Chapter 30: Second Update
Even after taking so many days off sick, the buses in City A were still just as crowded.
Mu Xiangxiang sat in her seat staring at her phone. The screen was open to Qiao Nan’s contact page. She typed out a long paragraph, then slowly deleted it again.
She was hesitating over how to tell Qiao Nan the truth about Shi Jiajun.
Even she thought her behavior was strange. Wasn’t it just “say what’s on your mind”? What was so difficult about that? But after witnessing Qiao family big brother’s emotionally devastating breakdown—the crying, the drunken rampage—she couldn’t stop herself from imagining how Qiao Nan might react after learning the truth. So she kept trying different tones and opening lines, yet every time she failed to continue typing.
Thus, she began analyzing the reason why someone usually so straightforward had suddenly become so hesitant, eventually arriving at the following three conclusions—
- Qiao Nan was currently using her body. If he learned the truth rashly and reacted too intensely, he might scare her family.
- During the conversation between Father Qiao and Qiao Rui, they had very directly implied that Shi Jiajun probably wasn’t easy to deal with. The father and son had even decided to continue treating him normally for the time being. Qiao Nan’s temper was so explosive—if he learned the truth, would he alert the enemy?
- Even calm and indifferent Qiao family big brother had been so hurt over this matter. Qiao Nan would probably be… even sadder, right?
Though Mu Xiangxiang felt the third point probably accounted for only a tiny fraction of her hesitation. She had only added it casually!
After agonizing over it and deleting more than a thousand words of “mini-essay,” she finally sent only one sentence—
[Let’s meet after school.]
No matter what, talking face-to-face had to be more reliable than texting, right? At least if Qiao Nan broke down after hearing everything, she could stay by his side and comfort him a little.
Thinking this way finally eased her mood somewhat. She looked up, paused slightly, then turned toward the white-haired elderly man standing in front of her and slowly rose from her seat.
The old man was holding onto the hanging strap and seemed to guess her intention. He hurriedly waved his hand. “N-no, I-I’m not—”
Mu Xiangxiang gestured firmly. “Sit.”
At the exact same moment, the fashionable city lady who had just gotten a new hair color treatment appeared glued to her seat: “……”
The hesitant expression on the auntie who sat down—wanting to thank her but too embarrassed to say it aloud—comforted Mu Xiangxiang greatly. If everyone contributed a little love, the world would become a better tomorrow.
****
[Let’s meet after school.]
A crisp notification sound rang out. At Yingcheng School’s basketball gym, a certain short-haired girl sitting cross-legged on the floor in a lazy posture suddenly straightened upright.
The boys practicing on the court were startled by her abrupt movement. Several slipped and crashed into one another, while the basketball bounced away with dull thuds against the floor. From the spectator stands came slightly overexcited shrieks from the cheerleading girls.
Staring at her phone as though annoyed by the interruption, Qiao Nan immediately turned around with a frown and snapped: “Shut up!”
“Ahh—!”
The screams abruptly rose an octave before instantly disappearing. Qiao Nan didn’t even look at them, his eyes still fixed on the phone. A moment later, one eyebrow arched high as he casually waved toward the court.
“……” The boys stared dead-eyed at the short-haired girl sitting there with one leg folded and the other bent, her posture so effortlessly cool and handsome it was almost unreasonable. Internally humiliated by the way she beckoned them over like pets, their bodies nonetheless obediently gathered around her.
Among them, Yingcheng School heartthrob Jiang Hai was the most attentive. “Nan—”
One cold glance from Qiao Nan made him instantly correct himself. “—Classmate Mu Xiangxiang, what is it?”
Qiao Nan stared at him for a moment before speaking coolly: “Keep practicing. If I come back and discover even one fewer basket made, you’re all dead together.”
“Huh?” Jiang Hai asked. “Brother, where’re you going?”
Qiao Nan pressed a hand against the floor and sprang to his feet in one smooth motion. Amid the sudden burst of screams from the cheerleaders, he squeezed his eyes shut hard from menstrual cramps, barely managing to keep his expression from cracking.
Then his thin lips parted, every word forceful and clear: “To wash my hair.”
*****
The meeting place was still the commercial district. The moment Mu Xiangxiang arrived, she was nearly blinded by Qiao Nan. From hair to shoes, there wasn’t a single flaw to be found in his breathtakingly handsome outfit. Once again, Mu Xiangxiang’s understanding of her body’s potential was completely refreshed.
Qiao Nan swept his gaze up and down over her, yet his expression carried obvious dissatisfaction. “…Tch.”
She hadn’t changed into the outrageously stylish outfit in the wardrobe after all. Clearly, she hadn’t seriously tried it on. If she had, Mu Xiangxiang definitely would’ve realized that outfit looked the best on this body.
She didn’t value it at all.
Snorting softly, Qiao Nan tossed several shopping bags that had been sitting at his feet over to her. He had arrived an hour and a half early. Aside from changing into a new outfit himself, nearly all of that time had been spent on these bags.
Mu Xiangxiang instinctively caught them and peeked inside. “What’s this?”
“Presents.” Qiao Nan turned his gaze away, avoiding Mu Xiangxiang’s earnest bright eyes. “The old man’s birthday is next week anyway. I had to give him something, so I just casually bought a few things. Give them to him in my name then.”
These “casually bought” items had taken nearly an hour to choose. Qiao Nan felt like he’d lost his mind. A few years ago, some random bracelet or lighter would’ve been enough to brush the occasion off.
“Oh.” Mu Xiangxiang also remembered hearing about Father Qiao’s birthday. Without much thought, she nodded in agreement before recalling something else. “Oh right, your dad also asked me to bring you along that day.”
