Chapter 345: Want to Take Another Look?
It was the height of summer. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, enveloping the two of them in its scorching heat.
Jiang Qingli averted her gaze, the tips of her ears burning. Her heart, which had just calmed down, began to race again.
His stare was too intense to ignore.
That forbidden feeling crept back into her mind. Jiang Qingli’s fingers trembled as she met his eyes.
But his beautiful, jade-green eyes held no trace of flirtation, only a hint of frustration.
The black-haired young man frowned slightly and asked earnestly, "Is the difference between my brother and me that big?"
It seemed he was just comparing himself to his brother out of a sense of competition.
Though the subject of comparison was a bit strange, Jiang Qingli felt a wave of relief for some reason.
She recalled how he had felt to the touch just now.
’Hmm, soft but firm, felt great. The lines were well-defined when flexed...’
After a few seconds, Jiang Qingli came to a conclusion. "The feel... is about the same."
Yuan Shiyao pressed, "So, do you think there’s anything I need to improve?"
Jiang Qingli casually deflected. "Actually, I didn’t get a good look just now. Uh, right, that’s it. So let’s just forget it..."
Before she could finish, he asked, "Then... want to take another look?"
Yuan Shiyao leaned in, his slightly husky, pleasant voice laced with an imperceptible allure.
His hand was already on the edge of the blanket, as if he was about to whip it off for her inspection in the next second.
He was clearly not used to such posturing. Though he was feigning composure, his long lashes fluttered, his ears were beet red, and his fingers trembled slightly.
’He’s still trying to compete with Yuan Shimo even when he’s like this? What kind of conflict is going on between those two brothers?’
Jiang Qingli was very curious, but now wasn’t the time to ask.
She reached out, grabbed the edge of the blanket, and leaned over slightly.
Feeling the girl’s breath on his face, Yuan Shiyao instantly stiffened. He instinctively closed his eyes, his breathing tightening.
The next second, however, he heard Jiang Qingli laugh. "Why are you acting like one of those guys in a drama about to offer up a kiss?"
Yuan Shiyao opened his eyes, only to find she hadn’t done what he’d imagined. She had just pulled back a corner of the thin blanket, checked the wound on his back, and then tucked the blanket back in.
The wound was more serious than Jiang Qingli had expected; there were faint traces of blood along the edge of the gauze.
She sighed. "Looks like this will take a while to heal. When we get back, I’ll go with you to the First Royal Hospital. I think you’ll need to be admitted."
"It’s fine. It’ll heal on its own after a while."
Yuan Shiyao didn’t want to use this to guilt-trip her. He had shielded her from the shot of his own free will, after all.
Not realizing it was a real bullet was just his bad luck; it had nothing to do with Jiang Qingli.
’If I got into trouble that easily, what right would I have to be the other man?’
A few knocks sounded at the door, and Gu Nian’s voice followed. "Qingli, I’m dressed! Do you want to come check?"
"Coming!" Jiang Qingli called toward the door, then turned and waved at Yuan Shiyao. "I’m off. Be careful with your wound and don’t move around too much. If you need anything, call the housekeeping robot."
"Okay."
Yuan Shiyao’s lips curved into a smile, his eyes overflowing with sweetness.
The door closed, leaving him alone in the room.
Yuan Shiyao walked to the window and looked down.
Before long, two figures appeared below, walking side-by-side toward the forest.
Jiang Qingli had produced a skateboard from somewhere and was helping Gu Nian step onto it.
Gu Nian held onto her with one hand and a terminal with the other, reading the instructions on it while nervously telling Jiang Qingli to be careful.
Jiang Qingli didn’t fall, but she wasn’t very good at skateboarding. She stumbled several times and couldn’t get going at all.
But she didn’t get discouraged. After muttering a few words of encouragement to herself, she pressed the skateboard’s electric switch and ZIPPED away.
Gu Nian hugged another skateboard and jogged to keep up with her.
