After Transmigrating, I Married the Male Lead’s Sister (GL) - Chapter 19
The rain poured down, and the sky suddenly darkened. The pedestrian street was sparsely populated, and the air was filled with a misty fog like steam from hot water.
“Don’t cry if you can’t.” Qin Qing said indifferently.
“……”
Li Suimei blinked a few times. The moisture had dissipated, but her nose and eyes were still red, probably from squeezing her eyes.
Qin Qing held the handle of the umbrella and pursed her lips. She was taller than Li Suimei and was wearing high heels, so she had to look down at Li Suimei. From her superior position, her peach blossom eyes held a probing look.
Qin Qing’s eyes were slightly upturned, and her eyes were both ruthless and amorous, which was very intriguing. Li Suimei didn’t dare look at her for too long, afraid of being seen through.
“Sister?” Qin Zhan called out.
The rain was heavy, and his hair and pants were wet, making even the male lead look a bit disheveled.
Li Suimei stepped back into the shelter of the umbrella and glanced at Qin Qing, then at the equally drenched Gu Linxi. Then, she held her skirt with both hands and stood a little closer to Qin Qing. She didn’t want to get wet.
Gu Linxi walked in front of Qin Zhan. She held her bag and awkwardly raised it to shield Qin Zhan’s head.
The rain fell on Gu Linxi’s not-so-delicate features. She lowered her eyes slightly, and large raindrops fell on her trembling eyelids. She tiptoed and her thin body inadvertently leaned towards Qin Zhan.
The frail woman was indeed heartwarming.
“Achoo!”
Li Suimei sneezed, breaking the atmosphere. Qin Zhan’s eyes immediately cleared, and he took a step back, creating distance between himself and Gu Linxi.
Gu Linxi was stunned and then smiled self-deprecatingly, standing up straight.
Here it comes, the love triangle from the cheesy drama! Li Suimei tugged at her skirt, not wanting to watch anymore.
“It’s raining too hard, let’s go to the coffee shop first.”
The group moved towards the coffee shop.
Qin Zhan and Gu Linxi, who didn’t have an umbrella, walked quickly ahead, and Gu Linxi looked back several times at the umbrella.
Li Suimei thought, “She wouldn’t want to share the umbrella, would she?”
Neither she nor Qin Qing was particularly plump, and they were standing close together. Under the big umbrella, they might be able to squeeze in a skinny woman.
Who knew if that was Gu Linxi’s idea?
She wasn’t that generous. Li Suimei stepped to the outside, and the edge of the umbrella just barely covered her shoulders.
“Don’t move,” Qin Qing said.
Tilting the umbrella slightly, Qin Qing stopped Li Suimei’s shoulder and pulled her closer.
Her shoulder accidentally bumped into something, but Li Suimei didn’t mind and stood up straight, giving Qin Qing a silly smile.
Gu Linxi looked away and ran to catch up with Qin Zhan.
*
*
“Hey, little bunny,” Zhao Yi leaned against the table, swaying her figure in her qipao.
The waiter brought over a few clean towels. Qin Zhan and Gu Linxi stood on either side, drying their hair and bodies.
Gu Linxi was wearing a suit and shirt, and her clothes were wet, revealing a little too much. She turned her back in embarrassment to dry her hair, and Qin Zhan didn’t say anything, taking off his own coat and putting it on her.
Li Suimei watched and gave Zhao Yi a wry smile.
Qin Qing went to return the umbrella, and Qin Zhan ordered drinks at the counter.
Shortly after Li Suimei sat down and chatted with Zhao Yi, she felt a warmth in her hand. Qin Zhan had given her a cup of hot milk, and another to Gu Linxi.
Zhao Yi narrowed her eyes.
Qin Zhan looked at Zhao Yi with a complex expression. Zhao Yi smiled and wrapped her fingers around Li Suimei’s shoulder, “Zhan’er, if you don’t like Suimei anymore, why don’t you give her to me?”
Li Suimei: “…”
Outside, the sky was dark, and the pedestrian street was gradually lit up. Qin Zhan looked at the two of them standing together and frowned, saying to Li Suimei, “You’re still the same as before.”
—The flirtatious one was the original character, not her. Li Suimei thought to herself bitterly.
She pressed her palm against the cup, her expression both wronged and sad, “Zhao Yi and I have nothing! Qin Zhan, you didn’t believe me before, and now I…”
Qin Zhan didn’t want to listen to Li Suimei’s explanation. He put the towel on the table and greeted Qin Qing, “I’ll take Linxi home first.”
The two left, and Li Suimei watched Qin Zhan and Gu Linxi.
Gu Linxi stood at the door for a while. Outside, the driver held an umbrella to pick up Qin Zhan. Qin Zhan gave the umbrella to Gu Linxi and sat in the passenger seat in the rain.
“Why didn’t Qin Zhan just arrange for a driver? Why did he go himself?” Zhao Yi suddenly laughed.
Li Suimei didn’t say anything, holding her cup and glancing at Qin Qing who was talking on the phone in the corner.
Whether Qin Zhan believed her or not didn’t matter to her. What she cared about was whether Qin Qing believed her.
