What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Little Sister

At 8:30 PM, a new hovercar pulled up at the winery entrance.

Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu had been waiting there since receiving word. When they saw Ren Qi step out of the vehicle, they asked, “Where is the mechanical expert?”

Despite being busy all day, Secretary Ren remained meticulous from head to toe, her back as straight as a rod. She turned sideways, gesturing behind her. “Arrived.”

She had just finished dealing with Shu Mufeng’s affairs at the hospital when she received a new task from her boss. As an iron-blooded worker, she had no complaints and had perfectly completed the mission of transporting the relevant personnel on her way.

…In fact, she had exceeded expectations. A gold-medal subordinate anticipates what the boss hasn’t even worried about yet; during the brief interval while waiting for people, she had spent five minutes grabbing a sandwich and hot milk for Shu Xuanmin.

Shu Qiong’s gaze swept past the shopping bag in the secretary’s hand and landed behind Ren Qi, spotting a little “bean sprout” who wasn’t even as tall as her leg.

The little girl wasn’t shy at all. Clutched in her fingers were the straps of her aqua-blue overalls. A pair of lively, round eyes blinked incessantly as she poked her head out from behind Ren Qi, engaging in a staring contest with Shu Qiong.

“…And this is?”

Shu Qiong obviously didn’t think this three-head-tall toddler was the mechanical expert; she was just curious.

Before the secretary could answer, the child spoke up loudly: “My name is Qi Lian, and my sister is Qi Yuan!” After speaking, she puffed out her little chest proudly, looking quite smug.

Shu Qiong found it amusing. With a twinkle in her eye, she began to tease the child: “Oh? Isn’t Qi Yuan a big star? Does that make you a big star too?”

Qi Lian clenched her fist solemnly. “Currently… not yet.”

To preserve the toddler’s dignity, Shu Qiong didn’t laugh out loud.

Then, Qi Lian showed a very conflicted expression and looked up. “But I’ve changed my mind recently. Having one big star in the family is enough. Although it’s a bit of a waste of my face, I heard that being a star can be dangerous.”

Shu Qiong ignored the slightly narcissistic self-praise, assuming the kid was giving up on her showbiz dreams out of fear.

As it turned out, Qi Lian was wise beyond her years—who knows where she learned it—and let out a staged sigh: “I think I’ll just be my sister’s bodyguard. Otherwise, how dangerous would it be for her to be out there alone?”

Shu Qiong half-squatted and lightly pinched the child’s soft, white cheek. “Quite the ambitious plan.”

Qi Lian feigned anger, slapping away Shu Qiong’s mischievous hand. She moved away with hands on her hips, retreating to Yan Xiangyu’s side. “Of course!”

Unexpectedly, Yan Xiangyu reached down, grabbed her back collar, and lifted the entire “pup” off the ground. Qi Lian felt her legs dangle, and before she could react, she was placed right back in front of Shu Qiong, whose “devil claws” were reaching out again.

This time, however, Shu Qiong didn’t pinch her face. Instead, she patted the child’s rounded belly. “If you want to protect your sister, you need to eat more and grow tall and strong. Bad guys should run just by looking at you. One punch from you should send them flying two blocks away.”

Qi Lian didn’t even bother dodging Shu Qiong’s hand on her belly; instead, she turned to look at Yan Xiangyu with shock and condemnation. Yan Xiangyu remained completely unmoved, standing by with her arms crossed, not even glancing at the kid.

Shu Qiong continued to fuss over the little overalls. The outfit clearly looked like it had been chosen with care by family; the little girl looked exquisite and adorable, and Shu Qiong found her quite charming.

Yan Xiangyu’s gaze landed on the curve of Shu Qiong’s lips. She asked, “Do you like children?”

Shu Qiong immediately shook her head. “No, I only like kids like ‘Little Qi.’ Fun. Low maintenance.”

The “Future Big Star turned Gold-Medal Bodyguard Candidate” Qi Lian widened her eyes at the irreverent nickname “Little Qi.” She stared for a while, processed it in her head, and then waved her hand magnanimously. “Fine, seeing as you like me.”

