As long as she wielded the sharp swords of He Guoxiang and his wife, Shen Qi was no match at all!
Before He Yining arrived, Cui Yuelan had already taken several selfies. By the time he got there, she was still snapping away.
"Lanlan, what's the urgent matter you wanted to see me about?" He Yining didn't even step inside, just stood at the doorway, ready to leave after a brief moment.
Xiao Qi was still waiting for him at the villa.
Seeing that He Yining had no intention of coming in, Cui Yuelan looked at him with a pitiful expression: "Yining gege, why won't you come in? You weren't like this when we were kids!"
A trace of helplessness flickered in He Yining's phoenix eyes.
"Yining gege, how about we take a few selfies together? It's been so long since we had a photo together." Cui Yuelan ran over to He Yining's side, pestering him relentlessly: "Yining gege, I'm going off to compete this time, and I won't see you for ages. Don't you miss me at all? But I'll miss you... I just want a few pictures to keep for myself."
"Just a few pictures?" He Yining's phoenix eyes swept over Cui Yuelan.
Suppressing the excitement and thrill inside her, Cui Yuelan nodded and said, "Of course! Once you take a photo with me, Mom and Dad will see it and won't give you a hard time anymore. Yining gege, I know I've caused you trouble with them because of me. I'm really sorry—I didn't mean to. Maybe they're just worried I'll be mistreated alone in the country, that's why they made you go to so much trouble."
Hearing this, the tension in He Yining's phoenix eyes softened considerably.
That was right—this was how his sister should be!
Cui Yuelan looked at him pitifully: "Yining gege, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I've thought it through. I won't be so willful anymore. I'll get along with Shen Qi. Since the task force has put us in the same group and room, we'll be together day and night for a while. I won't fight with her. I'll let her have her way."
"Is that really how you feel?" He Yining's phoenix eyes grew even gentler as he reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face. "You're my sister, and Xiao Qi is my wife. You're both my family, the most important people to me. As long as you two get along, I'll be happy."
"Yining gege, don't worry. Even if Shen Qi doesn't like me, I'll still try to accommodate her!" Cui Yuelan acted even more obedient. "I won't make things hard for you."
He Yining felt a surge of relief.
It seemed Grandma's lessons had paid off.
A month of copying sutras had finally made her sensible.
A sly glint flashed in Cui Yuelan's eyes, well-hidden from He Yining.
She pulled He Yining over to the bedroom's big bed and took out her phone to start taking selfies.
Leaning against He Yining, she angled the shots from several positions.
Every photo looked incredibly intimate.
Though He Yining disliked such closeness, he endured it for the sake of seeing Shen Qi sooner.
After the photos were taken, He Yining was about to ask Cui Yuelan to help smooth things over with his parents when she suddenly spoke in a pitiful tone: "Yining gege, I haven't eaten yet. How about we go grab a meal together?"
He Yining hesitated.
"Are you worried about Shen Qi? That's fine—call her out to join us!" Cui Yuelan put on an "innocent" expression, using a very "naive" tone and look: "I won't go around saying we already met in the hotel room."
He Yining wavered.
Cui Yuelan's eyes instantly welled up with tears: "Yining gege, don't you trust me? If you don't, why did you come see me? You're mean—I don't like you anymore! Boohoo..."
She threw herself onto the bed, sobbing.
"Lanlan, that's not what I meant." He Yining reached out to pull her up.
This was exactly the opportunity Cui Yuelan had been waiting for!
As He Yining's hand came near, she grabbed his arm, yanked him onto the bed, and lunged at him, biting hard on his neck!
"Lanlan!" He Yining was momentarily furious.
How could she bite him there!
Cui Yuelan looked at him with tear-filled eyes: "It's your fault for not trusting me!"
He Yining let out a heavy, helpless sigh.
His parents had saddled him with a ticking time bomb!
"Fine, I agree. Stop crying! Or Mom and Dad will call to scold me again." He Yining said resignedly. "Let's go. Call Shen Qi and meet her at the restaurant."
"Okay. Yining gege, wait outside for me. I'll change clothes and be right out." Cui Yuelan said, satisfied.
He Yining turned and left the room.
Watching his tall, handsome retreating figure, a triumphant smile flickered in Cui Yuelan's eyes.
