Qiao Chuchu was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on her door.
Outside, two women were screaming at the top of their lungs: "Don't stop me! I just want to ask, don't you dare stop us!!"
For a moment, she thought it was all a dream, but as the voices grew louder and more insistent, like a swarm of bees buzzing in her ears, she realized there was indeed a commotion outside.
Qiao Chuchu got out of bed and opened her bedroom door, just in time to see Pei Youchuan walking by while pulling on his clothes.
His messy curls framed his face, and he casually threw on a sweater, covering his toned, bare chest. His well-defined abs flashed before her eyes for a brief moment.
She was suddenly wide awake.
[Damn, those abs are so good-looking, and they belong to my brother? What a waste!]
Pei Youchuan: "?"
He quickly poked his head out of the sweater and gave her a puzzled look.
Qiao Chuchu immediately changed her expression: "I slept really well last night, thanks, Third Brother."
Pei Youchuan let out a cold laugh: "When something happens, you still come to your brother, huh? So, how do you think your brother is doing?"
She gave him a thumbs-up: "Super handsome!"
Pei Youchuan raised an eyebrow: "How about my physique?"
Qiao Chuchu didn’t hesitate: "Absolutely amazing!"
Pei Youchuan smiled: "Does your brother have any flaws?"
Qiao Chuchu: "Not a single one!"
Pei Youchuan was slightly pleased: "What about my personality?"
Qiao Chuchu: "Extremely annoying!"
Pei Youchuan: "?"
Pei Youchuan stared at her.
She stared back.
Pei Youchuan’s face gradually fell, and he stepped forward, pinching her cheeks tightly: "You’re the annoying one!"
Qiao Chuchu winced in pain, her words muffled: "Ow ow ow!"
Pei Youchuan’s gaze shifted, noticing a dazzling Paraiba gemstone around Qiao Chuchu’s neck.
Her fair skin was accentuated by the silver chain and the pure blue gemstone, making her glow even brighter.
Strangely, it hadn’t been there when she went to bed last night.
Pei Youchuan grabbed the gemstone: "Did you buy this?"
Qiao Chuchu was also puzzled: "Huh? When did I put this on? I didn’t buy it, and I didn’t wear it either."
After saying that, she began to doubt herself.
[I don’t think I wore this, right? Staying up late has made my brain fuzzy.]
[Last night, to match my black dress, I wore the red diamond, and I already put it back in my jewelry box.]
Qiao Chuchu suddenly thought of something and rushed to her vanity, opening the jewelry box.
The sparkling red diamond was safely nestled inside, and her cold body instantly warmed up.
That red diamond was worth over a hundred million and was a gift from Pei Yuan for her eighteenth birthday. If it had been swapped out, she’d be in big trouble!
She let out a long sigh of relief: "It’s fine, my red diamond is still here."
Pei Youchuan chuckled in exasperation: "Do you think the issue here is the red diamond?"
He glanced at her bed and noticed a gemstone certificate and a gift box on the nightstand.
There was also a note on the bed.
Pei Youchuan narrowed his eyes and ordered Qiao Chuchu: "Go see what’s going on at the door."
Qiao Chuchu nodded and headed toward the door.
Pei Youchuan quickly picked up the note on the bed.
"As long as I’m here, you’ll never have to worry about your safety, because I’m your guardian angel."
He let out a disbelieving laugh and snapped a photo of the note, sending it to the group chat: "Who sent this?"
"After one night, Qiao Chuchu suddenly has a Paraiba around her neck. It wasn’t there when I put her to bed at midnight, but when I woke up, she had it on, along with this note. Who sent this?!!!!!"
His hands were trembling with anger.
Some creep had snuck into her room and, like a total weirdo, put a necklace on Qiao Chuchu while she was asleep!!
What else had he done?!
What else had this person done while Qiao Chuchu was sleeping?!
Pei Che: "? Who sent it?"
Pei Fengnong: "? @Pei Mu @Pei Ci, was it you two pulling a prank again?"
Pei Mu: "? We’re way past the age for pranks. It wasn’t us!"
Pei Ci: "Yeah, it wasn’t us! What about Pei Buxian? He’s into creepy stuff like this. @Pei Buxian, explain yourself."
