Mr. Xiang’s eyelids twitched upon seeing Xia Qingtian.
They locked eyes, both thinking the same thing: *What a persistent nuisance.*
“Miss Xia,” Mr. Xiang began, a familiar gentle smile on his face, “I merely wished to chat with the contestants of this competition. As the primary investor, I feel it’s my duty to understand their thoughts and suggestions for improvement.”
“Primary investor…” Xia Qingtian wasn’t surprised by Mr. Xiang’s wealth, nor was she bothered by his pretext for approaching Xia Qingyu.
Just as the system had said, he was a man both charming and dangerous.
It was truly difficult for ordinary people to resist such a man. He was always gentle and considerate, handling matters with perfect grace. His smiling eyes had a way of drawing people in, and despite his vast fortune, he never lorded it over others. Even when seeking out his daughter after years apart, he avoided any talk of familial obligation.
Xia Qingtian couldn’t help but muse internally: If Aunt Liu’s ex-husband was a man like this… how did she end up with her own father?
It wasn’t that Xia Honglang was a bad person, but… there was a slight, perhaps a tiny bit more than slight, difference.
No, she couldn’t be so self-deprecating. Her father surely had many virtues she didn’t yet understand.
Yes, that must be it.
“Sister…” Xia Qingyu felt a sense of security as Xia Qingtian embraced her.
Heaven knew how panicked and uneasy she had felt upon seeing her biological father.
Her mind was a blank, unsure of his intentions or what she should do.
He had invited her into his car, and while she didn’t want to, a sliver of fear lingered within her.
She dared not get in, nor dare she refuse.
Just then, Xia Qingtian arrived.
When Xia Qingtian hugged Xia Qingyu, her panicked heart immediately settled.
“Hm?” Xia Qingtian tilted her head, looking at Xia Qingyu. “What’s wrong? Do you want to go chat with this… competition’s primary investor?”
Hearing Xia Qingtian’s designation for Mr. Xiang, Xia Qingyu felt an urge to laugh.
Yes.
She wasn’t the same person she used to be; she had her sister.
She had confidence, she had support, she didn’t need to be afraid.
“Mr. Xiang wants to understand the contestants’ thoughts and suggestions for improvement, right?” Xia Qingyu took a deep breath, a faint smile curving her lips as she looked at the man in the car. “I think there’s only one improvement needed. That is, the competition’s primary investor should refrain from approaching underage contestants in this manner. Even in Finland, I can seek legal aid.”
At Xia Qingyu’s words, Mr. Xiang choked, his usual gentle smile freezing on his face.
For the first time in years, he was speechless after being confronted by two people in the same day!
Xia Qingtian also seemed taken aback by Xia Qingyu’s retort, which only made her feel her sister in her arms was an even greater treasure, a top-tier cutie!
Xia Qingtian held Xia Qingyu tighter, nuzzling her cheek against her sister’s. “Oh~ my darling Qingyu~”
How could anyone be so adorable? And this adorable little angel was her sister~
It was killing her! It was truly killing her!
“Sis… Sister…” Xia Qingyu’s cheeks flushed at Xia Qingtian’s affectionate display, her lips unable to suppress a smile.
Mr. Xiang cast a deep look at Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu before speaking, “I admire you both. I hope you won’t refuse my invitation next time.”
With those words, Mr. Xiang got into his car and left.
Completely ignoring the departing Rolls-Royce, Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu shared a synchronized eye-roll.
Who did he think he was?
Li Xiaozhong pulled out his phone and quietly took a photo of Xia Qingyu and Xia Qingtian, sending it to Li Xiaoxiao.
Before they left, his sister had told him not to just focus on studying and the competition, but to have fun. To prevent him from slacking off, she’d also instructed him to send an interesting photo every day.
Well, these two sisters were certainly interesting.
Yes, his task for the day was complete.
“Hey? What are you taking a picture of? Let me see!” Noticing Li Xiaozhong taking a photo, Xia Qingtian immediately asked, “You can take a picture of me, but you must use a beauty filter!”
Li Xiaozhong didn’t know how to respond and simply flipped his phone screen to show the Xia sisters. On the screen, Xia Qingtian was hugging Xia Qingyu, both of them rolling their eyes simultaneously. Their faces were turned the same way, their eyes half-closed, and their expressions were equally… unattractive.
“Ew… so ugly…” Xia Qingtian declared disdainfully. “But ugly in a hilarious way, hahahaha. Delete it.”
“Huh?” Li Xiaozhong scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled. He didn’t think it was ugly; he found it quite amusing.
“Delete it,” Xia Qingtian said, placing a hand on Li Xiaozhong’s shoulder with mock seriousness. “Now, immediately, right away…”
No girl would ever allow an unflattering photo of herself to exist in the world.
“Sis, I’ll make sure he deletes it. You let the driver come over first, let’s get in the car,” Xia Qingyu said, pulling Xia Qingtian’s arm as if remembering something. “What if someone is following us? We should head back quickly.”
“Alright, you keep an eye on him,” Xia Qingtian finally said before turning towards the car.
As Li Xiaozhong was obediently about to press the delete button, he heard Xia Qingyu whisper next to him, in a voice only they could hear, “Send me a copy before you delete it.”
“Huh?” Li Xiaozhong was a bit confused but complied.
After getting into the car, Xia Qingyu gave Xia Qingtian an “ok” gesture. Li Xiaozhong had deleted it on his end…
As for hers… she would cherish it for a lifetime. It was the first silly photo she had ever taken with her sister…
No wonder so many couples took goofy photos together online; it was genuinely amusing.
Seeing that Xia Qingyu had handled it, Xia Qingtian didn’t think about it further. She was more concerned about Mr. Xiang finding more excuses to approach Xia Qingyu. She had originally planned to accompany Aunt Liu and Qingyu for a relaxing time in Finland, and also give Gu Yaoyang ample time to find the person he was looking for.
However, the current situation was truly troublesome. She could tell Aunt Liu definitely didn’t want to stay in Finland any longer, and Xia Qingyu needed protection from Mr. Xiang. As for Gu Yaoyang…
Should she tell Gu Yaoyang about Mr. Xiang? He was Qingyu’s biological father. If her actions inadvertently caused harm to Qingyu…
Xia Qingtian’s heart grew increasingly conflicted.
In the end, she could only pull Xia Qingyu into her embrace even tighter.
Xia Qingyu, blushing in Xia Qingtian’s arms, complained about her sister being too clingy, but the smile on her lips grew ever brighter.