Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Chapter 784: Better not say it, Athena thought

Ignoring the surrounding banter, Ling Qingyu continued her meal. Nothing was more important than food.

Alas, this should be the first time she had visited a stripper club—and to think it was to see men. Her heart was completely shattered.

Inwardly, she exclaimed—forgive me, Qingyue, I'm no longer pure.

"Speaking of which, Qingyu," Kate said, "by any chance, do you have a strong sentiment against men?"

"No, I don't," Ling Qingyu replied. "If I did, I would never have treated William as a friend."

"You don't?" Kate sounded doubtful.

"Yes, I don't." Ling Qingyu nodded.

Meanwhile, her two guards paused their movements imperceptibly, but it didn't escape Kate's notice, who let out a soft uh-huh.

"I understand. You don't like men—you like women." Kate clapped her hands and chuckled. "I never knew our class goddess was gay."

Ling Qingyu almost spat out her food when she realized she had been found out, but she didn't react too strongly since it wasn't exactly a secret she needed to hide.

What if people knew? Well, if Kate knew, with her behavior and loose mouth, the whole town might know by tomorrow. She didn't even need to guess.

"Hey, I was just testing you, and your reaction proves it." Kate's eyes widened as she threw herself back onto the couch. "Damn, Qingyu."

"So, you were testing me," Ling Qingyu sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just don't spread it around. Keep it between us."

Well, knowing earlier wasn't much different from knowing later. As for whether that last sentence would be honored—it depended on Kate.

"Gotcha. You have my word."

"I don't trust your word."

Kate shook her head and chuckled. "Hmm, now that I think about your orientation… what do you think of me?"

Kate stood up and spun around, showcasing her beautiful curves.

"You're insanely alluring, my dear Kate," Ling Qingyu praised without the slightest hesitation.

"Only that?"

"What do you want, then?"

"I mean, just praise? You don't feel anything?" Kate whined. "Am I that unattractive?"

"It's because I know you're completely straight that I can't feel anything," Ling Qingyu answered.

"Oh, I can give you a chance. You know, I also want a 'flying colors' entry on my CV." Kate winked.

"'Flying colors,' my ass." Ling Qingyu gave up.

She knew she couldn't trust a single word that came out of Kate's lips. This woman was a blatant teaser.

Ling Qingyu picked up her spectacles and decided to watch a livestream while she ate. She typed a command to Athena, causing the AR hologram inside her glasses to pop up with multiple options.

Sliding across several videos, she selected the most beautiful and attractive icon. Sure enough, this was the feeling she desired.

Not the naked men dancing in front of her eyes—but a beautiful woman.

The female anchor in her vision was wearing a tight black outfit, swaying to the beat. The jiggles and twists were enough to tell the audience she was an exceptional dancer. A stunning face, peak curvature—golden ratio.

With Athena's guarantee of no filters, Ling Qingyu favored her even more.

Leaning back, Ling Qingyu enjoyed the view. Only beautiful women could soothe her soul. Of course, no one knew why she suddenly went silent, as everyone else remained focused on their meal.

Kate, however, was dissatisfied that she couldn't seduce her friend. Perhaps she had scared Ling Qingyu away with her lifestyle.

Ling Qingyu: Thank you. You already know the answer yourself.

Then, Kate suddenly realized that Ling Qingyu seemed closer to Astrid.

Gosh… was her friend actually setting her sights on Astrid?

Astrid liked William. William liked Ling Qingyu. And Ling Qingyu liked Astrid.

What kind of messy love triangle was this?

Fortunately, Kate kept her thoughts to herself. If she ruined Ling Qingyu's chances, she didn't dare imagine the consequences—anything was possible.

Unaware that her friend was now suspecting her motives for this year's reunion, Ling Qingyu continued savoring those twists and turns, murmuring softly so only Athena could hear:

"See? This is the way of life. Only beautiful goddesses can be eye candy. Goddesses cleanse the filth I suffered tonight."

Meanwhile, inside a computing universe, Athena raised a finger, her lips parting and closing several times.

She clearly wanted to say something to her mother—but in the end, she sighed and chose silence.

Live and let live.

If she said it out loud, her mother might collapse from shock and start coughing blood.

After all, according to her investigation, the beautiful anchor her mother was admiring was actually a man—crossdressing and pretending to be a woman.

It was better not to say anything.

Truly, it was fortunate she didn't.

Otherwise, Ling Qingyu would never recover and might die from sheer embarrassment.

Instead of purifying her soul… Ling Qingyu had only been further corrupted.

