Chapter 67: The Heiress Humiliated by the Arranged Marriage (12) Part 2

Bai Qian gaped at the seamless operation. “Shan Chan, who taught you to steal shots like that?”

A reply pinged back from the dorm leader. Shan Chan got her answer and tugged Bai Qian along without lingering.

“Does it need teaching? Yep, that’s her. Tsk, she’s easy on the eyes, sure, but her personality’s trash. Not my type.”

With that, she nuzzled her cheek against Bai Qian’s shoulder. “Still, my Bai Qian’s the best—gorgeous and sweet to boot. Shame she’s taken now. Dropped her from a perfect ten to just passing.”

Bai Qian couldn’t help laughing. “Now you’ve seen her face—what’s next?”

Shan Chan swung their joined hands and wheedled, “Bai Qian, come with me to a bar this weekend, pretty please?”

Bai Qian: ?

“Her fishing spot’s there. Not some sleazy dive—it’s that clean one right by our school. Super chill, not loud at all. Just tag along, okay?”

Bai Qian thought back and named it. “You mean Qingyao?”

Shan Chan let out an impressed tsk-tsk. “Who knew? You even know that place. I’ve known you forever and never pegged you for it. Guess I misjudged—hiding your wild side, huh, good girl?”

Bai Qian caught the teasing lilt but didn’t bother explaining.

—Qingyao was the spot in the original plot where Chi Miaohan had unwittingly rescued Chao Lulu.

She remembered it vividly: in the original plot, it happened two weeks from now.

Over the past month, whenever she chatted with Chi Miaohan, she’d subtly probed about her classmates.

No surprise there—Chi Miaohan didn’t have a single close friend.

She couldn’t exactly order her to befriend someone specific, and with time still to spare before the incident, Bai Qian had tabled it.

But now Shan Chan wanted to check out Qingyao. Another solution clicked into place.

She could go herself, get familiar with the scene, and figure out a way to head off the event without dragging Chi Miaohan into it.

It’d also dodge any chance of Chi Miaohan crossing paths early with the Scumbag Man.

“No objections? I’ll take that as a yes. Saturday night, eight o’clock—I’ll meet you at your school gate. Oh, and sneaking off to a bar with me… shouldn’t you tell your sister?”

Bai Qian had made up her mind. “No need.”

She absolutely could not let the scumbag man and Chi Miaohan run into each other.

Shan Chan wasn’t entirely on board. “So how are you going to tell her? You can’t just lie, can you? If she catches you, you two just started dating—won’t that spark a relationship crisis?”

The girl couldn’t help laughing at how much more anxious Shan Chan seemed than she was. “It won’t be discovered. I’m not planning to stay out all night, and I have no intention of drinking. I’ll stick around for an hour at most, then head out right on time.”

“Fine then. If you’re not worried, I have even less reason to fret on your behalf. Alright, class is about to let out anyway. I won’t steal any more of your precious date time. I’ve got no classes this afternoon, so I’m planning to do some shopping on my own. You head back and find your little sister.”

Bai Qian had only made it halfway down the hall when the bell rang.

By the time she reached the door of the empty classroom, Chi Miaohan was already seated in their usual spot, having waited a little while.

She turned at the sound of footsteps and softened at the sight of Bai Qian. “Is sister hungry? What do you want for lunch? I’ll go get it.”

Bai Qian’s delicate constitution couldn’t handle the crush of the crowded cafeteria, and cooking at home was such a hassle. Ever since the semester started, Chi Miaohan had been packing their lunches, bringing them over, and the two of them would eat together in an empty classroom like this one.

“I want omurice.”

Chi Miaohan agreed with a cheerful sound and soon returned with two portions still steaming hot.

“Sister, where do you want to go next week?”

“Next week?”

“It’s National Day next week. This is our first one together, so why don’t we pick somewhere to travel?”

Bai Qian had completely forgotten if Chi Miaohan hadn’t brought it up.

“I’m good with anywhere. You pick.”

She clearly already had it all planned out. “Then how about E City to see the snow? Sound good?”

