In the deathly silence, Zhang Old Lady's gaze at Qiao Chuchu was laden with a multitude of deep emotions.
Several times she seemed on the verge of speaking but held back, only to nearly speak again.
Her expression was a tangled mix of admiration and disdain, making it all appear incredibly complex.
Qiao Chuchu, her face ashen, thought to herself: *[...I should leave as soon as possible. I can’t stand this world for another moment.]*
She steeled herself and stood up: "Let’s go. I’m tired of sitting here. Time to rest."
Pei Yuan and Pei Che rose together, flanking Qiao Chuchu on either side.
Pei Buxian trailed behind, clutching his laptop like an attendant.
Zhang Old Lady waited until Qiao Chuchu was out of sight before speaking: "That girl, with seven men around her, two hands aren’t enough to hold them all. She’d need at least seven hands to manage."
"What are you talking about?" Xia Xuechun glared at Qiao Chuchu’s retreating figure. "Those are her seven brothers."
Zhang Old Lady was thunderstruck: "What?! Then why did they say they were her seven husbands?"
Xia Xuechun’s face darkened. "They were just messing with you, talking nonsense. How could seven men willingly be with one woman? Qiao Chuchu isn’t some celestial beauty."
Zhang Old Lady slowly caught on and scoffed: "Hah, these young people nowadays..."
Whatever else Zhang Old Lady said, Xia Xuechun didn’t hear.
Her eyes were fixed on Qiao Chuchu and the three men walking with her.
Pei Yuan, dressed in a light blue hospital gown, stood to Qiao Chuchu’s left, while Pei Che, in a white lab coat, stood to her right. They strolled leisurely, sandwiching the petite Qiao Chuchu between them.
They looked like two handsome bodyguards protecting their sister, drawing the gazes of passersby.
Pei Buxian quickened his pace and nudged Pei Che aside, insisting on standing next to Qiao Chuchu.
Pei Che shot his brother a cold glance before letting his gaze linger on Qiao Chuchu for a moment longer.
The scene was warm and harmonious.
Especially when Xia Xuechun knew that this large hospital belonged to the Pei family, and that Qiao Chuchu’s monthly income easily exceeded 200,000 yuan. The image of the three of them, untouched by the struggles of daily life, worrying only about their emotions, was almost enviable.
A wave of bitterness rose in Xia Xuechun’s heart, and she muttered gloomily: "Grandma Zhang, I’m going to get back to work."
Zhang Old Lady was puzzled: "Why do you suddenly look so upset? Did Qiao Chuchu do something to offend you?"
"No," Xia Xuechun rubbed the sweat from her palms and whispered to herself: "I’m just feeling a bit sad."
After Jiahao’s death, she had a vivid dream.
In it, Qiao Chuchu had died, and she stood by the side of the Pei brothers, comforting their shattered hearts. They cherished her like a precious treasure, just as they did Qiao Chuchu.
In the dream, Pei Buxian, the youngest of the Pei brothers, had choked up and said to her: "You and my sister share the same unyielding spirit. Every time I see you, I’m reminded of her."
The dream felt so real.
When she woke up, it took her a while to recover. Thinking about the warmth of that dream, she couldn’t help but smile.
But those things could never happen.
Because Qiao Chuchu would never die.
Xia Xuechun stared at Qiao Chuchu’s back, heartbroken as she repeated the thought to herself.
If she wanted to live that kind of life...
Qiao Chuchu would have to die.
-
Qiao Chuchu had to exert a great deal of effort to extricate herself from her three brothers.
To escape, she used every trick in the book, talking nonstop until her lips felt raw—
Finally, Pei Yuan’s IV drip was due.
Pei Che had subordinates reporting to him.
Pei Buxian suddenly had a burst of inspiration and stayed in Pei Yuan’s hospital room to write.
Although the reasons they let her go had nothing to do with her, she was still relieved.
Because Xia Xuechun’s main storyline hadn’t yet begun.
Qiao Chuchu hurried to the location where Xia Xuechun’s story was set to unfold.
Pei Buxian, sneaking around, followed behind her with his phone.
