QTIMP -Chapter 156 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 27)

After greeting her father, Si Qiu was driven home by He Shuo along with Bai Ye.

They politely declined the invitation to go inside and visit. Only after seeing the aunt and niece enter the villa did they turn the car around and leave.

In the car, Bai Ye lit a cigarette, tossed the pack to He Shuo, and only after exhaling a puff of smoke did he speak.

“What exactly is Chengyu thinking?”

He Shuo rested his arm on the window and laughed teasingly. “What do you mean? You’re a bit slow, huh? Didn’t you notice the kid has a thing for the girl?”

Bai Ye frowned. “But isn’t she his brother’s girlfriend?”

He Shuo glanced back at him, his eyes narrowing. “After tonight, she won’t be.”

Bai Ye whipped his head around, only for He Shuo to push it back. “Hey man, watch it! You’re driving, you know that? My life isn’t ready to be over yet!”

Bai Ye steadied himself and continued driving. They were all sharp people, and by now he had pieced it together.

“You don’t mean the second brother did it on purpose…”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t start guessing—I don’t know either. That guy is ruthless. If those two really get together, and the little girl hears about it later, that guy could literally twist our heads off.”

“But Grandfather Zhou?”

“Ha! What about him? Ask around—who even knows those two are dating?”

Hearing He Shuo say this, Bai Ye suddenly recalled a meal they had together once. He was driving Zhou Chengyu home and had overheard him take a call from Xiao Wu. From the few words he caught, it seemed they didn’t approve of the relationship being public.

Thinking back, that guy really was despicable.

“So when they do end up together, Xiao Wu won’t hate him to death?”

He Shuo flicked the cigarette butt out the window. “Hate him for what? What does it have to do with her? If anyone should be mad, it’s her mother. Didn’t you notice, Ms. Xu had been carrying around that girl in a red dress the whole time?”

Bai Ye thought carefully—indeed, he remembered that scene.

He sighed silently. “Second brother is really ruthless. But I wonder… what exactly is he thinking about that little girl?”

“That guy went through all that trouble, so there’s got to be at least some sincerity. You know him—he’s a bit single-minded. I guess one day, we’ll have a sister-in-law.”

Meanwhile, after Si Qiu returned with her aunt, she was about to go to her own room when she was stopped.

“Qiu Qiu, don’t rush. Come sit with me and have a drink for a while.”

Si Qiu knew her aunt wanted to comfort her, so she nodded in agreement.

She went to her room to remove her makeup, shower, change, and finally sent Zhou Chenyu a breakup message. Then she stepped out and turned right, heading to her aunt’s door.

The door was open. A servant was arranging something on the balcony. Si Qiu, wearing a nightgown, walked in and sat on the rocking chair beside the small balcony table.

After the servant left and closed the door, her aunt emerged from the bathroom.

She sat opposite Si Qiu and immediately grabbed a can of beer, opening it.

“Drink up! Out with the old, in with the new.”

Si Qiu took the can and drank a big gulp. She didn’t like the taste of alcohol, but honestly, her tolerance wasn’t bad.

Yet this swallow of beer brought an overwhelming bitterness and sourness. Her cough, tears, and runny nose all came at once.

She took the tissue her aunt handed her and wiped herself haphazardly.

It was as if a switch had been flipped—Si Qiu tearfully complained to her aunt.

“Auntie, I really like him. He’s handsome, and his personality is gentle…Auntie, don’t you think this is heaven testing the two of us?”

Si Anqi rolled her eyes helplessly, placing her hand over Si Qiu’s face and pushing her gently away. “You hopeless love-brain. If you dare to get back together with him, I’ll personally strangle you.”

Si Qiu, disappointed, returned to her spot. “Oh!”

She knew it was wishful thinking, but every time she tried to dispel such fantasies, it took tremendous effort. Her obsessive crushes were a way of seeking someone who could match her perfectly, someone who could spare her the exhausting struggle between reason and the madness of love—it was unbearably painful.

After getting drunk, Si Qiu was helped back to her room. As expected, Si Anqi saw her brother sitting downstairs.

She poured a glass of water and walked to the sofa.

“How’s Qiu Qiu?”

“What do you think? She cried herself sick. I forced two bottles of alcohol on her, and now she’s asleep.”

“I’ll go check on her.” With that, he took a few large strides upstairs, quietly pushed the door open, and peeked in. Feeling a bit tender, he tucked the blanket around her.

Then he went downstairs, somewhat dispirited. Si Anqi scoffed at him.

“What are you acting all mopey for? When you cheated and divorced my sister-in-law, what were you thinking? If you hadn’t done those things, would Qiu Qiu be such a love-brain now? She’s just starved for love, so she clings to any proof of affection she can find and can’t let go. All of this is the sin you committed as a father.”

Si Yanan didn’t argue but scratched his hair fiercely.

Then he grabbed the car keys from the coffee table, preparing to leave.

Si Anqi took a slow sip of water and said, “You’ve already failed one child. Don’t fail another. You’re an adult now—don’t make your parents worry over such petty nonsense.”

Si Yanan stood at the door, listening silently as she finished speaking, then opened the door and left.

While driving, Yanan impatiently blew smoke rings. He knew he wasn’t a good father, and that woman wouldn’t make a good mother, so his youngest son had always been raised by the grandparents.

But after this incident, he felt his own helplessness more acutely. He returned straight to the company—that was his leverage, his ace card.

To have sufficient influence, one must have enough assets to sway connections.

The next day at noon, Si Qiu woke up from her hangover. The first thing she did was pick up her phone and open an unread message.

It was from Zhou Chenyu, containing only four words: “Okay, I’m sorry!”

Si Qiu flopped back onto the bed, covering her eyes with her arm, on the verge of tears. Her mind replayed all the happy moments the two of them had shared.

She knew it was her love-brain persona acting up, so she tried to list all of Zhou Chenyu’s faults in her mind.

For example, she was growing impatient with him; he could be a bit too friendly with other women; a mama’s boy; when his mother spoke harshly, he wouldn’t even dare fart.

She knew all of this rationally, but the painful feeling and the images flashing through her mind were involuntary.

After a long while, she opened her dry eyes, got up, washed, and went downstairs. No one at home mentioned yesterday’s incident, not even her six-years-younger brother.

Now, he was even more cautious around her, bringing over his favorite model and softly saying, “Sister, I’ll work hard from now on. If anyone bullies you in the future, I’ll help you fight back.”

The child had been taught well by the two elders. Even if she no longer felt anything for him, the past two months of living together meant she couldn’t help but be moved by his words.

She reached out and rubbed his head. The boy visibly brightened, carefully left the dining room, then bounced around, shouting, “Grandma! Grandma! Just now, sister touched my head!”

Ah!