QTIMP -Chapter 260 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 23)

This time, Si Qiu rode on the back seat of Lan Qing’s bicycle. Wen Luo had already learned how to adjust to being discarded the moment he had served his purpose.

Right now, his only hope was that while he was away, the girl wouldn’t completely forget about him. As for giving up on her—that was impossible. He didn’t have many strengths, but one thing about him was that once he set his mind on something, he would never let go.

Lan Qing personally escorted Si Qiu to the archives room. At the moment, there was only one woman working there. After Si Qiu joined, the two of them would manage the place together.

The work environment was simple, the workload light, and since Si Qiu had been brought in by Lan Qing himself, the woman treated her warmly.

“Qiuqiu, there are only the two of us in this department,” the woman said. “So after we finish organizing these files, we can take it easy for the rest of the day.”

She set down her knitting needles and leaned closer.

“By the way, Qiuqiu, what’s your relationship with Director Lan? When he left earlier, he kept turning back to look at you every few steps.”

The woman’s surname was Lin. She loved matchmaking and gossiping.

Si Qiu replied casually, “Sister Lin, there’s really nothing between us. We’re just ordinary friends.”

Sister Lin studied her expression carefully and indeed found nothing suspicious. However, she was soon distracted by Si Qiu’s appearance.

“Well, that makes sense. A girl as beautiful as you should take your time and choose carefully.”

The filing system in the archives room followed a clear pattern.

Throughout the day, Si Qiu familiarized herself with everything so that if anyone needed a file, she could locate it accurately at the first opportunity.

Fortunately, her memory was excellent. While she wasn’t quite at the level of photographic memory, she wasn’t far from it.

The day’s work was neither tiring nor busy, and the food in the cafeteria at lunchtime was fairly tasty, which left Si Qiu quite satisfied.

However, after only one simple trip to the cafeteria, news of her beauty had already spread throughout the entire workplace.

Curious employees intentionally found excuses to pass by their office, wanting to see for themselves just how beautiful the woman rumored to be the most beautiful employee in the bureau really was.

Eventually, Sister Lin found the situation unbearable.

She chased everyone away, even threatening to report them to their supervisors for disrupting their work and harassing the archives department. Only then did the afternoon finally become peaceful.

After work that evening, Lan Qing picked her up and took her back to the small courtyard.

Naturally, he had also heard the rumors.

Part of him regretted arranging for her to work there.

Yet if she worked somewhere else, he would worry even more. Sometimes he wished she would simply stay home and let him support her.

But remembering Gu Jingnian’s example, he didn’t dare bring up the idea.

Once they arrived at the courtyard, Lan Qing washed his hands and started preparing dinner.

“Qiuqiu, you can relax for a while. I’ll call you when the food is ready.”

“I’m going out on your bicycle for a bit,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.”

Lan Qing paused in the middle of washing vegetables.

“What are you going out for?”

“I’m going home to take a look.”

“I’ll go with you first.”

“No need. Just make dinner. I’ll be back shortly.”

She went to push the bicycle out, but the courtyard’s threshold was unusually high. Lan Qing quickly shook the dirt from his hands and hurried over to lift the bicycle over it for her.

“I still have a bicycle voucher,” Si Qiu said. “When I get back, I’ll give you the voucher and the money. Help me buy a bicycle when you have time. I want one of those women’s twenty-six-inch models.”

“That way it’ll be more convenient whenever I need to go somewhere.”

Lan Qing teased her.

“What’s this? Isn’t it even more convenient if I just take you wherever you need to go?”

Si Qiu took the bicycle handlebars from his hand. One hand steadied the bike while the other patted the handlebars lightly.

“It’s only reassuring when the steering wheel is in your own hands. Whatever others give you, even if they have no ulterior motives, still comes with an expiration date.”

With that, she rode away on the bicycle.

Lan Qing watched her until she disappeared beyond the alley entrance, then shook his head.

“Being too clear-headed isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

Si Qiu arrived at the Mechanical Factory family housing compound a little earlier than usual. It was right around dinnertime, and the entire building was bustling with activity.

Everyone greeted her when they saw her, but at the same time, they pricked up their ears, waiting to hear what was happening with the Si family.

Sure enough, not long after Si Qiu went inside, a scolding voice could be heard.

“Didn’t I tell you two to help the old folks turn over twice a day? Look at this—they’ve already developed bedsores! As their biological children, how can you just watch this happen?

And I come back every single day. If I didn’t, would Mom and Dad have already starved to death because of you two? Don’t forget, they used to love you both the most!”

Seeing how haggard the siblings looked filled Si Qiu with delight.

When she met their gloomy stares, she simply gave them a sweet smile, making their expressions grow even darker.

Sitting in a chair, Si Qiu casually remarked, “I know you’re both exhausted. But this was what we agreed on beforehand. You can’t just go back on your word. Sigh. If either of you were married, you could have someone at home to help take care of things and save yourselves some trouble. But unfortunately, neither of you is old enough yet. Just hold on for another two years. Whether it’s marrying a wife or finding a husband, at least you’ll have someone to share the burden.”

Both siblings knew she had bad intentions, but they still couldn’t help following her line of thought.

Si Bei’s eyes lit up.

Exactly! If he got married, he could have his wife stay home and take care of everything. He would only need to go to work, and when he came home, someone would be there to look after him too.

Si Xi immediately thought of her beloved Brother Zhang Wei. If the two of them got married, all he would need to do was stay home and take care of her mother while she worked and earned money. They would surely live a happy life together.

And once her mother passed away, she could transfer her job to him. Then she could stay home, have children, and raise them. What a wonderful life that would be.

Si Qiu understood these two far too well. She didn’t even need to look at their ever-changing expressions to know they were already prepared to accept the next stage of her plan.

As for the neighbors outside, they were quite familiar with the Si family’s situation. In their hearts, they all felt that Si Qiu had already done more than enough.

The elderly woman who had chatted with Si Qiu earlier nudged the old lady beside her.

“Third Girl is right. If she didn’t come back, those two younger ones wouldn’t care about their parents at all.”

“Exactly. Back then, that couple only doted on the first set of twins. After those two were sent to the countryside, they started spoiling this pair of twins instead. And in the end? The one putting in all the effort is the daughter they never cherished.”

“That’s right. That girl comes over every day after work to help take care of the two old folks.”

Inside the apartment, the siblings busied themselves for nearly an hour.

Only then did Si Qiu walk out with a sorrowful expression on her face.

The neighborhood gossips had long been itching for information. The moment they saw her come out, they hurried over.

“Third Girl, are Fourth and Fifth not taking care of your parents?”

Si Qiu sighed and shook her head.

“I understand them. They’ve both worked all day. Who isn’t busy? Who isn’t tired?

Sometimes they can’t keep up with everything, and there’s nothing that can be done about that. I can only come back more often to check on things. But I’m working too.

Since all of you live in the same building, Aunties and Grannies, if you have the time in the future, please remind them now and then.

Given my parents’ condition, every extra day they live is a blessing. I just want them to suffer a little less.”