Chapter 1940: Courtesy Returns

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Under such circumstances, anyone would think that Li Tingshen was protecting her…

Ye Qingqiu digested his words—

She didn’t slap him, so he wasn’t seeking justice for Liang Xuer.

She could accept this answer.

“Have you thought of how to coax me?”

Li Tingshen looked at her calmly. “I didn’t make you angry.”

“You used my homework to see if Liang Xuer was bullied by my grandfather and used me as a cover to care about another girl. Don’t you think I should be angry?”

Li Tingshen was silent. He walked to the car and knocked on the window. “Open the trunk.”

The driver responded and the trunk slowly rose.

Li Tingshen walked over and bent down to take out a box from the trunk. As he opened the box, he said in a low voice, “Come here.”

She didn’t even look up. He didn’t know who she was talking to.

Ye Qingqiu walked over.

She saw him rummaging through a medical kit.

She instantly understood something.

Her lips twitched.

Seeing Li Tingshen pick up a piece of ointment, Ye Qingqiu raised her eyebrows and said,

“To coax me?”

Li Tingshen glanced at her and held Ye Qingqiu’s hand before applying the ointment on her wrist.

“The Li family’s company has always been taken care of by your father. I don’t want him to know that I bullied his precious daughter and used the company to take revenge on me.”

“So you’re really coaxing me.”

Ye Qingqiu’s wrist was very thin. She applied some ointment to it and wrapped it around her wrist.

Raising her arm and waving it in the air, Ye Qingqiu smiled and looked up at him. “You don’t want my father to see you?”

Wasn’t it more obvious?

Li Tingshen pursed his lips and packed up the medical kit silently, but Ye Qingqiu stopped him.

She picked up another piece of ointment, tore off the sticker, grabbed his hand, and pressed it against the back of his hand.

“Courtesy demands reciprocity.”

That was where she had hit him with the book.

Glancing at the messy bandage, Li Tingshen lowered his hand and closed the medical kit. He closed the trunk and looked at her calmly.

“You’re fine now?”

Ye Qingqiu raised an eyebrow and said, “Of course there’s something else. My injury was caused by you protecting her. Isn’t this… natural?”

She raised her wrist and waved it in front of his eyes. “I’m thirteen, not three. How can I be so easy to coax?”

Li Tingshen’s gaze swept across her face before landing on the book she had thrown on the ground.

“You really don’t want your homework?”

Ye Qingqiu turned around and frowned when she saw the books scattered on the ground.

“Say something.”

“What are you talking about? I threw it out and you want me to pick it up?”

Did she not care about her reputation?

Li Tingshen merely walked over and bent down to pick up the books before putting them into the bag slowly.

“I’ll get someone to send your things back later. You don’t have to go tomorrow.”

Ye Qingqiu’s face darkened again. “How dare you!”

Li Tingshen didn’t say anything and opened the car door.

The bag in her hand was suddenly snatched away.

Turning around, Ye Qingqiu hugged her bag and said, “Studying is my own business. Why should I be angry at you for my studies? There’s still the final exam tomorrow. You’d better wait for me at home.”

She quickly finished speaking and ran away.

Her gaze swept across Liang Xuer, who was still in a daze, and she frowned.

Seeing her run away, Li Tingshen’s gaze lingered on Liang Xuer for a moment. “Aren’t you going back?”

Liang Xuer’s eyes flashed. “Brother Tingshen.”

Li Tingshen looked at her calmly, waiting for her to continue.

“I want to… skip a grade too.”

Li Tingshen said calmly, “You should tell the Ye family that.”

Liang Xuer bit her lip and stammered, “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

“That’s your own business.”

Li Tingshen said calmly as he got into the car.

Liang Xuer took a few quick steps and grabbed the car door with her bare hands.

“I’ve just returned to the Ye family. I don’t know how to request anything from them now, but I must skip a grade. I’ll tell them next semester, but I hope… can you tutor me?”

Li Tingshen frowned. “Are you sure you want to cause trouble for me?”

Liang Xuer clenched her fists. “Trouble?” Her eyes reddened. “Why can Ye Qingqiu do it?”

“So you have to follow her no matter what she wants to do?”

