Chapter 64: Auntie, I Don’t Want to Try Anymore (10)

Liu Qingru had walked quite a distance while on the phone before realizing she had forgotten to bring Yu Liuxue with her. But when she turned back, she was met with the sight of Yu Liuxue seducing her close friend. Liu Qingru ended the call and stood at the doorway, expressionless, watching Yu Liuxue lean toward Liang Yin—her flushed cheeks brushing her hair, her hand reaching out to caress Liang Yin, her words ambiguous and impossibly tempting.

She had never acted this boldly in front of Liu Qingru.

It reminded Liu Qingru of what Liang Yin had once said about being someone’s “backup plan.” Qiao Ruo was a woman who was both scummy and unfaithful, never genuinely loving anyone. Once she set her sights on someone suitable, she’d go after them without hesitation—especially if they were hard to get. But the moment she succeeded, she’d lose interest, ghost them completely, block and delete them, never to see them again.

So Liu Qingru must be that soon-to-be-discarded backup.

That realization made her expression darker and darker, until Liang Yin finally spoke up and warned Yu Liuxue. Yu Liuxue turned around in alarm, revealing lips redder and more luscious than roses. Liu Qingru’s face grew stormy. She walked over slowly, seized Yu Liuxue’s wrist with force. Yu Liuxue shivered on the spot, sitting rigidly on the sofa, not daring to move.

Liu Qingru leaned in, her eyes locked onto Yu Liuxue’s. Calmly, she asked, “What are you doing?”

The emotion in her gaze carried the weight of ruinous fury. Yu Liuxue was miserable, whispering frantically to the system, “Daddy, save me! I’m really doomed this time! Tell her I was just teasing Auntie Liang, I didn’t actually mean to seduce her!”

The system gave her a sideways glance. “Host, do you think Liu Qingru would believe that?”

Yu Liuxue: “…”

She blinked pitifully, gingerly clasped Liu Qingru’s hand. “President Liu, let me explain. I was only playing around with Auntie Liang…”

Liang Yin: “???” Am I some sort of puppy?

Liang Yin’s glare instantly turned dagger-sharp. Yu Liuxue shut her mouth just in time, her brain working at full speed, desperately trying to figure out how to get out of this absolute battlefield. Liu Qingru felt like there was practically a vast grassland sprouting on her head. She and Liang Yin flanked Yu Liuxue from both sides, leaving her no room to escape.

Liang Yin sneered, “Oh? So now you’re just desperate? Messing around for fun?”

Yu Liuxue felt her mouth go dry and quickly turned to Liang Yin. “Auntie Liang, let me explain, it’s not like that!”

Lounging lazily on the sofa, Liang Yin nodded slowly. “Alright. I’m listening.”

Yu Liuxue stammered, glanced at Liu Qingru, then at Liang Yin. Finally, she slowly placed her feet on the ground, sat upright, bowed her head and muttered gloomily, “I’m sorry, President Liu, Auntie Liang. This is all my fault. I never should’ve entered your lives. From now on, let’s just treat each other as passing travelers in each other’s stories… and cherish only the beautiful memories we had…”

Then she bolted.

Liu Qingru had been on guard. With a tug, she yanked Yu Liuxue back and slammed her down onto the sofa. Yu Liuxue felt the world spin, and before she could react, Liu Qingru had already leaned down and kissed her—domineering, reckless, and full of fury, with not a trace of tenderness.

Breathless, Yu Liuxue widened her eyes slightly. “…?!”

Liang Yin was still right there!!!

Liang Yin was watching!!!

Yu Liuxue’s long hair was in disarray. Liu Qingru held her jaw in a firm grip, her chest heaving with rage. The kiss grew fiercer and fiercer. Yu Liuxue winced in pain and struggled instinctively, but the more she resisted, the tighter Liu Qingru pressed her down, tormenting her with escalating intensity. A faint metallic taste spread in her mouth, and Yu Liuxue finally stilled, no longer daring to move.

