Coveted for a Long Time 32

Chapter 32

The little girl’s arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, constantly burrowing into her embrace. Perhaps afraid of being pushed away, she clasped her hands together behind Fu Bei’s back.

Children have their own ways of dealing with things; when sad, they subconsciously seek reliance. Adults, however, have adult considerations and cannot let Qiao Xi run wild, hence the harsh words just now.

But in the end, she let it happen.

Fu Bei should have pushed Qiao Xi away, but she didn’t. Instead, she raised her hand to gently pat Qiao Xi’s back in comfort, whispering, “It’s okay now…”

The person in her arms shifted. Sensing she wouldn’t be pushed away, she relaxed her grip slightly. After a while, she buried her head in the crook of Fu Bei’s neck, rubbing her small face against it as if in response.

Realistically speaking, everyone in the Fu family was an outsider and had no business meddling in the Qiao family’s affairs. The two families were just neighbors. Their interactions over the years were superficial and polite, not particularly good. Even Grandpa Fu warned the family not to interfere in others’ domestic affairs. The old lady tactfully pretended not to know, and Fu Bei had even less right to be a busybody.

There was no domestic violence, no child abuse. Such things happen all the time in the world. Every family has friction, big or small; not every family is harmonious and happy. Is it the place of outsiders to comment?

A person’s ability is limited; one can care for a moment, but not a lifetime.

Rationally speaking, she really shouldn’t get involved.

Fu Bei’s expression was somewhat grave, but she still said, “I’ll stay with you at a hotel tonight and take you back tomorrow.”

Qiao Xi buried her head and didn’t make a sound. After a long time—”Mmh.”

Her exhaled breath was warm and hot, especially scorching in the sultry summer night. Hugging like this became unbearably hot after a while. The heat on her neck was too hard to endure. Fu Bei moved her thin lips but ultimately said nothing.

Only when Qiao Xi herself couldn’t stand the heat did she let go, fine sweat beading on her forehead.

For the first time, Fu Bei was exceptionally patient, taking out two tissues to wipe her sweat and instructing, “Don’t do this again next time. If you don’t want to stay at home, go find Grandma, but don’t go to other people’s places in the middle of the night.”

Trying her best to communicate. A teenage girl in the impulsive stage of adolescence couldn’t control her temper, which was normal. Fu Bei was relatively gentle, just reasoning with her. Fortunately, she came here. If she had gone to a classmate’s house or somewhere else and an accident happened, what then?

Qiao Xi sat up straight, biting her lower lip, and replied, “I came to find you, didn’t go anywhere else.”

Still aware of what she was doing, not acting impulsively.

Fu Bei’s hand paused, then she said, “Finding me isn’t okay either.”

“Why?”

“I have many things to do; I can’t always look after you.”

Qiao Xi was stunned, looking up at this person. “Next time, I can wait until you’re free.”

“I have many things to do every day. When I’m free, I’ll go back to the compound. No need to come to the school to find me,” Fu Bei said, leaving no room for fantasy.

But Qiao Xi didn’t understand the deeper meaning, didn’t realize this was a rejection. After half a minute of silence, she said softly, “But you’re never free. Didn’t go back last week, nor this week.”

Now there were no words to refute her.

Fu Bei remained silent in the end, not knowing what to say. Whatever excuse she found, Qiao Xi had a corresponding answer; it was impossible to reason with her.

The little girl’s feelings were like the moon in the sky tonight—even if dim, they were visible at a glance, especially after eight or nine years of constant interaction. Qiao Xi looked down at her toes, then raised her eyelids. Catching a glimpse of a cheap bracelet on a stall, her gaze was drawn to it.

Trinkets costing a few or a dozen yuan were mostly knockoffs of big brands, mass-produced with rough workmanship, as cheap as could be. For example, the one she saw was actually a flagship model of a niche brand this year, selling for over twenty thousand. Qiao Xi didn’t know this; she just thought it looked nice. Girls her age liked simple things, just like feelings at fifteen or sixteen—simple to the extreme, incomparably pure.

