Foolishly Flirting with the White Moonlight Leads to Being Marked - Chapter 10

“Oh… a powerful Alpha.” Song Qingre’s eyes partially closed, her eyelashes brushing against the skin beneath them as she blinked. A line suddenly popped into Yan Qingqiu’s mind: ‘Her long lashes masked the skin beneath, and their fingers intertwined tighter and tighter.’ She panicked even harder. If her body went any softer, it felt like they were going to end up kissing.

A muffled groan escaped Song Qingre’s throat; she had likely been hurt by Yan Qingqiu bumping into her several times.

This commotion drew a small crowd, and everyone was now staring directly at them.

Song Qingre found her footing. Although she didn’t laugh out loud, a clear curve hooked the corners of her mouth. She stood up straight, though her dress now had a few more wrinkles around the waist.

Yan Qingqiu was so embarrassed her toes curled. Her lips parted, but she couldn’t utter a single word.

Fortunately, Song Qingre didn’t pull any tricks. She supported her until she was steady and even gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Yan Qingqiu’s ear, saying, “Go on inside first. I’ll come find you in a bit.”

Yan Qingqiu didn’t reply. She stumbled past her and marched straight into the art exhibition, not daring to look back. She felt scorching hot.

Outside, another group of people arrived, and Song Qingre pulled back her smile to greet them.

The speaker sounded insufferably haughty. “Song Qingre, you notified everyone about your art exhibition. Why didn’t you notify me?”

Song Qingre replied, “I merely heard that Miss Luo dislikes my paintings and style, and that you’ve even urged those around you not to buy them. I was simply afraid my clumsy art would offend your eyes.”

Her attitude was neither submissive nor overbearing. She used respectful honorifics and maintained a refined, cultured demeanor, refusing to bow or flatter for money. Her aura was truly noble. Luo Xi frowned, her expression turning incredibly ugly; she hadn’t expected Song Qingre to be so blunt.

Inside, Yan Qingqiu walked briskly, her body continuously radiating heat.

With no one around, she raised her hand to sniff herself. A subtle fragrance lingered; the residual citrus scent deeply stimulated her nerves. If that scent were to fuse with a body of ice and jade… it would be a total loss not to do it a few hundred times.

The aftereffects were too intense; half of her body felt numb. Yan Qingqiu found a sofa to sit down, recalling her behavior just now. It was too humiliating…

Yan Qingqiu asked the system in her mind: [You guys aren’t controlling my body, are you?]

System: [We aren’t, Host. That was your own physiological response just now; we have no way of controlling that. Your lust comes from your own primal instincts and nature. We can only control your life and death.]

Yan Qingqiu was speechless.

If you don’t know how to speak, please shut up.

The person who had been shouting after her earlier walked over and sat on the adjacent sofa. Su Xingjie leaned sideways, staring at Yan Qingqiu with deep confusion. “I called you for ages. Why did you ignore me? Do you not want to be sisters anymore?”

Yan Qingqiu lifted her eyes to look at her…

Su Xingjie was quite attractive. Her black hair was styled into a braid, and she wore a fresh green blouse paired with beige trousers. A pair of sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose, making her outfit look quite fashionable. Upon seeing Yan Qingqiu, she took her sunglasses off.

Su Xingjie hissed softly. “Why did you suddenly tumble into her arms just now? I was standing to the side sweating from sheer awkwardness.”

Currently, Su Xingjie was her “best friend.” Yan Qingqiu had reviewed their previous chat logs; Su Xingjie used to trash-talk Song Qingre alongside “her,” using utterly vile language and blindly defending “her” without a second thought.

Su Xingjie’s family was also wealthy, running a clothing business, and she currently served as the art director at her family’s company.

Yan Qingqiu pursed her lips. “Weren’t you the one shouting at me? If you hadn’t shouted, nothing would have happened.”

“I saw you constantly lunging into her embrace, so I got startled too.”

“I… I was actually pinching her waist secretly! I pinched her incredibly hard, with massive force. Didn’t you see that she couldn’t even stand steadily?”

Su Xingjie carefully recalled the scene from earlier. Did I see it wrong? It clearly looked like my good sister couldn’t stand steadily and kept burrowing into Song Qingre’s embrace. If she hadn’t known Yan Qingqiu’s personality inside out, she would have assumed Yan Qingqiu was throwing herself at the woman.

