Chapter 26: Formal Apology with Tea
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue returned to her room and was planning to take a shower and then go to bed. When she walked past the floor-to-ceiling window, she saw Qiao Xin and Qiao Ying taking a walk in the courtyard.
Qiao Xin seemed to have felt something and looked up to meet Qiao Yue's eyes.
Qiao Yue wanted to die. Why did she have to look downstairs?
Qiao Yue rubbed her temples and sighed. Qiao Xin was now like a mosquito to Qiao Yue. Its bite didn't hurt much but it's very annoying.
That was just great. Now it looked like Qiao Yue wouldn't be able to rest early.
As expected, there was a knock on her door three minutes later.
"Qiao Yue, I'm here to apologize to you. Open the door."
They had just looked each other in the eye, so Qiao Yue couldn't pretend to be asleep. She opened the door with a cold face.
When Qiao Xin saw Qiao Yue open the door, she first heaved a sigh of relief, then smiled and said, "Qiao Yue, I was wrong in the past. I shouldn't have been jealous of you. I made this tea for you. I hope you won't be angry with me anymore after you drink it."
Qiao Yue looked at the pale yellow tea and raised her eyebrows slightly. "You are admitting that you were wrong?"
"Yes." Qiao Xin nodded her head fiercely as she pushed the teacup in her hands towards Qiao Yue.
"Then where did you go wrong? Tell me." Qiao Yue crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame as she said indifferently.
Qiao Xin was very angry at Qiao Yue's attitude, but she had to pretend to admit her mistake.
"I, I shouldn't have picked on you. I shouldn't have ordered my snow wolf to kill you, and I shouldn't have asked people to intimidate you."
"Just these?" Qiao Yue continued to ask.
Qiao Xin racked her brains for a long time before finally answering yes.
But Qiao Yue's cold voice supplemented Qiao Xin's crimes.
"In addition, you shouldn't have made up stories about my past at school to ruin my reputation. You also shouldn't have acted like you knew a lot about me on the forum, and you shouldn't have spread rumors that my mother had eloped with a married man. Qiao Xin, do you think all of us are idiots? And you can just defame anyone as you like?"
Qiao Xin was stunned for a moment before she retorted on reflex, "I didn't do that. I didn't do any of it. There are so many powerful people at school. What makes you say that I said all those things? Maybe they found out themselves."
"Qiao Xin, do you think I would sue you for slander without proof?"
"Qiao Yue!" Qiao Xin roared and was about to smash the tea she was offering to Qiao Yue as her formal apology.
However, Qiao Yue suddenly reached out and stopped Qiao Xin, taking the cup of tea from her.
Qiao Xin looked at Qiao Yue's actions in shock, clueless about what she was going to do.
"How about this? If you don't want me to sue you or want me to forgive you, I'll agree after you drink this cup of tea."
"What? How dare..."
Halfway through her sentence, Qiao Xin suddenly realized that she had lost her composure. She forced a smile and looked at Qiao Yue. "This, this tea is my apology to you. How can I drink it?"
"Qiao Xin, you probably inherited your mother's deafness. Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Qiao Yue stared daggers at Qiao Xin as she closed in on her. Qiao Xin was so scared that she took a few steps back.
See, this girl never learnt. Every time Qiao Yue scared her, she would be afraid, but every time, she would come back and harm her.
"Do you want to drink it yourself or do you want me force it down your throat?" Qiao Yue said impatiently.
Qiao Xin shook her head and kept retreating. When she saw Qiao Yue stop, she turned around suddenly and ran away.
Qiao Xin ran away crying. Qiao Yue took the cup of tea and went downstairs to find out what Qiao Xin had added.
Just as she reached downstairs, she bumped into Qiao Yu, who had just come back.
Qiao Yu's forehead was covered in sweat. When he saw the tea in Qiao Yue's hand, his eyes lit up. He said as he took the cup away from Qiao Yue, "Xiao Yue, go and make another cup of tea! I'll have this one."
Seeing that Qiao Yu was about to bring the cup to his mouth, Qiao Yue said slowly, "I'd advise you not to drink it. There's something in it."
The teacup stopped five centimeters away from Qiao Yu's lips. With a stiff face, Qiao Yu turned and asked, "What?"
"This tea was offered to me by Qiao Xin as an apology. Do you want to drink it?" Qiao Yue emphasized the word "apology".
As soon as he heard the story, Qiao Yu immediately returned the tea to Qiao Yue. The corners of his mouth twitched to express his fear of the tea.
"You're going to throw it away?" Qiao Yu asked.
