Page 45

This was a part-time job she had been doing on and off since her freshman year.

The owner of the bookstore was a senior from her same department. The senior was a local who had inherited the bookstore from her family after graduation. She was well aware of Chu Keke's family situation, so she would occasionally ask Chu Keke to work part-time, which was a way of offering her some indirect help.

The senior had gone on a date tonight, so Chu Keke had come over to watch the shop after eating her afternoon meal.

Perhaps due to the weather, there weren't many people buying books today, so Chu Keke picked up a Russian novel to pass the time.

As it neared closing time, she began to clean the shop at a leisurely pace.

Her home wasn't far from here, just two streets away, and she had brought an umbrella, so she wasn't afraid of the rain.

The senior was a good person, and she thought that if the shop stayed open a little longer, perhaps someone would come in to buy a book.

After arranging the books neatly and mopping the floor, Chu Keke carefully locked the shop door before heading home.

It still hadn't started raining, but the wind had picked up, whipping plastic bags along the ground with a rustling sound. Silver snakes of lightning flickered in the sky, as if gathering their final strength.

Just as Chu Keke turned the street corner, she heard someone calling her name.

"Keke."

Chu Keke turned around and saw a tall, thin boy walking toward her from behind; it was the neighbor's older brother.

When she first brought her younger sister here to rent a place, the aunt next door had given them a lot of help. Sometimes when she went out for part-time work, the aunt would even let her sister come over to watch television.

The aunt's son, Wei Quan, was also a good person.

She still remembered the time her sister wasn't feeling well, and he had carried her sister on his back to the hospital late at night. To her, he was like an older brother.

Seeing that it was him, Chu Keke revealed a smile: "Brother Wei, why are you here?"

Wei Quan looked at the adorable girl with a smile, his eyes softening as he revealed the badminton bag on his back: "I was playing at the badminton court over there with some friends and just got back. What about you?"

"I just finished my part-time job, too. Have you eaten? Why don't you come to my place later? I'll cook some noodles."

As Chu Keke spoke, she walked side-by-side with Wei Quan toward home.

Listening to Chu Keke's invitation and looking at her smiling eyes as she gazed at him, Wei Quan couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair: "No need. My mom made dumplings tonight, and she saved a plate for you. You can just come to my place and eat later."

"Dumplings!"

Chu Keke's eyes brightened: "Auntie's dumplings are the best."

"Is that so?" Wei Quan laughed, "Then you should eat plenty later."

"Mm, I definitely will."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked side-by-side amidst the gale of the impending storm. The wind blew the ends of Chu Keke's hair, brushing them across Wei Quan's shoulder, while the glow of neon lights enveloped them both.

What a sweet scene of "mutual affection."

Behind them, Shangguan Min, who had rushed over to find Chu Keke the moment he finished handling company matters after his business trip, sat in his luxury car in the middle of the street, watching this scene with eyes wide enough to split.

Not returning messages, not answering calls—so it was because she had someone else by her side, was it?

Then what about him? What did his overflowing love count for?

Chu Keke, you can only be mine!

Screech—

A black Rolls-Royce accelerated and surged forward, then suddenly slammed on the brakes, cutting across in front of the two and giving both Chu Keke and Wei Quan a fright.

Wei Quan instinctively shielded Chu Keke behind him.

Soon, the car door opened.

[A tall, slender figure stepped out of the car. His handsome, chiseled face was clouded with an impenetrable gloom. His eyes were like torches, hiding a raging storm within, as he stared fixedly at the two who were acting so intimately.]

["Chu. Ke. Ke."]

[Shangguan Min enunciated the name of the person hidden behind the boy, his thin lips pressed into a tight line: "How dare you betray me!"]

[Chu Keke was stunned: "Shangguan Min?"]

[Then, realizing something, her gaze dimmed, and she said coldly: "What are you here for?"]

["What am I here for?" A flash of hurt crossed Shangguan Min's eyes, only to be masked by anger.]

["If I didn't come, how would I know that you have another protector by your side!"]

[Chu Keke frowned: "What are you talking about!"]

[Shangguan Min didn't want to listen anymore. Because it was her, he was willing to give her one more chance.]

[The man, radiating a dangerous, wolf-like aura, reached out toward Chu Keke: "Come here."]

Not far away, Xiang Changge, who hadn't approached yet and couldn't hear what they were saying, but was having the original text read to her by a very considerate system in her mind: "..."

