Strike Back, Proud Goddess!

Qin Xinying’s face stiffened. Qiao Liang was going to walk past her holding Tang Xi’s hand, when she suddenly shouted, “Xixi called me!”

A triumphant glimmer flashed through Qin Xinying’s eyes when she saw Qiao Liang stop, and she continued, “I received a phone call from Xixi. Don’t you want to know about her situation? Don’t you want to know where Xixi is now?”

Qiao Liang held Tang Xi’s hand more tightly, and the latter looked at him from the side only to find a complicated look on his face. Tang Xi patted his hand to give him strength. Qiao Liang turned to cast a deep look at Qin Xinying and said word by word, “I broke up with her years ago. What does her whereabouts have to do with me? I hope Miss Qin doesn’t think you can get special treatment because you’re a friend of my ex-girlfriend. If you’ve come here to work, please work well. But if you’ve come here to get close to me, you can get out of Qiao’s International Group now.”

Qin Xinying turned ghastly pale in response, looked at Qiao Liang with hatred and said fiercely, “You’re lying. You went to the Pacific Ocean for Tang Xi, but now you don’t dare admit it to this woman’s face. Aren’t you afraid of breaking Xixi’s heart?!”

It was office hours, so there weren’t many people on the first-floor lobby; Qin Xinying didn’t attract the attention of many people despite shouting loudly. Tang Xi looked at Qin Xinying and frowned. Suddenly, a memory deep in her mind gradually became clear. She remembered how Qin Xinying had shown her some pictures, in which Qiao Liang appeared intimate towards other girls, and told Tang Xi that she had to keep an eye on him, or else he would be stolen by someone else one day.

Due to her pride, she didn’t want to ask Qiao Liang whether he had fallen for someone else. When she stayed with Qiao Liang, she would notice his eyes and find that he always looked happy when he was with her, so she believed he loved her until he abruptly asked for a break up.

It turned out that she hadn’t wanted to keep him with her because of Qin Xinying’s words; she had wanted to retain her dignity in this “love triangle”. However, there had been no third person between her and Qiao Liang, but a person playing a monodrama, yet she believed her performance and was deceived by her.

Tang Xi suddenly smiled. Looking at Qiao Liang, she asked him cutely, “Who is that Tang Xi she mentioned? Is she as beautiful as me? As cute as me?”

Qiao Liang couldn’t help smiling when he saw the mischievous smile over Tang Xi’s lips. He touched her head and said, “You are the cutest and the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

Tang Xi looked quite satisfied at his answer. She took his hand and looked up at him, saying, “Then who do you love most?”

“You,” Qiao Liang answered, gazing at Tang Xi with affectionate and gentle eyes. “I only loved you from the very beginning.”

Qiao Liang didn’t say Xiao Rou or Tang Xi, but “you”, and this “you” was referring to Tang Xi—only Tang Xi.

Tang Xi was so touched by Qiao Liang that her eyes turned red, while Qin Xinying trembled with anger. Why had she guarded against Tang Xi for so many years, but in the end let a woman she had never heard of grab the opportunity to gain his love? So what she had done to Tang Xi was all in vain? The one Qiao Liang really loved was this woman?

Seeing the fierce look on Qin Xinying’s face, Qiao Liang said to her with a warning tone, “Miss Qin, I hope you won’t say something improper in front of my girlfriend anymore. Otherwise, I will have you disappear from City A—no, from China! Your work can either be popular, or turned into unwanted scrap.” With that said, he walked away holding Tang Xi’s hand.

Qin Xinying felt deep anger, but she was frightened by what Qiao Liang had just said. She had dared to treat Qiao Liang as she had because she believed that Qiao Liang would want to get Tang Xi’s information from her, but now she was not sure.

Qiao Liang had hardly talked to her when he was together with Tang Xi. If she kept provoking the woman he cared about, he would do what he said!

Thinking of this, she clenched her hands hard. Staring at the receding figures of Qiao Liang and Tang Xi, she said word by word, “Qiao Liang, one day you’ll find that I’m the one who loves you most, and that I’m the one who suits you best.”

Qiao Liang led Tang Xi out of Qiao’s International Group and into his car to go to the riverside for afternoon tea. Tang Xi looked at him from the side and poked his hand, asking, “Hey, are you going to put Qin Xinying in your company?”

Qiao Liang raised his eyebrows and replied with a question. “You don’t like it?” His voice was cold, but there was a subtle smile over his lips.

Tang Xi nodded. “No, I don’t like it. Ah Liang, I want to work things out myself, and I don’t want you meddling in my affairs. I’ll find out who caused the plane crash, and what Qin Xinying’s role in it was. I don’t want anyone to meddle in this.” She looked straight at Qiao Liang and finished word by word, “Including you.”

Qiao Liang stopped the car at a traffic light intersection and looked deeply at Tang Xi. After a while, he said, “Okay, but you have to promise me something.”

Tang Xi asked, “What is it?”

As long as Qiao Liang didn’t interfere in her revenge plan, she would say yes to anything.

“No matter what you’re going to do, you have to let me know in advance, and you can’t put yourself in danger. Never let me hear you get hurt, or… die.” Qiao Liang’s heart was still fluttering with fear when he said the word “die”. If she wasn’t so lucky as to be reincarnated in Xiao Rou’s body, he would still be missing her, holding her finger! With this in mind, Qiao Liang looked more resolute. “Promise me.”

Tang Xi nodded, her eyes red and her eyes firm. She replied, “I promise you that I’ll keep myself safe from now on. Whatever I do, I’ll tell you in advance.”

The car behind was honking as Qiao Liang started the car and headed for the riverside for afternoon tea.

It was September and the weather was getting cold, but it was still very hot at 3 or 4 PM. The two of them walked in the park by the river, being caressed by the breeze. Tang Xi held Qiao Liang’s arm as she enjoyed the scenery on the river and murmured, “I suddenly find that the scenery of City A is so beautiful.”

“Yes, I’ve also just realized that the scenery of the riverside park is so beautiful.” Qiao Liang slowed down while holding her hand, and Tang Xi smiled in satisfaction. Even last night, she hadn’t imagined that she would be able to walk in a park hand in hand with Qiao Liang and have afternoon tea together.