You Must Be Good 23p2

Chapter 23 p2

At noon, during the hot lunch break, Qiao Xiaoxiao’s popsicle stall was crowded with children who had just finished their extracurricular classes. She skillfully collected money and handed out goods, the bangs on her forehead already soaked with sweat, sticking to her flushed cheeks. In just one morning, the tin box for money was already heavy.

“Sister, I want a snowman!”

“Sister, I want Wall’s!”

“I want a popsicle!”

The children’s chirping voices were endless. Qiao Xiaoxiao handled them deftly, the corners of her mouth lifting unconsciously.

But the good times didn’t last long. A short while later, a commotion came from the distance.

Qiao Xiaoxiao looked up alertly and saw Old Wang, the popsicle seller from Fumin Street, walking towards her with the market administrator, looking aggressive. Without a word, she picked up her insulated box and ran. She was already used to this kind of malicious reporting from competitors. It was completely different from the first time she was squeezed out by Wang Ying, when she had cried her eyes out.

After running for two streets, Qiao Xiaoxiao finally stopped to catch her breath. The popsicles in the insulated box were already starting to soften. This box of goods had cost nearly two hundred yuan. She wiped her sweat. She couldn’t just let them go to waste. She carried the box and went to a few schools, and found that the Second Elementary School was holding a flea market for the holiday.

With a “let’s try” attitude, Qiao Xiaoxiao squeezed into the crowd. The stalls were already full, and only students from the school could participate. After walking around, Xiaoxiao found a little girl with pigtails in a corner, guarding a small stall selling crystal balls all by herself. The girl looked eagerly at the passing crowd, her small hands unconsciously turning the snowflakes in the crystal ball, her face full of disappointment.

Well, she didn’t do her market research.

Qiao Xiaoxiao looked down at the melting popsicles in her arms. She straightened her slightly messy clothes and walked over with a friendly smile.

In the afternoon, because of the holiday, there weren’t many people in Yang Feitang’s music store. She closed up early and wanted to go to Fumin Street to find Xiaoxiao, see how she was doing, and do some shopping. After walking around, she couldn’t find her. She made a call and found out that she had moved to the elementary school section.

Yang Feitang’s heart ached a little. She felt that their little brat had it too tough. When she arrived at the flea market according to the address Qiao Xiaoxiao had given her, she saw Qiao Xiaoxiao squatting by the side of the road, eating a popsicle, very leisurely. When she saw Yang Feitang, she raised her hand. “Sister Yang, want one?”

There was no sign of fatigue at all.

Yang Feitang was stunned. She swallowed back the “my poor baby” that was already on her lips. She took the popsicle and asked, “Didn’t you say you were doing business?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded. “I am.”

Yang Feitang was stunned. “How are you doing it?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao pointed to the lively stall of the little girl. “I saw that her stall wasn’t doing well. No one was buying her crystal balls. So I gave her the popsicles. After she sells them, we’ll split the profits.”

At first listen, it was easy to be fooled by Qiao Xiaoxiao. Yang Feitang thought for a long time before she asked, “So, you found someone to work for you for free, is that right, Boss Qiao?”

…

Qiao Xiaoxiao was “extorted.”

In all the time they had known each other, this was the first time Yang Feitang had righteously demanded that Qiao Xiaoxiao treat her to a meal, and she had specifically requested spicy crayfish.

Boss Qiao’s popsicle business had done well in the morning. She had even gotten the little girl’s PHS number.

While eating crayfish, Yang Feitang couldn’t help but complain, “You’re really something. You even had the nerve to get that little girl’s PHS number. Aren’t you afraid that after she tells her parents, they’ll come out and beat you up?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao smiled. “Their family is well-off. They’re just setting up a stall to experience life. Her mother even called to thank me, saying that her child was so happy and excited when she got home that she was jumping up and down.”

Yang Feitang bit into a crayfish and looked at Chu Xinrou. “See? This is the good child you raised.”

Chu Xinrou smiled lightly and said warmly, “The method is good, but it’s only suitable for earning some pocket money.”

Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded and smiled. She looked at Chu Xinrou. “By the way, Jiejie, I was just about to talk to you about the issue of socializing in competition. What do you think you should do if the other party is a stranger who seems to have a bit of a manic episode?”

Yang Feitang gasped. “What, did you run into a lunatic?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao said, “I’m just asking.”

Chu Xinrou glanced at Xiaoxiao and asked, “Are you talking about my sister?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao: …

Yang Feitang: !!!

…

The three of them chatted comfortably. Yang Feitang could also see that the little brat was saying she was doing business, but the main thing was to accompany her Sister Chu. With all the chatting, Chu Xinrou’s mind was clearly not stuck on that one painful point, and she had relaxed a lot.

