After Transmigrating, I Married the Male Lead’s Sister (GL) - Chapter 42
“Open the door, and I…” Qin Qing paused, standing stiffly in place. Three minutes passed, five minutes passed, ten minutes passed.
She pursed her lips, loosened the doorknob, and said to the door, “I’ll get someone to help you.”
Inside the room, Li Suimei was startled to hear Qin Qing’s voice. She wondered why Qin Qing hadn’t left yet and was still standing guard at the door.
This thought passed quickly. She turned around and continued to struggle with the zipper on her dress. The dress was a bit tight, and the zipper at the back was pinching her flesh, causing her pain. Every tug brought tears to her eyes.
Qin Qing leaned on the handrail as she descended the stairs, her right hand clenched into a tight fist. When Liu Ruoxi saw her, she asked, “Does the dress fit?”
Qin Qing replied, “It fits. Why did you suddenly think of making me a dress?”
Qin Qing’s dress was also white, with a layer of shimmering tulle on the outside. The skirt was floor-length, with the hem extending nearly two meters to the ground. It was incredibly luxurious and made Qin Qing’s skin look as white as snow and her figure graceful and alluring.
Liu Ruoxi was very satisfied and exchanged a glance with Ji Wenjing, starting to praise Qin Qing together.
“It’s so beautiful!” Ji Wenjing circled Qin Qing, examining her from all angles. She thought that Qin Qing was even more charming than Meimei. Being a few years older really made a difference.
Liu Ruoxi also smiled, took out her phone and took a few photos of Qin Qing, saying with a smile, “Yes, Huaiyan has such a good figure! It’s just that she doesn’t like wearing dresses.”
Ji Wenjing touched the outer layer of the dress, “This dress looks a bit like Meimei’s wedding dress design.”
The designer smiled, “This dress is a new product in the store, and both it and Ms. Li’s wedding dress design came from the same design team.”
“The production cost is over a million. Mrs. Liu has a great eye, and she fell in love with this dress at first sight. Ms. Qin is the first person to try on this dress.”
Liu Ruoxi smiled with narrowed eyes and ran her hand around Qin Qing’s waist, “A wedding dress should be unique.”
The designer nodded busily. Liu Ruoxi said nothing more and turned to Qin Qing, “Woman, the most beautiful time in your life is when you wear a wedding dress, don’t you think?”
Qin Qing helplessly patted Liu Ruoxi’s hand away, “Mom, if you have something to say, just say it.”
“The dress is beautiful, isn’t it?” said Liu Ruoxi.
Qin Qing nodded. This dress was less flamboyant than other wedding dresses, and it was understated and luxurious enough to be worn to any formal event.
Ji Wenjing gave Liu Ruoxi a look, and Liu Ruoxi said, “Your brother is about to get married, and you, as his older sister, aren’t young either.”
Qin Qing’s expression softened slightly. Thinking of Li Suimei, she changed the subject and told Ji Wenjing about Li Suimei getting stuck in the zipper.
Everyone laughed, and Ji Wenjing also laughed helplessly. She quickly went upstairs to help her daughter.
“You hate Meimei so much?” Liu Ruoxi looked at Ji Wenjing’s departing figure, her voice very low.
Qin Qing paused, “Why would you say that?”
“If you don’t hate her, why didn’t you help her down? You had to call Wenjing downstairs. Don’t let Meimei’s mother think that after her daughter marries into the family, you, as her older sister, will always give her daughter-in-law a hard time.”
Qin Qing didn’t say anything. Her fists clenched and unclenched, and after a long while, she sighed and explained, “I don’t dislike her.”
“If you don’t dislike her, why didn’t you bring her downstairs?” Liu Ruoxi tidied up the few clothes piled on the table. The designer stood aside, looking straight ahead, pretending to be invisible.
Qin Qing: “…….”
Liu Ruoxi: “Have you thought about what mom told you?”
“No,” Qin Qing replied indifferently.
Liu Ruoxi said, “I’m telling you, when your brother starts a family, you’ll be left all alone. Let’s see if I’ll still care about you then.”
Qin Qing chuckled lightly and walked over to tidy up Liu Ruoxi’s things. “Mom, I’m not in a hurry.”
Liu Ruoxi snorted and turned away from Qin Qing.
Qin Qing said, “Now that Li Suimei is trying on dresses, why hasn’t Zhan’er returned?”
“… I don’t know. That stinky boy is probably off with that Gu girl again. You should talk to him. That Gu girl’s family is a complete mess! Even if you set aside their family background, have you seen that girl? Her eyes are full of scheming.”
Qin Qing replied, “Hmm.”
