"You shouldn’t keep calling Mr. Xi all the time. Be quiet for a few days and don’t go looking for him, and when he remembers you, he’ll naturally come to find you."

"But what if he doesn’t come to find me?" Fang Qing voiced her concern.

"He won’t. Besides announcing the eldest daughter of the Ning Group as his fiancée, you’re the second girlfriend he publicly acknowledged. It seems he cares a lot about you. Why wouldn’t he come to see you? He’s probably just too busy with work right now and accidentally neglecting you. If you keep calling him, it might upset him..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing suddenly understood and nodded, "Jiaojiao, I get it now, thank you."

Sitting beside Fang Qing was a beautifully dressed girl in designer clothes. Her name was Tang Jiaojiao, the daughter of the current mayor of An City, and the only child in her family.

Usually, she is extremely proud and only associates with ladies who match her social status.

Based on Fang Qing’s family background and social status, she shouldn’t be able to be friends with Tang Jiaojiao, who dislikes actresses and believes that women in the entertainment industry are unclean and easily manipulated by hidden rules.

She knew that Fang Qing indeed had a not-so-clean background before being with Xi Mohan.

She was aware of one thing, that Xi Mohan had never touched Fang Qing.

Her intentions were clear; Fang Qing could be her friend solely because she was the publicly acknowledged girlfriend of Xi Mohan.

However, Tang Jiaojiao looked down on Fang Qing, constantly telling herself that Fang Qing and Xi Mohan would not last.

Even though Fang Qing was a bit clever, deep down, Tang Jiaojiao thought she was quite foolish.

In response to Fang Qing’s gratitude, Jiaojiao merely smiled and said, "No problem, isn’t that what friends are for?"

After saying that, she added silently to herself, "Such a foolish friend should be well-utilized. Of course, I need to be nice to her first."

This, she naturally wouldn’t say out loud.

Tang Jiaojiao liked Xi Mohan. To be precise, she liked him even when he was still with Ning Yan’er.

The first time they met was at a banquet when her father had just become mayor.

The first time she saw him was when he was standing there, expressionlessly talking to her father. It was then she discovered that the man she fell for at first sight was called Xi Mohan.

Xi Mohan — the CEO of the Xi Group, a man of great importance in An City, part of the reason her father became mayor was that Xi Mohan supported him.

Later, Tang Jiaojiao learned from her father that he once knew Xi Mohan’s father and had worked under him before.

Who wouldn’t like a handsome and capable man, especially one as charismatic as Xi Mohan? How could Tang Jiaojiao not be moved?

...

Song Qiao finished cooking almost two tables of dishes right at six o’clock. Seeing the food she had prepared, she relaxed but immediately felt not only her waist but her hands ache terribly.

It wasn’t because she was pampered, but because cooking so much food on her own was really exhausting.

Anyone would be extremely tired from cooking so much food all at once.

"Is the food ready?" Brother Ping followed the aroma into the kitchen and was surprised to see the table almost unable to hold all the dishes. His gaze towards Song Qiao now had a distinct look of curiosity. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"I’ve finished cooking. May I go and rest now?" Even though Song Qiao was hungry, she hadn’t forgotten her current situation and the identities of the people before her. She wasn’t expecting them to let her eat with them.

All she wanted was to rest her tired body.

Brother Ping’s expression softened considerably; his tone was no longer cold and harsh. He nodded, "Yes, you may."

Song Qiao sighed, rubbed her sore arms and shoulders, and headed out of the kitchen.

Once Song Qiao left, the kitchen was left with Brother Ping alone. He quickly fetched a pair of chopsticks and started sampling the food.

He wasn’t sneaking a taste, but rather testing the flavor.

But when he took a bite, his eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly, "Not bad, not bad. Quite tasty."

...

After leaving the kitchen, Song Qiao followed the path she was brought on earlier, heading back to the basement.

Xu Qian was still there; she hadn’t woken up by the time Song Qiao had left. Song Qiao wondered if Xu Qian might be worried or scared for not seeing her suddenly.

With these thoughts, Song Qiao quickened her pace. Her feet ached a bit, prompting her to look down. However, as she looked down, she didn’t notice the man standing in front of her and bumped into his broad chest, causing her to step back repeatedly, nearly falling over. Fortunately, his hand reached out and grasped her arm, preventing her from falling.

Song Qiao felt dizzy from the collision earlier, the scent familiar from two previous occasions filled her senses, and she immediately knew who it was without opening her eyes.

When she opened them again, as expected, she was met with the man’s handsome face.

For some reason, although Lu Jingchen was also very handsome, as were Chu Munan and Xi Mohan, Song Qiao felt this man’s features were even more striking.

This man had an aura that drew her closer.

"Are you throwing yourself at me?"

Before Song Qiao could speak, the man, with a somewhat meaningful tone, spoke first. His gaze openly rested on her face, without the slightest attempt to hide.

Hearing this, Song Qiao’s face went dark, stepping back two paces with a stiff tone, almost through gritted teeth, "You think too much!!"

– There are two more updates tonight; tomorrow, there will be an additional twenty thousand words.