"You can shut up now."
Ji Qingyi remained expressionless, casting a cool glance at Liu Qingyue before speaking in an indifferent tone, "I was merely testing the softness of the bed."
Truly a paragon of tsundere behavior—even when caught red-handed, she stubbornly clung to her act...
Liu Qingyue couldn't help but complain inwardly. Then, with a professional smile, she pointed at the marriage contract in Ji Qingyi's arms and said, "Miss, does testing the bed's softness require holding a marriage contract? Perhaps you should hide it under the pillow instead."
"Weren’t you observing from outside?"
Ji Qingyi’s face betrayed no extra emotion, maintaining her composed and aloof demeanor. She neatly folded the marriage contract and stored it in her system ring before speaking sternly, "Why did you return so soon?"
She deftly changed the subject while using the ring to divert Liu Qingyue’s attention, avoiding further discussion on the matter.
"I had to come back early because they stopped talking the moment I was present. Little did I expect to witness you, Miss..."
Liu Qingyue tried to explain, but Ji Qingyi cut her off sharply, her gaze turning icy as she reprimanded without mercy, "This is precisely why you keep making mistakes—your carelessness."
Standing up, she enunciated each word deliberately, "At this critical juncture, we cannot overlook even the smallest detail. Otherwise, none of us will benefit!"
"U-understood!"
Liu Qingyue lowered her head, feeling wronged welling up inside her.
Ji Qingyi was using discipline to mask her own embarrassment.
At this moment, Liu Qingyue truly wished Su Cheng had a truth-compelling tool, stripping Ji Qingyi of her tsundere facade and sparing her these excuses for scolding.
"Go monitor them immediately. Remember, under no circumstances should any of them have a chance to be alone with Su Cheng. Is that clear?"
Ji Qingyi frowned, issuing the order with severity.
However, Liu Qingyue had her own ways to break through Ji Qingyi’s defenses. She promptly replied, "Understood. I’ll ensure the task is completed."
Ji Qingyi waved her off. "Go."
"Before I leave, there’s something I must mention," Liu Qingyue suddenly paused at the door, turning her head with a serious tone. "I advise you not to keep the marriage contract in the ring."
"Hm?"
Ji Qingyi, ever perceptive, immediately grasped the implication. Her expression darkened as she pondered where else to store the document.
After all, retrieving items from the ring required remembering their existence. If she forgot about the contract, she’d never retrieve it. Storing it in the system space carried significant risks.
Unlike Li Guanqi and Gu Ruoxue, who had no choice but to keep Su Cheng-related items in their rings to prevent their disappearance, the marriage contract was a system artifact—unaffected by such rules. There was no need for such precautions.
Ji Qingyi, now troubled with two system props at her disposal, couldn’t decide where to place them for absolute security.
"You’ve reminded me well."
She nodded slowly, retrieving the contract from the ring and tucking it securely into her clothing. "This should suffice. You may leave."
"Actually, this seems even riskier to me," Liu Qingyue shook her head, her voice grave. "Though I don’t know what methods Su Cheng might employ, he won’t let us rest easy with just a marriage contract. So..."
"Get to the point."
Ji Qingyi interrupted.
"Think about it, Miss..."
Liu Qingyue took a deep breath, carefully phrasing her words. "If Su Cheng erases his own existence, all traces of him will vanish."
She paused, then added, "When you discover the contract, you’d naturally resent it and mobilize unprecedented resources to find him. But what if, after scouring the world, he remains untraceable? What would you do?"
Ji Qingyi’s expression turned solemn. Under such circumstances, she’d likely destroy the contract and use Su Cheng’s absence as grounds to annul the engagement with the family head.
In this light, the contract became more of a burden...
Noticing her contemplation, Liu Qingyue’s lips curled with a hint of scheming. She feigned a sigh. "Ah, what should we do?"
"Do you have a solution?"
Ji Qingyi glanced at her, her tone devoid of emotion.
Liu Qingyue hesitated, then clenched her teeth as if steeling herself. "I do have an excellent strategy to maximize the contract’s utility, but..."
"But what?" Ji Qingyi raised a brow.
"I need to ask you a question first." Liu Qingyue lowered her head slightly, her voice growing tense, as though the query would strain their relationship.
After a brief pause, Ji Qingyi nodded. "Go ahead."
"Very well."
Liu Qingyue took two nervous breaths before meeting Ji Qingyi’s gaze resolutely. The question spilled out rapidly: "Do you like Su Cheng?"
"Must we revisit this?"
Ji Qingyi massaged her temples, her delicate brows furrowing. "I’ve said repeatedly that I won’t elaborate on my relationship with Su Cheng."
"In that case, please hand over the contract."
Liu Qingyue abruptly extended her hand, palm open, demanding the document.
Ji Qingyi was taken aback, her frown deepening. "What do you mean?"
"I can utilize the contract to its fullest potential."
Liu Qingyue spoke each word deliberately.
For a moment, Ji Qingyi narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Liu Qingyue for any hint of deception. Yet, to her dismay, Liu Qingyue’s eyes were clear and unwavering, utterly sincere.
Admittedly, entrusting the contract to Liu Qingyue made sense. Her relentless determination made her the ideal candidate for this task.
But this was absolutely unacceptable!
As expected—
"Since you don’t like him,"
Liu Qingyue said softly, "And I also bear the Ji surname, so why not transfer the contract to me? Let Su Cheng marry me instead."
Ji Qingyi’s face darkened. "Don’t be absurd. Do you even hear yourself?"
Yet, Liu Qingyue’s hand remained outstretched, unwavering. "By all accounts, keeping the contract with me is the safest option. Please prioritize the bigger picture!"
"Besides, you don’t like Su Cheng anyway."
Liu Qingyue said coolly, "In that case, I’ll be the one to love him. I trust Miss Ji will be gracious enough to step aside. For my happiness, please hand over the engagement contract to me."
"You…" Ji Qingyi flared up in anger.
But she quickly reined it in.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain composed. "I’ll pretend this never happened today. You may leave now."