novelraw Chapter 89
Chapter 89
"Ah!"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Qi Xueyao let out a startled cry.
When she turned around and saw Qi Lin, her delicate face flushed red as she glared at him in embarrassment and anger. "You bastard, you scared me! I’m cooking right now—what if the oil catches fire?"
"Let go of me!"
Qi Xueyao wriggled, trying to break free from Qi Lin’s embrace.
"If you got scared that easily, it just means you’re too timid."
"Come on, Sister Xueyao, you should be more appreciative. Right now, I’m the little hero of Jianghan City. I was just on TV, and I’ve already become the prince charming in the hearts of countless young girls. Do you know how many girls would love to be held by me like this?"
Qi Lin rested his chin on Qi Xueyao’s fragrant shoulder, taking in her scent.
Qi Xueyao bit her lip. "They must be blind. If they knew the real you—a shameless scoundrel—they’d probably beat you to death."Qi Lin didn’t mind her flustered anger. With a smirk, he said, "Just answer me this—am I or am I not the hero who caught the murderer? If I hadn’t told the police where he was hiding, girls like you would be terrified just going to and from work every day. So, in a way, you should be grateful to me."
Hearing this, Qi Xueyao was momentarily stunned.
She had been following the massacre case.
Before the murderer was caught, she had been on edge every time she got off work, always feeling like someone was following her.
When the news had just announced that the killer had been taken down by the police, she had unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of security she hadn’t had in days.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Qi Lin really had made her feel safer.
Just as Qi Xueyao was about to say something—
"Mmm~"
A face suddenly appeared in front of hers. The next second, Qi Lin kissed her right on the lips.
"You bastard!"
Qi Xueyao was overwhelmed with shame and anger as she tried to push Qi Lin away.
"A kiss as thanks isn’t too much to ask, is it?"
Qi Lin’s voice was muffled against her lips.
That one sentence made Qi Xueyao’s beautiful eyes flash with resignation.
In the end, she could only continue cooking while letting Qi Lin kiss her.
The atmosphere gradually softened, and her gaze turned hazy.
Fifteen minutes later.
At the dining table.
"This is all your fault, you bastard! Just look—the food is completely burnt!"
Qi Xueyao’s face was flushed as she stared at the charred dishes on the table.
She was actually quite skilled at cooking, yet the first meal she made for Qi Lin had turned out like this.
"Burnt is burnt. Doesn’t matter—I already drank jasmine tea earlier, so I’m not that hungry anyway. I’ll just eat whatever."
Qi Lin spoke lazily.
"You still have the nerve to talk!"
Hearing his teasing, Qi Xueyao couldn’t hold back her frustration anymore. In a huff, she stuffed a piece of cola chicken into Qi Lin’s mouth.
After being pressured by Fang Yuanyuan for so long, she had unknowingly gotten used to serving Qi Lin food. Even though she was using her own chopsticks, she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
After dinner, Qi Lin sprawled lazily on the couch.
Patting his leg, he grinned at Qi Xueyao. "Forget the dishes for now. Come over and give Grandpa a massage."
Qi Xueyao wasn’t yet the darkened version of herself from her past life.
Right now, she still had a strong sense of commitment to her agreements.
It had been part of their deal—after work, she would cook, do the laundry, and give Qi Lin a massage.
Even though she was biting her lip in frustration, feeling an overwhelming urge to kick this self-indulgent man, she still had to follow through.
Sitting at the edge of the couch, Qi Xueyao’s gaze flickered with embarrassment as she began massaging Qi Lin’s legs.
She had a special someone in her heart, yet here she was, cooking, doing laundry, and giving another man a massage. Even she was starting to feel confused—had she unknowingly become Qi Lin’s girlfriend?
"Ring, ring, ring~"
While she was massaging Qi Lin, her phone suddenly rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Jiang Lei.
A flicker of panic crossed her eyes.
She didn’t want to answer this call.
But someone else had a different idea.
Just as Qi Xueyao was about to press the decline button, Qi Lin snatched her phone away and answered the call before handing it back to her.
Qi Xueyao’s face turned red with anger.
She shot a glare at Qi Lin but had no choice but to take the call, her face burning with embarrassment.
At that moment, she wanted to stop the massage, but Qi Lin firmly placed her hand on his back, refusing to let her stop.
"Xueyao, I just got the business license approved. I’m out having dinner right now."
Jiang Lei, unaware that the woman he adored was massaging another man, spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"That’s great. So… what did you order for dinner?"
