Chapter 10: New Friend

“Give me back the hat,” Lin Yiwei said as soon as she saw him, the first thing that came out of her mouth was about the hat.

Xie Bo couldn’t be bothered with her tattered hat. He dragged her to the deserted backyard of the life sciences building. Her wrist was gripped painfully by him, the more she struggled, the tighter the man held her.

“Xie Bo, what are you doing, it hurts!”

Her skin was fair, and even a slight exertion of force from him would leave distinctive red marks.

Xie Bo noticed this the other night.

So he enjoyed exerting force on her, leaving marks that belonged only to him.

“Why are you hanging out with Chi Xiyu?”

His tone carried a hint of interrogation, and his eyes were not as relaxed as they were before. “What’s your purpose?”

Lin Yiwei finally managed to break free from his grip, lowering her gaze, rubbing the red marks on her wrist, and said plaintively, “I didn’t have a purpose. I just happened to help her and got to know her. I thought… if I became friends with her, maybe her brother would behave better.”

Xie Bo silently observed the girl in front of him, whose acting skills rivaled those of a movie star.

Her eyes were like those of a little beast, innocent yet cunning, sneakily sizing him up to see if he believed her.

She was simply a fox disguised in rabbit fur.

“It’s best if it’s as you said.”

“It is!”

Xie Bo looked at her. “Yiwei, with me, you can do whatever you want. But I have one bottom line, don’t mess with Chi Xiyu.”

“What?”

“Don’t interfere with Chi Xiyu.”

Upon hearing him say this, Lin Yiwei thought of what Xu Qianxi mentioned earlier… his relationship with Chi Xiyu.

“Are you afraid I’ll hurt her?” Lin Yiwei took a step forward, approaching Xie Bo, leaning close to him, and asked softly in his ear, “Or are you afraid she’ll find out about us?”

Xie Bo sensed the girl’s eager anticipation of a counterattack.The little rabbit finally showed its fox tail, quietly searching for his weak spots.

“I rise and fall with Chi Xiyu,” Xie Bo lowered his gaze, looking at the vermilion mark on her forehead, “I won’t tolerate anything that harms my interests.”

“I heard you two have an engagement?”

“Not yet, but in the future… maybe.”

Currently, the Xie family and the Chi family just had an unspoken understanding. It hadn’t been formally decided, so strictly speaking, Chi Xiyu wasn’t his fiancé.

“Are you two dating now?” Lin Yiwei asked him.He smiled coldly, finding her naivety quite cute.

“Yiwei, don’t you understand? Two people who are bound to each other for life, even before the engagement, the only moments of single happiness are tied together, isn’t it boring?”

With that said, his sexy Adam’s apple rolled slightly, and after taking a sip of milk tea, he handed the cup back to her.

His thin lips carried a slight moistness as he leaned closer to her lips.

Lin Yiwei subconsciously leaned back, but he held the back of her head.

He didn’t kiss her, just lightly brushed her lips with his moist ones, “Yiwei, the happy times we can have together are very short.”

After he left, Lin Yiwei finished the remaining milk tea with a slight gulp, mercilessly tossing away the empty bottle.

She would never be with him.

Once she found her older brother, she would withdraw herself, no longer meddling in the love games of these young masters and misses from wealthy families.

She wanted to be with Lin Xie forever.

However, Chi Xiyu obviously didn’t have the same carefree attitude as Xie Bo.

The person you fall for first, no matter how you play your cards, is always the loser.

Xie Bo played carelessly, but Chi Xiyu genuinely liked her heartless and unfaithful fiancé. After that candlelite dinner they shared, Chi Xiyu visibly remained in a good mood for a long time.

The girls in the sisterhood had all seen how Xie Bo treated Chi Xiyu, treating her like a princess.

He was gentle and considerate, would lend her his clothes when she was cold, shield the car door with his hand when she got in, and publicly defend Chi Xiyu’s dignity, like that time at the art sharing event when he warned Deng Xiao.

All of this was enough to completely intoxicate a girl immersed in romantic fantasies.

So, even though there were always different girls in Xie Bo’s passenger seat, Chi Xiyu could tolerate it.

Because she knew that whoever walked down the aisle with Xie Bo in the future wouldn’t be any of them.

Such a stable mindset, until the appearance of a certain girl caused some ripples.

“I heard Xie Bo gave her a ride on his motorcycle, and someone saw them drinking water at a tea shop off-campus a month ago.”

Xu Qianxi was the first to have all the information. During military training break, she reported to Chi Xiyu under the shade of the trees, “I heard Ye Anning even gave Xie Bo a Patek Philippe watch, but now that watch is in Li Du’s hands. It’s hilarious, isn’t it? This isn’t just chasing, it’s practically throwing yourself at him!”

Chi Xiyu couldn’t laugh.

Others might be fine, but Ye Anning… was a rare “competitor” that Chi Xiyu took seriously.

Although the Ye family couldn’t compare to the three generations of wealth and power of the Chi family in Qinggang City, they were deeply rooted and flourishing.

But the Ye family rose quickly and developed rapidly, becoming the new nobility in the upper circle of Qinggang City.

