Chapter 196: Chapter 196: How Much Longer Are You Going to Watch?
Light and shadow shifted around her. The girl’s eyes were downcast, her lashes trembling faintly. It was impossible to tell if it was from nervousness or anticipation.
Lin Xiyue watched her, seeing the worry on her face, and recalled the rumors she’d heard.
Rumor had it that when Jiang Qingli failed to awaken her spiritual power at eighteen, the Jiang Family had locked her away. They tried all sorts of methods, but when nothing worked, they threw her out to fend for herself.
After leaving home, Jiang Qingli transformed from a brilliant and well-behaved young noblewoman into a tyrannical rogue who bullied everyone at the academy, supposedly driven mad by her family’s torment.
As for her parents, they couldn’t stand their disgraceful daughter, so they were constantly away on business. In the last three years, they had rarely been seen in Central City.
The rumor was widespread and had even been featured in gossip magazines.
The Jiang Family never issued a clarification, so many people simply assumed it was true.
But in the time she’d been friends with Jiang Qingli, Lin Xiyue had come to feel the rumors weren’t entirely true.
If Jiang Qingli had never received love while growing up, she wouldn’t be capable of giving it to others the way she did now.
Besides, if she had truly been cast out by the Jiang Family, why would she be so meticulous about picking a gown for the banquet? She’d been a bundle of nerves all morning... She hadn’t even been this anxious when she was acting president.
So, Lin Xiyue concluded there must have been some kind of misunderstanding between Jiang Qingli and her family, which was why they hadn’t seen each other in so long.
"Don’t be so nervous." Lin Xiyue wrapped an arm around Jiang Qingli’s shoulders. "I’ll go with you. If anyone dares to gossip, I’ll march right up and slap them!"
"I’ll go too!" Ai Li latched onto Jiang Qingli’s other arm. "It’s rare for your whole family to be there, so it’s bound to be a huge event. I’m going to do your makeup and make you look gorgeous!"
In the mirror, the three girls were huddled together, like little animals sharing secrets.
With her friends holding her hands, Jiang Qingli felt like a deflated balloon slowly inflating.
She squeezed their hands back and offered them a smile.
...
The two of them made a game of it, having Jiang Qingli try on a mountain of gowns before finally settling on a long, silver satin dress.
Ai Li and Lin Xiyue, having chosen their own outfits, sprawled on the sofa, browsing the Star Network for matching jewelry.
It was now close to dusk.
Jiang Qingli glanced at the time, her eyes widening. "Oh, I have to go! I’m leaving now!"
She pushed the door open and hurried out.
Watching her practically fly out the door, Ai Li asked, puzzled, "Where’s she off to in such a rush?"
"It’s Friday. She’s going to pick up her little milk rabbit from class," Lin Xiyue said languidly.
"That special admission student?"
Jiang Qingli hadn’t hidden her relationship with Gu Nian from her friends.
Still, Ai Li found it a little strange. "I mean, he’s definitely gorgeous, but why would the system assign a noble from Central City like Qingli to someone from the Twelve Cities? That’s so far away! It’s completely unheard of..."
Her expression grew serious. "It couldn’t be that someone pulled strings behind the scenes, could it? What if that Gu-what’s-his-name is actually an Assassin sent by some dark power? First, he uses a honey trap to seduce Qingli, and then—"
"You’ve been watching too many detective shows, haven’t you? No way!" Lin Xiyue burst out laughing. "Stop with the wild theories and tell me what you think of this bracelet."
"Alright, alright..."
-
When Jiang Qingli arrived at the science building, Gu Nian was inside, buying a drink from a vending machine.
He stood before the screen, brow furrowed, seemingly struggling to decide what to get.
She slowed her pace, planning to sneak up and startle him.
Just as she reached the entrance, she heard someone inside call out Gu Nian’s name.
A short-haired girl came into view, walking up to Gu Nian. She said with a grin, "What do you want? It’s on me."
"No, thank you, Class Monitor," Gu Nian replied, his tone distant.
The short-haired girl pursed her lips. "Don’t be so formal. Ling Sheng and his friends came after you because of me... I still feel bad about that..."
"Don’t be."
"That just makes me feel more guilty... At least let me do something to make it up to you."
"You can compensate me by shutting up."
Gu Nian, sounding impatient, didn’t even spare her a glance. He tapped the screen twice. A drink clattered into the dispenser slot.