Fu Bei followed her gaze, stopping on that bracelet.

Later, the two went to a hotel. The university town was bustling with people coming and going; this was the noisiest time.

Qiao Xi fell behind by two steps, hurriedly catching up. As they walked, she tried to hold Fu Bei’s hand.

Unfortunately, it was sensed in advance. The other party took half a step forward, avoiding it.

Perhaps intentional, perhaps unintentional.

Qiao Xi didn’t take it to heart. This time she chased up directly to walk side by side, taking the opportunity to link arms with Fu Bei.

“Which one are we staying at?” she asked to distract herself.

Without shaking her off, Fu Bei let her hold her arm, replying as they walked, “Ahead, by the middle gate.”

She had thought about taking the person back to her dorm, but it was inconvenient. There were other people in the dorm, and bringing someone back suddenly was hard to explain. Besides, Jiang City University’s accommodation conditions were average, with standard loft beds and desks underneath. Two people sleeping in one bed would be too crowded.

Business for hotels in the university town was booming. Those with slightly better environments were fully booked year-round. Knowing this one had the best hygiene nearby, Fu Bei chose it. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side; there were no double rooms, only one most expensive suite left.

Hotels around the college always raised prices on the spot, especially at night. Sometimes they clearly had appropriate rooms but deliberately sold the expensive ones to customers.

While she hesitated about changing hotels, Qiao Xi settled on it directly.

What Fu Bei hesitated about wasn’t the price.

Taking the key card to find the corresponding room, upon opening the door, sure enough, there was only one bed.

The two washed up in turn. Qiao Xi went in first and came out without even tidying up, her hair still wet. As soon as Fu Bei entered, she was stunned to see a black teenage bra casually draped over the shelf.

By the time Qiao Xi remembered her things were still in the bathroom, Fu Bei had already washed up and come out. She hurriedly got out of bed and shuffled in with her slippers.

The bra had been hung on a hanger, along with the clothes she had changed out of, neatly hanging on the rack. She tugged at the disposable nightgown involuntarily, feeling extremely uncomfortable, her heart and face burning. But when she went back out, Fu Bei showed no reaction whatsoever, not even sparing her a glance.

She noticed Fu Bei was dressed quite conservatively, not even taking off her undergarments—truly not afraid of being uncomfortable while sleeping. Thinking for a moment, she took off her shoes and climbed up, sitting against the headboard. At first, she kept a distance from Fu Bei, but after a while, she pretended to inadvertently scoot closer.

Fu Bei was looking at her phone.

She leaned over, touching the other person’s hand, getting extremely close. “What are you doing?”

Too close. Her elbow accidentally touched the little girl’s soft, slender waist. Fu Bei flinched as if pricked by a needle, subtly shrinking away.

“Messaging my roommate.”

Contacting so late; Qiao Xi was surprised. “You have a good relationship?”

A misunderstanding. After all, Fu Bei was lukewarm with everyone; apart from Zhao Shihuan and the others, she hadn’t been seen being like this with anyone.

Fu Bei put the phone on the bedside table. “Dorm check. Telling my roommate I’m not going back tonight.”

Qiao Xi gave two “Ohs,” feeling she was talking too much, asking this and that. She was a bit tired and stretched her legs. The night gown was loose and slipped down instantly, revealing her slender white thighs. Lacking self-awareness and not caring much—not yet paying attention to such details in interactions—she curled her small, round toes and shifted her body.

The next moment, a quilt was suddenly covered over her legs.

Before she could react, the lights were turned off. The room plunged into darkness. The person beside her suddenly got up, using the faint light from the window to get a spare quilt from the low cabinet.

Each with their own quilt; even sleeping in the same bed, they wouldn’t touch.

Qiao Xi was foolishly stunned, thinking this person wasn’t used to it and unwilling to share a quilt. She didn’t mind. Once the other party got into bed, she pulled her quilt tight and leaned over, almost pressing onto her.

