You take charge of the fighting, I'll cover the rear.
Hao Nan stayed with Qi Xu like this, sitting there until evening.
Most of the people in the company have gone home after get off work, leaving only a few who are working overtime or who voluntarily stayed because they didn't meet their targets.
Qi Xu slept soundly, completely letting her guard down. Hao Nan's presence made her feel inexplicably at ease, and her defenses crumbled time and again because of him.
But every time this defense line weakens, an even stronger shield emerges in its wake.
Hao Nan fetched a blanket and gently covered her with it. He then lay down on another sofa, turned his head to look at Qi Xu, who was sleeping soundly, and fell into deep thought.
Qi Xu still couldn't believe himself. He didn't know if she would be angry or deliberately distance herself when she woke up tomorrow.
Knowing full well that she didn't like others interfering too much, yet he insisted on doing it anyway, he sighed softly, looked up at the ceiling, and after some time, he drifted off to sleep.
Around 5 a.m., Qi Xu was awakened by the sound of rain. She got up and glanced at the blanket on her body. She pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then looked at Hao Nan on the other side.
In the dimly lit room, she groped her way forward, walked precisely to his side, covered him with the blanket, and stood there quietly. After a moment, just as she was about to turn and leave, he mumbled her name as if he had something to say, but in the end, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he swallowed his words.
Qi Xu heard the sound but didn't stop walking.
"I like you." His voice was a little hoarse, it was hard to tell if he was talking in his sleep or if he was using sleepiness to embolden himself to express his feelings.
Qi Xu, who had already reached the door, paused noticeably, but still gritted his teeth, pushed open the door of the cubicle, and went out.
After she left, Hao Nan opened his eyes, looked at the door of the cubicle, and all his sleepiness vanished, leaving only a look of disappointment.
Qi Xu returned to her workstation, wiped her face with alcohol-free wipes, rinsed her mouth with water, and then turned on her computer to handle some trivial tasks and documents.
Hao Nan composed himself and came out of the cubicle a while later, just in time to bump into Qi Xu, who was on his way to dinner.
She had no intention of inviting him to come along; she only glanced at him before passing by.
"Let's go eat together." Hao Nan followed behind her without further ado, and they walked downstairs to the breakfast shop.
The misty rain had long since stopped, and the morning sun broke through the fog, shining down on the earth.
After finishing her meal, she caught sight of a sugar figurine vendor by the roadside and a sudden idea popped into her head: this was a good way to build social recognition.
Without hesitation, she asked Li Mo for leave and immediately went back to her apartment to retrieve her painting tools.
Anyway, she's practically invisible at the company; nobody pays attention to whether she's there or not.
Hao Nan continued to follow behind her, like a solid support.
There were too many art supplies, and she was having some difficulty carrying them. He immediately stepped forward to take them from her, and inadvertently touched Qi Xu's cold hand. When her hand was suddenly empty, she felt a sense of emptiness. A strange thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook it off and picked up the other supplies to follow behind him.
"There are steps." As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Xu tripped over the steps and crashed straight into him.
As if he had expected it, he first put the things in his hands on the ground and caught her steadily.
She was very uncomfortable with this kind of interaction and felt awkward. She immediately pulled away, her eyes darting around in a panic, and a blush rising on her cheeks: "Thank you, thank you."
"Hmm." His eyes, which had been shining, were extinguished by this "thank you."
Hao Nan had already pressed the down button for the elevator for Qi Xu.
She was holding something, her fingers couldn't reach the button, and she didn't know he had already pressed it.
Watching her struggle to reach the button, he couldn't help but laugh. He just watched quietly, thinking she looked quite cute and wanted to tease her.
The elevator reached the 7th floor and opened automatically. She looked bewildered: "I didn't press any buttons, how did it open by itself? Could it be broken?"
"Don't go in."
Hao Nan had already stepped inside with one foot: "Why?"
"Come out quickly!" Qi Xu urged him to come out, his worry evident on his face. "There might be something wrong with this elevator. Let's take another one."
He ignored them and went straight inside.
"you……"
"I checked, it's fine." Seeing how worried Qi Xu was about him, he felt a sense of relief and a little bit of excitement.
He pressed it? So he was just watching me struggle to press the button, treating me like a fool?
Qi Xu felt uncomfortable and glared at him before stepping into the elevator.
Inside the enclosed elevator, the two stood side by side in silence.
Why are you moving all these art supplies?
"What else can I do besides drawing?"
"Still angry?" Hao Nan couldn't help but laugh as he looked at her puffed-up face.
She didn't want to talk to him, but she asked the question knowing the answer, and secretly glared at him in her heart.
Just then, the elevator arrived at the first floor and the doors opened.
He followed Qi Xu to a nearby garden.
There were still small puddles on the ground, so they found a spot with less water to put down their equipment and set it up.
Then, Qi Xu took out a large piece of paper, wrote "Free portrait painting" on it, and pasted it on the back of the easel.
Hao Nan immediately guessed what she was thinking when he saw her actions.
People passing by glanced at it, but no one came over.
Some children who were interested in art wanted to go forward, but their parents stopped them, saying, "Free things usually have another downside." The children had no choice but to reluctantly follow their parents.
Hao Nan suddenly had an idea and said to Qi Xu, who was sitting behind the easel, "Wait for me a moment."
"Oh," she replied listlessly, propping her head up with her hand.
