That’s it?
Qiao Yu stomped up the stage, and with every stair she climbed, the fire in her heart burned fiercer.
It was supposed to be her own birthday party, yet she found herself completely out of the loop. Although still unclear about the specific details of the “joyous occasion,” the whispers and mocking glances from the people below were unbearable, causing her to clench her fists unconsciously.
What a mess, and Lin Qing was still watching from below.
Her expression as she walked onto the stage must have looked quite unappealing. Father Qiao, who had approached her with a beaming smile to receive her, was taken aback by her countenance, quickly dropping his grin to ask, “What’s wrong? Has someone upset our Yuyu?”
Following her onstage, Cong Ye also came to a realization, and both stood there with grim expressions, emanating an intimidating presence. They didn’t look like they were there to celebrate a birthday, more like they were about to cause a scene.
Cong Ye turned his gaze towards Qiao Yu and asked in a way that suggested control of the situation: “What should we do, Qiao Yu? This is your territory, it’s up to you.”
Qiao Yu nodded her head with the air of a boss, responding indifferently, “First, let’s get things clear.”
Then the duo approached Father Qiao with a daunting vibe. Qiao Yu lowered her voice and, through gritted teeth, demanded, “What’s this joyous occasion? And why was Cong Ye sent up here?”
What was the purpose of bringing him on stage if not to stir up rumors and aggravate her? If her family was truly planning to ‘sell’ her out in some arranged circumstance, she was determined to turn this birthday party upside down. As the saying goes, ‘a twisted melon is not sweet’ and ‘even if you force a bull’s head down, it won’t eat meat’. Why can’t these people understand—
“Ah, keep it a secret for now; you’ll find out in a bit, Yuyu.”
Unaware of the grudge harbored by the pair, Father Qiao nudged them to the side and then nonchalantly walked to the middle, picked up the microphone, and began to engage in small talk. Qiao Yu, feeling as if she were punching a cotton blanket, was overwhelmed with frustration that seemed to turn into an internal injury.
“So what do we do now? Do we rush over and grab the microphone?”
The one inclined to take bold actions, Cong Ye, tugged at the corner of his mouth, murmuring under his breath while his shoes scratched the surface of the carpet, itching to spring forward.
“And what do we say after grabbing it? Declare that we’re completely innocent and vehemently deny the engagement? Wouldn’t that be tantamount to admitting guilt, akin to the saying ‘There are no three hundred taels of silver here; The neighbour Wang Er did not steal’?”1
The more cautious Qiao Yu still retained some sanity and her trust in her own family members.
“I have a feeling that there might be more to the situation than we think. Even if your mom could sell you, my dad would not make such a big decision without asking me.”
“What do you mean ‘even if your mom could sell me’—”
“Okay, fine, it’s better if she doesn’t sell. Both our moms are good moms, okay?”
“…You make it sound like you’re cursing.”
Qiao Yu felt that this was not the time to argue. She ignored Cong Ye, anxiously listening to Father Qiao’s utterly uninformative opening remarks. He was now at the stage where he was lavishly praising her with flattery that could be described as ‘rainbow farts’.
“What should we do? Nobody in the audience is listening; they keep looking at us.”
Unable to bear it anymore, Cong Ye glanced around the audience, his face looking mournful as he shrank his neck, and subconsciously straightened his collar and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes.
“You’re worried about your appearance at a time like this—Oh no, why are there so many people I know down there? Did I really invite so many people before…”
Following Cong Ye’s gaze, Qiao Yu saw three of her classmates alone. Imagining the various rumors that might swirl around in school after the holidays, she lost the mood to scold Cong Ye for being out of tune. She turned pale and covered her abdomen, feeling the pressure becoming too much and starting to cause a faint stomachache.
She quickly spotted Lin Qing in the audience as well. Even under the dim lights, Lin Qing still stood out. Standing at the edge of the crowd with two people, likely Lu Yao and Mi Yi by their figures, she leaned against a Roman pillar in the lobby. With her arms crossed and holding her coat, even though it was hard to see her facial expression in the flickering shadows, but—
“What should we do, Lin Qing looks very angry.”
“Ah no way, where is she? Point her out to me quickly.”
“Over there—”
“Ah true, I think I can also see that she’s angry.”
