Sun Lili stared at Qin Jiao’s radiant smile, momentarily stunned. A sudden uncertainty washed over her. ’If Qin Jiao liked Ah Feng... would he even be with me right now?’
The answer was painfully obvious.
As Qin Jiao started to get farther away, Sun Lili suddenly shouted, "Qin Jiao! I don’t believe that nonsense they’re saying! You would never do something like that just to chase Shen Yi, because you don’t have to!"
’You could make Shen Yi fall for you just by standing there.’
’You could make any guy fall for you, for that matter.’
’Including Shen Feng.’
Qin Jiao looked back at her and gave Sun Lili a kind smile before turning and walking away.
Shen Yi found out about the matter the next day. His face was grim. "Is Lin Nian out of her mind? Why is she spouting this nonsense? Does she not want to keep her salon running anymore?!"
"It’s not that big of a deal," Qin Jiao said. "It’s not worth getting angry over someone like her. She’s so crooked herself, saying things like this won’t do her any good. Besides, hair salons are hotbeds for gossip."
Shen Yi leaned in closer. "Jiao Jiao, you’ve figured out a way to deal with her?"
"Mhm. But hey, hearing people say that I meticulously plotted to seduce you... you’re pretty happy about that, aren’t you?"
"A little," he admitted.
"..."
Seeing the corners of Qin Jiao’s mouth tighten, Shen Yi immediately moved to coax her. "But that’s not the truth! The truth is that I was the one who pursued you relentlessly, using every method I could think of, until you finally, reluctantly agreed to try things out with me. So, I won’t be fooled by those rumors!"
"Alright, that’s enough." Qin Jiao pushed him away. At that moment, they were the only two in the car. She said with a sigh, "Honestly, you might actually have to thank Lin Nian."
’If she hadn’t transmigrated and disrupted the plot, it’s uncertain whether I would have ended up with Shen Feng.’
’But I definitely would never have ended up with Shen Yi.’
Shen Yi actually thought the same thing, but what he said was: "Those are two separate things. It’s not like Lin Nian did any of this to get us together. She’s only working this hard so she can become the wife of the richest man. So, objectively speaking, I am grateful to her. But considering all the things she’s done, and now that she’s spreading these nasty rumors about you, we can’t go soft on her. By the way, Jiao Jiao, how do you plan on dealing with her?"
"Someone else is going to test the waters for me first."
Qin Jiao narrowed her eyes, a faint smile on her face.
Just yesterday, Qin Jiao had written back to both Xiao Lan and Jiang Xiaoyue. With Xiao Lan, it was simple; Qin Jiao was just acting as a confidante and mentor, answering her questions. But Jiang Xiaoyue had mailed some of her fashion design sketches in her letter—a very rare gesture that showed just how much she trusted Qin Jiao.
Qin Jiao immediately discussed them with Shen Yi. Out of the five sample designs, two were surprisingly excellent—the kind that would still be fashionable even several years in the future.
Qin Jiao said to Shen Yi, "We can have Xiao Yue design some summer pieces later on. If we end up choosing one, we can buy the design from her outright and pay her a design fee."
Shen Yi nodded. "I never would have guessed. She’s actually quite talented when it comes to design."
"Yes," Qin Jiao said. "She had a miserable time in her past life. She eventually left to find work and was bullied by some thug of a team leader at her factory. But that won’t happen in this life. If she’s willing to keep working hard, she’ll become an excellent fashion designer one day!"
"In that case, let’s have her join Jiu Yi right after she graduates," Shen Yi said. "Excellent fashion designers are hard to come by. We need to make the first move."
"That was my plan as well, but when the time comes, it’ll be up to her to decide if she’s willing or not."