Liu Ruoxi said, “Hmm? You should pay more attention to your brother. He’s been in poor health since he was young…”
It was the same old talk. Qin Qing listened while fiddling with her phone until she heard a noise from the stairs. She looked up and saw Li Suimei coming down in a new dress.
Li Suimei was wearing a wine-red strapless dress. Qin Qing was startled. Li Suimei rarely wore such a brightly colored dress.
Liu Ruoxi covered her mouth and greeted her excitedly.
Li Suimei’s face was flushed, and she smiled sweetly as she held Liu Ruoxi’s arm, whispering that she really liked the dress.
Liu Ruoxi laughed and said, “After you and Zhan’er get engaged, the official wedding will have to wait until Zhan’er has a little success in his career. That could take two or three years, so we can’t ignore the engagement ceremony. You can’t have too many beautiful dresses!”
Ji Wenjing nodded approvingly. The more grand the Qin family made the engagement ceremony, the more it showed they valued Li Suimei.
The smile on Li Suimei’s face faded. Regardless of the dress, the day of the engagement was undoubtedly her death knell, and she couldn’t be happy.
Ji Wenjing rubbed the top of her head, “Meimei, what’s wrong?”
Li Suimei smiled bitterly and hugged Ji Wenjing, “Mom, I don’t want to leave you.”
Ji Wenjing’s eyes turned red, and she hugged Li Suimei and patted her back, “It’s still a long time before you get married. What are you sad about?”
Liu Ruoxi fanned the flames, “Soon, such a lovely daughter will be our Qin family’s daughter-in-law!”
Ji Wenjing glared at her, “Go, go, go.”
Li Suimei laughed and wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes. Qin Qing was holding her phone, leaning against the sofa back. Her gaze fell on the corner of Li Suimei’s eyes, and she paused for a few seconds before standing up and turning to go upstairs.
Liu Ruoxi said, “Huaiyan?”
Qin Qing replied, “I still have something to do. I’ll go back to the company to change.”
Qin Qing walked up the stairs, and behind her, Liu Ruoxi sighed and complained, “Every time I mention this to her, she has this attitude.”
Li Suimei gossiped in a low voice, “Sister Qin Qing has always been single, hasn’t she?”
Liu Ruoxi joked, “Meimei, if you know any promising young men, you should introduce them to your sister!”
Li Suimei replied, “Okay!”
She sincerely felt sorry for Qin Qing. This woman was so indifferent and cold that it was annoying. She deserved someone to tame her.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was cheerful, and Li Suimei seemed to be in a much better mood. Qin Qing listened for a while, sighed, and walked towards her room.
After having their measurements taken and finalizing the basic styles of their dresses, it was already evening. Li Suimei stayed overnight at the Qin residence. That night, Ji Wenjing, Liu Ruoxi, Li Suimei, Qin Yaohua who had returned home from school, and Grandma Qin who had just returned from a physical examination had dinner together. The dinner table was very lively, but Qin Zhan and Qin Qing were nowhere to be seen.
*
*
Over the weekend, Li Suimei went to City S and spent two days perfecting her design plan. When she returned to Haishi, Fu Yanxiao informed her that the Hou family had contacted her.
Li Suimei pondered for a moment, “Hou Kai’s mother?”
Fu Yanxiao said over the phone, “Yes, Hou Jian has been running around trying to make connections. Yesterday he found my dad, and when my dad got home, he asked me about this. He wanted to know if there was anything you could do.”
Just as Li Suimei was about to say something, Fu Yanxiao’s triumphant tone came through, saying, “But don’t worry! I’ve already scolded my dad severely for you. I also told him about being drugged. As soon as he went out, he called Hou Jian and scolded him!”
“Hahahaha,” Li Suimei laughed along, but she felt a bit of melancholy in her heart. In her memory, although Hou Kai was bad, he was a helper to the female lead, Gu Linxi.
Gu Linxi was clever and used Hou Kai to frame the original character. The original character accidentally injured Qin Zhan, and a shard of glass even scratched Qin Zhan’s face. But now?
Hou Kai had been arrested for drug use. How was this play going to continue?
Li Suimei was worried. She hung up Fu Yanxiao’s call, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and went into the office. She stopped David who was about to go to a meeting, “David? Do I have any work?”
David shook his head, “Sweetheart, you just need to look beautiful!”
Li Suimei: “…Bye!”
“Li, wait!” David threw the documents in his hand to his assistant and called Li Suimei over, pulling her aside and asking, “Li, Qin has been so scary lately. Do you know what happened to her?”
Li Suimei rubbed her chin and looked serious, “I don’t know, maybe she’s going to become a nun.”
David: “Become a nun?”
Li Suimei smiled, then realized David might not know what becoming a nun meant. “Nothing, you can go now.”
