Chapter 95 Li Qingyuans Rotten Peach Blossom
Li Qingzi's interest was instantly piqued. She pulled Jiang Xuxu aside to press for more details, all while keeping a close eye on her phone to track a certain rich heir's latest activities.
Ever since he had started pursuing Li Qingyuan, Li Qingzi had followed his social media account. A quick glance at his feed revealed a new photo taken at a bar. In the picture, the rich heir was seen with his arm around a girl, looking very intimate.
Such photos were hardly a rare occurrence for someone of his background. However, Li Qingzi remembered that during the few days he was chasing Li Qingyuan, he had actually been quite restrained, and his posts had been relatively well behaved.
Now that he was so openly flaunting a photo with another girl, it seemed like he had given up. Li Qingzi was puzzled.
Jiang Xuxu followed her gaze and looked at the photo on the screen. When she saw the man in the picture, she paused. "This man is not her Rotten Peach Blossom."
Li Qingzi was taken aback, unable to believe she had misread the situation. "He's not? But he was pursuing Li Qingyuan like crazy just a few days ago."
Jiang Xuxu pursed her lips and suddenly asked, "Do you have his date of birth?"
Li Qingzi immediately pulled up the rich heir's public profile, which listed his birthday. She had heard that Xuanmen calculations required a person's Bazi, but she asked uncertainly, "Will this work?"
Jiang Xuxu nodded. With a single look at the date, she easily deduced his birth chart. Although she couldn't pinpoint the exact hour, it was more than enough.
After a quick mental calculation based on the rich heir's birth date, Jiang Xuxu finally spoke. "This man is indeed not your sister's Rotten Peach Blossom, but he does have a karmic entanglement with her actual partner."
In other words, the two men likely knew each other and might even have a conflicted relationship.
Li Qingzi's own family was far from peaceful, so she was naturally more cynical than the average socialite.
Hearing Jiang Xuxu's words, she immediately imagined a scenario of two men fighting over one woman.
It was even possible that the rich heir had a personal grudge against the Rotten Peach Blossom and had intended to steal Li Qingyuan away just to spite him.
He simply hadn't succeeded.
Such things were not uncommon in their social circle. Li Qingzi didn't think much of it, though she felt Li Qingyuan was getting off too easy. "You said her peach blossom color is deep right now. Does that mean she's already dating this Rotten Peach Blossom?"
Jiang Xuxu nodded.
Li Qingzi hadn't expected the Rotten Peach Blossom to develop so quickly right under her nose. She immediately began tapping away at her phone again, looking as if she were setting an inescapable net to drag the man out.
Jiang Xuxu fully understood Li Qingzi's "enthusiasm." After all, if there was some drama involving Guan Ruirui to watch right now, she would be the first one there, too.
Li Qingyuan was unaware that her stepsister was currently so concerned about her love life. Seeing that the time was about right, she approached the Li couple, made a quick excuse, and left the banquet early.
After leaving the Jiang residence, she didn't go straight home. Instead, she took a detour to an apartment in the city center.
She pressed the doorbell and took a moment to fix her hair. Before long, the door opened, revealing a fair-skinned, handsome young man in his early twenties. The youth was good-looking and possessed a gentle aura, very much in line with the "fresh meat" idol aesthetic.
In fact, he was indeed part of the entertainment industry. He had debuted this year through a trainee variety show. While he wasn't top-tier in terms of popularity, he had accumulated a significant number of "girlfriend fans."
Li Qingyuan had followed that variety show, though he hadn't been the one she was supporting at the time.
She remembered using her father's connections during the recording to take her friends backstage for photos.
Xue Yining happened to be one of the trainees she had accidentally taken a picture with.
It was because of that chance encounter that she had quickly hit it off with him when they met again in real life. For a girl like her, such coincidences felt like a miraculous twist of fate.
What had caused Li Qingyuan to fall so quickly was Xue Yining's attitude toward her. Despite being a rising idol whose career was on the upswing, he made no effort to hide his affection for her. Recalling the ambiguous atmosphere when they first reunited, Li Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat.
Xue Yining seemed surprised to see Li Qingyuan. A flash of panic flickered in his eyes, but he suppressed it with effort. "Yuanyuan, what are you doing here? Didn't you say... you were at a banquet tonight?"
Li Qingyuan simply said, "I missed you, so I came to see you!" As she spoke, she pouted with feigned anger. "What? Are you not happy to see me? Fine, I'll leave."
She made a move to turn away, but her arm was immediately grabbed from behind. A warm palm firmly gripped her slender wrist. Li Qingyuan felt a surge of heat rise from where their skin met, and the tips of her ears instantly turned red.
"Yuanyuan, you know that's not what I meant." Xue Yining's voice seemed to possess a natural magnetic quality, sounding even more tender when lowered. Coupled with his handsome face, Li Qingyuan's irritation vanished.
She stepped forward to enter, but Xue Yining, who was usually so gentle and indulgent, blocked the doorway with a momentary look of hesitation. Li Qingyuan liked Xue Yining, which made her exceptionally sensitive to his behavior.
"You don't want me to go in? Are you hiding someone in there?" Her voice lost its sweetness, replaced by a note of annoyance.
Before Xue Yining could speak, Li Qingyuan pushed past him regardless and stormed inside.
"Yuanyuan!"
The small apartment was easy to scan at a glance. There was no one else inside. The only thing of note was a tray of freshly baked cookies spread out on the kitchen counter.
Xue Yining gave a helpless smile, his tone carrying a hint of embarrassment. "I... I was planning to bring you some handmade cookies tomorrow, but I was worried you'd think a man who likes baking is too girly. I was just hesitating..."
Xue Yining lowered his gaze, his fair face clouded with the awkwardness of being "found out."
Combined with his initial surprise at seeing her, Li Qingyuan understood everything. In an instant, her resentment and dissatisfaction were replaced by the realization that this man had personally baked cookies for her.
In the past, she might have thought a man who baked wasn't "manly" enough, but people often have a different set of standards for those they love. Now, she didn't see anything wrong with it. On the contrary, she felt her heart touched by his sincerity.
Li Qingyuan's attitude softened immediately. "I don't think that at all." She reached out, took his hand, and interlaced their fingers. "I love eating the cookies you make."
Hearing this, a light seemed to shine in Xue Yining's eyes, and his gaze toward her became even more affectionate. "The cookies just came out of the oven and need to cool. Why don't we go for a walk?"
Before Li Qingyuan could ask why, he continued, "The house is full of the smell of cookies. It wouldn't be good if it stuck to your clothes."
Thinking about her perfume clashing with the smell of baked goods, Li Qingyuan no longer objected. The two of them quickly put on masks and headed out.
She didn't see the cold, dark glint that flashed in Xue Yining's eyes as he glanced toward the master bedroom before leaving.
Inside the master bedroom of the apartment, a girl was tied up hand and foot, her mouth sealed with tape. She stared at the door with eyes full of despair. It wasn't until she heard the sound of the front door closing that tears finally fell.
"Mmph! Mmph!!"