Chapter 5 - substitute romance 05
Qiao Xi was the only one in the dormitory, so the sound was turned up when the video was played.
As soon as Yu Huan returned, she heard Qiao Rui’s voice, with the man’s tone lingering at the end:
“Sister, I’m begging you. I’m not doing anything, I just want to see her. Can you ask her to come out? You can’t just take away my right to like someone…’
You have no right at all.
Qiao Xi was concentrating on applying her lipstick when she heard a noise and turned to greet Yu Huan. Immediately, her tone became soft, ‘Welcome back, baby. Have you made any progress today?
Before Yu Huan could say anything, Qiao Rui on the other end of the video call felt an earthquake, as if there had been a crash.
Qiao Xi glanced at the screen and noticed that the apple Qiao Rui had been absentmindedly munching on was gone, his messy hair was tidier, and the towel that had been hanging loosely around his neck had been tossed aside.
The boy straightened his clothes, cleared his throat and greeted her casually: ‘Sister Huanhuan is back.
‘Yes,’ Yu Huan glanced at him and exclaimed, ‘did you finish that apple in one bite? You have a good appetite.
‘Hahahaha…’ Qiao Xi laughed so hard that he almost choked on his own saliva.
Qiao Rui’s face turned red like a ripe tomato, and he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. Angry and humiliated, he accused his sister: ‘Stop laughing, or your dentures will fall out.
Yu Huan didn’t understand these two siblings.
Qiao Xi laughed a lot, casually turned off the video, then looked back at Yu Huan and asked, “You came back empty-handed?
Yu Huan nodded, feeling a little better: ‘I gave him flowers, and he didn’t refuse them.
‘Did he say anything?’ Qiao Xi asked, resting her chin in her hand.
If there was an innocent and sweet girl with a pretty face like Yu Huan who persisted in pursuing her, she could turn her.
‘What did he say…’
Yu Huan drifted off, thinking that the male lead should be struggling between maintaining his purity for the female lead and wanting to see her face.
He soon learned that the female lead had an engagement, and became more and more entangled in this whirlpool, until he could no longer extricate himself and resorted to drinking and getting drunk, and was picked up by ‘her’.
Qiao Xi, however, thought too much.
OK, OK,’ Qiao Xi clapped her hands, ‘so you’re just going to be hooked like that. Go pack your things and follow me to dinner.
Qin Yunye’s value was there, after all, he was the pride of heaven, a bit hard to chase, so Qiao Xi didn’t say anything.
But now the flowers have all been plucked!
There’s only so much fishing you can do, and the girls in the dormitory are stupid anyway. They’ve been caught and they’re still climbing to get closer.
Dog men.
By comparison, Qiao Rui is a licking puppy, ready to be given away.
I just got back, I’m so tired… Yu Huan rubbed her shoulders and sold her misery.
‘Let’s have a barbecue. Qiao Xi didn’t even turn her head.
‘OK, sister, wait for me.
Qiao Xi comes from a wealthy family and is very generous with food and clothing. But the place she took Yu Huan to was an ordinary barbecue restaurant at the end of an alley.
I discovered this restaurant when I was in high school, and later, whenever I had nothing to do, I would go here with Qiao Rui,” Qiao Xi said.
The food must be really good,’ Yu Huan said, her eyes shining.
The restaurant was simple and clean, and as soon as you walked in, you could smell the aroma of the ingredients and the lively atmosphere of the food being grilled on the fire.
There were already several tables in the restaurant, with adults and children eating and drinking in a lively atmosphere.
Qiao Xi was afraid that Yu Huan would be knocked over by a child running around, so he took her from the side and walked towards the inner private room.
Even before they entered, the first thing that caught their eye was a slim and stylish figure with fluffy black hair, wearing a thin long t-shirt and exuding a sense of relaxed youthfulness that was trendy and generous.
The boy was idly twirling a teacup. The old-fashioned white porcelain teacup with blue flowers was spinning under his slender fingers, and light blue veins were visible on the inside of his wrists.
‘Is everyone here? Have you ordered yet?’ Qiao Xi called as he entered.
