"Looks like you've made preparations in advance..."
Ji Qingyi watched as Su Cheng and Li Guanqi walked in through the door. They simply greeted her.
Su Cheng and the other didn't seem surprised at all, as if they had long anticipated the uninvited guests.
But the most crucial thing was that Su Cheng could have pretended to be surprised, yet he didn't.
Was he not even bothering to pretend?
Ji Qingyi discerned a wealth of information in this brief encounter. She retracted her gaze with a complex look in her eyes, then composed herself again, picked up the teacup, and quietly savored the tea.
Cornelia's attention was entirely focused on Su Cheng, completely ignoring Li Guanqi beside him.
When she saw him come back, she immediately excitedly grabbed his sleeve and said, "Why didn't you tell me you were going to participate in the competition?"
"I asked Li Guanqi to inform you," Su Cheng replied casually.
However, this seemingly off - hand remark made Ji Qingyi and Li Guanqi pause in their thoughts, because this matter had never been told to Su Cheng.
In fact, it was Liu Qingyue who, in order to deal with Cornelia's questions, deliberately fabricated the news of this competition, and only the people in the room were aware of it.
And Li Guanqi hadn't told Su Cheng that she had informed Cornelia.
Su Cheng was able to make a situation assessment based on just a few words and quickly respond. His ability to gloss over things had really improved by leaps and bounds recently.
So—
The two women for the first time shared a silent understanding and began to miss the former Su Cheng.
"Wait for a while. I'll go change my clothes," Su Cheng said and headed towards the bedroom.
Seeing this, Cornelia once again assumed the stance of the hostess. She grabbed Li Guanqi's hand and dragged her towards the sofa.
At the same time, she said enthusiastically, "Sit down first. I'll pour you a cup of tea."
Suddenly, she felt as if her palm had scraped against something. She turned around curiously and looked down. To her surprise, she found an extremely ugly ring on Li Guanqi's right hand, and it was a discolored gold ring.
She wouldn't even take such a ring if it was given to her, let alone wear it.
"Ring?"
Cornelia immediately showed a look of disgust. She let go of Li Guanqi's hand, curled her lips, and muttered, "Look at its quality. Although this ring doesn't seem to be a famous brand, you usually don't take good care of it at all, do you?"
However, as soon as she finished speaking, the air in the living room suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere became extremely strange.
Li Guanqi put her hand behind her back, stared at Cornelia with a deep look in her eyes, and calmly said, "As long as I like it."
"Okay, as long as you like it," Cornelia shrugged boredly. After pushing Li Guanqi onto the sofa, she poured a cup of hot tea for her beside her.
"Thank you," Li Guanqi politely nodded, then picked up the teacup that Cornelia had handed her. She gently touched the rim of the cup with her lips and found it a bit hot.
So she stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
"It's a bit hot. They've been busy in the kitchen for a long time. I'll go and see if they need any help. I'll drink the tea later."
Ji Qingyi silently sipped her tea. A trace of displeasure welled up from the bottom of her heart. She stole another glance at Li Guanqi's ring from the corner of her eye and then retracted her gaze.
"Thank you both for your hard work. Let me give you a hand too."
Li Guanqi walked into the kitchen and saw Gu Ruoxue and Liu Qingyue preparing the dishes methodically. When the two of them noticed her coming in, they stopped their work for a moment, turned to look at her, and then Gu Ruoxue quickly shifted her gaze and continued with her work.
Li Guanqi reached out to get an apron, but unexpectedly, Liu Qingyue blocked her.
"You've just come back. You should rest first. And isn't Su Cheng back? If there's no one watching outside, that blond beauty is going to cause trouble," Liu Qingyue said, gently pushing Li Guanqi out of the door while still smiling and reminding her.
It was a hint that she was more needed outside.
"Please take care of the young lady and the blond girl for us," she said and then closed the kitchen door.
"What..."
Facing the situation of being rejected before she could even say a word, Li Guanqi had no choice but to return to the living - room and sit down. She picked up a teacup, and it so happened that the tea was no longer so hot.
She took a small sip.
"This tea..."
Li Guanqi nodded and praised, "Only the tea brewed by Senior Ji herself can be so sweet and mellow."
Her flattery made Ji Qingyi shift her gaze slightly. She pursed her lips and slightly lowered her eyelids to hide the fleeting glint in her pupils.
"You're overpraising me," Ji Qingyi replied expressionlessly.
"Eh?"
Cornelia didn't notice the change in the atmosphere. Instead, she was surprised that Li Guanqi could tell that the tea was brewed by Ji Qingyi. This made her smell and then taste the tea, and then she shook her head and said, "Why can't I taste the difference?"
While the conversation was going on in the living - room, the two women in the kitchen resumed their busy state. Gu Ruoxue was holding a kitchen knife and cutting potatoes into shreds rhythmically, with a skillful and orderly technique.
Gu Ruoxue's flawless face and her impeccable operation skills were extremely pleasing to the eye.
Liu Qingyue looked at Gu Ruoxue and gently asked, "You noticed it just now, right? What do you think?"
Gu Ruoxue replied indifferently, "I don't have any special thoughts."
"Humph, we're all smart people. It won't do any harm to have a good talk. Aren't we on the same side now?"
Facing Gu Ruoxue's non - cooperation, Liu Qingyue pouted unhappily and insisted on continuing the topic.
"In my opinion, she came here to show off. Look, she even deliberately showed off her ring just now. By the way, isn't that ring very similar to yours?"
While washing the vegetables, Liu Qingyue looked at Gu Ruoxue and said in a gentle tone, as if just chatting, "Now she has gained quite an advantage. At least she can be on par with you. Then wouldn't the young lady be in trouble?"
However, Gu Ruoxue continued cutting the vegetables without raising her head and said, "If she can get it, it's her ability. It shows that her efforts have paid off. As a friend, I should congratulate her."
"What about you? Aren't you in a hurry at all?"
Liu Qingyue continued to ask.
"In a hurry?"
Gu Ruoxue finished cutting the potatoes, looked up at Liu Qingyue calmly and said, "Why should I be in a hurry? I've shown what I can, and I've almost done what I can. If the tacit understanding, wishes, and ideas between two people are in line, then no matter how many choices there are, they will eventually walk on the same path together. If not, it means they're not meant to be on the same journey."
"So that's how you think?"
Liu Qingyue seemed to be deep in thought. Perhaps feeling that it would be better to end this topic once and for all, Gu Ruoxue didn't stop talking.
"Moreover, what I need are comrades-in-arms, companions, and a soulmate, rather than someone to serve as a master. If I have to give up so much and compromise to such an extent just to obtain a title, then why bother? All I want is to stay true to my original aspiration and forge ahead with perseverance."
"Giggle..." Liu Qingyue gave a soft laugh. "It seems you've thought it through clearly. Does this mean I'll have to fight alone from now on? No, that won't do."
She rolled her eyes, then turned to face Gu Ruoxue, clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, and said, "Could you stay tonight to help me manage the situation?"
"I didn't prepare to stay overnight."
Gu Ruoxue frowned at Liu Qingyue's gesture and flatly refused.
"Actually, even if you don't agree, Su Cheng will find a way to make you stay."