Pei Buxian: "It wasn’t me!!!!!!!!"
Pei Youchuan was furious: "What about Pei Yuan? Did Pei Yuan send it?"
Pei Che: "Pei Yuan was hospitalized yesterday with viral meningitis. His fever just broke last night, and he’s still weak. He probably hasn’t even looked at his phone."
Lin Qing: "Am I the only one noticing that Pei Youchuan was putting Qiao Chuchu to sleep?"
Pei Youchuan: "That’s not the point! The point is this necklace that appeared out of nowhere!"
Lin Qing: "@Lin Shen, was it you, brother? Are you playing the yandere card?"
Lin Shen: "…Sneaking onto a luxury cruise ship and stealthily putting a necklace on Qiao Chuchu? Do you think I’m some kind of secret agent? I’m more inclined to suspect Lou Tingsi."
Pei Fengnong: "@Lou Tingsi"
Pei Che: "@Lou Tingsi"
Pei Mu, Pei Ci: "@Lou Tingsi"
Pei Buxian went berserk: "@Lou Tingsi, come out and explain!!!!!!"
Lou Tingsi: "I’m honored to be suspected, but I’m sorry to disappoint. I’m not that twisted. If I were to give a gift, I wouldn’t do it sneakily. That’s more like something you’d do to eliminate a rival."
The group chat fell silent for a moment before erupting into chaos again.
"Then who was it?!"
"Pei Mu, Pei Ci, just admit it! You two are always pulling stunts like this!"
"It really wasn’t us, damn it! It must’ve been Pei Buxian! He’s been going off the deep end lately!"
Pei Buxian sent a voice message, his voice hoarse with frustration: "I already said it wasn’t me!! Who the hell did this?!!!!!"
Lin Qing: "…I feel like I’ve stumbled into a mental asylum, but I feel worse for Qiao Chuchu. She’s at the center of it all."
Lin Shen: "Pei Buxian, maybe you should get your mental state checked."
Pei Buxian: "All I want to know is who snuck into Qiao Chuchu’s room and gave her that necklace!!!!"
Lou Tingsi: "What about Weisheng Huailing?"
"?"
A flurry of question marks quickly filled the chat.
Lou Tingsi: "Weisheng Huailing is a mercenary, and a top-tier lone wolf at that. I’ve heard he can infiltrate even the most heavily guarded places without a trace."
Lin Qing: "That guy who looks like a fresh-faced idol but is actually deaf and mute???"
Lou Tingsi: "Weisheng Huailing only looks like an idol. Underneath that pretty face, he’s covered in muscles and scars. Plus, he’s obsessed with gemstones. I send him jewelry every year, and he told me that since he can’t hear, he loves to look at rare, sparkling things."
The group chat fell into a dead silence.
Finally, Lin Qing broke it: "So he gave Qiao Chuchu a sparkling gemstone? Meaning he gave the person he loves the thing he loves most?!"
Lin Qing: "Ahhh, I’m here for it! I can ship it, I can ship it, I can ship it!!!"
The group chat went silent for a moment before exploding.
Everyone lashed out at Lin Qing: "If you like Weisheng Huailing so much, why don’t you take him away?"
Lin Qing: "Ha, as if he’d go for me. It’s obvious he’s into Qiao Chuchu. Besides, my tastes have changed. I’m into soft, cute boys now. I’m not into aggressive types like him."
Lin Shen: "…You’re shipping Qiao Chuchu and Weisheng Huailing? What about me?"
Lin Qing: "Bro, let’s be real. Qiao Chuchu herself is like a soft mochi ball. She’s surrounded by all these aggressive men. Someone as gentle and devoted as you doesn’t make for an exciting ship."
Lin Shen: "? I’m someone Qiao Chuchu used to like."
Pei Buxian: "Oh yeah, used to."
Pei Mu: "Oh yeah, used to."
Pei Ci: "Oh yeah, used to."
Pei Fengnong: "Used to."
Pei Che: "Used to."
Lin Qing: "Used to."
Lou Tingsi: "Used to."
Lin Shen: "…"
