WBSGVS Chapter 33 V1

Pei Mingjiang was furious, but the angrier he got, the more he had to keep his cool. No matter how upset he was, he only managed to show a facade of anger that a caring elder might display. “You, child, even if Shishi was in the wrong, hitting someone isn’t right! You can’t behave like this, understand?”

Qingli lowered her head, saying nothing, silently expressing her defiance like a wronged child.

Pei Mingjiang smirked coldly, but his tone remained gentle. “Shishi did act inappropriately, but you hit her too, so let’s put this behind us. If anything like this happens again, you must tell Grandpa. I won’t let anyone bully you!”

Hearing this, Qingli reluctantly nodded. “I understand.”

Satisfied, Pei Mingjiang casually added, “I haven’t seen A-Yue since this morning. Is he still sleeping? Qingli, why don’t you go wake him for breakfast? If he sleeps in all morning, he’ll end up staying up all night again.”

Qingli hesitated. “But he’s a boy. I can’t go wake him. Maybe the butler should do it.”

Pei Mingjiang replied as if it were obvious, “You’re engaged. What’s the big deal?”

Qingli was shocked. “But I’m not even an adult yet!”

Pei Mingjiang froze, giving her a suspicious side-eye. Was this girl doing this on purpose? “That doesn’t matter. Families like ours don’t fuss over these things. Lots of people get married right after graduation.”

Qingli shyly smiled. “I’m sorry, Grandpa Pei, but I like someone else, so I don’t want to get involved with another guy.”

Qingli was a very pretty girl, a little on the frail side, but with fair skin, clear eyes, and delicate features. She had her bangs brushed back, revealing her smooth forehead and bright eyes that sparkled when she smiled like they held stars. And the boy she liked was that star.

Pei Mingjiang looked at her, momentarily dazed as if remembering something. His expression darkened for a moment before quickly softening again. “You’re still young. Don’t let boys from outside trick you. A-Yue grew up with you—what better relationship could you ask for?”

Qingli covered her mouth and giggled. “Grandpa Pei, you’re joking, right? A-Yue’s always disliked me. Where’s the love in that?”

Pei Mingjiang was speechless.

He couldn’t even argue. Even if he didn’t pay much attention to Qingli, he knew his grandson couldn’t stand the fiancée he had pushed onto him. While things were going the way he wanted, losing control early was a bit troublesome.

Still, hearing her words sparked a thought. Qingli must not have a boy she liked. She was just planning to give up after being cold-shouldered by his grandson. “That kid’s always had a sharp tongue and doesn’t express himself well. But childhood friends are far better than people you know nothing about. You can’t just do as you please.”

Qingli pressed her lips together and smiled without replying. She wouldn’t mess around. She only cared about getting revenge~

Pei Mingjiang didn’t press for an answer. Their brief conversation had already left him so irritated that he could hardly breathe. After finishing what he had to say, he stood up and headed upstairs, with the butler Uncle Wei supporting him. Otherwise, he couldn’t even walk steadily.

How infuriating!

If it weren’t for the benefits Lin Hengzhi brought, he would’ve made that girl regret it already!

At the stairway’s corner, Pei Mingjiang’s face turned icy, his affable mask completely gone. After all his years of success, she was the first person to anger him to the point where he couldn’t vent!

He sneered. Doesn’t like my grandson?

He didn’t believe it for a second!

With a gloomy expression, Pei Mingjiang ordered, “Tell the young master not to go out today. I have something to discuss with him.”

“Understood,” the butler nodded, also puzzled. Why, if he disliked Fu Qingli so much, didn’t he just get rid of her?

A girl like her wasn’t a good match for Pei Xiyue at all!

As a businessman, this arrangement didn’t make any sense.

After filling her stomach, Qingli went for a walk before returning to her room to study. After the way she had beaten Wen Shishi the day before, the mental block she had been carrying completely vanished. Her studies flowed smoothly, and she became so engrossed that she lost track of time.

It made sense now why in the past she hadn’t noticed when the physics teacher approached while she was solving math problems. The original Qingli genuinely loved studying, completely absorbed in it, much like how she had loved Pei Xiyue for so many years.

No matter how much she was hurt, she never gave up.

This pure heart made Qingli focus intensely on her studies, blocking out the chaos of the world around her.

The more she concentrated on her academics, the easier it would be to achieve success in the future. Thinking of it this way made Pei Mingjiang and Wen Shishi even more detestable.

If not for them, with her natural talents, the original Qingli wouldn’t have had her potential ruined, ending up in prison where she took her own life.

Qingli became so engrossed in her studies that she even forgot to go downstairs for lunch.

After the events of the previous day, the servants dared not slack off. When she didn’t come down, they brought the food to her. She ate, rested for a bit, and then resumed studying. She did what she could and set aside the problems she couldn’t solve yet.

Once she had enough questions, she planned to ask Xu Nianhan all at once. Bothering him too often might annoy him.

At three in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door.

At first, Qingli didn’t hear it. Only when the knocking grew louder did she snap out of her concentration and call for them to enter.

