"..."
Qingyi pursed her lips but didn't argue further. Just as she was about to ask the next question, she saw Ye Qingfeng carry his cup back to the water dispenser to get more hot water. She had no choice but to wait silently for him to return before continuing.
"Did you intentionally approach Zhu Yuan?" Qingyi asked in rapid succession once Ye Qingfeng sat back down. "What's your goal?"
"Hmm, that really is a pointed question!" Ye Qingfeng gently blew on his cup and asked unhurriedly, "Are you asking as a Public Security Bureau officer, or as Zhu Yuan's friend?"
Qingyi immediately understood the implication. Biting her lip lightly, she silently acknowledged how difficult he was to deal with.
If she said she was asking as a Public Security Bureau officer, Ye Qingfeng would almost certainly fabricate a pack of lies, and might grow more guarded on top of it.
On the other hand, if she said she was asking as Zhu Yuan's friend, he might actually be willing to have a genuine conversation. But choosing that option meant being prepared for the risk that he would go straight to Zhu Yuan and tell her about it.
And Zhu Yuan would almost certainly be displeased with her for prying, which was the last thing she wanted.
After all, Qingyi was now very clear on just how much weight Ye Qingfeng carried in Zhu Yuan's heart. If she delayed any further and this man truly had ill intentions toward her, it would be too late by the time it came to light.
She understood perfectly well that in a standoff like this, whichever side grew anxious first and showed their hand first would hand the advantage to the other.
"Which would you prefer I use?"
Qingyi cleverly tossed the question back to Ye Qingfeng, likewise raising her teacup and speaking without hurry.
Ye Qingfeng could see that Qingyi currently harbored considerable wariness toward him. The only reason for that would be Zhu Yuan. After all, he was a perfectly law-abiding citizen.
But her true intention still wasn't clear. Was she worried that his approach to Zhu Yuan had some hidden motive — that he was an undercover agent, perhaps, or something along those lines?
Or was it simply that she didn't want him pursuing Zhu Yuan?
Ye Qingfeng leaned toward the former... but hesitating further was pointless.
He turned around and, for the first time, looked directly at the somewhat cute little Miss Qingyi. A pair of fluffy, braided twintails framing that youthful, delicate face — she was genuinely quite adorable.
"I did approach Miss Zhu Yuan on purpose, yes~" Ye Qingfeng curled his lips and sat back at ease. "So what does Miss Qingyi intend to do about it?"
"Miss... Qingyi...?!"
Qingyi was genuinely caught off guard by how readily Ye Qingfeng had just exposed himself. For a moment, it threw off several of the follow-up questions she had mentally prepared. But then there was his form of address...
Her delicate face stiffened slightly, a flicker of unease crossing it. Though she composed herself quickly, a trace of it remained in her tone.
"You... should know that I'm actually... Huh?"
Ye Qingfeng suddenly stood up without waiting for her to finish and took a step in her direction. The abrupt movement cut her off entirely. She watched him close the distance until he was standing right in front of her.
Qingyi warily got to her feet and stepped back. She didn't know what he was trying to do, but wait——
A sudden thought struck her. There was another possibility she hadn't considered for why Ye Qingfeng had approached Zhu Yuan. Because getting close to Zhu Yuan was also the fastest way to get close to her. After all, anyone in New Eridu who knew anything about the Public Security Bureau knew this: Zhu Yuan was its brightest rising star, and she always had an android partner at her side. Her partner's appearance could easily be found with a search online.
Could it be — his actual target was her all along?!
A perverted android-obsessed lolicon?!
If Ye Qingfeng could hear Qingyi's inner monologue, he would have cried defamation on the spot. Compared to androids, he still preferred beast girls, or Thirens.
And as for lolicon — that was even more absurd. Among the people he knew, the one who most closely fit that description was Qingyi herself. Anby and Nekomiya he preferred to think of as young women, which was far more accurate.
And when it came to physical type, he still preferred someone like Zhu Yuan or Sister Nicole.
To be precise, his ideal was the kind of beautiful woman who combined intelligence with a mature, composed demeanor.
That was one standard, but it wasn't as if a person could only have one.
Ehehe (?▽?)
Ye Qingfeng caught the look of sudden shock on Qingyi's face. Though slightly puzzled by it, he didn't slow down.
He took another step forward, stopping directly in front of her, and slowly knelt on one knee. At the same time, he reached out and gently took hold of her soft, delicate little hand.
Qingyi's eyes went wide. In a flash, Ye Qingfeng was somehow on one knee before her... one knee. Kneeling.
Wait!! Wasn't this moving a bit fast?!
No — huh?!
The unflappable composure Qingyi normally wore so effortlessly crumbled visibly. Her eyes were wide with undisguised shock.
[Ding! Qingyi affection +10%]
[Current affection: 15%]
"Miss Qingyi, you..."
Ye Qingfeng slowly drew Qingyi's small hand toward his lips. Just as he was about to press a kiss to the back of it, she wrenched her hand away and bolted for the door without a backward glance.
The violence of the motion sent the chair behind her toppling with a loud crash. By the time Ye Qingfeng looked toward the door in response to the sound, there was no trace of her left.
That strong a reaction? Could it be that Qingyi had been putting on a front all along, and was actually easily flustered underneath?
He had been able to tell that Qingyi conducted herself with considerable experience and composure. According to Zhu Yuan, she carried the memories of multiple lifetimes, which had shaped her current personality.
Which meant she was, in truth, a young girl wearing the skin of someone with a lifetime of hard-won wisdom.
He had only wanted to use a hand-kiss to remind her that she was still allowed to have a maiden's heart.
But before he could even say the words, Qingyi had already fled. Still, that look of pure panic on that little face of hers, he had to admit —
She finally looked a little like the girl she was.
As for why she had run, Ye Qingfeng decided not to dwell on it. It didn't matter.
He took a couple more sips of tea, then pulled out his phone to check whether anyone had sent messages on Inter-Knot. As he drew it from his pocket, a card came out with it, caught the air for a moment, and drifted to the floor.
"What's this?"
Ye Qingfeng didn't recall putting it there. He bent down to pick it up and held it up to look.
It was a company business card, with four names and phone numbers printed on it.
"Victoria Housekeeping? Corin?"
Ye Qingfeng quickly spotted a familiar name and immediately recalled where the card had come from.
It was the one that little Corin from the morning had pressed into his hand — the one who had looked so thoroughly easy to push around. She had told him to reach out if he had any physical complaints afterward.
Maid outfit? Housekeeping? Combining those two things gave a particularly exciting impression. (?▽?)
Hmph hmph!
Ye Qingfeng chuckled under his
breath and scanned the remaining names:
Von Lycaon, Ellen Joe, and Alexandrina Sebastiane...
The names were so long.
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