, who can get along with anyone."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shangyi looked up and saw that the person playing cards with great enthusiasm was none other than Qiao Yu, who had just claimed to be studying at home.
He slowly picked up his phone. "Are you reading a book right now?"
Her phone vibrated again. After seeing that it was a message from Lu Shangyi, Qiao Yu put down her cards and replied, "Yes." She then sent a photo and said, "I've already started reviewing my English."
Lu Shangyi's lips twitched. "Your way of reviewing English is to gather in bars and play cards?"
Qiao Yu: "...?"
Author's Note: System: A new storm has appeared.mp3
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