Chapter 76 : Jealousy

But Liang Qingqing quickly dismissed the idea. According to the original book, the original owner was obsessed with Su Jinchuan, it was unlikely that she was secretly involved with someone else. Besides, the book didn’t mention anything like that!

Instinctively, Liang Qingqing glanced at Fan Yanxing, who was glaring at Ding Wei’s outstretched hand with a dark, menacing expression. The curve of his lips looked quite sinister.

She had no doubt that if she dared to shake Ding Wei’s hand under Fan Yanxing’s watch, he would definitely seize the chance to make her suffer later. After all, Fan Yanxing was like a jealous mad dog who might appear calm but would hold onto grudges and act out when the time was right.

In simple terms, it was a veiled act of revenge.

Liang Qingqing wasn’t about to make herself miserable for a stranger, so she pretended not to see Ding Wei’s hand and asked with surprise, “Comrade, have we met before?”

Ding Wei, not feeling awkward, withdrew his hand and replied without changing his expression, “You might not remember, but I saw you before when you were looking for Sister Feng. I’ve seen you from the window upstairs.”

His words were vague and could easily be misinterpreted, but in fact, he had only seen Liang Qingqing and Li Qingfeng talking under a tree from the window. The girl in the sunlight was so exquisitely beautiful that she had captured his heart and remained unforgettable.

Unfortunately, Li Qingfeng was as tight-lipped as a clam, and he couldn’t find out any information about her.

He had thought he’d never see her again in his life, but now she turned out to be the lucky one making waves in the bureau. It seemed like destiny had brought them together.

Liang Qingqing, Ding Wei thought to himself, what a lovely name.

As long as he could make an impression on her, he was willing to lie if necessary.

“Hehe.”

Liang Qingqing’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She had a good memory and hadn’t forgotten anything about what happened at the broadcasting bureau. In fact, she remembered very clearly because she had only met Li Qingfeng and no one else. So, this male staff member must be lying, but why?

When she looked up and accidentally locked eyes with him, she understood after seeing the intense emotion in his gaze. He liked her? But according to him, they had only met twice. How could he have developed feelings so quickly?

It was too fast.

But she wasn’t surprised. She sighed slightly, unable to help but feel a bit smug. Sometimes being too pretty could indeed be a hassle, attracting unnecessary romantic attention.

“I’m Ding Wei. Since we’ll be colleagues from now on, feel free to ask me if you have any questions,” Ding Wei’s overly enthusiastic attitude, combined with his lack of pretense, made many people notice. The atmosphere was filled with ambiguous glances between him and Liang Qingqing.

Taking a deep breath, Liang Qingqing was about to speak when a tall figure moved close to her side. She immediately heard the familiar cold, deep voice that seemed to drop the temperature around them several degrees.

“My partner has acquaintances inside, so you don’t need to trouble yourself.”

Fan Yanxing’s sharp eyes were fixed on Ding Wei, his gaze narrowed and extremely cold, as if he could pounce and rip his throat out at any moment. His aura was forceful, exuding an indescribable pressure.

Ding Wei, startled by the intense gaze, instinctively took a step back.

Immediately, Ding Wei felt dwarfed by the sheer force of the situation.

At that moment, however, he couldn’t focus on that.

He abruptly turned to look at Liang Qingqing.

Partner? This man is her partner? She has a partner?

The three questions left Ding Wei’s mind spinning. He felt as if his romantic dreams were bursting one by one, even before they had truly begun.

Realizing this, Ding Wei’s face paled a little as he looked at Fan Yanxing, who was taller and more handsome than he was. He mentally calculated his chances of taking Liang Qingqing from him, but the more he calculated, the more disheartened he became. He muttered a faint “Good” and watched them walk into the broadcasting bureau.

“What a disgrace, trying to use the crowd to establish a connection with you. It’s shameless,” Fan Yanxing’s eyes were dark and cold, his face rigid. Even though he had managed to scare Ding Wei away, it did not quell his anger.

From this, it was clear that Fan Yanxing had figured out that Ding Wei was lying. Liang Qingqing didn’t know him at all before this, nor had she ever seen him.

Liang Qingqing exchanged a look with Ma Xiuzhi. They both understood and joined in on scolding Ding Wei, which eased Fan Yanxing’s expression a little. However, he still cast a lingering, deep look at Liang Qingqing, causing her heart to race faster and a feeling of foreboding to rise in her mind.

“Qingqing!” A surprised female voice rang out from a distance. Liang Qingqing turned to see Huang Yali, wearing a yellow floral dress and a matching headband, running down the steps directly towards her.

“Yali!” Liang Qingqing’s face also lit up with the joy of seeing a familiar face, and the two excitedly clasped hands.

“I knew you’d be selected, so I was already prepared to join you for the training. But I didn’t expect you to give me an even bigger surprise by being directly chosen for the provincial broadcasting bureau!” Huang Yali’s voice rose with genuine happiness. She was truly thrilled for Liang Qingqing.

She had always liked smart and beautiful girls, and Liang Qingqing fit her tastes perfectly. Now that Liang Qingqing had such a great opportunity, as a friend, Huang Yali was naturally happy.

It was clear that making Liang Qingqing a friend was the right choice!

“I didn’t expect it either. I’m grateful for you and Sister Feng telling me the news in advance. Otherwise, it might not have gone so smoothly. I need to thank you.” Liang Qingqing smiled, squeezing Huang Yali’s hand warmly.

