What could Qiao Xi even say? She suspected that Lin Qianwei and Ji Yunxiao, this married couple, were just spicing up their relationship, while she, the single one, could only be forced to watch and eat dog food.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Lin Qianwei was still asking her.
Qiao Xi looked troubled.
“I, I…” She glanced upstairs again, then just gave up and said bluntly, “If you want to see, just go see.
Do you really think Ji Yunxiao wouldn’t let you? If you told her you wanted to see her body, she’d probably strip on the spot without a word, and she’d probably be thrilled about it too.”
Lin Qianwei’s frosty features softened a little, but her tone was still uncertain.
“Would she really let me see?”
Qiao Xi shrugged.
“Is that even a question?”
Lin Qianwei’s pale face started to flush again.
She spoke slowly, “But… wouldn’t Ji Yunxiao think that’s a hint?”
Qiao Xi: “A hint for what?”
Lin Qianwei was embarrassed.
She shifted in her seat, picked up her water glass, and only when it covered half her face did she lower her lashes and quickly say, “A hint that I want to sleep with her.”
Qiao Xi asked very directly, “Don’t you want to?”
“I, I…” Lin Qianwei put down her glass, sat up straight, and said righteously, “At least not right now.”
Qiao Xi: “?”
Lin Qianwei just stood up, flustered.
“Anyway, the problem is, I want to see her body, but I don’t want to sleep with her yet.”
Qiao Xi scratched her head.
“Then just tell her that.”
Lin Qianwei was annoyed.
“How am I supposed to say that to her?” She’d never been in a relationship and had no idea how to handle feelings.
The first half year of her marriage to Ji Yunxiao, she’d looked at that woman and felt indifferent most of the time.
The rest of the time, she just felt lost.
She always thought that with a face like that, Ji Yunxiao shouldn’t act the way she did, shouldn’t be like this.
But what should Ji Yunxiao really be like? Lin Qianwei couldn’t answer.
Until a month ago, at Sister Zheng’s bar, she found Ji Yunxiao drunk, and saw her without makeup.
It seemed like everything changed after that.
Ji Yunxiao became beautiful and elegant, graceful in every way, like the heroine in a makeover movie.
She changed her clothes, her style, dyed her hair back to black, and stunned everyone when she showed up again.
She seemed to become exactly what Lin Qianwei had hoped for.
Lin Qianwei liked the way she looked so free and bold riding her motorcycle through crowded streets, and she liked how focused she was playing the konghou on stage.
Lin Qianwei was sure she really liked Ji Yunxiao’s face, but as for Ji Yunxiao herself—did she like her too? Lin Qianwei wasn’t sure.
It all felt too fast, and there was a kind of vague panic she couldn’t explain.
Whenever she faced Ji Yunxiao, she was always nervous and tangled up inside.
She wanted to see Ji Yunxiao, but was afraid to see her.
She wanted to get close to Ji Yunxiao, but was also scared to get close.
“Maybe I should just ask her to sleep with me.” Lin Qianwei suddenly said.
That was really out of nowhere.
Qiao Xi was stunned.
“What?”
Lin Qianwei repeated with a straight face, “I said I want to ask Ji Yunxiao to sleep with me.”
Qiao Xi’s mouth dropped open in shock, then she closed it, poured herself a glass of water to calm down, and only then said, “We’re all adults, I get it, I really do.
But Weiwei, didn’t you just say you didn’t want to sleep with Ji Yunxiao? Why the sudden change?”
Lin Qianwei: “I was just thinking…”
Qiao Xi: “Thinking what?”
Lin Qianwei pressed her lips together.
“I was thinking, maybe if I sleep with Ji Yunxiao, I won’t be so conflicted anymore.”
Since it had come to this, Lin Qianwei just spilled all her troubles.
“You know? She keeps popping into my head all the time now.
When I eat, I think of the food she made.
When I drink coffee, I think of the coffee she made for me.
Even in meetings, I think of her face and the things she’s said to me.
Last time, I even zoned out during a negotiation.