Enough. She really had enough. Who didn't know these lines by heart already?

Up ahead, the three-way Shura field was currently in progress.

Seeing the man who had suddenly appeared trying to take Chu Keke away, Wei Quan naturally stood in front of her.

The two wanted to leave, but Shangguan Min wouldn't allow it. Already filled with jealousy, he reached out, grabbed Wei Quan, and threw a punch.

The two then began to fight.

But how could a weakling second male lead ever beat the male lead, who had been working out for years and had studied karate since childhood? He was destined to be pinned down and beaten.

Chu Keke saw this and rushed to stop them, casually slapping the male lead across the face.

She helped Wei Quan, who was lying on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, and glared at the tall man in front of her with disgust: "Shangguan Min, what are you doing? Who do you think you are? Get out of here!"

Shangguan Min, his face slightly turned to the side, stood frozen in place. His eyes filled with disbelief as he slowly turned his head to look at Chu Keke: "You hit me... for him?"

A flash of sorrow crossed Chu Keke's eyes. She gritted her teeth and said nothing, but Shangguan Min could no longer hold back and rushed forward—

Just as the plot was about to progress to "the male lead forcibly kisses the female lead in front of the second male lead," a plot point that shouldn't have existed appeared.

"So what if I hit you?"

A cool voice suddenly rang out amidst the white light flashing across the sky.

Under the light of a lightning bolt tearing through the horizon, a tall, slender figure appeared as suddenly as a ghost.

The deafening thunder that followed the lightning seemed to explode in Chu Keke's mind. She stared in astonishment at what was before her; behind Shangguan Min's handsome face was the suddenly appeared—Steward Xiang?

"Steward Xiang, why are you here?"

Chu Keke asked, stunned.

"I came here to tell you," Xiang Changge tilted her neck, loosening her muscles. Her eyes were fixed on Shangguan Min, but her words were for Chu Keke, "For someone who comes up and hits people for no reason, you have to fight fire with fire."

"Who are you?"

Staring at Xiang Changge's face, Shangguan Min was certain he had never seen her before.

Yet, she knew Chu Keke.

Who was she?

The question had barely surfaced in his mind when a fist came flying toward his face.

Shangguan Min's pupils dilated. Just as he tried to dodge, his eye had already taken a heavy blow.

What a fast punch!

Shangguan Min clutched his injured eye, and before he could react, he felt another sharp pain in his abdomen the next second—

Chu Keke was truly dumbfounded this time.

The suddenly appeared Steward Xiang was beating Shangguan Min, who had just been pinning Brother Wei down, so hard he was practically being shoved into the cracks of the street wall!

Wait, could Steward Xiang actually fight? And she seemed quite formidable at it, too.

Hold on, that doesn't seem to be the point right now.

Chu Keke abandoned Wei Quan and hurried to pull at Xiang Changge: "Steward Xiang, Steward Xiang, please stop hitting him, he—he looks like he's about to die!"

Xiang Changge, who was enjoying the fight a little too much, finally stopped at these words. She let out a long breath and sighed, "Woohoo, that felt good."

Chu Keke: "..."

Steward Xiang seemed a bit strange tonight.

Shangguan Min, who was practically half-dead: "?"

No, who is she? Who on earth is she? Why is she meddling in business that doesn't concern her?

Wei Quan, still on the ground: "!"

This was terrifying. He had just been on his way to pick up the girl he liked after work; what had just happened?

"Do—do you have any idea who I am!"

Because Xiang Changge was no longer gripping his pristine, high-end suit collar and pinning him against the wall, Shangguan Min slid powerlessly down the corner of the wall to the ground.

With a swollen mouth and red, puffy eyes, his original appearance was unrecognizable as he struggled to mumble out a threat.

Xiang Changge raised her hands to do a chest stretch and replied with an indifferent expression: "No idea. Do you?" She turned the latter half of the question to Chu Keke.

Chu Keke was silent for a few seconds before nodding: "He is the CEO of the Shangguan Group."

At this, Chu Keke felt her heart descend into chaos.

"What should we do, Steward Xiang? He has power and influence. You—you hit him, you..."

She looked at Xiang Changge with worry, then looked at Shangguan Min, who she had never seen looking so disheveled before. Thinking of his vindictive nature, she was so overwhelmed she was on the verge of tears.