CH 13.1

That night, Ning Qingqing took a long time to fall asleep, so when she woke up naturally that day, it was already ten o’clock in the morning.

She requested for a day off and ate breakfast after getting out of bed. Next, she sat in front of her vanity as she glammed herself up.

Shen Zhiqian was still out of town last night, so he could only get back late this afternoon. Ning Qingqing didn’t want to stay immersed in the anxiety of waiting, so that afternoon she went to a book cafe.

The book cafe was quiet. She picked a few good books, ordered some drinks, and sat down to read quietly.

Time passed slowly until a girl came over to Ning Qingqing and asked, “Miss, is there anyone sitting here?”

Ning Qingqing raised her eyes and noticed the girl was very beautiful. With a slightly chubby face, she looked around fifteen or sixteen years old.

She shook her head and replied, “No one is sitting here.”

After confirming, the girl put down the book she found and read it as she drank her milk tea.

However, shortly after she started flipping through her book, she couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Ning Qingqing. She discovered that Ning Qingqing was wholly focused on reading, so she took out her phone and quietly took a photo.

Because of her guilty conscience, her hands trembled a little, so the photo she took was blurred. Even though it was not clear, you could still appreciate the elegance and softness of the girl reading the book.

The girl wanted to take another picture, but Ning Qingqing had already raised her head. She was so startled that she quickly put away her phone and didn’t dare to move.

Ning Qingqing didn’t notice anything at first, but because of the girl’s reaction, she gave her a second look.

Seeing the girl look at her with her big eyes filled with innocence, Ning Qingqing felt a little helpless. She said with a smile, “I’m not your head teacher, so I won’t stop you from playing on your phone.”

The girl’s eyes lit up when she heard these words, and she stuck out her tongue, “Older sister, you’re so beautiful. Can we take a photo together?”

Ning Qingqing was not a celebrity, so when faced with such a proposal, she naturally refused, “I’m sorry, you may have recognized the wrong person.”

“Oh.” The girl was a little disappointed, but soon she started to play with her phone openly.

Ning Qingqing continued to read. The girl opened a chat and sent a message to the person nicknamed ‘Handsome Older Cousin’1: “Older Brother, I met a very beautiful girl today, and I’ve already checked her out. She loves reading. I think she suits you a lot!”

In Beishi2, a phone vibrated. It was Gu Youchen’s, who was currently in the middle of a business trip. He picked it up and saw that it was from his younger cousin Qin Yanyue, so he opened the message.

Reading the contents, he subconsciously frowned, and typed coldly, “Not needed.”

However, just after he sent the message, Qin Yanyue’s second message came. It was a photo. Although it was taken from the front, seeing the pixelation caused by unsteady hands, it was obviously taken in secret.

Gu Youchen’s frown deepened. He was about to scold Qin Yanyue when his gaze suddenly froze.

He quickly opened the photo and saw Ning Qingqing’s face.

His breathing paused for a second, he instantly saved the photo then quickly clicked on his “Not needed” message and deleted it.

In the next second, Qin Yanyue asked, “Older Brother, what did you delete just now? I didn’t see it.”

Gu Yuchen said coldly, “It’s nothing. Where are you? It’s not the weekend, why aren’t you in class?”

Tsk tsk, since when had her older cousin sent her so many words at once? Qin Yanyue revealed a smug expression and immediately sent a screenshot.

Gu Yuchen opened it and found that it was their chat, and his ‘Not needed’ from earlier was displayed very clearly.

Qin Yanyue sent a chain of emojis. It was the first time she had seen her older cousin get defeated after knowing him for so long.

Gu Yuchen pinched the center of his brows and compromised, “Where are you? Send me your location.”

This time, Qin Yanyue obediently shared her location, and said afterward, “Older Brother, I heard from aunt, aren’t you on a business trip in Beishi?”

“Yeah, I’m at Beishi now.” Gu Youchen replied.

In other words, whether or not he would still be in Beishi in a few more hours was another question.

Qin Yanyue was crafty, and she immediately caught onto something, “Older Brother, I’ve observed for a while now and this beauty is alone, you know! But there are several books next to her. I guess she’s been here for a while, yet she’s still here even though it’s getting late. I can’t say for sure, but she might be waiting for someone.”

After seeing this news, Gu Youchen turned around and asked his special assistant who was beside him, “On Shen Group’s side, did Shen Zhiqian come this time?”

His special assistant immediately made a phone call, and afterward, he replied, “CEO Gu, representing Shen Group, Shen Zhiqian also came here personally this time. He obviously attaches great importance to this project.”

Of course he attached great importance to it. A project valued at more than one billion was not a small amount for anyone.

Gu Youchen picked up his phone and sent a message to Qin Yanyue, “Xiao Yue, keep reading books there. If you’re hungry, I’ll order your favorite takeout from Jingexuan.”

Qin Yanyue replied immediately, “Okay, Older Brother, don’t worry, your wish is my command3!”

Hence, the little girl went to the bookshelf again to get a few more books, looking as if she was planning to stay forever.

As time passed, the sky outside gradually darkened.

Qin Yanyue received a call notifying her that her takeout had arrived.

She went to get takeout and left her bag on the seat on purpose. She asked Ning Qingqing, “Older sister, I’m going to grab something to eat, can you look after my spot for me?”