Coveted for a Long Time 71

Chapter 71

Actually, whether Fu Bei was good to Zhou Jiaqi or not was obvious to all over the years. When they quarreled as children and Zhou Jiaqi cried until her face turned red, this person wouldn’t even offer a word of comfort. How could that be good? It was just Qiao Xi digging up old scores, deliberately mocking her with a couple of sentences.

Ultimately, she still cared. Before, she had no standing to say anything; now she could.

Qiao Xi cast a sidelong glance this way, waiting for an answer.

Fu Bei put down the work in her hands, looking up to meet her eyes, asking back, “I was good to her?”

Her gaze was too sharp, also carrying a hint of seriousness. Anyone else would definitely hug the other party to comfort them at this time, skipping over such an unpleasant topic with a few light words. But she seemed to want to hear Qiao Xi’s thoughts, to straighten out the “misunderstanding.”

After speaking, she asked again, “How was I good to her?”

Qiao Xi was choked by the question, not knowing how to respond. Holding back for a long time, she said, “Followed you every day; isn’t that good?”

“Every day” was an exaggeration; only went to school together back then. But since middle school, they hadn’t been together. As for after returning to the country, Fu Bei hadn’t had any private contact with Zhou Jiaqi. Every time she met Zhou Jiaqi, it was with a group of people. And coincidentally, Qiao Xi bumped into them almost every time.

She put the computer aside, sitting next to Qiao Xi, explaining seriously, “Before, the family asked me to take her to school. The last few times were meetings at gatherings. I have nothing to do with her. Now that she’s in trouble, she asked for it herself; it has nothing to do with me.”

Separated clearly, words crisp.

Although knowing each other since childhood, Fu Bei indeed didn’t like Zhou Jiaqi much. Not because of Qiao Xi, but because Zhou Jiaqi was too slick. Whoever she met, she would focus on pleasing them, loving to be the center of attention since childhood, insisting on competing for superiority. Being competitive isn’t bad, but being overly competitive without ability is very annoying.

And back then, Zhou Jiaqi was afraid Qiao Xi would steal the elders’ favor. At such a young age, she had so many schemes, spreading ambiguous words everywhere. Let alone Fu Bei not accepting her, even the kind-hearted old lady disliked this child of a few years.

It’s normal for children to have little schemes, but too many tricks meant badness.

Young age should still be simpler.

Fu Bei raised her hand to pinch Qiao Xi’s chin, making her look at herself. “And others, all the same; not much to do with me.”

For example, Qiu Yinong, and Chen Shuo in his youth.

This person had always known Qiao Xi’s thoughts. In her teens, Fu Bei couldn’t explain too much to Qiao Xi. And those previous misunderstandings couldn’t be cleared up immediately at the time; now she said them one by one.

Her expression was too serious, tone incredibly earnest. Qiao Xi had unintentionally brought up this topic. Now not knowing how to react, she dryly gave a perfunctory “Oh.”

Perhaps because of this small interlude, Qiao Xi suffered insomnia that night. Lying in bed unable to sleep in the dead of night, staring at the ceiling with open eyes.

These days Fu Bei was preparing to return to school, also working on some project, sleeping early.

By the soft white moonlight, Qiao Xi turned her head to look at the side several times. Finally unable to resist, she moved closer, reaching out to stroke the side of Fu Bei’s face. In this hazy and enchanting moonlit night, she remembered something from just before the college entrance examination. At that time, nearing the exam, pressure was high. Insomnia all night long, mental state very poor, whole person tense to the point of being unable to start on very simple questions.

For seventeen or eighteen-year-old students, nothing was bigger than studying and exams. She tried her best to adjust her mindset, but to no avail.

Qiao Jianliang and Mother Qiao didn’t notice her abnormality at all; it was Fu Bei who detected something wrong first. Fu Bei was also a student and understood well what this severe pre-exam anxiety was about. Coincidentally, she had almost no classes during that time, so she took Qiao Xi out to relax during the review period at home before the college entrance exam.

Qiao Xi didn’t want to go, wanting to review and do problems at home. But opening a book made her irritable, so she went in the end.

The destination was a villa in the suburbs of Jiang City, a relatively remote place. The villa was a real estate property under Fu Bei’s name. Only the two of them went; Fu Bei didn’t invite anyone else, which surprised Qiao Xi a bit, thinking a group of people would go.

