Chapter 43: Qu Xiaoxiao is causing trouble again

On the other side, since it was a rare weekend morning without work, Fan Shengmei and Qiu Yingying stayed in Room 2202 scrolling through their phones until noon arrived quickly.

"Gurgle~~~" Qiu Yingying's stomach growled.

"Sister Fan, I know a new noodle shop nearby that's quite good. Shall we go grab some beef noodles?"

With the income from her live streaming, Fan Shengmei's finances had loosened up. No longer needing to live so frugally, she readily agreed.

"Let's go. Sister Fan is treating today."

Without a second thought, Qiu Yingying pushed open the door of 2202 with high spirits, only to run straight into a limping Qu Xiaoxiao.

"Huh? Qu Xiaoxiao, why are you limping?"

Qu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "If you don't know how to speak, then don't speak at all. It's just a sprain; you make it sound like I'm paralyzed."

Qiu Yingying curled her lip and ignored her. She didn't like Qu Xiaoxiao. Although it was true that the girl's own bad taste in men had caused her trouble, Qu Xiaoxiao wasn't a good person either—she was the type to slip notes into other people's boyfriends' pockets and shamelessly claim she was just "helping test" the boyfriend.

Feeling that her current combat effectiveness was no match for Qiu Yingying, Qu Xiaoxiao turned her gaze toward Fan Shengmei.

"Sister Fan, you guys are heading out for lunch, right? Why not take me along? My treat!"

Seeing her looking so lonely and pitiful, Fan Shengmei felt a bit of sympathy. "But we're just going to a nearby noodle shop. I'm afraid a lady like you won't be able to stomach it."

"Noodles are great! I love noodles, especially when I'm eating them with a great beauty like Sister Fan," Qu Xiaoxiao said with a beaming smile.

The three of them made their way to the noodle shop. Along the way, seeing how pitiful Qu Xiaoxiao's limp looked, Fan Shengmei even went out of her way to let Qu Xiaoxiao lean on her.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Qiu Yingying ate her noodles heartlessly.

However, Qu Xiaoxiao started stirring up trouble again. "Sister Fan, that guy who was with you last time—was he your boyfriend?"

Fan Shengmei froze. "Oh, you mean Wang Baichuan? He's a college classmate of mine."

"Is he pursuing you?" Qu Xiaoxiao pressed.

Fan Shengmei frowned slightly. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Qu Xiaoxiao smugly pulled out her phone. "Sister Fan, since we're such good friends, I'm just worried you're being deceived. Look, last time he drove you home, I had the impulse to snap a photo of his license plate and had a friend check it. Guess what? His car is a rental."

Fan Shengmei recognized the plate immediately; it was indeed the BMW 3 Series that Wang Baichuan drove.

Qu Xiaoxiao had recently failed several times to flirt with Dr. Zhao, which had left her extremely frustrated. Having been forced to witness a display of affection that day, she couldn't stand it. She was convinced Fan Shengmei was a gold digger and believed that once she knew the truth, she would definitely break up with Wang Baichuan. That would be perfect—she would be happiest if no one on the 22nd floor was in a relationship and everyone remained single.

Fan Shengmei was furious, feeling that Wang Baichuan had lied to her. However, since she had started earning money from live commerce, she no longer placed all her hopes on men; she could still buy a house in Shanghai through her own hard work.

"Sister Fan, actually, it's quite normal for a man to rent a car during the early stages of a startup. Even my dad used to rent office desks. There's no need to be angry; maybe he truly has good intentions toward you," Qu Xiaoxiao continued to fan the flames.

Qiu Yingying had not yet realized the gravity of the situation and followed Qu Xiaoxiao's lead to mediate: "Yeah, Sister Fan, maybe Classmate Wang didn't mean to deceive you; he just simply hadn't found the right opportunity to say so."

"I'm full. You two enjoy your meal." Fan Shengmei stood up and left impatiently.

A flash of triumph crossed Qu Xiaoxiao's eyes, while Qiu Yingying's face was filled with worry.

When Fan Shengmei returned home, she picked up her phone and found Wang Baichuan's number. Just as she was about to call and give him a piece of her mind, her finger hovered in mid-air, unable to press down.

