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Xu Qingli immediately dismissed her own speculation. Although the novel mentioned Wen Qiaozhou’s uncanny ability to read people’s minds, to the point where it almost seemed as if he possessed actual mind-reading skills, it was ultimately just a metaphor the author used. He didn’t actually have mind-reading abilities.
She couldn’t afford to lose her composure now.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Qingli forced herself to remain calm. “President Wen, what are you talking about?”
“You looked like you’d disconnected for a moment…” Wen Qiaozhou, realizing he might have revealed too much, quickly backtracked. “Have you reconnected now?”
Xu Qingli secretly breathed a sigh in relief. She knew it! It wasn’t that easy for someone to see into another person’s mind. Their thought processes had simply overlapped for a moment.
Still, it was strange that her thought process could align with Wen Qiaozhou’s.
Her friends had always said her way of thinking was unusual, something most people couldn’t follow.
“I wasn’t disconnected…” Xu Qingli naturally refused to admit it, stubbornly insisting, “I just didn’t expect you to be here…”
As she spoke, she turned to look at Wen Xiangxiang, hoping the girl would help her out of this awkward situation.
But the little princess, who had earlier claimed to fear nothing in the world, had already quietly turned her back, pretending to know nothing. Whether she was afraid of Wen Qiaozhou or simply found the two of them unbearable to watch was unclear.
Xu Qingli: “…”
“What do you need?” Fortunately, Wen Qiaozhou swiftly changed the subject, easing her discomfort.
Xu Qingli hurriedly replied, “Just any piece of paper and a pen will do.”
After this little episode, her desire to draw had significantly diminished. She should have just asked the butler for a plain A4 sheet—no, better yet, she shouldn’t have brought up drawing at all.
“Come here.” Wen Qiaozhou turned and walked behind the bookshelves, forcing Xu Qingli to follow him.
Once they rounded the first row of shelves, she realized the space was far more expansive than she’d imagined. Rows upon rows of meticulously arranged bookshelves made this less of a study and more of a private library.
After passing six or seven more shelves, Wen Qiaozhou stopped and gestured for her to look ahead. “We have all kinds of paper here. Have a look and see which one you need.”
Xu Qingli glanced up and was met with a dazzling array. They even had antique-grade archival paper among the collection.
However, she felt too awkward to rummage through someone else’s belongings. She simply picked up a sheet of rice paper nearby. “This one will do. Thank you, President Wen.”
Wen Qiaozhou watched as she remained outwardly composed, while the little figure in her mind scrambled up the bookshelf like a monkey, touching and flipping through everything with glee, eyes crinkled into delighted crescents. He nearly burst out laughing.
“You can take anything you like,” Wen Qiaozhou offered. “There’s plenty more in storage.”
“No need, I wouldn’t use much anyway.” Xu Qingli politely declined. “Thank you, President Wen.”
Meanwhile, the little figure in her mind now dangled precariously from the edge of a shelf, swinging its tiny feet as it stared in Wen Qiaozhou’s direction. Its expression was a mix of regret, envy, and resentment, with two thought bubbles slowly forming beside its head: [Ugh! Flaunting wealth like that!] and [Damn capitalists!]
Wen Qiaozhou: “…”
For the first time, being insulted didn’t anger him, in fact, it only made him feel like laughing even more.
“Shall we look at pens next?” Wen Qiaozhou considerately led her around a couple more times.
This time, Xu Qingli moved even faster, grabbing a drawing pencil before turning to leave. “This is enough. Thank you, President Wen.”
Then, it suddenly occurred to her that Wen Xiangxiang hadn’t followed them inside.
Where was she? Still standing by the entrance like she was being punished?
After weaving through the rows of bookshelves, she looked up, only to find the doorway empty.
Xu Qingli: “…”
Where was Miss Wen?
Did she leave without even saying goodbye?
Forget it, she should hurry and leave too.
Just the thought of being alone with Wen Qiaozhou made her scalp prickle with unease.
