QTIMP -Chapter 250 The Character Persona – Vicious (Part 13)

The two people behind the tree felt that Si Qiu was absolutely right—she deserved to live such a good life.

But when they thought about her final sentence, about wanting her husband to be by her side at all times, both of them lowered their eyes slightly.

It seemed neither of them could accomplish that.

“Qiuqiu, listen to me. I just… I just… Actually, I found a job for you. A temporary position. It costs 320 yuan. I’ve already prepared the money for you. You can take your household registration book and come with me to complete the transfer right now. Just pretend I never said those things earlier.”

Si Qiu kicked the back of his knee.

Caught off guard and struck with precise force, he stumbled and dropped to one knee.

She immediately put some distance between them.

“Get lost! Who cares about the lousy temporary job you found? First you try to threaten me, and when that doesn’t work, you try to buy me off. A disgusting person like you—just looking at you makes me feel contaminated. And you think I’d accept something from you? A lowly piece of trash like you is worthy of that?”

Si Qiu turned to leave.

Gu Jingnian suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of her skirt.

Holding her skirt with one hand, Si Qiu kicked him repeatedly with all her strength.

Yet he seemed mentally unstable. His eyes were red, but he refused to let go, muttering endlessly under his breath.

He was utterly infuriating.

Just then, two people rushed out from behind the tree.

One of them wrapped an arm around Si Qiu and pulled her backward.

The other grabbed Gu Jingnian’s hand. The pain forced him to release his grip.

Immediately afterward, that person sent him flying with a kick.

It wasn’t the limit of how far he could be kicked.

He only stopped because he crashed into a tree.

Clutching his chest, he coughed for quite a while before finally looking up at the people opposite him.

Si Qiu was vigorously dusting off her skirt with a handkerchief.

A man stood beside her with one arm around her shoulders. Taking the handkerchief from her, he carefully brushed off her skirt and even wiped her little leather shoes clean.

The man standing in front of them was dressed only in a shirt, yet his bearing clearly marked him as a soldier.

After a long while, the discomfort faded, and Gu Jingnian’s vision became clear.

He recognized the two men at once.

Although they weren’t particularly familiar because of the age gap, they weren’t strangers either.

Back then, he had actually admired these two leading figures among the younger generation of the military compound and the government compound.

But now, seeing the way they behaved around Si Qiu, he immediately understood that they had ulterior motives toward her.

Forcing himself upright against the tree, he asked,

“Why are you two here?”

Then his gaze turned cold.

“What exactly is your relationship with Qiuqiu?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Si Qiu rushed over and kicked him in the leg again.

“You disgusting hooligan! How dare you grab my skirt!”

This time, however, he was prepared.

He wasn’t knocked to his knees.

Instead, he looked at her with a doting expression.

The sight made the other two men feel sick.

Lan Qing pulled Si Qiu back into his arms and leaned close to her ear.

“Don’t be angry, Qiuqiu. Let Wen Luo deal with him. For someone like him, even getting hit by you is a blessing.”

Si Qiu’s constitution wasn’t very strong, and with how angry she was, she was breathing slightly heavily.

She tossed her braid behind her shoulder, completely oblivious to the fact that she was still being held in someone’s arms.

Pointing at Gu Jingnian, she scolded, “That useless piece of trash wrinkled my new skirt!”

“Let Wen Luo teach him a lesson, Qiuqiu. Forget the skirt—we’ll buy you a new one later.”

The gentle reassurance gradually calmed her down.

When she finally came back to her senses and noticed the person still holding her, she took a step to the side and looked him up and down.

When Lan Qing noticed the girl looking him over, he unconsciously straightened his posture. One hand slipped into the pocket of his suit pants while the other rose to his lips as he gave a light cough, trying to hide his discomfort.

The gesture, however, perfectly highlighted his physique and the sharp contours of most of his face.

Who would have thought that the only response he got was a scoff from the girl? Then she arrogantly turned her head away.

Another one throwing himself at me.

Meanwhile, Wen Luo had already kicked Gu Jingnian flying once again. With her arms folded across her chest, Si Qiu watched the scene with satisfaction.

Lan Qing found it somewhat amusing, but he didn’t want Wen Luo to hog all the attention, so he spoke up.

“Wen Luo, that’s enough. If you keep hitting him, something serious might happen. We can’t cause trouble for Qiuqiu.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard another scoff from the girl beside him.

The sound made his heart itch.

Touching his nose, he watched Wen Luo stride back with the imposing gait of a dragon and tiger. Reaching Si Qiu, he bent slightly at the waist and asked with genuine concern,

“Qiuqiu, are you alright? Were you frightened?”

Covering her nose, Si Qiu immediately took a step back and waved her hand in front of her face.

“You reek of sweat. Stay farther away from me.”

Wen Luo lowered his head and sniffed himself. Beating someone up counted as exercise, and with it already being mid-June, the weather was indeed quite hot. He had worked up a light sweat.

No wonder Qiuqiu disliked the smell.

He quickly retreated another step.

In front of Si Qiu, he had always felt inferior. Although Si Qiu herself couldn’t understand what exactly he was insecure about, he had to admit that insecurity was a man’s best dowry.

As Si Qiu was led away by the two men, Gu Jingnian’s eyes were filled with despair.

He truly had never intended to force Si Qiu. He simply loved her too much and wanted to build a family together with her.

After being scolded by Si Qiu, he also knew that he wasn’t worthy of her.

But he couldn’t control the attraction she held over him.

The three of them didn’t go far. They merely crossed to the other side of the park and sat down in a pavilion.

Si Qiu shook Lan Qing’s hand. Although his grip wasn’t tight, she still couldn’t easily break free. Eventually, Wen Luo couldn’t stand it anymore and smacked Lan Qing’s arm.

The moment her hand was freed, Si Qiu immediately scooted farther away from him.

Lan Qing adjusted his glasses and rubbed the arm that had been struck. From beginning to end, his gaze never left Si Qiu.

“Qiuqiu, I heard you’re looking for a job?”

As soon as he spoke, Wen Luo hurriedly chimed in.

“I was actually looking for his help before. I wanted him to find you an easy position in a government department. The salary doesn’t really matter. It’s clean, respectable work, and I figured you’d like something like that.”

“Him?” Si Qiu turned her head and once again met those smiling eyes that seemed to hold hidden meanings.

Turning back, Wen Luo nodded.

“Yeah. I haven’t come back much these past few years, and most of my comrades are either in the Public Security Bureau or working in factories. I thought those places would be too exhausting for you, so I asked this guy to keep an eye out for something suitable.”

Lan Qing cleared his throat, drawing Si Qiu’s attention.

“I’ve already made arrangements. The archives room at the Finance Bureau happens to have an opening. The work isn’t tiring, and the interpersonal relationships there are simple. It’s quite suitable for you, Qiuqiu.”

The moment he finished speaking, the girl who had been glaring at him just moments ago suddenly beamed with delight.

“Brother Qing, do I meet the requirements? When can I start working?”

This position was practically perfect for her.

If she had really wanted to work in a factory, she could have spent money long ago to buy herself either a temporary or permanent position.

But she was so beautiful and delicate.

Naturally, she couldn’t be expected to suffer through assembly-line work.

Putting everything else aside, this man was actually quite useful.

Si Qiu decided to show him just a tiny bit of favor.

When Lan Qing heard her call him “Brother Qing,” it sounded almost like “dear brother” in the most intimate sense.

His heart trembled uncontrollably.

Pressing the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he fought to maintain his composure.