I won't be a mistress
At eight o'clock in the evening, the owner closed the shop and went downstairs to the food street to buy some snacks. She originally thought that the three young people would be a little tired after sitting indoors for three or four hours.
As soon as I reached the door, I heard a burst of laughter coming from inside.
Pushing open the door, I saw that the three people who had been sitting at two separate tables had moved together. Qi Wang had somehow found her projector, turned off the main lights, and put on a comedy movie.
When she arrived, the show was at its funniest part. Bai Yixia and Qi Wang were laughing so hard they were shaking and clinging to the table. Zhou Qingchi, on the other hand, remained composed, his gaze not falling on the curtain, but reaching out to block Bai Yixia from behind.
The boss observed silently for a moment and noticed that Zhou Qingchi wasn't entirely unsmiling. His expression remained flat when watching the plot, as if he wasn't watching a comedy, but when Bai Yixia tugged at his sleeve and laughed, he would stare at her for a few seconds before a smile would appear on his face, and he would say a few words as if in agreement.
Compared to the other two who were laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight, Zhou Qingchi was much more perceptive. He turned his head as if he had noticed something, and just happened to meet the boss's gaze, giving her a friendly smile.
The shop owner figured that since they'd already been seen, there was no need to be overly cautious anymore. She walked in carrying two bags of snacks and joked, "You two, you're pretty quick. Finished already?"
Both Bai Yixia and Qi Wang shuddered upon hearing her voice. Then, Bai Yixia picked up the half-finished product she had dropped from under the table, while Qi Wang, somewhat embarrassed, threw the broken flower petals in his hand into the trash can.
Bai Yixia looked at the boss with her eyes crinkled, "Sister."
The shop owner smiled and said, "I brought you some food. Have something to eat first."
She browsed through several stalls and brought back five or six kinds of snacks. Bai Yixia enthusiastically gathered around, exclaiming, "Wow, thank you, sister!"
Qi Wang went to collect the projector. The shop owner glanced at his back, still intending to help her younger brother out. She pulled out a small bag and pushed it toward Bai Yixia, "This is for Xia, it's takoyaki, with extra sauce."
Bai Yixia looked up at her in surprise.
The boss smiled casually and pointed at Qi Wang, "Hey, I was going to go to a restaurant and cook you a whole table of food. But that kid said he might not want to eat those tonight, and there just happens to be a snack street downstairs."
"He told me that you like takoyaki with extra sauce."
Bai Yixia was stunned upon hearing this, and looked at Qi Wang with a puzzled expression.
Qi Wang glared at the shopkeeper with a hint of reproach, then looked down at the items in his hands and explained, "Um... actually, I often run into you at that food street outside the school, and every time I see you, it seems like you're buying this..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke, and finally he scratched the back of his neck, then, with a nonchalant air, he raised his head and said, "I always see it, so I pay attention and remember it."
"Oh, oh." Bai Yixia poked the round little dumpling and responded twice, but still replied with a smile, "I do like eating this, thank you."
"It's alright, it's alright."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little strange, the boss realized she had said the wrong thing and coughed lightly, "Are you almost done?"
Bai Yixia was still chewing something and couldn't speak easily, so she nudged Zhou Qingchi next to her. Zhou Qingchi glanced at her and said, "Not yet, I guess I'll have to stay up all night."
"Staying up all night? All night long?"
Bai Yixia nodded vigorously and said somewhat vaguely, "The flowers aren't finished yet. After that, we need to tie the branches and shape them. Hmm, there's quite a lot to do."
The boss glared at Qi Wang and said with exasperation, "Tsk, you brat, you just love rushing deadlines, don't you? You're making everyone else suffer with you."
Qi Wang looked at her innocently and retorted softly, "It's not my fault, is it? Who knew this outfit would take so long to be finished?"
The siblings argued back and forth for a few rounds, which dispelled the somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the room. Bai Yixia stopped the shop owner, gave Qi Wang a wink, signaling him to eat something quickly. She then took the shop owner's arm and sat down to the side, inquiring about the photography studio.
The boss readily agreed and took a skewer of grilled meat from Qi Wang. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's nothing really. I just didn't want to be someone else's slave, and this is my profession. So I asked my family for some funds and decided to become my own boss."
She raised an eyebrow smugly: "At first, they doubted I could make it work. They said it would go out of business in half a month. But look, my shop has been open for almost a year now."
Bai Yixia looked at her with shining eyes, clearly admiring her.
"By the way, Xia, Qi Wang said you're really good at photography. Why don't you come work for me after you graduate?" The boss said, then suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She looked up blankly and saw Zhou Qingchi make a slight turn of his head.
She was speechless: If Qi Wang can't do it, then so can't I? This guy must have grown up drinking vinegar.
The boss secretly glanced at Bai Yixia, hoping she could rescue and comfort him.
However, Bai Yixia was still focused on eating and didn't notice the commotion around her. She even bluntly rejected her, saying, "I'm not a professional, sister. I just like to take pictures casually when I want to have fun."
The boss was just trying to find something to talk about, and he didn't think much of being rejected. He just told Bai Yixia that if she changed her mind, she should tell her that the studio could reserve a place for her.
It was already 9:30 when they finished eating. Looking at the three energetic people, the boss couldn't help but sigh that he was really getting old, as he was already incredibly sleepy at this hour.
She yawned and asked, "Aren't you tired? This afternoon of repetitive and meaningless work."
Bai Yixia has returned to work, her hands moving non-stop, and she looks even more radiant than when she was watching the comedy.
