WBSGVS Chapter 38 V1

Qing Li decisively rejected Pei Mingjiang, and he didn’t call her again. He was concerned about his image; he wouldn’t resort to harassment unless pushed to a dead end.

However, not long after, Qing Li received a notification on her phone. Upon opening it, she saw a transfer notification—one million had just been deposited into her regular bank account.

It was money from Pei Mingjiang.

The accompanying note instructed her to focus on her studies and not worry about anything else, assuring her that the Pei family would fully support whatever she chose to do.

Qing Li couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t expect her progress would lead to such a significant change in Pei Mingjiang’s attitude. Did he want to cultivate her as a talent specifically for the Pei family?

What a dream!

Qing Li didn’t respond at all; she simply turned off her phone and continued studying.

The preliminary competition was on June 15th, and there was only half a month left. Although she had made good progress recently and had completed some practice papers assigned by Teacher Chen, the time was still too short. There were some question types she hadn’t encountered yet, and she needed to broaden her range of practice!

This effort lasted for half a month.

During this time, the seniors took their college entrance exams, making the school feel half-empty.

On Saturday, the morning was already sweltering, signaling the full onset of summer.

When Qing Li arrived at school, the school bus was waiting at the gate. Teacher Chen was squatting next to the bus, holding an umbrella, and waved when he saw her approaching. “Over here, come on in!”

As soon as Qing Li got on the bus, a rush of cool air enveloped her, making her feel comfortable. She smiled and greeted the other students who had already arrived. Just as she was about to find a seat, a head popped up from further back—Xu Nianhan’s voice called out, “Here!”

Qing Li was taken aback but quickly walked over to sit next to him and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Xu Nianhan’s expression was blank. “I was tricked by Old Chen; he signed me up.”

“Pfft!” Qing Li covered her mouth and stifled a laugh.

Immediately, Xu Nianhan shot her a deadpan stare. “Is that funny?”

“No,” Qing Li tried hard to hold back her laughter but couldn’t resist; her eyes crinkled with joy, and her shoulders shook as she laughed uncontrollably.

She had never guessed that Teacher Chen wanted him to participate. During class, Xu Nianhan would openly play games in the corner and was able to skip the last period like the rest of them. Sometimes, when he grew impatient, he would leave early, and Old Chen never said anything about it.

Seeing her struggle to contain her laughter, Xu Nianhan felt deflated. His face showed a mix of annoyance and melancholy, adding a touch of youthful sorrow to his otherwise gentle and handsome features.

After Qing Li laughed enough, she finally asked, “What’s the situation?”

Xu Nianhan sighed, casting a resentful glance at her. When he caught sight of the glimmer of tears in her bright eyes, he quickly turned away and said, “If I had found you sooner, I could have retrieved my registration form, but Old Chen claimed he had already submitted it. The teacher in charge of organizing the registration materials noticed my name was missing. He found it in Old Chen’s drawer and submitted it along with the others.”

Qing Li: “……”

This was quite a mix-up.

But Xu Nianhan sneered. “I suspect Old Chen did this on purpose! If the registration form was useless, why not destroy it? He just left it in the drawer for someone else to pick up.”

Qing Li smiled slightly and didn’t say anything, letting him vent.

After all, only Old Chen knew whether it was intentional or not.

Xu Nianhan continued, “He said since my name was on the list, I should come here.”

Qing Li comforted him by patting his shoulder. “Since you’re here, just do your best. If you do well, you can still earn money. The school offers a good scholarship.”

Xu Nianhan complained, “Old Chen said exactly what you just did! Once I do well, there’s the league competition in September and the CMO in November…”

“During this time, the amount of training I’ll have to put in doesn’t seem worth it, and there’s no challenge involved.”

Qing Li was at a loss for words. She realized he had already participated last year and had always come in first place. For him, there was no challenge left, and without enough reward, he felt like it was a waste.

She tried to help him brainstorm ideas. “Why don’t you just guess on the test?”

Although that felt a bit unfair to Teacher Chen’s expectations, it would be the best way to minimize losses.

Xu Nianhan cleared his throat and replied vaguely, “I never just fill in random answers. Since I’m already here, I’ll take it step by step.”

“Then good luck!” Qing Li encouraged him.

Xu Nianhan smiled slightly, nodded, and said, “You too!”

Meanwhile, in a nearby neighborhood, a young man stepped out of a car and looked at the unfamiliar buildings. He turned to Old Li for confirmation. “Is it this one?”

Old Li nodded vigorously. “Yes, that’s the one.”

Pei Xiyue maintained a tense expression, taking a deep breath before entering the building. However, since he didn’t have a key card, he had to wait outside for a while until someone inside came out, then quickly slipped in.

The elevator slowly ascended, and he felt increasingly nervous, as if he were running out of breath.

Pei Xiyue never imagined he would find himself in this situation. After the fight that day, his heart raced intensely as he watched Qing Li fight fiercely. Instead of feeling angry, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He felt something was off, especially when he realized he was unconsciously following her figure with his gaze.

Although it was his first experience of having feelings, as a boy nearing eighteen, he understood what this feeling meant.

Pei Xiyue was reluctant to admit that he had developed feelings for a girl he had previously dismissed. To avoid facing this reality, he left home and stayed at his grandmother’s house for half a month.

During this time, he made a conscious effort to avoid Qing Li at school.

Yet, being of the same age, he couldn’t help but catch glimpses of her. She had changed so much, becoming radiant, confident, and exuding an effortlessly charming beauty, making it hard for him to look away.

No matter who she stood next to, Pei Xiyue could always recognize her at first glance.

Even in the crowded playground, with a throng of students heading back to class in identical uniforms, it was still the same.

After struggling for half a month, Pei Xiyue realized he was no longer himself.

Was he really this timid?!

What troubled him the most was that he couldn’t believe the girl he had feelings for was Fu Qing Li, and that he developed feelings for her during a fight.

Pei Xiyue even doubted himself. Did he truly like such a fierce woman?

After being tormented for half a month, he finally couldn’t hold back any longer and decided to face everything head-on. Although it was likely that Fu Qing Li no longer liked him, their engagement still stood, and everyone considered them to be an engaged couple.

In the past, such a situation had troubled him, but now it brought him a sense of relief, and he felt it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

If she could like him once, she could certainly do so again.

However, when Pei Xiyue got into Old Li’s car after school on Friday, he was shocked when Old Li drove away without hesitation. He exclaimed, “Fu Qing Li hasn’t come up yet!”

“Why did you leave without her?”

Old Li turned back, puzzled. “Young Master, don’t you know? Miss Fu has gone to rent a place and isn’t living with the Pei family anymore, so I’m not needed.”

As he spoke, he secretly felt fortunate that there was still someone in the family who needed to go to school; otherwise, he feared he might lose his job.

Pei Xiyue’s expression changed instantly. When he returned and checked Fu Qing Li’s room, he found it was indeed empty. Everything left behind showed no signs of her ever living there; it was as if she had never occupied the space.

Fu Qing Li had always been careful with the Pei family, using expensive things, and afraid to damage anything. She had maintained everything so well over the years that her room still looked brand new. Thanks to her diligence and the frequent cleaning by the servants, there were no signs of wear.

With her departure, it felt as if the connection between them had been severed.

Pei Xiyue felt a deep sense of unease. That night, he tossed and turned, and upon waking up today, he asked Old Li if he knew where Fu Qing Li was living. After getting the answer, he came here.