Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

"I'm sorry, I upset Miss Su."

As soon as Zhao Qiulu sat down, she apologized to Jiang Linyuan.

"Then why don't you apologize to her? What's with apologizing to me?"

Jiang Linyuan said.

"Aren't you her boyfriend? I figured you might have to spend quite a bit of time coaxing her later, so I should apologize to you first."

Zhao Qiulu's face was full of sincere regret.

She knows Xiao Su's personality pretty well, huh. And she's pretty good with words too.

"Coaxing a girlfriend can actually be quite enjoyable, you know. After you coax her, she becomes very obedient. Especially when external factors like you make her throw a little tantrum, it only deepens the bond between a couple."

Jiang Linyuan let out a light laugh.

Zhao Qiulu paused for a moment, her expression unchanged, her voice still gentle:

"That's wonderful. You two have such a good relationship. I wish my boyfriend and I could be this harmonious."

Shen Wanyu shot her a glance, then looked away.

"Hey, Sister Qiulu is in a relationship? I didn't even know that."

Shen Guoguo, holding her bowl, looked up in surprise.

"We're already engaged. We plan to get married right after graduation."

Zhao Qiulu smiled and blinked, extending her left hand. The engagement ring on her middle finger sparkled brightly.

"Wow, I never noticed you had that ring, Sister Qiulu."

Girls all loved shiny things. Shen Guoguo was instantly captivated by the ring.

"So pretty."

"Guoguo doesn't need to be envious. One day, you'll meet someone who loves you and put a ring on your finger too."

Zhao Qiulu said with a smile.

"I'll pass on that."

Shen Guoguo looked away from the ring.

Zhao Qiulu was taken aback and asked softly:

"Why not?"

"Because, if I got married, I definitely wouldn't be able to stay by Sister Wanyu's side like I do now."

Shen Guoguo said.

Even her own parents didn't like her, so why would she expect a stranger to say they love her?

Maybe there was someone out there, but she already had Sister Wanyu who loved her.

"Haha, you'll understand when you're older, Guoguo."

Zhao Qiulu smiled and withdrew her hand.

"I'm in middle school already! I'm not that young anymore!"

Shen Guoguo protested.

"But Guoguo still looks so small and cute. It always makes people think you haven't grown up at all." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zhao Qiulu said with a laugh.

Damn it, is my height really going to stop here?

Shen Guoguo was a bit frustrated. Her dad and Sister Wanyu were both so tall, so why was she this short?

Girls her age were almost a whole head taller than her!

"Brother Jiang, how tall were you in middle school?"

It had to be a bad sample! The comparison was flawed!

"I was pretty short when I first started middle school, but I grew fast every year. Guoguo, you're still growing. Maybe one day you'll even be taller than me."

Jiang Linyuan comforted her.

"That's right. I was also quite short in middle school."

Zhao Qiulu said with a smile.

"Sister Qiulu, you liar! I've seen your middle school photos! You were clearly tall!"

Shen Guoguo complained. The more she thought about her height, the more upset she got. She grabbed her bowl and started wolfing down her food.

Today, she was going to eat three bowls of rice!

"By the way, we've been chatting this whole time, and I still don't know your name."

Zhao Qiulu turned back to Jiang Linyuan, asking naturally.

She's pretty sharp, this Zhao Qiulu. Her social skills are as smooth as flowing water, very natural.

"Jiang Linyuan."

Jiang Linyuan introduced himself.

Upon hearing the name, Zhao Qiulu paused for a moment, as if thinking about something, before slowly speaking:

"Nice to meet you."

"He met Su Muzhi at university."

Shen Wanyu spoke up abruptly.

Huh? Why did the Department Head choose to speak now? Is how I met Xiao Su really that important?

Jiang Linyuan thought, then looked at Zhao Qiulu. Her expression showed some surprise as she asked:

"This might be rude, but I have to ask. Do you know about Su Muzhi's family background?"

"Yeah, she's a rich heiress."

