Chapter 205 - 204: The Irritable Pei Xuan Emerges

Chapter 205: Chapter 204: The Irritable Pei Xuan Emerges

Pei Xuan’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the smiling woman before him.

Undeniably, it was a very beautiful face, on par with the superstar Qingyuan. If she were to enter the entertainment industry, she could definitely stir up a storm.

Qian Qiu was incredibly perceptive.

Her mind was naturally subtle and intricate, so she could easily sense the hostility coming from Pei Xuan.

"Could this customer be one of my competitors, coming over so late at night to scope out the competition?" Qian Qiu drawled. "Why else would you be staring at me like that? I haven’t offended you, have I?"

Pei Xuan scoffed. "I’m just a little curious. The owner can clearly make a living off her looks, so why bother running a milk tea shop?"

Cui Jinghan said flatly, "He’s taking a jab at you."

Qingyuan gritted her teeth. "Nonsense! I don’t just rely on my looks to get by!"

’I rely on my talent, too!’

Qian Qiu said languidly, "You’re too kind, sir. Besides, making a living off your looks is exhausting. It’s more important to have a real skill."

’Based on Pei Xuan’s attire and bearing, he was likely the young master of some prominent, wealthy family in Jianghuai.’

"Fair point." Pei Xuan casually ordered three of the signature drinks, then asked, "Don’t you have any savory milk teas?"

Cui Jinghan nodded as well.

"So, all three of you prefer savory milk tea?" Qian Qiu mused. "A young lady suggested the same thing a few days ago. However, I haven’t found the right kind of tea leaves for a savory blend yet. I’ll have to ask you to wait a little longer for that."

When the milk tea was served, Pei Xuan finished it in just a few gulps, as if he were downing a strong drink.

He then took the opportunity to mock Cui Jinghan for drinking his so slowly.

Qingyuan didn’t take off her mask or drink her tea.

As an actress who also had to sing and dance, she was extremely strict about her diet.

She would absolutely not eat anything after five in the afternoon.

So, she planned to bring the milk tea back for Sister Xu.

"Take your time drinking. I have to get back and see my old man." Pei Xuan shot Cui Jinghan a look. "Also, since your business here is finished, you should leave Jianghuai and return to Mingjing as soon as possible."

Cui Jinghan was unfazed. "I’ll leave next month, after the auction is over."

"The auction?" Pei Xuan smiled thoughtfully. "It seems your superiors have given you a mission to bring something back."

’I won’t let Cui Jinghan complete his mission that easily.’

’I have money.’

Cui Jinghan’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing.

After Pei Xuan left, Qingyuan also got up, leaving Cui Jinghan to quietly drink his milk tea by himself.

Back at the film set, Qingyuan handed the still-warm milk tea to Sister Xu.

Sister Xu was deeply moved. "A Yuan, you went out for a concert and you still thought of me. I’m so touched."

"Don’t get too emotional," Qingyuan said. "I was just worried about getting fat. Otherwise, this milk tea would never have made it to your stomach."

Sister Xu: "..."

’Her artist is still as sharp-tongued as ever.’

Seeing Qingyuan’s cheerful expression, Sister Xu asked curiously, "You’re in such a good mood today. Is it because you ran into Miss Shi?"

"Yes and no." Qingyuan snapped her fingers. "I’m in a good mood because someone is going to be in absolute agony in the near future—so miserable they’ll want to run themselves through with a sword. Just imagining it makes me feel so much better."

Sister Xu: "???"

She took a worried sip of milk tea and began to wonder if her artist was straying further and further down the path of a lawless maniac.

**

「An hour and a half later. Bar Street, Half Cup of Clear Dream.」

Qian Qiu pushed open the door and walked inside.

A bartender was washing glasses. When he saw her, he called out a greeting. "Miss Qiu, you’re here."

Qian Qiu nodded. "Work at the milk tea shop has been a bit busy, so I’ve been neglecting things here."

"You can mix cocktails and you can make milk tea. It seems like there’s nothing you can’t do," the bartender said admiringly.

"There’s always more to learn. I’m constantly studying." Qian Qiu took a few bottles of liquor from the shelf behind the bar and began her work for the evening.

By the time she finished mixing the last of the drinks for the day, it was already two in the morning.

The crowd had thinned out, so Qian Qiu finally had some free time. She curled up on a sofa and began to doodle idly.

"Miss Qiu, it’s getting cold. Have a glass of mulled wine to warm up." The bartender walked over with a glass, his eyes unintentionally falling on her sketchbook. "Miss Qiu, what are you drawing? Why would you draw vertical pupils on a person’s face?"

Qian Qiu countered, "So you don’t believe it’s possible for a person’s pupils to be vertical?"

"Of course not. Vertical pupils are something only animals have," the bartender retorted firmly. "I at least know that much about science."

Qian Qiu held up three fingers. "First, let me correct that misconception. Humans can have vertical pupils. It happens in one of three situations."

The bartender stammered, "Th-three?"

"First, a congenital pupillary malformation. Second, an acquired disease," Qian Qiu said. "And the third, of course, is a simple optical illusion. The right lighting can trick us into mistakenly seeing someone’s pupils as vertical."

The bartender muttered, "So I wasn’t wrong. A naturally healthy human can’t have vertical pupils."

Qian Qiu said flatly, "You’re right. They aren’t human. They’re a pack of beasts."

She lowered her head, the depths of her eyes filled with murderous intent and hatred.

When the Xuan Dynasty fell, she was still alive. She lived on for another ten years after the Hong Clan established the Jiang Dynasty.

Throughout those years, the red-haired, green-eyed Hong Clan people relentlessly hunted down the officials of the former dynasty and the bloodline of the Shi Family.

While on the run and in hiding, she had of course seen far too many of the Hong Clan people—including those from the direct lineage of the King of Hong, sometimes even up close.

What chilled her to the bone was that, when emotionally agitated, the pupils of these Hong Clan people would turn vertical.

It wasn’t a trick of the light. She hadn’t been mistaken.

To this day, her dreams were still haunted by pairs of green, vertical pupils staring at her like demons, ready to lunge forward and tear her to shreds at any moment.

Qian Qiu couldn’t help but shudder. She put down her pen, tore the drawing to pieces, and threw it into the trash can.

The bartender just assumed she was cold from a draft and said, "Miss Qiu, I’ll close the window. You should get some rest."

**

「The next day. Noon. The Southern Region.」

A secretary glanced at the time, waiting anxiously in the hotel lobby.

Finally, the click of high heels sounded, and someone emerged.

"Miss Ye!" The secretary immediately shot to his feet, bowing respectfully to the woman who had arrived. "Hello, I am President Xu’s secretary."

"Hello." Her voice was like flowing water, like a song, with a hint of enchanting power. "You’ve been waiting long. Let’s go to the conference room to talk."

"Thank you, Miss Ye." The secretary followed the woman into an elevator, which they took to the thirty-second floor of the hotel.

"Please, sit. No need to be so formal." The woman’s voice was gentle. "I’m not one for formalities."

Only then did the secretary dare to sit. He raised his head to get a clear look at the woman’s face and was taken aback.

This Miss Ye’s eyes were a startlingly vivid, rare shade of jade green.