Seeing how absolute Yan Qingqiu was in her claim, Su Xingjie didn’t dwell on it. She reached out to touch her hair. “You dyed it back again? I remember the first time you dyed your hair was the summer of your senior year in high school. You suddenly got a head of silver hair and straightened it, and your whole personality completely changed. It’s nice that you’ve dyed it back now.”

Yan Qingqiu gave a noncommittal hum, her gaze shifting idly around the room. Song Qingre had walked in from the outside. Her dress clung elegantly to her figure today as she conversed eloquently with the people beside her. When her gaze swept past Yan Qingqiu, her smile deepened slightly. Then, catching sight of a certain hand playing with the golden hair, her eyes downcast.

“Speaking of which… why did you force-kiss Song Qingre last time?” Su Xingjie kept her voice tightly suppressed for fear of being overheard, making Yan Qingqiu’s ears burn even hotter. Yan Qingqiu hadn’t figured out how to concoct a lie yet, so she immediately changed the subject: “Let’s look at the art, look at the art.”

The venue Song Qingre had rented was quite large, and the location was prime real estate.

Drinks, servers, various decorations, and hiring the media—adding all of that up, a million yuan wouldn’t even cover it. If Luo Xi and her clique truly managed to ruin things, Song Qingre would not only suffer a massive financial loss but her reputation would also be completely destroyed.

It was naturally difficult to make money through art; only high society could afford to indulge in it.

Before arriving, Yan Qingqiu had thought that as long as she helped Song Qingre sell her paintings, Song Qingre would have the funds to repay her the one million yuan. Wouldn’t the two of them be square then? The plot branch involving cutting out her glands would surely be bypassed.

As she browsed the exhibition, she actively circled away from Song Qingre. Whenever their paths crossed, Song Qingre didn’t deliberately approach her; she merely hooked her lips into a subtle, enchanting smile.

Yan Qingqiu felt even number.

Fu Ye arrived rather late. The moment he made his grand entrance, a large entourage surrounded him, crowding the center of the venue. After taking a few steps inside, the two groups collided.

The woman named Luo Xi was standing right next to Fu Ye, acting very intimate with him. Fu Ye wore a black suit, while she wore a black dress. Upon spotting Yan Qingqiu, Luo Xi deliberately took a step closer to Fu Ye, and Fu Ye did absolutely nothing to pull away from her advance.

The more Yan Qingqiu looked at them, the more despicable she found them. Fu Ye, in particular, practically refused no one; he wouldn’t push away anyone who flirted with him. And he still had the audacity to view Song Qingre as his White Moonlight? If she were the female lead, she would have castrated him directly. She was thoroughly disgusted.

She had already researched the details: Luo Xi and Fu Ye were childhood sweethearts, and her family was equally wealthy. They were a perfect match in terms of status; the two of them deserved to be locked together forever.

Fu Ye didn’t want to pay any attention to Yan Qingqiu either. When those around him asked, he merely remarked with complete indifference, “Incredibly annoying. She’s just playing some tricks to hard-to-get.”

“Brother, just ignore her. Didn’t you say last time that the moment her dad gets back, you’ll immediately call off the wedding?” Luo Xi murmured softly, seizing the opportunity to sow discord.

Fu Ye nodded.

Luo Xi smiled like a venomous viper.

The annoyance in Fu Ye’s eyes was genuine. The last time Yan Qingqiu had beaten his head crooked, he had completely lost both face and dignity. His neck still ached to this day, so he couldn’t even be bothered to look at her.

But when he tilted his head, a cascade of golden hair entered his vision. It shone incredibly bright under the lights, almost like a miniature sun; staring at it for too long created an optical illusion that pierced the eyes.

Surrounded by oil landscape paintings, she looked as though she belonged within the beautiful scenery.

Blinking his eyes, he clearly caught the side profile of her face—clean, vivid eyes, her lips wrapping around a glass straw inside a triangular cocktail glass.

Fu Ye froze. “Is that Yan Qingqiu?”

Someone admiring a painting nearby also glanced over. “Her golden hair is truly stunning, quite full of personality. She looks like someone who stepped straight out of an oil painting…”

Yan Qingqiu detected the gaze from that direction. As she walked past, she shot a freezing, icy glare at Fu Ye before walking away without a backward glance. She whispered to Su Xingjie, “Coordinate with me in a bit. Watch me absolutely smash their faces in.”

Fu Ye glanced at Luo Xi and subtly pulled his arm out of her grasp.

