Free Web NovelChapter 273: Chapter 273: How Could You Court a Thing Like That
"Jiang Qingli, what are you doing?!"
"How could you court something so lowly?!"
Chi Yun stormed up to them, shouting in a rage.
He had been watching ever since Yi Nuo helped Jiang Qingli, but he’d held back, thinking that Yi Nuo was just a low-class servant.
But when he saw Yi Nuo change her shoes, and even lower his head and reveal his ears to entice her into a courtship, he couldn’t stand it anymore!
He could let it slide with Princes and nobles like Qin Muye and Baili Jing; at least their status was higher than his.
But this Yi Nuo was just a commoner from the Three Districts, nothing more than a servant!
He, her ex, had never even touched Jiang Qingli. What right did this man have to reveal his ears and be courted by her?!
The confetti from the popper had been caught by the cool indoor air, drifting down onto them like snowflakes. The sight of them together was so harmonious and beautiful, it looked exactly like a picturesque slow-motion scene from a romance drama, complete with a background score.
Chi Yun felt as if the popper had gone off inside his own heart, setting his entire being ablaze. He strode forward and grabbed Yi Nuo by the shirt collar, his eyes practically bursting with rage. "You shameless bastard!"
Furious, he drew back his fist to smash it into the other man’s face.
A gust of wind followed his punch, but Yi Nuo caught his wrist with one hand, stopping it dead in midair.
After all, Chi Yun had been bedridden for months and had rushed out to find Jiang Qingli before he had even fully recovered. He was no match for Yi Nuo.
No matter how hard he strained, his fist wouldn’t budge an inch.
Chi Yun’s blood boiled. He was so mad he could have jumped. "Let go! You worthless commoner, know your place!"
"You’re the one who should get lost." Yi Nuo retracted his beast ears and spoke coolly, his wolf-like eyes fixed on Chi Yun with overwhelming pressure. "Whatever the young miss does is her own business. You have no right to order her around."
"Don’t get ahead of yourself!" Chi Yun roared. "You’re just a dog she keeps!"
Perhaps anyone else would have been enraged by such an insult, but to Yi Nuo, it wasn’t insulting at all.
He even nodded in agreement. "I am indeed the young miss’s dog."
"So what right do you, an outsider, have to give orders to the young miss’s dog?"
Yi Nuo raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of disdain. "Between the two of us, you’re the one who doesn’t know his place."
Chi Yun hadn’t expected this "commoner" to have such a sharp tongue. His face flushed red. "Let me go!"
Yi Nuo didn’t let go. Instead, he turned to look at his master.
Jiang Qingli hadn’t expected Chi Yun to suddenly show up and cause a scene. Unable to comprehend his actions, she first told Yi Nuo to let go, then asked, "Chi Yun, did you come looking for me just to beat up my people?"
Her gaze was filled with confusion, completely devoid of the affection she’d held for him before their engagement was broken.
A sharp pain lanced through Chi Yun’s heart.
He dropped the hand grabbing Yi Nuo’s collar and muttered, "It’s only because he was trying to entice you into a courtship..."
He pressed his lips together and looked at the girl, his eyes showing a hint of grievance, but mostly a desperate hope that she would explain it was all a misunderstanding.
But Jiang Qingli didn’t feel she owed an outsider any explanation.
Jiang Qingli’s tone was calm. "I don’t need your permission to court anyone. You are now Bai Yiyi’s fiancé—"
"Not anymore!" Chi Yun cut her off hastily. "We’re in a cooling-off period. I have nothing to do with her now! I—I just realized that the person I love is you!"
He was flustered and incoherent. "I don’t know why I was so bewitched by Bai Yiyi before, but I’m clear-headed now! I love you! Can we start over?"
The usually arrogant man was now slightly bowed, his posture almost humble.
People passing by recognized them, their eyes widening in surprise as they whispered to each other:
"Isn’t that Chi Yun? When did he wake up? There was no news at all."
"Weren’t he and Bai Yiyi supposed to be true love? Don’t tell me he saw Bai Yiyi lose her standing and that Jiang Qingli has a high rank, so now he’s shamelessly crawling back to her?"
"A fickle male like him would’ve been drowned in a pig cage in the old days!"
Before, whenever Chi Yun and Jiang Qingli appeared together, it was always Jiang Qingli who was cursed at for shamelessly trying to steal someone else’s Beast Husband.
Now, the tables had turned, and the accusations and criticisms were being hurled at Chi Yun.
Chi Yun had once mocked Jiang Qingli for being too sensitive, but now, after just a few insults, his own hands were trembling with rage.
Unable to take it, he urged Jiang Qingli, "Say something!"
Yi Nuo’s gaze fell on Chi Yun’s handsome, though still pallid, face.
’I remember, back when that other soul was in the young miss’s body, she said more than once that this was the face of a ’little pepper’—the type all females loved to conquer.’
’What about the young miss... would she want a taste, too?’
The girl at the center of their attention looked cool and distant, not the least bit moved.
Jiang Qingli looked at Chi Yun and said flatly, "I’m sorry, but there’s nothing between us anymore. I hope you’ll stay out of my sight from now on. I don’t have much patience for someone who framed me. You should be glad this is a public place and the media has been watching me so closely lately. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have told Yi Nuo to stop."
With that, Jiang Qingli beckoned to Yi Nuo. "Let’s go."
The girl’s skirt swirled as she left without a single backward glance.
Chi Yun stood frozen for a few seconds, then pushed through the crowd and ran after her retreating figure.
-
Jiang Qingli had lost all interest in staying any longer.
It was already past midnight, and she needed to go home to bed. When she was on the holographic video call with Cat Teacher earlier, he’d sounded quite disappointed when he said his car had broken down and he couldn’t come.
’I need to go back and pet my little cat.’
Yi Nuo didn’t get in the car. He glanced behind them and said in a low voice, "Young miss, he’s following us."
Jiang Qingli was texting a friend to say she was leaving early. Without looking up, she said, "Then go have a ’talk’ with him. If you have to get physical, don’t be seen."
"Yes."
After Yi Nuo left, Jiang Qingli complained to the bouncing 030 in her mind. ’How could he possibly like me? Did his sickness fry his brain? This plot has gone way off the rails.’
Jiang Qingli guessed, ’Could it be because he used to be the male lead, and now that Bai Yiyi’s item has worn off, he’s just following his character settings and starting to like me again?’
’Let me look into it!’ 030 flipped through its data and quickly reported, ’Host, it’s a known fact that Bai Yiyi was a character whose role was forcibly added later by the Body-Snatching System. In the original story, she had no interaction with a male lead like Chi Yun.’
’My diagnostics show that when Bai Yiyi got engaged to him, his affection level for her was very low, while his affection for you was very high.’
’Based on the original text, which states he met you a few times before, I speculate that he had a bit of a crush on you back then.’
’He was previously under the control of Bai Yiyi’s item. Now that the item is no longer effective, his likes and dislikes have returned to their original state.’
sighed. ’And besides... he’s inherently a simple-minded and short-tempered red fox with low emotional intelligence. He prides himself on having been engaged to you, so he definitely thinks he’s a cut above Yi Nuo...’
Jiang Qingli: ’...’
’Can’t another item pop up to make him give up?’
Being pestered by a male she didn’t like was really annoying. She was busy and didn’t have time to deal with him.
Just as Jiang Qingli was complaining internally, her terminal vibrated.
She had received a message from Xie Guanqi—
[Qingli, Big Brother is home. The paperwork is all done.]
[We’re holding a party to welcome him next week. The invitation has been sent to your email. Please do us the honor of attending. You were the very first person I thought to invite! [smiley face]]