Instead of rushing to change, she twisted hard at her own neck and chest, creating marks that looked like hickeys.
Shen Qi, I'm dying to see how you'll react when you see all this!
Cui Yuelan was quick. By the time He Yining finished calling Shen Qi, she had changed into a revealing top that bared her chest and back.
He Yining, eager to see Shen Qi, didn't notice any change in Cui Yuelan's appearance.
In truth, he never paid much attention to women he didn't care about.
A sister was just a sister—not a woman in the romantic sense.
Shen Qi had waited a long time at the villa, only to get He Yining's call inviting her out to dinner.
Her heart sweetened.
Was he planning a romantic dinner for her?
Without a second thought, she agreed.
She quickly showered, styled herself simply yet elegantly, and put on a rose-red short dress that made her look especially charming.
Punctual by nature, Shen Qi arrived ten minutes early.
She kept checking her reflection in the mirror, afraid a flawed look would ruin the evening's wonderful atmosphere.
After waiting over twenty minutes, He Yining's car finally arrived.
The smile that had just crept onto Shen Qi's lips froze the instant she saw He Yining and Cui Yuelan getting out together.
They... had they been together all along?
Just then, Cui Yuelan hooked her arm through He Yining's, acting exhausted: "Yining gege, I'm so tired—my back is about to break."
With that, she deliberately swept her long hair forward, revealing the fake hickeys on her neck and chest.
Shen Qi's pupils contracted sharply!
Her smile completely vanished.
They...
Seeing Shen Qi, He Yining's phoenix eyes lit up as he strode toward her: "Xiao Qi, you're here early?"
Shen Qi's gaze shifted to Cui Yuelan: "Mm, I just got here. You two..."
"We got held up with something." Cui Yuelan cut in before He Yining could answer, apologizing to Shen Qi: "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine." Shen Qi hid the disappointment in her eyes.
So it wasn't a candlelit dinner.
So it wasn't time alone with him.
He Yining didn't notice her disappointment: "Let's go in. I haven't been to this city much, but this place was recommended by Lanlan. She said a college friend from here highly suggested it."
"Oh." Shen Qi lowered her eyes, her voice flat.
Seeing that Shen Qi didn't seem thrilled, He Yining mistakenly thought she was still upset about Cui Yuelan's past behavior. He couldn't help saying: "Xiao Qi, you're both competing and sharing a group and room. You're a bit older, so take care of Lanlan."
"Okay." A faint pain pricked Shen Qi's heart.
What did he mean by that?
Was he hinting that she should know her place?
If so, she'd be good.
"Yining gege, I'm so tired—my back is killing me!" Cui Yuelan emphasized her back pain again, the words grating on Shen Qi.
He Yining reached for Shen Qi's hand, but she subtly pulled away.
His phoenix eyes narrowed in question, but before he could speak, Cui Yuelan was already pushing him inside.
Shen Qi stood alone, cold and isolated.
She closed her eyes gently.
Shen Qi, don't overthink this. Don't!
Maybe you're imagining things!
It's not what you think!
Maybe their being together was just a coincidence!
Shen Qi, trust him!
Trust He Yining!
She kept mentally reassuring herself, forcing herself to calm down.
He had visited her on set and transferred shares to her—he wouldn't do something like this!
Watching their backs, Shen Qi took a deep breath and followed.
Inside the reserved room, Shen Qi proactively reached out to take He Yining's coat.
As her fingers brushed the fabric, she inadvertently looked up and saw the bite mark on his neck.
Her heart lurched violently.
It hurt—so much!
The pain felt like someone had grabbed her heart and crushed it.
She didn't even realize her face had gone pale.
Her fingers instinctively withdrew, and He Yining's coat fell to the floor.
He looked at her in surprise.
What was wrong with Xiao Qi today?
Flustered, Shen Qi turned away so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I need to use the restroom." She practically fled.
She was supposed to be He Yining's wife, yet she felt like a secret exposed in the light.
She didn't even have the courage to question him—only to run away.
"I'll go check on her." A glint of triumph flashed in Cui Yuelan's eyes before she replaced it with an innocent, harmless expression and tone.
Shen Qi, can't handle a little shock like this?
What if you saw photos of me and He Yining in bed? Would you lose it?
Cui Yuelan followed Shen Qi into the restroom.