5. Are you inviting me to be your colleague

Luo Yue’s finger, which was tapping the screen, suddenly stopped, and she turned to look at Qin Zhaoyi in surprise.

Then she understood; Qin Zhaoyi had misunderstood.

But it seemed like everyone on the island had misunderstood.

Luo Yue didn’t deny it and instead asked in a gentle tone, “Are you angry?”

As soon as Qin Zhaoyi uttered the question, she realized it was impolite, but it was too late to take it back. After a moment of hesitation, she hadn’t expected Luo Yue to respond with such a calm question.

That question got stuck in her throat, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She lowered her eyebrows and her tone turned colder. “What right do I have to be angry?”

“Oh,” Luo Yue continued to look at her phone, but she noticed that Qin Zhaoyi transferred 9999 yuan.

It seemed like she was showing off her wealth, as if she was afraid others didn’t know she was rich.

Luo Yue furrowed her eyebrows slightly. “You’ve given too much.”

Qin Zhaoyi initially thought the number looked auspicious and nice.

Now that she realized the hidden meaning behind it, it made her seem overly eager. After a moment of thought, she found an excuse, “And for the other person.”

“Other person?” Luo Yue asked.

Unhappily, Qin Zhaoyi said, “Your boyfriend.”

Luo Yue looked at her seriously.

Her eyes, under the sunlight, were bright and clear, and when she looked at someone, they seemed pure, like the endless blue sea on Moon Island or the bright moon she had seen on the beach last night.

Qin Zhaoyi had just glanced at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

Luo Yue said calmly, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Qin Zhaoyi was taken aback. “What?”

Her tone unintentionally rose.

Luo Yue didn’t explain further and changed the topic. “There’s still a boat leaving Moon Island. Shall I take you to it?”

Qin Zhaoyi shook her head and stepped back half a step. “No.”

The two of them stood still, facing each other for a few seconds. Qin Zhaoyi was puzzled and asked, “Why is everyone trying to make me leave here?”

Qin Zhaoyi then thought of her grandmother. “Is it because of my grandmother?”

If Zhou Xi heard Qin Zhaoyi discussing this issue so politely with someone, she would surely be shocked. After all, Miss Qin had lived a carefree life and was often audacious and unreserved when dealing with difficult partners. She never lowered herself.

Not to mention, she was driven away multiple times as if she were a plague upon her arrival at this unfamiliar place.

Given the past Qin Zhaoyi, she would have left without a second thought and even berated the other party before leaving.

But the current Qin Zhaoyi was different.

She calmly and gently asked Luo Yue, trying to find out why Luo Yue wanted her to leave.

“Not exactly,” Luo Yue said after a moment of silence.

Right, why did they want her to leave Moon Island?

Qin Zhaoyi patiently waited. After considering all the possibilities that crossed her mind, she used a calm and gentle tone to ask, “Is it because of what happened last night?”

Luo Yue suddenly hesitated.

Qin Zhaoyi noticed that her ears twitched.

She found it amusing, and her nervousness dissipated a bit.

“No,” Luo Yue denied.

Qin Zhaoyi sipped her smile and, with an air of victory, took a half step forward, lowering her voice. “I haven’t said what happened yet.”

Luo Yue happened to be looking at her. When Qin Zhaoyi suddenly approached, Luo Yue had been about to step back but stopped in her tracks, remaining in place. Her ears turned even redder, but her expression remained composed.

Even when Qin Zhaoyi’s breath brushed against her face.

Luo Yue said calmly, “It was just an accident.”

Luo Yue’s expression was too calm, so Qin Zhaoyi was momentarily confused, thinking that the kiss from last night had been fake.

However, Qin Zhaoyi was always confident in her memory. Besides, the sensation had been too vivid.

“That wasn’t an accident,” Qin Zhaoyi said firmly.

She had kissed Luo Yue last night after intense inner struggle.

At that moment, her lips were cool, but her blood was hot.

Her entire body was ignited by an inexplicable fire, and she wanted nothing more than to devour this person.