“Oh…”
Li Suimei turned around and started texting Fu Yanxiao about Qin Qing. Fu Yanxiao was furious and scolded her for being sick.
Fu Yanxiao: [It must be their work attitude that makes her more demanding of her employees! How could Sister Qin Qing be unsatisfied?]
[Li Suimei! Don’t talk nonsense!]
Li Suimei laughed silently. She lowered her head and continued texting as she walked. When the elevator arrived, she stepped in and her toes bumped into a pair of high heels before she looked up.
With a cold glint in her peach blossom eyes, Li Suimei stumbled backward a few steps. Her heel got caught in the gap of the elevator, and she leaned back. Before she could scream, Qin Qing grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
The elevator doors closed, and the display showed the elevator ascending floor by floor. Qin Qing frowned at her, and Li Suimei curled up instinctively, shielding herself with her arms, which rested against Qin Qing’s chest.
Li Suimei: “…….”
“Sorry!” Li Suimei broke free and hurriedly picked up her phone that had fallen into a corner. Qin Qing’s stiff body relaxed, she breathed out, and smoothed out her shirt.
“Where are you going?” Qin Qing asked.
Li Suimei moved her lips, “Home.”
“Not working?”
“……”
Li Suimei finally remembered who was standing in front of her. She was her boss!
She immediately sold out David: “The director didn’t assign me any work.”
Qin Qing sneered, “Because you’re unprofessional.”
“……”
Li Suimei couldn’t stand others criticizing her professionalism, so she retorted, “David told me to just be beautiful!”
Qin Qing chuckled and stepped out of the elevator. Li Suimei stood still, watching the elevator doors slowly close. Just as she felt relieved, Qin Qing’s cold voice came from behind, “Come here.”
Li Suimei clenched her small fists and punched the air several times!
*
*
The high heels made a crisp sound on the floor, and several assistants in the president’s office ran out to greet her.
“President?” Assistant Fang was startled to see Li Suimei behind Qin Qing. “This is… Miss Li?”
Li Suimei nodded awkwardly.
Assistant Fang patted her stomach, “Did you bring something to eat?”
Qin Qing: “……”
With a bang, the door to the president’s office was slammed shut by Qin Qing.
Li Suimei’s loose hair was blown by the wind caused by the door, and it fluttered up and down. Assistant Fang smiled awkwardly and pointed to the office door, whispering, “She might have some hormonal imbalance. The president has been in a bad mood lately, please forgive her!”
Li Suimei nodded in understanding. She had just been attacked herself.
Assistant Fang smiled and asked Li Suimei to sit down anywhere she liked. She went into Qin Qing’s office and came back a while later with a document in her hand.
“What’s this?” Li Suimei asked.
Assistant Fang replied, “A good thing.”
Li Suimei: “…”
Li Suimei flipped through it once, then twice, and finally closed the document. She gave Assistant Fang a sweet smile and said, “Thank the president for me. I’ll bring you some snacks tomorrow. What do you want to eat?”
Assistant Fang was overjoyed and rattled off a list of snacks like a machine gun.
“…….”
Qin Qing turned off the computer monitor expressionlessly. She looked up and found that Assistant Fang and the other assistants in the office were all gathered around Li Suimei. Li Suimei was pressing her hands on the document, tilting her head, and talking sweetly to a group of people.
“…….”
Qin Qing thought to herself, it had been a long time since the office had been renovated… Maybe the glass should be replaced with ordinary glass… Surveillance cameras were actually unnecessary… Maybe those assistants should be replaced… What exactly was Li Suimei doing…
*
*
The next day, Li Suimei returned to City A. Ji Wenjing had gone home, and the housekeeper said that she had gone to play mahjong with some friends. Only the servants were at home, so Li Suimei put the overseas market transaction document that Qin Qing had given her in Li Enhua’s study.
After doing all this, Li Suimei was very excited. She went to the underground garage. It was very spacious, and the original owner loved cars, so there were roughly seven or eight cars.
Li Suimei shook the bag in her hand, and the car keys jingled. She chose a convertible and drove it out. The sports car roared on the highway, and Li Suimei had a blast. Then, she called the 4S shop.
After stating her intention, the other party said, “We don’t accept used cars.”
Li Suimei laughed. She was wearing hot pants, one leg was white and straight, and she rested it on the car roof. With her other foot, she was barefoot on the steering wheel, saying, “Limited edition, b0794, do you want it?”
The other party was silent for a moment.
Li Suimei said, “Forget it then, I’ll find someone else, and then-”
“Wait! Yes! I’ll find a channel for you. Don’t let anyone else have the car!”
Hanging up the phone, Li Suimei jumped off the car roof and drove to the real estate agency, where she put several of her old properties up for sale.
