Xia Qingtian abruptly shook her head, casting the horrifying, pixelated image from her mind. She rubbed her arms and walked mechanically to her desk, pulling out her textbooks.
Other people's affairs had nothing to do with her.
She needed to study; studying was more important. The final exams weren't far off.
After flipping through books for an entire evening, not a single thing registered in her mind.
Even her dreams were a jumbled mess. She tossed and turned, waking and sleeping fitfully. When she sat up in bed the next morning, her complexion was poor, and dark circles shadowed her eyes.
Normally attending classes with a bare face, only bothering with sunscreen, Xia Qingtian had, for once, applied a full, exquisite makeup today. The moment she appeared at the university gate, she drew frequent attention from passersby.
"Qingtian, I'm off to the research lab," Erya said as she walked with Xia Qingtian. Erya, having gone to bed early the previous day and seeing Xia Shang as soon as she opened her eyes, was full of energy this morning.
"Go ahead. Let's have lunch together at noon. Xiaoxiao said a new restaurant opened near the school with a good reputation," Xia Qingtian invited.
"Sure." Erya made an OK gesture. "I'm going now."
Watching Erya's bouncy, skipping demeanor, Xia Qingtian smiled and shook her head helplessly, feeling a pang of envy.
Just then, a hand landed on Xia Qingtian's shoulder. "Qingtian!"
"Xiaoxiao." Xia Qingtian turned to look at the person behind her. Just as she was about to greet her, she noticed Li Xiaoxiao's exhausted expression. "What's wrong?"
"Erya didn't come back last night, and Daya was fussy for a long time. She even had a headache. I coaxed her to sleep, and ended up falling asleep myself. I slept by Daya's bedside all night, and now my back and neck are aching." Li Xiaoxiao pinched her neck and shoulders, grimacing. "Ow… it hurts…"
"Then be careful today. Later, I'll go with you to the infirmary, and let the teacher give you a massage. We'll see if there's any good medicinal plaster," Xia Qingtian said. "Don't try to massage it yourself, or you'll make it worse."
"Oh." Li Xiaoxiao responded and then looked at Xia Qingtian's face. "Hey? You're wearing makeup today? You look great!"
"Yes, wasn't I inexplicably trending on hot search again yesterday?" Xia Qingtian had already found an excuse for herself. "I thought I could take a few photos during my break, so they won't keep rushing me online."
"That's so nice…" Li Xiaoxiao said, looking at Xia Qingtian's face. "With such a beautiful face, I get to see it every day… Tsk tsk tsk… Am I really allowed to look?"
"What nonsense are you talking about again?" Xia Qingtian said helplessly. "Does your neck not hurt anymore?"
"It hurts…" Li Xiaoxiao immediately put on a mournful face. "It hurts a lot."
"Let's go to the classroom first. After the first class, I'll accompany you to the infirmary," Xia Qingtian said, walking towards the classroom with Li Xiaoxiao.
After the first class ended, the two went to the infirmary. The teacher there merely told Li Xiaoxiao to do some gentle exercises. They couldn't find any suitable medicinal plaster either. After a few presses, there wasn't much relief.
Li Xiaoxiao had never had such a painful morning.
By lunchtime, Li Xiaoxiao was still drooping her lips, looking miserably at Xia Qingtian. "The last time I felt this bad was when I was kidnapped and stuffed into the trunk."
"You poor thing." Xia Qingtian put away her books, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and said, "I'll treat you to lunch today, at that place you mentioned last time, to help you recover."
"Yay! Ow… it hurts…" Li Xiaoxiao was about to cheer when reality grasped her by the scruff of her neck. She looked like a tiny, pathetic chick whose wings had been pinned.
Xia Qingtian could only smile helplessly. As she and Li Xiaoxiao were walking out to meet Erya, Xia Qingtian received a call that caught her completely off guard.
Seeing the caller ID, Xia Qingtian's breath hitched.
"Qingtian, why aren't you answering my boss's call?" Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
Xia Qingtian glanced at Li Xiaoxiao before answering the phone and putting it to her ear. "Mr. Gu."
Hearing Xia Qingtian's distant tone, Gu Yaoyang's brows furrowed slightly. He then said, "I remember you only have classes in the morning today, right? Would you be free to have lunch together? I'll have Assistant Lin pick you up. I..."
"Mr. Gu, I'm sorry, I have plans with friends for lunch today, so I don't have time. Thank you for your kind offer," Xia Qingtian refused Gu Yaoyang's invitation without a second thought.
"Then tonight..." Gu Yaoyang's words were cut off again by Xia Qingtian before he could finish.
"I'm busy tonight too. Tonight… I have to accompany my sister. I'm very sorry," Xia Qingtian refused. "If it's about work, Mr. Gu can have Assistant Lin communicate directly with the people in charge of that part in the group. They will provide me with a detailed report later."
Xia Qingtian had directly blocked both personal and work avenues. Gu Yaoyang's gaze deepened, and he finally responded, "Okay, I understand."
"If Mr. Gu has nothing else, I'll hang up now." Xia Qingtian didn't really want to hear Gu Yaoyang's voice at the moment, and was afraid of hearing anything she shouldn't.
However, Xia Qingtian also knew that she might be being overly cautious. After all, it was broad daylight; no matter how debauched they were, they wouldn't do it in the company...
"Why aren't you eating yet? Are you really waiting for me to feed you?"
The female voice from the other end of the phone made Xia Qingtian freeze.
Gu Yaoyang immediately glared at Wen Yao, who was walking directly towards him. Would she die if she didn't speak?
"Qingtian, you..." Gu Yaoyang was about to explain when he heard the call disconnection notification from Xia Qingtian's end again. When he tried to call back, Xia Qingtian's phone was switched off.
"I didn't know you were on the phone. Assistant Lin said you hadn't eaten yet..." Wen Yao blinked her eyes, her tone gossipy. "Who was it? Someone actually dared to hang up on you? Not simple, huh? Was it that person from last night? Your crush? Is she good-looking? Do I know her? An old classmate?"
"Can you go back?" Gu Yaoyang looked up at Wen Yao, feeling his temples throb. "Tell the Wen family that I don't need protection. Can you go back where you came from?"
"Are you stupid? Whether you need protection or not isn't up to you to decide!" Wen Yao blinked her eyes. "What I said isn't up for debate, so give up struggling. Besides..."
She tossed her waist-length hair, her curvaceous figure accentuating the professional attire in a special way.
"With a secretary as beautiful as me, taking me out also gives you a lot of face, you know? This is a perk only old classmates get~"
While Wen Yao was still striking a pose, admiring her stunning beauty in the bright, reflective window, Gu Yaoyang was already holding his forehead in resignation, feeling life utterly meaningless.
If they hadn't been old classmates for so many years, Gu Yaoyang would have contacted the head of the Wen family, knowing Wen Yao's infuriating personality.
This was terrible. The more he tried to explain, the worse it got. Xia Qingtian might not even answer his calls next time. What should he do?