Extra Story - The Young Lady and Her Little Wolf Dog - The Interesting Part

Huangfu Chengshi curled up, shielding the fountain pen in his pocket with everything he had.

He gritted his teeth, not uttering a sound.

This scene today was merely a repetition of the countless times he had been bullied while growing up.

He was long accustomed to it.

He was even adjusting his posture.

Turning his face toward the direction from which the old butler was about to arrive.

He needed to ensure the stubbornness, helplessness, and grievance on his face were clearly visible.

Everything was proceeding perfectly, according to the script.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the planned "audience" to appear.

Soon.

Very soon.

...

Eighteen-year-old Qin Ya was like a walking flame.

She wore a striking red cashmere coat.

Her feet were clad in black, slender high-heeled boots.

Her long hair, like seaweed, fell in soft waves over her shoulders.

Her makeup was exquisite, carrying a hint of barely perceptible sharpness.

When she entered the Huangfu Family's banquet hall, surrounded by a group of elders,

the entire grand hall seemed to brighten by several degrees.

"Qin Ya is becoming more and more remarkable."

"Indeed, such presence, truly her father's daughter."

"I heard she's already been put in charge of the Qin Group's overseas business this year?"

"That's right. If you have a daughter, you should wish for one like the Qin Family's!"

...

Praise and flattery surged toward her like a tide.

Qin Ya listened to these repetitive, insincere compliments, a polite yet distant smile hanging at the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes quickly swept across the room.

She analyzed whose smiles were genuine, whose flattery was purpose-driven.

Who stood with whom, and which two families that represented, signaling a new alliance.

A sense of irritation stirred within Qin Ya.

If you have a daughter, you should wish for one like the Qin Family's?!

In front of Mo Qingli, would these same people say, 'if you have a daughter, you should wish for one like the Mo Family's'?!

Ridiculous...

She somewhat detested these occasions.

Hypocritical, boring, filled with nothing but calculation.

But as one of the heirs of the Qin Family, one of the heirs surrounded by wolves,

she had to be here.

She had to grow accustomed to this war waged behind masks.

At times like these, a flicker of envy for that woman would rise in Qin Ya's heart.

Envy that that woman's father used iron-fisted methods to demonstrate his support for his daughter.

While she herself had to personally defeat every competitor to earn her father's favor...

"Yaya, come, meet your Uncle Wang."

Her father, Qin Yan, led a portly middle-aged man over.

"Uncle Wang is the leading figure in Jingzhou's real estate sector."

"Young Lady Qin, truly accomplished and impressive at such a young age."

Uncle Wang's face was piled with smiles.

His small eyes, hidden behind folds of flesh, gleamed with shrewdness.

"My good-for-nothing son just returned from abroad. I should introduce you two sometime."

Here we go again.

A flash of annoyance crossed Qin Ya's mind.

She knew what this so-called "introduction" implied.

A marriage alliance.

The oldest, yet most effective, form of transaction in their circle.

"You flatter me, Uncle Wang."

Qin Ya smiled and raised her glass slightly.

Her demeanor was elegant, impeccable.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. Please continue chatting with my father."

She left no opening for him to continue the topic.

She turned, placed her glass back on a waiter's tray.

Then, gave a slight nod to her father.

"Dad, I'm going out for some fresh air."

Without waiting for his reply, she walked straight toward the terrace leading to the garden.

Qin Yan didn't seem to show any displeasure at Qin Ya's evasion.

He smoothly changed the subject.

Qin Ya felt she needed a bit of quiet, and some genuinely cold air.

To clear her head, which felt stuffy from the heating and the hypocritical smiles.

The terrace was empty.

A cold wind carrying snowflakes blew against her face.

It swept away the warm, stuffy scent of the banquet hall—a mix of perfume and food—that clung to her.

Leaning against the icy railing, she took a deep breath.

Much better.

Her gaze wandered casually over the vast garden blanketed in white snow.

The garden under the night sky was like a slumbering white dream.

Peaceful, and beautiful.

Then, she saw it.

In the shadows of the rockery in the distance.

She saw the discordant scene.

Several half-grown boys were surrounding a small, curled-up figure on the ground, kicking and punching.

Qin Ya's brow furrowed slightly.

This again. The boring drama of the many bullying the few.

She had no interest in such scenes.

Whether in the adult world or the children's, the survival of the fittest was the eternal law.

Besides, this was the Huangfu Family.

She had heard the internal strife within this family was even more intense than in the Qin Family.

That child being beaten in the snow was either from a sidelined branch, unwanted.

Or, simply too weak himself.

Either way, he wasn't worth a second glance.

She was just about to turn and leave, to return to that cage which, though hypocritical, was at least somewhat "civilized."

Right at the moment she turned,

her gaze inadvertently met that of the child in the snow.

The distance was great.

The light was dim.

But Qin Ya saw clearly.

She saw the child's face.

It was a very clean face, even, somewhat excessively pretty.

At that moment, that face was smudged with snow and mud.

There seemed to be a faint trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

He looked utterly wretched.

But those eyes.

Those eyes, which should have been filled with fear, or tears,

held nothing.

No tears.

No pleading.

Not even a hint of anger.

Only a kind of suppressed, icy fierceness, like that of a wolf.

It was a look completely mismatched with his frail, small frame.

He didn't look like a pitiful wretch being bullied.

He more resembled a wolf cub disguised as prey, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to its enemies.

Qin Ya stopped. She leaned back against the railing.

Qin Ya watched the scene below with newfound interest.

Things seemed to have gotten interesting.

This child was not simple.

He was enduring.

He was waiting.

What was he waiting for?

Waiting for a moment that would allow him to turn the tables?

Now this was intriguing.

This was no longer a one-sided beating of the weak by the strong.

This was a psychological game, full of calculation and pretense.

This was the kind of drama Qin Ya loved to watch most.

She watched as the child, even when kicked in the stomach, letting out a muffled groan,

still stubbornly, desperately, shielded his pocket.

That determination looked tragic.

And also somewhat... fake.

Though the pain was probably real...

A barely noticeable curve lifted the corner of Qin Ya's mouth.

She suddenly didn't want to wait any longer.

She didn't want to see how this little fellow's self-directed tragedy would conclude.

She wanted to step onto the stage herself, to disrupt his carefully laid plans.

To see what expression would appear on this restrained little wolf cub's face when an unexpected "deity" descended.

That would surely be very, very interesting.