Luo Xi glared viciously at Yan Qingqiu’s departing figure.

After walking a few laps, both of them agreed that the paintings were beautiful and that Song Qingre was undeniably talented. The only issue was that Yan Qingqiu’s pockets were empty.

Very few people nearby were actually purchasing the art; due to the Luo family taking the lead, everyone was merely looking without buying.

Yan Qingqiu was deeply worried. How could this crowd be so thick-skinned? Song Qingre and her staff had spent so long patiently explaining the pieces to them—Song Qingre had even downed several glasses of water—yet they could still manage to just smile and walk away.

Back when she used to shop at supermarkets, if a salesperson explained a product for more than two sentences, she would feel too embarrassed not to buy it.

Truly infuriating.

Su Xingjie whispered, “Luo Xi is walking over.”

Yan Qingqiu pointed at a painting on the wall, her voice raised just enough for the people behind them to catch every word: “I dare wager they came here today specifically to cause trouble. They only possess this level of capability anyway—being broke themselves while convincing others not to buy.”

Su Xingjie didn’t know what she was talking about, but she dutifully played along.

As a villainous female supporting character, Yan Qingqiu was a thorough professional. “As long as she stops others from buying, I’ll snap up the bargains. I intend to purchase an entire wall.” Yan Qingqiu fished a bank card out of her bag, pushing it forward with her thumb. “Right now, we’ll just wait for her to act haughty and let her throw her tantrum. Once the dust settles, I’ll max out this card.”

Yan Qingqiu didn’t blink once while lying. In any case, only she knew exactly how much money was on the card; others had no idea that every single one of her cards was completely empty.

“When Fu Ye sees that I’ve bought out all of Song Qingre’s paintings, he’ll definitely come looking for me every single day. She’s just that foolish, thinking that preventing others from buying will create an opportunity for Fu Ye and Song Qingre. We’ll just sit back and watch how things unfold.”

With that, she wrapped her arm around Su Xingjie’s shoulder. “Just buy a painting later to show some superficial support. Remember to make me look good; absolutely do not steal my spotlight. Since sales are low today, Luo Xi will definitely claim Song Qingre’s art lacks standard and fiercely disparage her work. That’s when I’ll make my grand entrance to buy the art and passionately critique Song Qingre’s artistic genius. You just back me up, claiming I have great vision and artistic flair.”

Yan Qingqiu suddenly glanced back. Luo Xi, who had just rounded the corner, jumped back in fright for fear of being discovered. Fortunately, Yan Qingqiu was “blind” and didn’t notice her.

Su Xingjie said, “Keep going. What else?”

Yan Qingqiu lowered her voice and said, “In truth, the person who lent Song Qingre the funds to tide over this time was me. How magnanimous of me to lend her money and buy her paintings. If the art doesn’t sell, it’ll definitely be because Luo Xi is playing tricks behind the scenes, and Fu Ye will certainly end up detesting her. Meanwhile, I hold Song Qingre’s contract and have acquired her paintings at a low price. Won’t Song Qingre be completely at my mercy then? When that time comes…” Yan Qingqiu blinked, looking around. She was actually terrified inside. What if Song Qingre overhears this and forces me to consummate our arrangement again?

Su Xingjie’s eyes widened as she listened, unsure for a moment whether Yan Qingqiu was saying this on purpose or if she had truly given Song Qingre a million yuan. She couldn’t help but interject, “Wait, what exactly do you gain by giving her a million yuan?”

“Because I want to kill two birds with one stone.” Yan Qingqiu nudged her with her shoulder, signaling her to quickly back her up and stop ruining the act.

“Qiu-bao, how are you so formidable? I never noticed it before. Well, I’ll search on Baidu in a bit so you can memorize a couple of poems to look more cultured. No wonder Fu Ye chose to get engaged to you instead of her, despite growing up with Luo Xi.”

Yan Qingqiu also felt a wave of self-congratulation. Truly, with her IQ, she would likely be the female lead if she lived in this world—clear-headed and intelligent.

Luo Xi was burning with rage, desperately wanting to charge out and pick a fight with Yan Qingqiu. Her two friends were quick to grab her, telling her not to be impulsive. Fu Ye was still watching nearby; if she went to hit Yan Qingqiu now, Yan Qingqiu would definitely seize the opportunity to play the victim.

“This bitch is way too malicious.”

“This golden-haired bitch looks like a complete psycho the moment she changes her hair color!”