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“Does that mean she’s really very very angry?!”
Qiao Yu felt disheartened—as if her heart had died. Even Cong Ye, who was usually so thick-skinned, could tell that Lin Qing was angry now. This was definitely not a joke. She tried to shrink back futilely, attempting to reduce her presence as much as possible, her heart filled with apologies towards Cong Ye.
“…This time, I’ve dragged you down.”
Who could have imagined things would develop to this state? Cong Ye was really an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire… But it looked like Lin Qing was getting along quite well with him, to the point of getting jealous! Does that not mean they are not far from confessing their feelings and starting a relationship?
…But the problem was that she was the one causing the jealousy, which really didn’t allow Qiao Yu to feel happy about it. For some reason, it left a bad taste in her mouth.
“Don’t say that… It’s just your bad luck…”
Cong Ye’s back was covered in sweat as he wondered how he suddenly became the third party intruding upon a relationship, but more than that, he felt sympathy for his friend. After all, Qiao Yu was also forced to stand there with him, looking at the person she liked but unable to stand by her side. That must not have felt good, right?
While their thoughts differed, their friendship unexpectedly became even stronger.
Meanwhile, Qiao Yu’s father had finally finished praising her and started to transition to the main topic. At his signal, Qiao Yu walked over—this time, at least, she wasn’t asked to bring Cong Ye along. Father Qiao looked at his daughter affectionately and said in a clear voice,
“For my daughter, I have prepared a gift to give her.”
Huh? Was this part of the schedule?
Qiao Yu furrowed her brow as the big screen behind her suddenly lit up, beginning to play a promotional video for an amusement park.
She didn’t recognize this amusement park, but the audience reacted strongly. Cong Ye beside her also uttered a sound of surprise, and she heard murmurs from the crowd: “Isn’t this the City of Dreams owned by the Cong family?”
It seemed that this City of Dreams amusement park was a property of the Cong family. Qiao Yu marveled inwardly at the male lead’s extensive family business. But why was the promotional video for his amusement park playing at this moment?
Just in time, Father Qiao’s voice came through, clarifying her confusion.
“I have reached a tentative cooperation agreement with President Cong. Our families’ first collaboration will be City of Dreams.”
“President Cong offered a very low price so I could purchase it for you as a birthday gift.”
“…”
Father Qiao’s understatement left the inherently impoverished Qiao Yu utterly flabbergasted.
A tycoon has been by my side! I too am part of a grand family business now! Why is President Cong being so generous without receiving any benefit?
Trembling, she looked over at Mother Cong’s side and noticed that, unbeknownst to her, Mother Lin’s had also stood next to Mother Cong. Seeing Qiao Yu look over, Mother Lin smiled and waved to greet her. Meanwhile, Mother Cong’s eyes were filled with amusement, seemingly delighted by Qiao Yu’s panicked reaction.
“Though City of Dreams will eventually be transferred to Yuyu’s name, its management will still be conducted jointly by our two families. City of Dreams will also undergo further renovations and expansions. I believe that by next year, it will make its debut with a brand new look.”
Father Qiao said, extremely pleased with the surprise (?) he had brought to his daughter, speaking animatedly and reaching out to Qiao Yu and Cong Ye.
“Yuyu and Cong Ye will become the first players of the new City of Dreams, and they will receive the ‘unlimited play’ gold card! This is the happy news that Dad wanted to announce!”
Don’t just blurt things out! This could so easily be misunderstood!
Although it really is good news… although it can indeed be described as good news but still…
Rather than feeling happy, Qiao Yu felt an indescribable sense of being drained. She glanced at Cong Ye and realized he also had a complex expression; she clearly read two words on his face.
— That’s it?
Yes, that’s it? Did it really need to be said in such a way that could easily lead to misunderstandings? She was scared into thinking it was going to be—
At this moment, the promotional video for City of Dreams was coming to an end. On the screen, a phrase was outlined with extravagant special effects, appearing to be the new slogan for City of Dreams.
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【Dreams begin with meeting you.】
“”…””
The crowd fell into silence.
“Who came up with this slogan?!”
Qiao Yu screamed internally from the bottom of her heart.
It seemed like just an ordinary sentence, but when it was released while she and Cong Ye were standing together, it took on an extra layer of significant meaning, didn’t it?!
