Chapter 224

Lin Qingyu frowned, suppressing this absurd emotion. She understood, of course, that Hua Xin's words were a misheard Japanese expression for "I don't know," but what surprised and puzzled her was that her silence and pressure from earlier hadn't frightened Hua Xin; instead, Hua Xin was now acting so frivolously. She remembered how intimidating Hua Xin had been during their first meeting, and how Hua Xin had obediently followed her orders. Or perhaps... Lin Qingyu narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then let's ignore that girl for now." "Let's talk about you." "Me??" Hua Xin was momentarily stunned, not expecting Lin Qingyu to do anything. Hadn't she just been pointing the finger at Xia Yan's girlfriend with such hostility? How did she suddenly shift the topic to her? What does your meeting with Gu Xin Hua have to do with me, Hua Xin? ...Uh, it seems like both of them are her. The girl slowly abandoned her attempt to get away with her cuteness, the tense feeling from the earlier threat resurfacing, and her long-dormant CPU began to spin wildly again. "Xia Yan already has a girlfriend, so..." "What are your thoughts?" Lin Qingyu stared directly at her, but unfortunately, the girl's face was hidden by a mask and hood, making it impossible for her to discern anything from her expression. What thoughts could she possibly have? (Actually, if you find that girl sitting right in front of you, I'm Xia Yan's little girlfriend whom you hate so much, tell me what you'd think then.) — She couldn't say things like that. After all, saying it would only make her unhappy. In Lin Qingyu's eyes, her image was still that of a "lovestruck woman" who "liked Xia Yan" and used some unknown trick to "deceive Xia Yan." Hua Xin's lips twitched, a sense of powerlessness and speechlessness rising within her. But now, it was clear she should slowly distance herself from her "alliance" with Lin Qingyu, first and foremost clarifying that she no longer had any other feelings for Xia Yan. Having made up her mind, the girl felt much more confident. After a slight hesitation, she slowly and calmly said, "Xia Yan has found someone he likes, and I no longer have any desire to be with him. We're just friends..." "You've given up?" Lin Qingyu immediately gripped the coffee stirrer tightly, her eyes narrowing. Hua Xin quickly glanced at her hand, then breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the stirrer hadn't been bent in two like it had been during their last meeting. Making up her mind, the girl nodded, gritting her teeth as she said, "I have no feelings for him anymore, we're just friends." But then Lin Qingyu snorted coldly, plunging the girl into silence once more. "So you don't care whether Xia Yan knows your secret of disguising yourself as a man to get close to him?" "Since we're friends, it doesn't matter whether we're male or female, right?" "..." Lin Qingyu picked up her coffee again and took a sip. The bitter taste spread in her mouth, stimulating her senses. Looking at the silent girl, she suddenly changed her tone, becoming gentler. "Liu Ruoyun." She mentioned this woman who had previously liked Xia Yan just like her, a smug glint in her eyes. Even if she didn't know, and didn't understand, why Liu Ruoyun had given up this competition, it was undoubtedly a major obstacle removed for Lin Qingyu. "She doesn't know why she gave up." "Maybe she got tired of it, maybe her family had other arrangements." "Our cooperation was to eliminate other competitors first, so whether it's Liu Ruoyun or the girl currently by Xia Yan's side, they are our enemies." "As long as there are others, we will always be partners." She stated calmly, "So, I hope you won't try to deceive me anymore." "Because we are always on the same side." "I like Xia Yan." "You like Xia Yan too." "That's enough." "We don't need to suspect each other. Getting rid of others first will benefit both of us." [Then after you've eliminated the others, you can use your knowledge of my secrets to blackmail me into withdrawing, thus securing your position as the main wife and becoming the biggest winner.] The girl silently complained to herself, "How come Lin Qingyu gets all the good things? Does she really think I'm stupid?" But Hua Xin was still slightly surprised that Liu Ruoyun had given up on Xia Yan. During the winter break, she had almost always been able to contact Xia Yan, and Xia Fen would occasionally talk to her about him, so the girl was quite certain that Liu Ruoyun hadn't approached Xia Yan privately again. Giving up so strangely? But it's fine. Besides... Hua Xin clenched her small fists under the table on her lap. Who said she liked Xia Yan too? She and Xia Yan were brothers! Don't they know what it means to be lifelong brothers? Entrusting Xia Yan to someone like her would be the biggest insult to a brother! Ugh! Bad woman! How can she be thinking of stealing someone who's already married? Has she even learned about the new era, the new ideas, and the new youth? But despite her complaints, Hua Xin only dared to think them in her heart; she still had to be polite on the surface. A moment of patience brings peace. "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years." "I will..." Hua Xin paused, almost unable to hold back, and said with great difficulty, "I'll try my best to find out about that girl." Lin Qingyu nodded. Although she was satisfied with the girl's answer, the current situation was still very serious for her. Simply dragging the seemingly defecting Hua Xin back into the water wouldn't create an opportunity. As long as Hua Xin still cared about this secret, it was good news for her. "I'll spend more time with Xia Yan at the social gathering these two days." "Because next..." "He'll be leaving the Student Council, and I have no reason to contact him anymore." Hua Xin looked at the undisguised dejection and resentment on Lin Qingyu's face and secretly felt a surge of satisfaction. Xia Yan had come to "her school," the Foreign Languages University, to have dinner with her that evening, and he had mentioned that he would be leaving the Student Council. On the surface, the girl showed no emotional fluctuation; after all, whether he left or stayed was Xia Yan's own business, and it had nothing to do with her. Could Hua Xin really hold a knife to his throat and tell him to hurry up and leave the student council and stay away from Lin Qingyu or else he'd be in trouble? But Lin Qingyu's next words made her stop laughing. "I used some connections, but I couldn't find out who that girl was." "Maybe the facial features in the picture weren't accurate, or maybe they were a bit blurry." "But anyway, it's not just you; I'll try my best too."... The girl suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Wait... what does "facial features" and "connections" mean? This is like Doxing, right? This must be the legendary "finding you through the internet, be prepared for a one-on-one kill offline," right? Could Lin Qingyu be using Xia Yan's WeChat Moments photos to Doxing and then blackmail and bribe her, or worse... sink into the Huangpu River??? Hua Xin gripped her pants tightly, then slowly relaxed. She had never felt so fortunate that "Gu Xin Hua" was actually an unregistered person. It was all a fabrication.