"Not sleepy." Bai Yixia twirled the scissors and smiled at the shop owner. "Sister, are you closing now? We might be working all night."
Qi Wang disregarded his sister's life or death, saying, "It's okay, you can give me the key, and I'll lock the door for you later."
The boss rolled his eyes at him. "Do I need you? I'll just sleep in the break room. You guys take it easy."
She beckoned to Qi Wang, signaling him to do it himself. Once outside the room, she hooked her arm around Qi Wang's neck and walked to a corner, keeping an eye on the other side while whispering, "You're out of luck, little brother. They're obviously a couple."
Qi Wang heard her say this as soon as he came out, and he was so angry that he wanted to turn around and leave, but he didn't know where this woman got so much strength, and she held his neck tightly.
Qi Wang couldn't leave, and he muttered angrily and irritably, "I know, could you please let me go? Maybe there'll still be a chance."
The boss looked at him like he was a weirdo and threatened, "You're not allowed to ruin other people's relationships, and you're not allowed to be a mistress. Otherwise, I'll tell your aunt and uncle."
Qi Wang held back for a while, but couldn't help it. "I won't. Besides, they're not a couple." He sighed. "Xia is very open. If Zhou Qingchi really was her boyfriend, she would have introduced him directly when they first met."
Instead of just calling them friends. Besides, Bai Yixia isn't stupid; she probably already figured it out by now that I've made it so obvious.
Qi Wang pleaded, "Sister, I'm begging you, I have my own plans, they're absolutely legal and moral, please don't interfere."
The boss looked at him suspiciously for a few moments, but finally nodded reluctantly.
-
After seeing his sister into the lounge, Qi Wang hurried back to his room. He wasn't stupid; he was also in the stage of having a crush on someone, so how could he not see the other two's feelings?
There are three people in the room, and all three of them are secretly in love.
He sighed almost imperceptibly. Is having a crush something so easy? It's really troublesome.
Bai Yixia wasn't a night owl, but as time slowly passed, she became energetic after 11 p.m., and her hands moved incredibly fast, almost twice as fast as Zhou Qingchi and Qi Wang.
Qi Wang moved a stool and sat down at the table where the two of them were sitting, occasionally sneaking peeks at them.
Bai Yixia and Zhou Qingchi are both reliable people and have no time to chat. At most, they will look up and meet each other's eyes when throwing flowers, and then they will laugh at each other.
While marveling at Bai Yixia's speed, Qi Wang also felt that he really had no chance. After absentmindedly ruining the fourth flower, he took out his phone, opened the notes app, and started making changes.
Doing handicrafts is a very tiring thing to do, and Bai Yixia shook her neck wearily. She looked at the half-person-high box beside her. The red flowers were already two-thirds full, and she estimated that filling the box would be enough.
She stood up to stretch her legs, and glanced to the side to see Qi Wang looking down with a somewhat dejected expression. Just as Qi Wang had guessed, Bai Yixia could somewhat sense his feelings for her, but that didn't stop her from thinking that Qi Wang was a friend worth making.
The cosplay is also amazing.
But it's always embarrassing if the person involved brings it up. Put yourself in Zhou Qingchi's shoes; what if one day Zhou Qingchi confessed that you had a crush on him?
This is terrible! Bai Yixia cursed herself inwardly. How could she think it was a good thing? What if Zhou Qingchi disliked it and stayed in City B after graduation and never came back?
So Bai Yixia hesitated again and again, but decided to pretend she didn't know.
She looked away, intending to check on Zhou Qingchi's progress. But as soon as she turned her head, she saw that Zhou Qingchi was already slumped over the table, a flower loosely held in one hand.
Bai Yixia didn't know when Zhou Qingchi's car arrived, but judging from his current drowsiness, she could guess that the journey hadn't been comfortable.
She tiptoed to Zhou Qingchi's side, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Little Zhou? Zhou Qingchi?"
Zhou Qingchi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she adjusted her hand position, as if she had fallen into a deeper sleep. The flower she was holding gently fell onto the table.
This was somewhat novel to Bai Yixia. Most of the time, she was fast asleep, as if she had never seen Zhou Qingchi asleep before. She wanted to see more of Zhou Qingchi in this unusual state, but the half-squatting position was not comfortable, so Bai Yixia simply sat down on the ground next to Zhou Qingchi.
In that case, she would be shorter than Zhou Qingchi. But ever since graduating from elementary school, Zhou Qingchi had always been taller than her, and for more than ten years, she had always seen him from that angle.
They couldn't see each other every day anymore once they went to university. But fortunately, technology is so advanced now that video calls on mobile phones are convenient enough.
So Bai Yixia always looked Zhou Qingchi straight in the eye after that. Even during video calls, she could do whatever she wanted, but as soon as she turned her head, she could see the light in Zhou Qingchi's eyes, and that light was herself on the other end.
Bai Yixia's gaze slowly moved from Zhou Qingchi's eyebrows and eyes to his slightly parted lips. This person usually had an incredibly healthy lifestyle, and it was clear that he drank enough water every day. His lips were not dry or chapped; on the contrary, they were soft and moist.
Bai Yixia propped herself up on the table, bent down and gazed at Zhou Qingchi, as if deep in thought. After a while, she slowly leaned closer to Zhou Qingchi and quietly kissed the half of his face that was exposed.
Qi Wang, who had just looked up, felt his heart shatter into eight pieces; he almost choked. Feeling somewhat lost, he hurriedly lowered his head, looking at the contents of his memo, and began to edit and revise it again.
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