"Really, why would I lie to you?"
Zhao Yan said earnestly.
Hearing this, Xuan Ying began frantically placing orders, a bright smile curling at the corners of her lips.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yan continued scrolling through her phone, then casually glanced at Li Guanqi, only to find her completely unfazed. Seemingly offhand, she added, "Hurry and order. You won’t be able to buy it in three minutes. Plus, it’s local—order today, and it’ll be delivered to your doorstep tomorrow."
"Got it!"
Xuan Ying replied excitedly, swiftly completing her purchase. She could already picture the envious looks Su Cheng would give her later.
Li Guanqi, however, remained seated, appearing utterly indifferent—though only she knew what she was struggling to suppress.
She tried to steady herself, forcing her mind to ignore Zhao Yan’s earlier remarks, but the temptation was too strong. Unable to resist, she stole a glance at Zhao Yan’s legs.
The skin-toned stockings were clearly different from anything on the market, sparking her curiosity—what would the black ones look like?
And of course, she knew Su Cheng had a slight obsession with stockings and feet. The real shocker was that he’d actually had the nerve to ask Zhao Yan about the brand.
What was that about?
Was he planning to buy them as a gift?
Or…?
One thing was certain: if Zhao Yan wasn’t lying, Su Cheng cared a lot about this. And if he cared, how could she not?
"Why is there a limit of three per order?"
Just then, Xuan Ying sighed regretfully behind her. "What a shame."
Zhao Yan shook her head. "Can’t be helped. This shop is under the Ji Family’s brand. Rumor has it President Ji is a devoted fan herself."
Xuan Ying nodded in understanding. "No wonder."
"Exactly."
Zhao Yan chuckled, then looked up at Li Guanqi with a playful glint in her eyes. "Guanqi, aren’t you going to buy some?"
Li Guanqi shook her head. "No need. I don’t lack these."
Despite her strong urge, she held back.
Perfect.
"In that case, could you place an order for me?"
Zhao Yan’s eyes lit up as she made her move.
If Li Guanqi stood up and pulled out her phone to order, even Xuan Ying—dense as she was—would realize there was something noteworthy about Li Guanqi’s device.
Xuan Ying chimed in, "Yeah, Guanqi, you could help us out."
"Right! We’ll transfer you the money, and you can buy them for us," Xuan Ying added, blinking eagerly. "Hurry, place the order! The sale’s about to end."
Li Guanqi frowned. Though reluctant, she had no way to refuse. Still, she kept her cool and quickly devised a countermeasure.
First, divert their attention with something shocking. Then, fluster them into dropping the topic themselves.
With that in mind, she fixed them with a calm, detached gaze and said seriously, "Actually, there’s no need for all this trouble. If you want to buy in bulk, you could just ask Su Cheng. He’s on good terms with President Ji. I’m sure he could help you."
Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan froze.
Ask Su Cheng to approach Ji Qingyi for women’s products?
What kind of logic was that?
The two exchanged bewildered glances.
"Is there a problem?"
Li Guanqi frowned at their reaction.
After a silent moment, Xuan Ying shook her head, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. "It’s just… this kind of thing isn’t something you discuss with a guy. If he went to Ji Qingyi for it… wouldn’t people get the wrong idea?"
"What wrong idea?"
Li Guanqi countered.
Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan shared another look, both falling silent.
"Ugh, it’s just too private! It’d be awkward if a boy knew about it," Xuan Ying hastily explained.
"I don’t see why. It’s perfectly normal. And I’m sure Su Cheng wouldn’t mind helping," Li Guanqi insisted, staring straight at them with unwavering seriousness.
Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan exchanged yet another glance, their confusion deepening. Li Guanqi really was in a league of her own.
"Alright, let’s drop this."
Xuan Ying finally gave in, cutting off the conversation and steering it elsewhere.
Zhao Yan, however, was disappointed. Her plan had failed, and the ordering window had closed. Still, one thing was clear—Li Guanqi’s phone definitely held something incriminating, and she hadn’t had time to change it yet.
She resolved to test Li Guanqi again later.
This might be her only chance. After all, lock screens and wallpapers could be swapped anytime.
"Hey, what do you think of my wallpaper?"
Zhao Yan decided to go all-in.
She held up her phone, asking Li Guanqi for her opinion.
Li Guanqi glanced at it and immediately grasped Zhao Yan’s real intention—she wanted to see her lock screen and wallpaper.
Li Guanqi nodded approvingly. "Very nice."
"Thanks!"
Zhao Yan beamed, then turned to Xuan Ying behind her. "Let me see yours!"
Oblivious, Xuan Ying flipped open her phone and showed Zhao Yan her wallpaper without hesitation.
It was just an ordinary class photo.
Except Su Cheng was right in the center, her smile warm and captivating.
"Quite a surprise that you’d use a class photo as your wallpaper."
After saying this, Zhao Yan immediately turned to Li Guanqi and asked, "Guanqi, what about you?"
Li Guanqi’s expression remained indifferent, as if it were the most trivial matter. "Mine’s a group photo too."
With that, she casually took out her phone and lit up the screen—since they wanted to see, she might as well let them have their way.
The moment it ended, the air seemed to freeze. The expressions on the two girls' faces were nothing short of spectacular.
Xuan Ying, in particular, was so consumed by jealousy her face twisted, while Zhao Yan seethed silently with resentment.
The lock screen wallpaper was unmistakably a photo of the three of them taken at the park—Li Zhaohao, Su Cheng, and Li Guanqi.
Just seeing the lock screen was like taking a critical hit. If they had asked to unlock the phone and seen the intimate wallpaper photo of the two, the trio would’ve undoubtedly erupted into a full-blown catfight.
"Ha… ha… heh… hehe." Xuan Ying forced out a dry laugh, her face a mix of envy and spite—she made no effort to hide her feelings.
Zhao Yan was no exception, though she pretended to sound nonchalant as she remarked, "Huh? I didn’t realize you and Su Cheng were so close."
Li Guanqi’s demeanor remained unreadable as she put her phone away. "We went for a walk in the park over the weekend. Got tired, sat down to rest, and ended up taking this photo."
Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying’s teeth practically ached from the bitterness.
"I see…" Xuan Ying squeezed out a stiff smile. "You two must be really close."
Zhao Yan couldn’t help adding, "Yeah, really close."
Li Guanqi gave a slight nod.
"So… what exactly is your relationship with Su Cheng now?" Xuan Ying asked, her voice laced with unease.
But the moment those words left her lips, a wild ghost girl happened to pass by the trio.
Hearing the question, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, tilting her head with apparent interest. "Were you talking to me?"
Faced with this sudden, eerie girl radiating a chilling aura, Xuan Ying froze on the spot. Meanwhile, Zhao Yan and Li Guanqi immediately stood up in unison.
"Senior Sister Si, we didn’t mean to offend you," Zhao Yan quickly apologized in a hushed tone, while Xuan Ying stared nervously at the girl, terrified she might lash out.
Li Guanqi also hurried to make amends. "Sorry, Senior Sister, we were just chatting. Please don’t take it to heart."
"Oh, is that so?" Senior Sister Si studied the three of them with amusement before letting out an odd chuckle. "Well, I just had a very in-depth exchange with him earlier. His technique was excellent—I was quite satisfied."
With those words, she slowly walked away, soon vanishing without a trace—leaving Xuan Ying, Zhao Yan, and Li Guanqi utterly bewildered in her wake.