Chapter Fifty-Four: The Scheme Behind It

"Bang!" A cell phone flew in an arc and smashed into the television hanging on the wall, instantly shattering the large screen.

"Why are you throwing a tantrum for no reason?" The middle-aged man sitting on the sofa watching financial news frowned.

Qi Hua stood up abruptly, glaring at the man angrily, "I asked you to get Xu Jiaojiao out of the program a long time ago, and you promised so readily, but did you do it? Look how well she's doing now, and she even has time to flirt with Gu Zhou. Qi Yonggao, do you have another woman and child outside? You can't even handle this little thing I did, do you even care?"

"Don't talk nonsense! I don't have any other women or children, I only have your mother and you," Qi Yonggao glanced towards the kitchen, "Just say what you have to say, don't make up nonsense, or your mother will overthink it."

"After all this time, you still can't handle a poor girl with no money or power, do you think I won't be suspicious?" Qi Hua pouted, full of resentment.

Qi Yonggao patted the seat next to him and softened his tone, saying, "Come sit down first, Dad will analyze this with you properly."

Qi Hua glanced at him, snorted, and walked over to sit down.

"Qi Hua, you're not a child anymore, you need to think long-term before you act..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Qi Hua interrupted Qi Yonggao.

"Then tell Dad, which is more serious, falling from the first floor or falling from the third floor?"

"You talk too much nonsense, of course from the third floor—"

Qi Hua slightly opened her eyes, suddenly understanding her father's meaning, "Are you trying to ruin her by praising her too much?"

Qi Yonggao smiled, saying with a "you're teachable" tone, "If your father kicks her out of the program early on, it's just one less opportunity for her, but she can still go back to school to continue her studies. So, would you be satisfied with such a punishment?" He

's really cunning! Qi Hua pursed her lips, but a hint of interest flashed in her eyes.

"So you want to make her famous first, and then ruin her?"

Qi Yonggao nodded with a smile, reaching out to pat Qi Hua's head, but Qi Hua swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch my head, I'm not a child anymore!" Qi Hua pouted.

"Alright, alright, you're not a child anymore, go to the kitchen and see how your mother's birthday cake is coming along."

"What's the rush? You've eaten it before." Saying that, Qi Hua got up and went to the kitchen.

After watching Qi Hua go into the kitchen, Qi Yonggao picked up his phone from the coffee table and called his assistant, asking him to come and replace the television.

In another villa.

The woman pruning flowerpots by the window suddenly cut an orchid from its stem, her gaze coldly fixed on the speakerphone placed beside her.

"You said your CEO Pan is investigating Xu Qing?" she asked unconsciously, raising her voice.

"Yes, Mrs. Pan." A younger man's voice came from the phone.

The woman put down the scissors and asked calmly, "What have you found out?" "

President Pan already knows that Xu Qing hasn't remarried after their divorce."

"What are his plans?" She picked up the orchid she had accidentally cut, placed it in her outstretched left palm, and brought it up to her eyes for close inspection.

"President Pan asked me to find a way to get some of Xu Jiaojiao's hair."

"Oh? He wants to do a paternity test?" Her fingers slowly clenched, the orchid being crumpled beyond recognition between them.

The person reporting the situation on the other end of the phone was silent, seemingly unsure how to answer.

"If he wants to do it, then let him," the woman pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped the flower juice from her hands. "There's more than one person in this world named Xu Jiaojiao, isn't there?"

"I understand." The person on the other end seemed to receive some kind of signal, their tone becoming more relaxed.

"Keep telling me what's going on. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."

"Okay."

The call ended, and the woman picked up her phone, found a number in her contacts, and dialed.

A few rings later, the call connected.

"Mrs. Pan, is there something you need so late?" a young woman's voice came from the phone.

Jiang Yin glanced at her phone screen; it wasn't even 8 PM yet. "I remember your husband owns a talent agency," she said bluntly.

"Yes, it's rare that Mrs. Pan remembers. What's up?" the young woman said with a light laugh.

"Help me sign someone, and 'take good care' of her." She emphasized the word "take good care."