"No, I'm taking it to ask around. I'd like to find out if anyone knows what Qiao Xin has put in it."
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Chapter 27: Taking Responsibility for You
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yu raised his eyebrows and followed Qiao Yue into the kitchen. There was a chef and two servants inside.
Qiao Yue didn't say much and bluffed. With Qiao Yu supporting her, the servant who saw Qiao Xin put something in the tea quickly confessed.
When Qiao Yu heard the servant's confession, his face darkened visibly.
"You're saying that Qiao Xin put dirty dish water in there? She even spat in the tea?" Qiao Yu's fake gentle expression disappeared as he confirmed with the servant again with a cold face.
Ever since Qiao Yue discovered Qiao Yu's hidden side, Qiao Yu no longer put on an act in front of her. However, Qiao Yu was still as gentle and elegant to the others, so the servant was even more afraid when he sensed Qiao Yu's anger.
The servant trembled and lowered his head. If not for his stiff limbs, he would have knelt on the ground.
Meanwhile, the butler saw Qiao Yue and Qiao Yu from the kitchen entrance. He quickly walked in and said, "Fifth young master, second young master would like to see you."
Qiao Yue glanced at the butler's expression, then turned to Qiao Yu and asked, "Fourth brother, do you want to come with me?"
"No, I'll go find Qiao Xin."
Qiao Yue's lips curved into a smile. "Maybe Qiao Xin is already with second brother now."
"What?"
Before Qiao Yu could figure out what was going on, the butler glanced keenly at Qiao Yue. He felt that the fifth young master was no fool. He hadn't even mentioned anything, and fifth young master had figured out that Miss Qiao Xin had already filed a complaint.
Qiao Yue didn't only guess that Qiao Xin would file a complaint, but she would also drag her mother along to complain as well. It wasn't that she could predict the future, but the process had always been the same the past few times.
Qiao Xin was humiliated by her. She would complain to her mother and then her mother would find a person with authority in the Qiao family to suppress her.
"Fourth brother, shall we go together?" Qiao Yue extended the invitation to Qiao Yu again.
Qiao Yu and Qiao Jing were not close, and the way Qiao Jing looked at Qiao Yu sometimes gave him the illusion that he had been seen through.
Just as Qiao Yu was hesitating, Qiao Yue walked up to him and whispered, "Fourth brother, there's going to be a show! Still don't want to go?"
"Okay, I'll go with you!"
In Qiao Jing's study...
Qiao Yue and Qiao Yu had just followed the butler to the fourth floor when they heard a woman crying.
Qiao Yue hadn't met everyone at the Qiao residence in the past few days, but she was very familiar with Qiao Xin's crying.
Qiao Yu gave Qiao Yue a look that said, "you are up", and then braced himself to watch the show.
"Third aunt, we still need to hear Qiao Yue's explanation."
Qiao Yue had just reached the door when he heard Qiao Jing's cold voice.
"Hear his explanation? Xiao Jing! Your sister is already being bullied so badly and you still want to hear him out? We're your real family who have lived together for so many years! Are you only going to send Qiao Yue away after he sued your sister?"
"Third aunt, I was the one who brought Qiao Yue home."
Qiao Jing's words were loud and clear. Since he was the one who brought Qiao Yue home, how could he send him away?
The third madam of the Qiao family was at a loss for words. She took a deep breath and said, "Does that mean that you'll be responsible for Qiao Yue?"
"Yes, he's one of my people."
Qiao Yue and Qiao Yu's eyes widened at the same time when they heard this. Qiao Yue frowned deeply while Qiao Yu looked at Qiao her confused eyes.
Qiao Xin sobbed, "Second brother, how can you do this? I'm your sister! We've lived together for such a long time! That Qiao Yue is just an outsider! Not only did he bully me at school, but he also threatened to sue me. I apologized to him for what happened before, but he made me drink tea that had spit in it. Why are you still helping him when he's like this?"
"Xiao Jing, since you said that you'll be responsible for Qiao Yue, what should we do about Xin'er? You have to do something. I won't let my child be bullied like this even if this gets to Grandpa Qiao."
Qiao Yue stood outside the door and sneered. Qiao Xin and her mother really complemented each other, one acting pitiful while the other threatened. They had such good chemistry!
Before Qiao Jing could speak, Qiao Yue said disdainfully, "Sure, let's go and see Grandpa! Let's each present our evidence and let Grandpa judge."
She hadn't seen her grandfather in the four days she had been here, so this was a good opportunity to meet him.
"Qiao Yue, come here."
