The Beloved One Is Always Coveted - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

◎The Family Head’s Command◎

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t do it on purpose.” Yu Li’s voice was even lower, her fingers clutching the iron banister were white from the force.

Qi Xue didn’t move closer. She stood frozen, watching Yu Li for a while, then asked in a probing tone: “Don’t you remember me?”

Remember?

Of course, she remembered. She was Qi Xue, the notorious bully of Twelfth High.

Yu Li secretly looked up, then quickly looked down before Qi Xue noticed.

She thought Qi Xue was a bit strange, muttering to herself that she hadn’t heard Qi Xue had a twin sister.

And what did that question mean?

She honestly shook her head. Although she and Qi Xue were at Twelfth High together, they had never exchanged a word, so they weren’t acquainted.

“It’s okay if you don’t remember. By the way, why didn’t you go to school today?” A flash of disappointment crossed Qi Xue’s face, but she naturally changed the subject.

Yu Li looked up, mumbled, and tried to brush it off, but Qi Xue interrupted her.

“Uh… don’t misunderstand. I was just curious because I didn’t see you on the bus today.” Qi Xue scratched her head and added something out of thin air: “I wasn’t that curious. It’s just weird for a straight-A student not to go to school…”

Weird?

A flicker of confusion crossed Yu Li’s eyes. She didn’t want to stay long with Qi Xue. Seeing that Qi Xue didn’t seem to intend to hit her, she simply replied, “I transferred schools,” and started to walk around her to go upstairs.

“Transferred schools?!” Qi Xue muttered softly, her eyes widening in shock. She suddenly turned around and grabbed Yu Li’s wrist.

Suddenly being pulled back irritated Yu Li, but the moment she saw Qi Xue’s “school bully” face, she dared not show any reaction.

“Qi Xue, is there anything else?”

Yu Li asked her patiently, but inwardly, she was worried that Qi Xue regretted letting her go.

The other girl seemed to snap back to reality, awkwardly letting go of her hand, a look of embarrassment on her face: “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I reacted so strongly.”

Yu Li quietly put her hand behind her back, adding “moody” to her impression of Qi Xue, but her expression remained gentle: “It’s fine.”

“Yu Li, can I ask which school you transferred to?” Qi Xue seemed to have done a lot of mental preparation before asking, and before Yu Li could answer, she quickly explained: “I… I’m just curious. Your grades were so good, why did you suddenly transfer?”

Yu Li narrowed her eyes, somewhat doubting if the person in front of her was really Qi Xue.

Her gaze shifted from the small window at the stairwell corner to Qi Xue’s silver ear cuff. The evening glow outside enveloped half of Qi Xue’s body, dyeing even her earlobe a shade of red.

“Huizhi. It was my mother’s decision.”

Yu Li retracted her gaze, thinking about how to present her request to stay home for a few days to the Tang Family Head. Her wording had to be pitiful, her tone weak, and not confrontational. She believed Tang Nianyi was an easygoing person and would probably agree… right?

Qi Xue didn’t ask further. She knew Huizhi was a long-established aristocratic school, and even if she was unwilling, there was nothing she could say.

Watching Yu Li go upstairs, she slowly descended the stairs, hugging the right side of the wall. When she turned the corner, a sleek tabby cat suddenly darted up.

The cat was an old acquaintance of Qi Xue’s. It was docile and not afraid of people. Seeing Qi Xue, it rubbed against her, meowing affectionately.

Qi Xue squatted down, took a cat treat from her pocket, tore open the packaging, and fed it to the tabby. While petting the cat from its head to the tip of its tail, she muttered:

“Xiaohua, why doesn’t she remember me?”

Xiaohua was happily eating and didn’t have time to pay attention to her. Qi Xue was alone, depressed and helpless. She glanced upward several times but couldn’t see Yu Li’s shadow.

She went to Huizhi. Will she not come back anymore?

Will I ever see her again?

Will those arrogant young ladies who look down on people bully her?

She’s so quiet, obedient, and shy. Will she be isolated by the young ladies at Huizhi?

Qi Xue became annoyed by her thoughts and even became irritated with the tabby cat eating the treat. So, she stroked Xiaohua’s fur backward, from tail to head.

This made Xiaohua unhappy. It stopped purring, jumped onto the windowsill with a meow, and started grooming itself.

Meanwhile, Yu Li used the key she always carried to unlock the door and enter.

The house was just as it had been when she left yesterday. Pink and white slippers were in the shoe cabinet. Yu Li bent down to change her shoes and went into the room to get her phone.

The house wasn’t big a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, over fifty square meters, more than enough for one person.

There was a message from Zhou Qingyu on her phone, asking why she had suddenly transferred schools.

Zhou Qingyu was her deskmate in her first year of high school and happened to live in the same community. Their families felt at ease with the two girls walking to and from school together.

However, after the class division, she chose science while Zhou Qingyu chose humanities, so they weren’t in the same class anymore.

Yu Li sat on the bed and used the same perfunctory words she used with Qi Xue to reply to Zhou Qingyu.

She wasn’t the type of person to open up to others, so her relationship with Zhou Qingyu had always been detached. They would talk a few words on the way to school, and occasionally greet each other when they met at school, but she didn’t genuinely care about her.

It was 5:30 PM, the evening glow in the sky was at its peak. Yu Li held her breath and dialed the number.

