Chương 28: Butterfly effects
"Jianyi, why are you pulling me so fast? I haven't watched enough yet!" Ling Xi pouted, picking up a slice of cucumber with her chopsticks. She had been holding in her dissatisfaction and finally got a chance to express it.
Qi Jianyi glanced at her sulking friend for a moment before turning her attention back to the food in front of her. As soon as she had pulled Ling Xi out of the set, the four of them had headed to the cafeteria. This was primarily due to Qi Jianyi's laziness to eat outside the university.
"Didn't you hear what Director Lu said? They're taking a break. Why should we wait?" she replied, taking a slow bite of a chicken leg.
Displeased, Ling Xi slammed her chopstick down. "It's a five minute break! Can't we wait?"
"No, I can't," Qi Jianyi said quickly, shaking her head and aggravating Ling Xi further.
Before Ling Xi could voice her frustration, Qi Jianyi swiftly included the man opposite her in the conversation. "Anyway, it's already late for lunch. Zeqing needs to eat on time because of his stomach issues," she said, fabricating a reason.
Qi Jianyi and Ling Xi sat side by side, with Qi Jianyi facing Song Chengfeng and Ling Xi facing He Zeqing. When Qi Jianyi mentioned her cousin, He Zeqing's hands, which had been holding the chopsticks, paused for a moment.
Ling Xi narrowed her eyes at He Zeqing, noting his healthy complexion, which seemed inconsistent with someone who had recent stomach issues. "Are you sure? I've never heard about Brother Zeqing's condition before."
Qi Jianyi nodded firmly. "He just developed it recently. Of course, you wouldn't know."
"Not to mention that Young Master Song also can't skip meals," Qi Jianyi added, weaving another lie to placate Ling Xi's irritation.
The two men that suddenly developed an unknown disease quietly enjoy their meals. They chose to go along with Qi Jianyi's words rather than correct her. Lest they become the object of hatred.
"How do you know about that?" Ling Xi questioned. The more she heard Qi Jianyi's words, the more doubtful she became.
With a calm composure, Qi Jianyi looked up from her plate and turned to Ling Xi. "Zeqing told me," she said, offering a composed explanation.
Unable to hold his patience any longer, He Zeqing spoke up, "Cousin, you do realise that I'm older than you, don't you?"
He Zeqing was puzzled by the way Qi Jianyi had been addressing him. Although they rarely spoke in the past, there had always been a mutual respect, and Qi Jianyi had traditionally called him "Brother Zeqing" whenever they crossed paths.
Recently, however, he noticed that she had dropped the honorific and began calling him by his name. It took He Zeqing a while to realise the change.
Caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic, Qi Jianyi blinked innocently. "Cousin, what are you talking about?" she asked, maintaining her innocent facade.
Of course, Qi Jianyi understood He Zeqing's question. However, she wasn't sure how to respond. She had momentarily forgotten their age difference and had come to view him more like a character from a novel, inadvertently dropping the "Brother" and addressing him by his name.
Qi Jianyi smiled innocently as she placed a chicken leg in He Zeqing's bowl. "Cousin, eat more," she said, deliberately avoiding the topic.
"I'm not Ling Xi," He Zeqing replied, making it clear that he wasn't easily swayed by her diversion and unintentionally offending Ling Xi.
"Brother Zeqing, are you saying that I'm stupid?" Ling Xi asked in disbelief, her eyes widening in shock.
Trying to stifle a laugh, Qi Jianyi coughed awkwardly, earning a sharp glare from Ling Xi.
"Mom said it's more natural to call you by your name," Qi Jianyi explained softly, shifting the blame to her mother.
He Zeqing raised an eyebrow, his voice dropping. "Auntie really said that?"
For some reason, Qi Jianyi felt a bit nervous under He Zeqing's intense gaze. She glanced over at Song Chengfeng, unknowingly seeking his help.