He bent to retrieve it, the movement pulling his white shirt taut against his arm, creating an appealing line.
The cool white light illuminated the boy’s delicate profile, creating a scene straight out of a teen movie.
The sight made the short-haired girl’s heart flutter, but she frowned in annoyance. "Are you really this clueless, or are you just pretending? Gu Nian, I’ll admit you’re good-looking, but my patience is limited. Who do you think you are, putting on airs for me when you’re just from the Lower District?"
"Don’t think you’re so special just because you’re a special admission student. Once you graduate, you’ll just be crawling back to the Lower District to live like a rat again!"
Her voice grew shrill as she became more incensed.
Gu Nian, however, showed no reaction.
’In fact, he was starting to feel bored.’
’These nobles... They were so repetitive with their insults. You could grab anyone from the Lower District, and their curses would be filthier than hers.’
’So high and mighty.’
’Did she really think he didn’t know Ling Sheng only went after him because she’d provoked him?’
Gu Nian remained silent, and his indifference only infuriated the short-haired girl more.
’The last time she’d arranged for people to corner him, her plan to play the hero and save him had failed. And every time she tried to talk to him, he shut her down.’
’So what if he had a pretty face? He was nothing but a low-class plebeian. The forums had already dug up everything on him, so who was he trying to fool with this holier-than-thou act?’
She was about to issue a final warning when the automatic doors nearby slid open.
"What’s taking you so long?"
A bright, feminine voice rang out.
A slender, pale arm looped through Gu Nian’s. Jiang Qingli tilted her head to look at him, her tone full of playful petulance. "I’ve been waiting forever."
’Jiang Qingli?’
The short-haired girl stared at them in astonishment, her pupils quaking.
’When did this guy manage to latch onto someone so influential?’
Across from her, Gu Nian—who moments ago had been so distant—was now all smiles, his eyes crinkling obediently. "Sorry, Sister. I took a little too long picking a drink."
As the boy spoke, he even leaned his body slightly toward Jiang Qingli.
Jiang Qingli’s gaze swept over to the other girl. "And who is this?"
The short-haired girl instantly tensed. Before Gu Nian could answer, she spoke in a sycophantic tone, "Sister Qingli, I’m Wu Su! We met at a party once!"
"Is that so? I don’t make a habit of remembering nobodies."
With that casual remark, Jiang Qingli pulled Gu Nian away, leaving the girl to stand there, gritting her teeth in fury.
Outside the academic building, Gu Nian twisted the cap off the drink in his hand and offered it to Jiang Qingli. "Thanks for getting me out of that, Sister."
Jiang Qingli took it, glanced at the bottle, and realized it was her favorite brand of sparkling water.
She took a sip. "We have similar tastes."
Gu Nian smiled, his eyes curving. "We do."
Jiang Qingli thought for a moment before saying, "Um... don’t take what that girl said to heart. If you want, you can stay in the Upper City District for as long as you like."
"Next time something like that happens, just curse them out. I’ve got your back."
"Thank you, Sister."
Gu Nian said with a smile.
’Actually, as he’d walked up to the vending machine, he had already picked out Jiang Qingli’s footsteps from the chaotic jumble of sounds.’
’He had planned to pretend he hadn’t noticed her, but then someone else showed up and inadvertently did him a favor.’
’He’d been looking for a chance to make an impression on his Sister, anyway.’
...
Back at the Jiang Family estate, the living room was still empty.
Jiang Qingli let out a sigh of relief.
She hadn’t seen Jiang Youchen at all for the past few days. When she asked Yi Nuo about it, the answer was always that he was busy.
’That was for the best. She wasn’t actually ready to face him yet.’
’She felt incredibly guilty.’
After a peaceful dinner, Yi Nuo told Jiang Qingli a package had arrived. She acknowledged it and went to sign for the delivery.
Gu Nian had been following her, but his gaze flickered toward the stairs, and he stopped. "Sister, I’m going to go wash up."
"Okay. My bedroom is on the third floor, to the left."
Gu Nian watched her walk away before turning and heading upstairs.
He walked without the slightest hesitation or pause.
As if he were intimately familiar with the place.
Upon reaching the third floor, Gu Nian walked to the bedroom door. He placed his hand on the knob but didn’t immediately turn it. Instead, he looked to the side, his eyes turning cold.
"How much longer are you going to stand there watching, brother-in-law?"
