"What's in your bag?" Zhou Zhibi asked.
"Oh, that. It's a laser pointer from school, used for dissections..."
The moment she mentioned "dissections," Zhou Zhibi lost all interest and instead asked narcissistically, "Are you following me?"
Qiqi rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I'm not interested in you."
"You—"
Zhou Zhibi was fuming and shot her a hateful glare before pressing on, "Then what are you doing here? Why were you sneaking around taking pictures of my uncle? This is the Imperial Financial Tower—do people like you, a broke nobody, even have the right to be here?"
You...
Gu Qiqi didn't want to curse, really. After all, Zhou Zhibi's heartfelt confession to Qin Chen earlier had genuinely moved her. But some people were just born with a cheap streak—they couldn't feel right unless someone cursed them out, their bones itching for a fight. So Qiqi reluctantly obliged: "Damn, you're judging a book by its cover. Do you think only spoiled rich girls like you can set foot in a building like this?"
Qiqi straightened her back and tugged at her plain white cotton dress without backing down—the collar of her white dress was embroidered with a faint gold pattern. Well, at least she could barely pass as a "gold-collar" worker, right?
But after getting a good look at her own clothes and wiping her face, she finally understood why Mrs. Zhou had been staring at her like she'd seen a ghost—it was her Cinderella getup that had startled the woman.
Earlier, she had crawled through an electrical shaft with Zhuang Ruotong, leaving her clothes covered in stains and her face smeared with dust. At this moment, she was practically the reincarnation of Su Qi'er, the epitome of Cinderella. No wonder the woman looked so shocked—someone like Mrs. Zhou, a wealthy socialite, probably had never seen such a grimy person before.
Yet Mrs. Zhou quickly composed her expression. She smiled at Qiqi, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze...
(She really didn't want to use a description fit for Senior Brother Lu to describe Mrs. Zhou, but at that moment, that's exactly how she smiled.)
First, she scolded her daughter: "Zhibi, don't be rude."
Then she dismissed her cousin: "Xiao Liu, wait for me in the car."
Xia Liu was reluctant. "Cousin, I haven't finished asking yet."
"Step back. I have something to discuss with this classmate," Mrs. Zhou said, her tone carrying a hint of authority.
Clearly, her cousin was afraid of her, quickly nodding in agreement.
Mrs. Zhou stepped forward and helped Qiqi up. A faint, subtle fragrance immediately drifted into the girl's nose on the breeze—it was an incredibly pleasant scent.
Mrs. Zhou asked, "You must be Gu Qiqi, right? I've heard Zhibi mention you."
Qiqi was taken aback, unsure what Mrs. Zhou was up to. But since the woman was being kind and approachable, she had no choice but to nod politely. "Yes, that's me. Hello, Mrs. Zhou."
"Oh, your clothes are dirty. Why don't I take you to the restroom to freshen up?" Mrs. Zhou suggested with concern.
Qiqi quickly declined. "Thank you, but no need. I'll take care of it when I get home."
She still remembered Zhuang Ruotong's warning—people like them were highly vigilant and had ulterior motives. It was better to keep her distance.
But at that moment, Xia Liu and Zhou Zhibi were still in the car nearby, glaring at her like predators, their eyes so fierce they seemed ready to devour her whole. Clearly, if she didn't give them a reasonable explanation today, they wouldn't let her off. But she'd already been caught red-handed taking photos—what excuse could she possibly come up with?