Chapter 36: Just Now, You Were Imagining

“Ah, the call came back. You two talk, I’ll go take it.” Lin Xi got up from the dining table, picked up her phone, and walked briskly yet gracefully out of the private room.

The door clicked softly shut behind her. In the spacious room, only Xiang Bei and Gao Qinghe remained.

“What was that commotion at your school gate? A pyramid scheme? Took that long.” Xiang Bei took a sip of the goji berry and honey health tea on the table, frowned as if displeased with the taste, and set the cup down, his fingers absently rubbing the rough texture of the ceramic.

Earlier in the classroom, the girls who had secretly badmouthed Gao Qinghe had indeed apologized to her at the school gate. Whether it was because Lin Xi was nearby, they listed their wrongdoings one after another. Gao Qinghe kept waving her hands, saying, “It’s fine, it’s fine,” but they kept going. In the end, it was the honk of Xiang Bei’s Aston Martin that rescued Lin Xi and Gao Qinghe.

“...It wasn’t anything big. Just a few of Lin Xi’s classmates apologizing to me.” Gao Qinghe picked up her teacup and took a sip, tasting only sweetness—it wasn’t bad. “They said I had too much free time and was wasting my studies.”

“Hmm. Those classmates of Lin Xi’s are just students anyway, not much life experience.” Xiang Bei picked up the menu, eyes lowered, tone flat. “Don’t take their words too seriously.”

‘...He’s right! That dog actually spat out an ivory for once.’ Gao Qinghe nodded heavily a dozen times in her head, but kept her face expressionless. After all, once she became a model and had her own way to earn money, those people’s words would be insignificant. She had already planned it: when she walked the runway at Paris Fashion Week, those people would beg Lin Xi for entry tickets, and she, Gao Qinghe, would only need to wave her hand to have security block them at the door.

“And then?” Xiang Bei closed the menu, apparently having decided. His gaze returned to Gao Qinghe. “Why didn’t you tell me that Lin Xi was sick?”

After learning Lin Xi was sick, Xiang Bei immediately booked a private room at a famous wellness restaurant in the city. Despite Lin Xi’s objections, he insisted on ordering food to soothe her stomach. The place had a traditional Chinese style, dark wood structure understated yet elegant. The faint scent of incense and tea lingered in the room, mixed with the subtle woody fragrance of Xiang Bei’s cologne, making Gao Qinghe a bit dizzy.

“Lin Xi said she doesn’t need you, you only cause her trouble.” Gao Qinghe’s tone carried an involuntary hint of pride. She lifted her chin and challenged Xiang Bei’s eyes.

“Oh?” Xiang Bei propped his chin on one hand and tilted his head, looking at Gao Qinghe with interest. His deep eyes glittered with amusement under the light, but the curve of his lips remained elegantly lazy. “She said that? In a situation like this, she’d rather rely on a weak girl living in her house than her boyfriend?”

‘Yeah, she did say that.’ Pride aside, Gao Qinghe was also puzzled about where Lin Xi’s reliance on her came from... No, more precisely, where Lin Xi’s rejection of Gao Jingdong and Xiang Bei came from.

“...That’s right. Lin Xi said you’re completely unreliable.” Gao Qinghe quickly suppressed her urge to agree with Xiang Bei’s statement.

“I really don’t get it.” A flash of frustration crossed Xiang Bei’s face. He shook his head and leaned back into the chair. “That’s really hurtful.” When he looked up again, that teasing smile was back, his gaze sliding from her long hair to her cheeks, but his eyes held an unusual sincerity. “What about you? If I were with you, would you want to rely on me?”

‘...What the hell is he talking about? Rely or not rely, is his brain fried?’

But uncontrollably, Gao Qinghe felt her heart skip a beat.

Her, together with Xiang Bei?

She had never even imagined such a scenario. Even as a hypothetical, it stunned her.

The cold woody scent of cologne surrounded her, leaving her mind blank for a second.

“How could I possibly be with you—!” Imagining herself standing beside Xiang Bei, delicate and clinging, made her feel hot. Her face burned red, and she almost slammed the table.

But the sliding door opening interrupted her thoughts, cutting off her voice.

“Qinghe, it’s done. They agreed.” Lin Xi waved her phone in the air, smiling brightly. “Tomorrow noon, I’ll take you to the audition for that fashion magazine.”

“Huh? Ah, ah, okay...” Gao Qinghe was slow to react, only managing a dazed nod. “Ah, thank you, Lin Xi.”

Lin Xi sat down next to her, bowed her head, apparently still confirming the time with the other party. “I hope you don’t mind me acting on my own... I still think their magazine photography is more professional, and they won’t exploit women’s looks...” She spoke while typing, her voice coming in fragments. “Let me check, my afternoon class is at two, so it should be fine...”

Gao Qinghe watched Lin Xi, waiting for her to finish, but felt a burning gaze from across the table. She turned her head and met Xiang Bei’s meaningful, smiling eyes.

Her phone buzzed. She looked down and saw a message on the screen:

“Just now, you were imagining, weren’t you?”

It was, of course, from Xiang Bei♥.

“Imagining what? Imagining pinning you to the ground and rubbing you?”

Gao Qinghe replied, holding the phone in her hand, looking up at Xiang Bei’s expression.

He saw the phone buzz, leisurely lowered his head to unlock it, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, and his shoulders twitched slightly. One hand propping his head, the other casually tapped quickly on the phone resting on the table.

“Didn’t know you had that fetish.”

“If you like that position, I’m okay with it, as long as it pleases you.”

？？？

‘What the hell? What kind of nonsense reply is that?’

Gao Qinghe’s face turned bright red from his response.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“If you’re sick, go see a doctor.”

She pressed the phone down. Sure enough, she was smiling again. Her heart was racing, almost leaping into her throat. That thrill mixed with guilt was something she had never felt before. She tilted her head slightly to look at Lin Xi, who was still typing, completely unaware of the exchange between her and Xiang Bei.

“Heart sickness. Can’t be cured.”

“The one who tied the knot must untie it.”

Another message from Xiang Bei arrived. Gao Qinghe looked up and saw him smirking, a roguish grin.

“It’s settled. Tomorrow at twelve, you can come to our school...”

“Wah!!”

Lin Xi’s voice startled Gao Qinghe. Her hand jerked, and the phone dropped to the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, she accidentally kicked it under Xiang Bei’s feet.

“Whoa! Qinghe, are you okay...” Lin Xi was also startled by Gao Qinghe’s big movement, turning her head to look at the overreacting girl.

“I-I’m fine, sorry...” Gao Qinghe quickly buried her face under the table, afraid to let Lin Xi see her expression. She could feel her ears burning.

“Do you want me to help?” Lin Xi was about to bend down too.

“It’s fine, I’ll do it. I saw it.” Xiang Bei’s voice came from the front. Gao Qinghe looked up and saw her phone being handed to her.

“Huh? Oh...” She reached out to take it, but Xiang Bei suddenly pulled the phone away.

“Hey...!” Gao Qinghe’s eyes widened, and she let out a sharp, breathy cry. But she saw Xiang Bei typing rapidly on the screen.

When he handed it back, Gao Qinghe saw a new line added to their chat window. She took the phone, but before she could even read what was written, she felt the pad of Xiang Bei’s extended index finger lightly brush across the back of her hand. The warm, rough touch was like static electricity, instantly raising a fine layer of goosebumps and making her fingertips tremble slightly.