Because you’re different from him
Qiao Yu has been quite happy lately.
After she had a heart-to-heart conversation, two days passed. Cong Ye reluctantly made amends with her, and he no longer mentioned her friendship with Lin Qing.
Thanks to her efforts, Cong Ye even agreed to occasionally have lunch that includes Lin Qing. Although he still didn’t pay much attention to Lin Qing, the fact that he didn’t drive her away was already a huge improvement.
Qiao Yu privately heard from Lin Qing that Cong Ye now occasionally has meals with her at home, which made her feel relieved as if her child had finally grown up.
In these two days, something important happened to her: her “cheap parents” returned home.
Earlier, she heard from the household staff that Father Qiao and Mother Qiao had gone on a trip together, but Qiao Yu didn’t pay much attention to it. It wasn’t until one evening when she was racking her brain writing an English reading passage that she heard a loud bang from downstairs, followed by a strange middle-aged male voice echoing through the door, “Yu Yu! Where is Yu Yu? Mom and Dad are back!”
Yu Yu cautiously poked her head out of the room and, responding to the man’s call, descended the stairs alertly. Then she was greeted by the sight of a woman rushing towards her, embracing her warmly as if hugging a dog, while lovingly patting her hair and exclaiming, “Oh my, Yu Yu, you seem to have grown taller in the two weeks we’ve been apart.”
The man beside them was overjoyed and rushed over to join them.
The three of them embraced in the living room, and Qiao Yu, squeezed in the middle, found it hard to breathe. She probably understood what kind of family this was.
Father Qiao and Mother Qiao treated her like a precious gem, never letting her go, which made Qiao Yu feel a little guilty. As a result, when the two of them saw Qiao Yu’s reserved demeanor, they thought she was going through adolescence and wanted to distance herself from them. Mother Qiao’s face paled, wiping away tears as she scolded Father Qiao, “I told you to ask for leave for Yu Yu so we could go together! It’s all your fault! Look at her now!”
Father Qiao, looking elegant and dignified, was sweating profusely and trying to calm Mother Qiao while smiling humbly at Qiao Yu. He said, “Yu Yu, tomorrow morning—there might be something—I’ll come to pick you up after school, okay?”
Seeing their demeanor, Qiao Yu didn’t dare to say that it’s okay if he’s busy. She quickly nodded her head to show her friendliness and thanked Father Qiao.
Then both of them were shocked and started exclaiming in unison, questioning why Qiao Yu was suddenly being so polite to Father Qiao. The previously stable atmosphere immediately became unsettled again.
Yu Yu, Qiao Yu, had no choice but to think about how to interact with them slowly in the future.
The next day was a calm day. After school, Qiao Yu hurriedly ran outside and ended up bumping into the homeroom teacher, who gave her a good scolding. It was already ten minutes later when she managed to escape.
Feeling dejected, she walked to the school gate without even looking at which car was theirs, but then she heard Father Qiao’s voice, “Yu Yu! Over here! Over here!”
Other classmates at the school gate looked at her upon hearing the voice. Qiao Yu’s whole being suddenly burned with embarrassment. She quickly ran over and sat in the passenger seat, silently lamenting that she could experience the luxury annoyance of being excessively loved by her parents in her lifetime.
Father Qiao had clearly dressed up today, looking dignified and refined. He happily started the car, muttering whether Yu Yu wanted him to take her to buy something and then return home, but not to tell Mother Qiao. Qiao Yu pondered over how to respond, and as she absentmindedly glanced out the window, she caught sight of a familiar figure walking out of the school gate. In an instant, Father Qiao was forgotten.
Lin Qing?
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Lin Qing always stood out, her refreshing temperament instantly garnering favor. She had a calm demeanor and an upright figure, appearing like a solitary orchid blooming amidst the noisy high school students.
She was accustomed to the gazes cast upon her by others and continued walking towards the right side of the school gate without hesitation.
Qiao Yu stared at her for a while, finally realizing her confusion.
During her and Cang Yu’s fastest run after school, Lin Qing wasn’t there. Qiao Yu had assumed they would go home together, so why did Lin Qing only come out now?
She looked out the window and scanned the surroundings but couldn’t find Cong Ye’s car.
On the right side of the school gate was a bus stop.
…The combination of all these factors made the answer obvious.
Qiao Yu’s head started to ache, and she slapped her own forehead.
Oh, Cong Ye, I didn’t expect you, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, to still be up to trouble!
Father Qiao, who was about to drive away, was startled by her slap and hurriedly came over to inquire with concern, “Yu Yu, what happened? Why did you hit yourself? Are you unhappy at school? Oh my, look how red your forehead is.”
Qiao Yu let out a frustrated sigh, lowered her hand, and looked out the window as Lin Qing’s figure receded into the distance. She gave Father Qiao a pleading expression, “Dad, I want to ask you for a favor.”
Lin Qing was walking towards the bus stop, carrying a newly borrowed book from the library, when suddenly she heard the roaring sound of a car engine behind her. Soon after, a familiar and clear voice urgently called out her name. She couldn’t help but smile, tinged with a hint of surprise, and turned around.
“Lin Qing!”
Qiao Yu closed the car door and ran a few steps to reach Lin Qing’s side. Lin Qing turned back in response, her face displaying astonishment, but her eyes held a soft glimmer, which silently made Qiao Yu marvel at how beautiful the female lead of a romance story always looked, no matter the occasion.
“Why are you here? Cong Ye left right after school.”
Qiao Yu asked, glancing around tentatively, but Lin Qing’s face showed no signs of injury or grievance as she had imagined. Instead, her expression remained unchanged as she shook her head and said, “We don’t walk together to and from school. I always take the bus.”