While Kate wanted to stay longer, Ling Qingyu's reluctance forced the group to simply eat and sing a few songs before leaving.

Since it was Kate's treat, Ling Qingyu felt nothing about wasting the money or services. However, the proprietress personally escorted them out with warmth and gentleness.

From the men's report, she had already expected Ling Qingyu's identity to be significant—no ordinary person could command such presence with just a few words.

After enduring several rounds of Kate's complaints, Ling Qingyu's ears almost grew calluses. In the end, she grabbed Kate and forced her into the SUV before waving goodbye to the proprietress.

She left two hundred-dollar bills in the proprietress's hands. Naturally, the latter refused, but Ling Qingyu held her hand firmly, leaving no room for rejection.

Unable to resist, the proprietress was astonished by Ling Qingyu's strength. Before she could think further, Ling Qingyu added, "Consider it a favor—please take care of Kate."

"There's no need, ma'am. I would do that even without payment."

"Then you can treat others for the night, right? This amount means nothing to me."

Without waiting for a reply, Ling Qingyu got into the SUV, and the vehicle drove off.

Catching a hint of alcohol from Kate, Ling Qingyu frowned slightly and asked for her address. Of course, everyone already knew it through Athena, but she still had to ask.

At the same time, Ling Qingyu couldn't help but lament how lucky Kate had been to live this long without trouble.

She was certain that if not for her presence tonight, Kate would have stayed out even longer and returned at the most dangerous hour.

A messy private life, with no regard for her own safety. Ling Qingyu wondered how Kate usually made it home while drunk.

In truth, it was a testament to Kate's fortune that she had survived unscathed in the perilous society of Country A—where, in Ling Qingyu's eyes, sociopaths and serial killers were alarmingly prevalent.

Like it or not, Kate's current state made her the perfect prey for such criminals.

Frankly, the city's safety index was quite high, as Ling Qingyu had personally experienced over the past week—much better than her original Province N.

Perhaps that was why Kate indulged herself so freely.

Thankfully, she stayed completely away from drugs—and that was the greatest relief.

If Kate heard Ling Qingyu's opinion about her lifestyle, she would smile and say that she had the experience to judge the right people. And her luck had never disappointed her—because she believed in herself and her own fortune.

In the middle of the journey, Athena blared a warning.

Ling Qingyu asked, not even bothering to hide it in front of Kate, "What happened?"

"Mother, there's an active shooter scenario in a mall near your location."

"…" She hadn't even finished praising the place before gunshots erupted. As expected of a nation that loved guns—daily shootings were nothing unusual.

"Why should I care, Athena? Even if it's near me," Ling Qingyu shrugged.

"But Mother, your flight stewardesses and pilots are shopping there."

"How dare they hurt my girls? Show me the nearest route and relay it to my driver." Ling Qingyu immediately straightened. "What about the nearest QRF?"

Ling Qingyu's sudden sternness—similar to the heavy pressure she exuded in the bar—puzzled Kate. Despite her curiosity, Kate refrained from asking.

"I've already notified them, and they're still on the way to their transport. Even at top speed, it will take 15 minutes," Athena replied. "You're the closest—if you choose to respond. Five minutes at most."

"Of course. They are my people. How could I abandon them?" Ling Qingyu shouted and ordered the driver, "Girls, make a U-turn and floor it. Even a minor accident doesn't matter."

No one in the front responded, but the driver slammed the brakes and swerved the steering wheel. The SUV skidded across the asphalt.

Vehicles in the opposite lane panicked and honked. The girls paid no attention. With expert judgment of speed and space, they executed the U-turn at the first opening.

In contrast, Kate retched from dizziness as her head knocked against the bulletproof window.

"Sorry, Kate. It seems you'll have to stay with us tonight."

"What happened?" Kate was understandably confused, as Ling Qingyu had been speaking in her native language.

"Don't you want to know me better?" Ling Qingyu didn't elaborate further and instead contacted the mayor. She had no intention of seeing her people labeled as armed terrorists in tomorrow's news.

"Don't worry, Mother. The group is guarded by four of our operators," Athena reassured. "There are only five to six confirmed gunmen so far. Four versus six—the advantage is ours."

Ling Qingyu's lips almost twitched at Athena's confidence. She trusted her warriors could handle themselves.

It was the stewardesses and pilots she worried about. Her guards were likely only lightly armed at the moment.

Even the portable armory was stored in the vehicles—currently out of reach.

Killing terrorists wasn't difficult even if her guards used fists. Protection was.