Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Kissing in Front of the Younger Brother
Gentle music flowed through the spacious, brightly lit restaurant.
Jiang Qingli washed her hands at the sink. Just as she picked up a towel and glanced up, she saw Yuan Shiyao’s face in the mirror and jumped in surprise.
It took her a few seconds to register what he was saying.
Jiang Qingli dried her fingers. Seeing the two words "Little Dog" on the screen made her scalp tingle with dread.
She walked out with her terminal, sat on the sofa, and whispered, "Hello?"
Silence on the other end.
Jiang Qingli touched the tip of her nose. "Why aren’t you talking?"
A harsh snort came from the other end. "What is there to talk about."
Jiang Qingli asked tentatively, "So we’re not talking?"
As expected, the moment she said that, he couldn’t hold back and exploded, gritting his teeth, "So now you have nothing to say to me? How could you?!"
Hearing Qin Xiaogou’s urgent and wounded voice, Jiang Qingli didn’t dare tease him anymore. "Okay, okay, calm down. Yuan Shiyao helped me with something before, so I had to treat him to a meal. I wasn’t deliberately hiding it from you. Besides, you’ve been so busy lately..."
Before she could finish, she heard a scoff from the other end. "Excuses."
"You’ve been tricked by that shameless... that homewrecker!" Qin Muye bit back the vulgar word and said decisively, "Hand the terminal to him!"
’What homewrecker...’
’The way his mind works...’
Jiang Qingli didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and quickly tried to placate him. "Don’t worry, it’s not just the two of us. Ke An and Ai Bin from the student council were supposed to come too. They said yesterday they were coming."
Hearing this, Qin Muye’s voice finally softened. "Then stay away from him. Next time you owe someone a favor, I’ll pay it back for you."
Jiang Qingli smiled and nodded, changing the subject. "When will you be done with your work?"
"In a little while," Qin Muye said deliberately, propping his chin on one hand. "Come see me tomorrow."
"To the Imperial Palace?" Jiang Qingli asked.
"If I say you can, you can." Qin Muye pressed, "Do you want to come see me or not?"
’Fine, the Imperial Palace is his family’s business, after all.’
Jiang Qingli didn’t have much to do tomorrow anyway, so she nodded. "Okay."
He huffed a couple of times from the other end. "That’s more like it."
But from his tone, it was clear he’d been placated.
After that topic was settled, Qin Muye brought up something else. "I bought you a dress."
After that, he kept Jiang Qingli on the line talking about other things, clearly not wanting to hang up and deliberately trying to annoy Yuan Shiyao.
After they’d chatted for ten minutes, his driver meekly reminded him that there was a call from the Imperial Palace.
Before Qin Muye hung up, he suddenly remembered something. "Right, your brother is coming back soon."
Jiang Qingli froze, almost doubting if she’d heard him correctly. "What?"
"Your brother. It’s confirmed he’ll be landing at the First District airport next Saturday at five a.m.," Qin Muye repeated. "This news hasn’t been made public yet."
His tone clearly held a hint of someone seeking praise.
He remembered hearing that Jiang Qingli was very close with her brother, so he had made a point to be the first to tell her this surprise.
Unexpectedly, the person who had just been laughing and talking with him suddenly went silent.
Qin Muye started to panic a little.
But a few seconds later, Jiang Qingli’s voice sounded normal again. "Well then, thank you for the ’tip-off.’ I’ll come see you tomorrow."
The call ended.
The smile on Jiang Qingli’s face slowly faded. She felt agitated and scratched her wrist with her curled fingers.
A tall shadow fell over her.
Jiang Qingli looked up and saw Yuan Shiyao sitting down beside her, looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
"What’s wrong?" Jiang Qingli tried her best to make her voice sound light and normal.
Yuan Shiyao’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before he looked away and said in a low voice, "Sorry, Ke An just told me they can’t make it."
Yuan Shiyao handed her his terminal, showing her the message Ke An had just sent.
"Then let’s just us eat." Jiang Qingli only glanced at the message before walking to the dining table and sitting down.
She was clearly distracted, and all because of another man.
’Is there really some bad blood between the siblings?’
Yuan Shiyao was curious about everything related to Jiang Qingli, but he knew she wouldn’t tell him right now, so he sat down across from her as if nothing had happened.
Pouring her a glass of water, Yuan Shiyao changed the subject. "That call just now..."