“Sleep. Don’t move around,” Fu Bei said in a deep voice.

She shrank into the quilt. “Too early; can’t sleep.”

The other party didn’t respond.

The street outside the window was still noisy. It wasn’t curfew time yet, and the street was full of stalls. Light shone in from outside but not enough to illuminate the room. The air conditioner hummed, blowing waves of cool air onto the bed.

Qiao Xi lay on her side and suddenly asked, “Fu Bei, is anyone pursuing you at school?”

The other party remained silent for a long time, unwilling to answer.

Qiao Xi squeezed closer. “Our teacher said no puppy love in high school; there will be plenty of people chasing you in university.”

Fu Bei didn’t answer directly, asking back, “Is anyone pursuing you?”

“No.” Qiao Xi lied again without batting an eyelid. She was beautiful; classmates had shown interest since she entered high school, and she had even received love letters from boys in middle school.

Fu Bei naturally didn’t lack pursuers. University advocated freedom, including freedom of love; teachers even suggested students date. She turned her head to look at Qiao Xi and said, “Study seriously; no puppy love.”

Qiao Xi: “I know.”

The atmosphere in the room had been somewhat stiff, but after chatting for a while, it eased a lot. She looked at Fu Bei, hesitated, and suddenly reached out her hand to rest on the other person.

Outside the window, it was noisy, the whole street lit up.

**

Qiao Xi leaned against the headboard, finally snapping back to reality. Looking at the dark night outside the window and then at the bracelet in the drawer.

Finally, she closed the drawer.

At the same time, in an apartment near the university town, Fu Bei hadn’t rested yet either, looking through documents in the study.

It was the document Zhuang Qiyang gave her last time. Since then, it had been sitting in the study unopened until today. She had carefully considered Zhuang Qiyang’s advice for so long but still didn’t heed it. Five years ago, Grandpa Fu promised to help Qiao Jianliang, but now a careful investigation revealed something suspicious about the so-called help.

Back then, Qiao Jianliang followed Liang Jincheng and flourished, investing wildly like casting a net to catch fish, doing whatever made money. At that time, Qiao Jianliang had plenty of liquidity; money was the last thing he lacked. Later, somehow, he invested in real estate and indeed made a profit. Even Father Fu thought Qiao Jianliang’s net worth was about to soar, but he failed precisely on the real estate project in the New District.

When the incident happened, Qiao Jianliang had already divorced Mother Qiao, not waiting for Qiao Xi to turn eighteen at all, just hiding it from her. Having split nearly half his assets and invested most of his liquidity in other businesses, when the real estate project had problems, Qiao Jianliang couldn’t come up with money to fill the hole, breaking the capital chain directly.

Everything seemed coincidental: divorce, investment, bidding for the government’s real estate project, project funding turnover problems, other investments not yielding returns in the short term… Everything became a vicious cycle.

Many people were watching at the time. Qiao Jianliang was struggling. He had thickened his skin to ask Mother Qiao for help, but unexpectedly, Mother Qiao had also invested her funds. Real estate projects were a piece of fat meat; wanting to eat it required corresponding payment. Qiao Jianliang’s recklessness and blindness created this situation; millions or tens of millions could no longer solve the problem.

Involved with the government, plus a good project turned into a mess, former business partners played dead, and even banks were unwilling to lend him money. Even if Qiao Jianliang wanted to file for bankruptcy, the relevant departments wouldn’t agree easily.

Investment is like this: earning a fortune when winning, losing everything including underwear when failing. If he couldn’t extricate himself, Qiao Jianliang would bear debts amounting to hundreds of millions.

How Grandpa Fu operated, no one knew. As for why the project fell into the Zhou family’s hands and how it passed to Liang Jincheng, it was truly intriguing.