When Liu Qingru was done venting, Yu Liuxue’s eyes were red, lips swollen, and her tear-filled gaze blurred as she looked at her. She called out hoarsely, “President Liu…” and the tears rolled down her flushed cheeks.

Her hair was messy, her shoulder strap had slipped, and her arm was red from the struggle. She looked like a broken doll—red eyes, flushed cheeks, pink nose. Her lipstick was smudged, spreading color across her face, while Liu Qingru, still immaculate, now bore a touch of allure from the stain transferred from Yu Liuxue’s lips.

Yu Liuxue pitifully pulled up her clothes. The alcohol had made her look even more tempting. She opened her mouth, tilting her flushed face up toward Liu Qingru, and whispered, “President Liu… how could you…”

Just then, Guo Zao and Qin Feng opened the door. Guo Zao, who was in front, froze when she saw Yu Liuxue’s disheveled state and instinctively blocked Qin Feng from entering. Liu Qingru reacted fast, immediately taking off her coat to wrap Yu Liuxue up, then scooped her into her arms and said coldly, “Head down.”

Yu Liuxue quickly buried her face into Liu Qingru’s chest. Unseen by anyone, the corners of her mouth curled up in glee.

“System! System! So this is what it feels like when the domineering CEO falls for me.” She touched her swollen lips and started to look forward to what was coming next. Even though being bullied by angry Liu Qingru hurt a little… this feeling was just—

Too thrilling!

She could feel her blood boiling from excitement.

The system looked at her blankly. “If we add Auntie Liang to the mix, would you be even happier?”

“No way! We have to stick to the 1v1 principle of Jinjiang! Absolutely no breaking the rules!” Yu Liuxue firmly refused.

Liu Qingru walked out of the room, expression frosty, holding her in her arms. Left alone on the sofa, Liang Yin let out a soft sigh. Why did her heart feel so empty seeing her best friend carry that little heartbreaker away?

She hadn’t even felt that bad while watching her get punished just now.

Liang Yin frowned, forcing herself to suppress this strange feeling.

As Liu Qingru passed by, Guo Zao and Qin Feng stepped aside. Qin Feng even got kicked by Yu Liuxue. Furious, he glared at her, but all he could see was the top of her fluffy head and messy hair. He froze. “……?”

She got bullied… by Mom and Auntie Liu?!

Qin Feng’s eyes went wide with horror.

No! Absolutely not!

His mom and Auntie Liu were competing over his ex-girlfriend?! Qin Feng nearly passed out on the spot. What kind of absurd world was this?! Why would two rich and powerful women fall for Qiao Ruo, that thick-skinned, venomous woman?!

No matter if she ended up with his actual mom or Auntie Liu, he’d have to call her “Aunt Qiao” or “Stepmom” either way…

Just imagining it made Qin Feng feel like he was bleeding from every orifice.

Guo Zao stood frozen, watching Liu Qingru carry Yu Liuxue away. Her fingers clenched unconsciously. Her mind was full of the image of Yu Liuxue being ruthlessly bullied just moments ago—her eyes filled with stubborn tears, her swollen lips caught in defiance, her face glistening with sweat, utterly flushed and helpless.

Guo Zao’s heart started pounding. She instinctively took a step to follow, only to be yanked back by Qin Feng.

“What are you doing?” he asked, frowning.

“N-Nothing,” Guo Zao quickly replied, snapping back to herself. Just before the door closed, she couldn’t help but look once more toward their retreating figures. Her chest felt tight and stifled, like someone had stolen her favorite toy. A swirl of complicated emotions tumbled inside her.

Manager Qiao, when she’s being bullied…

She’s so enticing.

Yu Liuxue was thrown into the car by Liu Qingru, who then climbed in after her. Without a word, she tore apart Yu Liuxue’s little dress, her movements rough. Yu Liuxue clamped her legs together in excitement, shrinking back against the car door. “President Liu, it hurts.”

