C11 Chapter 11

Obviously, his words hit Xia Miaomiao like a knockout. She froze in place, stunned for a long moment.

“Besides, we were never even together,” Qin Yaochen added, like he wasn’t satisfied until he’d twisted the knife.

Hearing him say that, Su Jiyue couldn’t help sneaking a look up at him.

They’d grown up together, and she’d always thought she knew him well. But people had long said he was cold and ruthless. Even though he and Xia Miaomiao had known each other forever, he’d never once acknowledged her in public.

“Yaochen… Yaochen?” Xia Miaomiao took a step back, disbelief written all over her face. “How… how can you say we were never together…?”

Seeing her like that, Qin Yaochen frowned, impatience flashing across his face. “Xia Miaomiao, I suggest you think carefully about what I told you back then.” With that, he tightened his grip on Su Jiyue’s arm and led her inside.

His hold was strong. Su Jiyue struggled to turn her head and glance back at Xia Miaomiao. She was still standing there, her shadow stretched long under the driveway lights, hair slightly messy down her back. She looked thin—almost worn down.

Then Su Jiyue looked at Qin Yaochen again. His face was blank, the lines of his features sharp and hard, almost painfully indifferent.

Thinking about what he’d just said to Xia Miaomiao, Su Jiyue sighed to herself.

Qin Yaochen had been her childhood crush for as long as she could remember, but she still couldn’t help thinking it:

Back inside the villa, Su Jiyue quickly slipped out of Qin Yaochen’s grasp. “I’m exhausted—I’m going to bed. Good night!” she called, already running for her room without looking back.

Watching her retreating figure, Qin Yaochen’s expression darkened. He didn’t linger. He went upstairs and, moments later, disappeared into his own room.

The household staff had all witnessed the standoff between the three of them. They didn’t know what had happened, but from the look of it, their young master had pulled the kind of stunt only a total jerk would.

And when they saw the young madam bolt back to her room like she wanted nothing to do with him, it only confirmed their suspicions.

Their young master had really acted like a jerk.

Early the next morning, Su Jiyue opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure standing by her bed.

Qin Yaochen?!

“How did you get into my room?!” Su Jiyue reacted on instinct, yanking the blanket tight around herself so only her eyes showed, staring at the man in front of her with pure caution.

“I slept next to you all night, and you didn’t even notice?” Qin Yaochen said, straightening his tie in the full-length mirror.

Su Jiyue froze. She was certain she’d been alone in the room last night—and she’d locked the door before going to sleep. How could he have been beside her all night?

“Grandma’s people are still watching. For the next few days, we’re sleeping in the same room.” As he spoke, Qin Yaochen glanced back at Su Jiyue, who was still lingering in bed. “Get up. I’m not wasting my time waiting on you.” With that, he opened the door and walked out.

Only after she was sure he was gone did Su Jiyue finally let go of the blanket and sit up. Turning her head, she saw a spare comforter on the sofa. So he’d slept on the couch.

That thought eased her nerves. She’d liked Qin Yaochen for years, but suddenly being husband and wife still felt unfamiliar—almost uncomfortable.

It was still early. Su Jiyue grabbed her phone and started messing around on it.

She had a habit of turning her phone off when she slept. The moment she powered it on, a flood of messages came in, the buzzing nonstop.

“Xia Miaomiao?” Su Jiyue checked the sender and the unread count—two hundred messages.

She let out a sigh, a faint, inexplicable twinge of guilt settling in her chest. Whatever the real relationship was between Xia Miaomiao and Qin Yaochen, the bottom line was that, in Miaomiao’s eyes, she was the other woman now—so getting cursed out was only to be expected.

With that in mind, she decisively deleted every text message. Then she threw back the covers and walked straight into the walk-in closet.