‘It would have been better if you had come earlier. Everyone is here but you. Why are you so narrow-minded… Huanhuan…’
Qiao Rui had waited a little too long, and replied listlessly to his sister.
Turning his head, he saw an unexpected person and was stunned. He blurted out ‘Sister Huanhuan’ and the final sound was not called out due to his stupor or anything else, so it became a soft ‘Huanhuan’ that made his face flush.
Qiao Rui did not look as imposing as his sister Qiao Xi. His eyes were droopy, round dog eyes, and his face looked young.
Although at first glance he was much taller than Yu Huan, she still felt that he was her younger brother.
She waved at her unknown playmate, “It’s the first time we’ve met.
Qiao Rui froze for a few seconds, not knowing what to think, then suddenly bent down and bowed to Yu Huan, ‘Hello, I’m Qiao Rui…’.
Yu Huan’s eyes widened.
The rest of her friends were amused by Qiao Rui, and they all shrugged their shoulders and lowered their heads to suppress their laughter.
Qiao Xi felt humiliated: ‘Are you stupid?’
Qiao Rui pursed his lips tightly, his puppy dog eyes looking at his sister with resentment: ‘You didn’t tell me Huanhuan was coming either, and I wasn’t prepared.
Eventually everyone sat down and the barbecue was served, dish after dish.
The slices of fat and lean pork belly were sizzling with oil, the big juicy barbecued lamb shanks were attractively fragrant, the big skewers of barbecued prawns were full of spices and delicious, and the golden-brown barbecued sea bass was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside…
There were also plump raw garlic oysters and sweet and spicy shrimp tails that were tender and full of flavour…
Yu Huan came over mainly to follow Qiao and help with the cooking. Of course, after eating, people become more sociable and friends get to know each other.
The drinks on the table were originally of different alcoholic strengths, but when Qiao Rui saw that Yu Huan hadn’t touched them, he went out for a while, brought back two non-alcoholic drinks and silently pushed them to Yu Huan’s side.
Hey, are these for me? Yu Huan took them and smiled, exclaiming that her younger brother was very considerate. ‘I’ll just have one, thank you.
It’s no problem. If you want anything else, I’ll bring the whole box over.
Qiao Rui ran a hand down his neck and half leaned over to look at Yu Huan.
Yu Huan marvelled at the fact that the canned drink he had brought back actually had a straw. She took a sip, and it was still a sweet and refreshing juice.
She had eaten a lot at lunch and wasn’t hungry at this point, so after a few sips of the juice, she was the first to fill her stomach.
On the way, she saw the bear-shaped cookies she had been craving at the roadside snack shop, and she wanted to buy them before they ran out. She whispered to Qiao Xi.
Qiao Rui, go.
Qiao Xi led Qiao Rui like a dog. In the past, Qiao Rui would have rebelled, but this time he obediently got up without saying a word and walked out with Yu Huan.
Only when Yu Huan couldn’t see him did he give his sister the finger.
Yu Huan returned with two bags of bear-shaped biscuits, and Qiao Xi and the others had not yet finished eating.
There were a few more empty wine bottles under the table. Yu Huan belatedly realised that the food Qiao Xi had mentioned was not just for filling the stomach, but also for drinking.
The smell of wine was a little overwhelming.
Yu Huan shifted her position and sat down on the small stool by the door of the private room, waiting for Qiao Xi to finish drinking so that she could go back with her.
Qiao Rui noticed her movement, looked at the people on the table who kept falling over, and then looked at Yu Huan with a fixed gaze.
Under the warm light, the girl’s cheeks were soft, and she held the teddy bear biscuit that had nowhere to go in her arms, gazing down at the screen of her phone, so absorbed that it looked as if she was lost in thought.
The light came from the top left, casting a soft shadow on the door curtain, so hazy and beautiful it looked like a dream.
Sister Huanhuan is quite different. She gives the impression of being a good girl with good grades and an introverted, sweet personality.
Qiao Rui’s heart was beating like a drum and he couldn’t help but go up to her. Then he saw the man in the video on her phone screen, wearing only shorts around his crotch.
and she had just skilfully clicked a little red heart.
The gesture was no accident.