“Mm.”

~~~

Every weekend, Bai Qian and Chi Miaohan returned to the Bai Family to share a meal with her parents.

Afterward, Bai Lianan always pulled her aside in secret to ask why she and Chi Miaohan still weren’t together.

Bai Qian had always felt helpless about it.

Now that they finally were a couple, she’d planned to announce it to her parents this weekend—but Bai Lianan beat her to the punch in the worst way.

That very morning, he’d posted a selfie of himself and Zhang Ruoyao heading out in their “Harmonious Loving Family” group chat.

“Mom and I are off to Country J for a few days over National Day. Don’t be sad, Little Qian—Dad isn’t skipping you on purpose this year. Little Han’s back now, so you two enjoy your romantic getaway.”

Bai Qian: “…”

With her parents out of town, there was no reason for them to go home.

It had been ages since she’d fired up the hot pot at home, so after school, Bai Qian dragged Chi Miaohan to the supermarket.

At checkout, the earlier mention of their National Day trip jogged her memory. She asked offhandedly, “Have you booked the tickets? When are we leaving?”

“All set. We’ll head out Monday and come back after two days.”

In that moment, Bai Qian blanked on her promise to Shan Chan about hitting the bar on Saturday. “Why not leave today? The sooner we go, the sooner we get back.”

Chi Miaohan smiled. “Won’t there be more people traveling right before the holiday starts?”

Bai Qian nodded. It did sound reasonable.

They were lounging on the sofa after dinner, digesting, when Shan Chan sent over a voice message.

A full thirty-eight seconds long.

Long voice clips gave Bai Qian a headache, but thankfully WeChat’s voice-to-text feature handled it. A few seconds later, she’d scanned the automated transcript, which boiled down to one key point:

Shan Chan had guessed Bai Qian would be off on a National Day date with Chi Miaohan and was reminding her not to forget their bar plans tomorrow night.

The nudge made it all come rushing back, and Bai Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief that Chi Miaohan hadn’t booked today’s flight—otherwise, Shan Chan would’ve ripped her a new one.

Chi Miaohan emerged from the kitchen, having finished cleaning up, and settled beside her. Bai Qian promptly tilted her head, leaning most of her weight against her.

“There’s something I need to confess.”

“Mm?”

“Do you remember that senior sister you ran into on your very first day of school? The one who said she was going to pursue you?”

Chi Miaohan shook her head. “No.”

“What about the one at the pancake stall outside the school gates last time? She even helped you ask Auntie for extra toppings.”

The girl shook her head again, all innocence. “Who?”

“…” Bai Qian suddenly understood why Shan Chan had been grinding her teeth whenever she recounted these “chance encounters” with her and Chi Miaohan.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”

Bai Qian was helpless. Fine, since she didn’t remember anyway, there was no point wasting breath on further explanations. “That’s my friend. We made plans to go shopping at the mall tomorrow night. It’ll only take about an hour before I’m back. You can stay home alone tomorrow, right?”

“No way. Can’t I meet your friend, Sis?”

She shot back, “She’s already met you alone twice, and you still haven’t remembered her. Got the nerve to say you want to meet my friend now?”

Chi Miaohan replied, “That’s different.”

She said earnestly, “I’ll remember everything having to do with you, Sis.”

The implication was clear: if Shan Chan weren’t Bai Qian’s friend, Chi Miaohan might not remember her even after bumping into her dozens of times.

With that, Chi Miaohan pleaded again. “So take me with you tomorrow, okay, Sis?”

Bai Qian nearly caved and agreed, but the thought of what might happen if this decision led to the scumbag man unexpectedly crossing paths with Chi Miaohan stopped her cold. She didn’t dare imagine it. Calming herself, she said, “I’ll take you next time, but not this one.”

Little Wild Dog sounded deeply aggrieved. “Why not this time? It’s just a mall trip. Why can’t you take me along? I’ll be good, I swear—no butting in. I’ll just be your quiet little accessory on the side. Come on, take me, Sis, pretty please?”

Her tone shifted. “Or… are you not actually going to the mall? Is it somewhere I can’t tag along, so that’s why you’re refusing?”

Bai Qian’s calm facade nearly cracked under those unwitting words, but she quickly regained her composure. Instead of answering, she turned the question back on her. “So you don’t trust me anymore? We’ve barely started dating, and already you won’t believe me—what about down the line—”

Chi Miaohan panicked at the thought of her crying again and rushed to soothe her. “I do trust you, Sis! I was wrong. I won’t go. Please don’t be mad at me, Sis.”

Held in her arms, Bai Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As sleep drew near, Chi Miaohan’s mind grew restless.

She murmured softly, “You’re leaving me home alone tomorrow, so you have to make it up to me tonight.”

Before Bai Qian could respond, her eyes were claimed by a kiss.

Warm lips brushed her eyelids, sending a tingling itch through her. The girl’s tender body went soft under the attention, her clear eyes clouding with a thin mist. She mumbled in protest, trying to fend off the mischief. “It tickles. Stop kissing there.”

Chi Miaohan pulled back at the words—but only to shift lower, pressing her lips to Bai Qian’s.

Like a woodpecker tapping at bark, she pecked once, light and teasing, then pulled away.

“Sis, wanna see if I can unbutton your collar… with just my mouth?”

Bai Qian: ?

She gave no chance for refusal. Chi Miaohan’s lips descended again, this time not for a fleeting touch but a deep, thorough exploration.

In the darkness of night came a soft click. The button, laced with fine thread, came undone by unconventional means.

Her voice came low and husky. “Sis, I got it open. For a reward… can I leave my mark right here?”

The girl’s whimpering protests drowned in the warmth of lips closing in once more.

She lingered a while longer before finally releasing her, murmuring reassurances. “Sis, I know my limits. If you say no, I won’t do anything naughty.”

With those words, her lips—trembling with anticipation—finally pressed to that expanse of snow-white skin.

…

The self-proclaimed expert in restraint and knowing when to quit truly didn’t push things all the way.

But the girl’s slender neck bore a chaotic profusion of marks.

Staring at the wreckage in the mirror, Bai Qian thanked the winter chill even as she mentally tore Chi Miaohan a new one.

She half-suspected the girl was some kind of sprite in human form!

“Unable to keep their hands off each other” on the very first day of dating? Terrifying!

The thought of all the days stretching ahead filled her vision with gloom, her future looking utterly bleak.

Chi Miaohan knocked on the bathroom door, breakfast ready. “Sis, you done washing your face? Food’s on the table.”

Recalling how her whimpers last night had only egged on even wilder behavior, Bai Qian was too annoyed to respond.

Pretending not to hear, she straightened her collar to conceal the garish cluster of plum-blossom imprints, then turned and opened the door.

“Sis?”

Bai Qian strode past without a sideways glance, ignoring the call.

Undeterred by the anger written all over her face, Chi Miaohan kept coaxing gently. “Sis? What’s wrong?”

Bai Qian’s irritation peaked, and her body took matters into its own hands with an automatic response.