Liu Qingru paused. Her movements softened significantly.

Yu Liuxue giggled. “See that, System? Auntie Liu does care about me.”

Liu Qingru could never forget that moment when she saw her trying to seduce Liang Yin. Just recalling that scene made her chest tighten with fury. Yu Liuxue knew Liu Qingru was livid, so she obediently let her vent… but…

It had already been over an hour. Even if she were made of iron, she couldn’t take it anymore.

Yu Liuxue began to cry. As she sniffled softly and pushed against Liu Qingru, she only incited an even fiercer and more intense assault. Feeling like she had nothing left to live for, Yu Liuxue clung tightly to Liu Qingru, placing all her hopes on Liu Qingru’s sense of professionalism. Through choked sobs and broken sentences, she finally whispered, “President Liu, don’t you… don’t you still have work to do?”

“I postponed it.”

Yu Liuxue: “……”

Her voice had gone hoarse from all the screaming. Only after the mess in the car was over did Liu Qingru’s temper begin to subside. She glanced at the red and purple patches on Yu Liuxue’s pale skin, which peeked out from under the suit, and her heart softened. In the end, she let Yu Liuxue off.

She tossed Yu Liuxue in the back seat and went to the front alone to drive.

She said nothing, and Yu Liuxue dared not speak. Struggling to put her suit back on, Yu Liuxue rested her chin on the seat and cautiously edged her face closer to Liu Qingru’s cheek, pleading, “President Liu, I was wrong.”

Liu Qingru didn’t even blink, her eyes fixed on the road ahead as if she hadn’t heard anything. Clinging to the seat like a pitiful kitten, Yu Liuxue muttered, “System, this is too much…”

The system seized the opportunity to scold her. “Host, focus on completing your mission. Stop thinking about all this nonsense.”

Yu Liuxue pouted but still refused to give up. She leaned in closer again. “Liu…”

The moment she opened her mouth, Liu Qingru suddenly slammed the brakes. A sharp pain shot through the tip of Yu Liuxue’s tongue. She grimaced in misery, mouth open, convinced her tongue was ruined. She reached out and gently nudged Liu Qingru’s shoulder. When Liu Qingru turned around and saw the blood on Yu Liuxue’s tongue, she fell silent for a moment, then finally relented.

Turning back, she lifted Yu Liuxue’s chin with her fingers and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to her lips.

Yu Liuxue squinted and smiled. “So it’s actually pretty easy to please Auntie Liu.”

But her smile didn’t last long. After Liu Qingru took her home, she very considerately brushed her teeth, removed her makeup, gave her a bath, and dried her hair. Just when Yu Liuxue was about to brag to the system, a new round of inhumane torment began.

Yu Liuxue: “……” Caught off guard.

She ended up taking an entire week off. Sometimes she wasn’t even fully awake before Liu Qingru showed up. Once she ate and regained a bit of energy, Liu Qingru would get straight to the point. That one week felt like an entire century. Lying weakly in bed, Yu Liuxue asked the system in a whisper, “What time is it now?”

System: “7 p.m.”

Yu Liuxue shuddered on the spot—she’s coming again.

She quickly buried herself under the covers. “Lock the door!”

Liu Qingru came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of porridge. She pulled the covers off Yu Liuxue and looked down at the unwilling-to-open-her-eyes figure with a blank expression. “Time to eat.”

Yu Liuxue: “…Why didn’t you tell me she was already here?!”

Liu Qingru fed her spoonful by spoonful. When Yu Liuxue was almost done, she finally said, “You’ve taken a week off. Don’t delay the company’s project progress. If it’s late by one day, one month’s bonus will be deducted. Half a month late? One year’s bonus.”

Yu Liuxue: “……?!”

She was furious.

