Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 29

Become even more fascinated with me, Qiao Yu

If one were to use a single word to describe the preparation of a birthday party, Qiao Yu felt that “chaotic” would be fitting.

Since this was not just a simple birthday celebration but one that was heavily laden with business implications, Qiao Yu, dressed as the daughter of a wealthy family, had no choice but to commit to memory the aunts and uncles she ought to recognize, working overtime in her mind, which was even more exhausting than her extra studies during the monthly exams.

But actually, even that wasn’t the hardest part.

Who would have thought that the most difficult task would be picking out clothes?

Qiao Yu, by nature, had always been unparticular about her attire, but her parents didn’t see it the same way. Treating their darling’s seventeenth birthday as a top priority event, they hunkered down with a thick catalog of evening dresses as options to corner Qiao Yu in the room.

“Which one does Yuyu like? If there isn’t one, Mom will have someone make a new one!”

Qiao Yu, who had never witnessed such a grandiose display, trembled and blurted out hastily.

“Any, any is fine.”

These words were the beginning of a nightmare. Father Qiao and Mother Qiao took this to mean that she couldn’t make a choice just by looking at the pictures, and that very day, they came with a grand entourage, carrying armloads of dresses. Qiao Yu was forced into the role of a clothes rack, mechanically trying on one ensemble after another.

The gowns were exquisite and resplendent, but they were terribly fussy to put on and take off. Mother Qiao, her spirits high, refused to let go of Qiao Yu. She turned a blind eye to Qiao Yu grabbing a random dress and saying it’s fine just to escape, and lovingly yet firmly chose for her a plethora of clothes, stuffing them into her dressing room like a never-ending assembly line.

By the end, Qiao Yu had gone from an initial flurry of hurried confusion to a numb resignation to her fate.

Fortunately, given her young age, the dresses sent her way were relatively conservative. Even though the sheer, fluttering gowns made her heart skip a beat in alarm and she could hardly bear to look at herself in the mirror, they were still within the bounds of decency.

It wasn’t until the day before the birthday party that Mother Qiao finally settled on a less adorned, simple and elegant strapless dress. Qiao Yu, looking haggard as if she had been skinned, barely glanced at it before giving a rushed nod of approval. It was only afterwards that she had the belated realization—hey, wasn’t this from the first batch of clothes she had tried on?

Finally, on the day of the birthday, Qiao Yu stood in the hotel as if in a different world, feeling like a Hercules who had gone through his twelve labors.

In her original world, she had never suffered such a trial… At most, she would just gather with friends for a meal. How would a person of humble circumstances like her have such a luxurious birthday party?

“Indeed? I’ve become quite the remarkable person, huh,” Qiao Yu thought to herself.

If only she could live this life a bit more brilliantly here in Qiao Yu’s existence.

Before leaving this world, to be even more——

Qiao Yu was sitting on a chair by the door, lost in thought, when a figure clad in white entered through the doorway and stopped in front of her.

It was Lin Qing.

She was dressed in an off-the-shoulder white evening gown, and seemed to have applied a light makeup, which brought out her cool temperament even more. The beauty that she customarily held back was now blooming without restraint, making Qiao Yu catch her breath.

The light was shining from behind her, illuminating her moonlike radiant face and her neck as white and elegant as a swan’s. She was fragile yet steadfast, aristocratic yet gentle. Qiao Yu wanted to describe her with the most splendid words in the world, but found herself at a loss for words.

With one glance, she stood out from the rest; the colors of the mundane world faded into dust by comparison.

Her beauty was astonishing.

Qiao Yu gazed up at her, suddenly feeling an almost surreal sense of unreality.

Inappropriately, she thought of the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, where the man in the story stole the fairy’s clothes to keep her from leaving—an act hardly commendable. But at this moment, Qiao Yu oddly found herself understanding that despicable thought, as if she could hear the suppressed whispers of the protagonist in the tale echoing in her mind.

Ah, God, if only I could see the moon, if only I could catch the moon.

Qiao Yu reached out, grasping Lin Qing’s delicate wrist.

Her palm fitted snugly against Lin Qing’s wrist bone, in tune with the thundering heartbeat in her chest, as she slowly brought down her fingers one by one.

—I would bear the weight of a grave sin.

Cong Ye stood silently aside like a doorman, nodding and smiling at every guest who came in. After the third batch of people had arrived, he couldn’t take it anymore.

…How long were those two going to treat him like he was just part of the air?

The Cong family was there early due to a business partnership with the Qiao family that was to be announced that evening. Even though he entered with Lin Qing, Qiao Yu, who was originally half-dead with boredom at the door, glued her eyes to Lin Qing the moment she saw her, completely ignoring him.

Goodness, that idiot didn’t blink an eye, which made him worry about Qiao Yu’s eye health.

Despite feeling quite smug inside about having contributed to the selection of the dress, he felt this was his limit! Even friends shouldn’t give him the cold shoulder like this!

Unable to bear it any longer, he turned around, wanting to pat Qiao Yu on the shoulder but upon seeing her dress, he felt there was nowhere appropriate to place his hand, and so he resigned himself to awkwardly clearing his throat instead.