"Oh, who's so lucky? Okay, you tell me, and I'll have my husband send someone to do it."

"Xu Jiaojiao, she's participating in the Supermodel Contest. A quick check will tell you." Jiang Yin said.

"Alright, no problem. Mrs. Pan, come out and play cards sometime!"

"Mm."

When the large room became so quiet that only her own breathing could be heard, Jiang Yin's lips curled into a cold, ruthless smile.

The worms in the ditch don't stay in the ditch; they insist on coming out to disgust people, so they have to be crushed.

Night completely enveloped the city, and the brightly lit nightclubs began to revel in their revelry.

The noise from the nightclubs gradually subsided until the early hours of the morning.

"Wei Yang, let's go home." Liang Shuangyi tried to help the drunkard who was slumped over the bar.

"I'm not going home! I'm going to find Xu Jiaojiao! That bitch, how dare she stand me up!" Wei Yang shoved Liang Shuangyi away, glaring at her with blurry, drunken eyes. "I won't let you get away with this! We haven't broken up yet!"

Liang Shuangyi's heart clenched, a dull ache in it. She went over to help Wei Yang up. "Okay, we won't break up."

"I'm always the one who dumps people, you hear me! I'm always the one who dumps others!!!" Wei Yang stood up and swayed as he shouted.

"I heard you, Wei Yang, let's go home first." Liang Shuangyi put one of Wei Yang's arms around her shoulder and helped him walk out.

"No! Get away, I'm not going home!" Wei Yang shook off Liang Shuangyi, stumbled, and fell to the ground, not getting up.

Liang Shuangyi went to wake him and found him fast asleep. She had no choice but to ask the bar staff to take Wei Yang to the hotel upstairs and get him a room to rest.

With difficulty, Liang Shuangyi took off her shoes and wrung out a damp towel to wipe Wei Yang's face. As she wiped, Wei Yang suddenly opened his eyes and stared at her blankly.

“Wei Yang?” Liang Shuangyi asked tentatively.

Wei Yang still looked at her without responding.

Liang Shuangyi took a deep breath, suddenly finding the courage to confess: “Wei Yang, I’ve liked you for a long time. Look, we’ve grown up together as childhood sweethearts, why don’t you like me? Don’t tell me about ‘a rabbit not eating the grass near its burrow,’ I only know that you are the one I’ve chosen for this lifetime, and I’m willing to wait no matter how long. But now I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“I like you, Wei Yang. If you really don’t have any feelings for me at all, then push me away.”

After saying that, Liang Shuangyi bit her lip, leaned down closer to Wei Yang, and as their lips met, she was overjoyed.

Ignoring any girl’s reserve, she cupped Wei Yang’s face and deepened the kiss.

When a hand cupped the back of her head, she was already immersed in the joy of confirming her relationship with the person she liked.

In the morning, the ringing of a cell phone woke the two people who were sleeping in each other’s arms.

Wei Yang woke up first. When he saw who he was holding, he was stunned. Honestly, he had never imagined that he and Liang Shuangyi could be closer than best friends. Perhaps because they had grown up together, he treated Liang Shuangyi like a best friend, like a younger sister, but he just couldn't feel the romantic attraction between them.

His phone was still ringing. He reached for it, swiped a few times to turn off the alarm, and seeing that Liang Shuangyi was still asleep, he gently pulled his hand away from hers, picked up his clothes scattered on the floor, and went to the bathroom.

The moment the bathroom door closed, Liang Shuangyi opened her eyes. She was wide awake, clearly no later than Wei Yang. She turned her head and saw Wei Yang's phone lying to the side, reaching for it.

The screen wasn't locked; she tapped it, and the screen lit up.

The wallpaper immediately caught her eye.

Short silver-gray hair, eyes with upturned eyeliner, gaze straight at her, a long neck slightly tilted forward, collarbone half-hidden in the collar—absolutely dazzling.

Xu Jiao Jiao!

A flash of resentment crossed Liang Shuangyi's eyes.

If she had known this person would one day influence Wei Yang, she shouldn't have just changed her major; she should have changed her application to go to the frontier and made her guard the desert for the rest of her life!