Coveted for a Long Time 3

Chapter 3

The banquet was incredibly dull, nothing more than a large group of people gathering together to engage in polite insincerity. The purpose of coming wasn’t to eat, but to socialize and network in disguise.

Rarely did anyone come over to pay attention to Qiao Xi. She sat alone, finished her meal, and left. Later, when it was dark, she returned, went upstairs, and waited in Fu Bei’s room.

The room wasn’t locked; a twist of the handle opened the door.

Inside, the layout remained the same, a wash of cold black, white, and gray tones. The decoration was simple yet understatedly luxurious. The room was spacious, with a bookshelf standing against the wall on the corridor side, filled with all kinds of books.

There were still many guests in the Fu family’s courtyard, sitting together and chatting, lingering for a long time. Fu Bei couldn’t get away from downstairs. When she finally found time to come up, Qiao Xi was flipping through a book.

“I got bored waiting, so I’m just looking around,” she explained, putting the book back.

Fu Bei took off her jacket and hung it on the rack. “It’s fine.”

Qiao Xi found a stool and sat down without standing on ceremony. She seemed to have no intention of speaking first, not even sparing a glance at the other person.

“How long have you been waiting?” Fu Bei asked, her expression slightly weary. She hadn’t rested much last night and had been dealing with people all day.

Qiao Xi replied, “More than half an hour. Not long.”

Her shirt was too tight and uncomfortable, so Fu Bei unbuttoned the top two buttons and casually locked the door. Once the buttons were undone, a small section of her sexy, well-defined collarbone was revealed. There were dark red marks on it, a large patch of dense and compact hickeys—all Qiao Xi’s masterpieces. At the time, Fu Bei had tried to stop her, but Qiao Xi, kneeling on her lap and clinging to her, hadn’t listened at all. In the end, Fu Bei had just let her be.

Seeing the marks around her collarbone, Qiao Xi couldn’t help but take an extra look.

There were scratches on Fu Bei’s back too, but they were hidden by her clothes.

Qiao Xi had done it on purpose. But at the time, the more she acted out, the more Fu Bei held onto her, refusing to let go, revealing an increasingly intense possessiveness, paranoid to the point of losing control. Qiao Xi had initially been a bit restrained, but later, all shame vanished. Now seeing Fu Bei like this, she belatedly turned her face away to look at the carpet.

Voices drifted up from downstairs; some guests still hadn’t left. Fu Bei poured a glass of warm water and handed it over, asking softly, “Where is your tattoo shop?”

Having only been back in the country for two days, there were many things she was still unclear about. The people around her knew even less about Qiao Xi. The matters at the school weren’t fully resolved yet. If Qiao Xi hadn’t taken the initiative to come find her yesterday, she wouldn’t even have known that Qiao Xi no longer lived in the compound.

Not only that, but Qiao Xi had also changed all her contact information.

“Qijing Street,” Qiao Xi answered truthfully. Fu Bei could find out on her own anyway, so there was no need to hide it.

Things were different between them now, overly distant. Even though they had just been intimate, it felt like they were drifting further apart.

Qiao Xi was a bit absent-minded. The afternoon sun had been hot, so she had changed her clothes before coming out again. A small camisole and shorts showed off her figure perfectly. Her jade-white legs were exceptionally long, without any excess fat on her thighs, and her waist was thin—so thin it seemed unable to hold up the camisole.

Such an outfit appeared particularly frivolous today. If she had come dressed like this at noon, she would definitely have been scolded.

“What’s your new phone number?” Fu Bei asked, cutting the useless chatter.

Qiao Xi’s expression shifted slightly, and she said nonchalantly, “I just changed it yesterday. I can’t remember.”

Fu Bei frowned and said patiently, “Then give me a call.”

“I left my phone next door. Didn’t bring it.”

Clearly unwilling to give it, the room suddenly fell silent.

The night outside was silent and thick, pitch-black and boundless. One couldn’t see the end of the sky; the stars and moon had long since hidden in the clouds.

**

The period when she first arrived at the compound was when Qiao Xi clung to Fu Bei the most. School hadn’t started yet, and she didn’t know any other kids here. The surroundings were all large two or three-story houses, but there were very few residents, unlike the bustling North District where the streets were full of people and even the nooks and crannies of the hutongs were inhabited.

Neither Qiao Jianliang nor Mother Qiao paid much attention to her, letting her run wild every day.

The security in the compound was good, with patrol cars passing every half hour, so the parents were quite relaxed.

One time, after playing in the practice room with the old lady and the others until she was tired, Qiao Xi got sleepy and started dozing off against the wall. Worried that sleeping like that would cause her to catch a cold, the old lady took the child to the nearest room—Fu Bei’s room.

“Sleep here. I’ll wake you up later,” the old lady said gently. True to someone from a cultured, prominent family, she was incredibly patient with children.

Qiao Xi was groggy with sleep, her eyelids too heavy to open, yet she still asked in a milky voice, “Where’s Fu Bei?”

A few days ago, she had been eagerly chasing after her, calling her “Sister,” but now she had switched to calling her by name.

The old lady chuckled. “She went out. She won’t be back until later.”

Children from wealthy families weren’t as free; they weren’t raised free-range. They had to learn everything. Fu Bei had gone to class.