Lin Qing’s words were plain, but Qiao Yu’s reaction was much more intense than that of the person involved. She widened her eyes angrily and started scolding Cong Ye, “That bastard—I really have to teach him a lesson!”
She felt like she was being fierce, but Lin Qing found her adorable. Unable to resist, she reached out and gently touched Qiao Yu’s fluffy hair, saying in a warm tone, “It’s okay, taking the bus is convenient too. You don’t need to…clash with him anymore.”
The words “for me” circled on her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
A faint blush appeared on Lin Qing’s face, and she lowered the zipper of her school uniform a bit, pretending it was because of the heat.
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Qiao Yu was completely unaware of her inner thoughts. Although she was still a bit angry, she remembered her original intention for coming here and held Lin Qing’s hand, saying, “Let me take you home. Our houses are on the way.”
“Huh?” Lin Qing blinked in confusion as Qiao Yu, holding her hand, led her to the front of the car and pushed her inside, opening the door.
“Qiao, Qiao Yu, this is too troublesome for you, no need—”
“Not troublesome at all.” Father Qiao, sitting in the driver’s seat, turned around with a smiling face, behaving like a reliable elder. “Just as Yu—Little Yu said, it’s on our way. No need to be so polite. I’ve known Cong Ye for a long time, and he has also ridden in my car. Don’t worry.”
Suddenly realizing that it was Father Qiao in the car, Lin Qing became nervous and her fair face flushed. “Unc—Uncle, hello.”
In that moment, she forgot to resist and was easily embraced by Qiao Yu and placed in the back seat. Qiao Yu followed suit, getting into the car, closing the door, and locking it smoothly. She clapped her hands contentedly, as if getting rid of non-existent dust.
Seeing that the situation was already set, Lin Qing had no choice but to give up struggling and obediently smiled at Father Qiao. “Then, I’ll trouble you, Uncle.”
Father Qiao waved his hand cheerfully, turned around, and started the car. Qiao Yu was in a great mood, giggling out loud. Lin Qing bit her lip and lightly pinched Qiao Yu’s arm, which didn’t hurt at all but felt more like she had been touched.
Qiao Yu looked at Lin Qing with a playful smile and met her seemingly reproachful but not really reproachful eyes. Her heart softened, and she shamelessly leaned closer to Lin Qing’s ear.
“Don’t be angry, okay? I didn’t deliberately use my dad to pressure you.”
Lin Qing had never been approached so closely by someone before, and Qiao Yu’s breath brushed against her ear, causing her delicate earlobe to instantly heat up.
She blushed and tried to push Qiao Yu, but Qiao Yu, feeling determined at this moment, didn’t back down. Lin Qing couldn’t do anything about her and could only stare at her with an unimposing gaze and whispered, “You didn’t do it on purpose. You just knew that I wouldn’t refuse if you did this.”
For some reason, Qiao Yu’s mood soared, and she feigned a surprised expression. “Lin Qing, you’re so clever.”
…I really don’t know what to say. Lin Qing was speechless. She wasn’t even angry at her in the first place, and now her face couldn’t help but stiffen. She simply laughed.
She looked the most beautiful when she laughed, with her eyebrows and eyes curved, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. It was as if the spring water had broken through the ice, making Qiao Yu’s eyes dazzled for a moment.
The system was no longer surprised by this situation where she was easily attracted to the female lead. At most, it wondered if the male lead wasn’t handsome enough. Familiar with this situation, it cleared its throat in her mind and woke up Qiao Yu.
Qiao Yu then remembered the main topic and asked seriously, “Have you been taking the bus to school since you arrived?”
“Yeah.” Lin Qing nodded and emphasized, “I’m not just being polite. I really think it’s fine this way.”
She said it sincerely, implying that Qiao Yu shouldn’t argue with Cong Ye over this matter.
But Qiao Yu was stubborn. No matter how she thought about it, she believed that a public bus couldn’t be better than a spacious private car. Disapprovingly, she frowned and asked, “Why? Is there no air conditioning in your family’s car?”
…How could a car belonging to a CEO not have air conditioning?
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After hesitating for a while, Lin Qing still candidly said, “If I ride in the car with Cong Ye… I would feel uncomfortable.”
She speculated that Cong Ye must have the same feelings, which is why they both tacitly avoided bringing up the matter. Seeing Qiao Yu’s bewildered expression, Lin Qing knew that Qiao Yu had been concerned about the improvement in their relationship over these past few days. Lin Qing reassured her, “It’s already much better now. Cong Ye doesn’t deliberately avoid me and my mom anymore. Yesterday, the four of us even had a meal together. He privately asked me if there have been any recent rumors like before. Our relationship is pretty good now.”
Knowing that Cong Ye still had a bit of a conscience to ask about this matter, it seemed that he actually felt guilty towards Lin Qing. Qiao Yu’s disdain for Cong Ye lessened slightly, but at the same time, she felt puzzled. “Then… why would it be uncomfortable to be alone together in the car?”
“It’s not just about riding in the car together,” Lin Qing shook her head. “It’s about being alone together. The atmosphere would be awkward—maybe we’ve known each other for too short a time, and we still need some more time.”
Others may not know, but Qiao Yu knew very well. The two of them had known each other since elementary school. Even if Cong Ye, that idiot, didn’t remember, Lin Qing remembered it clearly. How could she say that they’ve known each other for too short a time and it would be awkward to be alone together?
Qiao Yu, who had actually known Lin Qing for a very short time, looked around at the enclosed car compartment in confusion and pointed to herself, saying, “But we’re sitting in the car together right now, and it doesn’t feel awkward at all.”
Looking at her silly expression, Lin Qing couldn’t help but laugh again. Ripples of amusement shimmered in her ink-colored eyes.
“Because you’re different from him.”