Chapter 22: Jiajia’s Mood Is Not Quite Right

"Alright, it's getting late. We should head back and rest."

An Xingcai took the towel Ning Huaizhi handed him and wiped the sweat from his forehead. After practicing all morning, his arms felt so heavy he could barely lift them. Even though they had taken breaks, he had never engaged in such high-intensity training before.

"Okay."

Ning Huaizhi packed up her things and walked beside him. After a morning of interaction, An Xingcai had gained a new perspective on her, and their relationship had naturally grown closer; they chatted and laughed all the way back.

Watching from the sidelines, Liu Qingmei nearly ground her teeth to dust. She had spent a great deal of effort to get An Xingcai to soften his attitude toward her, yet Zhizhi had managed to achieve that in just one morning. How could she possibly be content with this?

Liu Qingmei walked over, suppressing the jealousy and resentment in her eyes so An Xingcai wouldn't notice. "Young Master, lunch is ready. Let me take you to eat."

An Xingcai nodded and called out to Ning Huaizhi, "Zhizhi, let's go eat together."

Liu Qingmei’s eyes widened in disbelief. An Xingcai was actually taking the initiative to invite someone to eat with him? When she used to spend time with him, she always had to pester him to get such opportunities. What did Zhizhi have that she didn't?

Liu Qingmei’s face twisted, and she could no longer restrain the anger and jealousy boiling inside her. Ning Huaizhi glanced over, her gaze so cool and detached that it was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing all of Liu Qingmei's fury.

"No thank you. I'll go to the cafeteria to eat with Jiajia. I haven't seen her all morning, and I’d like to join her."

"Fine, then." An Xingcai didn't stop her and turned to head toward the dining area.

When Liu Qingmei came to her senses, she still felt a lingering sense of resentment. What had just happened? How had she been intimidated by a single look from Zhizhi? Still, she was sensible enough to know she wasn't qualified to dine with the Young Master. Since that was the case, she would let her off the hook for now. If she continued to be sensible, as her senior, she wouldn't make things too difficult for her. She just hoped the girl understood that the only person allowed to accompany the Young Master for meals was her, Liu Qingmei.

After searching for a while, Ning Huaizhi finally found Zhou Jiajia in a corner. Zhou Jiajia had her back turned to her, fumbling with something.

"Jiajia, why are you here?"

Zhou Jiajia shivered, slow to turn around, and trembled even more violently once she did. A bad premonition washed over Ning Huaizhi. She stepped in front of her and finally saw the state she was in.

Large tears were streaming down Zhou Jiajia's face, her eyes red and swollen as if she had been crying for quite some time.

"Jiajia, what’s wrong?" Ning Huaizhi pulled her into a tight embrace, patting her back gently. "It’s okay, it’s okay. If something happened, tell me, and I’ll help you."

Zhou Jiajia finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into her arms. Ning Huaizhi comforted her, but her brow furrowed deeply. Zhou Jiajia wasn't an overly emotional person; something serious must have happened for her to be this distraught. What could have happened? She had only been gone for one morning.

Once Zhou Jiajia’s emotions had settled, Ning Huaizhi carefully pulled away. "Jiajia, can you tell me what happened?"

"No, nothing," Zhou Jiajia said, her voice raspy and choked with sobs, though she forced a smile. "It’s just that the rules of golf are so difficult, and I felt a bit overwhelmed."

"Is that all?" Ning Huaizhi didn't quite believe her. Professional training was never easy, and Zhou Jiajia had faced setbacks before, but she had never cried like this.

"Yeah. My studies haven't been going well lately, and now golf is the same. Maybe I'm just too slow." Zhou Jiajia hung her head, radiating dejection.

"It's alright. You can learn slowly; you'll get it eventually. If nothing else, I'll teach you."

"But don't you have to accompany the Young Master?"

"The Young Master finished his session this morning and won't be back this afternoon. I'll have time."

"Okay, thank you, Zhizhi." Zhou Jiajia finally offered a genuine smile.

"Alright, it's almost time for lunch. Let's go eat."

"Okay."

...

True to his word, An Xingcai did not come looking for Ning Huaizhi in the afternoon. He followed his coach's instructions to stretch, feeling his limbs go limp and weak.

"Your form isn't standard. Practicing like this is useless."

A cold voice rang out behind him. An Xingcai realized it wasn't his coach and turned around. His face lit up with surprise.

"Brother Qin."

Qin Qiuhong was standing right behind him. An Xingcai immediately stopped and walked over, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to hang out with some friends. But what about you? Don't you usually come in the afternoon? How come I heard others saying you were here this morning?"

"Heh, I just felt like coming. Oh, by the way, Brother Qin, didn't my brother come with you?" An Xingcai scanned the area. Not seeing his brother, he breathed a sigh of relief, though he still couldn't fully put his mind at ease. He asked again.

"Your brother is still busy with his project. He knew I was coming here today and asked me to pass a message to you: don't cause any trouble, or he'll deal with you once he finds the time."

"How could I?" An Xingcai acted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I've been very well-behaved lately, haven't I?"

Qin Qiuhong chuckled. "Is that so? That would be for the best."

An Xingcai guiltily looked away. He didn't think he had done anything wrong, but hearing Qin Qiuhong’s laughter made him feel subconsciously uneasy. Could it be? Did his brother actually catch him in something? An Xingcai felt his scalp tingle, but with no way to verify, he could only cling to Qin Qiuhong.

"Brother Qin, did my brother really catch me in something?"

"If you have a clear conscience, why worry?"

"Hey, that's not the point! Brother Qin, Brother Qin..." Seeing Qin Qiuhong about to leave, An Xingcai hurriedly chased after him, but in the end, he couldn't pry any information out of him.

Sitting in the car, An Xingcai wept internally while despising himself. He was such a fool. Brother Qin was just like his brother—an old fox. Trying to trick information out of him was just asking for humiliation. What had he been thinking? Although he didn't know exactly what his brother had on him, An Xingcai decided to go straight home and behave. Only home could provide him with some sense of security, ensuring he wouldn't feel like he was about to be punished at any moment.

...

Even after sending An Xingcai off, Qin Qiuhong remained preoccupied. That kid—why did he look like he was hiding something from his brother? He couldn't have actually done something bad, could he?

As Qin Qiuhong approached, Liu Qingmei spotted him. Her eyes went wide. Her luck today was incredible—to run into CEO Qin! She had to make sure he saw her so she could leave a good impression.

Without a moment's hesitation, Liu Qingmei stepped forward, her expression shifting into one of sycophantic charm.