Hearing Qiao Yue's confidence, Qiao Jing's voice became gentler.
Qiao Yue obediently walked over to Qiao Jing and said, "Third Madam Qiao, aren't you tired of finding ways to smear me every day?"
Qiao Xin's mother was furious when she saw the ridicule in Qiao Yue's eyes. Although the servants had said that she had a good temper, who knew if it's true?
The third madam of the Qiao family couldn't pretend to be a Buddha anymore when she thought about how Qiao Yue bullied her daughter. She rushed to Qiao Yue's side and raised her hand to slap Qiao Yue.
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Chapter 28: The Unlikeable Qiao Yu
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The sound of a slap that she had anticipated was not heard. Third Madam Qiao's raised arm was held tightly by a large hand, and Qiao Yue quietly lowered her slightly lifted leg and looked at Qiao Jing.
"Third aunt, didn't you hear what I said?" Qiao Jing said as he shook off Qiao Xin's mother's hand.
Third Madam Qiao fell a few steps back before she was supported by Qiao Xin.
"Second brother, how can you speak to mother like that!"
Qiao Jing ignored Qiao Xin and asked Qiao Yue to recount the incident. Qiao Xin tried to interrupt Qiao Yue several times but was stopped by Qiao Jing.
After Qiao Yue finished speaking, the entire room fell into a dead silence.
A moment later, Qiao Jing, who had been unsmiling the whole time, smiled slightly. He ruffled Qiao Yue's hair and said, "Well done."
"Second brother, I didn't hit anyone." Qiao Yue smiled at Qiao Jing.
"Yes."
For some reason, Qiao Yue could hear the pampering tone in Qiao Jing's voice.
"Third Madam Qiao, if you still have questions about what your daughter did, why don't you ask Qiao Yu? He almost became a victim too."
Before this, the third madam and Qiao Xin didn't even notice that there was someone else besides Qiao Yue. With this reminder, they suddenly looked out the door.
Qiao Yu had to stop watching the show when Qiao Yue mentioned him. He walked into the study with a warm smile on his face. "Third aunt, Xin'er was indeed a little naughty."
Qiao Yu then turned to Qiao Xin and said, "Xin'er, if you continue to be so naughty, your future boyfriend will be rather troubled."
Qiao Yu's arrival eased the tension in the room. Qiao Xin, who had been crying and throwing a tantrum, also blushed at Qiao Yu's teasing. After Qiao Yu's words, the incident had instantly become a mischievous small matter.
So, this was what Qiao Yu was like when he's pretending. That's quite unlikeable! Qiao Yue secretly pouted.
Qiao Yu then turned to Qiao Yue and said, "Xiao Yue, you are a member of the Qiao family. It's not good for the family reputation if you really sued Xin'er. You are her brother after all. You won't do that, right?"
Qiao Yue glanced at him indifferently, void of her previous warmth and familiarity with Qiao Yu. "That depends on my mood."
Qiao Yue didn't care much about the family reputation as Qiao Yu said, but if she sued Qiao Xin, she wouldn't only have to face harassment from Qiao Xin but the entire Qiao family. But if she didn't sue Qiao Xin, this matter would hang over Qiao Xin's head and she would keep finding trouble with her.
Seeing that Qiao Yu had given her a way out, the third madam left quickly with her daughter after leaving a harsh final word with Qiao Jing. "Xiao Jing, you're so protective of Qiao Yue. Don't regret it if he causes any more trouble in the future!"
After the mother and daughter left, Qiao Jing asked Qiao Yue to stay. Qiao Yu glanced at Qiao Yue but was ignored, so, he left too.
After everyone left, Qiao Jing received a phone call and started to review the documents sent by his subordinates.
Since Qiao Jing didn't let Qiao Yue go, she picked up a book from Qiao Jing's bookshelf and started reading.
Qiao Jing's study was full of books about business and finance. Qiao Yue had read these kinds of books when she was calling the shots at KA, so she didn't find them difficult to understand.
By the time Qiao Jing finished work, it was already nine o'clock. Qiao Jing looked up and saw Qiao Yue leaning back on the sofa and reading a book. The scene made Qiao Jing a little lost in thought.
Since very young, Qiao Jing's parents had not been by his side, and he had been living with his grandfather. In the past, he often lost track of time when he read. His grandfather always accompanied him and would cough to remind him when it's time to sleep.
How long had it been since someone had accompanied him like this?
Qiao Yue sensed Qiao Jing's gaze on her and looked up. Their eyes met and Qiao Yue smiled.
