QTIMP -Chapter 23 Character Persona – Greedy (Part 23)

Although she knew nothing, it was as if she were some kind of bug-fixer. Every decision she made, every move she took, landed precisely on Feng Yu’s schemes, causing everything to circle back to square one.

For example, Feng Yu had long prepared to latch onto Xing Huai’en, but a bout of pneumonia delayed her plan. As for how she caught pneumonia?

Well, after being angered to the point of smoking from all seven orifices, Feng Yu’s days truly hadn’t been easy. Her parents became much stricter with her, and even her eldest and second brothers grew distant.

On top of that, Xing Huai’en began keeping her at arm’s length, which only made her more and more irritable.

She threw a pillow onto the bed. “He looks down on me? With the same face, why would he look down on me? And that Si Qiu—at such a young age, already learning those vixen tricks.”

Whenever she appeared, she hooked Big Brother Xing’s gaze so completely that he couldn’t look away. And because of that little bitch, neither her eldest brother nor he had been injured.

She couldn’t even take advantage of the situation while they were vulnerable. And things had gone more smoothly than in her previous life. She didn’t even know when he would leave—if she missed this chance, it would be hard to meet someone this good again.

She had noticed that ever since Si Qiu changed her name, many things had become different. First of all, in her previous life, the Qin family she had married into had already split up early in this lifetime.

She didn’t know whether Qin Xi would still be able to enter the procurement station and become a buyer. That had been a lucrative position. In the first ten years of her previous life, although the whole family had been crowded together—

The biggest earners in the household had been Qin Xi and Qin Bei. Qin Bei never married, and as Qin Xi’s wife, she had held the upper hand at home. But because the two elders favored the eldest son, her days had still been stifling.

Thinking of all that, her hands unconsciously began tearing at something.

The pillowcase fabric tore with a ripping sound under her distracted pulling. Though there was still an inner layer, it was filled with wheat husks.

After long use, pillows stuffed with husks inevitably collected dust. The cloud of dust that rose up made her cough violently. Her health truly wasn’t good—this coughing fit nearly left her unable to catch her breath.

It took her a long while to recover. Propping herself up, she poured half a bowl of water and drank it down before returning to her room, draping a piece of clothing over the pillow, and lying down to sleep.

When the Feng family returned, they found she had developed a fever and hurriedly took her to the hospital.

The next day at work, when Si Qiu didn’t see Feng Yu blocking Xing Huai’en at the entrance as usual, she found it strange. After all, it had practically become a daily spectacle.

Soon others noticed as well. Gossip spread quickly, and the answer naturally reached Si Qiu’s ears.

As soon as Zhao Sui heard the news, she hurried over to whisper it to her. “Xiao Qiu, I heard that Feng Yu was hospitalized with a fever.”

“Really? Well, it’s not surprising. She’s always had a weak constitution and catches illnesses easily. She’s been coming here rain or shine to block the door lately—maybe she overexerted herself.” She said it casually, as if making an offhand remark.

Zhao Sui nodded earnestly. “That’s true. Except when she sees you, she’s always that soft, delicate type—like a gust of wind could knock her over. But the moment she sees you, she’s like the big goose my in-laws keep—neck stretched out so long, like she’s ready to peck you at any moment.”

Si Qiu spread her hands. “What can I do? She’s always thought I stole her mother, stole her brothers, stole her chance at university—and that I’m going to steal her sweetheart next.”

Zhao Sui and Accountant Wang, who had been stretching her ears to listen, both stared wide-eyed at Si Qiu’s words. In the end, Auntie Wang lightly commented—

“That really is hard to stomach.”

Zhao Sui nodded in agreement with Aunt Wang’s words.

Two days later, the investigation seemed to be mostly concluded. Feng Fan came first to say goodbye to her and slipped a note into her hand.

“This is the address of the unit I’m stationed at. If you ever need anything, write to me, send a telegram, or call. No matter what you say, I’m still your biological brother. That’s something that can’t be erased.”

He had been afraid that Si Qiu might lash out at him with harsh words, so he had intended to finish everything in one breath. But when he reached the end and received no response at all from her, it made him feel even worse.

Meeting those clear, limpid eyes, guilt drowned him. “Anyway, take good care of yourself. If anything happens, come to me.”

After saying that, he felt as if he had no face left to stay any longer and hurriedly turned to leave.

Originally, considering the beef jerky he had given her and this contact information, Si Qiu had thought about preparing a small gift in return. Who would have thought he would leave so quickly? Well then, forget it.

After walking out of the compound and just turning past the mouth of the alley, she ran into Xing Huai’en and Wang Kai again.

“Are you leaving too?”

“Xiao Qiu, you’re quite well-informed, aren’t you? What, did Feng Fan tell you?” Wang Kai ruffled his hair with one hand.

Si Qiu nodded. “Then you should all be careful out there. Xiao Xue is very worried about you, Third Brother.”

“Oh, you girls just think too much. But I still have to thank you. And please take care of Xiao Xue for me. She may be two years older than you, but she’s too naïve and easily deceived.”

The more Wang Kai spoke, the tighter his brows furrowed. He loved his mother dearly, and because of that, he cherished even more this younger sister who had been raised solely by their mother.

“Brother Wang Kai, don’t worry. With the relationship between the two of us, we take care of each other, okay? And yes, Sister Xiao Xue is a bit innocent—that’s only because she hasn’t experienced much. But she’s not stupid. She won’t keep getting tricked forever.”

When it comes to someone’s own sister, the brother can criticize her all he wants—but how could she step in and start listing her faults to him? She had at least that much emotional intelligence.

“Heh, true enough. Still, thank you. This is my address and phone number. If Xiao Xue or you run into any trouble again, use this address to find me.”

Si Qiu accepted the slip of paper, folded it neatly, and put it into her shoulder bag. “I understand, Brother Wang Kai.”

Seeing there was nothing more to say, Wang Kai slapped Xing Huai’en on the shoulder. “Brother Xing, let’s go!”

“You go ahead. I still have something to say to Xiao Qiu.”

The moment he said that, both Wang Kai and Si Qiu frowned.

“I’m not even familiar with you. What is there to talk about?”

Originally, Si Qiu hadn’t had a bad impression of him. But after Feng Yu’s persistent entanglement during this period, even looking at him made her feel irritated.

The kind of irritation that not even a plate of drool-worthy spicy chicken could soothe.

Hearing her words, Xing Huai’en sighed, then turned to Wang Kai. “Don’t you still need to go home and say your goodbyes? You should head back first.”

“Oh? Then just say what you need to say. I’ll wait here. It’s fine—I’ve already told my family I’d be leaving today.”

Wang Kai didn’t want to leave. The two of them talking alone in the alley—if someone saw them, gossip would start easily. If he left and didn’t know what was said, and something happened later, Xiao Qiu would be the one put in a difficult position.

She was his sister’s good friend, and such a young girl at that. No matter what, he had to protect her.