Coveted for a Long Time 2

Chapter 2:

Unfortunately, Qiao Xi simply didn’t know how to read people. At seven or eight years old, she was a poor judge of character and was instantly ensnared by that beautiful face. She actually obeyed, calling out “Sister” in a weak voice, her dark, beady eyes appraising the other girl without concealment.

At the time, the old lady, Fu Bei’s grandmother, was still alive. She liked this quirky little girl and said kindly to Qiao Xi, “We’re neighbors now. Come over and play whenever you have time.”

Qiao Xi nodded timidly, taking the words to heart.

The old lady was a performer in the Pear Garden, a Dan role actor in Kunqu Opera. She held considerable fame and status in the industry, was highly respected, and had two direct disciples under her tutelage. Qiao Xi liked to join in the bustle, mimicking their movements, but she never quite grasped the essence. She didn’t mind, though, because she hadn’t come to learn Kunqu Opera in the first place.

Fu Bei loved to read and could sit still longer than anyone else. She would often take a book and sit at the stone table in the courtyard, not lifting her head once for the entire afternoon.

Qiao Xi would peek secretly from the balcony of the practice room, curious about what exactly she was reading.

Even at twelve or thirteen, Fu Bei already possessed that clean, aloof demeanor she would have later, displaying a maturity and peace incongruous with her age that drew people’s gaze. When spending time with Fu Bei, Qiao Xi noticed the girl would frown from time to time, impatient with the disturbance. Sometimes, when she was truly annoyed, she would say in a low voice, “Don’t stare at me all day long.”

Qiao Xi had been thick-skinned since childhood. Even then, she would keep a straight face and say earnestly, “I wasn’t looking at you.”

Fu Bei was displeased.

Qiao Xi would continue, “You only noticed I was looking at you because you were looking at me. Even if I was looking at you, that means you looked at me too.”

Fu Bei couldn’t be bothered to argue with such twisted logic.

The Qiao family were nouveau riche, vulgar and lacking in cultural depth. There weren’t even two cultured people in the whole family; the highest level of education belonged to Qiao Xi’s mother, a university graduate. Mother Qiao was a standard traditional woman, gentle and soft enough to wring water from, yet she had given birth to a wildfire like Qiao Xi. The family had originally lived in the North District and only moved to this wealthy compound after suddenly striking it rich.

The Fu family, on the other hand, was a scholarly family with a profound and solid foundation. Both the old lady and Grandpa Fu came from old, prominent families. Fu Bei’s father’s generation had all studied abroad. Aside from Father Fu, who became a big boss, the rest were all in academia. Wealthy and cultured, they were vastly different from the Qiao family.

When she was little, Qiao Xi didn’t understand the ways of the world or exactly where the difference between the two families lay. Only when she grew up did she realize that there were social strata between people. Even if your family didn’t lack money, you ultimately didn’t belong to that circle.

Later, Qiao Jianliang put great effort into trying to integrate into this circle, constantly lecturing Qiao Xi to study hard so she could become a promising intellectual in the future. But Qiao Xi didn’t have that ability; she wasn’t cut out for studying. Not only did she attend an ordinary university, but after graduation, she also entered a profession looked down upon by those around her.

She had once pretended to read books, using studying as an excuse to get close to Fu Bei.

In the beginning, it wasn’t out of affection; she just wanted to be near this person.

Fu Bei was like that with everyone—aloof and indifferent, a bit arrogant. As a teenager, she wasn’t perfect in her conduct yet; sometimes she couldn’t help but show her emotions on her face, unlike later when she became peaceful towards everyone, hiding her depths.

Qiao Xi felt that Fu Bei wasn’t targeting her specifically, so she pushed her luck, running over to the Fu house all day long.

“What are you doing here?” Fu Bei would always ask, her cool face expressionless as ever.

Qiao Xi would reply shamelessly, “Looking for someone else, not you.”

Yet she would still end up crowding around Fu Bei, clinging to the stone table to peek at what book she was reading. It was a classic entirely in English. The intricately patterned cover bore the title Pride and Prejudice, and the pages were densely packed with English letters. Qiao Xi didn’t recognize a single word.