I actually zoned out, do you get it? I’ve never been like this before.
How could I be like this?”
Qiao Xi knew Lin Qianwei liked Ji Yunxiao, but she hadn’t realized Ji Yunxiao affected her this much.
Qiao Xi suggested, “Maybe… maybe you should just give it a try with her?”
Lin Qianwei’s eyes grew restless, and her tone got anxious.
“But I haven’t figured out what I want with her.
I don’t know what’ll happen to us in the future, and I don’t want to just start like this.
I, I… I always feel like something’s missing between us… And I still don’t really know what kind of person Ji Yunxiao is.
She’s one way one moment, another the next.
I can’t see through her at all…”
Every expression and gesture Lin Qianwei made was full of distress, and she was so beautiful that even frowning made her look more lovely.
Qiao Xi felt bad for her, so she went over and hugged her, saying sympathetically, “I can tell you’re really conflicted.”
Lin Qianwei picked up her glass and took a couple more sips of water.
She steadied herself and went on, “Whenever I think of Ji Yunxiao, my mind is a mess.
I don’t know what to do.”
“I can’t help but lose my temper with her.
I want to be mean to her.
I want to bully her.”
“I just can’t control myself.”
Thinking of what happened yesterday, Lin Qianwei looked troubled and regretted, “I even locked the guest room and made her sleep on the sofa all night.
She’s probably got a sore back now, but even so, I didn’t cut her any slack.
Even when she made me a big breakfast, I didn’t let her sit at the table to eat…”
Lin Qianwei looked at Qiao Xi, worried.
“Do you think Ji Yunxiao will be mad at me?”
Qiao Xi couldn’t help but laugh.
Lin Qianwei was too close to see it, but Qiao Xi knew very well—Ji Yunxiao wasn’t mad at all.
Otherwise, when she came over this morning, she wouldn’t have smiled the moment Lin Qianwei was mentioned.
Lin Qianwei was still asking, “What are you laughing at?”
Qiao Xi answered seriously, “I don’t think Ji Yunxiao will be mad at you.”
Lin Qianwei: “Why not?”
Qiao Xi was stumped.
If she gave a reason, she’d have to mention Ji Yunxiao coming over this morning, and that would give everything away.
At this point, Qiao Xi couldn’t admit Ji Yunxiao was upstairs.
If Ji Yunxiao decided to twist the story, she’d have no way to explain herself.
It’s not just love that needs to be maintained—friendship does too.
So Qiao Xi swallowed her words and just said, “No reason.
Woman’s intuition.”
Lin Qianwei’s eyes cooled, her lips pressed tight like a delicate flower, and she said sadly, “So that means Ji Yunxiao really might be mad at me.”
Qiao Xi: “Why do you care if she’s mad or not?”
Lin Qianwei hesitated.
“I, I just care, okay?”
She stopped, as if gathering her thoughts.
Qiao Xi didn’t rush her, just waited quietly for her answer.
After a long while, Lin Qianwei finally spoke softly, “I don’t want to be with Ji Yunxiao for now.
I still want to bully her, but I’m afraid if I go too far, Ji Yunxiao will go back to how she was before.
Or maybe she won’t, but she’ll just stop trying so hard with me.”
Lin Qianwei’s long lashes trembled like crow feathers.
She lifted her eyes and said self-mockingly, “I’m awful, aren’t I?”
Qiao Xi disagreed.
“How are you awful?”
Lin Qianwei scoffed, “I don’t want to give Ji Yunxiao any promises, I don’t want to respond to her feelings, but I still want to enjoy how good she is to me.”
Qiao Xi laughed.
“That makes you a bad woman? Then let me ask you this.”
Lin Qianwei: “Ask what?”
Qiao Xi asked, “Would you flirt with other women besides Ji Yunxiao? Would you enjoy her being good to you while messing around, kissing and sleeping with other women?”
Lin Qianwei got a little angry.
“Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?” Her tone was cold and serious.
“I’ve never flirted with anyone else, and I never would.”
She’d always had plenty of admirers, but except for Ji Yunxiao, she’d rejected them all cleanly, never giving anyone hope.