If Luo Yue hadn’t refused and she hadn’t fainted, she couldn’t guarantee what might have happened afterward.

Perhaps the next day, they would wake up together, naked, on the bed Qin Zhaoyi had woken up on this morning.

Qin Zhaoyi had always lived freely.

So, this possibility was quite high.

Just thinking about it, Qin Zhaoyi felt like the scene from last night was unfolding right before her eyes.

When Luo Yue had been pinned beneath her on the beach last night, Qin Zhaoyi had accidentally pressed her arm against Luo Yue’s breast, causing Luo Yue to cry out.

In that moment, Qin Zhaoyi had moved her arm away and swallowed the cry.

Her hand still rested on her neck, and her fingers, slightly cool, caressed the skin between her neck, absorbing some warmth.

When she had just woken up in the morning, her memories had been hazy, but as time passed, more and more memories came flooding back.

Details started emerging from the depths of her mind, extending all the way to her heart.

A feeling of inexplicable warmth.

So, how could she treat that as an accident?

Qin Zhaoyi disagreed, and just as she was about to argue with Luo Yue, Luo Yue furrowed her brow and asked seriously, “So, were you trying to kill yourself?”

Qin Zhaoyi: “…?”

That question almost choked Qin Zhaoyi.

“So, Moon Island doesn’t welcome people like you,” Luo Yue said.

Qin Zhaoyi demanded, “What kind of person am I?”

Luo Yue coldly responded, “Someone who doesn’t value life.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “?”

This should have been a moment of anger, but Qin Zhaoyi found herself captivated by Luo Yue’s clear and cold voice. Earlier, she had spoken gently, like the warm sun, which was pleasant to listen to. But now, she had lowered her voice, making it clear and cold, and even her gaze was cold. Yet, for some reason, it made people feel like this was the real Luo Yue. It stirred a desire to conquer, or to be conquered by her.

Qin Zhaoyi subconsciously touched her throat and lowered her brows and eyes. “What reason do I have to kill myself?”

“How should I know?” Luo Yue replied indifferently.

Qin Zhaoyi chuckled and, when she looked at Luo Yue, she was confident and unrestrained. “A harmonious family, a promising future, money, looks… I don’t seem to have any reason to kill myself.”

Luo Yue was briefly captivated when she looked at Qin Zhaoyi’s smile. However, she quickly collected her wandering thoughts and fixed her gaze on Qin Zhaoyi.

Qin Zhaoyi couldn’t stand her gaze and looked back at her. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

It was the truth.

She had simply stated the facts.

If this were to be repeated by Zhou Xi and her fans, it would be greatly exaggerated.

Luo Yue smiled knowingly. “Oh, you’re right.”

Her tone was like she was coaxing a child, slightly dismissive, but she extended her last word, which sounded pleasant.

Luo Yue continued to smile. “I just feel that you’re quite beautiful and aware of it.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “?”

---

No matter how Qin Zhaoyi thought about it, she felt that Luo Yue’s comment about being beautiful and aware of it carried a hint of sarcasm.

Especially when paired with that inexplicable smile.

Did she think Qin Zhaoyi was too confident?

Qin Zhaoyi couldn’t figure it out, nor did she want to ask further.

She kept thinking about how to ask about what happened last night.

Not the falling into the water, but what happened after that.

Before Qin Zhaoyi could figure it out, Luo Yue had already taken her to a restaurant.

Qin Zhaoyi followed her and walked in step by step. The owner of the restaurant, just like the one she had met at the phone store, warmly greeted Luo Yue and called her “Teacher Luo.”

Luo Yue responded with a smile and then ordered a steamed bun and a bowl of black rice porridge.

“Aren’t you eating?” Qin Zhaoyi asked.

“I had breakfast already,” Luo Yue replied.

“What about lunch?” Qin Zhaoyi asked again.

“I’ll eat at school.”

The piping hot buns were quickly served. There weren’t many people in the restaurant, but the street outside was bustling. There were vendors on both sides of the street, and people were constantly passing by, speaking a dialect that Qin Zhaoyi couldn’t understand. She wasn’t sure if they were chatting or bargaining.

