After spending a week feeling like a neglected wife, Qiao Xi almost forgot how to interact with her husband in name when she suddenly saw Nangong He again.
Pulling open the car door and sitting in the passenger seat, she asked, “Does your grandfather still dislike me now?”
“What do you think?” Nangong He glanced at her indifferently, a faint trace of mockery hidden between his brows.
In front of others, he defended her thoroughly. But in private, the disdain on his face was painfully genuine.
Qiao Xi let out a quiet sigh. She really shouldn’t have asked that extra question.
The competition city was very close to Haicheng. It only took about half an hour by high-speed rail.
Probably because it was the first day of the semifinals, the hotel was extremely lively.
During the competition period, all contestants would have to stay in this not-so-large hotel together, constantly running into each other.
Because of that, everyone seemed to be pulling out all the stops, trying to find like-minded roommates.
Others were simply showing off their wealthy backgrounds.
Qiao Xi didn’t care much about any of this. When she got out of the car, she didn’t even let Nangong He show his face.
After all, his appearance was far too eye-catching and carried an unmistakable aura of danger.
If he stepped out of the car, he would probably attract everyone’s attention instantly.
“I’m only responsible for acting in front of the media for my grandfather’s sake. Whatever happens during the competition, deal with it yourself. Anything else?”
Nangong He spoke coldly.
Since he was so frank about his motives, Qiao Xi naturally didn’t beat around the bush either.
“Don’t worry. I’m fully prepared already. Whatever comes my way during the competition, I’ll handle it.”
As she spoke, Nangong He suddenly noticed a tiny flower petal that had drifted onto her hair from somewhere.
Resting one arm outside the car window, he lightly gestured toward her with two fingers.
For some reason, Qiao Xi immediately understood what he meant and instinctively bent down.
After plucking the little flower from her hair, Nangong He said emotionlessly, “Good luck in the competition.”
With that expression on his face, it didn’t sound like he was wishing someone success.
It felt more like he was coldly evaluating who might make the best hostage.
So she replied in the same tone, “Thanks for the blessing. If I fail, I’ll come back and smash your fortune-telling stall.”
“Wow, the car next to them looks like the Aurora supercar that topped global sales this year. It’s gorgeous!”
“I heard that car costs over twenty million, and it’s practically impossible to buy even if you have the money. No one’s willing to sell it, and this person just casually drove it here? My god!”
“Oh my god, I didn’t realize there were top-tier rich people participating in this competition too. Who is that?”
Qiao Xi was thankful she had gotten out of the car early. Otherwise, these people would probably have gossiped about her endlessly like she was some kind of zoo animal.
Since Qiao Xi didn’t want Nangong He staying, he naturally had no interest in wasting time there either. The car turned around and drove away.
At that moment, another car approached from the distance, and a man and woman stepped out arm in arm.
The moment Qiao Xi saw who they were, her expression darkened immediately.
Enemies truly were bound to meet on narrow roads—it was Qiao Ying’er and Lu Jinghao.
Although none of the contestants’ works had been publicly revealed yet, Qiao Ying’er had already done plenty of promotion.
Rumor had it that insiders praised her work as highly innovative and favored by the judges, making her one of the hottest candidates to win the championship.
Qiao Xi rolled her eyes from afar, wishing she could stay as far away from those two plagues as possible.
She changed direction and planned to enter through the side door. Just then, someone beside her greeted her warmly.
“Mrs. Nangong, hello. I didn’t expect you to be this beautiful in person. Your younger sister really overshadowed you before.”
At first, Qiao Xi didn’t even realize the person was speaking to her. The title “Mrs. Nangong” felt far too unfamiliar.
She continued walking until she noticed the other person staring directly at her, and only then did she react.
Not wanting to waste time in meaningless socializing, she nodded politely and quickly.
“Thank you for the compliment. I have something to do right now. Let’s chat another time.”
To her, it was merely a casual brush-off, but in some people’s eyes, it became something entirely different.
“She’s so pretentious. Just because she married into wealth and became a phoenix, she thinks she’s amazing.”
“I heard her work wasn’t even included in the semifinals at first because she supposedly failed to submit it. If you ask me, she probably used connections.”
“Exactly. With Nangong He backing her up, it wouldn’t be surprising if she bought her way straight into the finals.”
“In the end, all the works will be made public anyway. Then everyone will clearly see who actually has talent. Let’s see how long she can keep acting arrogant.”
Normally, Qiao Xi would have immediately snapped back at them.
But when it came to design work, she preferred letting facts speak for themselves. When the time came, her work would slap these people hard across the face.
She quickly reached the hotel’s revolving door. Before she could step forward, hurried footsteps came from behind her.
Qiao Ying’er stood gracefully beside her and pressed the button next to the door for her.
“Big sister, be careful. These kinds of doors rotate.”
“Since you arrived so early, why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve come together and looked after each other.”
“When I heard your work hadn’t advanced to the semifinals, I was even planning to call and ask about it. Luckily, everything got resolved.”
She spoke elegantly, every word sounding sincere and considerate.
The crowd nearby began whispering and laughing quietly.
“This is hilarious. She’s been hanging around high society with the Qiao family for years, yet she doesn’t even know how to use a revolving door.”
“Haven’t you heard about the embarrassing things she’s done before? She once mistook mouthwash for a pre-meal drink and gulped down half a glass during dinner!”
“And there’s more—she once wore a fake designer outfit to her own sister’s birthday banquet. Totally humiliating her family.”
The mocking voices continued endlessly, yet Qiao Ying’er acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing and gently asked again,
“Big sister, shall we go in together?”
Lu Jinghao also walked over, looking at Qiao Xi with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but held himself back.
“Are you people here to compete, or are you here for a gossip convention?”
Qiao Xi calmly shook off Qiao Ying’er’s hand and swept her gaze coldly across the crowd.
“Big sister, don’t care too much about what outsiders say. True ability is proven through your work.”
Holding onto Qiao Xi’s arm, Qiao Ying’er continued speaking softly.
Lu Jinghao lowered his voice as well.
“Yeah. You and Ying’er should head inside first. I’ll deal with these people for you.”
A strange look flashed briefly through Qiao Ying’er’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
“With Jinghao here, don’t worry. By the way, where’s your husband? Why didn’t he come to see you off? If you need anything and it’s inconvenient for you to go back yourself, I can ask Jinghao to drive you home.”
As she spoke, she casually tried to pull Qiao Xi further inside while chatting as though nothing was wrong.
Every question sounded harmless on the surface, but each one concealed countless traps underneath.