So, Ye Anning was different from the other girls Xie Bo had played with before.

At least, in Chi Xiyu’s eyes, she was a presence that could directly threaten the marriage alliance between the Chi and Xie families.

Chi Xiyu had been feeling uneasy during this period.

Seeing Lin Yiwei carrying her large water bottle to the tea area, Chi Xiyu quickly waved to her. “Weiwei, come here.”

Lin Yiwei thought Chi Xiyu was going to criticize her for her plain cup and ask her to change it.

This large water bottle was also given to her by Lin Xie, urging her to drink more water.

So whether she was going to school or work, Lin Yiwei always carried this large insulated bottle. She would always remember Lin Xie’s advice—

“Yi, you have to drink more water to stay beautiful.”

She took a big gulp, screwed the cap back on, and jogged over to Chi Xiyu.

“What’s up?”

“There’s something I want to ask for your help with.”

Chi Xiyu motioned to Xu Qianxi, who handed her phone over with a picture of Ye Anning—

“Do you know her?”

Lin Yiwei saw the girl in the photo, also dressed in camouflage military training uniform, standing in the first row of the line, fair skin, oval face, slightly upturned eyes, with two fluffy double braids hanging by her ears, exceptionally pure and beautiful.

She shook her head. “I don’t know her.”

“She’s Ye Anning, from the School of Business. Her family is decent, her dad works in finance, and they’re newcomers to the elite circle in Qinggang City.”

Xu Qianxi looked at the photo, then at Lin Yiwei, suddenly saying, “Xixi, don’t say anything, Lin Yiwei kinda looks like her.”

Chi Xiyu snatched the phone and looked at the girl in the picture, then at Lin Yiwei in front of her.

Indeed, there was a resemblance. With a pitifully cute face paired with a pair of slightly upturned fox eyes, both were innocent and alluring, especially since they both wore double braids like sisters.

However, upon closer inspection, Lin Yiwei’s face was still more vibrant, especially with the red vermilion on her forehead, adding a unique charm to her.

“Hilarious, Lin Yiwei, could you be Ye Anning’s father’s illegitimate child?”

Lin Yiwei chuckled, “If I had a dad like hers, I’d laugh myself awake from dreams.”

“Alright.” Chi Xiyu interrupted the girls’ banter and said to Lin Yiwei, “I want you to go to Ye Anning’s side, befriend her, keep an eye on her for me, and report to me anytime on her and Xie Bo’s progress.”

“…”

A double agent, huh?

Lin Yiwei wasn’t too keen on doing this kind of thing, but then she thought, this was a good opportunity to increase Chi Xiyu’s trust in her.

Chi Xiyu didn’t care at all about Lin Yiwei’s willingness, she just said to herself, “I want to know if they’ve slept together, and I also want to know why Xie Bo kept her around for so long, what special qualities does she have?”

“How long have they been together?” Lin Yiwei couldn’t help but ask.

“As far as I know,” Xu Qianxi immediately demonstrated her ability to gather intelligence to Chi Xiyu, “it’s been over twenty days.”

Lin Yiwei thought about that night, it happened in mid-August, over a month ago now.

“Over twenty days, is that a long time?”

“Of course!” Xu Qianxi hurriedly said, “Before, those girls who pursued Xie Bo… at most lasted two weeks before he got tired of them. He’s a very picky person, and he pays a lot of attention to detail. I remember the last one, it seemed like he couldn’t stand the brand of cigarettes she smoked, and then that girl even tried to keep him, but he wouldn’t even see her…”

“You talk too much.” Chi Xiyu didn’t want to hear Xu Qianxi ramble on about the various people around Xie Bo.

Xu Qianxi immediately changed the subject tactfully and said to Lin Yiwei, “How about it, can you handle what Xixi instructed?”

Seeing her hesitation, Chi Xiyu walked over and took Lin Yiwei’s hand, “Weiwei, I know you’re focused on your studies and part-time job, and you don’t really like doing things like this. But I really want to know about Ye Anning and Xie Bo. Can you please help me out? I’m begging you.”

“How long do I need to stay by her side?” she asked Chi Xiyu.

“As long as Xie Bo gets tired of her and stops seeing her, then your task is considered complete.” Seeing her relax, Chi Xiyu reassured her, “Don’t worry, it won’t be long. Xie Bo never stays with girls for long.”

Since you know, why do you care so much?

Lin Yiwei almost blurted out this sentence, but fortunately, she restrained herself.

Yes, in front of Chi Xiyu, every word she spoke needed to be carefully considered.

“Well, I’ll give it a try, but I can’t guarantee success.”

After all, she didn’t know what kind of person Ye Anning was.

“Don’t worry, you’ll definitely succeed!” Chi Xiyu squeezed her hand back, encouraging her, “I believe in you!”

Lin Yiwei looked up and met her radiant smile.

She knew that Chi Xiyu must be thinking, if she couldn’t even handle this small task, then what qualifications did she have to stay by her side.

Chi Xiyu befriended her for a purpose, not only to satisfy her sense of superiority, but also to help her with things she couldn’t do herself.