Only Ji Yunxiao was the exception.
Ji Yunxiao was always the exception for her.
“And as for kissing and sleeping with someone else, I’d never do that,” Lin Qianwei said coldly.
“Don’t forget, I’m married.”
Qiao Xi refilled her water and set it on the table, then asked another question, “What if, in the future, you meet a woman even better than Ji Yunxiao? Would you kick Ji Yunxiao to the curb?”
Lin Qianwei was confused and blurted out, “How could there be a woman better than Ji Yunxiao?” After saying it, she felt embarrassed and quickly explained, “I mean, there basically won’t be anyone better than Ji Yunxiao.
Even if there is, it has nothing to do with me.”
But saying that made Lin Qianwei even more embarrassed.
Whenever she got embarrassed, she’d put on an even colder face.
To prove that what she’d just said was true and not out of personal bias, Lin Qianwei awkwardly started listing examples: “Ji Yunxiao cooks well, can play the konghou, writes music, does fashion design, and even drives pretty well…”
Qiao Xi gave her a gossipy look.
“Wow~”
Lin Qianwei’s pale skin flushed red.
She glared at Qiao Xi and said coldly, “Don’t get the wrong idea.
When I say driving, I mean normal driving.
Last time at the hospital, the parking spot was really tight.
I couldn’t get in, but she parked the car easily.”
Qiao Xi said, “Alright, I believe you.”
“And,” Lin Qianwei couldn’t stop, “Ji Yunxiao can even handle kids.”
Lin Qianwei’s eyes sparkled, and her voice was cheerful.
“You watched Youran grow up, right? You played with her a lot, but even you couldn’t make her as happy as Ji Yunxiao does.”
“Okay, okay.” Seeing the topic getting further and further off track, Qiao Xi quickly pulled it back and summed up, “Look, you think there’ll never be a woman better than Ji Yunxiao in the future, and even if there is, it has nothing to do with you.
That means you’re not keeping Ji Yunxiao as a backup, and you’re not hesitating because you dislike her.
So you’re not a bad person, you just haven’t figured out your feelings yet.
If Ji Yunxiao really likes you, she’ll give you time.”
Lin Qianwei tried to process her words, a little dazed.
“Really?”
Qiao Xi said firmly, “Really.
You think Ji Yunxiao will be mad at you for making her sleep on the couch and not letting her have breakfast with you, but I don’t think she cares about that at all.
She only cares if you’re with someone else.”
“There are only two things she can’t accept: one, you cheat or get close to someone else; two, you want a divorce.” Qiao Xi said, “As for the ‘bullying’ and ‘losing your temper’ stuff, I think she actually enjoys it.”
Lin Qianwei asked, “Really?”
Qiao Xi replied, “Really.”
But seeing Qiao Xi say that, Lin Qianwei didn’t relax.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of danger.
“Xi Xi, why do I feel like you know Ji Yunxiao even better than I do?”
Qiao Xi felt a chill down her back and quickly said, “Because it’s easier to see things from the outside.
Don’t get jealous for no reason.”
She added, “And about your issues, Ji Yunxiao sometimes talks to me about them too.”
Lin Qianwei pressed, “What do you two talk about?”
Qiao Xi said, “Like what you like, whether you’re unhappy, what kind of gifts would make you happy…”
As soon as gifts were mentioned, Lin Qianwei got alert.
“You didn’t tell her I lost the moonstone anklet she gave me, did you?”
Qiao Xi guiltily touched her nose.
Lin Qianwei frowned.
“Why are you touching your nose?”
“My nose is itchy,” Qiao Xi scratched her nose again, then said as usual, “Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything.”
She hadn’t said anything at all—Ji Yunxiao had figured it out herself.
Thinking of this, Qiao Xi felt justified.
“After all these years, don’t you know how tight-lipped I am? When have I ever spilled your secrets?”
Lin Qianwei said, “Alright.”
She picked up her cup, blew on the clear water inside, lowered her eyes, and said, “Also…”
Qiao Xi asked, “What else?”
