“Really? That’s great, Qianqian. Once I debut, we can finally be together openly,” Xiao Jibo’s excited voice came from the other end of the phone.
They chatted a few more sentences before hanging up.
“Heh. Lin Mo, this time I want to see what you have to compete with me,” Xiao Jibo said smugly after ending the call, then hummed a tune as he walked out of the hotel.
At the same time, Su Qianqian put down her phone and stared absentmindedly out the window, not noticing Xia Shiya looking at her with disbelief.
“Qianqian, have you lost your mind? Don’t you know Lin Mo is also participating in this talent show?” Xia Shiya exclaimed.
“Of course I know,” Su Qianqian replied lightly with a faint smile.
“And you’re still doing this? At least give them a fair chance to compete,” Xia Shiya said anxiously. “If you blatantly favor Xiao Jibo like this, what will the other contestants think? What will Lin Mo think? If he finds out, he’ll definitely be hurt.”
Su Qianqian glanced out the window, a trace of meaning in her eyes. “Shiya, I have to do this. Only if Lin Mo gets eliminated will he stay away from Ye Qingqing. Then I’ll have more time to find him a suitable partner.”
“I’m not against separating them,” Xia Shiya said firmly with a frown. “But you shouldn’t use such underhanded means. You won’t help Lin Mo by doing this. You’ll only hurt him.”
Although she also did not want Lin Mo and Ye Qingqing to grow too close, Xia Shiya believed forcing them apart this way was wrong.
They had not even reached that stage yet. This was making a mountain out of a molehill.
But Su Qianqian simply shook her head calmly. “I’m doing this for his own good. He won’t blame me.”
After saying that, she continued looking out the window.
Xia Shiya pressed her lips together but did not argue further.
She knew that once Su Qianqian made a decision, not even ten oxen could drag her back.
What troubled her now was whether she should tell Lin Mo about this.
On one side was her best friend. On the other was the man she liked. It was hard to choose.
Meanwhile, after Ye Qingqing showed Lin Mo around the venue, it was already afternoon.
They were standing outside the registration area.
“Senior Lin… how about we have a meal together?” Ye Qingqing asked shyly, lowering her head slightly.
Lin Mo glanced at the time, hesitated briefly, and finally smiled and nodded.
He had promised Su Qianqian he would return home at night.
But it was still early, and a meal would not take long.
Besides, he had promised Ye Qingqing he would make up for the unfinished dinner from yesterday.
And she had helped him a lot today. He could not refuse.
Twenty minutes later…
Lin Mo and Ye Qingqing returned to the same Western restaurant.
Just as they were about to start eating, a puzzled voice suddenly called out, “Lin Mo?”
They turned around and saw Jiang Qingyue standing behind him in elegant attire, speaking tentatively.
“Lin Mo, it’s really you?” Jiang Qingyue’s face lit up with joy, but when she glanced at Ye Qingqing sitting across from him, her eyes immediately became guarded.
“Sister Qingyue, what are you doing here?” Lin Mo asked in mild surprise.
“I came to eat with a few girlfriends,” Jiang Qingyue said with a light laugh, then glanced at Ye Qingqing again. “And she is…?”
“Sister Qingyue, she’s my junior from university, Ye Qingqing,” Lin Mo explained with a smile.
“Oh, so you’re Ye Qingqing, the popular singer who went abroad for further studies two years ago? No wonder you looked familiar,” Jiang Qingyue said in slight surprise.
Clearly, she knew who Ye Qingqing was.
After all, Ye Qingqing had been very popular in recent years. Even while studying abroad, she had continued releasing albums and composing many well-loved songs.
The atmosphere became tense.
“Sister Qingyue… would you like to sit and eat with us?” Lin Mo asked cautiously, sensing something was off.
The moment he finished speaking, he regretted it.
Jiang Qingyue had just said she was dining with her friends.
Wouldn’t this put her in an awkward position?
“I’ll join you,” Jiang Qingyue replied without hesitation.
Lin Mo looked surprised. “Sister Qingyue, what about your friends?”
“It’s fine. They don’t need me to keep them company,” Jiang Qingyue said with a light smile as she naturally sat beside Lin Mo.
Ye Qingqing’s smile widened, but her eyes turned cold.
“Cough… let’s eat,” Lin Mo said awkwardly.
For some reason, he felt as if Ye Qingqing and Jiang Qingyue were mortal enemies who might draw swords at any moment.
Both women turned their heads and sipped their red wine.