Liang Xuer’s eyes welled up and she felt uncomfortable by Li Tingshen’s words. “…Brother Tingshen, I’m afraid…”

She was new to the Ye family and although they were her family, no one was familiar to her.

Now, even Li Tingshen, whom she relied on the most, was getting further and further away from her.

Alone, she really didn’t know what to do.

Li Tingshen frowned and pursed his lips.

Without answering her question, his gaze landed coldly on her hand that was holding the door handle. “Let go.”

His voice was so cold that it could shatter one’s heart.

…

Ye Qingqiu was nestled on the sofa with a pen in her hand. There was an open exercise book on her bent knee.

Seeing Liang Xuer return, Ye Qingqiu looked at her lazily.

Liang Xuer couldn’t stand her gaze. In fact, when she raised her hand to hit her outside, she still felt embarrassed.

“Ye Qingqiu.” She stood on the other side of the coffee table. After being here for so long, this was the first time she had called Ye Qingqiu’s name.

They didn’t interact much with Ye Qingqiu. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it, but Ye Qingqiu didn’t know how to interact with her.

It was as if nothing could make her take it to heart. Her arrogant and condescending attitude had indeed dissuaded many people who wanted to communicate with her.

Her carefree attitude made people feel that it was a waste of feelings to be with her.

She had a gentle and affectionate name, but her personality had nothing to do with it.

Everyone liked such an irrelevant person.

It was rare for Ye Qingqiu to hear Liang Xuer call her name so formally, but she knew that nothing good would happen.

Her posture did not change and she continued to look at her lazily. She did not speak and waited for her to continue.

Liang Xuer clenched her fists tightly and suppressed the churning emotions in her heart. She said, “I’ve been with Brother Tingshen longer than you…”

Ye Qingqiu sneered. “So what? Are you talking to me about who’s the third party?”

Liang Xuer’s face suddenly turned red. At their age, they were at the edge of being ignorant and unfamiliar with love. They understood similar terms, but they also understood the popular terms. In fact, they knew nothing about love.

The third party was definitely a negative term.

Ye Qingqiu’s straightforwardness left her at a loss.

Ye Qingqiu smiled lazily and teased, “If you put it that way, we’ll be living together for a long time. Can we be considered a couple?”

Liang Xuer was speechless.

“That’s impossible.” Ye Qingqiu smiled and inserted the pen into the bun on her head. “You don’t like me, and I can’t like you, let alone confess to anyone.”

“But Brother Tingshen didn’t say that he likes you!”

“But I confessed to him?” The smile on Ye Qingqiu’s face faded and she stood up slowly.

“Li Tingshen is the man that I, Ye Qingqiu, want. He can only be mine. If I can’t have him, I’ll snatch him. If I can’t, I’ll renege on it. As long as the outcome is satisfactory, I’ll do whatever it takes. Moreover, I was the one who attacked Li Tingshen first. It’s too late to talk to me now.”

Liang Xuer shook her head and looked at her in disbelief. “This is purely your possessiveness! This is not love at all. He can’t be at your mercy. He might not like you or love you…”

“Who said that?” Ye Qingqiu threw the exercise book in her hand on the coffee table. “I’ll only be possessive if I like him. It’s enough that I like him. As for whether he loves me or not, it’s best if he loves me. Even if he doesn’t, I have to force him to say that he loves me every day. Isn’t it just a word? As long as he’s by my side, does love matter?”

It was important.

Ye Qingqiu replied silently.

Of course, she wanted Li Ting to love her too.

But if he didn’t love her, she couldn’t just let him go.

Anyway, she had never thought about this now.

Liang Xuer was stunned speechless by her words.

How could she say such unreasonable words?

But what she said was indeed irrefutable.

She liked it, and being by her side was enough.

It was much better than loving someone else.

“Liang Xuer, I don’t care how long you’ve lived together, but from the moment I announced that he’s my man, no one can covet him.”

Liang Xuer was silent for a long time. She stared at Ye Qingqiu quietly and said, “Do you think he will indulge you so much? Even if he doesn’t love you, he has to accommodate you and be with you? Ye Qingqiu, you’ve been spoiled. Not everyone is a member of the Ye family. Have you ever thought about what would happen to you without the Ye family?”

