After the Strategy Failed, the Heroine Turned into a Crematorium - Chapter 24

After receiving the photo Qi Zhi’e sent her, Bian You immediately forwarded it to Assistant Zhou, asking her to put together an outfit that would unmistakably signal their close relationship to anyone who saw them.

Now that they were together, no one had yet heard any explicit confirmation from them, leaving their relationship shrouded in ambiguous speculation.

Assistant Zhou replied with an “OK” emoji, fully understanding her boss’s subtle little intentions. In fact, it was precisely these covert little gestures that convinced her even more that Bian You had never been in a relationship before.

Take the whole matching-couples-outfits-to-show-off-love trick no one even played that game back when she was in school.

Temporarily resolving the dress issue, Bian You smiled faintly, pleased. But then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly opened the system’s control panel. When she saw the progress bar still at zero, she froze.

Staring blankly at that unmistakable “0,” unchanged from the very beginning, she felt a wave of numbness wash over her.

Ever since the system had gone dormant, she rarely needed it except when she had to change her appearance to meet Qi Zhi’e. Gradually, the system’s presence in her life had dwindled to almost nothing.

If she hadn’t just thought to check the progress bar now that they were officially together, she might never have noticed that the number hadn’t budged at all.

Bian You didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling only that her mind had gone completely blank. A violent palpitation spread from her chest throughout her body, but unlike the fluttering of affection, this sensation carried a distinct undercurrent of panic.

Did this mean that even though Qi Zhi’e was with her now, her feelings toward Bian You had never actually changed?

Her fingertips trembled slightly as a suffocating sense of drowning overwhelmed her. She began to doubt should she even trust the system’s cold, numerical assessment?

Could the complexities of human emotions really be reduced to such a sterile metric?

Even as she questioned it, Bian You couldn’t help but feel a tangled mess of emotions disappointment, an inescapable sense of defeat, all weighing heavily on her.

……

On the day of Mi Tao and Zi Qiong’s engagement party that Saturday, Bian You went to pick up Qi Zhi’e so they could head to the venue together. The moment Qi Zhi’e saw her, she immediately sensed something was off.

In the car, she turned to study Bian You.

The bright, adoring eyes that usually sparkled at the sight of her now held only a polite, perfunctory warmth. Even their usual effortless conversations had dried up Bian You no longer seemed eager to fill the silence between them.

Qi Zhi’e looked away, a bitter smirk tugging at her lips.

So, the true nature of an Alpha had finally surfaced.

Had it really taken so little time for her to grow tired of this? Couldn’t she even bother pretending anymore?

Neither spoke, leaving the car oppressively silent. The tension was so thick even the driver grew cautious, barely daring to breathe too loudly.

When they arrived at the venue and the car pulled to a stop, the driver stepped out first to open Bian You’s door. After getting out, Bian You walked around to Qi Zhi’e’s side and opened the door for her.

“A-You!”

The two had just taken their positions when Bian You heard an excited voice calling her name. Looking up, she saw Mi Yue lifting her skirt as she jogged toward them, her joy completely unrestrained.

“Slow down, don’t rush. Be careful not to trip,” Bian You quickly stepped forward to steady Mi Yue, eyeing her voluminous skirt and high heels with a sense of dread.

“Hehe, it’s fine.” Mi Yue brushed it off, her eyes instead sparkling as she looked at Qi Zhi’e. Though she was lively and carefree around Bian You, she suddenly fell silent in Qi Zhi’e’s presence.

Her bright, watery eyes stared unblinkingly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. The way she seemed to hold back words would make anyone think she had feelings for Qi Zhi’e.

Qi Zhi’e: “…”

Bian You was momentarily stunned and nudged Mi Yue’s arm, whispering, “What are you doing?”

Mi Yue turned to her, barely containing her excitement as she whispered back, “She’s so gorgeous!”

Bian You: “…”

“You two look so good together! Can I write fanfiction about you?” Mi Yue added.

Bian You: “…”

Her face turned an odd shade of red.

The fanfictions Mi Yue wrote were… wild.

Just imagining her writing about herself and Qi Zhi’e getting intimate especially when it came from someone she knew personally made Bian You feel indescribably awkward and uncomfortable.

Qi Zhi’e watched as the two Alphas whispered in front of her, their faces reddening after just a few words, and felt nothing but overwhelming complexity.

“How much longer are we standing here?” Qi Zhi’e finally spoke, her tone indifferent.

Hearing this, Mi Yue snapped back to reality and ushered them inside. Mi Tao and the others were still busy, so they hadn’t seen them yet.

As Bian You walked beside Qi Zhi’e, her mind kept circling back to Mi Yue’s comment about them being a good match.

Were they really?

She glanced at Qi Zhi’e, whose expression was cool and distant, lips pressed into a thin line, barely speaking as if everything had reverted to how it was at the very beginning.

Bian You’s chest ached with a sharp pang.

Meeting the Mi family, Bian You finally got to see Mi Tao and Qu Zi Qiong for the first time. Mi Tao was tall and dignified, his every movement exuding refinement, making him seem steady and reliable. Beside him, Qu Zi Qiong was gentle as water, her arm looped through his as they greeted guests together, her soft-spoken demeanor radiating warmth.

Just from this alone, the two really did seem like a perfect match.

“Cousin,” Qu Zi Qiong approached Qi Zhi’e, a sincere smile gracing her delicate features as she said softly, “Grandmother misses you. You should visit her when you have time.”

Qi Zhi’e wasn’t particularly warm toward her cousin. At her words, she merely nodded without committing to a visit.

Her relationship with the Qu family wasn’t close. Ever since her mother married into the Qi family, contact with the Qu side had been minimal. Qi Zhi’e even suspected her mother harbored resentment toward them, which was why she had rarely seen her grandmother growing up.

The engagement banquet was lavish, a clear sign of how seriously both families took this union.

Mi Yue sat beside Bian You, slowly eating a small cake as she mumbled, “I have no idea how my brother, that old cow, managed to snag my sister-in-law, such a tender young sprout.”

“Hmm?” Bian You turned to look at her so it wasn’t a business marriage arrangement after all?

“Don’t look at me, I don’t know either. My brother’s always been quiet and reserved. Who knew when he started dating Qu Ziqiong? Suddenly he just announced they’re getting married. None of us were mentally prepared.” Mi Yue said this with a hint of disdain on her face.

In her view, her brother was already thirty-two while Qu Ziqiong was only twenty-five, a seven-year age gap. She couldn’t believe her brother had the nerve to pursue someone so much younger.

Bian You: “…”

Qi Zhi’e listened quietly, gazing at Qu Ziqiong’s gentle, reserved smile on stage, momentarily lost in thought.

For families like theirs, marriage could often serve as bargaining chips for benefits. Most couldn’t defy their families’ arrangements and would compromise with business marriages. Yet emotionless unions either maintained surface-level harmony or descended into mutual indifference finding genuine mutual affection was as rare as phoenix feathers.

Bian You turned back to look at Qi Zhi’e. After studying her face for a long moment, she reached out and clasped Qi Zhi’e’s hand in hers.

After all… feelings could grow over time, couldn’t they?

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