Free Web NovelChapter 250: Chapter 250: Returning the Courtesy
The fireworks show was being held in the sea south of the First District.
Many nobles would travel by yacht, and Ai Li was hosting a party on her family’s yacht to watch the show up close while having fun.
When Jiang Qingli arrived with Gu Nian, most of the guests were already there, scattered about in small groups.
Ai Li had mostly invited friends her age and underclassmen, so there were no superiors present. This made the atmosphere quite relaxed.
A few of the special admissions students were there, and someone called out for Gu Nian to join them.
Gu Nian didn’t really want to interact with the others, but he also didn’t want Jiang Qingli to think he was antisocial. He reluctantly shuffled over, looking back at her with every step, which amused Jiang Qingli and made her want to laugh.
Ai Li spotted Jiang Qingli from the second deck and came flying down. She peeked behind her and asked, perplexed, "You only brought one Beast Husband? Aren’t the others coming?"
Jiang Qingli nodded.
’Baili Jing is busy preparing for a concert, and Yuan Shimo doesn’t really like crowded social events...’ Jiang Qingli had asked Ye Linyuan, but he’d replied, "I’m not interested in doing *that kind of thing* outside." ’He really can twist anything into something lewd...’
So in the end, she only brought Gu Nian.
"Well, you’ll be at a disadvantage when we play couples’ games later," Ai Li said, linking arms with Jiang Qingli. She led her to a seat by the window and showed her the itinerary for the party.
A moment later, Lin Xiyue appeared with her seven Beast Husbands in a grand procession.
The moment her Beast Husbands heard she was going out, they kept a close watch on her, so they all had to come along.
Once on deck, Lin Xiyue used the excuse of wanting to chat with her friends to shoo them off to the side.
Lin Xiyue, the master of balancing acts, sat down at the table and looked at Jiang Qingli. "So, what was Brother Stone like?"
"What?! You got with Brother Stone?!" Ai Li grinned madly. "How was he? How was he? A Vermilion Bird is a rare species, you know!"
"Both of you, shut it." Jiang Qingli reached out and tapped them both on the forehead. "It’s not developing into anything like that," she corrected.
"Fine, fine. I was just hoping for some gossip." Ai Li shrugged. "But a purely professional relationship is fine too, I guess. Sigh..."
She let out a long sigh. Lin Xiyue found it funny. "Hey, don’t tell me that now that you’ve had a taste of your Scar Brother, you’re starting to get sick of him?"
Ai Li’s mission target had gotten numerous scars on his back during a previous mission, so they had nicknamed him "Scar Brother."
Ever since Scar Brother let Ai Li feel his abs, their relationship had grown much closer. Last week, when he was released from the supervision center, he immediately booked an entire restaurant to confess his feelings to her. The two of them were officially dating now.
The supervision center and the Healing Association didn’t just not forbid romantic relationships from developing between mission pairs—they actively encouraged it.
After all, the two parties in a Spiritual Healing mission usually had a very high Match Value.
Newborns were rare in the Empire. As long as the female was willing, the authorities were more than happy to see a beautiful union come to fruition.
However, there were also cases where, after a moment of passion, the female would refuse to acknowledge the relationship and dump the male, leading to situations where the male would wail and demand she take responsibility.
Lin Xiyue was worried Ai Li would get bored and handle it poorly. "His military rank is a bit high," she advised. "Don’t just ghost him. If you’re going to break up, do it gently. Otherwise, it’ll be a huge hassle later."
"We’re getting along just fine," Ai Li said, waving her hand dismissively before sighing again. "But the Association assigned me another mission, and Scar Brother is not happy about it. He’s convinced I’m going to fall for the new mission target!"
Lin Xiyue chuckled. "Didn’t he get with you through a mission himself? That’s the classic mistress mentality—always afraid another mistress will come along and take their place."
"Tell me about it," Ai Li laughed. "But the Association really has been handing out missions frequently lately. Last year, I only got one for the entire school year. This year, the semester isn’t even over, and I’ve already gotten a second one. Are they trying to work us to death?"