Back at the company, Yu Liuxue dove straight into an extremely hectic schedule. During her busy days, Liu Qingru never once came to find her. When things finally settled, Yu Liuxue realized Liu Qingru was still mad at her. So she pathetically went to Liu Qingru’s office to try to make amends. “President Liu…”

Soon, people in the company began noticing changes. Before, it was always President Liu summoning Qiao Ruo to her office with new tricks. But now—

“President Liu needs to see me. Hurry and finish this, no lunch until it’s done.”

“I’m going to President Liu’s office, don’t bother me with this again.”

“You can’t even solve such a simple problem? What did you all even learn in school? Redo it! All of it!”

People started speculating—maybe Qiao Ruo was about to be dumped by President Liu? Otherwise, why was she so explosive lately? That day she even lashed out at the design director, who left with a face full of red and blue but couldn’t out-argue her. The scene was beyond awkward.

No one dared mess with Yu Liuxue these days—except Guo Zao.

Ever since she saw Yu Liuxue’s pitiful state, Guo Zao had been haunted by dreams about her. Worried, she started chatting with Yu Liuxue whenever she could. But after hearing some news yesterday, she couldn’t hold back anymore. She picked up her phone and messaged her: “Manager Qiao, are you busy lately?”

Yu Liuxue glanced at the message. “A bit. Let’s talk after this project’s done.”

Disappointed, Guo Zao held her phone. Busy…

Recently, Qin Feng had been working overtime and finally earned some recognition. Liang Yin was pleased with her son’s performance and, in her good mood, promoted him to General Manager. As the company’s prince, Qin Feng had long drawn attention from many women who believed themselves attractive. Some openly flirted with him, even in front of Guo Zao. Others used work as an excuse to act intimately with him.

Like that female secretary of his.

Every time Guo Zao saw them, she got furious. Especially when the secretary brazenly provoked her, claiming she’d soon replace her and become Mrs. Qin. Guo Zao clenched her teeth, but had no comeback. All she could do was hide and cry in secret.

Since Qin Feng’s promotion, things only got worse. Those women looked down on Guo Zao, a fallen heiress, and believed themselves better matches for Qin Feng. They all flocked to him. Guo Zao watched from afar as he was surrounded by a crowd of flirty women, and turned away in silent pain.

Qin Feng noticed and immediately left the others to chase after her. He caught up and said, “Zao, don’t overthink. You’re the only one I care about.”

Guo Zao forced a smile. “I know.”

Qin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, then said helplessly, “Zao, now that I’m GM, I have to deal with a lot of people—especially women.” He cupped her face gently. “Please don’t be upset anymore, okay?”

Guo Zao masked her disappointment and smiled. “Okay.”

“Then I’ll go back to work. I’ve got a dinner meeting.” He patted her head and left with his proud-looking secretary. As they walked away, the secretary gave Guo Zao a provocative smirk, confident and smug.

Guo Zao’s heart twisted in pain.

She walked alone to the company’s little garden, trying desperately to calm herself. She told herself this was normal—rich men always had women around them. Even her own father. If her mother could endure it, why couldn’t she?

But… she just couldn’t accept it.

Every time she thought about all the women around Qin Feng, he seemed so cheap to her, not worth loving at all. It had been like that since childhood. If someone else liked something she liked, she’d lose interest. She was just that strange and obsessive.

Guo Zao stared blankly at Yu Liuxue’s profile picture on WeChat, wanting to chat, but remembered Yu Liuxue said she was busy. She lifted her chin, closed her eyes, and whispered to herself, “If it were Manager Qiao, what would she do…”

Manager Qiao would lock onto her goal and charge ahead without hesitation.

Guo Zao opened her eyes. Her goal was to earn Liang Yin’s approval and use her influence to help her father make a comeback. If that was the case, what was Qin Feng to her?