The villa was on the mountain, fully equipped, even more spacious and comfortable than the house in the compound. All necessities were prepared in advance.

In two days, Fu Bei took her mountain climbing and camping, trying to do outdoor activities that involved contact with nature and consumed physical energy. When the sun was about to set, she took her to lie by the pool in the backyard for sunbathing. For the first three days, she didn’t let her read or study.

Had to say, coming out to relax was very effective. At least the insomnia improved a lot. On the third night, Qiao Xi slept from past ten until broad daylight. Waking up, she wasn’t as tense mentally or physically.

Fu Bei told her to relax as much as possible and stop thinking about studying.

Actually, with the Qiao family’s substantial assets, it would be fine even if Qiao Xi didn’t go to university; not working hard didn’t matter. But Qiao Xi just wanted to try hard. The more she wanted to, the greater the pressure, falling into a vicious cycle of anxiety.

She did everything Fu Bei said.

It was the latter half of the fourth night. Sleeping until 4:00 or 5:00 AM, she suddenly woke up and couldn’t sleep again.

Seeing signs of slight brightness in the sky, Qiao Xi got up to walk around. Her room was on the far left. Walking along, she reached the far right of the second floor. Below was the swimming pool facing the cliff.

Silence reigned everywhere. Everything was covered under the black curtain of night. The moon in the sky appeared as a blurred pale white, like a white spot soaked in the sky.

Moving very lightly, Qiao Xi walked to the balcony edge and sat on a rattan chair, gazing at the cliff scenery in the distance.

Her thoughts gradually drifted away, unaware that someone was by the pool. Like her, the person sat on a chair, gazing at the mountain scenery as the dark night turned to dawn with pitch-black eyes. Because Qiao Xi walked too lightly, making no sound, Fu Bei below didn’t notice anyone upstairs either.

It wasn’t until Fu Bei walked barefoot to the poolside that Qiao Xi realized she wasn’t the only one awake early.

Seeing the other party, she intended to call out. However, Fu Bei’s next actions directly blocked her voice, making her dare not even breathe heavily or move a muscle.

The temperature in Jiang City in late May fluctuated high and low. It had been quite hot these past two days, making even this time of night a bit stifling, with a faint restlessness flowing in the air. Wearing a bathrobe, Fu Bei walked to the edge of the pool, untied the belt at her waist, took off everything underneath, and then entered the water.

The pool water in the latter half of the night was icy cold. Entering it stimulated her into panting heavily a few times, taking a long while to adapt.

With only two people in the villa, facing a cliff, and at such a silent time, she probably wouldn’t be discovered. Fu Bei swam two laps in the pool without scruples, rested by the edge for a while, then continued. Only when exhausted did she swim back to where the bathrobe was piled, holding the pool edge, her upper body emerging from the water.

Water flowed down her smooth, delicate skin, splitting into trickles, gliding over her neck and collarbone, then over the fair softness, suddenly flowing down through her firm, slender waist and abdomen to merge with the pool water.

This person wiped the water off her face, propped her arms on the bank, and leaned forward to grab the bathrobe. Her slender waist was completely revealed. Her figure was curvaceous, mature, and sexy; every gesture exuded the unique charm and temptation of a woman.

She fished out a cigarette and a lighter from the pocket of her bathrobe. With wet, slender fingers, she opened the cigarette box, took one out, held it in her mouth, and lit it.

The weak light of the lighter illuminated her distinct, three-dimensional features. Water droplets on her face were clearly visible. Her long eyes half-drooped, throat rolling, she took a light puff. The ember flickered, wisps of smoke rising, lingering for a few seconds before slowly dissipating.

Upstairs, Qiao Xi gripped the rattan chair, her body stiff and frozen, her breathing missing a beat. She tried her best to restrain herself from looking down, but her gaze still went there.

She had never seen this side of Fu Bei. In her impression, this person was always meticulous, following rules in everything, upright to the point of being rigid, never showing a loose and unrestrained appearance in front of outsiders.

The faint silvery white light from the sky sprinkled on this person and into the pool. She smoked half a cigarette slowly, looking into the distance with blurred eyes. Her red lips parted gently, exhaling white smoke. Coincidentally, a gust of wind blew, blowing the smoke onto her face before dispersing abruptly.

