Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Trying Too Hard to Get Ahead

Jiang Qingli waved to the person outside the car.

Only after she opened the door and got out did she notice the young man’s pale face.

A piece of gauze was taped to his forehead. Its stark white color diluted his usual cool aloofness, adding a touch of frailness.

Jiang Qingli frowned with concern and asked softly, "How did you get hurt?"

"It’s nothing." Yuan Shiyao shook his head. "Just a small matter."

’What kind of ’small matter’ could do this to an S-level male?’

Jiang Qingli wanted to ask more, but she caught sight of Qiao Lan approaching out of the corner of her eye. Out of respect for her friend’s privacy, she swallowed her words.

"President." Qiao Lan walked closer and smiled at her. "The meeting is about to start."

"Let’s head over then."

Jiang Qingli took a step forward to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with her, while Yuan Shiyao fell a step behind.

On the way, they ran into several other members of the Melt Star Association who were also heading over. They greeted Jiang Qingli, and even those she didn’t know well would offer her a smile.

At first, Jiang Qingli found this a bit odd. That is, until Tang Ran met them downstairs and immediately asked, "President, did your Prince really test as S-level? A second awakening?"

Seeing her nod, Tang Ran’s eyes went wide. "Holy crap, it’s the first time I’ve seen positive news about him in the headlines! I thought it was fake!"

Although she was telling the truth, it was still a bit harsh.

Qiao Lan shot her a glare, and Tang Ran immediately shut up, awkwardly touching her hair.

Just as Tang Ran was wondering how to backtrack, she saw Jiang Qingli smile. "Actually, he’s always been very powerful."

Every use of a Superpower by a member of the Imperial Family is recorded, so Qin Muye had almost never used his.

But sometimes, his powerful aura would leak out unintentionally.

For example, the first time they partnered up in shooting class, he had located the target’s direction effortlessly. Jiang Qingli had seen a faint glimmer of electricity that time.

Sometimes, when he got overly excited or angry, Jiang Qingli would hear faint peals of thunder. It was probably because he didn’t know his own Superpower and therefore couldn’t control it precisely.

As for why his Superpower was officially F Level, Jiang Qingli guessed it was because Qin Muye’s father had died in the Imperial Family’s struggles. Both the Emperor and the Shen Family were afraid Qin Muye would suffer the same fate, so they had tampered with his records.

But now that Qin Muye had left the Imperial Family to start his own life and had matured considerably, the Emperor no longer wanted to constrain him so much and had thus given him this opportunity.

In any case, Qin Muye was now part of the Jiang Family. With his ties to the Imperial Family lessened, he was free to pursue what he wanted.

Jiang Qingli also hoped that the little snow leopard who had clawed his way up, barefoot, from the Lower District, could walk toward a bright future.

Her arm was nudged teasingly a couple of times.

Jiang Qingli snapped back to reality and saw Tang Ran wiggling her eyebrows at her. "Looks like that old rumor about him trying to assassinate you with a weapon was fake. You two are clearly getting along great!"

She gave a noncommittal response and changed the subject. "Stop gossiping about me. Have you seriously reviewed the meeting’s agenda? You’re not going to forget your lines again and need Secretary Qiao to remind you, are you?"

"Whoa, President, you’re quizzing me the moment you get back!"

Tang Ran clutched her chest and slumped sideways, only to be caught by Qiao Lan, who then proceeded to forcibly drill her on the talking points for the upcoming meeting.

Jiang Qingli watched from the side, a hint of sly amusement in her smile.

The wind lifted a strand of her hair, and Jiang Qingli felt an intense gaze on her.

She turned her head and met Yuan Shiyao’s gaze, which he couldn’t look away from in time.

Caught off guard, the dark-haired young man froze before averting his gaze as if startled.

The next second, Yuan Shiyao brought a fist to his lips and began to cough violently, his back slightly hunched, his body trembling with a fragile quality.

’Is it that serious...?’

Jiang Qingli was worried. Just as she was about to walk over and ask, the elevator arrived.

The elevator doors opened, revealing several members of the student council inside.

