Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Fear Dominated by 7 Wolves
No way. Has my once brilliant and heroic cousin become a total loser?
Obviously, Luu Qi had a hard time accepting this.
"No, this can’t be happening!" Luu Qi shook her head, her eyes filled with a fighting spirit. "If this is really the case, I have to turn my cousin back into a heartthrob!"
While Luu Qi was lost in her wild thoughts, Xia Liang first dropped Qingxue off at the commercial district to buy a gift.
By the time he reached the entrance of Qingyun Music Academy, it was exactly five o’clock.
Having not seen her in three years, Xia Liang had almost forgotten what his cousin even looked like. Left with no choice, he could only ask his mother for help. After getting Luu Qi’s phone number, he made the call.
The call connected.
"Hello? Is this Luu Qi?"
Hearing Xia Liang’s voice, Luu Qi was obviously delighted.
"It’s me, Cousin! Where are you?"
Xia Liang looked up at the stone archway of the Qingyun Music Academy beside him.
"I’m right here at the Stone Gate."
"Stone Gate?" Luu Qi muttered, turning her head to look behind her. Sure enough, she spotted Xia Liang looking around while on the phone.
Without another word, Luu Qi hung up.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Xia Liang stared at the disconnected call, somewhat perplexed. Just then...
"Cousin!"
A voice called out from a distance.
Xia Liang looked up to see a young woman running toward him with her arms wide open.
Heh! Well, I’ll be. She hasn’t changed a bit!
Just then, Xia Liang felt a gust of wind as Luu Qi lunged at him. The next second, she was clinging to him like an octopus.
"Cousin! It’s been so long."
"Get down, get down!" Seeing her like this, Xia Liang wore a look of disgust. "You’re a grown woman now, why are you still acting like this? Don’t you know men and women should maintain a proper distance?"
Luu Qi, however, didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, she said gleefully, "No matter how grown-up I am, you’re still my cousin. Unless..."
As she spoke, a mischievous smile touched Luu Qi’s lips. She leaned close to Xia Liang’s ear.
"Or... does my dear cousin have some ’exciting’ thoughts about me?"
...
What the hell! Xia Liang’s face darkened with exasperation.
Just as I thought. This little pest hasn’t changed one bit. Back when we were kids, I got beaten up quite a few times, and naturally, it was always because of her. I remember when she was in her first year of middle school, and I was in my first year of high school. She saw some classmates kissing and, after getting home, decided to plant one on me while I was asleep. I was completely stunned. That would have been one thing, but to make matters worse, my father came home at that exact moment. I’ve forgotten the exact details, but I do remember that the next day, my father had to request a two-week leave of absence from school for me. Thankfully, the misunderstanding was eventually cleared up, so I didn’t get stuck with some bizarre reputation. But the beating had already been delivered, so the matter was just dropped.
Shaking his head to dispel the memories, Xia Liang noticed quite a few people sizing them up. He patted Luu Qi’s back. "Alright, kiddo, get down now. You don’t seriously want us to be gawked at like monkeys, do you?"
A handsome man and a beautiful woman were a spectacle in themselves, so it was no surprise that a crowd had gathered around them.
Luu Qi glanced around, realizing this couldn’t go on. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she suddenly lunged toward Xia Liang again.
Holy crap! Xia Liang jumped, instantly remembering the terror of his past beatings. He quickly dodged.
SMACK.
Luu Qi planted a kiss right on Xia Liang’s face.
Seeing the triumphant, mischievous look on Luu Qi’s face, Xia Liang felt utterly helpless.
"Alright, get down already. You’re a grown woman, yet you’re still acting like a mischievous little kid."
Luu Qi, however, paid him no mind.
"Blehh! So what if I’m mischievous?"
Despite her words, Luu Qi did finally let go and climb off him.
"Let’s go." Xia Liang waved, signaling for her to follow.
Luu Qi ran up and latched onto Xia Liang’s arm like a koala. Tilting her head up, she asked, "Where are we going now?"
Looking at her clinging tightly to him, Xia Liang felt a headache coming on.
"We’re going to eat. And while we’re at it, I’ll introduce you to someone to solve your part-time job problem."
"Oh," Luu Qi replied casually. The part-time job was the last thing on her mind; she was far more interested in how much Xia Liang had changed.
I thought I’d changed a lot, but Xia Liang’s transformation is even bigger. Just look at him... at Qingyun Music University, he’d definitely be at the campus heartthrob level, wouldn’t he? she thought to herself with glee.
Just as Luu Qi assumed they would be hailing a cab on the roadside, she found Xia Liang leading her toward a black BMW.
Luu Qi was puzzled. "Cousin, aren’t we taking a cab?"
Xia Liang dangled the keys in his hand. "No need," he said, pressing the unlock button.
Luu Qi watched as the BMW’s headlights flashed. Her eyes widened in amazement.
"Cousin! When did you buy a car? Does Auntie know?"
At her question, Xia Liang’s mind subconsciously flashed to his Lamborghini Poison. He immediately shook his head. "I didn’t tell her. Come on, get in."
With that, he opened the driver’s side door and got in. Luu Qi quickly got in as well.
After fastening her seatbelt, she gave Xia Liang a strange look. "So, Cousin, this is a BMW A7, right? It must have cost around seven hundred thousand, didn’t it? Auntie said you work as a game booster. With a monthly salary of only one point, where’d you get all this money?"
I really don’t know how to respond to this. Damn my big mouth! I should have just said the car wasn’t mine. What do I say now? Tell her this car isn’t mine, but the one I actually own is much more expensive? How would I even begin to explain that? Should I just tell her I earned the money myself? That not only do I have a villa, but I also own ten other buildings? That even the Qingyun Grand Hotel belongs to me? If I said all that, she’d probably think I’ve lost my mind.
With that thought, Xia Liang decided it was better to just brush it off. "Don’t ask so many questions," he said evasively. "Oh, by the way, I found you that part-time job. It’s at a coffee shop. How does that sound?"
Luu Qi didn’t respond. As Xia Liang spoke, she was observing him closely.
His expression is unnatural, and his eyes are darting around. He clearly doesn’t want to talk about the car and is trying to change the subject. Not normal. This is extremely not normal!
Luu Qi stroked her chin, deep in thought.
Seeing her suddenly fall silent, Xia Liang asked curiously, "Kiddo, why’d you stop talking?"
Luu Qi still didn’t answer, her mind racing. As her gaze fell on Xia Liang’s face again, something suddenly clicked.
"Cousin! How could you do this! You’ve stooped so low!"
????
Luu Qi’s sudden accusation left Xia Liang utterly baffled. He turned his head and saw her staring at him, her expression one of profound disappointment.
"What are you talking about?"
Seeing Xia Liang still playing dumb, Luu Qi couldn’t take it anymore. She crossed her arms and said indignantly, "Cousin! I know the glamorous world is full of temptations, and it’s hard for someone like you, only a year out of university, to resist. But you can’t just throw away your dignity for money!"