Chapter 30 Childish Games: Sugar Daddy and Secret Lover
It was getting late, so Lan Jia quickly finished her breakfast and was taken to the film set by Zuo Tai.
Still feeling uneasy, he opened his chat window with Meng Cenjun several times, only to put it down dejectedly each time.
She didn't know how to bring it up, nor did she dare to ask. Their relationship had only just begun to ease, and she couldn't afford to reopen that wound. No matter how strong the bond, it couldn't withstand the constant suspicion and erosion. She should trust him; she had to wait for him to tell her himself.
But she clearly hasn't realized how much influence Meng Cenjun's existence has on her.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Xu Xinwen's angry voice came from beside me.
Lan Jia then came to her senses, suddenly felt something strange on her hand, cried out in pain, and met a serious face.
"What's wrong with you today? You're so clumsy. I told you before, if you can't do something, don't take on the responsibility."
She was ironing clothes with a steam iron when she suddenly lost focus and accidentally burned her hand. But she could only bear it and apologized softly, "I'm sorry, Sister Xinwen, I won't do it again next time."
"That's enough," she interrupted impatiently. "Nobody wants to hear excuses like that again. What I need is efficiency and a good work ethic!"
Lan Jia nodded in agreement, offering no rebuttal.
Xu Xinwen gave her a look of exasperation, "So sentimental, are you in love?"
Lan Jia was taken aback, but before she could deny it, the person in front of her said again, "No man is worth this, and nothing is more important than realizing your self-worth."
"Don't bring your emotions into your work, understand?"
Lan Jia nodded, knowing that her advice was not malicious, but she was still annoyed and couldn't help but think that she was too heartless.
If she were about to lose a cherished family member, she didn't believe she would still be as indifferent as she is now.
Seeing that she didn't seem to be listening at all, Xu Xinwen waved her hand, saying there was no point in saying more. "Alright, leave this to me. You and Song Qingqu go together to check and send the actors' clothes to be washed."
Lan Jia agreed, her eyes drooping as she went to another room.
Song Qingqu leaned against the door, his arms around her, and laughed, "It's rare to see you so humble, Princess." He had seen everything that had just happened.
"It's my own fault for not being attentive to my work," she said indignantly, actually hating herself for being like that.
"Fortunately, I didn't make any mistakes. When I first joined the team, I was often scolded. At first, I would blush with embarrassment, but now I don't know how thick my skin is."
Lan Jia was amused by him, "Then I should learn from you, you old fox."
"Actually, Sister Xinwen values you too. Xiao Zhang left, and the team is short of people, so she naturally wants to cultivate you. Seize the opportunity."
"I know, that's why I feel bad." Lan Jia then asked him, "And what about you? Don't you have any opportunities you want to seize?"
"Yes, I do." He smiled mysteriously, "but I'm not interested in that, so I won't compete with you for it."
Seeing that he didn't intend to bring it up, Lan Jia naturally wouldn't pry into other people's privacy, and only asked, "So what about in the near future? Do you have any wishes?" She was still thinking about repaying the favor she owed him; treating him to a meal wasn't enough.
"Hmm... I'll probably save up to buy a new skateboard; the old one's almost fallen off."
Lan Jia silently noted it down.
Song Qingqu glanced out the window; the sky was a dusky yellow, and the sun was setting heavily.
"We'll call it a day once we take the costumes to the laundry," he said, smiling at her. "Let's hurry, maybe we can see the sunset on the way."
She loves sunsets.
Upon hearing this, Lan Jia immediately became very motivated and began sorting and packing the costumes.
Thinking it would be more convenient to go home, she didn't borrow the crew's car to transport her things, but instead had Zuo Tai drive the car downstairs.
Song Qingqu put the large bag he had just been carrying into the trunk and got into the car with Lan Jia.
He had contacted a reasonably priced laundry shop beforehand, arranged a pickup time, and even got an invoice to claim reimbursement from the film crew. As the two were leaving the shop, Song Qingqu was about to part ways with her when Lan Jia called out to him.
"how?"
"Would you like to visit my world?" she earnestly invited him.
"Okay." He smiled.
When Song Qingqu sat down next to her again, Lan Jia was certain that Zuo Tai had given him several wary looks. He would definitely report everything about everyone who appeared around her to Meng Cenjun.
For some reason, she didn't feel disgusted today; instead, there was an element of deliberate intent. She was always like this; if she was unhappy, she had to make a scene to let him know.
He avoided her like that morning, completely ignoring her emotions, and Lan Jia is still feeling resentful.
As the car drove into the most bustling commercial district in the city center, Song Qingqu looked up at the brightly lit, towering buildings and joked with a smile, "Will everything be different when the clock strikes twelve?"
Lan Jia, who was walking at the front, turned around with a smile upon hearing this, and raised the black card in her hand to indicate: "Then why don't you hurry up and make the most of the time?"
Once inside the mall, she led him straight to the skateboard shop, telling him to pick the best one.
Song Qingqu didn't refuse, and happily raised his eyebrows: "I won't be polite."
Lan Jia sat in the VIP room, smiling as she accepted the sparkling water offered by the salesperson. She thought to herself: That's what she liked about Song Qingqu—his unwavering honesty and straightforwardness. Being with him seemed to eliminate all consideration and calculation; it gave her a feeling of complete mental relaxation.
She sat calmly, watching him come over every now and then to ask her, "Is this one good?"
Lan Jia smiled knowingly, "I don't understand, as long as you think it's good."
"What about the colors of these two? Which one suits me better?"