“Senior Lin, won’t you have some?” Ye Qingqing asked expectantly.
Lin Mo was about to refuse when Jiang Qingyue spoke first. “He can’t drink.”
“How do you know? Do you understand him better than I do?” Ye Qingqing said coldly.
The two faced off, and the tension returned.
“I’m his attending doctor. How do you think I know?” Jiang Qingyue replied calmly after taking a sip of wine.
Ye Qingqing’s expression changed instantly. “Senior Lin, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“It’s nothing. Just a minor injury,” Lin Mo said with a light smile as he continued eating.
When he refused to elaborate, Ye Qingqing immediately turned to Jiang Qingyue.
Understanding her meaning, Jiang Qingyue explained Lin Mo’s injury and the whole story.
After a long silence, Ye Qingqing’s eyes burned with anger. “That scumbag woman is too much.”
“No, I have to go talk to her.”
“Even if it was just a contract, she can’t treat you like this.”
Ye Qingqing stood up in anger, ready to confront Su Qianqian.
Lin Mo quickly got up and stopped her. “Qingqing, forget it. Don’t say that. No matter what, she helped me before. And this injury really isn’t a big deal. She didn’t mean it.”
“Senior Lin, you’re too soft-hearted. That’s why that scumbag woman bullies you,” Ye Qingqing said with a pout after sitting back down, her eyes full of concern.
“Alright, let’s eat,” Lin Mo said helplessly.
Ye Qingqing said nothing further, but her expression grew colder.
Jiang Qingyue looked at her approvingly.
It was clear that Ye Qingqing now harbored resentment toward Su Qianqian.
They were on the same side, both defending Lin Mo.
“Lin Mo is fine now. He just needs to rest and can’t drink alcohol,” Jiang Qingyue said, her tone softer.
Ye Qingqing grabbed her hand apologetically. “Sister Qingyue, thank you for helping Senior Lin so much. I was just angry earlier. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Jiang Qingyue was briefly stunned, then smiled. “It’s fine. We both care about Lin Mo. No need to be formal. Let’s eat.”
“Okay, Sister Qingyue. Sit next to me. Today, we won’t stop until we’re drunk,” Ye Qingqing said as she pulled Jiang Qingyue to sit beside her.
Lin Mo could not help but twitch his lips.
He thought to himself that women were truly fickle. Just minutes ago they looked ready to strangle each other, and now they were acting like close sisters.
At the same time, Xiao Jibo stepped out of the restroom, shook his hands dry, and glanced around.
The next second, he froze.
“Lin Mo?” he said in surprise, rubbing his eyes.
After eating at this restaurant yesterday and enjoying the taste and service, he had returned today in a good mood.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Lin Mo again.
And sitting across from him were two beautiful women, one of whom was Ye Qingqing.
Xiao Jibo was about to walk over and mock Lin Mo when he suddenly thought of something and took out his phone.
After snapping a few photos of the three of them, he sent them directly to Su Qianqian.
“Hmph. Lin Mo, let’s see how you explain this to Qianqian,” Xiao Jibo sneered.
Meanwhile, Su Qianqian was sitting at home reading, glancing at her phone from time to time.
It was nearly evening, but there was still no word from Lin Mo, and he was not answering his calls.
A strange irritation rose in her heart.
“Ding.”
Her phone chimed. She hurriedly picked it up.
Seeing Xiao Jibo’s name, a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
In the past, she would have been delighted to receive his messages.
Today, however, she felt no such joy.
Still, she opened the message.
Moments later, she froze.
Her face darkened visibly, and anger flickered in her eyes.
On the other side, Lin Mo had already finished eating. He was now carrying Jiang Qingyue on his back and gently placing her in Ye Qingqing’s car.
Ye Qingqing was also half-lying there.
Both women had low tolerance for alcohol and were drunk.
Left with no choice, Lin Mo drove Ye Qingqing’s car and sent each of them home.
After settling them and leaving Ye Qingqing’s residence, it was already late at night.
Without thinking further, Lin Mo hailed a taxi and headed toward the villa.
He had originally thought it would be a simple meal that would not take long.
But he had not expected Jiang Qingyue to join them, nor had he expected the two women to drink so much.
Now he had broken the rule he had just agreed to yesterday.
Thinking of this, Lin Mo felt troubled.
If he had known, he would not have gone out for dinner today.
Soon, he returned to the villa and tiptoed upstairs.
Seeing that the second floor was dark, he breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to slip quietly into his room.
At that moment, the living room lights suddenly turned on.
“Where did you go?”