Completely oblivious to the fact that the slogan could also be interpreted as a couple’s name, Father Qiao happily called for Mother Cong to come to the center. She was to present the gold card as the Cong family’s gift to Qiao Yu, while he himself excitedly took another card to Cong Ye.
The woman walked over and, seeing the doomsday-like expression on Qiao Yu’s face, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“It seems like you’re really resistant to this, aren’t you?”
She didn’t take the microphone and started chatting with Qiao Yu on the stage directly.
“…Auntie, the way you’re speaking, it sounds like you might know something, doesn’t it?”
Despite being backstabbed just when she had let her guard down, the injured Qiao Yu still possessed a sharp, wild intuition, watching Mother Cong warily.
“Indeed,” she admitted generously, “the slogan for City of Dreams really carries the meaning you’re thinking of—ah, just to clarify, this wasn’t my idea. After all, I’ve long known that neither you nor Cong Ye have any such feelings.”
…Huh? Then who came up with it? And if you knew, couldn’t you have stopped that person on account of your son?
But before Qiao Yu could voice her question, she was interrupted by Mother Cong, who chuckled and said: “I won’t say who thought of it, but judging by both of your performances today, I reckon she’ll give up on that idea from now on. You can rest easy.”
“Look, I’ve even offered City of Dreams to your family at a bargain price. Initially, my intention was to formally apologize for my past misunderstanding of you, but now, I’m using it to ask a favor of you—not to hold that person accountable, which surely isn’t asking too much, right?”
“…”
Qiao Yu had nothing to say, forced to accept her defeat in the face of the power of money.
“Here.”
Mother Cong, in a rather good mood, stuffed the card into her hand—giving her two.
Huh? Wasn’t Cong Ye’s card already given to him by Father Qiao? Qiao Yu looked up in confusion, only to see the woman give her a quick wink.
“The second part of the apology gift.”
“Take this for someone you would like to go to City of Dreams with.”
Even as Mother Cong stepped down, Qiao Yu hadn’t managed to gather her thoughts. She silently looked at the back of the second card in her hand, which depicted a verdant grove.
…Was it her own unfounded speculation, or did this card carry with it an implied decision?
“Look, now you can give up once and for all.”
As Mother Cong walked down the stage, she cheerfully spoke to the woman beside her.
“Umm… it seems like both of them really are reluctant…”
In front of her, the woman who usually carried herself with composure behaved like a child; Lin’s mom lowered her head in disappointment, not concealing her disillusionment.
“That’s why I told you before, you’re messing around matching people up. Lin Jing, this problem of yours, not listening to others, started back in high school and it hasn’t changed up to now. And there’s also that slogan—”
“I get it, I get it. Cong Zhao, isn’t your penchant for preaching also something that hasn’t changed up to now?”
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“That slogan—well, even if those two don’t end up together, it can still be used, right? After all, people who don’t know them wouldn’t think that way…”
Lin Jing’s voice trailed off increasingly faint as she spoke, feeling guilty. Even CEO Cong had no solution for her, sighing and shaking her head.
“I thought, since Qiao Yu had always been coming to our house to study and Cong Ye seems to care a lot about her, plus, they’re always playfully bickering, they appeared to get along quite well…”
She grumbled regretfully, still in shock at her own misjudgment. Cong Zhao rubbed her temples, feeling that Lin Jing’s definition of ‘getting along’ was really quite far-fetched.
“Their relationship…”
Cong Zhao reflected for a moment and felt that the most apt description of their relationship would be like a Golden Retriever and a Husky who sometimes loathe each other of the same species and at other times share a common enemy with indignation.
But, out of tenderness for today’s little birthday star, she did not speak these thoughts out loud. Instead, she pivoted the conversation decisively.
“Anyway, it’s certain that Qiao Yu won’t end up with Cong Ye—zero possibility, not a bit of room there.”
She glanced at Lin Jing’s face, still not quite convinced, and then over to Lin Qing standing alone not far away, her expression as still as water. That face bore a resemblance to the young Lin Jing, but it was unclear whose anger she was nursing.
Cong Zhao thought the relationships between young people were quite amusing and made a half-joking statement.
“If we really have to speculate, I think Qiao Yu might actually have a better chance with Lin Qing.”