It wasn’t until high school, when the teacher recommended good books to read, that she recalled that book and realized the English title translated to Pride and Prejudice. The love story of Elizabeth and Darcy illuminated Qiao Xi’s girlish thoughts. She felt Fu Bei was prejudiced against her, but she wasn’t proud; she considered herself very approachable.

Fu Bei didn’t like people getting too close, so she would frown and subtly move away.

Qiao Xi, oblivious, would scoot closer again.

“What book is this?” she whispered.

Fu Bei said indifferently, “You wouldn’t understand.”

Qiao Xi had a smart mouth and immediately retorted, “It’s precisely because I don’t understand that I’m asking you.”

Back then, the people of the Fu family were quite nice and exceptionally tolerant of her as a child. Even the usually dignified Grandpa Fu would soften his expression slightly towards her. That was why Qiao Xi remained oblivious and didn’t understand the underlying complexities.

The old lady was kind. Every time she saw Qiao Xi insisting on crowding next to Fu Bei, she would say, “She’s young and doesn’t know better. You should yield to her a bit.”

Fu Bei said coldly, “She’s already eight.”

Qiao Xi hurriedly corrected her with a serious face: “Not yet. Two months to go.”

This made the old lady laugh heartily.

Looking back now, the period of ignorance was indeed the happiest. In those years, her mother was there, and the old lady was there too. She was the most pampered one. Even though Fu Bei was like a block of ice all day, she wasn’t targeting Qiao Xi specifically; her personality was just too haughty.

The sentence Fu Bei said to her most often in those years, when she was severely impatient, her thin lips moving, was—”Don’t follow me.”

All in all, it was acceptable; it didn’t hinder much. Moreover, among the group of rich kids, Fu Bei was actually decent, not malicious like the others who wore their disdain on their faces, as if being with Qiao Xi would lower their noble status and taste.

There were quite a few guests at the banquet. Some looked very familiar, seen even on TV. Of course, there were also people Qiao Xi disliked, such as the straight-haired woman in the goose-yellow long dress across from her.

The straight-haired woman was her stepmother’s niece, named Zhou Jiaqi. She came from a highly educated family, but education really didn’t represent character. This woman was extremely annoying and had always been at odds with Qiao Xi. Especially after Qiao Jianliang married Zhou Meihe, Zhou Jiaqi looked at Qiao Xi like a thorn in her flesh—uncomfortable until pulled out.

Qiao Xi had just wanted to grab a glass of water to moisten her throat; she hadn’t eaten anything since last night and felt a bit unwell.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Jiaqi came over in a ladylike and gentle manner, greeting acquaintances warmly as she walked. But when she reached Qiao Xi, her face immediately dropped, and she whispered a light, stinging remark: “Coming over without even wearing a gown—didn’t Uncle teach you better? Treating this like a casual meal and leaving… who are you showing that face to in this outfit?”

Not wanting to cause a scene today, Qiao Xi finished her water, put down the glass, and replied, “No, he didn’t teach me.”

One sentence silenced Zhou Jiaqi.

One couldn’t argue on such an occasion. Zhou Jiaqi still had some sense, so she just let out a mocking scoff.

The Zhou family wasn’t considered rich in this circle, but they had produced several intellectuals and had connections with the Fu family in academic research. Zhou Meihe was a university teacher, which was why Qiao Jianliang had married her as his second wife—she was respectable and cultured, adding luster to the Qiao family’s reputation.

“Don’t provoke me today. I’m not in the mood,” Qiao Xi said leisurely, unwilling to spare her even a glance.

Zhou Jiaqi sneered, “What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for?”

Qiao Xi glanced at her sideways but didn’t retaliate. She had promised Qiao Jianliang to just eat and not cause trouble, so she endured it and ignored her.

Zhou Jiaqi, finding it boring and looking down on Qiao Xi from the bottom of her heart—feeling embarrassed just standing together—walked away without hiding her disgust. She met her friends on the other side and whispered a few dissatisfied words, probably bad-mouthing Qiao Xi, causing the whole group to look over.