The girl smiled as she spoke to him, her dark hair flowing in the sea breeze. On the nearby beach, white waves rolled ashore. The whole scene was as bright and beautiful as a picture postcard.
Yuan Shiyao didn’t look away until her figure had shrunk to an indistinguishable dot.
He pressed a hand to his heart, resting his forehead against the sun-warmed glass of the window. His breath fogged the pane as a faint whisper escaped his lips.
"I love her so much..."
-
When Jiang Qingli and Gu Nian arrived, four or five male members of the student council were gathered around the security room with grim expressions.
When Ai Bin saw Jiang Qingli, he quickly called into the room, "An’an, Chairman Jiang is here."
The name slipped out almost automatically. The other male members, who had been straight-faced, suddenly stared wide-eyed at Ai Bin, trying to stifle their laughter.
Ke An’s exasperated voice came from inside. "I’ll say it again: when we’re out, call me Chairman."
She came out, took Jiang Qingli by the wrist, and pulled her inside.
Inside the security room, footage from over a dozen cameras floated in mid-air, apparently showing previous recordings.
In a corner, two men were pinning a person in a work uniform to the ground, holding him immobile.
Ke An found Jiang Qingli’s terminal nearby and handed it to her, explaining, "I just checked the surveillance footage. The person who shot Ai Bin and me was a stranger. The clip of you and Yuan Shiyao leaving was AI-generated; the original content has been deleted."
"By the time I broke into the security room, the other employees had already fled. They only left this receptionist, who was tricked into coming here to take the fall. He doesn’t know anything." She gestured with her chin toward the trembling man in the corner. "I sent the more timid female members and the underclassmen away. Can you tell me what happened now?"
Jiang Qingli omitted the part about Gu Nian saving them and the assassin’s resemblance to Ye Linyuan, giving just a brief summary of events.
Ke An frowned deeply. "Our trip here was a last-minute decision. To be able to plan everything in such a short time, the mastermind must be someone powerful. But it doesn’t seem like you have any enemies..."
Jiang Qingli found it strange too.
’Bai Yiyi is already dead. As for my former fiancés, aside from Jin Li who’s still at the front lines, the rest are either serving life sentences or can barely fend for themselves. There’s no way they could make a comeback and get revenge.’
’There were times when Gu Nian’s and Ye Linyuan’s rivals made a move, but people from their Underground City usually go straight for the kill. They wouldn’t use a roundabout method like kidnapping.’
’Who on earth wants me dead?’
Puzzled, Jiang Qingli opened her terminal.
As soon as she unlocked it, the terminal buzzed.
As if he knew she had her terminal, Xie Youchen was the first to call.
She answered, and the young man’s low, magnetic voice sounded by her ear. "I already know what happened. Chen Mi is on his way and is expected to arrive at six this evening. He will escort you back to the First District. The others will stay behind to handle things."
Xie Youchen could always arrange everything perfectly.
Jiang Qingli nodded, relieved, and a smile touched her lips. "Okay."
But he didn’t hang up right away. His steady breathing seemed to carry a hint of hesitation.
Thinking he had something important to say, Jiang Qingli quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"
After a few seconds of silence, Xie Youchen said slowly, "It’s nothing. Go have lunch."
"Okay," Jiang Qingli replied with a smile.
After the call ended, she relayed Xie Youchen’s message to Ke An.
Ke An was relieved as well. "Marshal Xie is as reliable as ever!"
She had a few people escort the receptionist away, then draped an arm over Jiang Qingli’s shoulder and said cheerfully, "Come on, let’s go get some lunch. Lin Xiyue and the others have probably already ordered."
Jiang Qingli nodded.
The terminal vibrated a few more times. It was a notification from the bank, showing that Xie Youchen had transferred 5.2 million to her account.
Jiang Qingli suddenly had a feeling... Xie Youchen hadn’t just wanted to tell her to go to lunch. He had wanted to say something else.