After a while, Qin Qing hung up the phone and walked over.
“Back to Qin Bay, your parents are here.”
*
*
On the way back, Qin Qing called Qin Zhan twice, but he didn’t answer.
“Qin Zhan sent his assistant home,” Li Suimei said.
“Gu Linxi?” Qin Qing asked.
“Yeah…”
Qin Qing already remembered Gu Linxi’s name?
The two of them were silent. Qin Qing’s phone kept ringing after she got in the car, and Li Suimei couldn’t find a chance to interrupt, nor did she know how to explain the bidding budget to the unfeeling Qin Qing.
If she explained the whole story, it would be like admitting guilt; if she didn’t say anything, it would be like swallowing bitter melon with no one to know.
After much deliberation, when they returned to the villa, Li Suimei found out that Liu Ruoxi and Grandma Qin had returned, and it seemed that the two families had been chatting for a while.
“Mom, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt.”
Qin Qing walked ahead, and Li Suimei followed behind, lowering her head and calling out to everyone in turn.
“Meimei!” Ji Wenjing came over and put her arm around her, “What happened to your skirt?”
Qin Qing glanced at Li Suimei’s skirt. Li Suimei’s top was intact, only the corner of the skirt was torn.
Li Suimei said, “I ran too fast and tore it.”
Li Enhua sat on the sofa without saying a word, with two contracts in front of him.
Aunt Zhong hurried over, served tea, and then left. The atmosphere in the living room was as dead as ever, and she dared not stay any longer.
Li Suimei and Ji Wenjing exchanged pleasantries, but they soon closed their mouths awkwardly.
After a long time, Li Enhua broke the silence. He slammed the contract on the desk, “…It’s the Li family’s fault, but it’s purely a coincidence and has nothing to do with Meimei. It doesn’t matter what the outside world says, but it cannot affect the relationship between the Qin and Li families, otherwise I, Li Enhua, will not do this project!”
Grandma Qin, with silver hair, had only met Li Suimei a few times since she moved into Qin Bay, and it was even more difficult to have a conversation with her than it was with Qin Qing. At a time like this, with Li family members visiting and Qin’s father not being around, it was most appropriate for her to take charge of the situation, “Huaiyan, you tell them.”
“It’s not,” Qin Qing said concisely, and her words confirmed that Li Suimei had nothing to do with Li Enhua winning the bid.
Grandma Qin smiled, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more relaxed. Everyone had a smile on their face.
Qin Qing sat down on the sofa. She seemed to be sitting in the living room more out of politeness, tapping away on her phone with no intention of participating in any of the conversations.
After chatting for a while, Ji Wenjing and Li Enhua brought the topic to the deceased elders of the Li and Qin families, “It’s not a solution to stay like this. After all, Meimei is not the daughter-in-law of the Qin family, and she’s a girl… If this goes on for too long, it will affect her reputation…”
Liu Ruoxi nodded. She liked Li Suimei and couldn’t wait to bring a daughter-in-law home, “In-laws, why don’t we choose a time to get Huaizhan and Meimei engaged?”
Ji Wenjing immediately beamed with joy, “Then we…”
“Mom,” Qin Qing suddenly interrupted, “Young people are fickle. It’s not too late to wait another two years.”
The atmosphere changed several times, and even Liu Ruoxi felt a little embarrassed.
Li Suimei lowered her eyes. Ji Wenjing kept giving her glances, asking what was going on.
Li Suimei didn’t speak. Qin Qing’s refusal was within her expectations.
After their brief gathering, Li Enhua and Ji Wenjing didn’t stay long. Ji Wenjing had brought a bunch of new clothes and bags, not only for her daughter but also for everyone in the Qin family.
Qin Qing received a smoky gray scarf, which suited her well, but she only glanced at it twice before putting it down.
After sending her parents off, Li Enhua said bluntly before leaving, “The Qin family is good to you, but no matter how good others are to you, if Qin Qing doesn’t agree, you and Qin Zhan won’t be able to get engaged.”
Ji Wenjing was worried. Earlier in the house, Qin Qing’s words had made her so disheartened that she almost couldn’t speak. “Meimei, what happened?”
Li Suimei comforted her mother, “It’s okay, Mom and Dad. Qin Zhan is just looking for something new. I just need to try harder.”
Since it was already late, Li Suimei and Qin Qing didn’t plan to go back to the city. Liu Ruoxi didn’t know that Li Suimei was planning to move out, and Li Suimei didn’t say anything, so the dinner atmosphere was quite harmonious.
After dinner, Qin Qing and Li Suimei went upstairs to their rooms one after the other, and the two finally had some time to talk alone.
Li Suimei watched as Qin Qing turned the doorknob, and suddenly said, “It was Gu Linxi who framed me!”
Qin Qing looked at her deeply, raising an eyebrow, as if asking, “And then?”
Li Suimei understood her meaning, “You, you knew from the beginning?”
“You didn’t do it, but Li Enhua might have had this idea. And…” Qin Qing said, her thin lips spitting out words that were sharp as knives, “Li Suimei, I can’t tell how much you like Zhan’er.”