Lin Qianwei said lightly, “Be careful when you chat with Ji Yunxiao.”
Qiao Xi asked, “Be careful about what?”
Lin Qianwei smoothed the wrinkles on her suit and said offhandedly, “Be careful not to fall for her.”
Qiao Xi: “???”
Qiao Xi was speechless.
Since they were kids, Lin Qianwei had always been generous with her, always willing to share things she liked.
So Qiao Xi had never thought Lin Qianwei would be so possessive when it came to women.
Qiao Xi rubbed her forehead and patiently explained, “Dear President Lin, I’m really straight, you know my type is men, right? And Ji Yunxiao isn’t exactly everyone’s dream girl.
Even if I were into women, I wouldn’t fall for her just from chatting, would I?”
“But isn’t Ji Yunxiao really good at getting under people’s skin these days?” Lin Qianwei added her classic line, “Of course, I’m not saying she got under mine.”
Qiao Xi rubbed her forehead again.
Lin Qianwei saw she didn’t care and emphasized, “Haven’t you noticed? Ji Yunxiao is always flirting with people, intentionally or not.”
Qiao Xi took a sip of water to moisten her throat and kept reasoning with her.
“Then tell me, who has she flirted with?”
Lin Qianwei listed a few names: “Eilene, Liu Zhi…”
Qiao Xi was dumbfounded.
“Wait, Weiwei, are you serious? Eilene’s dated several guys, and Liu Zhi is about your mom’s age.
How can you even think that?”
Lin Qianwei looked a bit annoyed.
“I know I shouldn’t overthink it, I get it.
Ji Yunxiao has cut ties with all those old friends, Eilene is one of her few friends now, and Liu Zhi is working with her on a project, it’s business.
So I’m holding back, I haven’t done anything to them…”
Qiao Xi caught something off.
“You haven’t done anything to them, so you did something to someone else?”
Lin Qianwei didn’t deny it.
Qiao Xi was curious.
“Who?”
Lin Qianwei’s face was blank, her voice cold.
“Bai Ying.”
Qiao Xi vaguely remembered.
“That distant cousin of Yan Lulu?”
Lin Qianwei: “Yeah.”
Qiao Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
Lin Qianwei might act like a tsundere airhead in love, but in real life, she was no pushover.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have become the chairwoman of the Lin Group’s board at such a young age.
If she didn’t have some serious skills, the shares Grandpa Lin left behind would’ve been eaten up long ago, and the Lin Group would’ve changed hands.
But Lin Qianwei not only held onto her grandfather’s legacy, she led the company to even greater heights.
If Lin Qianwei used her tactics for dealing with rivals on her love rivals, Qiao Xi didn’t even want to imagine it.
She could only be glad she wasn’t Lin Qianwei’s love rival.
While Qiao Xi was sighing, Lin Qianwei said, “Let’s not talk about that.
I’m still thinking about the anklet.”
Lin Qianwei asked Qiao Xi, “Do you think Ji Yunxiao will notice the one I have isn’t the one she gave me?” Lin Qianwei frowned her delicate brows, starting to worry again.
“If Ji Yunxiao finds out I lost the moonstone anklet she gave me and never found it, will she be mad?”
Qiao Xi was speechless.
She forced a smile.
“So all that analysis I just did, you didn’t hear a word, did you? I already told you, Ji Yunxiao won’t be mad at you.
What are you even worried about?”
Lin Qianwei said righteously, “But I just can’t help worrying.
What if Ji Yunxiao gets mad at me?”
There was no reasoning with her.
Looking at Lin Qianwei in front of her, Qiao Xi suddenly thought of one phrase: she’s fallen in.
Lin Qianwei had completely fallen in.
Of course, Lin Qianwei herself wasn’t ready to admit it.
“I need to think of a solution.” Lin Qianwei let out a breath.
Qiao Xi played along.
“What kind of solution?”
Lin Qianwei stood up and paced, then stopped and asked, “Should I transfer another twenty million to Ji Yunxiao?”