Yang Feitang was not as cunning as Qiao Xiaoxiao. In the past, when she saw Chu Xinrou was upset, she would comfort her in a very “straightforward” way. “Xinrou, don’t hold it in. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to talk, talk. Do whatever you want.”

Chu Xinrou would look at her. “I want you to leave.”

How could she be like Qiao Xiaoxiao, who would use such indirect methods?

After observing, Yang Feitang found that when Chu Xinrou and Qiao Xiaoxiao talked, there was no “coddling a child” attitude at all. On the contrary, it was as if two peers were communicating.

Yang Feitang opened her mouth. “That—”

Qiao Xiaoxiao handed her a bottle of beer. “Sister, drink a little less, okay?”

Yang Feitang: …

Fine, she’s the one who needs to be taken care of and coddled.

Yang Feitang put on a squeaky voice and said coquettishly, “Okay, Auntie Xiaoxiao, can you give me that string of chicken feet?”

…

Under the shade of the locust tree, Chu Fengyi quietly watched the three people chatting and laughing in the distance. The dappled shadows of the tree danced on her delicate face, but they couldn’t hide the sourness welling up in her eyes. Beside her stood the bodyguard, Ah Sen, in a sharp suit, his sturdy body like a silent wall.

“Ah Sen,” Chu Fengyi suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself. “Does sister… not need me anymore now that she has that girl?”

Ah Sen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he didn’t dare to answer.

Chu Fengyi’s gaze was fixed on Chu Xinrou’s smiling profile. It was a gentleness she hadn’t seen in a long time. “That poor student…” she bit her lip, “is she that good-looking?”

Ah Sen immediately replied, “Second Miss is much more beautiful than her.”

“You’re lying!” Chu Fengyi suddenly turned, her skirt swishing in a sharp arc. “If she’s really not as good as me, how could sister…” her voice trailed off, her eyes slightly red. “Are you going to lie to me now too?”

Ah Sen braced himself and changed his tune. “Yes… she’s quite good-looking.”

Tears streamed down Chu Fengyi’s face. “So, even you think she’s more beautiful than me, right?”

Ah Sen: …

Second Miss is unhappy.

She had snuck out without her parents’ knowledge this time. She only had three days, which were very precious.

The next day, Chu Fengyi waited early on the path Qiao Xiaoxiao took for her morning run. She had specially changed into a light pink dress, standing at the intersection like a carefully cultivated rose. The most advanced prosthetic leg allowed her to stand with perfect elegance, and no one could see anything amiss.

Chu Fengyi had truly grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth, showered with love. Although she dressed maturely, she was actually the same age as Qiao Xiaoxiao, and her birthday was even a month younger.

Chu Fengyi had rehearsed countless times in her mind how she would look down on the other person with a condescending gaze and use a sarcastic tone to make the poor student feel ashamed when Qiao Xiaoxiao appeared.

She had specially chosen a spot with the best morning light, so that the sun would plate her in a dazzling halo.

After the shadow of the parasol tree had moved thirty degrees, the figure in the faded half-sleeved shirt finally appeared at the end of the track. Chu Fengyi immediately straightened her back, her fingertips unconsciously digging into her palms. But Qiao Xiaoxiao passed by like a gust of wind, her eyelashes not even fluttering.

Chu Fengyi: ??!!!

“Hey, you poor student!”

The ignored Second Miss was about to explode. Qiao Xiaoxiao was still immersed in her vocabulary, her steps not stopping at all. Chu Fengyi called out a few more times, but the person didn’t even glance at her. Finally, she let out a heart-wrenching shout, “Qiao Xiaoxiao, stop!”

Qiao Xiaoxiao came to a sudden halt, her brows furrowed as she turned. A month of morning training had shed her initial frailty. At this moment, standing against the light, she had an undeniable presence.

Chu Fengyi suddenly found the sunlight harsh and unconsciously took half a step back, then immediately became angry at her own retreat. “What, are you going to hit me?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao stared at her, her voice like sandpaper dipped in ice water. “Do you want me to?”

Chu Fengyi: …

Chu Fengyi was almost choked to death by Qiao Xiaoxiao’s retort. She couldn’t out-talk her, so she started to find fault in other ways. “What are you staring at my leg for? Are you discriminating against me? Although I have a small flaw, am I not better than you in every way? Do you want to compete?”

Qiao Xiaoxiao really couldn’t figure out how such a smart and gentle sister could have such a lunatic sister. She nodded. “Okay, I won’t discriminate against you. Let’s have a five-kilometer race.”

Chu Fengyi: …

D—A—M—N!