Chарtеr 15: Рrерaring а Surрrisе, Onlу to Нave It Snаtсhed bу Mу Niесe
Qiао Zhiyаng wаlkеd tо thе еdgе of thе schооl gate.
She loоked bаck аnd, sееing nо one fоllowing her, thе littlе lаmb hоrns she hаd keрt on high alеrt grаduаllу rеlaхed.
Hmph.
Is thаt аll?
Nоthing sреcial.
Thе Littlе Lаmb straightеned hеr back рrоudlу аnd gave а littlе shake оf her invisible tаil.
Shе wаs nоw a brаvе little lamb who dared to strike bаck, nо lоngеr thе mеek littlе “baa” from bеforе!
If anуonе dared to trouble her again, she would butt them away with her horns, one by one!
Qiao Zhiyang picked up her phone again and opened the chat with Cen Zhou.
Although she really wanted to have dinner with Mr. Cen,
managing such a large conglomerate as the Cen Group surely meant his schedule was packed.
To ask him to drop his work just for a small matter like having dinner with her…
Thinking this, Qiao Zhiyang replied to him.
【Little Lamb Baa】: Thank you, Third Brother, but you don’t need to come all the way to have dinner with me. Please focus on your work; I can manage on my own.
It was a little past four in the afternoon, and the entrance of Yunjing University was bustling with people.
Qiao Zhiyang stood there in her moon-white cheongsam, elegant and poised.
She looked like a Jiangnan beauty who had stepped right out of an ink-wash painting, stunning enough to take one’s breath away.
Many boys nearby had already opened their scanning apps, itching to ask for her WeChat.
“Wow! Is she a freshman? She’s so pretty.”
“I already checked—she’s a sophomore in the design department, and I heard she transferred from Hong Kong.”
“No wonder I’ve been single for so long. My true love was right in front of me all along!”
Just as they were about to step forward,
a flashy Taycan in icy berry pink roared up to the entrance with a loud engine, bold and attention-grabbing.
It parked ostentatiously right in front of them, and the door opened.
A girl with thick, milky chestnut-colored long curls stepped out, wearing a sexy black crop top that showed off her waist, paired with deep purple cargo shorts that revealed her fair, straight legs.
With sunglasses on and a confident, cool stride, she exuded the aura of a sexy and glamorous “big sister.”
“Little treasure~”
Under the envious gazes of the boys, Cen Jinhuan took off her sunglasses with one hand and
with the other, naturally and skillfully wrapped her arm around the girl.
Nuzzling against her soft, fair cheek, her usually cool voice turned sweet and syrupy, “I missed you so much~ Wow, the cheongsam you’re wearing today is absolutely gorgeous. In Cantonese from your Hong Kong, it’s ‘leng baau geng’~”
“Huanbao, you’re back!”
Qiao Zhiyang looked at her in delight. “Weren’t you on vacation at an island abroad?”
As a member of the “Slackers’ Sect,” her bestie’s favorite things were skipping class, traveling the world, and writing nonsense for finals.
The number of times you could see her in a semester was fewer than the fingers on both hands.
“I promised to take you out and welcome you properly, so of course I flew back the moment school started to see you.”
Cen Jinhuan hooked her arm around the Little Lamb’s shoulders, steering her toward her car. “Come on! To celebrate your escape from that prison-like home, big sis is taking you out for a feast~”
She was so focused on luring the Little Lamb away that she didn’t notice the familiar black Bugatti slowly pulling up behind them.
Cen Zhou watched expressionlessly as the light berry-colored sports car sped away, his deep phoenix eyes narrowing dangerously.
After a moment, he let out a low, derisive chuckle.
Tsk.
He had wanted to give the little one a surprise, but he was a step too slow.
Snatched away by his “dear” little niece.
Just perfect.
As a native of Jingbei, Cen Jinhuan took the Little Lamb to the most authentic old-school hotpot restaurant.
The fragrant, spicy beef bone broth bubbled and boiled, releasing an aroma that whetted the appetite.