She returned to her office and threw herself into her project work, determined to complete all of Liang Yin’s harsh tasks. Before long, Liang Yin noticed her future daughter-in-law was working like she was on steroids—three times more intense than usual. She tapped her pen on the desk and asked, “What’s up with Qin Feng lately?”

Her assistant quickly read her tone and replied, “Young Master Qin has had lots of women around him lately. His secretary is the worst—she’s constantly acting close to him in front of Miss Guo and taunts her all the time.”

The assistant concluded, “Miss Guo’s probably upset.”

Upset? Liang Yin set down her pen. If a bit of emotional damage could make her work this hard, then maybe there was hope for her after all. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Promote her. Just slightly above that secretary.”

The assistant went to carry it out immediately.

After her promotion, everyone whispered that it was all thanks to Qin Feng. Otherwise, with Guo Zao’s ability, how could she have risen so high so quickly? Sitting alone during lunch, listening to her colleagues’ gossip, Guo Zao couldn’t help feeling a wave of disgust.

Qin Feng this, Qin Feng that—everything was thanks to Qin Feng. But she had fought her way here all on her own. Why couldn’t they see how hard she’d worked? The late nights, the overtime, the countless revisions?

Guo Zao bit her lip, suddenly losing her appetite. After tidying up her tray, she left the cafeteria. Everyone stared at her back, the gossiping hadn’t stopped.
“She must’ve heard us. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have left so quickly.”

“I was hoping she heard. She may be riding high on Qin Feng’s coattails now, but I don’t believe she can ride them forever.”

Guo Zao heard that last remark too. She hid alone in a corner, thoughts running wild. Was she really inferior to Qin Feng? She had studied hard for over twenty years, always ranking first in the entire school. And Qin Feng? He’d never taken studying seriously. If someone like Qin Feng could become a general manager, why couldn’t she?

Guo Zao clenched her teeth, making up her mind—

She would prove to everyone that she, Guo Zao, was better than Qin Feng. Even without relying on him, she would thrive and surpass him a thousandfold.

Yu Liuxue finally wrapped up the project. After hearing the system’s report on the female lead, she finally smiled. Things on that end were progressing just as she’d expected. That meant her mission would soon be complete. Just then, Liu Qingru passed by outside the design department office. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yu Liuxue laughing and smiling at another woman.

Liu Qingru’s expression instantly darkened. Her assistant followed behind her, not daring to make a sound.

Yu Liuxue only belatedly realized Liu Qingru had walked past her. Seeing Liu Qingru’s displeased face, she looked utterly confused. Later, she pulled Liu Qingru’s assistant aside and handed her a milk tea.

“Sis, why is Director Liu angry again?”

“You don’t know?” The assistant took the milk tea, looking exasperated. Whenever Director Liu got mad, they all suffered. She couldn’t help but sigh. “Manager Qiao, can’t you and Director Liu just get along?”

“I want to! But I really don’t know why she’s mad this time.” Yu Liuxue looked pitiful.

Seeing that she truly didn’t know, the assistant glanced around, then whispered, “Manager Qiao, Director Liu saw you flirting in the office just now.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?” When did I flirt with anyone?

Liu Qingru suddenly opened her office door, gave Yu Liuxue a cold glance, then left expressionlessly. Yu Liuxue quickly chased after her. “Director Liu, wait up!”

If Yu Liuxue had known Liu Qingru was going to see Liang Yin, she wouldn’t have followed no matter what.

Liang Yin greeted her with the same deadly gaze as always, eyes sharp like blades, slicing straight at her. Yu Liuxue instinctively hid behind Liu Qingru. But Liu Qingru left her behind and walked toward Liang Yin.

Yu Liuxue stood helplessly at the door. Just then, Guo Zao rushed over and blurted, “Manager Qiao, you’re finally here. I missed you so much.”

Both Liu Qingru and Liang Yin looked up at the same time.

Yu Liuxue: “…”

It’s not what you think—let me explain! This time, I really didn’t flirt with the female lead!