Qin Hanyue: "Jealous?"
He no longer dared to hope.
Qiao Ying pursed her lips: "As long as you're happy."
She walked to the bedside and picked up her phone.
Qin Hanyue followed her with a towel.
Qiao Ying held her phone but was in no hurry to check Qin Hanyue's messages. Instead, she was interested in guessing the content.
"Did he message asking if I was asleep yet, and ask if I found Lin Cheng, or does he want to explain about that princess to me."
She guessed everything correctly.
Qiao Ying knew Qin Hanyue's thoughts inside and out.
Seeing his reaction, Qiao Ying opened her phone to check.
The order she guessed was wrong. The first thing he asked about was Lin Cheng.
His jealousy was that intense.
Qiao Ying tugged the corner of her mouth, barely containing her amusement, and said to him: "Calm down Mr. Qin. If Lin Cheng sees this, he'll laugh."
But Qin Hanyue didn't think so. He took her hand and asked: "Can I invite him to my room to play chess with me?"
Qiao Ying was merciless: "Sure, it's his storyline anyway." It would only increase the difficulty for Lin Cheng but didn't bother her. And it would make Qin Hanyue happy, so why not?
Seeing Qiao Ying agree so readily, Qin Hanyue's gloomy mood cleared up instantly. He happily gave her a kiss.
Qiao Ying said sarcastically: "My 'boyfriend' is outside, Mr. Qin. What's with this behavior?"
Qin Hanyue pressed his forehead against hers, using a bit of force: "I'm the one. Even if it's fake, you can't call him that."
Then he went to make things difficult for Lin Cheng: "I have a chess set in my room. I suddenly got an itch to play. Duke, accompany me for a few games?"
Lin Cheng sat on the sofa reading a magazine, maintaining his refinement: "You two...take pity on me. I was the one who asked for your help first, but you also have your needs. Mr. Qin, you're a businessman, shouldn't you have some professional ethics?"
Lin Cheng was sincere.
Was it just a few games? Not the whole night?
Seriously, stop. He ran thousands of miles to accompany his beautiful girlfriend but had to leave her alone in an empty room while he went to play chess with his male friend?
Was that reasonable?
Lin Cheng: "I'll sleep on the sofa. I won't go near the bed. Mr. Qin must also want to finish our cooperation as soon as possible."
Qin Hanyue was silent. He turned to look at Qiao Ying by the door, but she had a vague smile on her face, detached from everything.
Qin Hanyue: "The sofa in the bedroom or the one in the living room?"
Lin Cheng patted the living room sofa he was sitting on.
Qin Hanyue didn't say anything else. He went to Qiao Ying and lowered his voice to advise her: "Get dressed properly and wear what you should."
Qiao Ying looked at him: Wear what I should? What did he mean?
Seeing her confusion, Qin Hanyue explained clearly: "You said before that you don't wear anything to sleep." Although she was dressed now.
Qiao Ying: "......"
Seeing her speechless expression, Qin Hanyue turned to say to Lin Cheng again: "Duke, feel free to use my bathroom if you need a shower."
Lin Cheng had a faint smile and said: "I won't shower." His eyes seemed to say: Alright now?
Qin Hanyue then bid her good night.
Qiao Ying: "Remember to lock the doors and windows. Don't open the door for strangers. Shout if anything happens. Don't let others take advantage of you."
Qin Hanyue couldn't tell if she was teasing him or venting her jealousy passive-aggressively. In any case, he was destined for a sleepless night.
Early next morning, Lin Cheng was called away by the king again.
Qiao Ying slept until she naturally woke up. After changing into her regular clothes and washing up, she ambled lazily to the door.
A faint bloody smell seeped in through the cracks in the door, wisp by wisp. Qiao Ying's hand paused slightly as she reached for the doorknob.
In the next moment, she pulled the door open decisively. A bloody lump of flesh and fur hung from the door lintel, suspended right in front of her face, staring back at her.
On closer look, it was a skinned cat.