"Second brother, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing. You should go to bed." Qiao Jing replied.
Qiao Yue ignored him. "Second brother, are you done with work?"
"Yes."
"Second brother, I have something to ask you."
"Ask away."
Qiao Yue got up, walked behind Qiao Jing and started to massage his temples.
Qiao Jing raised his eyes and glanced at her. Without saying a word, he put his glasses on the table and began to enjoy Qiao Yue's massage.
After a while when Qiao Yue saw that Qiao Jing's brows had relaxed, she asked, "Why is second brother so protective of me?"
"Because I was the person who brought you home."
"Just this?"
"Yes."
"If I really sued Qiao Xin, who would you help?" Qiao Yue asked curiously.
"No one."
"You wouldn't help Qiao Xin? She's a member of the Qiao family after all. It would affect the Qiao family reputation."
"You're also a member of the Qiao family."
Qiao Jing's tone was flat, as if they were talking about the weather.
"You're so protective of me, but you won't consider helping me?"
Qiao Jing held Qiao Yue's hands and slowly opened his eyes to look at her.
Qiao Jing's eyes were mesmerizing as he replied, "Do you even need my help?"
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Chapter 29: Girl With a Crush
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Because she slept too late last night, Qiao Yue went to school the next day with two dark circles under her eyes.
In order not to attract too much attention, Qiao Yue politely declined Qiao Ze's offer to send her to school. She ignored Qiao Ze's disappointed look and got into the Qiao family car. Then, she realized that Qiao Yu was also in the car.
Qiao Yue looked away and was going to close her eyes to take a nap when she heard Qiao Yu's voice. "Xiao Yue, are you still angry?"
As long as there were outsiders around, Qiao Yu would put on his mask. Qiao Yue had no problem with that, but could he not talk to her?
"Fourth brother, I'm not angry. I just want to take a nap."
She thought that since she had made it so clear, a smart person like Qiao Yu would know what to do. However, Qiao Yu spoke again.
"I've already reprimanded Qiao Xin for what happened last night. Xiao Yue, please forgive me!"
Qiao Yue cursed in her heart. She wanted to pick up an AK-47 and shoot Qiao Yu in the head.
As the car drove on, Qiao Yue was tortured all the way to school. The moment they arrived at school, Qiao Yue ran to the classroom as if she was running for her life.
It was seven plus in the morning and lessons hadn't started yet. The classroom was buzzing. There were all sorts of discussion topics and Qiao Yue was the most talked about topic.
An innocent looking, and probably well-behaved girl walked to Qiao Yue's desk. She blushed as she put an exquisitely wrapped paper bag on Qiao Yue's desk.
A boy beside her shouted, "Xiaoxiao, do you like the new kid too?"
The girl's face turned even redder; she glared at the boy without answering.
"Xiaoxiao, there are many rumors about Qiao Yue. Are you sure you like him?" One of Xiao Xiao's girl friend asked.
"Yes, I do. From the moment I saw him." Xiaoxiao's voice was not loud, but her words were clearly heard by the boys who had a crush on her.
"What's so good about that kid? He looks like a sissy. I heard that he's from the countryside and got into a lousy university. He only managed to study here because of the Qiao family."
One of the boys suddenly interjected, belittling Qiao Yue as if he was worthless.
The girl ignored him and started to discuss other topics with her friends. However, the boy continued to speak.
"That Qiao Yue used to fight a lot in the countryside. His mother was a mistress and ran away with a man. She abandoned him right after giving birth to him. How can he be a good person when he has no parents since young?"
The boy spoke very loudly, as if he was saying it especially for Xiaoxiao.
Xiaoxiao's eyes turned red, and she couldn't argue. After all, she didn't know much about Qiao Yue's past.
The boy's friend chimed in, "Yeah! That Qiao Yue looks like a pretty boy. Xiaoxiao, you might as well like our school hunk than him. Or consider our Brother Sun; he has the height and the body. "
It wasn't unreasonable for the boy to attack Qiao Yue with her height. Qiao Yue was 175 centimeters tall, which was considered tall among girls, but not tall enough among boys.
The girl glared angrily at the boy and the brothers around him and said, "I just like him, okay? And it was love at first sight! At the very least, he wouldn't speak ill of people behind their backs."
"How do you know he doesn't?" Another boy muttered.
Xiaoxiao felt that she couldn't win the argument against the boys and tears welled up in her eyes. This made the boys feel bad; they were so embarrassed that they didn't speak again.
Qiao Yue also didn't expect that she was the star of such a big show when she had just arrived at the classroom. She touched her nose and let out a long sigh.