Fu Bei’s figure had always been sexy—swan neck, fair and smooth back, thin waist, firm and perky buttocks, straight and slender legs. Even the two arcs on her chest were full and round, not inferior to those models at all. It was just that she usually didn’t like wearing figure-hugging clothes, covering all these tightly.

She seemed to have something on her mind, smoking incessantly, her brows slightly furrowed.

At that time, the day of going abroad was very close. She had made an agreement with Grandpa Fu long ago; this was also the last time accompanying Qiao Xi.

During these days, not only was Qiao Xi under great pressure, but she was too—so much so that she hadn’t slept much tonight. She had been sitting by the pool half an hour before Qiao Xi came out, feeling so irritable inside that she went swimming to calm down.

Qiao Xi didn’t know these things then. Her heart pounded fiercely, cheeks burning hot, surprised by accidentally seeing this scene, and palpitating endlessly. She liked Fu Bei; how could she calm down seeing such a scene? She hadn’t fully developed yet, while Fu Bei was already mature, temptation all over her body.

At this time, Qiao Xi hadn’t experienced love and desire yet, so she certainly didn’t have extra thoughts about Fu Bei. Besides palpitations, there was shame, as well as liking and appreciation. The scenery of the pool was more beautiful than any scenery she had seen these past few days—beautiful enough to hook people.

The second floor had a screen, perfectly concealing Qiao Xi’s figure, so Fu Bei didn’t discover another person present. She smoked more than half the cigarette, flicked her index finger to shake off the ash, then extinguished the cigarette on the bank. Calming herself for half a minute, she slipped into the water again, using the icy water to wash away her messy thoughts.

Swimming for a while, emerging, then continuing…

Qiao Xi hid on the second floor the whole time, nervous to death. She stayed in place for as long as Fu Bei swam in the pool, until the other party finally tired and emerged from the water.

Pursing her lips, she glanced down, coincidentally catching Fu Bei putting on the bathrobe.

She didn’t dare look up, only seeing the other’s sexy long legs without an ounce of excess fat.

In the last few days at the villa, once Qiao Xi had adjusted enough, Fu Bei started helping her review. Qiao Xi’s pre-exam anxiety lessened significantly, making studying much easier, her whole state improving.

Qiao Xi never mentioned a word about the swimming pool incident. She didn’t know when Fu Bei learned to smoke and wouldn’t ask. Only when the other party explained problems to her, accidentally touching occasionally, would her ears turn red involuntarily.

Even now, she hadn’t clarified it, keeping this secret in her heart.

Fu Bei’s words today were very comforting.

She really couldn’t sleep. After lying peacefully for a long time, she couldn’t help leaning into the embrace of Fu Bei, who had closed her eyes, asking in a low voice, “Asleep?”

Fu Bei didn’t respond.

Intent on waking the person up, she reached out to hug her, pressing into her embrace, then switching to pressing onto her—simply restless.

“Fu Bei, are you asleep?” Asking while pulling open the nightgown.

With such torment, even if asleep, she would be woken up. Before opening her eyes, Fu Bei felt a warm mass burrowing into her arms, leaning against her ear, drawling, “I can’t sleep—”

So Fu Bei put her arm around her waist. “What’s wrong?”

“Not sleepy, no drowsiness. Talk to me,” Qiao Xi said righteously, without a shred of guilt for waking someone up.

Taking a while to wake up, Fu Bei hummed.

Qiao Xi really started chatting, demanding a response for every two sentences, very grinding. Fu Bei was originally a bit sleepy, but gradually woke up. The chattering one on her body also slowly became restless.

Fu Bei let her be, taking the opportunity to kiss the corner of her mouth.

Qiao Xi was always the type to smile for two days over a candy. Now even more overstepping, Fu Bei curled her long legs, indulging whatever she did. Qiao Xi slipped into the quilt like entering water.

**

In the last few days of August, the temperature in Jiang City rose another three or four degrees. It was uncomfortable to go out; walking a short distance meant sweating profusely.

This year, the companies under the Qiao family developed okay overall, rising steadily. With the promotion of several strong cooperations, their strength increased greatly. The happiest one was Qiao Jianliang, grinning from ear to ear, mouth unable to close from joy. He still felt heartache for his daughter. Thinking Qiao Xi had worked hard for so long, he let Qiao Xi take advantage of this less busy period to go out and play.

Of course, not just talk. He called Secretary Chen to adjust the work schedule, freeing up three days for Qiao Xi.