Only then did Qiao Yu turn her gaze towards him, her face contorted in an indescribable frown.

This obviously disproportionate reaction infuriated Cong Ye. He straightened the hem of his suit in a ruffian manner and raised his chin towards Qiao Yu.

“What’s the matter? Haven’t seen someone as handsome as this before?”

“…Since you put it that way, let’s just say I haven’t.”

Unable to bear looking at him directly, Qiao Yu averted her eyes, following along with his words.

Actually, Cong Ye was quite handsome when he dressed up, but whenever Qiao Yu thought of his usual appearance, a strong sense of incompatibility overcame her; it was truly regrettable.

She sighed as she stood up from the stool—today, she had also been forced to put on high heels. Already tall, Qiao Yu was now only a few centimeters shorter than Cong Ye, startling him quite a bit.

“You… Have you no sense of propriety?”

“Enough already! Do you think I want to wear these?”

Even dressed in evening attire, neither of them could transform into a mature adult. Their true nature revealed, they stood face to face, brimming with rage, with Lin Qing appearing especially delicate as she stood between them, raising her hands in an attempt to make peace.

“Alright, alright, stop fighting. Wearing high heels is very tiring, Qiao Yu, are you okay?”

Qiao Yu immediately extinguished her flare of anger, turning towards Lin Qing with a pained expression to complain, “I really don’t think I can! But my mom insists that I wear them. If I happen to fall over when I go on stage later, Lin Qing, you must come to my aid.”

Lin Qing smiled faintly, like a begonia blossoming under the moonlight.

She reached out and gently touched Qiao Yu’s meticulously curled hair, whispering softly.

“I initially thought…”

Her words trailed off without continuation. Qiao Yu tilted her head, nuzzling her palm in confusion, asking, “Thought what?”

Lin Qing’s hand paused momentarily in her hair before withdrawing. She neatly fixed Qiao Yu’s hair, smiled, and said, “It’s nothing.”

“You look very pretty today, not quite the same as usual.”

Hearing this, Qiao Yu was shocked, not expecting to be complimented by Lin Qing first. She immediately responded like an unstoppable torrent of words: “Lin Qing, you look especially beautiful today! Ah, of course, you’re pretty on normal days too, but today you’re even more beautiful! Like a fairy——””

“Yuyu, do you have a moment to come and greet your uncle and aunt?”

Unfortunately, before she could exhibit her talent for showering others with compliments, she was called over by Father Qiao. She replied from a distance with a sigh, her head hanging in disappointment.

Her face clearly expressed “I don’t want to deal with this,” which Lin Qing found amusing. She nudged Qiao Yu playfully, signaling that she didn’t need to mind them.

Only then did Qiao Yu obediently head towards her father. After taking a few steps, she hurriedly turned back, took the jacket that was hanging over the back of the chair she had been sitting on, and draped it over Lin Qing’s shoulders.

“It’s very cold tonight.”

She focused on covering Lin Qing’s exposed shoulders and, before Lin Qing could react, she was called again. Hurriedly, she left in her high heels, walking in an awkwardly tilted and unsteady manner.

“…Is it really that cold?”

Cong Ye, puzzled, looked around at the hotel’s air conditioning, which was turned up to 25 degrees Celsius, and tilted his head in confusion.

Lin Qing pulled the jacket around her body tighter and lowered her eyelids.

“Anyway, right now, it does feel quite warm.”

Upon entering the door and seeing Qiao Yu, she inexplicably felt an unspeakable unease.

What kind of person was Qiao Yu?

She was outgoing, warm, with distinct facial features, and her brows and eyes were clean and clear. Without a smile, she seemed sharp, yet when she did smile, there was a kind of simple silliness to it. She was so suited to standing in the sunlight, allowing the sun to gild her with a golden edge, like a young angel born without a notion of malice.

She had a pretty face, and tonight’s makeup made her look even more piercing. But Lin Qing wouldn’t feel alienated because of her dressed-up change; she knew well what kind of person was hidden beneath that cool exterior.

However, when Lin Qing’s gaze met hers, she suddenly felt unsure.

Qiao Yu evidently had not anticipated Lin Qing’s arrival. In those usually bright and smiling eyes, there lingered an uncleaned sadness and… some things that were unreadable to Lin Qing.

Qiao Yu’s emotions were always easy to understand, and Lin Qing prided herself on being adept at reading between the lines.

But even though she had seen Qiao Yu in so many different states, at this moment, she couldn’t read her.

It was a kind of mysterious feeling, as if the Qiao Yu within arm’s reach suddenly didn’t belong here anymore, as if she had gone to a distant place, so far that Lin Qing had no way to catch up. This abrupt and overwhelming sense of disbelief made her unable to move.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Qiao Yu was back to the version Lin Qing knew well. She could see the undisguised amazement in the depths of Qiao Yu’s eyes, and the hand that held her wrist was slender and strong, tightly clinging to her pulse – her Qiao Yu had returned to her side.

Thus, what she had to do was as clear as day.

She suppressed the rising unease in her heart and revealed a smile that was no different from usual.