“Let’s check first to see if the person who lent Song Qingre money really was Yan Qingqiu. What if she’s doing this on purpose and we fall into a trap?”

Luo Xi wasn’t stupid either; she reined in her temper. “Her dad only gives her a million yuan in pocket money every month, and it’s gone after she buys two bags. She constantly nags Brother Fu to wire her money anyway. How could she possibly have the funds to buy paintings? She’s just bluffing!”

After a short while, someone ran over frantically to notify Song Qingre.

“Miss Song, come take a look quickly. Miss Luo and Miss Yan are about to start a physical fight over your paintings.”

“What?”

A group of people hurried over.

Luo Xi kept pointing at the wall. “This one, that one—I’m buying them all out.”

Su Xingjie nudged Yan Qingqiu’s arm. “Qiu-bao, isn’t that the one you caught your eye on? She’s looking for trouble, isn’t she?”

Yan Qingqiu set her orange juice down, refusing to yield an inch. “I’m sorry, I caught my eye on this painting first. I intend to buy it.”

The staff member explaining the piece quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, “This painting is priced at thirty thousand yuan. Miss Yan did indeed set her eyes on it first, and it has already been agreed that she will pay for it.”

Luo Xi crossed her arms. “So what if she caught her eye on it? Thirty thousand yuan—she is deliberately insulting your Miss Song. I say this painting is worth at least fifty thousand yuan.”

“Fifty thousand yuan?” Yan Qingqiu looked serious. “What do you know? Do you even understand art? You’re just doing this to show off in front of Fu Ye. Do you actually appreciate the painting? This is called ‘Clouds and Water Twisting the Stream, Green Grass Playing with Fragrant Flowers.’ Do you comprehend that?”

Luo Xi countered, “I’m sorry, but I actually do understand. The stream in this painting…”

The commotion here was significant. If one didn’t know about the animosity between Yan Qingqiu and Luo Xi, they would assume the two had come specifically to support Song Qingre’s exhibition.

Right now, Yan Qingqiu was clearly losing ground, especially since the other party’s name literally contained the word “Xi” (Stream).

“I understand too.” Yan Qingqiu nudged Su Xingjie with her elbow.

“Stars entering the river, the stream water…” Su Xingjie rambled incoherently, reaching into her pocket for her phone. She wasn’t very good at arguing, especially now that the dispute had escalated. She simply blurted out, “I’ll offer thirty thousand yuan, Qiu-bao. You bid!”

Yan Qingqiu shouted, “Eighty thousand yuan!”

“Ninety thousand yuan! Let’s put it this way—I didn’t come here today to fight you over paintings. I simply appreciate Song Qingre as a person and admire the artistry within this scene.” Luo Xi mentioned art with every breath, appearing far more cultured than Yan Qingqiu.

The moment those words left her mouth, she watched as Yan Qingqiu’s eyes slowly widened, and a surge of absolute delight washed over her heart.

The other onlookers were bewildered. Didn’t they say earlier they weren’t buying?

Even Luo Xi suddenly understood art now.

Song Qingre’s paintings were indeed excellent; set aside displaying them, buying them for their sheer artistic value was guaranteed not to be a loss. Initially, everyone had wanted to buy, only holding back out of deference to the Luo family’s relations. Could it be that Luo Xi was afraid others would snatch them and was doing this on purpose? That was rather underhanded.

In any case, there was simply no logic to two famous love rivals coming to help their sworn enemy sell paintings.

The price of eighty thousand yuan was about to be driven up to over a million.

Yan Qingqiu scoffed. “I don’t believe you actually have that much money! Xingxing, go ask how to make the purchase. I am definitely securing this painting today. Stop opposing me… you clearly stated at the salon earlier that everyone shouldn’t buy Song Qingre’s art. You just want to buy them yourself so they appreciate in value. You don’t know a single thing about art!”

Luo Xi snorted coldly, refusing to back down as she delivered a fierce verbal slap: “I’m sorry, but I happen to have both the money and the artistic appreciation. One million one hundred thousand yuan! Go ahead and counter! If I don’t buy it at this price today, my last name isn’t Luo!”

The moment that price was uttered.

Yan Qingqiu’s momentum visibly collapsed. Everyone knew her monthly pocket money was only a million yuan. Yan Qingqiu clenched her fingers, her aura instantly taking a sharp downward turn. Stamping her foot violently in rage, her eyes turned entirely red: “Fine! You win, you bitch!”