Qiao Xi wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose.
She said earnestly, “Get a grip, Weiwei! You just gave her thirty million a few days ago, now you want to give her another twenty million? Is being your wife that profitable? For what?”
Lin Qianwei replied calmly, “But I have a lot of money.”
Qiao Xi: “…”
Fine.
“Then what else can you do besides giving her money?” Lin Qianwei pinched her chin, sounding a bit aggrieved.
“It seems like Ji Yunxiao doesn’t care much about money now.
Last time I gave her thirty million, she didn’t even look that happy.”
Qiao Xi patted her chest and volunteered, “Weiwei, why don’t you give me the money? Give me thirty million, I’ll be your loyal servant, act super happy, and shower you with compliments every day.”
Lin Qianwei rolled her eyes.
“Keep dreaming.”
Qiao Xi sighed.
See, that’s the difference between a friend and a lover.
Luckily, Qiao Xi was optimistic.
She quickly adjusted her mood and kept patiently counseling Lin Qianwei.
She asked, “What do you want, exactly?”
Lin Qianwei touched her throat, cleared it, and said seriously, “I just want Ji Yunxiao to stay by my side, even if I lose my temper at her every day, torment her, bully her, she still can’t leave me.”
Lin Qianwei’s face turned a little red.
“She can’t like anyone else, and she can’t treat anyone else the way she treats me.”
It sounded a bit much at first, but Qiao Xi really doubted Lin Qianwei would actually torment or bully Ji Yunxiao.
“What should I do?” Lin Qianwei muttered to herself, then, ears red, said coldly, “Maybe I should just sleep with her.”
Qiao Xi almost rolled her eyes on the spot.
Qiao Xi figured she didn’t need to stop her at all.
Because Lin Qianwei kept circling back, and in the end, it was all about wanting to sleep with Ji Yunxiao.
All that talk about wanting to see Ji Yunxiao naked because she’d already been seen—those were just excuses.
Lin Qianwei’s real goal was just to sleep with Ji Yunxiao.
This woman was definitely feeling it.
But even though she thought that, Qiao Xi would never actually say it out loud.
Lin Qianwei was here making up all sorts of excuses, going in circles, just because she didn’t want to admit she wanted to sleep with Ji Yunxiao, right? If Qiao Xi called her out directly, she’d probably piss her off.
So Qiao Xi didn’t expose her, just played along and gave a half-hearted answer: “As long as you’ve made up your mind, that’s all that matters.”
“I don’t really want to sleep with her, but I can’t give her anything emotionally, and she doesn’t really need money, so after thinking it over, this seems like the only way.” Lin Qianwei tried to get some validation from Qiao Xi: “Right?” Qiao Xi nodded, “Absolutely right.”
Lin Qianwei bit her lip and squinted, “Why do I feel like you’re just brushing me off?” Qiao Xi clapped her hands, using both body language and her expression to show support, then said sincerely, “Weiwei, your idea is spot on, it’s absolutely brilliant! I support you with both hands!”
Lin Qianwei blinked at her, “Now that’s a bit much.”
Qiao Xi smiled helplessly, then said seriously, “I really do support you.
After all, Ji Yunxiao looks great, has an amazing body, and is totally devoted to you.
Whether you’re just trying to keep her around or actually want to sleep with her, you can’t lose.”
Lin Qianwei retorted angrily, “You can say I’m stringing her along, but don’t say I want to sleep with her.
I don’t.”
Qiao Xi: “Ok ok.”
Lin Qianwei lowered her thick lashes and said coldly, “I really don’t want to sleep with Ji Yunxiao.”
Qiao Xi: “Mhm mhm, you don’t!” Lin Qianwei sat back down, and after a while asked, “Do you think Ji Yunxiao is a 1 or a 0?” Was that even a question? You could tell just by looking.
But remembering how jealous Lin Qianwei could get, Qiao Xi decided to play it safe: “I really can’t guess.”
It was kind of amazing, actually.
Just over a month ago, she thought Ji Yunxiao was a flirty 0, but now, after just a month, every time she looked at Ji Yunxiao, she just seemed like a fierce 1.