Qiao Nan froze briefly, then met Mu Xiangxiang’s puzzled gaze. After a moment’s thought, he responded with a half-smile.
Father Qiao’s invitation had actually been directed at “Mu Xiangxiang” as a person, which made her confused. “Why would your dad invite me?”
After all, “Mu Xiangxiang” wasn’t particularly familiar with the Qiao family. They’d only met once.
Qiao Nan lowered his head and began fiddling with his phone. Hearing her question, he rolled his eyes. You idiot. Are you actually stupid? But aloud he merely answered: “How would I know?”
Unable to get an answer—and having analyzed the matter for days without finding any logical explanation—Mu Xiangxiang could only continue looking through the gifts while complimenting him: “I didn’t expect you’d actually be pretty good at buying things.”
These casually selected items—from pants to trench coat to gloves—looked practically tailor-made for Father Qiao in both style and size. If this was “casual,” what would happen if he seriously put effort in?
Qiao Nan’s ears grew a little warm. He glanced at her to confirm that her face was full of sincere admiration rather than mockery before letting out a cold snort. “You sure talk a lot.”
Honestly, he also thought he was sick in the head. The moment he entered the mall, his eyes had uncontrollably drifted from men’s clothing counters to watch displays, examining scarves and hats with absurd seriousness. He’d originally intended to buy things for his own body, but when checking out, he realized every single thing he picked suited middle-aged men.
While paying, he couldn’t help remembering the scene of his father proudly showing off that leather jacket “given by my son.” Afterward, he even started imagining how the old man might react upon receiving the gift. Qiao Nan genuinely suspected he’d somehow caught an idiot virus.
Otherwise, why would he have specifically gone to wash his hair before meeting Mu Xiangxiang?
Yet this sloppy girl had actively invited him out and still couldn’t even bother changing clothes properly.
Feeling neglected, Qiao Nan slumped dramatically against the café chair, acting spoiled and difficult. “Alright, you. Done staring yet?”
After finishing her inspection of the bags, Mu Xiangxiang discovered every single item was suitable for Father Qiao. From pants to gloves, everything was large-sized. There wasn’t a single thing that could be shared with Qiao family big brother. Suddenly, her scalp hurt a little.
After hesitating briefly, she cautiously brought it up. “Um… Qiao Nan…”
Seeing her evasive gaze and hesitant expression—half shy, half uncertain—Qiao Nan slowly curved his lips into a smile. Leaning lazily against the chair back, he stared at her. “Mm?”
Mu Xiangxiang’s scalp tingled under that gaze. She quickly looked away. “Um… well… do you think maybe you should buy something for your brother too?”
“My brother?” Qiao Nan looked baffled. “Why would I buy him something? It’s not his birthday.”
Mu Xiangxiang almost never had experience proactively asking people for things. The moment Qiao Nan questioned her, she immediately became embarrassed. “…I was just saying it casually.”
Maybe she should just use her own money instead. Buy something cheap. Consider it saving his hairline.
But Qiao Nan was especially sharp today. His eyes immediately narrowed.
Wait. Mu Xiangxiang had voluntarily suggested buying Qiao Rui a gift.
What exactly did that mean? Since when were they so close?
Alarm bells instantly rang in Qiao Nan’s head. He remembered his brother being quite popular with women. People at the company often talked about how rich and handsome he was—a rare diamond bachelor.
Could this idiot Mu Xiangxiang possibly be—
Meanwhile, Mu Xiangxiang was busy calculating what she could afford with the money in her pocket while also wondering how to bring up the matter regarding Shi Jiajun. Unexpectedly, the next second, Qiao Nan’s expression suddenly turned serious. Fixing her with a sharp stare, he said: “Mu Xiangxiang—”
“Huh?”
“I…” Qiao Nan struggled awkwardly for a long time before finally forcing out the rest. “I’m warning you one more time. Don’t use my body to do weird things.”
Mu Xiangxiang had heard this strange statement many times already, yet still found it utterly baffling. But today she had come to discuss serious matters, so she didn’t feel like arguing. She could only suppress her confusion for now and give a vague response.
The important thing was Shi Jiajun, Shi Jiajun, Shi Jiajun. How was she supposed to bring it up?
After mentally rehearsing her words, she finally prepared to speak.
Only to hear Qiao Nan snort and reluctantly stand up, hands shoved into his pockets, looking cool and arrogant as ever. “Alright. I bought movie tickets for six-thirty. It’s almost starting. Let’s go.”
Mu Xiangxiang: “????”
Just as she was about to ask why are we going to watch a movie, the violent vibration of a ringing phone in her pocket interrupted her. Qiao Nan frowned, visibly annoyed at being disturbed.
“It’s one of your classmates,” Mu Xiangxiang said after glancing at the caller ID.
She switched on speakerphone.
Immediately, the anxious and helpless voice of a girl from Class 9, Grade 11 poured out from the receiver—
“Brother Nan! What do we do?! Guo Zhi says he wants to quit school again! His dad beat him and broke his leg—he’s been sent to the hospital!”
Author’s Note:
Ding— Side quest activated: Save the failing-student little animals—
PS: [Shi Jiajun won’t succeed in doing bad things. Brother Nan will discover everything himself. This is part of his growth arc.]
I’ve been writing from the previous update until now, deleting and revising into this final version. I’m happy. I’m going to sleep now. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
Qiao Nan: “I washed my hair before the date! Even booked movie tickets on my own! Truly a romance master!”
Qiao Nan: “But why do I suddenly feel like there’s a little green on my head…?”
Sister Xiang: “I’m not… I didn’t… I have no designs on your brother… I don’t even want to watch a movie… I came to discuss serious matters…”
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