Yang Zhuo said it was Tang Nianyi’s private number, and she trusted Yang Zhuo.

But making her first call to a major figure in the financial world, she was nervous down to every strand of hair.

While waiting for the connection, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had pressed a wrong digit, if she had called the wrong number, or if the Family Head wouldn’t answer calls from strangers.

She was so worried that when the call connected and a low, husky female voice came through the phone, Yu Li was slow to react, unconsciously holding her breath.

“Hello?”

“Hello, I’m Yu Li. You saw me yesterday.” Yu Li carefully replied, constantly weighing her words.

“Of course, I remember. Yu Li, how was your first day of school?” Tang Nianyi chuckled and asked about Yu Li with great familiarity.

Yu Li paused, remembering the experience in the equipment room. She forced a smile and said, “The classmates are all very nice. Thank you for your concern.”

Her voice held a hint of timidity. Unaware that Tang Nianyi already knew about her failed escape from Yang Zhuo, she took a long moment to gather her courage before slowly opening her mouth: “I… I’m still not quite used to it. Can I stay home for a few days?”

After finally getting the words out, she worried that the Family Head wouldn’t allow it. She quickly added: “Not for long, a week at most! I can promise you!”

Tang Nianyi’s voice on the phone wasn’t loud, but the office was quiet now. Her partners were waiting for her to finish the call to finalize the details, but they inwardly listened intently to the voice on the phone, wondering if the caller was her daughter or a lover.

Tang Nianyi’s eyes held a smile. She liked Yu Li’s attitude towards her. She didn’t consider the context in which Yu Li was saying this and immediately agreed.

“You don’t need to promise me. That’s your home. You can stay as long as you want.”

Before the joy could settle in Yu Li’s heart, she added: “Can I ask for a reason? Are you also uncomfortable staying with your mother?”

Tang Nianyi’s tone wasn’t cold; it was even a polite inquiry, but it instantly doubled Yu Li’s pressure.

She held the phone, a cold sweat breaking out on her back, and stammered: “N-no, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it? I’m curious, can you tell me, Yu Li?”

Tang Nianyi pressed on unhurriedly, like an old pro on the tennis court, easily spiking the ball back at her.

“It’s…” Sweat beaded on Yu Li’s forehead. Her hands were wet when she touched them, and she mumbled, unable to answer.

She wanted to avoid Tang Xi, but she couldn’t reveal what Tang Xi had done to her. Finally, she suddenly stood up and stammered out:

“…I have trouble sleeping in a strange bed.”

Yu Li was almost in despair. The time was short and the task was hard. She truly couldn’t find a better excuse and could only submit that ridiculous, perfunctory answer.

If this were an exam, she would only get points for neatness.

The phone line suddenly went quiet. Yu Li felt all the strength drain from her body because of that “strange bed” excuse. She collapsed back onto the bed, waiting for the verdict.

The client quietly turned their head, pretending to look at the scenery, but in reality, hiding their twitching mouth.

The more they listened, the more they thought the person on the phone was Boss Tang’s young lover, after all, neither of her daughters was named Yu Li.

Tang Nianyi’s eyes crinkled with amusement. Her fingertip hooked a fountain pen and tapped it on the pear-wood desk. She said slowly: “Then you really do need to get used to it.”

“So, I…?” Yu Li held the phone, somewhat uncertain. The good news had come too quickly, leaving her disoriented.

“I will notify Yang Zhuo. Yu Li, you can rest assured and stay at home.”

Even after the call ended, Yu Li felt a sense of unreality. Her superficial excuse had been approved by the big boss!

But in a flash, the evening glow outside faded, and she thought that life was truly magical. She had to humbly beg someone to stay in her own home. How ridiculous.

She ate dinner at home.

Yu Li knew how to cook. When her mother wasn’t home, she took good care of herself.

There weren’t many vegetables in the fridge, but she could make a bowl of tomato and egg noodles, and Yu Li was satisfied.

While chopping vegetables, her phone rang. It was an unknown number. Fearing it was Tang Xi, she nervously answered, but it was Yang Zhuo.

“I will pick you up for school tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, no need. I can go by myself.” Yu Li quickly refused. She was grateful to Yang Zhuo and felt she shouldn’t trouble her further.

“This is the Family Head’s command. And for dismissal as well.” Yang Zhuo was very cold, informing Yu Li in an almost notification-like tone that she had to travel to and from school with Yang Zhuo.

Knowing it was a command, she couldn’t refuse. She could only say, “Thank you for your trouble.”

The call was immediately hung up. Yu Li felt complicated, with a sense that her life was being completely controlled.

The water in the pot hadn’t boiled yet when the doorbell rang again. Yu Li turned off the stove and opened the door, immediately seeing a mass of bright red hair.

Qi Xue held half of a red, sandy watermelon in her arms. Her usually aloof eyes were smiling, with a hint of appeasement, somehow looking a bit like… a husky.

Yu Li stood at the door, confusion rising in her heart, “Qi Xue?”

“My grandmother bought a watermelon, but she can’t eat cold things. She asked me to bring half up for you. I tasted it; it’s very sweet.”

Qi Xue explained, quickly placing the half-watermelon in Yu Li’s hands, as if afraid she wouldn’t accept it.

Yu Li’s hand was faster than her eyes, catching the watermelon the moment Qi Xue let go. She wanted to decline, but Qi Xue had already clattered down the stairs, too quickly to even hear a thank you.

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