Chapter 296: Take Him Down, You Are the Female Lead
Both of them had been busy lately, so Jiang Qingli and Xie Youchen had only been in contact via text.
Seeing him now after several days, she felt that Xie Youchen looked even more handsome than before.
Especially his eyes. When they met hers, they always gave her the feeling of being loved.
Jiang Qingli stopped in her tracks, running through what she wanted to say in her mind.
Just then, a male approached, interrupting her thoughts with a few compliments.
Jiang Qingli glanced at the newcomer, recognizing him as the son of one of Jiang Yi’s former subordinates in the First District, so she exchanged a few words with him.
After the man left, Jiang Qingli looked toward Xie Youchen and saw that a few females had gathered around him at some point.
A pretty female tilted her head up and asked, "Marshal Xie, will you be returning to the Ninth District after this?"
Xie Youchen answered indifferently, "That depends."
Another female spoke up tentatively, "I heard... Auntie Xie has been busy arranging a marriage for you lately? If you get married, many females in the First District will be heartbroken for a long time."
"Oh, you’re all being too subtle."
Before Xie Youchen could answer, a female cut off her companion and stared frankly at Xie Youchen. "Marshal Xie, you haven’t been assigned a partner yet. I heard it’s because you traded your military achievements with His Majesty for marital freedom? Is there someone you like?"
Not far away, Jiang Qingli’s steps came to a halt.
She stared at the young man standing under the crystal chandelier, her fingers tightening slightly around her wine glass.
But Xie Youchen didn’t answer the question immediately. Instead, as if sensing something, he raised his eyes and looked in the girl’s direction.
The people surrounding him followed his gaze, their eyes landing on Jiang Qingli.
"Miss Jiang!" The frank female waved at her with a wide smile. "Come over here! We’re asking the Marshal some questions."
"Miss Jiang, you must know who the Marshal likes, right?"
"You two are the closest. He definitely wouldn’t hide it from you, so just tell us... If he really has someone in his heart, we’ll give up."
Jiang Qingli walked up to him, her heart pounding erratically.
"I don’t know." She looked up, her voice tense as she asked the still-silent young man in a seemingly casual tone, "Hey, who do you have feelings for?"
Xie Youchen lowered his gaze, his eyes reflecting only her.
He began to speak slowly, his voice cutting through the noisy crowd, each word falling clearly into her ears—
"I thought Ah Li already knew."
「In a corner of the banquet hall.」
Xie Guanqi sipped her wine, watching the scene from a distance.
A few females said something, pulled Jiang Qingli over, and after a brief exchange, suddenly started teasing and cheering.
Then, Xie Youchen said something.
The scene suddenly fell silent.
The next second, for reasons unknown, Jiang Qingli suddenly blushed, then grabbed Xie Youchen and started pulling him toward the lounge area.
’What are those two up to?’
Xie Guanqi grew anxious. Just as she was about to stand up, a voice sounded beside her. "Miss Xie, where are you going?"
Xie Guanqi looked at Chen Mi standing next to her and ground her teeth in anger. "Is it any of your business?"
"Naturally, I’m not qualified to order you around." Chen Mi kept his expression neutral, his voice all business. "But the Marshal will be coming to see you shortly. Please wait patiently."
Xie Guanqi took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to break down.
She had been locked up for a long time and was only just let out for the banquet today.
’I thought I could finally carry out my plan smoothly.’
’But that damn male, Xie Youchen, used the excuse of needing to talk to me to place his lackey by my side to watch me! He won’t let me go anywhere!’
’And the worst part is, I can’t even resist.’
’The Xie Family relies on Xie Youchen now. Everyone treats him with the utmost respect, and no matter how unwilling I am, I have to play the part of a well-behaved "little sister" on the surface. Otherwise, he could lock me up again at any moment.’
’He’s just a male. In the end, he’ll just be married off to benefit someone else’s family, so what’s with the act...’
The terminal in her pocket vibrated slightly.
Xie Guanqi took it out and glanced at it nonchalantly, then set down her wine glass, stood up abruptly, and walked off in a certain direction.
Chen Mi followed close behind.
Suddenly, Xie Guanqi stopped at a corner.
There was no one around. Chen Mi raised a hand to stop her and was about to speak when he heard her say, "I’m going to the damn restroom. You want to follow me in and watch?"
Xie Guanqi raised an eyebrow, a look of disgust on her face. "I heard you used to live in the Fifth District. Didn’t your parents teach you any manners? This is the Upper City District. You need to follow the rules here."
Chen Mi’s gaze lingered on her face for a second before he lowered his head. "My apologies, Miss Xie."
He stepped aside, and Xie Guanqi entered the restroom with a haughty air.
The restroom was exceptionally spacious, but there was already someone inside.
Xie Guanqi’s expression was already impatient, but it turned to annoyance when she saw Bai Yiyi’s outfit. "Why are you wearing last year’s style?"
A trace of embarrassment appeared on Bai Yiyi’s face.
’All my clothes were bought last year. I can’t even show my face in public right now, and with no money, where would I get the chance to buy new ones?’
’But Chi Yun got back in touch with me yesterday. From now on, I can just keep spending his money.’
’Once I take care of Xie Youchen tonight, I’ll have a backer, and everything will fall into place.’
Bai Yiyi said calmly, "I specifically wore white, which Xie Youchen likes."
Hearing this, Xie Guanqi’s expression softened slightly, and she beckoned her over.
This banquet was an unprecedentedly grand affair. Given Xie Youchen’s special status, he naturally required strict protection.
Therefore, every guest who accepted an invitation had to be registered via a real-time iris scan. The servers all carried alert devices that would sound an alarm if they encountered an unregistered guest.
Xie Guanqi hadn’t wanted to get involved personally, but Housekeeper Wu, who was originally scheduled for this, had been temporarily reassigned to another task today, so she had no choice but to come herself.
After adding Bai Yiyi to the whitelist, Xie Guanqi asked, "Are you sure it will work?"
A few days ago, Bai Yiyi had said she had a way to handle Xie Youchen.
If she could just get ten minutes alone with him, Xie Youchen would fall in love with her and do her bidding.
Xie Guanqi wasn’t entirely convinced, but the matter came at no cost to her, so there was no harm in giving Bai Yiyi a chance.
’Besides, even if Bai Yiyi tried to turn on me, this is the Xie Family’s territory. What kind of trouble could she possibly stir up?’
"Xie Youchen went to the lounge with Jiang Qingli," Xie Guanqi said. "My people will go and call Jiang Qingli away in a bit. You make it quick."
"Okay." Bai Yiyi nodded, her expression excited.
After Xie Guanqi left, Bai Yiyi pushed open the door and walked calmly toward the lounge area.
The banquet had only just begun, so there weren’t many people in the lounge area.
Bai Yiyi waited at the corner for a few minutes before a server walked to one of the lounges, called Jiang Qingli out, and left with her.
A message from Xie Guanqi arrived at the perfect moment: [He’s alone in the lounge now. There are sleeping pills in the wine.]
In her mind, the System’s voice was excited and tempting:
[As long as Xie Youchen eats the Charming Fruit, you’ll gain Affinity Points! Not only will your loan points be paid off, but you’ll have extra points to exchange for more items!]
[Secure him, and you will be the Child of Fortune! You will be the female lead!]
The sleeping pills would take effect in five minutes.
Bai Yiyi clutched the item in her hand, waited for the time to pass, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to the lounge.
On the coffee table was a glass of wine, half-empty.
And Xie Youchen was leaning back on the sofa, his eyes closed, seemingly in a quiet, deep sleep.