Huang Yali smiled back, accepting the thanks without hesitation. Her gaze then shifted to Fan Yanxing, and she instinctively began to say, “Is your partner here to see you off today?”

However, before she could finish, Liang Qingqing quickly interrupted, “Let me introduce you. This is my partner, and this is my mother.”

Huang Yali looked at Liang Qingqing with confusion. When she saw Liang Qingqing subtly wink at her, she realized there was something going on. Clearing her throat, she smiled and said, “Hello, I’m Huang Yali.”

“Hello, hello! You must be Qingqing’s friend, right? Qingqing mentioned you to me before. You look really pretty.” Ma Xiuzhi, unaware of anything unusual, smiled warmly at Huang Yali and complimented her.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing let out a heavy sigh of relief, she almost blew their cover! Few people knew about their real relationship, and if Huang Yali had slipped up, they’d have to face Ma Xiuzhi’s scrutiny.

Fortunately, the situation was resolved without incident.

Thinking of this, Liang Qingqing glanced at Fan Yanxing, who discreetly gave her a thumbs-up.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing curled her lips into a smile and straightened her back. She was glad she had managed this!

“Once everyone has arrived, there will be a speech from the leaders, and then we’ll be assigned our dorms. Given the time, I doubt there will be any training tasks today,” Huang Yali predicted accurately. Soon, someone with a loudspeaker took the stage, and the crowd quieted down instantly.

“That’s the director of our county’s broadcast bureau,” Huang Yali whispered in Liang Qingqing’s ear as she pointed out the person on the stage. Huang Yali fell silent after that, knowing well from her own experience not to provoke the director’s well-known severe methods.

Fortunately, the speech didn’t last long. Shortly after, a few staff members led them to the dormitories.

The dorms were on the same street as the broadcast bureau, just a five-minute walk away. They were in a newly built two-story brick house not tall but long. Liang Qingqing counted ten rooms on each floor, each room had the same layout, spacious enough, with bunk beds for six people, a long table with six chairs in the middle, and a large cabinet in the corner with six compartments for storing clothes.

The first floor was for the men, and the second floor for the women. Some rooms were already occupied, but the broadcast bureau had not arranged for the new hires to share rooms with the older staff, as most of them were from rural areas and would not be staying there permanently. Even if they did move in, they would have to move out after the training ended.

Moving in and out was a hassle.

At the dorm entrance, Liang Qingqing unexpectedly ran into Xu Qiao and Su Jinchuan. The latter, holding a light suitcase, looked plain but still elegant and clean, like a refined gentleman. However, Liang Qingqing knew that his amiable appearance was just a deceptive facade.

He was scheming and dangerous, and his methods of rising through the ranks were ruthless and far from gentle. His genuine feelings only showed when he was with Xu Qiao.

After a brief encounter, it was impossible for Liang Qingqing, being from the same village, to act like she hadn’t seen them. Even if she was unwilling, she had to greet them. She managed a forced smile and nodded. A pinch on her side, though not strong, was quite noticeable.

Liang Qingqing felt like crying.

As expected, she turned around to see Fan Yanxing’s face darkening again, even more so than before. This time, he didn’t even bother to pretend, he simply bypassed them and headed upstairs. Liang Qingqing had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow, but just as she entered the stairwell, Huang Yali pulled her aside to talk.

“Qingqing, why are there so many attractive people from your village? That guy we saw earlier was so handsome, different from your boyfriend’s type. It’s a pity he already has a partner otherwise, I’d try my luck too. It would be nice to have him around every day, just to look at.”

As Huang Yali spoke, she sighed regretfully.

Upon hearing this, Liang Qingqing’s forehead twitched involuntarily. She cast a guilty glance at Fan Yanxing ahead of her. He paused for two seconds while climbing the stairs, but then he quickened his pace, his footsteps heavier and more deliberate, as if he were venting his frustration.

It was as if Huang Yali had opened a can of worms, but since she didn’t know about Liang Qingqing’s past “pursuit” of Su Jinchuan, it wasn’t her fault.

Liang Qingqing could only laugh awkwardly and shift the topic. “Yali, which room are you staying in? Are we far apart?”

“I usually live at home, but I have a bed here too. It’s in the third room around the corner, and you’re in the fifth. It’s not far,” Huang Yali said, unknowingly adding fuel to Fan Yanxing’s jealousy. She continued excitedly, “If you don’t mind, we could share a bed tonight.”

Then she quickly retracted the offer. “Actually, never mind. Training will be tiring, we should each get a good rest.”

Liang Qingqing nodded, her mind elsewhere. When she hurried to her assigned room, she found Fan Yanxing there. He was already busy organizing his luggage, taking out the basin and cloth.

….…

“I’ll go with you,” Liang Qingqing said.

Fan Yanxing looked at her with a half-smile and raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

“You go ahead, I’ll rest here for a bit,” Ma Xiuzhi said. She was alarmed by the earlier scene and knew about Liang Qingqing’s past with Su Jinchuan. It seemed like she was just adding fuel to the fire. Now that Liang Qingqing was with Fan Yanxing and their relationship seemed good, she genuinely didn’t want any misunderstandings that could affect their feelings.

She hoped things would go as she had always intended to avoid any potential misunderstandings and preserve their relationship.