Chapter 333: Shameless Creature
All eyes were on them, but Jiang Qingli had no time to care.
The warmth of his body against hers made her mind go blank for a moment.
Unlike the faint, bitter scent of medicine that always clung to Yuan Shimo, Yuan Shiyao’s embrace was clean and refreshing, unique to a young man—like sea salt ice cream under the hot summer sun.
Beneath her palm, the heartbeat in his chest was as strong as a drum.
His scorching body heat and the emotions swirling in his turquoise eyes made her heart feel as if it were being gently caressed through a thin veil of silk, a faint tickle that made it impossible to meet his gaze.
"I’m sorry! Miss, I’m so sorry!"
After a few seconds of shock, the waiter didn’t dare delay, bowing repeatedly in apology.
Someone grabbed Jiang Qingli’s hand. Gu Nian had stood up, holding her hand and asking worriedly, "I’m sorry, Sister. It was my fault. Did it hurt? Let me see..."
As he spoke, he rubbed the shoulder Jiang Qingli had just bumped.
At the same time, he discreetly inserted himself between the two of them, using his arm to subtly push Yuan Shiyao aside.
Yuan Shiyao took a step back, just far enough to give Gu Nian room to check on her, then stood perfectly still. No matter how hard Gu Nian secretly pressed with his arm, he remained as motionless as a statue.
This made Gu Nian absolutely furious.
But Gu Nian was afraid that any larger movement might jostle Jiang Qingli, so he held himself back and said softly, "Sister, let’s go to our room. I’ll check if you’re hurt..."
’Most importantly, I need to get her away from this disgusting, scheming cat.’
The undercurrent of tension dissipated as Jiang Qingli came to her senses. She assured them she was fine, then turned to the waiter. "It’s all right. I stood up too quickly and didn’t see you either."
The waiter glanced at the hem of her dress, then looked back up, his face filled with apology and worry.
Jiang Qingli followed his gaze down and saw a large red fruit juice stain on her dress.
The long dress was visibly made of excellent material and was naturally expensive—far more than the waiter could ever afford to replace.
Jiang Qingli waved her hand magnanimously. "It’s really fine. Just bring another glass."
Seeing that Jiang Qingli truly didn’t blame him, the waiter let out a long sigh of relief and left gratefully.
With such a large wet spot, she definitely couldn’t keep wearing the dress. Jiang Qingli smiled at the others watching her. "I’m going to go change. I’ll be back in a bit."
"Sister-in-law, I’ll go with you—"
"Sister, let’s go together—"
Two voices rang out at the same time.
Yuan Shiyao and Gu Nian had spoken in unison, and upon hearing each other, they shot each other looks of veiled hostility.
In the end, it was Lin Xiyue who stood up to smooth things over, offering to accompany Jiang Qingli to change.
After the two left, Gu Nian and Yuan Shiyao returned to their seats, but this time they sat even farther apart, with a space wide enough for two people between them.
The bonfire party continued.
But no one present spoke. They remained silent, their eyes darting back and forth between Gu Nian and Yuan Shiyao. They couldn’t hide the gossipy expressions on their faces as they exchanged knowing glances with those beside them.
It was an open secret in the academy that Gu Nian was Jiang Qingli’s man. The academy forums often mentioned Gu Nian in discussions about Jiang Qingli, using a rabbit emoji to represent him.
Many people used to think Gu Nian was just desperately throwing himself at her to gain residency in the First District.
Back when Jiang Qingli was still a "useless female," most people would have just laughed at him. But now, Jiang Qingli was a prize catch that countless males wanted to land. As a result, any mention of Gu Nian on the forums was met with envy, jealousy, and hate, and even the attitudes of some people within the student council had warmed up to him.
Of course, this did not include Yuan Shiyao.
Yuan Shiyao and Gu Nian—one was the busy Secretary-General, the other a special admission student in name only—rarely saw each other outside of meetings.
Yet on the few occasions they did meet, their attitudes toward each other were terrible.
Everyone found it strange. Both of them were usually the type to get along with anyone, at least on the surface. So why couldn’t they even manage a smile for each other? After all, wasn’t Gu Nian married to the same woman as Yuan Shiyao’s brother?
And now, having witnessed the spectacular drama of two males fighting over one female, the student council members finally understood why the two didn’t get along.
’So you two are romantic rivals!’
Several people who had bet against Ke An shot her resentful looks. She just gave a wicked laugh, made a "get rich" gesture, and called for everyone to continue the game.
-
"Spill it. Is there something going on between you and Secretary Yuan?"
Once they reached the villas in the rest area, Lin Xiyue couldn’t hold it in any longer, wiggling her eyebrows as she questioned Jiang Qingli.
Jiang Qingli paused. "That was just an accident."
Lin Xiyue snorted. "Why are you trying to brush me off with that excuse?" She thought for a moment, then clapped her hands. "I’ve got it! There’s nothing between you two *now*, but that might not be the case in the future, right?"
Jiang Qingli said, "Ah, we’re here!"
She dashed into the villa first, running at top speed. "I’m going to change, wait for me!"
Lin Xiyue watched her friend’s retreating back, raised an eyebrow, and shook her head with the air of a seasoned veteran. "Oh, to be young~"
...
Jiang Qingli ran as fast as she could, bursting into the villa in one breath.
The privacy measures in the villa were excellent; blackout shades covered everything. She paused in the darkness for two seconds, planning to feel her way to the door to activate the smart home system.
But just as she turned, a light appeared.
Three thumb-sized, warm-yellow dots of light circled around her like little stars, illuminating the path.
Just like at the underground auction house.
It was Yuan Shiyao’s Superpower.
Jiang Qingli switched on the main lights, flooding the room. The small dots of light circled her a few more times before slowly flying away.
On impulse, Jiang Qingli reached out, caught one of the dots, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks."
The moment she touched it, the warm dot of light began to tremble violently, as if it couldn’t bear it, and scattered in her palm.
Jiang Qingli froze.
’I know I’m strong, but I’m not *that* strong, am I?’
’Crushing it won’t affect him, right?’
She didn’t know much about Yuan Shiyao’s Superpower. After a moment of thought, she started heading upstairs while sending him a message: [I think I crushed your light...]
Yuan Shiyao replied instantly: [I know. I felt it.]
Yuan Shiyao: [It’s fine.]
Jiang Qingli fell silent.
’If Yuan Shiyao could feel me squeezing his Superpower just now, then back at the underground auction house... when I touched those balls of light, wasn’t that the same as touching *him*?’
’I’d rather not have known that.’
The tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears grew slightly hot.
She faintly sensed something but deliberately replied with forced composure: [That’s good. I’ll be more careful next time.]
Yuan Shiyao: [Don’t worry about whether they live or die. You can play with them however you want. As long as you’re happy.]
Jiang Qingli’s finger, hovering over the screen, paused for a moment.
’It’s normal for friends to touch each other’s Superpowers... right?’
Jiang Qingli tried to reassure herself with this thought. Just as she was about to reply, a cool body pressed against her back.
A shadow fell over her from behind, accompanied by soft breathing. A snake-like tongue traced her earlobe, leaving a cold, casual kiss from the young man.
"Who are you chatting with?"
Ye Linyuan wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace, his tone languid.
His golden, vertical pupils shifted, glancing down at the screen.
Jiang Qingli quickly turned off the screen, but he had already seen everything in those two short seconds.
A cold arc formed on his thin lips. Ye Linyuan commented icily:
"Such an indecent little thing."