"I heard the Mutant Beast situation in the Lower District has gotten pretty bad recently, so it’s normal for the number of injured to increase."
After Lin Xiyue finished speaking, she saw Jiang Qingli frowning. Remembering that Qin Muye had just left, she quickly added, "It’ll get better in a few months when most of the Mutant Beasts go into hibernation. It’s not that serious. It’s like this every year."
Jiang Qingli could hear the reassurance in her friend’s voice and was about to respond when a sudden gasp rippled through the crowd behind her.
She looked up to see Song Zhizhou in a floral shirt, flashing a suave and flamboyant smile. He caught her eye and even gave her a wink.
In stark contrast to the extrovert, Jiang Youchen, who stood behind him, had a taut expression and a cold demeanor. As people came up to greet them, his brow furrowed slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the overly lively atmosphere.
"Marshal Jiang is so handsome!" Ai Li was practically panting. "That nose, that body... I could look at him a hundred times and he’d still be a total dreamboat!"
Lin Xiyue smacked her on the back of the head. "Keep staring and I’m telling Scar Brother."
"I can’t even look?" Ai Li cried, feigning innocence. "Those other females are lining up to add him as a friend!"
Jiang Qingli watched as several underclassmen surrounded Jiang Youchen, and her brow furrowed.
She felt a little uncomfortable and stood up. "I’m going to the restroom."
Ai Li pointed in a direction. "My brother modified this yacht, so the restrooms are up on the second deck. If you can’t find them, just ask a server!"
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Jiang Youchen was politely declining the friend requests from the various females. His gaze swept the area and landed on a girl not far away, their eyes meeting.
A small smile touched his lips. He had just started to walk toward her when she abruptly spun around and hurried upstairs, her ponytail swinging with each step.
Jiang Youchen froze mid-step.
’He retraced his actions from the last few moments, but he couldn’t figure out what he’d done to upset her.’
Jiang Youchen took a deep breath, about to go after her, but saw another figure catch up to her even faster.
The young man had a tall, straight posture, and his jade-green eyes were filled with pleasant surprise. He took a deep breath and said, "Qingli, are you going to the second deck? Want to go together?"
Jiang Qingli wasn’t used to him calling her by her name. "Why did you stop calling me sister-in-law?"
"...There are too many people here." Yuan Shiyao’s ears turned red, and he cleared his throat. "If you don’t like me calling you that... I can go back to calling you sister-in-law."
"This is fine too," Jiang Qingli said after a moment’s thought. "Should I return the favor and call you Shiyao, then?"
At her words, his fair cheeks flushed bright red. The usually eloquent Secretary Yuan actually stammered, "C-Can I?"
Jiang Qingli tried the name out in her mind, then shook her head. "Forget it, that’s too weird." ’She didn’t even call Yuan Shimo by his first name like that.’
Disappointment flashed in his jade-green eyes. Yuan Shiyao mumbled, "Ah... right..."
The two walked side by side toward the second deck, the damp sea breeze catching their shirts and skirts, making them billow.
Seen from behind, they looked like a well-matched couple.
Jiang Youchen stood there for a moment before silently finding a seat.
...
As she came out of the restroom, she saw several servers carrying things and furtively slipping into the various suites.
Before they came, Ai Li had mentioned there would be a surprise in their rooms for the night. ’It’s probably some kind of prank,’ Jiang Qingli thought, pretending she hadn’t seen a thing.
"Let’s go. The fireworks will be starting soon," Yuan Shiyao said, walking up beside Jiang Qingli.
He had spent some time by the railing in the sea breeze and had cooled down, looking much like his usual self again.
Jiang Qingli nodded. As she started down the hallway, the dormant 030 in her mind suddenly spoke up: "The system belonging to Bai Yiyi is nearby."
Just as a flicker of confusion crossed Jiang Qingli’s mind, she was violently shoved and fell to the ground.
Three or four servers, struggling to carry a large gift box together, had collided with them right at the corner.
Jiang Qingli looked up and met the gaze of a female with a puffy, unfamiliar face.