It was Uncle Wei. “Qingli, the master bought some new movies and wants you to watch them with him.”

Qingli shook her head. “No, I need to do my homework.”

Uncle Wei smiled. “It’ll only be an hour or two. The master’s lonely watching by himself. He cares for you so much. Are you going to let him sit all alone watching a movie?”

With that, Qingli couldn’t refuse. She grabbed her phone and followed Uncle Wei out.

The screening room was on the first floor, converted from two rooms into a small home theater with massage chairs, a snack bar, sofas, and more. Usually, Pei Xiyue brought friends over to hang out there.

When Qingli entered, the movie had already started. The room was dimly lit, and she could barely make out a figure sitting on the sofa.

The door clicked shut behind her, and the person on the sofa turned around, calling, “Grandpa?”

The next second, the voice turned cold. “You again?!”

It wasn’t Pei Mingjiang sitting there but Pei Xiyue.

Qingli immediately understood. Pei Mingjiang, not wanting to lose control over her, had deliberately set this up, playing the businessman’s game to perfection.

Qingli said nothing, but Pei Xiyue grew even angrier. He walked past her to the door, trying to open it, only to find it locked. His face darkened, and he snarled, “This is quite the move. Getting Grandpa to help you set me up like this. Fu Qingli, I underestimated you.”

Qingli spoke calmly, “I didn’t know about this. Uncle Wei called me over, too.”

“Pfft.” Xi Yue sneered. “Of course, you didn’t know. It’s all Grandpa’s doing, right? You think these little tricks will make me like you? You don’t even realize, you’re just a bumpkin from who-knows-where. Just being allowed to live in the Pei family is already a blessing, yet you still dream of being with me?”

His words became more and more offensive, causing Qingli to furrow her brow. Without hesitation, she grabbed a bag of snacks nearby and threw it at him, hitting him square in the face with a loud “thud!”

Her voice turned cold, “I said I don’t want to be with you. If you keep talking like this, do you believe I’ll beat you up?”

Unlike Wen Shi, who had no fighting experience, Xi Yue was quick. He easily caught the bag of snacks and squeezed it hard, causing it to explode in his hands. “Then how do you explain this situation?”

Qingli sat down on a single-seater couch and opened her phone. “Grandpa Pei had Uncle Wei call me to watch a movie with him. Relax, once the movie’s over, the door will probably be unlocked. After that, I won’t say another word to you.”

With that, she fell silent, downloading a drawing app on her phone. She opened a blank page and began working on an advanced math problem, using her finger to write on the screen. After finishing the problem, she took a screenshot and sent it to Xu Nianhan via WeChat.

Thankfully, Qingli had a great memory. When Uncle Wei called her earlier, she had been reviewing the problems she didn’t get right, so this gave her something to pass the time.

Before long, her phone vibrated with a new message. Qingli glanced at it, then returned to her drawing app and continued working on the problem. She completely ignored Xi Yue, who was still standing there stiffly.

Xi Yue, who had been convinced this was all Qingli’s scheme, was now at a loss. He had already said his harsh words, but she didn’t seem to care at all. He couldn’t exactly hit her, could he?

Plus, his anger stemmed from the belief that she had orchestrated all of this. But judging by her behavior, it seemed like…

She had changed since that day.

She no longer tiptoed around, trying to please everyone. She even stood up to Wen Shi and Auntie. He had heard about last night’s incident but didn’t bother to intervene since it involved Qingli.

Could she be trying to break off the engagement?

Xi Yue quickly dismissed the idea. After seeing the lengths she went to just to get close to him in the past, it was hard to believe. She didn’t even back down when other girls bullied her for her feelings toward him.

His face darkened, and he found a seat far away from her. They sat at opposite ends of the room, leaving the best spot for watching the movie empty. He pulled out his phone and randomly picked a game to play.

The romantic comedy, which had only been out for a few days, continued to play, showing the protagonists’ playful bickering and growing attraction. Neither Qingli nor Xi Yue glanced up at the screen.

As the game loaded, Xi Yue stole a glance at Qingli and realized she wasn’t paying attention to him at all. She was focused on her phone.

Curious, he tried to sneak a peek at her screen but couldn’t see much.

They sat quietly doing their own thing without disturbing each other. Halfway through the movie, Qingli finally moved.

Xi Yue, who had been watching her out of the corner of his eye, perked up, thinking he had finally caught her in the act. But all she did was shift positions and continue using her phone.

Xi Yue felt a mix of relief and disappointment. He couldn’t help but say, “You’ve changed a lot.”

Qingli looked up at him briefly, then returned her attention to her phone without a word.

Annoyed at being ignored, Xi Yue raised his voice, “Hey! Why aren’t you talking?”

This time, Qingli didn’t even glance at him.

Xi Yue, who had never been treated like this before, was both frustrated and confused. Maybe she had changed her mind about him? Still feeling annoyed, he moved closer to her. “I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me?”

Qingli leaned away from him and said, “I told you, I won’t speak to you again. Please stop talking to me, you’re interrupting.”