Dirty, smelly…

No room for being picky.

Lin Yiwei received the task and quickly investigated some information about Ye Anning, just like she did when investigating Chi Xiyu.

She probably understood why Chi Xiyu cared so much about her.

Ye Anning’s family background was indeed good; her father belonged to the newly risen nobility of Qinggang City, and their rise was very fast.

Two months ago, the company went public, and its scale expanded rapidly.

Apart from her family background, Ye Anning’s appearance definitely belonged to the goddess level; she was very beautiful.

From the photos, Lin Yiwei and Ye Anning looked very alike, but in person… Ye Anning looked even more like her.

Especially in terms of height and body shape, they were very similar, the only difference being that Ye Anning was more voluptuous, while Lin Yiwei seemed slender and lean.

Ye Anning’s pursuit of Xie Bo was also very direct and straightforward; she carefully prepared various gifts for him.

From expensive watch straps to delicately crafted ceramic cups.

Xie Bo accepted them all with grace, but how he handled them afterward was unknown.

For example, that Patek Philippe watch strap, now glaringly worn by his friend Li Du, many people laughed at her behind her back…

But this didn’t hinder Ye Anning’s fascination with Xie Bo. In this matter, she and Chi Xiyu had something in common: they could both selectively ignore a man’s obvious “scumminess”.

Lin Yiwei asked herself sincerely, she definitely couldn’t do that.

If her boyfriend acted like that… she would chop off his hands with a knife.

Of course, she wouldn’t even date such a trashy boyfriend.

Sometimes, Lin Yiwei couldn’t help but wonder if bad guys were more attractive.

There were so many good boys at school, but girls were only infatuated with Xie Bo.

Apart from being handsome, what was there to like about him?

His character was bad, he was unfaithful, and he was even a bastard son who wasn’t given much importance from his name alone.

Of course, it was a superficial world, and Xie Bo’s handsomeness was not just ordinary handsomeness.

Even Lin Yiwei, a girl with high standards for boys and even higher demands, would feel the desire to sleep with him at first sight of his face.

Well, apart from being handsome, he really had nothing else going for him.

Observing Ye Anning for a few days, on a rainy afternoon at the milk tea shop, Lin Yiwei noticed Ye Anning and Deng Xiao seemed entangled.

Deng Xiao was notorious in Qinggang City, not as well-off as Xie Bo, or even as Chi Xicheng, but he was more despicable and shameless than Chi Xicheng.

She wondered if he had some special fetish, especially since he seemed to covet the women around Xie Bo.

Having flirted with Chi Xiyu before, now he was eyeing Ye Anning, who had spent some time with Xie Bo, periodically trying to assert his presence and cracking dirty jokes.

Lin Yiwei saw them together several times and could tell that Ye Anning was getting fed up with him, but like a leech, she couldn’t shake off this little rascal.

Finally getting away from Deng Xiao, Ye Anning went to the restroom to freshen up and touch up her makeup.

As she came out and reached for her milk tea on the shelf, Lin Yiwei walked over, snatched her milk tea, and threw it into the trash can.

The action was so swift that even Ye Anning didn’t react.

“You…”

“Don’t drink it.” Lin Yiwei glanced at Deng Xiao, who was casually chatting with his buddies by the wall nearby, “Any drink, once out of sight, should not be consumed again.”

Ye Anning suddenly realized, her face turned pale.

Not far away, Deng Xiao glanced at her intentionally or unintentionally, making her even more terrified.

“Thank you, really,” she whispered to Lin Yiwei, “or else I would’ve been in big trouble today.”

“I’m not sure either, I just saw him sneaking over and was afraid he might put something in your drink. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

“No, no, better safe than sorry.” Ye Anning reached out her hand to her, “I’m Ye Anning.”

“Lin Yiwei.”

“Your name sounds really nice.”

“Thank you, yours too.”

Ye Anning and Lin Yiwei walked out together. The rain outside seemed to have gotten heavier, the dense tapping on the umbrella of the milk tea shop awning sounded like noisy drumbeats.

Seeing Lin Yiwei pulling out an umbrella from her backpack, Ye Anning quickly asked, “Where are you going?”

“The convenience store at the east gate.”

“You’re going shopping? There’s a convenience store nearby, you don’t have to go all the way to the east gate, especially in this heavy rain.”

Lin Yiwei smiled, “No, I work part-time there.”

“Oh,” Ye Anning looked down at Lin Yiwei’s slightly worn-out white sneakers, and she could probably tell that Lin Yiwei was a top student who scored high and got into Feige University, but her family background wasn’t great.

She inexplicably felt a lot of goodwill towards her.

A black Rolls-Royce stopped outside the milk tea shop, and Ye Anning smiled at Lin Yiwei, “I’ll give you a ride, it’s not far anyway, with such heavy rain, even with an umbrella, your clothes will get wet.”

“Thank you.”

The driver held an umbrella and opened the door for the two girls.

Lin Yiwei regretted getting in the car the moment she did.

Through the rearview mirror, she saw Xie Bo’s frivolous peach blossom eyes in the passenger seat, playfully sizing her up—

“Made a new friend again?”