How could the same face give off such a different vibe? Thinking about it, Ji Yunxiao really had changed a lot.
Lin Qianwei looked like she was doing academic research, her expression super serious, but what she said was: “Or, maybe Ji Yunxiao and I could take turns being the 1.”
Qiao Xi barely managed not to laugh.
Looks like Lin Qianwei really meant it when she said she didn’t want to sleep with Ji Yunxiao.
She was just thinking about whether Ji Yunxiao was a 1 or a 0, and whether they could take turns being the 1—how could that possibly mean she wanted to sleep with Ji Yunxiao? Not at all.
She really didn’t want to.
Miss Lin Qianwei was just too pure.
Qiao Xi just nodded, “That works too.”
“Then it’s settled, I don’t have to stress about it anymore.” Lin Qianwei let out a breath, her face relaxing, “Thanks, Xixi.
I’ll get you a few bags another day.
I’m off to work.”
“Okay.” Qiao Xi walked her to the door and winked at her, “If you have any more relationship problems, you can come to me.
I’ll be waiting for those bags.”
Watching Lin Qianwei’s car drive away from the villa, Ji Yunxiao came downstairs.
She was tall, moved gracefully, her lashes fluttered slightly, and her gaze fell outside the window.
Even just walking down the stairs, every frame looked like a model’s poster.
She really did have an indescribable allure.
Qiao Xi admired her beauty, thinking, Good thing I’m straight.
She asked Ji Yunxiao, “Did you hear everything?”
Ji Yunxiao curled her lips, her expression unreadable, “Yeah.”
Qiao Xi clicked her tongue, “Are you secretly enjoying this?”
Ji Yunxiao didn’t hide it, “I’m openly enjoying it.”
Qiao Xi: “Come on, you eavesdropped on your own wife for so long, how do you feel?”
Ji Yunxiao’s eyes curved, “She’s so cute.
I love her even more.”
So straightforward.
Qiao Xi couldn’t help but think, maybe someone as awkward as Lin Qianwei really does need a wife who can express her love so openly and passionately.
Qiao Xi shipped them on the spot: “You two really complement each other.
Perfect match.”
Ji Yunxiao: “Of course.”
But Qiao Xi didn’t forget to remind Ji Yunxiao, “You can see it too, Lin Qianwei is a total idiot when it comes to love.
Treat her well, don’t let her down.”
Ji Yunxiao looked at Qiao Xi and answered seriously, “Don’t worry, I’ll only love her well.”
Qiao Xi waved her off, “Weiwei already mentioned the anklet thing, I’m sure you heard it, so don’t ask me again.
Go on, go on.”
Ji Yunxiao was cautious, “I’ll wait a bit before leaving, just in case I run into my wife.”
“Alright, do whatever you want.” Qiao Xi had stayed up late last night and was sleepy again, so she planned to go back to her room for a nap.
As she walked up the stairs, she remembered something she’d been curious about and asked, “By the way, Weiwei said she bullies you, yells at you, and loses her temper with you.
Is that true?”
Ji Yunxiao thought for a moment, then burst out laughing.
She pulled out her phone, found a video, and handed it to Qiao Xi.
In the video, a little milk-tea-colored kitten ran toward its owner on short legs, its head round, tail swaying side to side, mouth open, showing its pink tongue and sharp little teeth, making fierce little sounds: “Awoo~ awoo~ aw~”
Ji Yunxiao raised her eyebrows, “Does that look fierce to you?”
Qiao Xi: “……”
Ji Yunxiao was very pleased, “That’s how my wife bullies me.”
Qiao Xi was speechless.
But the more Ji Yunxiao thought about it, the cuter it seemed.
She bit her tongue, but still couldn’t help swearing, “Damn, I really want to grab her and kiss her.”
Qiao Xi tossed the phone back to her, “Bye, go grab her if you’ve got the guts.”
“I should go.”
Ji Yunxiao lowered her lashes, grabbed her car keys, got in the car, and sped off.
