Qiao Xi understood the meaning behind his words. No one would be backing her up—she could only rely on herself.
“Don’t worry. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t plan on borrowing your influence either,” she replied calmly, her expression turning indifferent once more.
Their relationship was built on mutual benefit anyway. Setting family background aside, who was truly more noble than the other?
When they reached the entrance, Qiao Xi suddenly realized something belatedly—she had nowhere to stay.
Just moments ago, she had confidently argued back at him, and now she was about to embarrass herself immediately afterward.
Tilting her head toward Nangong He, she spoke softly, “Um… since we’re already husband and wife now, it probably wouldn’t look very good if I ended up sleeping on the streets. Can I stay at your place?”
“My house doesn’t keep freeloaders,” he rejected her expressionlessly.
“Fine then. If you won’t take me in, I’ll just grab a broken bowl and beg by the roadside. Since our relationship is already public, the embarrassing one will be you anyway.”
Qiao Xi smiled as she said it and turned as though she were about to leave.
“I eat breakfast at home every morning. You’ll be responsible for making it,” Nangong He said from behind her.
Qiao Xi quickly calculated it in her head. She had to make breakfast for herself every morning anyway. At most, she’d just be making double portions now.
Besides, having something to do would prevent people from calling her a freeloader. Killing two birds with one stone.
She nodded happily in agreement.
While sitting in the car, Qiao Xi suddenly remembered the design competition.
Originally, she had intended to give her design drafts to Qiao Ying’er because the girl had cried in front of her several times, insisting her own designs would never pass.
Luckily, she hadn’t handed them over yet. Otherwise, it would have been like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone forever.
Today was the final registration deadline. Qiao Xi opened the website, filled in the registration information, and quickly submitted it.
Unexpectedly, less than five minutes later, it was rejected. The reason stated that individuals were not allowed to participate independently.
There were too many uncertainties with personal entries, and for accountability purposes, every designer had to participate under the name of a company.
But she had just severed ties with the Qiao family’s company and wasn’t signed to any firm at all.
Where was she supposed to find a company to affiliate with at a time like this?
Nangong He had happened to glance at the rejection email earlier and understood her predicament.
“If you need it, you can register under our company’s name,” he said casually. “But you’ll bear all responsibility yourself.”
Even if she only affiliated herself with the Nangong Corporation in name, outsiders would still assume she was borrowing the Nangong family’s influence to climb upward.
Qiao Xi could seek his help and cooperate with him, but when it came to her own career, she wanted to rely solely on herself.
She had enough confidence in her work to believe that even without relying on anyone else’s power, she could still stand out.
Looking straight ahead, she said firmly, “Thank you, but no need. Please drop me off at the talent market. I need to find a suitable company.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Nangong He’s eyes, and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.
But he quickly looked away. As soon as the car passed the intersection, he spoke.
“Get out here.”
“Fine, I’ll get out!”
Qiao Xi held back her frustration and immediately pushed open the car door.
Was he really this angry just because she refused to register under the Nangong family’s company name? Every day he acted like he’d swallowed gunpowder.
The place where he dropped her off was especially inconvenient. There were no taxis nearby, and buses only came once every forty minutes.
Yet there was only one hour left before the registration deadline.
She sent resumes to every company recruiting designers or design assistants.
Hard work paid off. After more than ten minutes, a company finally replied.
At this point, she couldn’t afford to be picky anymore. She quickly responded that she could start immediately.
When she finally managed to hail a taxi and arrive, she discovered the design company was pitifully small.
The bright and spotless studio had around ten workstations, yet only four or five people occupied them.
No wonder this was the only place willing to hire her—it was a brand-new studio desperately short on staff.
The entire process went surprisingly smoothly. After Qiao Xi handed over her resume and several design drafts, she was successfully hired and signed a short-term contract.
With a company affiliation secured, she immediately entered the studio’s name into the competition registration form and managed to submit it successfully in the very last minute.
With her biggest worry resolved, Qiao Xi suddenly felt completely carefree.
By the time she finished dealing with all the messy affairs and took a taxi home, the sky was already completely dark.
The villa on the mountainside of Haicheng was brightly lit, making it obvious that Nangong He had returned long ago.
As Qiao Xi hesitated with her hand on the doorknob, wondering whether she should knock before entering, a crisp notification sound suddenly rang out.
Facial recognition successful.
The door unlocked automatically.
The instant the door opened, Qiao Xi suddenly heard movement coming from the second floor.