After Hao Nan left, Qi Xu twirled the pencil in his hand and looked into the distance.
A couple was happily swinging on a swing. The girl sat on the swing while the boy pushed her slowly from behind. The girl looked at him with a smile, her eyes crinkling. After the boy said something, she lowered her head and smiled shyly.
To outsiders, it looked exceptionally sweet.
Suddenly inspired, Qi Xu immediately sat up straight and gracefully sketched this beautiful scene on the drawing board.
Her aura instantly changed, drawing everyone around her to look at her paintings.
The figures on the drawing paper gradually became clearer, the details became vivid, and more and more people gathered around to watch.
The two people swinging on the swing noticed this side and walked over hand in hand.
Qi looked up and found that the person was gone, so he could only continue drawing from memory.
The couple immediately recognized the painting as a portrait of themselves; it was exceptionally well done, and their admiration was undisguised.
When Qi finished painting, the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause.
"It's beautifully drawn." The girl's voice was sweet.
Qi Xu took down the drawing paper and handed it to them with both hands: "This is for you. I wish you a long and happy life together."
The boy and girl smiled at each other, and the girl took the drawing: "Thank you, little sister. I also wish you all your dreams come true and great success in your career."
"You have a bright future ahead of you," the boy said, offering his blessings.
The two stayed for a short while before leaving.
At this moment, Hao Nan, dressed in a frog costume, walked up to Qi Xu, exuding a strong sense of comedy.
Qi Xu was taken aback by his appearance: "Why are you dressed like this?"
"Adding some comedic elements will attract children and help you get more customers," Hao Nan's deep voice reached Qi Xu's ears.
The park was full of children, and before long, the kids saw the novel frog and all ran over, and more and more people gathered around.
The children played with the frogs, while Qi Xu diligently drew nearby. People around them took out their phones to film and post the videos online.
Gradually, she accumulated a lot of fans and gained fame and popularity online.
Many people come specifically to visit because Qi Xu not only draws for free, but her drawing skills are also superb. Even some professionals praise her highly, calling her a painting genius.
As her fame grew, Ci Yan, her rival, was completely unaware of this, having been offline for a long time. She still thought that Qi Xu had no resources at Mingcheng Company and was just bored out of her mind, convinced that she was sure to win this time, since she had so many resources that she couldn't keep up with them all.
Her staff at Mingcheng Company had already told her about Qi Xu's situation; he was constantly taking leave from work and had become completely despondent.
Qi Xu, who quickly became an internet sensation, also made her friends aware of the news.
Qi Xu has two accounts, one old and one current, with a combined follower count approaching ten million. They all agreed to go see her together on Sunday.
Qi Xu was still diligently drawing for someone when Ting Yue mischievously walked up behind her, covered her eyes, and deliberately asked in a rough voice, "Guess who I am?"
Qi Xu smiled, actually already knowing who it was, but still playing along: "Hmm...who could it be? Hao Nan? Han Xue? Wan Xiaoyi?"
"No, you guessed wrong." Tingyue was inexplicably excited. "Guess again."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qi Xu reached out and tickled her.
"Hahaha, stop it, it tickles!" Tingyue laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.
Everyone watched them playfully bickering, and the group, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, gathered together in a lively atmosphere.
Han Xue, however, kept her gaze fixed on Qi Xu, her face expressionless. Hearing Xu Bai notice her unusual behavior, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright." Han Xue forced a smile to reassure him.
She already knew about the various bets between her mother and Qi Xu, having seen the notes at home.
My mother did indeed do many wrong things, hurting Qi Xu and framing Uncle Qi.
But that was her biological mother who had given birth to her and taken care of her since she was a child. She was caught in the middle, torn between her mother and her friend.
Hao Nan, still dressed in a frog costume, played with the children on the side.
"Everyone's here." It had been a long time since they'd gotten together since starting university, and Qi Xu said happily, looking at the bright smiles on his friends' faces.
“Xu Xu, you’re really famous now.” Wan Xiaoyi walked up to her. “We’d like to share in your good fortune.”
"Of course, no problem." Qi Xu quickly finished the drawing in his hand, handed it to the other person, and then shouted to everyone, "Everyone, stand in line."
"Hao Nan is late again. Qi Xu, look at him, he doesn't care about you at all," Xu Sheng complained, though he was actually very worried about Hao Nan.
Standing next to Tingyue, Jiang Hui glanced at the frog playing with the child beside Qi Xu and guessed, "Isn't that little frog coming over?"
After his reminder, everyone turned to look at the frog and burst into laughter.
"This can't be Hao Nan, can it?" Ting Xubai said with a smile. "He's already started taking care of children."
Hao Nan took off his headgear and walked over: "Playing with the kids is so much fun."
Xu Sheng grabbed him and said, "Come on, let our big internet celebrity draw a picture of us together."
Hao Nan elbowed Xu Sheng, who gasped, "You won't even let me talk anymore?"
Everyone stood in their positions, deliberately leaving a spot next to Hao Nan. That was the most suitable place for Qi Xu to stand; as long as she drew herself in, she could only stand there, which was the optimal solution.
Qi Xu looked up at everyone, her gaze sweeping over Han Xue. From the very beginning, she had sensed that something was wrong with Han Xue. But no one could stop her from doing what she wanted to do; she would get back everything that was owed to her.
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