TFS | Chapter 17

It had to be said, Xu Linruan had completely nailed the truth.

In the original plot, these two had fallen for each other while fighting all the time. That was exactly how a pair of bickering lovers came to be. Qi Yue was arrogant and willful, Jiang Mian was lively and steadfast, and the two of them slowly worked things out through all the give and take of being together. In the end, they became a couple, from school uniforms to wedding gowns, and they really did count as a pair of golden boy and jade girl.

Right now, though, the “golden boy” still had not woken up to his feelings. He was holding his ex-girlfriend’s hand while glaring fiercely at the future “jade girl.” Whether they suited each other or not did not matter. The crematorium arc was already underway.

If they could push it a little further, with the heroine getting hurt in body and heart by the hero and the two of them turning into a tragic, intense love story, Xu Linruan would definitely have been clapping along from the sidelines.

Unfortunately, as beautiful as her imagination was, Xu Zhou on the side looked at Jiang Mian and made a suggestion. “How about this? Anyway, you can’t pay this money back, so how about working part-time at Qi Yue’s house to repay it?”

Xu Linruan did know this part of the plot, but that was after Qi Yue had helped Jiang Mian with something and then she had taken the initiative to ask. Saying that she would work part-time at his house to earn money and pay him back was really just a way to get closer, because by then Qi Yue had already realized that he had a little something for the heroine.

This time, since someone else proposed it first, it carried a faint sense of being forced. The solution was good enough, but Xu Linruan had to sigh at how omnipresent the power of the plot really was.

Jiang Mian glanced again at the handsome-faced Qi Yue. The boy’s beauty made her feel a little embarrassed, but this solution was not as hard to accept as she had imagined.

So she nodded, and just as she was about to say, “Okay,” Qi Yue let out a snort of laughter. His voice was crisp as he said, “What a joke. Do you think my house is a hotel? Anyone can just walk in?”

It was not that he was looking down on her. It was just that someone this clumsy would not even pass the first round of an interview. Bringing her to work at his house would just be making trouble for people, wouldn’t it? He was not stupid. Was he supposed to invite her over so other people could wait on her?

“Y-you…” Jiang Mian was left speechless by that. Tears even welled up in her eyes. She felt truly wronged. She had already lowered herself this much, and this guy was still refusing to let her go.

Jiang Mian bit her lip, her eyes a little red. “Qi Yue, don’t go too far. I’ve already agreed to earn money to pay you back. What else do you want?”

Xu Linruan also thought this girl was a little clueless, but if she had softened her attitude earlier and apologized first, Qi Yue would not have been so harsh. Then again, if Jiang Mian had been the kind of person who gave in so easily, she would not have been the heroine.

Besides, wasn’t the male lead exactly into this in the original novel? He liked girls who did not put him in their eyes and could not be bothered to deal with him. Xu Linruan guessed that this guy was probably just a little screwed up in the head.

She did not really have any ill will toward the heroine. As long as the heroine did not come looking for trouble with her, that was enough. Still, when the male lead was not blinded by love, that little brain of his really did work pretty well, and what he said had a clear, reasonable line to it.

The moment Jiang Mian finished speaking, Qi Yue was about to blow up again. His temper had never been good to begin with, and now he was even more justified, all but making it sound like he was in the right. “You’re feeling wronged, huh? Making my money and then paying it back to me, and you don’t think you’re being shameless?” Qi Yue sneered at her, his tone utterly rude.

His words were harsh too.

Xu Linruan had never thought this guy could talk so much. Look at how he had made the heroine angry, her eyes red and her words stuck in her throat.

Xu Zhou on the side also felt awkward, but once this guy’s temper flared up, he could not stop him.

The atmosphere turned stiff for a moment.

Xu Linruan found it boring to watch. If the plot did not move forward, how was she supposed to see any fun?

So she hooked her fingers around the young master’s palm and gave it a seemingly affectionate sway. “Stop arguing. I heard there’s still a lot of expensive flowers grown in the greenhouse on the third floor. Won’t you take me to see them?”

The young master, who had just been all fired up a second ago, suddenly froze. Then he shot the two of them a glare and took her hand, heading straight for the third floor.

Qi Yue was not stupid either. He knew Xu Linruan was helping them change the subject, and that made him a little unhappy. He felt that Xu Linruan was one of his own and should have been on his side.

Her obvious decision to help outsiders made him displeased, and that displeasure could not be shown in front of others. But once they were inside, the young master’s true nature showed itself without restraint.

“Do you think I went too far?”

Qi Yue was still a little aggrieved. He wanted Xu Linruan to coax him, to keep him in her heart, not always… treating him so casually, as if anyone else could be more important than he was.

Xu Linruan looked up at him. “Then do you think… you went too far?”

It was just a normal counterquestion, but in Qi Yue’s ears, the meaning was different. He felt that her question was really her saying he had gone too far, that she thought he was petty, bullying others, and lacking any sense of dignity.

The young master’s pride took a hit. What hurt more was the sting in his heart. “You helped other people because you think I went too far, didn’t you? But so what if I did go too far? You’re my girlfriend. Shouldn’t you stand on my side unconditionally?”

That was what he cared about. What was that attitude of hers? She never thought about him at all. She had only been defending other people.

Xu Linruan understood then. This guy was blaming her for not protecting him, which meant he was being difficult again?

She felt she still needed to explain, or else with this guy’s personality he would keep at it until tomorrow. “When did I ever say something like that? Don’t go making things up in your head.”

Qi Yue was still angry. How could he listen to such perfunctory words? He turned his face away and refused to look at her.

“I know. Even if you didn’t say it out loud, that’s what you were thinking inside.” He was still annoyed, the kind of mood where the more someone tried to coax him, the angrier he got. “Let me put it to you like this. I have a bad temper, a bad personality, and even worse grades. My family doesn’t care about me, and everyone else is afraid of me.”

“And even if I don’t look bad, in a lot of people’s eyes I’m just a thug and a punk who bullies people by leaning on my power. Even then, you still don’t think I’ve gone too far?”

He must really have been angry to be saying things like that.

Xu Linruan felt she could not crush his confidence completely, so she cupped his face. With warm light reflected in her eyes, she answered in a coaxing tone, “I don’t think you’re that bad either. You’re exactly the kind of person I like.”

Qi Yue was so soothed by her that his head felt fuzzy, and even the skin around his ears softened. It was not that he had to hear sweet words. What mattered was attitude. If she always treated him like this, he would not have been angry in the first place.

So he kept asking, “Then what do you think of me?” He did not care how others saw him, but now he suddenly started caring about Xu Linruan’s opinion.

Xu Linruan looked him up and down and kept bullshitting, “Mm… you’re good-looking. Even more handsome than the celebrities on TV.”

Qi Yue actually wanted to say that that was not what he meant, but seeing how seriously she answered, he could not bring himself to object. After all, being praised for his looks by his girlfriend to his face made him feel pretty shy inside.

Not only was he good-looking, he also had pretty good taste.

Qi Yue’s face turned a little red, but he tried to stay composed. He attempted to put on a serious expression, but his girlfriend’s praise was just too satisfying. So he asked, half thick-skinned and half blushing, “Then if I’m this good-looking, don’t you want to kiss me?”

“…”

Well, well. So that was what he had been waiting for her for.

She had said it. Why had he suddenly started acting up again? So this was the stunt he had been planning. Once this man’s face got thick, there really were not many people who could compare.