Getting the business license was supposed to be a happy occasion, but Qi Lin was making things incredibly difficult for her.
Massaging Qi Lin while talking to Jiang Lei, she couldn’t feel happy at all and could only respond absentmindedly.
"I got spicy shredded potatoes with rice. What about you, Xueyao? What did you have for dinner?"
"Oh, and I remember you once said you know how to cook, right? I’d really love to try your cooking someday. Eating food you made with your own hands… that would be such a wonderful thing."
Jiang Lei’s voice carried a trace of longing.
But that one sentence made Qi Xueyao’s beautiful eyes waver with guilt and unease.
The man she had admired for four years was eating simple shredded potatoes, while she had cooked spare ribs and cola chicken for Qi Lin.
Jiang Lei had been working hard all afternoon and was finally getting a break, yet here she was, giving Qi Lin a massage.
At that moment, Qi Xueyao felt like a terrible woman, completely unworthy of Jiang Lei’s deep affection.
"Xueyao, why aren’t you saying anything?"
Noticing the silence on the other end, Jiang Lei asked curiously.
Qi Xueyao covered her mouth, afraid she might start crying.
After steadying her emotions, she finally said, "I’m just a little tired today. I want to rest early."
Jiang Lei was understanding and quickly said, "Alright, then get some rest. Don’t stress yourself out too much—I can handle things at the training center."
After hanging up, Qi Xueyao stopped the massage.
Tears kept falling down her face.
But this wasn’t the reaction Qi Lin wanted to see.
"What… What are you doing?"
Qi Xueyao’s beautiful eyes were filled with panic.
"Mmm~"
Qi Lin didn’t say a word—he simply kissed her.
After their previous interactions, Qi Lin already knew her limits.
Aside from her chastity, everything else was in his hands.
A long moment passed.
"You’re insane! You’ll get what’s coming to you one day!"
Qi Xueyao glared at Qi Lin with teary eyes, clutching the hem of her dress as she ran back to her room.
Qi Lin lit a cigarette, his dark eyes filled with amusement. "A few days of effort can’t compare to four years of affection. But so what? As long as I slowly strip away Jiang Lei’s protagonist aura, will Qi Xueyao still see any worth in someone as useless as him?"
With the beauty chased away in frustration, Qi Lin, feeling bored, picked up a few diaries to read.
The first one belonged to Senior Qiu Yuelin.
[Year, Month 4.]
[This is unbelievable! The massacre case that had the entire city of Jianghan on edge was actually solved by my student, Qi Lin.]
[When I saw the news, I was so excited that I told my parents, "That’s my student!"]
[He used to be such a troublemaker, but under my guidance, he has gradually started to change his ways and walk the right path. Now, he’s even become the little hero of Jianghan City.]
[Hehe, who says Hu Bing is always right? I told you, no one in this world is perfect—everyone makes mistakes. The key is teaching according to one's potential!]
[Now that Qi Lin’s behavior is improving, the only problem left is his grades. I need to tutor him properly so he can achieve a score that will shock everyone!]
After reading the first half of Qiu Yuelin’s diary, Qi Lin couldn’t help but laugh.
"This girl is really something. She only tutored me for a few days, and now she’s taking all the credit for my progress?"
"But this works in my favor. The more of a saint she thinks she is, the more she believes she can 'save' me. And the stronger that belief, the easier she’ll be to manipulate."
"No matter how much you guard against external threats, it’s always the ones closest to you that are the hardest to defend against. The moment Qiu Yuelin completely trusts me will be the moment she falls into the abyss and turns completely dark."
Shaking his head, Qi Lin continued reading Qiu Yuelin’s diary.
[This morning, the principal held another commendation ceremony for Qi Lin. This might be the first time in the history of Huashi First Affiliated School that a student has been publicly praised for heroic acts two days in a row.]
[A student receiving both school-wide and city-wide recognition twice in a row—this is unprecedented.]
[But at the peak of this grand moment, an unexpected incident occurred.]
[The principal, an elderly man, was overwhelmed by the heat and excitement, and suddenly had a heart attack in front of thousands of students and teachers.]
[Despite the number of teachers present, none of them had proper CPR training. By the time an ambulance arrived, it might have been too late for the principal.]
[What I never expected was that Hu Bing actually knew CPR! He immediately volunteered, ran up to the stage, and performed emergency resuscitation on the principal.]
[After more than ten minutes, miraculously, thanks to Hu Bing’s efforts, the principal’s heart started beating again, and he regained consciousness just as the ambulance arrived.]