After doing all this, Li Suimei finally relaxed. She drove home and ran into Li Enhua as soon as she entered the house.
“Dad.”
“Come here,” Li Enhua said.
Ji Wenjing came out of the kitchen and looked at Li Suimei with concern.
“Dad?” Li Suimei closed the door to the study, “What’s wrong?”
“Is your matter with Qin Zhan set for next year?” Li Enhua asked.
Li Suimei replied, “More or less.”
Li Enhua saw the document on the table and said as he flipped through it, “It’s better to do it sooner rather than later.”
“The Han family has recently reconciled with me. We’ve decided to expand our glass market nationwide next year, and whoever invests more will get the majority of the shares.”
Li Enhua looked at the document. It was a draft of a partial market transfer contract drafted by Qin Qing. She proposed cooperating with Li Enhua to turn the Li family’s nationwide chain of supermarkets into a global chain, but of course, they would need to pilot it in one country first.
Li Enhua didn’t seem very happy. He sat in the chair, covering his face with his hands, and said weakly, “The group has closed over 2,000 supermarkets this month.”
Li Suimei was silent. She vaguely remembered something from the original character’s memory. When Li Enhua was young, he loved to carry the original character on his shoulders and play horse. They had played this game until Li Enhua took over the family business. Before that, the father and daughter had always been very close.
“Dad, I’ll ask the Qin family to agree to an earlier engagement.”
Li Enhua’s lips trembled, “Meimei, Dad thanks you.”
“Dad, this is what I should do,” Li Suimei said, turning her head to look out the window. Ji Wenjing came upstairs and told the father and daughter to come downstairs for dinner. That day, the atmosphere in the Li family was harmonious. Li Suimei stayed at home for two days before returning to Haishi.
*
*
Time flew by, and it was already mid-August. Li Suimei had completed the design for the zoo, and the plan had been implemented. The zoo had begun its renovation. During this period, Li Suimei often received calls from the construction site. The workers had questions about the design drawings, and Li Suimei answered them one by one. Occasionally, she would monitor the construction site through video calls or attend various parties hosted by Fu Yanxiao.
Life was busier than she had imagined. It gave her a sense of fulfillment, similar to the feeling of being a busy worker.
Li Suimei tore off a page of the calendar. Lately, she had been thinking about her previous life more and more. The initial excitement and fear she felt when she first transmigrated had almost disappeared. She had gradually found a sense of reality in this world, a life that was more real and concrete than the one in the book. However, Qin Qing’s unpredictable mind was still a tangled mess.
Crumpling up the piece of calendar paper and throwing it into the trash can, Li Suimei changed into a dress, locked the door, and left home. The project Qin Qing was working on had temporarily come to an end, and Liu Ruoxi had ordered her to stay home when she wasn’t busy with work.
Qin Bay’s location was good. Just past the wetland park was the highway, and it only took about half an hour to drive into the city. She could easily drive to and from work.
Qin Qing had moved back two days ago, and Qin Zhan was also there. Liu Ruoxi persuaded Li Suimei to move back as well.
Carrying her bag, Li Suimei walked to the entrance of the residential complex. The guard greeted her, “Where are you going?”
Li Suimei smiled, “I’m going to stay somewhere else for a couple of days. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
The sky was dark and gloomy, and the wind was picking up. The driver asked Li Suimei if she wanted to open the window.
“Yes, please,” Li Suimei said. “It seems like it’s going to rain, and it’s a bit stuffy.”
The evening breeze blew in as the car drove towards Qin Bay. As soon as Li Suimei got out of the car, she saw a slender figure on the 3rd floor balcony of the villa. Qin Qing was wearing a suspender nightgown, holding her left elbow with her right hand, and a cigarette was clamped between her fingers. As she saw Li Suimei’s car pull up, Qin Qing’s eyebrows narrowed slightly, tapped the ash from her cigarette, and turned back into the room.
Li Suimei squinted her eyes and then slowly opened them. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt like Qin Qing had been deliberately avoiding her lately.
When the car reached the front door, the side balcony was no longer visible. Li Suimei got out of the car and went in through the front door. She had just adjusted her expression and greeted Liu Ruoxi with a smile when she saw Qin Qing coming downstairs, fully dressed.
“Sister Qin Qing…”
“I told you not to call me by my full name,” Qin Qing paused, then continued, “Forget it, call me whatever you want. Qin Zhan is in the kitchen.”
“Huaiyan, dinner is almost ready! Where are you going?”
Qin Qing changed her shoes at the entrance, “There’s a meeting at the company…”
She glanced sideways at Li Suimei, “I’ll be back in a few days.”
Li Suimei: “…”
Author’s note: Is there something going on between them?
T/N: I don’t know, why is she avoiding Meimei? Do you know why?