There was nothing to hide about that. It wasn't some plot where she pretended to be poor to test his love.

"You're really something."

Zhao Qiulu let out an involuntary exclamation.

"Something? What's so impressive about that?"

Jiang Linyuan asked.

"Well, maybe it's because I'm engaged now. I couldn't help but think about my own situation."

Zhao Qiulu sighed and touched the ring on her middle finger:

"When you're dating, you think love is just between two people. But when you're about to get married, you realize how important those four words are: 'matching social status.'"

"Is your boyfriend's family background impressive?"

Jiang Linyuan asked.

Zhao Qiulu looked a bit embarrassed:

"It's my family that isn't too satisfied with him."

Oh, I see. He works for my future father-in-law. Zhao Qiulu's dad probably isn't in some ordinary position either.

Ah, the world is so unfair. Some people live a bitter life, while others can taste bitterness.

"It's okay, really. He's very motivated and hardworking. We'll be fine in the future. Yeah, we'll be fine."

Zhao Qiulu said, but her voice grew quieter, as if she lacked confidence.

Something's off. This B-card is a bit strange.

She looks like just an ordinary rich girl who fell for a poor guy and is facing family opposition. But it feels like there's more to it?

Why are all these B-cards so weird?!

"I'm full. Need any help with the dishes?"

Shen Wanyu suddenly stood up and looked at Jiang Linyuan.

"No, no. I'll help out later."

Zhao Qiulu quickly snapped back to reality.

"Thank you, then."

Shen Wanyu said.

"Department Head, what about me? Don't I get a thank you?"

Shen Wanyu ignored him and went back into her room. It seemed she was indeed very angry.

Yeah, they had agreed he would come visit her on the second day of the new year, but he brought Xiao Su along too. Of course she'd be mad!

This isn't an external factor. It's not easy to coax her out of it. And even if I do coax her, she probably won't be obedient. Tsk, I'm a terrible friend!

"Did you make Wanyu angry? She rarely acts like she doesn't want to talk to anyone."

Zhao Qiulu glanced at Jiang Linyuan, her eyes crinkling as she covered her mouth with a laugh.

"Brother Jiang, go coax Sister Wanyu! Guoguo and Sister Qiulu can clean up the dishes."

Shen Guoguo put down her chopsticks and urged Jiang Linyuan.

Coax her? She'd have to let me coax her first. Ever since dinner started, she only spoke to me when it involved Zhao Qiulu. Otherwise, she completely ignored me.

It's like she's saying, "Go accept your punishment! Come find me when you're done!"

But... what exactly is this punishment?

"No, Guoguo, go rest. I'll take care of things with Sister Qiulu."

Useless! I handed you the perfect plan, and you still can't figure it out!

Shen Guoguo was furious. She glared at Jiang Linyuan, then ran off to Shen Wanyu's room.

I'll have to handle this myself!

"You should listen to Guoguo."

Zhao Qiulu started clearing the dishes. Her movements looked practiced, as if she was used to doing housework.

"You don't understand the relationship between the Department Head and me."

"Department Head? Why do you call her that?"

"She's the Head of the External Liaison Department at my school. I'm the Vice Head."

They're not that close at all. She didn't even know that.

"Is that so? No wonder you two seem to get along well."

The two chatted while clearing the dishes, and they finished up quickly.

"I'll be going then. Please say goodbye to Wanyu and Miss Su for me."

Zhao Qiulu walked toward the door, ready to leave.

At the doorway, she felt her bag, then patted her pockets, as if she had lost something.

"Did you lose something?"

Jiang Linyuan walked over and asked.

"Oh, I can't seem to find my phone. Could I borrow yours to make a call?"

Zhao Qiulu asked.

Jiang Linyuan looked at her, smiled, and handed over his phone.

"Sure."

"Thank you."

Zhao Qiulu made a call, and a vibration rang out from under the dining table.

"Found it. Thank you."

She picked up her phone, handed Jiang Linyuan's back, then picked up her bag and left.

Interesting.