Chapter 3 - I Am Grateful For Brother Beixiao’s Help!

Ye Qiao was undeniably beautiful. Her appearance enchanted even Li Yun. Needless to say, these boys would be equally amazed by her charm. Therefore, her looks were a concern for Li Yun, for she was worried that Ye Qiao would eventually steal the hearts of the boys from the Lu family. She could only hope that Ye Qiao's clumsiness would keep them away.

"What! She is Ye Qiao?" Lu Beichi sized the girl up in disbelief. She had two sets of braids on both sides of her head and was dressed only in an oversized t-shirt, unafraid to reveal her long, slender legs. Dumbfounded, he spent some time simply admiring her beautiful face.

She was nothing like the girl that he knew, the one with a loose school uniform and a pair of nerdy black-framed glasses fixed on her face. In fact, he always thought of her as a bit of a bumpkin who never socialized. Also, she used to be a little plump when she first moved into the neighborhood a few years back.

Seeing Lu Beichi again made Ye Qiao feel a little uncomfortable. In the past, she was never friends with the bully, partly because of Shen Xichuan and Li Yun, who played a part in stirring up the tension between them. Apparently, 20 years back from the future time period, Lu Beichi was said to have been beaten up by Grandpa Lu when she accused him of bullying. It was the starting point of where the tension between her and Lu Beichi slowly built up.

"Qiao Qiao! What have they done to you?" Agitated, Shen Xichuan approached her first, his eyes filled with grave concern. His eagerness made it sound like Lu Beixiao and Lu Beichi had bullied her, at least that was what she really thought back in 1995. It later became a publicly-known incident to everyone who lived in the area.

Ye Qiao's reputation had not been entirely spotless, so not everyone actually believed her when she accused the Lu brothers of bullying. The incident only added to her notoriety. Thinking back, she must have been a fool to point out such an accusation without sufficient evidence.

Li Yun continued to show that she cared, hoping that Ye Qiao would finally say what she wanted to her to say. "Qiao Qiao, where's your uniform?" She asked in a cautious attempt to aggravate the situation while keeping the peace with Lu Beixiao. All she needed to do was to act as if she was concerned for her best friend.

It was apparent that Ye Qiao felt uncomfortable, so it was all right for Li Yun to assume that something terrible must have happened. She quietly anticipated a scornful remark from Ye Qiao. Everyone knew how powerful and tight-knit the Lu family was, so if Ye Qiao were foolish enough to offend Lu Beichi, Lu Beixiao would definitely be displeased as well.

After a while, Ye Qiao finally broke the silence with a smile. "Li Yun, Shen Xichuan, I fainted in the heat, and I am grateful for Brother Beixiao's help."

She looked up to study Lu Beixiao's expression as he propped himself against the doorframe in a nonchalant manner, with a cigarette hanging in his mouth. Smog hung in the air, making him look slightly less mature but a bit more edgy, like a typical bad boy who was arrogant, but hot.

Seeing him again made Ye Qiao realize that he was unlike the way she remembered him. He had always been a stern-faced man in her memory. Nevertheless, recalling the events in her past had brought up a flood of swirling emotions, so she tried very hard to repress her feelings.

Why did she take the perfect man for granted and give her heart to Shen Xichuan instead? All he ever did was to exploit her at every opportunity that he had.

As expected, Li Yun and Shen Xichuan were surprised by her response. Ye Qiao obviously did not play along with them.

She was no longer the same muddle-headed girl in the past, so she refused to make the same mistake and set herself against the Lu brothers for nothing. Moreover, Lu Beixiao had indeed helped her with the best intentions. She vaguely recalled that it was the hottest day in all recorded summers. It was her mistake for wearing her sports uniform, which caused her to faint in the heat.

"Qiao Qiao, don't you worry about them. Tell me exactly what happened. I am always here to help you," Shen Xichuan added.

Ye Qiao could not help but scoff at his ill-intent while trying hard not to show that she was annoyed.