Yan Xiangyu’s gaze finally shifted from Shu Qiong to Qi Lian, making the latter feel a bit uneasy. After all, she was just a child, and Yan Xiangyu was tall and unsmiling. Qi Lian was a bit intimidated by her and somehow didn’t dare to be as impudent with her as she was with Shu Qiong.

So, she cleared her throat with feigned nonchalance. “Where is my sister? I’m here to take her home.”

Nearby, Secretary Ren, who had been busy handing over work details, took a moment to reply: “She’s on her way; she’ll be out in a moment.” Then she went back to listening to the report on the Elk Winery situation.

Seeing this, Shu Qiong could only marvel at the woman’s profound capabilities—she truly had eyes and ears everywhere. Considering the bag she just sent to Shu Xuanmin and this seamless workflow, it was clear who the cousin’s true “number one” was. With this level of situational awareness, Su Chen, how do you even compete?

Qi Lian’s grand plan of escaping was foiled, so she had to stay with Yan Xiangyu and wait for her sister.

During this time, Shu Qiong finally met the mechanical expert stepping out of the hovercar. This middle-aged woman had been correcting data for her thesis in the car, which was why she was delayed. She pushed up her glasses, carrying a small toolbox, and got straight to the point: “What model is the firearm?”

Shu Qiong actually liked this no-nonsense personality. She handed over the pocket pistol and added a warning: “There is a listening device inside.”

“Understood.” The woman nodded. A faint, almost invisible light flickered across her lenses, and a rare glimmer of interest appeared in her eyes. “Where did you get this? Such precise construction—modifying it will indeed be tricky.” With that, she opened her toolbox on the spot for a preliminary scan.

Shu Qiong smiled. Being related to the Procuratorate and produced by the Alliance officials, it was naturally different from standard civilian models. In fact, Shu Qiong had some knowledge of firearms herself; after all, her day job was a prospective mecha master. However, she didn’t specialize in weapons, and the pocket pistol model was too new—she was afraid of breaking it, which was why she contacted a professional.

Seeing she wasn’t talking, the expert didn’t pry further. Dropping a “Ready in two days,” she put away the pistol, grabbed her toolbox, and returned to the car. She was truly efficient—not a single wasted movement or word.

After she left, the scene fell into silence again. Qi Lian stole a glance at Yan Xiangyu and realized that after the expert’s interruption, Yan Xiangyu was no longer looking at her. She let out a quiet sigh of relief and began muttering to herself.

The child’s thoughts were written all over her face. Shu Qiong deliberately nudged Yan Xiangyu’s arm. “Smile a bit. Little Qi is scared of you.”

So, under Qi Lian’s horrified gaze, Yan Xiangyu actually quirked the corners of her mouth. Qi Lian’s body jolted, and she took two large steps back.

Seeing this, Yan Xiangyu’s smile became more genuine. She raised a brow at the kid, making it clear she had just been scaring her on purpose. Childish, too childish.

Shu Qiong decided to rehabilitate Yan Xiangyu’s image in front of the little girl. She volunteered: “Don’t be fooled by this sister’s cold appearance. She’s actually very impressive and very good at fighting.”

Qi Lian clearly didn’t believe it, tilting her neck away from Yan Xiangyu and pouting.

Shu Qiong pointed toward the security captain who had just been taken away. “That man in handcuffs earlier, did you see him? He was a somewhat capable big bad guy, but he was knocked down by Sister Yan here in just two punches. Isn’t that impressive?”

Qi Lian tugged at Ren Qi’s clothes for confirmation. Secretary Ren nodded without even hearing the question clearly—it was unclear if she was confirming the statement or just humoring the child.

Qi Lian hesitantly sized up Yan Xiangyu’s height in her mind. “Then… then she is indeed a bit impressive.” Didn’t that mean if she wanted to protect her sister, she might have to become “scary” like this in the future too?

Qi Lian thought she would hate the idea, but as she tried to imagine it, she ended up liking it. She immediately smiled at Yan Xiangyu. “You… are qualified to be my role model.”

Yan Xiangyu didn’t care at all about being declared a role model by a three-head-tall toddler. She gave a distracted “Mhm,” and her expression softened.

Sister Yan.

Inside the winery, a slender girl came running out, waving from a distance. “Lianlian!”