Someone saw that Yuan Shiyao was injured and quickly hit the close-door button after Jiang Qingli and her group got in.

The elevator ascended.

After the three of them entered, the student council members who were already inside immediately squeezed over to the other side.

The student council was divided into several factions, and this group was clearly one that disliked the Melt Star Association.

After a few seconds of silence, someone glanced at Jiang Qingli and remarked casually, "Ever since our Secretary Yuan came into contact with some... unclean things, he’s been either distracted or sick. How strange."

"I heard a disease spread by Mutant Beasts has been going around the Lower District lately. Since the Secretary’s older brother spent so much time there, there’s no way..."

"But compared to Secretary Yuan, isn’t there someone here who’s even closer to Senior Yuan?"

The person looked at Jiang Qingli’s reflection in the elevator’s mirrored wall, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Miss Jiang, you’re not feeling any discomfort, are you?"

"Thank you for your concern. I’m perfectly fine." Jiang Qingli’s lips curled into a smile. "You, on the other hand, should probably get your halitosis treated first, if you have the means."

The person glared. "Who are you calling—"

Tang Ran covered her nose and mouth and deliberately shouted, "STINKY! SO STINKY! Who could possibly be so stinky? It’s so hard to guess!"

Her disgusted expression was so convincing that the person snapped their mouth shut, their face a mask of frustrated indignation.

To make matters worse, Qiao Lan added in a gentle voice, "Minister Sun, halitosis can indeed be difficult to cure. I know a doctor I can recommend, if you need one."

’Jiang Qingli and her attack dogs,’ Minister Sun cursed internally. He was about to speak, but fearing another outburst from Tang Ran, he clamped his mouth shut.

DING—

The elevator doors opened.

The group trickled into the conference room.

Not long after Jiang Qingli sat down, she saw Yuan Shiyao walking over, flanked by Ke An and Ai Bin.

The moment her gaze landed on him, it was captured by Yuan Shiyao’s.

The young man’s heart raced as he offered a faint, somewhat sickly smile.

But the smile pulled at his wound. He drew in a sharp breath and refrained from making any other large movements.

"Well now, look at our Secretary trying so hard, seizing every chance to exude his charm."

A teasing, mischievous laugh came from the side.

Yuan Shiyao glanced over and, sure enough, met Ke An’s twitching, dancing eyebrows. Behind her, Ai Bin was cautiously shooting him a gossipy look.

Seeing his face clearly, Ke An clicked her tongue. "How’d you end up like this? Don’t tell me your brother caught you trying to steal his girl and beat you up?"

"Your imagination is far too rich." Yuan Shiyao coolly withdrew his gaze. "The Gossip Weekly would be a better fit for your talents than the student council."

Ke An said to Ai Bin, "See that? He’s getting defensive."

Yuan Shiyao sneered, "What do I have to be defensive about?"

"If you weren’t defensive, you wouldn’t be tossing your image aside to parade your injury in front of a female for sympathy." Ke An’s analysis sounded perfectly logical. "With today’s medical technology, unless you have a gaping hole in your head, I can’t imagine what injury would be so severe that our image-conscious Secretary would need to go out wearing gauze."

Yuan Shiyao looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "You don’t want to win anymore?"

He was referring to the bet a few student council members had on when he would take power.

Ke An was very honest. "Sorry, I’ve been shipping Mr. Baili and Qingli’s pairing recently, so I’m not really feeling like supporting you." She sighed wistfully. "What can I say? A real couple is just better to ship!"

Yuan Shiyao: "..."

He had nothing to say to a fangirl.

Besides.

’Jiang Qingli still hasn’t gone public with Baili Jing. Doesn’t that just prove their husband-and-wife relationship is average at best?’

Yuan Shiyao walked past his gossiping colleagues and pushed open the door to the room.

He had specifically switched seats with Ke An today so he would be opposite Jiang Qingli, where he could see her every move.

But as he pushed the door open, he saw that someone was already sitting in his seat.

It was none other than Baili Jing, one of the two main characters of the ship Ke An had just been gushing about.

But Jiang Qingli wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she was talking to the special admission student next to her, Gu Nian.