Closing the document, Fu Bei propped up her hand to rub her brow. She took out a slender women’s cigarette from the box and lit it. She was a bit anxious, trapped in a situation she couldn’t get out of.

Some things are complex yet simple. When all coincidences come together, it becomes a premeditated plan. Mother Qiao, Liang Jincheng, or the Zhou and Fu families… one or two of them must have been involved.

Shaking off the ash, looking at the crimson ember, she remembered when the old lady came into her room back then, saying earnestly, “Your grandfather did it for your own good; don’t blame him.”

Too young then, her sharp edges not yet smoothed, unable to hide emotions.

“That’s his business.”

The old lady had a good temper, only saying, “Won’t force you. Everything follows your wishes anyway.”

Having just argued with Grandpa Fu, her eyes were slightly red.

The old lady tidied her hair, kind and gentle. “Who isn’t impulsive when young? But impulsiveness without confidence is just messing around, isn’t it?”

The old lady always loved to reason, but every word was correct, not empty talk. She did things for a reason. The old lady had been kind and open-minded all her life. Even though she had discovered the clues between the two children long ago, she never exposed or blamed them.

If not for the old lady, Fu Bei wouldn’t have made the choice.

Every choice comes with a corresponding price. Feelings were abruptly severed before they could even become clear. anyone would hold a grudge.

A cigarette didn’t last long. Before she could take two puffs, zoning out for a while, it almost burned her fingers.

Fu Bei didn’t particularly want to smoke, but she couldn’t help doing something while thinking, so she lit another one.

A box of ten cigarettes didn’t last long.

The next day, Liang Yuzhi came to visit, her brows furrowed into wrinkles. Seeing Fu Bei just waking up and smelling of smoke, she asked unhappily, “You smoked again?”

Fu Bei didn’t defend herself. “Mmh.”

Liang Yuzhi never liked family members smoking, especially women. Grandpa Fu and Father Fu smoking was understandable; men often had social engagements where smoking and drinking were unavoidable. But Fu Bei didn’t do these things, yet she learned to smoke like a man—simply sick, unbearable.

However, she had a relatively good temper and controlled herself, saying slightly sternly, “Don’t smoke in the future. What does it look like?”

After speaking, she glanced at Fu Bei but received no response. Fu Bei didn’t take her words to heart at all, walking straight to the table to pour water. Liang Yuzhi was very unhappy but didn’t flare up.

Mother and daughter were relatively close when Fu Bei was young, but over the years, they had grown colder. Back then, Liang Yuzhi hoped her daughter would grow into an elegant and intellectual lady under strict upbringing. Who knew she would become a cold block of ice? The child was grown; she couldn’t control her and could only hold in her anger.

“Come home for dinner tomorrow. Your uncle is coming over.”

Putting down the water glass, Fu Bei turned to look at her. “Just this?”

Her tone was lukewarm, carrying a sense of alienation. Liang Yuzhi was stunned, then said, “Of course, to see you. You haven’t been home for over ten days. What have you been doing lately? Why haven’t you gone back?”

“Busy with school work, no time for now. Will go back in a while.”

“Didn’t the teaching schedule just come out? What are you busy with?”

Picking up the car keys, Fu Bei finally said, “Things other than the teaching schedule.”

Clearly stalling Liang Yuzhi. It seemed she was unwilling to communicate. It wasn’t like this before; no matter how cold, she was respectful to her elders. Liang Yuzhi’s face was a bit grave. Seeing her walk towards the bathroom, she wanted to speak but stopped. When the person came out, she sat on the sofa and asked, “Are you still blaming me because of your uncle’s matter?”

Walking to the entrance to change shoes, Fu Bei said indifferently, “No, don’t overthink it.”

Seeing her suddenly open the door, Liang Yuzhi stood up immediately. “Early in the morning, where are you going?”

Fu Bei paused, looking up. “School.”

Too perfunctory, too lazy to even make up an excuse. Liang Yuzhi got angry instantly, saying in a deep voice, “Fu Bei!”