Visiting the Qiao Family

"Of course it's true. Huaihai is my roots, and besides, you're here. How could I not come back?" Zhou Yi's words carried a faint hint of ambiguity.

Qiao Xi was naturally delighted to hear this. She extended her pinky finger toward him and said in a soft, pleading voice, "Then pinky promise with me, okay? Whoever breaks their word will... will... never be loved for the rest of their life."

Zhou Yi indulged her childish gesture, hooking his pinky with hers. "It's a promise."

The moment their fingers intertwined, warmth spread from their fingertips. Their gazes locked, and Qiao Xi felt her heart begin to race uncontrollably again.

The sorrow of Zhou Yi's impending departure and the comfort of his promise left her with mixed emotions—both joy and sorrow intertwined.

One thing was certain: her feelings for Zhou Yi were growing deeper by the day.

Even if he would soon be far away, her affection for him wouldn't diminish in the slightest.

After leaving the milk tea shop, Zhou Yi drove Qiao Xi home.

Just as she stepped out of his car, holding her sketchbook, she ran into Qiao Yu, who was returning from work.

Qiao Yu stared in disbelief at the man standing beside her younger sister.

That person was... Zhou Yi!?

Her eyes flickered with suspicion. How was this possible? Why would Zhou Yi be with her useless little sister?

Zhou Yi gently patted Qiao Xi's head. "Go on inside. It's cold out. If anything's bothering you, you can always talk to me—don't keep it all bottled up." He added, "If home ever feels unbearable, you can move out early. Once I leave for City A, you can stay at my place if you'd like."

Qiao Xi felt a warmth spread through her chest. She smiled and nodded. "Okay. No matter what, I know I have Yi-gege backing me up. That’s enough to keep me from worrying."

From a distance, Qiao Yu narrowed her eyes and approached.

"Xiao Xi!"

Hearing her sister's voice, Qiao Xi turned, her expression instantly shrinking with unease.

"Jiejie, you're back from work."

"Mhm. Is this a classmate of yours?"

Clearly, Qiao Yu’s interest wasn’t in Qiao Xi but in Zhou Yi.

Qiao Xi stepped slightly in front of him, shielding him from her sister’s gaze—a rare moment of bravery for her.

She still remembered how rudely Qiao Yu had spoken to Zhou Yi over the phone last time.

Afraid her sister might say something unpleasant, she tugged at Qiao Yu’s sleeve. "Jiejie, let’s go home. Dad’s probably waiting."

Qiao Yu gripped her wrist tightly, forcing Qiao Xi to let go with a wince.

"Jiejie, you—"

"Aren’t you going to introduce your friend? It’s rare to see you with anyone."

Zhou Yi’s Rolls-Royce was impossible to miss, and Qiao Yu’s eyes briefly flickered between him and the luxury car.

The Qiao family was well-off, but compared to the Su and Kong families—let alone Zhou Yi—they were merely upper-middle class. To Qiao Yu, Zhou Yi was nothing short of a golden opportunity.

She was already at the age where marriage prospects were being considered, and Qiao Zhengguo had lined up a few suitors for her.

The mediocre ones she dismissed, while the truly elite were out of her reach.

But this Zhou Yi...

Young, accomplished, handsome, with his own company—Qiao Yu made up her mind in an instant.

Zhou Yi had no idea about her scheming, but he was well aware of the dynamics in Qiao Xi’s family and held no favorable opinion of her sister.

He offered a polite but distant smile. "I’m Qiao Xi’s senior. My name is Zhou Yi."

Unlike most men, who fawned over her the moment they saw her, Zhou Yi remained composed. Strangely, this only intrigued Qiao Yu more.

She smiled warmly. "I’ve heard so much about you, Zhou Yi. Why don’t you come inside? It’s not often Xiao Xi brings a friend home."

Qiao Xi worried that bringing Zhou Yi in might upset Qiao Zhengguo and instinctively refused. "Jiejie, Senior is tired today. He has other things to do. Maybe next time."

Qiao Yu thought her sister was a fool for not seizing the chance to keep a man like Zhou Yi close. She shot Qiao Xi a disapproving glance before turning back to Zhou Yi with a bright smile.

"Now that you’re already here, it’d be impolite not to come in."

"Xiao Xi, Dad’s been telling me to encourage you to socialize more—especially with outstanding people like Zhou Yi. Don’t be so inconsiderate. This isn’t how the Qiao family treats guests."

With Qiao Yu laying it on so thick, refusing would make Zhou Yi seem discourteous. Qiao Xi, never one to win arguments against her sister, could only lower her head and silently will Zhou Yi to leave.

Instead, Zhou Yi smirked and took Qiao Xi’s hand. "Since we’re here, I might as well take a look around Xiao Xi’s home."

Qiao Xi blinked in surprise, but Qiao Yu didn’t give her a chance to protest, quickly pulling her along.

"Come on, your friend already agreed. I’ll tell the housekeeper to prepare extra dishes—Zhou Yi will be joining us for dinner."

The whole situation felt surreal to Qiao Xi.

Her sister, who usually had little patience for men and had been outright hostile to Zhou Yi over the phone, was now acting completely different.

She couldn’t make sense of it.

Zhou Yi, however, understood perfectly—it was all because of his changed status.

The Qiao residence was in an upscale neighborhood where every inch of land was worth a fortune. As they walked, Qiao Yu chatted animatedly about the area while subtly probing for details about Zhou Yi.

Unlike Qiao Xi’s reserved nature, Qiao Yu was a smooth talker.

When Zhou Yi mentioned his connections with the Kong and Su families, or how his investments ran into the hundreds of millions, her enthusiasm grew even more pronounced.

Zhou Yi didn’t mind revealing these things—none of it was a secret anyway.

The more Qiao Yu learned, the more pleased she was with him.

She couldn’t care less that this was her sister’s crush. She’d been stealing Qiao Xi’s things since they were children—what was one more man?

"We’re here! This is our place. Let me get the door."

Qiao Yu opened the door to reveal Qiao Zhengguo sitting in the living room, reading a book with his glasses on.

A stern and traditional man, he had few hobbies outside managing the company and reading.

When Qiao Yu entered, he barely glanced up. "You’re back."

"Dad, I brought a friend over. He’ll be staying for dinner."

She introduced Zhou Yi as her own guest, not Qiao Xi’s.

Only then did Qiao Zhengguo look up, studying Zhou Yi with a scrutinizing gaze. After a moment of silent assessment, he set his book aside and stood.

"Come with me for a moment."

Qiao Yu followed him into the study, leaving Zhou Yi and Qiao Xi alone in the living room.

Qiao Xi awkwardly explained, "I’m sorry, Yi-gege. My father is just... very traditional. He doesn’t mean to be rude."

Inside the study, Qiao Zhengguo asked bluntly, "Who is that outside? Someone you’re seeing?"

Qiao Yu answered vaguely, "Mhm. What do you think of him, Dad?"

Qiao Zhengguo frowned. "He's too pretty for a man. A face like that—can't be trustworthy."

In Qiao Zhengguo's time, even men were praised as "pretty," but to him, Zhou Yi looked like some delicate pretty boy, the kind that spelled trouble.

Qiao Yu, however, tilted her head with a playful grin. "Dad, forget his looks for a second. Guess who he is?"