[The principal looked at Hu Bing with deep admiration and said that he had misjudged him—that Hu Bing was a true pillar of talent, capable of great things.]
That was where Qiu Yuelin’s diary entry ended.
But Qi Lin’s dark eyes flashed with coldness.
"Isn’t this Hu Bing’s turning point?"
"Damn, I went out of my way to drive a wedge between him and the principal, and he still managed to turn things around?"
"The principal just so happens to have a heart attack, and Hu Bing just so happens to know CPR? What kind of protagonist halo is this?"
"But Hu Bing would never expect that his crush’s diary has fallen into my hands, exposing every detail of his so-called 'fate' to me."
"Now that I know his destined opportunity for tomorrow, sorry, but I’m going to steal it."
Qi Lin didn’t bother reading any other girls’ diaries. Instead, he rubbed his chin in thought.
A moment later, a smirk appeared in his dark eyes.
"It’s still early. Time to go out and get some sedatives."
During this era, regulations weren’t as strict as in later years.
With the right methods, prescription drugs weren’t hard to obtain.
After buying the sedatives and returning home, Qi Lin stored them away before picking up Qi Xueyao’s diary.
[Year, Month 4.]
[My dad seems to have been completely brainwashed by that bastard Qi Lin. Every time he calls me, he keeps praising him and even hints that I should marry him.]
[But he doesn’t know Qi Lin’s true nature. He doesn’t know that Qi Lin could never see me as his girlfriend, let alone his wife. That bastard flirts with every girl he sees—he only treats me as a plaything.]
[Putting aside the fact that I like someone else, just for that reason alone, I would never agree to be his girlfriend.]
Reading this, Qi Lin chuckled. "Why so blunt? 'Lover' works just fine too. Being my lover isn’t so bad—you’d have whatever you want. I could buy you your own villa, keep things private, and never let you see the other women. Just play along."
Smiling, he continued reading.
[My dad suddenly called and said he’s coming to Jianghan City to visit me.]
[I know his personality. Once he makes a decision, no one can change his mind.]
[If he wants to come, so be it. Let him see how tough my life is here.]
[But I have classes tomorrow, so I won’t have time to pick him up at the train station.]
[As for who should pick him up, I can only think of two people—Qi Lin or Jiang Lei.]
[Qi Lin is too unpredictable. Who knows what nonsense he might say in front of my dad?]
[Forget it. I’ll let Jiang Lei handle it. I’ll let him skip dealing with the training center’s registration for a day. Losing a little money doesn’t matter—I’d rather he make a good impression in front of my dad.]
That was where Qi Xueyao’s diary entry ended.
Qi Lin touched his nose and laughed. "Oh, Qi Xueyao, calling me unpredictable and saying I talk nonsense, huh?"
"Just for that, I’ll be the one picking up your dad tomorrow."
"But it won’t be me—it’ll be another 'Jiang Lei.'"
Finally, Qi Lin picked up Lan Yuxi’s diary.
[Year, Month 4.]
[When the principal was awarding Qi Lin, he had a heart attack.]
[It was Director Hu, our teacher, who performed CPR and saved him.]
Lan Yuxi’s diary also mentioned this incident, which further confirmed that tomorrow was indeed a major crisis for the principal.
[During PE class, I sprained my ankle while doing a vaulting exercise.]
That was where her diary entry abruptly ended.
Qi Lin: "..."
What the hell was this girl doing?
Writing half a diary entry and then stopping—was she trying to keep me in suspense?
What happened after she sprained her ankle? Who took her to the infirmary?
"Fine, if you won’t say it, I’ll find out myself tomorrow. If you don’t handle things well, then I’ll just break you and toss you aside."
Qi Lin smiled faintly, his heart as cold as iron.
Early the next morning, Qi Lin placed an unopened bottle of mineral water on the table.
Then, he diluted the sedatives he had bought the previous day and injected them into the bottle using a syringe.
If someone didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t be able to tell that the bottle had been tampered with.
Taking the bottle with him, Qi Lin once again chose to walk to school instead of driving.
He already knew the exact route Qiu Yuelin took to school.
Arriving early, Qi Lin stood by the road, waiting.
[Qi Lin? What are you doing here?]
Qiu Yuelin was riding her pink bicycle to school when she saw Qi Lin smoking by the roadside. She looked surprised.
[Obviously, I’m waiting for a ride from Senior Qiu.]
Qi Lin grinned, flicking away his cigarette and hopping onto the back of her bike.