Guessing what was happening, Qiao Xi immediately put on a faint smile. Seeing the unhappy expressions on that group’s faces, the curve of her lips deepened, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes, carrying a cold, mocking undertone.

She was born beautiful, exuding a high-class, cold glamour in every gesture. She lifted her chin slightly, scanning the room casually, looking down at the group across from her. Beautiful, wild, and uninhibited—even without a gorgeous gown, her looks could crush those gossiping women.

Zhou Jiaqi’s face instantly turned ugly. She gritted her teeth in hatred, furious at seeing Qiao Xi smile like that.

In the distance, Fu Bei noticed the anomaly over here and took a second look.

Someone beside her asked, “What are you looking at?”

Fu Bei calmly withdrew her gaze and replied steadily, “Nothing.”

**

Qiao Xi met Grandpa Fu.

The old man was still hale and hearty. He smiled when he saw her, not minding what kind of clothes she wore.

“Your dad said you opened your own shop recently. What business are you doing?”

Grandpa Fu had always been adept at handling matters, able to greet anyone with a smile. It was the same with her. Even though he hadn’t invited Qiao Xi to the party, seeing her now, he remained unfazed, even magnanimously tolerating her attire that differed from everyone else’s.

He used to treat Qiao Xi quite well, but later, after understanding Qiao Xi’s feelings, his thoughts changed.

Qiao Xi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “I opened a tattoo parlor. It’s not really a business.”

Knowing others looked down on it, she wouldn’t try to gild the lily.

Grandpa Fu’s expression remained normal.

The expressions of the others nearby were complicated. The Qiao family was quite wealthy, yet opening a tattoo parlor…

“Not bad,” Grandpa Fu said, without a hint of slight in his words. “You have your own ideas. Young people should always go out and strive.”

The people around him echoed his sentiments, actually chiming in with a few words of praise.

Most of the people present were fencesitters, swaying whichever way the wind blew. Qiao Xi had long adapted to such scenes and could reply without batting an eyelid.

“Just finding something to do. Being idle is boring.”

Grandpa Fu suddenly asked, “How many days are you staying at home this time?”

Ever since her stepmother entered the Qiao family’s door, Qiao Xi rarely came back. Unless necessary, she wouldn’t be seen for two or three months. She didn’t get along with Zhou Meihe and couldn’t live under the same roof, so she took her share and went out to live alone.

She was startled, then said, “Haven’t decided yet. We’ll see.”

“Jianliang said you were going on a trip in the next couple of days.” Grandpa Fu was a smart man. Guessing she might mind that the Fu family hadn’t invited her, he offered a roundabout explanation.

Qiao Xi didn’t answer, pondering what to say.

She had to give him a way out, didn’t she?

However, before she could speak, a tall and trim figure blocked her path, perfectly obscuring her.

Fu Bei looked at everyone calmly and called out softly, “Grandpa.”

As soon as she arrived, Grandpa Fu stopped talking.

There wasn’t much to chat about anyway, so the group left shortly after.

Fu Bei had positioned herself perfectly, blocking Qiao Xi in the corner so she couldn’t slip away during the conversation. Her expression was indifferent and relaxed as she looked down, her eyes calm as always, seeming to have no intention of moving aside.

Qiao Xi tried to bypass her from the other side but was blocked again.

“Go upstairs. Wait for me in my room,” Fu Bei whispered, her thin lips moving slightly.

Her usual style—brooking no refusal. Qiao Xi didn’t obediently agree like in the past. Instead, she replied nonchalantly, “The banquet is starting. I’ll find you tonight.”

She was standing quite close as she spoke. Fu Bei could smell a faint fragrance—the scent that had accompanied her all through the previous night, naturally unforgettable. The collar of Qiao Xi’s clothes was loose, revealing half of her exquisite, sexy collarbone and the fair, slender neck above it. When she spoke, she unconsciously tilted her head up slightly, making the smooth line of her neck appear even softer and more beautiful.

Fu Bei gave a hum of acknowledgment and looked away.