She actually had feelings for Wang Baichuan. The fact that he drove to Shanghai time and again, even driving back in the middle of the night just to see her for a moment, had moved her.

Ultimately, Fan Shengmei did not make the call. She wanted to see when Wang Baichuan would tell her the truth.

***

Qin Hao and Guan Ju'er returned to the Joy Song community. The two took the elevator from the underground garage to the 21st floor, only to see Qiu Yingying waiting at the door as soon as they stepped out.

Guan Ju'er was startled and quickly pulled her hand away from Qin Hao's palm.

Qiu Yingying didn't notice Guan Ju'er's small movement, but asked curiously, "Brother, Ju'er, why are you two together?"

Guan Ju'er's heart fluttered, fearing that Qiu Yingying had seen through them.

Qin Hao, however, knew that Qiu Yingying wasn't that observant. "Oh, we just ran into each other downstairs. Why are you at my place? You didn't call me ahead of time."

Qiu Yingying quickly recounted everything that had happened at the noodle shop.

Upon hearing this, Guan Ju'er grew anxious. "That Qu Xiaoxiao really loves causing chaos!"

Qiu Yingying nodded in deep agreement. "Exactly! I mean, what is she even trying to do? This has nothing to do with her, yet she meddles. I've figured it out—Qu Xiaoxiao is a total troublemaker. You're bound for trouble if she sets her sights on you."

Hearing Qiu Yingying say this, Guan Ju'er couldn't help but feel secretly relieved that her business with Qin Hao hadn't been discovered by Qu Xiaoxiao; otherwise, there was no telling how much trouble the girl would cause.

Qin Hao remained relatively calm. He opened the door and invited them in.

"Actually, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. For Wang Baichuan to present a rental as a purchased car does indeed carry a hint of deception. It's better that it's exposed now rather than Sister Fan finding out on her own later."

Guan Ju'er was still worried. "But what if Sister Fan gets so angry that she immediately passes judgment on Classmate Wang?"

"Yeah, I can tell Sister Fan still has feelings for him," Qiu Yingying added, also feeling anxious.

Qin Hao shrugged. "Then it would only prove that Sister Fan never actually liked Wang Baichuan. If she had even the slightest affection for him, she would give him a chance to proactively admit his mistake."

"Then what do we do now? We don't have Classmate Wang's contact information. It would be such a pity if Sister Fan missed her chance with him like this," Guan Ju'er said, pacing anxiously.

Qin Hao smiled and pulled out his phone. "You don't have it, but I do."

"Brother, you really have Classmate Wang's contact info? You're amazing! How did you do it? You really are 'Little Dingdang'!" Qiu Yingying spoke like a machine gun.

Qin Hao said crossly, "With so many questions, how am I supposed to answer? Can you let me call Wang Baichuan first?"

Qiu Yingying quickly covered her mouth, signaling that she wouldn't speak again and telling him to hurry up and call.

Wang Baichuan was surprised when he suddenly received a call from Qin Hao.

"President Qiu, it's only been one day..."

Qin Hao's serious voice came from the other end. "It's not about that matter. It's about you and Sister Fan."

Qin Hao then repeated everything Qiu Yingying had said to Wang Baichuan.

Upon hearing this, Wang Baichuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He wished he could slap himself right then and there; how could he have been so foolish as to claim the car was his own?

"I didn't intend to deceive Xiao Mei. President Qiu, you know... in front of the person you like, a man can't help but want to present his best self..."

Qin Hao interrupted him directly. "There is no point in telling me this. I assume you know what you should do?"

"Look at me, I was truly out of my mind. Thank you so much."

After hanging up the phone, both Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er looked at Qin Hao with nervous faces.

"How is it?"

Qin Hao shrugged. "Wang Baichuan knows what to do now. However, it's best if you two act as if you know nothing. Especially you, Yingying. If Sister Fan finds out that Wang Baichuan only told the truth because you tipped him off, he'll lose his chance completely. Understood?"

"Mhm, I—I wouldn't say a word even if it killed me!" Qiu Yingying quickly covered her mouth with both hands to express her determination.

(End of Chapter)