Jiang Qingli figured he must have overheard some of it and felt a little awkward. "Just pretend you didn’t hear it..."
"Your Beast Husband seems to have some misunderstanding..." Yuan Shiyao frowned. "From the sound of it, his temper isn’t very good."
The young man sighed, his long, thick lashes fluttering as he looked down. "If it were me, I wouldn’t put you in such a difficult position."
’That sounds a little strange.’
’It doesn’t sound like something Secretary Yuan would say.’
Before she could think about it further, a waiter knocked respectfully and entered to serve the food.
Jiang Qingli watched the waiter leave after serving the dishes, then turned her head to defend her little dog. "He’s actually very nice. What happened just now was an accident. I hope you won’t judge him too harshly."
Yuan Shiyao said, "Is that so."
A dark look flashed in the young man’s eyes as he lowered his head to ladle soup for her.
Jiang Qingli took a few bites, and the corners of her lips curved up.
She looked at the night view outside the window, her mood improving, and shared with him, "This spot is super hard to book. I wasn’t expecting to get it, but I clicked, and there it was!"
"And they were only offering one reservation for today, so it’s practically a private booking!"
Yuan Shiyao’s lips curved slightly, his eyes filled with her reflection. "Then I’m truly lucky."
...
The rest of the meal was very pleasant.
They mostly talked about official business, with occasional detours into other topics.
Jiang Qingli’s mood had improved, and she had a few sips of wine.
As they were leaving, Yuan Shiyao got a phone call.
Jiang Qingli waited for him by the elevators, leaning against the wall, her mind filled with all sorts of thoughts that made her feel restless.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a familiar figure.
Jiang Qingli froze for a second. "Cat Teacher? What are you doing here?"
She stood up, a little unsteady on her feet.
"I came to pick you up."
The young man steadied Jiang Qingli’s arm, then wrapped his hand around her waist.
Jiang Qingli felt a little shy. "There are cameras."
"This is the Yuan Family’s property." The fingers clutching her waist tightened a bit, and Yuan Shimo whispered in her ear, "You can do anything you want here."
’Anything... I want?’
Hearing this, Jiang Qingli slowly turned her head, her lips happening to brush against the young man’s.
The moment they touched, a fleeting bliss washed over her, and all her worries seemed to vanish in an instant.
Smelling the clean, slightly bitter scent on the young man, Jiang Qingli suddenly felt thirsty.
The girl instinctively grabbed his clothes. In a spot hidden from the surveillance camera, she tilted her face up to meet his lips.
Yuan Shimo dodged for a moment, but she held on to his clothes. He turned his head, as if unable to resist, and deepened the kiss.
Her slender fingers slid under the hem of his shirt, feeling the lean muscle underneath tense instantly.
Jiang Qingli’s lips curved. ’This is fun.’
"Mmmph... do that when we’re home."
Before she could go any further, Yuan Shimo let out a low grunt and nipped her lower lip, neither too lightly nor too hard.
But rather than a warning, the pressure felt more like an invi-tation.
It wasn’t a strong enticement, but under the influence of alcohol, every slight friction was a spark that could ignite a wildfire at any moment.
Suddenly, there was a faint sound from behind them.
Yuan Shimo raised his eyes and met the gaze of the person standing in the shadows.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled at his younger brother, his tone deliberately casual. "What are you doing here?"
Hearing this, Jiang Qingli realized what was happening. Her eyes flew open, and she turned around stiffly.
She saw Yuan Shiyao standing a few meters behind them. Her face, already flushed from the kiss, instantly grew hotter, and even the tips of her ears turned bright red.
’No way... Why is Yuan Shiyao here?!’
’How long has he been watching?’
’He didn’t see me forcing myself on his brother, did he...?’
’This is so embarrassing...’
Jiang Qingli’s sluggish mind was jolted awake by the scene. She quickly took a small step back. The hand clutching Yuan Shimo’s shirt tried to pull away, only to be caught and held tight the moment she let go.
The young man’s long, slender fingers wrapped around her hand, pressing it against his heart.
"It’s okay."
Yuan Shimo’s tone was reassuring as the pads of his fingers expertly caressed her own.
He looked up at his brother, who was standing rigidly not far away.
His jade-green eyes curved into crescents. His voice was low, but his enunciation was crystal clear as he said, word by word—
"He’ll get used to it sooner or later, won’t he?"
