Chapter 133: Like You More ①
Nie Qiu hesitated and hesitated until Saturday arrived. After finishing her homework, she went to the vegetable market to help Nie Aifang sell vegetables. In the afternoon, she had just returned home and was preparing to stir-fry dishes to take to the vegetable market for Nie Aifang to eat when she saw Li Mingxue waiting at the doorway.
Li Mingxue smiled and said, “I’m here to pick you up. My younger brother will be out of school in about ten minutes. Come to my house with me!”
Nie Qiu understood. It was about her tutoring her younger brother! She thought for a moment, “Then I need to take food to my mom first…”
“That’s fine. We can stop by a restaurant on the way and get a couple of dishes to pack for you to take,” Li Mingxue said with a smile, taking Nie Qiu’s hand and starting to walk.
Nie Qiu felt helpless and said, “Since you said your younger brother is in the third grade, I’ll need to bring my books too! It’ll be easier to explain things if I have my notes.”
Only then did Li Mingxue reluctantly let go of Nie Qiu’s hand. Seeing Nie Qiu open her room door, she urged, “Then hurry up!”
Nie Qiu returned to her room, grabbed several books, and put them in the canvas crossbody bag Nie Aifang had bought for her. She went to her room to change her clothes, putting on a white shirt and a pair of cow-hide pants that Nie Aifang had bought from the night market. Then, she left home with Li Mingxue.
When she went to the vegetable market to sell vegetables, Nie Qiu didn’t wear very nice clothes, fearing they would get dirty and be troublesome to wash. However, when going to Li Mingxue’s house, she couldn’t dress so casually. After all, Li Mingxue could potentially become her aunt, and it was like visiting relatives in advance. Even if she didn’t dress elaborately, she should at least be neat. That’s why Nie Qiu insisted on going home first; bringing her books was secondary, changing her clothes was the most important thing.
Li Mingxue drove Nie Qiu to a small restaurant and packed a portion of stir-fried peppers with meat and potato rice. After delivering it to Nie Aifang at the vegetable market, she left with Li Mingxue.
This residential area…
To be honest, Nie Qiu was quite familiar with the name of this residential area because she had recently written its name on a delivery slip when she mailed out a pair of shoes.
Jincheng Fashion Jiangli Jiangcheng South Building. She never expected Li Mingxue’s home to be here. As they entered the elevator, Nie Qiu looked at the flashing lights on the floor selection buttons and was stunned. The eighth floor! She turned her head stiffly towards Li Mingxue and asked, “Li Mingxue, do you live on the eighth floor?”
“Yes! Is there a problem?” Li Mingxue nodded and asked, confused.
“No, nothing.” Yes, when she wrote down the address, she hadn’t included the apartment number, and she knew that the person who bought these shoes might have bought an entire floor in this building. If the person who bought the shoes was here, it meant… Li Kai was also here…
Wait, Li Kai… Li Mingxue… Could it be such a coincidence? Is Li Kai Li Mingxue’s younger brother?!
The elevator doors opened with a ‘ding.’ Li Kai, wearing home clothes and slippers, walked over. “Sis, why are you back so late? Where’s the tutor you found for me? Did you… bring… her…?” Li Kai, who had been speaking fluently, suddenly lost his voice the moment he saw Nie Qiu, his mouth moving but only producing faint sounds due to extreme shock.
The moment Nie Qiu saw Li Kai, her suspicion was confirmed. She couldn’t help but laugh. This world is truly… too small! Walking out of the elevator with Li Mingxue, Nie Qiu greeted him, “Li Kai.”
“Nie Qiu… What are you doing here?” Li Kai couldn’t help but look at his older sister. Did his sister investigate him at school? Or… did his sister already know he liked Nie Qiu?
Li Mingxue, who was taking off her shoes to change into slippers, looked at the two of them and said with surprise, “You two know each other?”
“We’re classmates.” Nie Qiu and Li Kai said in unison. After saying this synchronized sentence, Nie Qiu and Li Kai couldn’t help but look at each other, then, as if thinking of something to add, they spoke in unison again, “We’re also deskmates.”
“Classmates? Deskmates?” Li Mingxue looked at Nie Qiu in surprise. “You and my brother? How is that possible? You’re eighth in the entire grade, and my brother is ranked last eighth in the entire grade!” Of course, Li Kai wasn’t ranked last eighth in the entire grade; it was just an exaggeration. She had no intention of discouraging her own brother. If she remembered correctly, her brother was in Class 10, right? The worst class in the third year of A City High School.
At first, she had some belief when they said they were classmates, as they were in the same school, and they could be called schoolmates. However, if they were deskmates, then only people in the same class could be deskmates! As she said, since Nie Qiu was eighth in the entire grade, how could she be in the same class as her younger brother?
Hearing Li Mingxue’s words, Nie Qiu couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh. Li Mingxue said, “My brother is ranked last eighth in the entire grade,” so casually, without any reservation. In fact, even if she wasn’t the person Li Kai liked, his sister saying such things in front of a girl would still make Li Kai lose face, wouldn’t it?
As expected, Li Kai called out helplessly, “Sis… What are you talking about!” completely disregarding his face.
Only then did Li Mingxue realize she had discouraged Li Kai, but she continued to speak without restraint, “I’m telling the truth! You and Nie Qiu are in the same class, and Nie Qiu must know your grades better…”
“Sis!”
“Okay, okay, okay, I won’t say it anymore, I won’t say it anymore.” Li Mingxue smiled and took out a pair of disposable guest slippers, placing them by Nie Qiu’s feet. She smiled and said, “What kind of juice would you like? I’ll go make it for you.”
Nie Qiu took off her shoes, put on the slippers, and walked into this slightly opulent home. She had always known Li Kai’s family was wealthy, but she hadn’t expected them to be this wealthy.
With her previous capabilities, she could indeed afford to buy an entire floor. However, in such a prime location, buying an entire floor, along with property management and other expenses, would cost a considerable amount. It was like what some people said, you can afford a car but not maintain it; perhaps that described her.
Therefore, she had only bought a three-bedroom, one-living-room commercial property in a residential area that couldn’t compare to this location. Nie Qiu couldn’t help but scan her gaze across the spacious decoration of the living room: a sparkling crystal chandelier, a long table, a sofa, a bar counter, a revolving cabinet, and a European-style spiral staircase. Each element exuded modernity and luxury.
Seeing Nie Qiu staring intently at the home’s decoration, Li Kai couldn’t help but feel a little happy. “What do you think? Do you think my home’s decoration is nice?”
Nie Qiu turned her head to look at Li Kai. Seeing him looking like he was seeking praise, she couldn’t help but chuckle. She then playfully teased, “Actually, I prefer Chinese-style decoration. The classical and elegant style has more charm, don’t you think?”
Author’s Note: A reader tipped 10,000 book coins. Dada bows in gratitude. This is an extra chapter. According to the rules, it should be two extra chapters. I’ll write them tomorrow.
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