Chapter 36: Sister-in-law?

Qin Xuan made a phone call to Dongfang Qingwan.

“There’s a grade assembly this afternoon. Are you coming?”

“Yes, I’ll be there on time.”

Her gentle voice drifted through the line, soothing and pleasant to the ear.

“Give me a call when you arrive,” Qin Xuan added, thinking that the assembly would surely be crowded and that it was necessary for him to stay by her side for protection.

Dongfang Qingwan didn’t refuse. She simply responded with a soft “Mm” and then hung up.

“Wow, that must have been Qingwan, right? Her voice is so gentle,” Liu Qianqian exclaimed in admiration. As a swordswoman, her hearing was naturally sharp.

Qin Xuan ignored her, knowing that if he responded, she would bombard him with questions. Instead, he turned to Zhou Xiaoyu. “Qingwan will be there. By the way, if I’m not around, could you look after her if anything happens?”

“Don’t worry, boss. Nothing will go wrong,” Zhou Xiaoyu replied breezily, then suggested, “How about I treat you to lunch, boss? The assembly’s this afternoon anyway.”

Liu Qianqian pouted. “But we still need to buy clothes.”

Zhou Xiaoyu replied slyly, “No rush on the clothes. Since I’ve just acknowledged you as my boss, it’s only right I give you a proper welcome.”

At this point, he admired Qin Xuan immensely—not to mention anything else, just his performance on the basketball court had completely won Zhou Xiaoyu over.

Liu Qianqian pouted again. “But I still need a phone. I’m hopeless with directions—what if I get lost and can’t find anyone?”

“What kind of phone do you want?” Qin Xuan asked.

She didn’t have any money on her, so of course he would pay. The thought of her possibly unleashing the Blood Demon if she got lost gave Qin Xuan a headache; better to just buy her a phone.

“Then, here, take this back,” Liu Qianqian said, handing her iPhone 5 to Qin Xuan. She then asked cautiously, “Qin Xuan, how much did your master give you?”

“Just a few hundred. It’s almost all gone now,” Qin Xuan replied gloomily.

“What? What are we going to do then?” Liu Qianqian looked crestfallen. Now they couldn’t even buy a phone, let alone new clothes. Her eyes darted as she quickly came up with an idea. “What’s the cheapest phone?”

Qin Xuan really didn’t know the answer to that.

Luckily, Zhou Xiaoyu was handy and eager to please. “There’s a deal at the school gate right now—top up your phone credit and get a free phone. It’ll cost just two or three hundred at most. But if you want, I can get you an iPhone 5, on me!”

“Sister-in-law?”

Liu Qianqian looked confused but caught on quickly. Her cheeks flushed as she retorted, “Sister-in-law? Nonsense! I’m his senior. Just call me ‘senior sister’ from now on.”

“Senior sister?”

Zhou Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up.

He’d never been sure what the relationship was between Qin Xuan and Liu Qianqian—that “sister-in-law” was a test. Now he finally had a clue! Could it be that the boss was a martial arts master, what with all this talk of masters and senior sisters?

“No, don’t listen to her. She’s my junior,” Qin Xuan countered.

Liu Qianqian glared at him. “Senior!”

Qin Xuan looked at her in bafflement. Under her crimson dress, her chest heaved provocatively—clearly, she was rather worked up.

“Girl, you’re awfully hung up on titles,” Qin Xuan said helplessly.

“Nonsense. It’s just the truth. I hate when people twist facts. I’ve trained with my master since childhood—what about you?” The thought seemed to amuse her. “Your master found you much later, when you were already eight. Wouldn’t you say you started training later than me?”

Qin Xuan’s master was quite famous in the cultivation world, and the saying “You were a freebie when your master topped up his phone credit” was well known.

“Please, don’t bring that up. Fine, you’re senior sister—I’m not losing out,” Qin Xuan said with mock tears, vowing to one day uncover his origins. No one wanted to carry the label of “freebie with a phone top-up” for their whole life.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled.

So, this beauty wasn’t the boss’s girlfriend—did that mean he had a chance? He became even more attentive. “In that case, I’ll have someone send over an iPhone 5 right away.”

Liu Qianqian waved him off. “You’re being awfully generous—what’s your motive?”

“Er, that’s not it. Since you’re the boss’s senior, it’s only right I give you a gift,” Zhou Xiaoyu replied, a bit frustrated at being seen through so easily.

“Forget it, Xiaoyu. I’ll buy her one.” Qin Xuan smiled.

“But, Qin Xuan, didn’t you say you were out of money?” Liu Qianqian asked, puzzled.

“I said the money from my master was almost gone, not that I had nothing left,” Qin Xuan replied.

“Go to hell! You lied to me!” Liu Qianqian landed a soft punch on him.

Qin Xuan caught her fist easily. “Such a pretty girl, don’t be so violent. So, what kind of phone do you want? One like mine?”

“Hmph, no way. I don’t want the same as you,” Liu Qianqian pouted. “I’ll just take the one Xiaoyu mentioned at the school gate. That’ll save you some money.”

At these words, Zhou Xiaoyu admired her even more. So gentle and considerate, not greedy for expensive gifts—girls like her were truly rare.

Qin Xuan, however, was skeptical. Since when was this girl so thoughtful?

“Better to spend the extra money on clothes than on an overpriced phone,” Liu Qianqian scoffed.

Qin Xuan realized his guess was right, while Zhou Xiaoyu looked crestfallen.

“Alright then, it’s decided. First, I’ll treat the boss to lunch. After the assembly, I’ll invite the whole class for a picnic at Cuihuan Mountain.” Zhou Xiaoyu began making arrangements over the phone.

“Man, how do you come up with all these plans? Lunch, then a picnic?” Qin Xuan said, exasperated.

“It’s got to be done! Lunch is to welcome you, boss, and the picnic tonight is to pave the way for me to become class president. After all, military training starts tomorrow, and there won’t be another chance.” Zhou Xiaoyu’s plan was solid; it showed he was savvy about building good relationships.

“Alright, let’s go get the girl a phone first,” Qin Xuan said, reaching for the bank card Zhao Long had given him.

He figured tonight would be his last night of freedom. Once Dongfang Qingwan moved into the villa tomorrow, he’d have to stay there every night to protect her—no more running around.

A group of about a dozen people headed for the school gate. The boys who’d played in the basketball game were among Zhou Xiaoyu’s guests. With the excitement over, the crowd in the stands began to disperse.

“Brother Dao, can I get your autograph?” Suddenly, a delicate-looking boy ran over excitedly, holding out a book and a pen.

Qin Xuan was stunned.

Since when had he become so famous that people wanted his autograph?