During their brief phone call at noon, Xu Feng had only exchanged a few words with Xu Qiao. He was worried that she might have been bullied but wasn’t telling him, especially since before this, his little sister had never asked him to look into anyone’s background.
If she truly couldn’t let it go and wanted revenge on that boy, he, as her older brother, could handle it directly. There was no need for his precious sister to do things that would give her nightmares.
At the thought of this, an unshakable gloom and coldness instantly clouded Xu Feng’s eyes.
He had only this one precious sister, and no one was allowed to make her suffer.
“Qiaoqiao, if you can’t swallow this anger, let your brother help you. There’s no need for you to dirty your own hands.”
Seeing the fierce look on her brother’s face, Xu Qiao quickly shook her head. “No, really, it’s not that!”
In that moment, she suddenly understood why her cousin and that Xitong had said she and her brother were the Edu Fanpai in the book.
Pressing her lips together, Xu Qiao explained, “Brother, I just suddenly heard today…”
She was about to tell Xu Feng what her cousin and the Xitong had said, but as soon as she met her brother’s concerned gaze, the words she had intended to say were swallowed back.
Xu Qiao knew very well that her brother, who had long navigated the business world, was the type who would rather eliminate a potential threat than let it go.
If he learned that Pei Jinchuan was the Qiyun Zhi Zi of this world and would eventually bring down the Xu family, he would undoubtedly kill Pei Jinchuan before he could grow stronger.
But if, as the Xitong had said, the Qiyun Zhi Zi wouldn’t die so easily, then her family and Pei Jinchuan would surely become bitter enemies.
The consequences could very well be even worse than before.
Moreover, now that the Chuanshu Nü had taken over her cousin’s body, where had the original cousin gone?
“What? What did you hear today?” Xu Feng frowned, his gentle eyes filled with undisguised concern.
“Nothing, really. I just heard from classmates that the boy is a genius at studying. I was curious how someone from the slums, a lowly commoner, could be so smart?” Xu Qiao changed the subject.
Until things were clearer, it was better not to drag her brother into this.
Worried that Xu Feng might still cause trouble for Pei Jinchuan, she walked over and hugged her brother’s arm, swaying gently as she used to when she was little, acting coquettishly. “This morning, I already gave him a good beating. I’m the eldest daughter of the Xu family—how could I possibly stoop to the level of a dirty, smelly commoner? Brother, don’t overthink it.”
Seeing that Xu Qiao seemed her usual self, Xu Feng finally relaxed.
The siblings laughed and joked as they went downstairs.
After dinner, Xu Feng took a phone call and retreated to his study.
Xu Rou didn’t want to stay around Xu Qiao, worried that she might notice something off. After a brief greeting, she prepared to go upstairs and rest.
But she didn’t expect Xu Qiao to stop her.
“Rourou-jie, it’s been a while since we played with Chocolate. Let’s go play a round of frisbee with Chocolate today.”
Chocolate was the gift Xu Feng had given Xu Qiao for her eighteenth birthday—an adorable Samoyed.
Before Xu Rou could refuse, she was pulled by Xu Qiao to the lawn outside the manor.
Chocolate was very friendly and, upon seeing Xu Qiao, excitedly circled around her, playfully jumping and spinning.
Xu Qiao teased him for a bit, then stood up and directed Xu Rou to stand opposite her. The two tossed the frisbee back and forth, letting Chocolate fetch it.
“Rourou-jie, move a bit that way. Yes, a little further back… a little further back… now come a bit closer… alright, right there!”
Xu Rou had no patience to play games like fetch with Xu Qiao, but since the original host had never refused Xu Qiao in the Xu family, she could only force a smile and go along with it.
However, after playing for just a short while, Xu Qiao put away the frisbee, patted Chocolate's little head a few times, and said she didn't want to play anymore.
This left Xu Rou unhappy again, and she complained inwardly to the Xitong, "Do you think Xu Qiao has some kind of problem? She was the one who wanted to play, and just when I was finally getting into it, she decides to stop. She shouldn’t be messing with people like this!"
The Xitong didn’t understand the thoughts of the Edu Nüpei and only mechanically agreed.
"Aunt Zhang," Xu Qiao suddenly called out toward the house.
Soon after, Aunt Zhang, who was responsible for taking care of Chocolate, came out. "Miss, you called for me?"
"Yes, I just remembered I have something to do. Could you and Rou Rou play with Chocolate for a while longer?" Xu Qiao handed the frisbee to Aunt Zhang, said a word to Xu Rou, and then went into the villa.
Before leaving, she overheard Xu Rou mumbling hesitantly to the Xitong, "Well, it seems this Edu Nüpei Xu Qiao isn’t that bad after all…"
"Song Zhiyu?" Su Jiaojiao’s surprised voice came through the phone.
"I know him! Isn’t he the research genius in the biology department at our school? I think he’s also the student council president."
"But just saying his name might not ring a bell. You probably know Song Zhiqi from the Song Group, the successor of the Song family’s current generation, a prodigy just like your brother. Song Zhiyu is his younger brother."
Su Jiaojiao rephrased it, and Xu Qiao instantly knew who Song Zhiyu was.
"It’s normal that you couldn’t find his information online. It’s said that Song Zhiyu has been frail since birth and grew up in a temple. He was only brought back by the Song family ten years ago after his health improved. The Song family has never publicly shared news about him all these years. If it weren’t for my cousin being his classmate, I probably wouldn’t know either."
Mentioning this, Su Jiaojiao couldn’t help but smile on the other end of the phone, teasing, "But, Qiao Qiao, if you ask Jiang Wangye about Song Zhiyu, he probably knows much more than my cousin!"
"My cousin said Jiang Wangye and Song Zhiyu have been getting along really well these past few years. Didn’t he tell you?"