Noticing Qi Jianyi's plea for help, Song Chengfeng curled his lips. He had intended to remain a mere spectator, observing the unfolding scene. However, the helpless look in Qi Jianyi's eyes prompted him to intervene.
"Has Zeqing returned your car yet?" He asked, in a cold monotonous voice.
Song Chengfeng posed the question out of the blue, abruptly interrupting He Zeqing and drawing the attention of those around him. He Zeqing and Ling Xi looked at him strangely while Qi Jianyi was relieved.
She quickly nodded. "Yes, my cousin has already returned it to me. By the way, Young Master Song, thank you once again for your help. I'd like to treat you to a meal later." Qi Jianyi said with a cheerful smile, eliciting a disapproving glare from He Zeqing.
Turning a blind eye to He Zeqing's glare, Song Chengfeng gave a nod. "Sure," he responded in a perfunctory tone.
As soon as He Zeqing heard Song Chengfeng's acceptance, he frowned and interjected, "It's just driving you home. Do you really need to treat him to a meal?"
Stunned by his words, Qi Jianyi chuckled. Why is her cousin so agitated today?
"Cousin, it's my way of repaying the favour," she replied with a small smile.
Although He Zeqing understood the formality behind her gesture, the idea of Qi Jianyi and Song Chengfeng sharing a meal together left him unimpressed. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, he felt a strange wariness toward his own friend.
After all, He Zeqing had noticed Song Chengfeng's odd behaviour whenever Qi Jianyi was mentioned. But he quickly dismissed the thought, unwilling to dwell on it.
It was an unpleasant notion, especially when it involved his once-cold cousin and his notoriously lazy friend.
Their personalities were worlds apart, and the only time they had interacted alone was when Song Chengfeng drove Qi Jianyi home. The chances of anything more between them seemed slim, He Zeqing tried to reassure himself.
On the other hand, Ling Xi also narrowed her eyes, observing the slightly awkward interaction between Qi Jianyi and Song Chengfeng. But she soon gave up, finding nothing overly suspicious.
Unlike He Zeqing, who analysed everything meticulously, Ling Xi wasn't one to overthink such matters. To her, it didn't matter who Qi Jianyi ended up with, as long as she was happy with her choice.
Besides, the young master sitting across from her had a good look, a well-proportioned body, and a charm that most women found irresistible. It wouldn't be surprising if Qi Jianyi had feelings for the enigmatic Song Chengfeng.
Pushing away those sudden thoughts, Ling Xi shook her head and focused on her food. Why bother worrying about something that could be easily resolved by asking?
"Anyway, are we going back to the set?" Ling Xi steered the conversation back to its original course.
Qi Jianyi sighed at the question, which carried a hint of excitement. She really didn't want to go back. Instead of responding, Qi Jianyi busied herself with her food, leaving He Zeqing to answer.
"No," He Zeqing replied curtly, dashing Ling Xi's hopes.
Ling Xi pouted, her eyes widening with a look of innocent pleading as she tried to appeal to He Zeqing. "But, Brother Zeqing, I haven't seen Xia Ning's great acting yet!" she whined.
But He Zeqing was not someone easily swayed by a girl's coquettishness. If he were, he'd be labelled a playboy instead of the stern, disciplined president he was known to be.
"Her acting is mediocre. What's there to watch?" he replied coolly, dismissing Ling Xi's persuasion without a second thought.
Qi Jianyi was taken aback by his remark. Mediocre? She distinctly remembered He Zeqing praising Xia Ning's acting as top-notch in the novel. What had changed?
Though she knew her presence might have caused some butterfly effects, Qi Jianyi was certain she hadn't interfered with the main characters' development.
Yet, she was unaware of just how much her transmigration had altered things—especially since she hadn't finished reading the novel.
Qi Jianyi believed herself to be a mere side character with no script. But she overlooked the fact that her existence intertwined with the lives of the main characters, making her more than just a background figure.
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