Just at that critical moment, Qiao Xi suddenly snapped back to her senses!
Nangong He had only acted this way because he was drunk, but she was completely sober.
Given his personality, once he woke up, he might even turn the blame on her and accuse her of not rejecting him.
Besides, they had only been in a cooperative relationship for a few days. Their current level of intimacy was far too much.
She shoved him away and said, “The woman who called you today… was she the one who ran away from the engagement?”
“What exactly is your relationship with her? If you’ve already stopped contacting each other, why is she still calling you?”
Bringing up the wrong person at such a moment instantly ruined the mood.
Nangong He sobered up immediately as well, losing all interest in Qiao Xi in an instant.
With one arm around her waist, he casually tossed her back onto the bed.
“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask.”
He pointed at the medicine beside the bed and said flatly, “The medicine’s here. Apply it yourself. I’m going to take a shower.”
Even though he had regained his senses, his body’s natural reaction was still difficult to suppress completely.
If he didn’t take a cold shower, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
But Qiao Xi was still dwelling on today’s events and didn’t even realize how inappropriate their earlier intimacy had been. Struggling off the bed, she hopped over to him on one foot.
Leaning against the wall, she stubbornly asked, “Fine, if you don’t want to talk gossip, then tell me this—why did you block my way? You know how important this design competition is to me!”
“I’ve thought it through. Since we’re partners, the better I perform, the more beneficial it is for you too. You don’t seem like such a petty person.”
Nangong He frowned slightly and curled his lips in mockery.
“If I really didn’t want you participating in the competition, I wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble.”
“With just a lift of my hand, I could make it impossible for you to survive in the design industry.”
“And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even have made it through the committee’s doors.”
After coldly saying those words, he expressionlessly pulled open the room door.
Only then did Qiao Xi realize belatedly that the reason she had suddenly been allowed inside that day was because of Nangong He.
So she really had misunderstood him.
She had always been someone who clearly distinguished gratitude from grudges. This time, she didn’t hesitate and sincerely apologized.
“I’m sorry. I judged you without knowing the full story. Thank you for helping me. I’ll definitely achieve results worthy of your support.”
“You’re doing it for yourself, not for me. No need to prove anything to me—I’m not interested.”
Without even turning around, Nangong He responded coldly.
Just then, his phone rang again at the worst possible timing.
Nangong He glanced at it and immediately hung up.
Although Qiao Xi could only see his back, she could still sense the obvious anger radiating from him.
There was no need to guess—it had to be Xiao Chuyin.
“If your ex-fiancée misunderstands things, I can explain it clearly for you. Once the contract period ends, I’ll leave immediately. I definitely won’t renew it.”
She only wanted to make it clear that she had no intention of taking someone else’s place and hoped Nangong He could relax.
If Nangong He hadn’t blocked her path, she naturally wouldn’t have stood in the way of him reconciling happily with his former fiancée.
But unexpectedly, her words struck one of Nangong He’s sore spots.
He turned around. At first glance, he looked cold and indifferent, but there was a chilling darkness hidden between his brows.
Step by step, he approached Qiao Xi and lowered his voice.
“If you want us to coexist peacefully from now on, then don’t mention that person again.”
“I don’t care what your intentions are. Just don’t bring her up again. Understand?”
Qiao Xi immediately raised both hands in surrender.
“Sorry, I didn’t know. It won’t happen again.”
Such a terrible temper. Please don’t let him be Xiao Ze’s father—what if Xiao Ze inherited that awful personality when he grew up?
Nangong He said nothing more. With a cold snort, he turned and walked into the bathroom.
Qiao Xi wasn’t actually afraid of him; she simply didn’t want to truly offend Nangong He for now.
After all, her younger brother’s condition was still unstable. If she made a mistake, it would be her brother who suffered the consequences.
Sticking out her tongue toward the bathroom, she muttered unhappily, “Getting angry over this? So petty.”
She had assumed that last night’s conflict would blow over after one night, but she hadn’t expected him to be so grudge-holding.
It had only been a minor argument after all. No one could guarantee they’d never say the wrong thing in life.
Besides, she had no idea what Nangong He’s taboos were.
Who would have thought that even mentioning his runaway ex-fiancée was forbidden?
However, when she got up early the next morning, he was already gone. He didn’t even stay for breakfast.
Over the following days, Nangong He practically vanished from the face of the earth. Other than the occasional chance encounter when she returned home late at night, they were more like strangers living under the same roof.
Qiao Xi was perfectly happy with that. Not having to carefully watch every word she said around him was actually quite nice.
The only troublesome thing was figuring out whether he was Xiao Ze’s father.
A week later, the semifinal results were released. Her work had been selected and even ranked among the S-class entries.
This should have been a natural outcome, but the process had been full of twists and turns.
Looking at her name on the list, Qiao Xi felt both touched and helpless.
So many problems had already appeared during the preliminary round. The road ahead would probably only get harder.
Thinking about it afterward, Nangong He wouldn’t stoop so low as to manipulate a competition out of boredom.
Qiao Xi had already investigated the account that transferred money to the boss. It belonged to an ordinary outsourcing company accountant, and nothing suspicious could be uncovered.
But a thought had already begun taking root in her heart—she felt that through this competition, she would eventually uncover the real culprit…
For the semifinals, all contestants would be gathered together in one place and managed collectively during the competition period.
As usual, Nangong He wasn’t home.
But Qiao Xi had long since gotten used to it. She planned to take the high-speed rail to the neighboring city for the competition.
Walking out the door with a breakfast bun in her mouth, she saw a black car slowly pull up outside.
The car window rolled down, revealing Nangong He’s sharp and imposing profile.
Seeing his overwhelmingly intimidating presence, Qiao Xi subconsciously blurted out, “You came back too late. I didn’t make breakfast for you…”
Without looking at her, he calmly said, “Get in the car.”
Qiao Xi’s eyes still held a trace of caution. She didn’t believe this man would suddenly treat her so well.
“I’m taking you to the competition. Don’t overthink it. My grandfather watches the show too.”
Nangong He continued coldly, his tone devoid of any emotion.