Ye Qingqiu sneered and said nonchalantly, “We’ll talk about it when that day comes.”

How could the Ye family not have any?

It was there, supported by her father. It would be hers in the future, and she had Li Tingshen.

But who knew that Liang Xuer’s words would come true…

…

The next day, Ye Qingqiu went to the Li residence.

Lian Lili was at home. She sat on the sofa.

There were many snacks on the coffee table.

She entered and invited her to sit on the sofa.

Ye Qingqiu walked over and greeted Auntie Lian.

Lian Lili smiled faintly. “How have you been? You’re in your second year of middle school. Do you think you can keep up?”

“Li Tingshen taught her well. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

Lian Lili nodded. “That’s good.”

The atmosphere was silent for a while before Lian Lili asked her to eat snacks.

She asked casually, “How are you getting along with Xu’er? It’s a rare summer break. Shouldn’t you go out to play? Although Xu’er is the daughter of the Ye family like you, she doesn’t know as much as you do. She’s shy, so you should accompany her more.”

“Sigh, now that you mention it, if you skip a grade, wouldn’t Xu’er be even lonelier?”

Ye Qingqiu picked up a candy and popped it into her mouth. After tasting the sweetness, her expression improved slightly.

“Liang Xuer might be more comfortable alone.”

Lian Lili pushed the candy plate towards Ye Qingqiu and looked at her. “You guys don’t get along well?”

“It’s hard to say. She has just arrived at the Ye family and feels that the most important thing is to be obedient, sensible, and likable. I’m different. She might think that I’m a disgrace to the Ye family. How can she be compared to me?”

Lian Lili retracted her hand slowly and sat up straight. There was a mysterious smile in her eyes.

“She has just arrived at the Ye family and is unfamiliar with everything. It’s never wrong to be obedient and sensible.”

Ye Qingqiu looked at Lian Lili for a while before standing up slowly with her bag.

“I’ll go up first. I have an exam today.”

Lian Lili nodded and smiled kindly.

“Go up. I’ll get the servants to send you juice and cake later.”

“Thank you, Aunt Lian.”

Ye Qingqiu nodded and turned around. The smile on her face disappeared.

She went upstairs to open Li Tingshen’s door and threw herself on the bed.

Li Tingshen finished reading the book before putting it down and turning to look at her.

“You’re here to sleep?”

When Ye Qingqiu heard this, she suddenly sat up and stared at Li Tingshen. “Do you like obedient and cute ones, or… someone like me?”

Li Tingshen raised his eyebrows slightly. “You also know that you have nothing to do with being obedient and cute?”

“Answer my question properly!”

Li Tingshen glanced at her wrist. The bandage had not been removed.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Ye Qingqiu frowned. “You don’t even know what kind of woman you like?”

Li Tingshen replied calmly, “I haven’t met anyone I like, so I don’t know.”

Ye Qingqiu stood up from the bed. “You haven’t met someone you like?” She took a deep breath and suppressed the frustration in her heart. “Alright, now you know. You like me!”

Li Tingshen turned around and walked to the desk. “Who I like is my business.”

Ye Qingqiu frowned even more. She walked to his side and looked up at him. “Alright, let me ask you again. Do you like someone like Liang Xuer?”

Li Tingshen took out the test paper that he had prepared in advance. The corners of his lips curled up imperceptibly. He glanced at the time and said calmly, “Not necessarily.”

Ye Qingqiu’s face darkened. She squeezed to Li Tingshen and looked up at him.

“Li Tingshen, I won’t allow you to like anyone else.”

Ye Qingqiu squeezed between the desk and Li Tingshen. Her back was pressed against the desk and Li Tingshen’s body was in front of her. She raised her chin and spoke solemnly with her unique arrogance.

Li Tingshen took a step back to distance himself from her and looked down at her.

“Ye Qingqiu, you don’t even have the right to date now, understand?”

“Who said so? Everyone in kindergarten knows how to date now!”

“So you think they’ll be together in the future?”

Ye Qingqiu blinked. “So you’re worried that my love for you won’t last long?”

Li Tingshen narrowed his eyes and pushed her aside.

“You’re thinking too much.”