“Mmm, this is so good~”
Qiao Zhiyang held a plate filled with sesame paste and cilantro, dipping tripe into the broth, her cheeks puffed out with food, looking utterly satisfied.
So the spicy hotpot everyone online raved about really was this delicious!
From now on, she declared herself the happiest little foodie lamb in the world ヽ(°▽°)ノ!
“Eat slowly, order more if it’s not enough.”
Cen Jinhuan, sitting beside her, placed peeled crayfish into her bowl. “You should move into my Wangyue Bay and live with me. If you don’t like it, I have a few other villas in different styles under my name for you to choose from. You could even save on rent.”
Since she also worked as a fashion blogger and needed convenience for shooting, Qiao Zhiyang hadn’t applied for on-campus housing.
She smiled and shook her head. “No need, I have money. I can support myself.”
Even though they were best friends, that didn’t mean she could take advantage of her.
Knowing her personality, Cen Jinhuan helplessly tapped her forehead. “I really don’t know what to do with you.”
This Little Lamb was usually sweet and soft, but when it came to her principles, she became firm and stubborn.
“Since my treasure prefers it this way, I’ll respect that.”
Cen Jinhuan affectionately picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of her mouth. “But if you run into any problems with your rental, remember to come to me first, okay?”
That way, she could naturally lure the little lamb home!
“Oh, right.”
Suddenly remembering something, Cen Jinhuan frowned and asked seriously, “Your family hasn’t been bothering you again, have they?”
Qiao Zhiyang shook her head.
Strangely enough, since the airport incident, they hadn’t sent any more texts or called to harass her.
Hearing this, Cen Jinhuan breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
But she still wasn’t entirely at ease.
What if they suddenly decided to cause trouble again and tried to drag her little lamb back?
No way.
It was still necessary to ask Little Uncle for a favor and have him keep an eye out.
With Little Uncle’s reputation in the Jingbei circle, he could definitely intimidate them.
A woman of action, Cen Jinhuan immediately took out her phone, quickly opened WeChat, and deftly moved Cen Zhou out of her blacklist.
Ew!
Why did this empty-nester suddenly change to such a girly profile picture?!
She stared in disbelief at the cute little wolf avatar, her lips twitching.
Just a few days ago, his profile picture was a boring plain white. Why would he suddenly switch to something so kawaii?
Holy crap, was he chasing a girl?
The terrifying thought had barely surfaced before she dismissed it.
Impossible.
With her Little Uncle’s cold, ascetic personality, there was no way he’d lower himself to chase a girl.
Let alone use little tricks like changing his profile picture to win favor.
Cen Jinhuan gathered her thoughts and activated her second personality.
【It’s Huanhuan~】: D~e~a~r~ L~i~t~t~l~e~ U~n~c~l~e~
After waiting about half an hour, the other party finally replied.
【Annoying Guy】: Not here, won’t save you, don’t love you.
Cen Jinhuan: ?
Look at that nasty attitude—no wonder no girl likes him!
Cen Jinhuan held back her temper, her fingers flying across the screen: 【I have a good friend who ran away from home because of some issues. I’m worried her family might cause trouble for her again, so I was wondering if dear Little Uncle could lend a hand and help her?】
Afraid he might refuse, she was racking her brains for some sweet talk when,
unexpectedly, the person who usually took forever to reply actually responded instantly for once.
【Annoying Guy】: Sure.
Holy crap.
Did… did that work?
Cen Jinhuan stared at the reply, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Shocking, folks!
Did the sun rise from the west today?
Little Uncle, who usually hated getting involved in others’ business, agreed without even asking any questions?!
Cen Jinhuan: ╰()╯
Seems like he must be in a really good mood today.
Does that mean she could push her luck a little further?
【It’s Huanhuan~】: Thank you, Little Uncle~
Just as she was about to seize the chance to ask for her inexplicably docked allowance this month back,
a red exclamation mark suddenly popped up.
—You have been blocked by the other party.
Cen Jinhuan: ?
She was blocked??
Why???
What did she do wrong this time???