Xu Qiao’s pen paused.
Hearing that familiar name, she couldn’t help but recall the scene of their argument a month ago, feeling a pang of frustration.
After a moment, her tone carried a hint of anger, "I wouldn’t ask Jiang Wangye even if I asked anyone else! Su Jiaojiao, whose side are you on anyway?"
Xu Qiao was clearly still angry, and Su Jiaojiao shook her head helplessly.
Thinking about what had happened that day, she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried for Jiang Wangye.
Her tone was especially sincere, "Of course, I’m on your side! Who told me I’m your dearest best friend?"
"That’s more like it." Xu Qiao’s puffed-up cheeks deflated as she circled Song Zhiyu’s name with her pen.
The phone fell silent, and Xu Qiao could almost hear the deliberately lowered music from Su Jiaojiao’s side.
This girl was probably hanging out at Zunyue again. Xu Qiao wanted to remind her to go home and rest early, but then she heard Su Jiaojiao ask, "Qiao Qiao, since you already know Pei Jinchuan is the Qiyun Zhi Zi, why did you treat him like that this afternoon? According to classic novel tropes, shouldn’t you take the redemption route? Like what your Cousin did?"
Following Su Jiaojiao’s words, Xu Qiao’s mind once again conjured up those dark, provocative eyes, inexplicably irritating her.
The thought of what she had heard from Xu Rou and the system—that she would eventually be killed by Pei Jinchuan—made it impossible for her not to feel angry toward him. She stated bluntly, "I hate him, and I can't help it."
Su Jiaojiao's eye twitched, "…"
She had genuinely thought Qiaoqiao was playing some new trick.
"Let's not talk about him. I made a major discovery tonight!" Xu Qiao sat up straight, holding her phone with a serious expression.
"What?"
"While playing frisbee with Chocolate, I tested it and found that the distance at which I can hear Xu Rou and that system's thoughts is about fifty meters." Xu Qiao blinked excitedly.
"So?"
"So, I told my brother I want to move my bedroom next to Xu Rou's. Since I've awakened this ability, I might as well take full advantage of my dear cousin!"
"Morning… Huh? Qiaoqiao, don't you live on the third floor?" Xu Rou looked confused, unable to understand why she had run into Xu Qiao face-to-face right after stepping out of her bedroom in the morning.
She rubbed her eyes, took a deep look at the door Xu Qiao had opened, then glanced back at her own bedroom before realizing she hadn't made a mistake—this was indeed the second floor!
"Good morning." The girl's soft cheeks were flushed with the rosy hue of just waking up. Her thick, curled lashes cast a fan-shaped shadow under her eyes, and her voice carried the drowsiness of sleep. "I changed bedrooms last night."
Xu Qiao half-opened her eyes, glanced at Xu Rou, who was dressed in an unusually academic style today, and then headed downstairs.
At that moment, the conversation she had listened to all night last night echoed in her ears. [Wait, why did Xu Qiao suddenly change bedrooms? Didn't she always hate being disturbed, which is why she lived on the third floor?]
[You're asking me? I don't know either.] The system was equally puzzled.
Xu Rou picked up her bag and caught up with Xu Qiao, who was still wearing her usual princess-style puffy dress, and casually probed, "Qiaoqiao, I remember the room next to mine is quite small, about half the size of your third-floor bedroom, isn't it?"
Xu Qiao took her seat at the dining table, greeted Xu Feng, who had been waiting, and responded indifferently.
[This isn't like her. I remember Xu Qiao never settles for a small room.] Xu Rou also settled into her seat, pondering to herself.
Just as she was about to ask another question, Butler Lin stepped forward and reported to Xu Feng, "Young Master, the renovation team for the young lady's newly chosen bedroom on the second floor has been arranged. They can connect it with the adjacent room today. Once the young lady returns from her outing, she can move in tonight."
Xu Feng acknowledged this, and Xu Qiao also expressed her thanks. Beside them, Xu Rou fell silent, no longer having any doubts.
The room next to hers, though small, was filled with sunlight. The room next to that one was also not large, but once the two were connected, the combined space would be even bigger than Xu Qiao's third-floor bedroom.
Xu Rou realized she was worrying unnecessarily.
Today was Saturday. Xu Qiao had made plans to go out with Su Jiaojiao, while Xu Rou was heading to school, reportedly to prepare for final exams.
After finishing breakfast, the two left together, with two separate cars heading in different directions.
Xu Rou had spent the previous night with the system analyzing the second Qiyun Zhi Zi—Song Zhiyu.
The president of the student council at Luosi Xueyuan, the second young master of the Song family, a top-tier wealthy family in A Cheng, and a research prodigy in the School of Biology. At just twenty-two, he had already won numerous domestic and international awards for biological research.
Beneath the immense halo of his presence, Song Zhiyu had never actually been in a relationship, and there was hardly any non-family female figure around him.
Due to health reasons in his childhood, he had spent ten years in a temple, the kind where one abstains from meat and chants Buddhist scriptures. To this day, he still wore a prayer bead bracelet on his left wrist that never left his side.
In short, this guy was an untouchable flower on a high peak, untouched by love.
To put it crudely, he was a monk with hair.
“Are you Xu Rou, the one who applied to join the student council yesterday?” The girl in charge of recruitment held a printed application form, comparing the one-inch photo on it to Xu Rou.
Xu Rou took out her student ID and handed it over together, her smile tinged with apology. “Yes, I missed the student council recruitment because I had family matters and wasn’t on campus. I really want to join the student council. Could you please see if it’s possible to arrange an interview for me soon?”
“Technically, the recruitment period is over, and we can’t accept temporary applications. Besides…” The girl handling the matter looked troubled.