Qi Lian ran over happily. “Sister! I’m going to be a big bodyguard in the future!”

Qi Yuan pulled her sister into a tight embrace. Afraid of scaring the child, she had asked for a loose, high-necked long-sleeved shirt before coming out, covering the scars that were still visible even after treatment. Her hair was re-braided neatly, returning her to the look of the “Big Star” Qi Yuan.

Regarding her sister’s ever-changing, flight-of-fancy ideas, she replied habitually, “Is that so? Then you’ll have to work hard.”

After a hug, Qi Lian squirmed out of her sister’s arms and dragged Qi Yuan in front of Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu. She introduced them solemnly: “Sister, this is my friend…”

Shu Qiong added with a smile, “Shu Qiong.”

“My new best friend, Shu Qiong.” Qi Lian then turned to Yan Xiangyu with great ceremony. “And this is the Master’s Wife I just took on!”

“…” Yan Xiangyu looked at her “little apprentice” who had appeared out of nowhere with a blank expression.

Shu Qiong was ecstatic. “Sister Yan, I didn’t expect you to have a day where someone would cling to you like this.”

Yan Xiangyu, who was about to speak, immediately shut her lips again, using the night to hide her faintly reddening ears. Thus, the newly appointed “Master’s Wife Yan” only gave a reserved “Mhm.”

Qi Yuan knew her sister’s temperament all too well. Recognizing the highly distinguishable faces of the two before her, she said apologetically, “I’m sorry, my sister is like this, a new idea every minute. You were waiting with her out here; she didn’t bother you, did she?”

Shu Qiong shook her head, indicating it was fine.

Qi Yuan thanked them again sincerely. “I haven’t said thank you yet; it was all thanks to you earlier… I don’t have much power, but if you need me for anything later, I will definitely help!” Then, she realized something. “Are… are you also surnamed Shu?”

Shu Qiong replied calmly, “Shu Xuanmin is my cousin. You don’t need to worry about my identity; I don’t have much to do with the Shu family.”

Unexpectedly, Qi Yuan became excited upon hearing the answer. “Then are you the daughter of Ms. Shu Ci?”

Having a mother with such high name recognition always led to similar scenes. Shu Qiong was long used to it and simply nodded.

Qi Yuan bit her lip hesitantly and fell into silence. Shu Qiong sensed something was up and didn’t rush her, just watching her quietly, waiting for her to speak.

After a full two minutes—long enough for Qi Lian to cling to her sister’s leg and look back and forth between the adults—Qi Yuan finally seemed to make up her mind. “Is Shu Xuanhe completely finished?”

Shu Qiong confirmed, “Yes. If you’re afraid that what you say next will lead to retaliation from him, you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

Qi Yuan lowered her voice, ensuring that Ren Qi and the others weren’t paying attention. “In the past, when Shu Xuanhe hosted some big figures, I was occasionally present. Most of the time, he would clear us out before discussing serious business, but once, that group might have drunk too much and let something slip.”

“I heard someone ask Shu Xuanhe, ‘Do you still go to your aunt’s grave to repent these days?’ Shu Xuanhe mocked the person, asking if they’d heard some ghostly rumors. ‘Repent my ass. She died because she wasn’t careful enough; it can’t be blamed on me.’ The group all started laughing, saying, ‘If the people outside knew how the “Alliance Moonlight” died, wouldn’t they be shocked?'”

The people present at the time hadn’t noticed Qi Yuan, who hadn’t been cleared out; the few who noticed her in the corner just assumed she was long drunk. Qi Yuan actually had a very high alcohol tolerance, but she was very realistic at acting drunk; no one had discovered the anomaly in all those times.

She had remembered that conversation deep in her heart. If she hadn’t met Shu Qiong this time, she likely would have taken this massive secret to her grave.

The matter was of great importance. As she recounted it to Shu Qiong, she tried to keep her language objective, mimicking the dialogue of the scene from her memory. Perhaps because of her strong foundation as an actress, her imitation of the lines was quite vivid.

As she listened, the smile on Shu Qiong’s face gradually faded. Her voice became cold as ice: “My mother died on the battlefield. There were other witnesses at the time who could prove it.”