“I’m going to find Xiangxiang,” Xu Qingli said quickly. “Goodbye, President Wen. Thank you for the paper and pen.”
Just as she finished speaking and was about to leave, the butler suddenly appeared at the door: “Miss Xu.”
“Huh?” Xu Qingli looked at him as if he were a lifeline. “Have you seen Xiangxiang?”
“Miss Xiangxiang said she had urgent business and left first,” the butler replied. “She asked you to enjoy yourself and said she’d find you to draw another time.”
Then, turning to Wen Qiaozhou, he added, “President Wen, Miss Xiangxiang also asked you to take care of Miss Xu.”
Wen Qiaozhou nodded, appearing perfectly agreeable. “Of course.”
Xu Qingli: “…”
Snap! The lifeline had broken.
Wen Xiangxiang, that traitor! Who did she come here for in the first place? How could she just run off without a word? So cruel!
Even worse, she had the nerve to ask Wen Qiaozhou to “take care” of her. Was that really taking care of her? That was practically a death sentence for her!
Why didn’t she dare say that to Wen Qiaozhou’s face?
After delivering his message, the butler swiftly disappeared from the doorway, giving Xu Qingli no chance to ask further questions.
Xu Qingli: “…”
Who would’ve thought this elderly-looking butler could move so fast? Having him guard the estate was obviously a waste of his talent.
“Um…” Though inwardly fuming, Xu Qingli didn’t dare show it. She turned back to Wen Qiaozhou and handed him the paper and pen, saying softly, “Seems I won’t need these after all, but thank you anyway.”
Wen Qiaozhou observed the little figure in her mind, weeping two thick streams of tears while clutching a broken blade of grass, looking utterly dejected. He wondered what sort of emotional turmoil she’d just gone through in such a short time. Instead of taking the items, he asked, “Were you really that eager to draw for Wen Xiangxiang?”
She seemed to hold Wen Xiangxiang and Shu Ruan in particularly high regard, as the mental images she conjured of them were always beautiful.
Unlike him, who still hadn’t made an appearance in her inner thoughts.
Wen Qiaozhou found this to be quite odd. Logically speaking, he and Xu Qingli had interacted quite a bit by now, so why was there still no mental image of him?
Was she too afraid to imagine him, or simply unwilling to?
Humans were strange creatures, he mused. Normally, he couldn’t care less about how others perceived him, dismissing such thoughts as soon as they arose. Yet with Xu Qingli, the lack of an answer only made him more curious.
Faced with his question, Xu Qingli had no choice but to answer honestly, “It wasn’t so much about drawing; Xiangxiang was in a bad mood earlier, so I wanted to distract her with something else, but since she’s busy now, there’s no need for it anymore.”
She thought she had made herself perfectly clear to him, but Wen Qiaozhou’s takeaway was different—so she really could draw.
Every time he glimpsed the scenes in Xu Qingli’s mind, he wondered if she was an artist instead of an actress.
Though imagination and artistic skill were two separate things, and having one didn’t guarantee the other, the level of detail in Xu Qingli’s inner world was extraordinary. Many of the nuanced touches she envisioned weren’t something just anyone could conceive, yet she consistently fleshed out every detail in mere moments.
At first, Wen Qiaozhou thought it was because her mind was simply too active, her imagination running wild. Later, it suddenly occurred to him that some details might not actually be things she was actively thinking about at the moment, but simply habits that had become second nature to her.
Now, it was confirmed that she could indeed draw. Moreover, she had proactively offered to draw for Wen Xiangxiang. Combined with the artistic style he had seen in her inner world, he estimated her skills were quite impressive.
Wen Qiaozhou grew increasingly curious about Xu Qingli.
He had carefully reviewed her detailed background.
She was an orphan, raised in a welfare institution since childhood.
Having volunteered before, Wen Qiaozhou had visited welfare institutions and had some understanding of life there. It wasn’t as if the children starved, but the conditions were far from ideal, and there certainly wasn’t extra money for them to cultivate artistic pursuits.