No need to guess who did it. This cat was undoubtedly the white Maine Coon that Karina wanted to give to Lin Cheng.
Without any screams or shock, Qiao Ying didn't even bat an eyelid. She only felt some distaste. What a way to ruin her morning appetite.
Qiao Ying took half a step back to avoid the blood dripping on her.
A servant appeared the next second. Seeing the skinned, mangled cat, she shrieked, "Princess, the cat is found!"
"Hurry and fetch the Princess. She killed the cat."
Karina soon arrived with her guards, thrusting out her impressive bosom, teetering on high heels. She was a size larger than Qiao Ying, making Qiao Ying look like a high schooler.
The rope around the cat's neck had snapped. It lay in the pool of fresh blood on the ground, making a splat sound as blood sprayed everywhere. The scene was somewhat creepy.
Karina took one look at her cat.
"Miss Qiao, why take out your frustrations on a cat in such a cruel way? Does the Duke know his beloved girlfriend has such a vicious heart?"
These accusatory tactics took no skill at all.
Qiao Ying let out a soft hmm, utterly indifferent: "I did it. Make of it what you will."
Karina had expected Qiao Ying to be afraid, to loudly proclaim her innocence and desperately explain herself to prove she was framed.
But instead, Qiao Ying admitted it outright.
Karina narrowed her beautiful eyes at Qiao Ying slightly.
She stared at the girl turning her bright eyes and glanced at her delicately made-up face.
"Even if you're unhappy, you shouldn't do this. Your behavior is challenging the dignity of the entire royal family. Do you understand?" said Karina solemnly.
Qiao Ying stepped over the cat corpse and stood facing Karina. She smiled, baring her little white teeth.
She said softly: "If I'm unhappy, I'll definitely skin more than just a cat. Skinning humans is so much more fun."
The girl had a round eye shape with an utterly harmless little white flower look. Karina didn't know if it was because of her words, but meeting Qiao Ying's eyes made her strangely uncomfortable psychologically.
She watched as the girl swiveled her clear eyes, then swept them over her own face caked with thick makeup.
"Even the princess's rough skin could make for a nice rug or something. It wouldn't go to waste."
Karina's expression darkened instantly. She raised her hand to slap Qiao Ying when a voice interrupted. "Miss Qiao."
It was Qin Hanyue coming out of the room.
Thinking of Qin Hanyue's status, Karina restrained herself and stayed her hand, resenting Qiao Ying's luck.
Qin Hanyue brushed past the servants to survey the bloody lump on the ground, frowning slightly.
He asked Qiao Ying, "What happened here? Where's Lin Cheng?"
Karina: "I've sent for the Duke. Think about how you'll explain to him, Miss Qiao."
Everyone in country C knew how much Lin Cheng adored cats and dogs.
Lin Cheng soon arrived and saw the ghastly dead cat on the ground.
Just as Karina was about to attack preemptively, they heard Lin Cheng ask Qiao Ying solicitously, "Did it frighten you?"
He didn't even glance at the cat.
But Lin Cheng met with Qin Hanyue's silent displeasure.
Karina was somewhat surprised. "Duke, although this was a gift I prepared for you, even if your girlfriend can't stand it, she shouldn't treat a life like this. Not to mention you already rejected my gift. Doesn't she know how much you love cats?"
Lin Cheng: "Princess Karina, I think there's some misunderstanding here."
Karina: "She admitted it outright."
Lin Cheng's eyebrows ticked up ever so slightly.
He asked Qiao Ying, "You did it?"
Qiao Ying: "I guess so."
Lin Cheng was helpless. She actually admitted it.
Fine, this was something she was likely to do.
Lin Cheng took another look at the cat on the ground and felt somewhat distressed: "What a waste of a perfectly good cat."
Inwardly, he felt disgusted at Karina's behavior.
Karina scoffed. "It seems the Duke doesn't understand his beloved girlfriend's personality very well. Are you certain you still want to love such a vicious and jealous woman?"