He had long sensed that Qiao Chuchu was up to something, so he made up the excuse of needing inspiration to give her the freedom to act.
Pei Buxian typed in the group chat: *«@Pei Yuan @Pei Che I’m tailing Qiao Chuchu right now.»*
Lin Qing: *«? Is there more drama?»*
Lin Shen: *«Is Qiao Chuchu back? Why didn’t anyone tell me?»*
Pei Fengnong: *«Let’s just start a video call so everyone can hear her thoughts.»*
Without hesitation, Pei Buxian initiated a group video call, put on his headphones, and acted like a spy.
Those who were free quickly joined in.
Lin Qing’s strikingly beautiful face appeared first on the screen: "Can Qiao Chuchu’s thoughts really be transmitted through video? If not, I’m leaving."
Lin Shen frowned.
Pei Yuan, leaning against the bedside table, stared coldly at the screen.
Pei Buxian aimed the camera at Qiao Chuchu: "We’ll find out in a moment."
Unaware, Qiao Chuchu walked on, calculating in her mind—
*[In the original storyline, because Xia Xuechun was a temporary housekeeper for our family, she had already met my seven brothers. She took a few days off to substitute for her mother at work, and while my brothers were reserved in their feelings for her, they were smitten at first sight. However, they didn’t show it openly, so each of their individual mini-stories with Xia Xuechun became the way they deepened their bonds.]*
*[At this point, Xia Xuechun should have already had some emotional exchanges with my eldest brother, Pei Yuan, marking the end of his mini-story.]*
Lin Qing was stunned: "Wow, her thoughts are crystal clear in my head. This is so bizarre. You all heard it too, right?"
Everyone in the video nodded.
Lin Qing couldn’t help but laugh: "Brother Pei Yuan, in the original timeline, you’d already had some emotional exchanges with Xia Xuechun by now. How does it feel hearing this news?"
Pei Yuan shot her a look: "It feels disgusting."
Lin Qing burst into laughter.
Qiao Chuchu, still walking ahead, continued to ponder: *[After interacting with Xia Xuechun at the hospital, Pei Yuan gradually developed more feelings for her and received several handmade crafts from her.]*
*[Since Pei Yuan hasn’t received any handmade crafts, his affection for Xia Xuechun probably hasn’t reached the required level. It seems the mini-story hasn’t started yet, so it’s safe for now.]*
*[But things must progress. Next up should be Pei Che’s mini-story.]*
Lin Shen asked curiously: "Why hasn’t Pei Che joined the video call?"
Pei Buxian explained: "Second Brother is busy with work. He went to sign some documents and couldn’t join. He’ll probably be here soon."
Still oblivious, Qiao Chuchu continued to think: *[Since Xia Xuechun is a cleaner, her encounter with Pei Che happened while she was cleaning the stairs. She got into an argument with another cleaner and accidentally fell down the stairs.]*
*[The argument happened near Pei Che’s office, so when he heard the commotion, he stepped in to help Xia Xuechun. He brought her back to his office, knelt down to tend to her sprained ankle, and left the door open. When Pei Yuan arrived and saw this, the two men began competing for her attention.]*
Lin Qing, struggling to hold back her laughter, looked at Pei Yuan: "Brother Pei Yuan, you’re quite something. You seem so gentle, but secretly you’re quite jealous. Seeing Pei Che kneel down to tend to Xia Xuechun’s ankle made you unhappy, didn’t it?"
Pei Yuan: "..."
Pei Fengnong smirked, lounging in his office chair: "Big Brother really is quite jealous."
Pei Yuan: "..."
Lin Shen disagreed: "I think all seven of you brothers are jealous. I remember when Qiao Chuchu was in kindergarten and a little boy kissed her. She came home and told you all about it, and you were so mad you couldn’t sleep that night. The next day, you scared the poor kid into tears."
Pei Fengnong: "..."
Pei Yuan: "..."
Pei Buxian: "..."
Lin Qing: "Brother, if you don’t have the tact to keep some things to yourself, you might get kicked out of the group. I suggest you shut up."
Lin Shen: "?"