Qiao Xi didn’t want to go, but since it was arranged, she decided to rest for three days. As for where to go, she hadn’t thought about it yet; nesting at home for three days wasn’t impossible.

At the same time, Qin Si returned to City S again, possibly taking two or three months before returning to Jiang City. She left hurriedly, sending only a text message to Qiao Xi before leaving.

Qin Si seemed free and easy, but ultimately couldn’t escape the shackles of her original family over the years. No matter how much she played, she had to return when the time came. In the past two years, she spent far more time in City S than in Jiang City. It seemed her family was pushing very hard.

Qiao Xi knew nothing about the situation at the Qin family, nor did she care. She only treated Qin Si as a friend and wouldn’t pay excessive attention.

Feelings have never been fair. It’s impossible that just because you like me, I must like you. Some secret loves can end happily, while others can only end without result. Qin Si’s nature wasn’t bad; she was a good person. It was just her temper and stubborn mouth. Even if she met Qiao Xi first, they wouldn’t end up together—destined to be unsuitable.

**

The weather was so hot. Qiao Xi planned to stay home for three days. However, Fu Bei insisted on taking her out, going to that suburban villa they visited years ago.

Everything was still the same as back then; even the flowers and trees hadn’t changed. The decoration in the villa remained the original cool tone, spacious and comfortable. Someone had been sent to clean the villa long ago. Fu Bei had already packed the necessary items in the car. They could relax here for these three days.

Qiao Xi hadn’t expected her to bring her here, somewhat surprised. Besides surprise, she inevitably remembered the pool incident, instantly feeling extremely uncomfortable.

The mountain was cooler than the city, with lower temperatures. It would be even cooler at night, possibly without needing air conditioning. It was bought considering escaping the summer heat before, but they only stayed once after buying—the time she brought Qiao Xi. This was the second time, still the two of them together.

“It’s cooler here. Later when the sun goes down, the temperature will drop a lot. We can go out for a walk then,” Fu Bei said while unpacking. “A new car museum was built on the other side of the mountain; we can go see it too.”

After all, it was a gathering place for the rich; facilities and buildings certainly wouldn’t be bad, having everything.

Qiao Xi helped unpack, humming in pretended nonchalance.

The mountain was shaded by trees, with a cool breeze, indeed much more refreshing than the city. After unpacking, the two cooked dinner together. After eating, they went for a walk. The sun had set; golden sunset glow spread across half the sky, with flocks of birds flying by occasionally.

They weren’t the only ones escaping the heat here; going out, they encountered one or two people from time to time. They bought tickets to visit the car museum. The museum was privately built, strictly speaking, a car collection hall, full of various luxury cars, each worth a fortune, leaving people in awe.

It wasn’t until past nine, completely dark, that the two leisurely returned to the villa.

“Tired?” Fu Bei asked.

Qiao Xi shook her head. Inexplicably, as soon as she entered here, she felt uncomfortable all over, very constrained. A graceful figure lingered in her mind. She didn’t look at Fu Bei, looking away subtly.

“Not tired.”

Fu Bei had seen through her dodging long ago but didn’t point it out.

After entering, rested, curled up on the sofa watching TV, eating fruit, and chatting sporadically.

Watching an American drama. The first few episodes were relatively bland, explaining the background. Later, adhering to the usual unrestrained style of American dramas, the span was simply huge. The heroine was fine with the hero, then suddenly hooked up with the female lead number two, the scale also very open.

Qiao Xi usually watched plenty of such uniquely tasted shows, but this time she felt something was weird, always feeling a sense of restraint. Unfortunately, before she could break free from this weirdness, Fu Bei hugged her and kissed her, asking in a low voice, “Want to go swimming?”

Her tone was heated and meaningful, having another layer of meaning.

Perhaps bewitched, perhaps tonight was too wrong, Qiao Xi’s brain short-circuited, and she actually agreed, even going back to the room together to change into swimsuits.

Both wore bikinis. Before entering the water, they embraced and kissed for a long time before going down one after another.

No matter how low the night temperature was, heat still flowed in the air. Staying in the pool was instantly much more comfortable. Qiao Xi went down first. Before Fu Bei came down, she swam to the opposite side, propping her thin, fair arms on the bank, turning half sideways, staring straight over there.

Fu Bei didn’t approach immediately. Only when Qiao Xi lowered her guard did she suddenly hug the person from the water.