Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Qiuqiu has been gone for a while.

Long enough that Qian finished a bottle of beer, Shi Touyu and Bai Jin climbed out of the water, but he still hadn’t returned.

Bai Jin’s face was flush red, the plans she and Shi Touyu concocted while in the water filled her with excitement.

The comic based on her and Qiuqiu made Bai Jin eagerly anticipate.

Just thinking about it felt so romantic, it was the best thing she could imagine, a way to capture this hard-won affection through imagery. When they were old, looking back at it, it should be filled with happy memories.

Finally, Qiuqiu showed up, fashionably late.

He had one hand tucked in his pocket, looking as casual as always, with a slightly rebellious air. There was an addition of sunglasses on his nose at some point, adding a cool vibe.

Shi Touyu gave Bai Jin a cheering look, "Go for it, girl! I’m rooting for you!"

Qian also sat up, holding a watermelon and gnawing on it while paying attention to this pair. Based on her experience, a new couple might be about to emerge. She had to witness this historical moment—being around the Yu Family women so much made it hard not to catch the gossip bug.

"Qiuqiu! I have something to tell you!" Bai Jin, seeing Qiuqiu’s return, felt her adrenaline surge and decided to seize the moment and confess.

"Oh, what are you going to say?" Qiuqiu’s tone was somewhat nonchalant; Qian’s brow slightly furrowed, a detail only she noticed, sensing something was off.

Shi Touyu and Bai Jin were immersed in their excitement, unaware of Qiuqiu’s overly indifferent response. Bai Jin took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and spoke.

"Can we date? I really like you!"

Oh dear, she said it~ Her face was burning hot, heart pounding with excitement. She finally took this step.

Shi Touyu had paper scraps in hand, ready for Qiuqiu’s delighted response about Bai Jin’s aggressive confession, surely he was willing, willing, and still willing! Then Shi Touyu could scatter the paper to create a romantic atmosphere—perfect!

Only Qian silently watched Qiuqiu. She could not see his eyes through the sunglasses, but an uneasy feeling surrounded her—why did it feel like something bad was impending?

After Bai Jin spoke, she looked expectantly at Qiuqiu, ready to start a new romance.

"No, we can’t." Qiuqiu paused for several seconds before casually saying this.

As soon as he spoke, the joyful atmosphere froze; Shi Touyu’s mid-air hand ready to toss paper stopped, Bai Jin’s shy smile froze on her face, and only Qian remained calmly composed, with a hint of depth in her gaze.

"What did you...say?" Bai Jin thought she heard wrong.

Shi Touyu was momentarily stunned, then came to a realization—what the heck, Qiuqiu must have thought Bai Jin stole the chance to confess, so he said no to follow up with his confession, right? Tsk, tsk, how she wanted to say, "Dude, can’t you not think so straight-laced? No matter who confesses, isn’t being together happily the great point?"

"I’m really grateful for your feelings, but emotions like this...can’t be forced." Qiuqiu’s last four words sounded calm, but Qian, as an authoritative figure, heard the truth.

This plain sentence took all of his restraint.

Being disheartened and indifferent actually looked similar.

"Can’t be forced? You think liking me is a forced thing?" Bai Jin was greatly hurt.

Were all these days really just her wishful thinking?

All that chemistry, those deep feelings, those thoughtful gestures—were they all in her imagination?

"I am not a complete person. I am not a man, nor a woman. I am the third kind of person existing in the world." Qiuqiu watched the sea, recalling those things he inadvertently overheard, combined with his own findings, forcing himself to swallow this truth.

Seagulls leisurely gliding over the sea, Qiuqiu envied them.

If humans could be as free as animals, wouldn’t that be great?

If there were no ties holding one back, wouldn’t that be lovely?

"I don’t care! Qiuqiu, didn’t we say before? Not to care about these things, as long as we connect heart to heart, we can work hard to overcome them, can’t we? It was you who told me, as long as we don’t harm others, we also have the right to exist in this society; you taught me this!"

Bai Jin couldn’t believe in Qiuqiu’s sudden change. She couldn’t accept that all her feelings were unrequited.

Yes, today’s society cannot accept people like them, even considering them pathological. But she had always tried to live diligently, striving in her own way to be a useful person to society. She believed she should have the right to seek happiness.

"Things change over time, don’t take anyone seriously, nobody is anyone’s savior, it was just a few words said in loneliness to coax girls, if you take it seriously, you lose. I’m just a jerk."

Qiuqiu said these flat words, restraining himself from wiping her tears, fighting the urge to hug her, casually turning away.

"Forget about me, just treat us as a lonely game, you have better choices, Bai Jin... goodbye."

Bai Jin watched him leave gracefully, feeling the world turn from audible to silent, from color to black and white. Everything happened too suddenly, her brain had lost its ability to think.

Spectator Shi Touyu dropped the paper scraps onto the sand in shock.

She reflexively wanted to call out to Qiuqiu, to ask clearly what was going on.

But a hand landed on her shoulder, applying slight pressure, stopping Shi Touyu.

Qian had somehow stood up, Shi Touyu looked at Qian bewildered, Qian slightly shook her head to signal her not to pursue and gestured toward Bai Jin crying sorrowfully, indicating Shi Touyu to comfort Bai Jin.

Meanwhile, Qian looked in the direction of Qiuqiu’s departure, with her savvy mind quickly calculating.

In the twenty minutes Qiuqiu was gone, what exactly happened? Whatever the truth was, Qian could guess it surely was something cruel.

"Uncle, it’s time for your medicine." In the ward, Qiuqiu’s cousin passed water and pills to Qiuqiu’s dad lying on the bed.

"Have we finalized this project?" Qiuqiu’s dad propped himself up, summoning energy to ask about work.

"Not yet—Uncle, you’re about to have surgery, don’t worry about the company, just focus on recovering."

"If only Qiuqiu could return... I’m at a late stage now, can’t hold on for more years, even with surgery it’s just hanging by a thread. When I last saw Qiuqiu, she seemed so capable, like someone made for business. If she came back, took over the company, and found a son-in-law to bring into the family... I’d feel reassured even if I leave."

At the brink of life, people often summarize their lives.

Qiuqiu’s dad hadn’t treated Qiuqiu well back then; he preferred sons over daughters, resulting in his daughter’s gender identity crisis. Facing the line between life and death, Qiuqiu is what worries him most, his only flesh and blood.

"Get outta here, what are you just walking away for after screwing me over like this?"

Accompanied by this casual voice, the door opened, and Qiuqiu stood at the entrance, holding a bag of food, looking disdainful.