Xu Qingli had only gotten the chance to learn dance because of her exceptional physical attributes, along with a stroke of luck—a grandson of a renowned dancer had been abducted and ended up in the welfare institution. When the elderly dancer traced the news and came to retrieve his grandson, he happened to notice Xu Qingli’s potential and arranged for her to study dance.
However, after the elderly dancer passed away, the training center he sponsored encountered some issues, and the welfare institution couldn’t afford the extra expenses, forcing Xu Qingli to discontinue her dance lessons.
Given her circumstances, it was highly unlikely she had the opportunity to learn how to draw. Did she pick it up after entering the entertainment industry? Or was her talent for art even greater, and hadn’t been uncovered yet?
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
“Come sit here first,” Wen Qiaozhou said with growing interest, pulling out a nearby chair.
Xu Qingli: “Huh?”
Why wasn’t he letting her leave yet?
Wen Qiaozhou glanced at her, “What? Don’t want to stay with me?”
“No, not at all,” Xu Qingli hurriedly waved her hands, not daring to meet his eyes. “Absolutely not.”
Even if she did, she wouldn’t dare say so. He was her boss, after all!
“Then sit,” Wen Qiaozhou said, picking up the teapot and pouring her a cup of water before sliding it toward her. “Do you know why Wen Xiangxiang is in a bad mood?”
Xu Qingli hesitated before sitting down. Was Wen Qiaozhou just concerned about his little sister1?
Although the novel described their relationship as strained, with Wen Qiaozhou barely acknowledging this cousin from a branch family, let alone having any affection for her, many details now suggested that reality differed somewhat from the novel.
Wen Xiangxiang wasn’t as domineering as portrayed in the novel, so perhaps Wen Qiaozhou did have some feelings for this little sister of his, even if he rarely showed it.
Should she tell him the truth, then?
Would Wen Qiaozhou hold a grudge against Shu Ruan and Huo Wanfeng because of Wen Xiangxiang?
In the novel, Wen Qiaozhou’s eventual descent into becoming the villain stemmed from irreconcilable conflicts with the male and female leads.
But from what she could see now, their relationship seemed to be quite good, with no apparent friction.
Could Wen Xiangxiang’s situation become the starting point of their conflict?
Originally, neither the male and female leads, nor the antagonist, had anything to do with her. She didn’t plan to alter anyone’s fate just because she had some foreknowledge from transmigrating into the novel. However, as someone with social anxiety, she feared causing trouble or inadvertently creating conflict. Although she couldn’t control others’ disputes, she also didn’t want to be the one who sparked them.
Xu Qingli was utterly torn, her cheeks flushing slightly as she struggled with whether to tell the truth.
Wen Qiaozhou could see her hesitation but couldn’t quite grasp what she was so conflicted about.
Just as he was about to ask, he saw the head of Shu Ruan pop up in front of the little girl. The little figure of Xu Qingli quickly ran over, gently hugged Shu Ruan’s head, and pressed it back into the void, refusing to let it reappear.
Wen Qiaozhou: ?
He was even more confused now. What exactly was she doing?
Immediately after, Huo Wanfeng’s head also popped up. His style was similar to Shu Ruan’s, with his facial features proportionally scaled down, making him easily recognizable.
However, Xu Qingli was far less gentle with Huo Wanfeng than she had been with Shu Ruan. She somehow produced a hammer out of nowhere and gave his head a solid thwack, knocking him straight back down into the void. Seemingly still worried he might pop up again, she even hammered the spot where his head had disappeared a few more times for good measure.
It was like she was playing whack-a-mole.
Wen Qiaozhou even saw Huo Wanfeng retreat with a head full of colorful stars spinning around him.
Wen Qiaozhou had initially been a little put out that Huo Wanfeng had a little figure in her head and not him—but now, the feeling of complete satisfaction truly set in, and he couldn’t help letting out a soft chuckle.
Xu Qingli: ?
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- Cousins can still refer to each other as little sister, brother, etc. ↩︎