Just like that.

Don’t go anywhere.

Stay for me.

Become even more fascinated with me, Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu went around with her parents, greeting everyone; her face barely maintaining a professional smile before she was finally set free.

She staggered to a nearby stool and sat down, feeling like a monkey in a zoo, forced to perform.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of her, offering a cup of drink. Qiao Yu looked up to see Cong Ye, who thought himself charming, giving her a wink.

Qiao Yu closed her eyes for a moment, silently took a cup of drink from a passing waiter’s tray, and drank on her own.

“Where’s Lin Qing? Isn’t she with you?”

Unperturbed by being shunned, Cong Ye, with a drink in each hand, replied, “She was called over by Auntie Lin; it seems she has run into an old high school classmate of Auntie Lin’s and my mom’s, and she’s gone to say hello.”

“I just ran into Lu Yao and Mi Yi as well; they’ve also been ushered around by their parents to meet and greet — why don’t you ask about them?”

After finishing his sentence, he teasingly squeezed his eyes at Qiao Yu: “What’s the matter, Qiao Yu? Missing Lin Qing after such a short while?”

“…Why are you so greasy today? Is there some sort of curse on your clothes?”

Qiao Yu responded with indifference, and the crestfallen handsome guy, Cong Ye, huffed in dissatisfaction.

“You really don’t know what’s good for you. Do you realize how many people are eyeing you? If I hadn’t kindly kept you company, God knows how many people would have already swarmed here to chat you up.”

“Ah?”

Qiao Yu became alert, scanning the surroundings, and indeed discovered many pairs of twinkling eyes staring in their direction, which scared her into instinctively retreating.

“…Wh-Why? Because it’s my birthday?”

“It’s not just because of that,” the experienced socialite Master Cong Ye gravely declared, “Even though not as rich as my family, your family is also quite wealthy.”

“This is your seventeenth birthday. Do you know what that implies?”

Qiao Yu, with a face full of confusion, shook her head. Cong Ye sat down next to her, stretching out his long legs, and with a world-weary expression, he said,

“…it means there will be a lot of people starting to hatch plans for a business marriage with your family, basically, to get their sons engaged to you ahead of everyone else.”

“?!“

What an unbelievable conclusion! Surely, rich people just love to stir up trouble!

Qiao Yu jolted so violently she almost spilled her drink on herself. She hurriedly, with trembling hands, set the cup down. Having been through the baptism of high society, Cong Ye looked at her with sympathy and offered empty consolation, “Anyway, after today, just don’t attend any other parties; as long as these people can’t catch you, you’ll be fine.” Listening to this, Qiao Yu secretly groaned, and a red light suddenly flashed in her mind.

“Cong Ye, wait a moment.”

She interrupted Cong Ye’s not-so-useful consolation with a serious expression, and said earnestly.

“…You haven’t gotten engaged yet, right?”

No, this can’t be! Who knew that these rich second-generation kids actually had a custom of getting engaged early? If Cong Ye, this guy, has such romantic debts—

“Of course not?! Why would you think that?”

Ah, that’s a relief. There won’t be any new shenanigans. Long live sanity.

Qiao Yu let out a long sigh of relief. Before she could speak, the lights at the venue suddenly dimmed, except for the spotlight that continued to shine on the stage up front.

Whipping out her phone, she realized that it was already time for the banquet to begin. In a rush, she stood up, worrying that she might be late. Just as she contemplated whether she should hike up her skirt and make a dash for it, the familiar voice of Father Qiao suddenly came through the speakers.

“Don’t rush, Yuyu, just come over slowly.”

With a snap, a spotlight suddenly swung towards her. Qiao Yu, squinting and clutching her skirt as if about to run, found her awkward stance exposed under the glaring beam. Alongside her, Cong Ye, who was holding two drinks, was also suddenly thrust under the everyone’s watchful eyes with a collective focus.

Why is the opening so different from the rehearsal? This is a complete mess from the start!

Qiao Yu felt internally panicked but maintained a stiff smile, letting go of her skirt, and forced herself to walk forward composedly.

“Ah, Cong Ye, come on up too. It just so happens that our two families have good news to announce together.”

Just as Cong Ye intended to stealthily sneak out of the spotlight, he froze in place, his face a picture of utter confusion as he looked towards Father Qiao on stage and Mother Cong standing by the stage’s edge.

Qiao Yu, who had just taken a few steps, also stopped in her tracks, her temples throbbing violently, a sense of unprecedented foreboding washing over her.

With a stiff neck, she turned her head to look back at Cong Ye. When their eyes met, they instantly understood neither had a clue about what was happening.

The two of them, like quails at a social gathering, shrank their necks helplessly under the audience’s gaze, reluctantly making their way to the stage, feeling as if there were thorns in their backs. On their way, they exchanged frantic glances, yet unable to decipher each other’s meanings, each harboring an ominous premonition.

…What to do? This so-called “good news” seems to be more than just a simple cooperation between two families.

LP: It can’t be… no way! Especially when Mother Cong already knows about Qiao Yu’s ‘feelings’!