As soon as Qiao Yue entered the classroom, she saw the love letters and gifts on her desk. After hesitating for a second, Qiao Yue leaned against the wall and started playing with her phone.
Even though she knew that it was hurtful to do so, she was helpless.
The girls who had given Qiao Yue gifts were all guessing which one she would open first and what her reaction would be, but Qiao Yue's attitude of turning a blind eye to the gifts disappointed all the girls.
Some of the girls sighed and shook their heads, some talked softly with their friends while Xiaoxiao stared at Qiao Yue with bright eyes.
Qiao Yue felt uncomfortable under her stare. She looked up at her and subconsciously smiled.
However, it was this smile that caused Qiao Yue a lot of trouble later, but this was a story for another time...
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Chapter 30: A Leaked Video
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"My God, have you been on the school forum? There's a new post."
Halfway through a class, Qiao Yue's sharp ears suddenly heard a girl in the back row exclaiming softly.
"What?"
"Go to the school forum and look. There's a video of a fight. Although it's pixelated, the person who fought looked super cool!"
Qiao Yue frowned. Could the fight they were talking about be...
She tapped a few times on her phone quickly and found the post which had floated to the top of the Harvey Academy Online Forum.
The video in the post was very blurry, and the faces couldn't be seen clearly. However, people could more or less tell that it was a video where three people were attacking one person, but were beaten by that person instead.
"That looks like the teachers building in our school. I didn't know that we have such an incredible fighter in our school!"
"Eh! Do you think those are the clothes Qiao Yue wore on his first day here?"
"You don't say, it does look a little like it."
At this point, the conversation ended. Qiao Yue only felt hot gazes staring at the back of her head.
Qiao Yue's eyebrows twitched. She quickly swiped on her phone to KA's internal group chat and found Chu Jia.
"Delete the post with the fighting video on the Harvey forum."
Qiao Yue received three question marks in reply as soon as she sent the message.
"Also, delete the original video."
"Boss, can't you do it yourself? It will be faster."
"No computer."
"Oh, okay. I'll contact QY now."
After ten minutes, Qiao Yue refreshed the school forum page, and the video was gone. But another post about Qiao Yue had floated to the top.
The title was "School hunk competition! Qiao Yue vs. Qiao Yu, who's your type?]
If the online sticker with three black lines down a person's face could materialize, Qiao Yue would probably slap it on her face. Why weren't these students' paying attention in class? What were they doing every day?
In fact, Qiao Yue and Qiao Yu weren't the only names mentioned in the post. Other popular boys at Harvey were also mentioned.
In the post, the boys' daily tests, final exam results and various awards were compared. The results were divided into cultural classes, electives, and physical fitness classes. Those who were in the competition had all their information posted, including a photo at the end. The photo was what made Qiao Yue stand out.
Qiao Yue's photo was one that was secretly taken.
The school field, the sun, the breeze, the mineral water, and the desire. It was as if a girl's expectations of her first love had all been printed in this photo. The boy in the photo looked arrogant and reckless.
"This secretly taken photo of Qiao Yue is too good!"
This time, Qiao Yue heard the girls in the front and back rows exclaim in unison.
"It's just a pretty boy. The angle is so good, maybe someone was hired to take the photo."
Qiao Yue looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was also looking at her.
Was it the voice of that Brother Sun from before? Sigh! The reasons she was hated were totally unjustified. However, she couldn't ask someone to take down another post. It would be strange if two posts related to her were deleted in a row.
"Ahem, please discuss other things after class. It's still lesson time."
The teacher listened to the whispers in his class for a long time before he couldn't stand it and lectured.
Unexpectedly, the bell rang at this moment, causing the students to roar with laughter.
The teacher didn't mind. He knocked on the blackboard and said, "We'll be doing a test in the next period. Please be prepared."
"Huh? Still have test?"
For a little while, the students complained and forgot about Qiao Yue.
When Qiao Yue saw that the teacher had deliberately glanced in her direction while speaking, she knew that the test was 80% prepared for her. The principal had approved her application to Harvey but had not actually assessed her ability.
During the break, most students were talking about the last-minute test, but a few of them were still focusing on Qiao Yue.
The girl named Xiaoxiao walked up to Qiao Yue and asked, "Qiao Yue, don't, don't you like cookies?"
Qiao Yue didn't expect that after she had made it so obvious, this girl would still approach her; she was stunned.
"Not too bad." Qiao Yue replied plainly after she recovered from her surprise.
"Then do you want to try the cookies I made?"
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