The atmosphere was particularly lively.

Qin Zhaoyi finally felt hungry after taking a bite of the bun and then asked, “What do you do at school? Are you a teacher?”

Her question was filled with curiosity.

Luo Yue simply nodded. “Yes.”

“What do you teach?” Qin Zhaoyi inquired.

“English,” Luo Yue replied. “The English teacher who came to the school as part of a volunteer program left, and there hasn’t been a replacement this year.”

Qin Zhaoyi was surprised. “You’re an English teacher too?”

Luo Yue shook her head. “No.”

Qin Zhaoyi was immediately disappointed, thinking she had found a common point between them.

But Luo Yue caught the word “too” in her sentence and asked, “You majored in English?”

“Yes,” Qin Zhaoyi nodded and introduced herself without waiting for Luo Yue to ask, “I graduated from Jia Yi Foreign Language University with a major in English.”

Luo Yue’s eyes instantly lit up, and she praised Qin Zhaoyi nonchalantly, “You’re quite impressive.”

While Jia Yi Foreign Language University wasn’t considered a top-tier institution in the country, it was still among the top-rated universities. Many outstanding graduates from this university went on to work in the foreign affairs department.

As Qin Zhaoyi listened to her compliments while eating, she felt at ease, and her lips couldn’t help but curl into a slight smile.

“It’s not bad,” Qin Zhaoyi said modestly. “I only scored a little over 600 in the college entrance examination.”

Luo Yue propped up her chin and stared at Qin Zhaoyi while continuing to compliment her, “You’re really amazing.”

Qin Zhaoyi shrugged. “But I don’t like this major.”

Luo Yue asked, “Did you ever fail a course in college?”

Qin Zhaoyi immediately retorted, “How is that possible? Am I the type to fail a course?”

Luo Yue shrugged. “How would I know?”

Qin Zhaoyi proudly and confidently stated, “Even though I don’t like this subject, as long as I want to, I can get high scores.”

Luo Yue raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Qin Zhaoyi scooped a spoonful of porridge and ate while continuing, “I was in the top ten of my class throughout my four years in college.”

And it was effortlessly easy.

So, when Zhou Xi had called her a real-life winner back then, it was true.

There was nothing she couldn’t achieve if she wanted to do it, even if she didn’t like it. Qin Zhaoyi was determined to excel.

“You’re really smart,” Luo Yue continued to praise.

Qin Zhaoyi nodded, thoroughly enjoying the compliments. While in the past, she hadn’t felt it when Zhou Xi praised her, thinking Zhou Xi was just trying to flatter her insincerely, now, with Luo Yue’s compliments, she felt genuinely happy.

“Not bad,” Qin Zhaoyi finally asked in return, “Do you believe now that I didn’t have a reason to seek death?”

Luo Yue nodded. “So, what did you do after graduating?”

Qin Zhaoyi suddenly paused, remembering the overwhelming online criticism. She averted her gaze for a moment and then said, “I write casually.”

Luo Yue didn’t delve deeper into the question but instead said with a hint of regret, “You didn’t pursue a related profession?”

“I didn’t like the major,” Qin Zhaoyi replied. “So, I didn’t pursue it.”

Luo Yue hesitated briefly and then asked, “Do you like the field of education?”

Qin Zhaoyi: “?”

Luo Yue picked up a bun and brought it to Qin Zhaoyi’s mouth with a gentle smile. “I think you’d be suitable for teaching elementary school.”

Qin Zhaoyi: “???”

Qin Zhaoyi suddenly realized that, in the time it took to eat a meal, the other person had managed to extract information from her. She knew nothing about the other person except her last name, Luo, and that she was a teacher.

Qin Zhaoyi stared at the bun in front of her and calmly said, “Teacher Luo.”

Luo Yue was visibly startled for a moment before she smiled and responded, “Yes?”

Qin Zhaoyi felt her throat dry up but still leaned closer, their faces almost touching. Qin Zhaoyi licked her lips and pretended to be calm. “Are you inviting me to be your colleague?”