Qiao Xi gave an obedient hum, then closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The old lady happily returned to the practice room and praised the child to her two disciples: “That child is really obedient. She doesn’t cry or fuss all day long. She fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.”

When Fu Bei pushed the door open and came in, Qiao Xi was fast asleep on the bed. Discovering someone else lying on her bed, Fu Bei’s face instantly fell. When she saw clearly who it was, her expression became even more complicated.

Qiao Xi was well-fed by Mother Qiao, a little chubby, with white skin and a soft body. Curled up in a ball on the bed, she looked somewhat well-behaved. When she was quiet and not chattering, she wasn’t so annoying.

The child was wearing a dress, and her tender white legs were draped over the quilt. Her sleeping posture was restless.

Fu Bei didn’t like others entering her room, and she loathed others sleeping in her bed even more. She would even give the cold shoulder to family members who slept there. But at this moment, she didn’t wake the person up. Instead, she walked out with a sullen face.

It just so happened that the old lady was coming over, checking the time. Seeing her granddaughter looking unhappy, she hurriedly explained, “Little Xi was too sleepy, so I let her sleep here for a while. She’s clean; she won’t dirty your bed.”

Glancing expressionlessly into the room, Fu Bei said in a low voice, “Don’t let her in again.”

Knowing her temperament, the old lady replied, “Alright, alright, just this once. I’ll ask Nanny Chen to change the sheets later.”

Qiao Xi could really sleep. She slept until dark without waking up. It was Father Fu who carried her back next door after he returned. Once home, she slept in a daze until she woke up in the middle of the night. Opening her eyes to see Mother Qiao, she was still too groggy to react.

“Running to someone else’s house every day. You’re wild beyond limits,” Mother Qiao said with a smile, unable to bear scolding her.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Qiao Xi put down her bowl and ran across the street, perhaps afraid that Fu Bei had left early again.

Fortunately, Fu Bei didn’t have class today and was free.

Seeing her hiding half her body behind the door, too embarrassed to come in, the old lady waved and said, “Come here, come here. Don’t hide in the doorway.”

Qiao Xi was clever. After entering, she sweetly greeted everyone, even Nanny Chen the helper, but she simply didn’t call out to Fu Bei. Young, but “scheming.”

Sure enough, Fu Bei glanced over with her peripheral vision.

“Have you eaten?” the old lady asked kindly, inviting her to sit together.

She nodded. “I ate. Had rice porridge.”

The old lady truly liked children, especially the sweet-talking ones. Her own was too sensible, acting like an old soul all day long. She asked Nanny Chen to wash two fruits and give them to Qiao Xi.

Under Mother Qiao’s tutelage, Qiao Xi had good manners. She knew to accept the fruit with both hands and said, “Thank you.”

Truly lovable; the old lady adored her.

Fu Bei didn’t say a word and paid no attention to them. After finishing her meal, she went upstairs without a word.

When the two senior apprentice sisters arrived, the old lady took them to the practice room, and Qiao Xi sneaked off to find someone in the room.

Fu Bei was reading inside. Hearing a noise, she turned her head and saw her hiding behind the wall.

She had hidden too panic-strickenly; the hem of her white dress wasn’t concealed well.

“What are you hiding for?” Fu Bei was merciless, not beating around the bush at all.

Poking half her body out, she didn’t dare go in, whispering, “Are you going out again today?”

The other party wasn’t willing to engage and asked back, “Why haven’t you gone back yet? Aren’t your parents looking for you?”

“They’re not. I told them I came here,” she replied, never taking a step inside. Because just now when she came upstairs, she heard Nanny Chen whisper to someone else—Watch out, don’t let her into the upstairs room, or the Young Miss will be angry.

Children’s minds are sharp; they understand a lot of words.

She clung to the doorway, hoping Fu Bei would invite her in, but this person ignored her throughout. After waiting for three or four minutes, she tactfully left and went to play in the practice room.

Only then did the person in the room turn around, listening to the fading footsteps.

In the afternoon, several friends came over, and the group made plans to go out.

It coincided with Qiao Xi’s arrival. The group of friends was quite curious and asked who she was. Nanny Chen replied, “Her name is Qiao Xi. She moved here recently and lives in the house opposite.”

Qiao Xi wasn’t shy with strangers, but she didn’t like being stared at by everyone. When Fu Bei went upstairs to change clothes to go out, she hurriedly followed step by step, asking quietly, “Where are you going?”

“Out.”

“Where to?”

Fu Bei didn’t answer. Her legs were long, and she took large strides.

Qiao Xi asked again, “Are you coming back tonight?”

Reaching the corner, Fu Bei was a bit impatient. “Why so many questions?”

She didn’t ask again, nor did she follow.

This person walked too fast; she couldn’t keep up.

The child went to the practice room.

Walking to the main gate, her good friend Zhao Shihuan inadvertently glanced at the second-floor balcony, raised an eyebrow, and asked in confusion, “Are you close with that kid?”

Fu Bei: “Not close.”

She answered without hesitation.

Zhao Shihuan clicked her tongue twice and lifted her chin. “Look at the upstairs behind you. She’s staring right at you.”

On the second floor, Qiao Xi stood on the balcony, all alone, her figure looking quite desolate. Perhaps realizing she had been spotted, she immediately ducked away.

Fu Bei pursed her thin lips. After a long while, she replied indifferently, “Let’s go. Ignore her.”