She looked at them for a long time but couldn't decide. She then picked up a glass of water and said, "I think they're all good, they all suit you. Why don't we buy them all?"
For some unknown reason, Song Qingqu smiled.
Zuo Tai, who was standing to the side, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Even the sales staff looked at them with strange, inquisitive eyes.
This familiar conversation is just like a sugar daddy bringing his mistress shopping. She knows nothing about the business, so she just sits down, pays, listens to her sweet talk, and occasionally chimes in with a few words.
"I think the blue-green color scheme is better; it's more summery. What do you think?"
"Great, all the ones you picked are good."
"This lemon yellow one is also nice, bright and eye-catching, it will definitely turn heads when you go laps around the park."
"Then buy this one too. Buy everything you like."
Ignoring everyone else, Lan Jia and Song Qingqu exchanged a smile.
It seemed like she was experiencing the joy of spending money recklessly for the first time, not for any other reason than that someone was willing to play this childish game with her. From childhood, her mind had been filled with all sorts of strange and wonderful ideas. She loved to fantasize, to act out stories on the spot, and to let her imagination run wild, but no one around her understood her.
And now, finally someone has connected with her strange brainwaves, like an alien who has strayed into Earth for twenty years finally encountering its own kind.
The two looked at each other for a while, and Lan Jia said with a smile, "You can pick one for me too, according to the standards for beginners. It's so interesting to watch you skate."
Song Qingqu smiled and agreed.
At that moment, my phone beeped with a notification sound.
Lan Jia lowered her head, her breath suddenly caught in her throat.
When I opened the message, I found it was from a familiar sales associate, saying that the bag I ordered a few months ago had arrived and asking if I wanted it delivered to my home.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a little disappointed.
Standing up, Lan Jia walked over to Song Qingqu and patted him on the shoulder: "Choose carefully, I'll go downstairs."
"Will they come back? Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to mortgage myself here," he said, feigning distress.
"Do you trust your sugar daddy?" she raised an eyebrow.
Song Qingqu nodded obediently, like a big dog with dark eyes.
Lan Jia walked out the door with satisfaction.
As she took the elevator to retrieve her handbag, Zuo Tai remained by her side, never leaving her side.
Lan Jia saw his hesitant expression in the reflection of the glass, and said in a flat tone, "Just say what you have to say."
"Young Miss, sometimes giving too much doesn't necessarily earn you genuine affection."
She understood what he meant; he felt she wasn't careful enough with outsiders. Just like his employer, so calculating about gains and losses.
Lan Jia curled her lips into a forced, innocent smile; "What I want isn't sincerity, I just want happiness."
"Isn't it worth it to buy happiness with just a little money?"
Zuo Tai sighed inwardly and remained silent.
With a "ding," the elevator arrived.
Lan Jia's smile gradually faded.
She doesn't care at all whether other people are sincere to her.
Upon arriving at the store, the sales associate (SA) immediately greeted her with a broad smile and invited her to the VIP room for tea and refreshments. She was a loyal fan of the brand and a top-tier VIC (VIP customer), and keeping her longer might lead to a big sale. However, Lan Jia didn't want to keep Song Qingqu waiting, so after inspecting and paying for the goods, she was in a hurry to leave. Before she could even turn around, she heard a familiar and excited voice behind her: "Lan Jia?"
She hadn't expected to run into someone she knew, so she had no choice but to put on a brave face.
"Xiao Qiao, what a coincidence."
"Lan Jia, won't you sit down for a while?" A gentle female voice came from the side.
Lan Jia looked up and saw a tall, slender person in front of her with a refined smile, like a snow-white magnolia. It was Qiao Zimu's older sister, Qiao Qinghuai.
"Um, Sister Qinghuai, I have something to do and I have to go first." Lan Jia smiled, her dimples peeking out sweetly.
Qiao Qinghuai nodded, and then added, "Thank you for the gift you brought back from the island last time. I really liked it."
"That's great! I've been looking for a long time, and I was worried it wouldn't suit me," Lan Jia said politely.
"Can I say something, you two?" Qiao Zimu feigned displeasure, took another step toward her, and said in a low voice with a hint of grievance, "We haven't been out together in a long time."
"I've been really busy with work lately, I'll make plans with you another day." Lan Jia tried her best not to sound perfunctory, and added, "You should spend some time with Qinghuai first, and I'll treat you to a big meal next time you have a holiday."
Qiao Zimu was skeptical, but seeing her in such a hurry, he didn't say anything more and watched her leave.
Once everyone was out of sight, Qiao Qinghuai snapped his fingers: "Still not snapping out of it?"
“She has something on her mind,” Qiao Zimu said with a serious expression.
"Oh, so what? What's it to you?" she smiled knowingly.
"Are you trying to say I'm useless?"
"It seems you have a fairly clear understanding of yourself."
"Can you force someone to like something?" Qiao Zimu asked, his face full of resentment.
"It's not important, little brother. You only need to understand one thing."
"If you find something good, you have to act quickly, otherwise someone else will definitely snatch it away."
Qiao Zimu sat somewhat dejectedly opposite her. He knew that competition and possession had always been the guiding principles of the Qiao family. But he never wanted to use such a forceful approach with Lan Jia.
Qiao Qinghuai glanced at him languidly, then picked up her bone china cup and took a sip. After a while, finding it amusing, she said with great interest, "Now? Do you want to change your mind?"
Qiao Zimu was puzzled and followed her gaze. He saw Lan Jia and Song Qingqu walking side by side, chatting and laughing, outside the beautifully decorated floor-to-ceiling window.
Author's note: It was just a small misunderstanding, the siblings won't fight! [milk tea emoji]
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