"Qingyu, are you still angry?" Xia Qingtian asked tentatively.
"I'm not angry, it's just..." Lowering her head, Xia Qingyu's voice grew softer, "When I opened my eyes and you weren't there, I... I thought you didn't want me anymore..."
Used to Xia Qingyu's proud voice, hearing her whimper like a stray cat now, Xia Qingtian's heart melted.
She immediately told Xia Qingyu her exact location, even providing a GPS pin, and promised to wait for her at the mall.
But she also warned Xia Qingyu not to go alone, insisting she needed someone to accompany her.
Xia Qingyu's lips curved into a triumphant smile. She obediently agreed, and after hanging up the phone, she looked up at Nie Qingkong, who was staring at her in shock. With a hint of disdain and a forced tone, she asked, "I'm going to find my sister. Do you want to go out and wander around?"
"Does your sister know you change your mind so easily?" Nie Qingkong asked Xia Qingyu seriously.
Good heavens, in just a little over ten minutes of phone conversation, how many expressions and tones had Xia Qingyu gone through?
How come he never knew Xia Qingyu was so expressive?
And she could act pitiful and vulnerable now?
Why had she never acted like this towards him?
Nie Qingkong felt an inexplicable anger rising within him, and his expression turned mocking.
"If you don't want to go, that's fine. I'll find Li Xiaozhong to go with me." Xia Qingyu figured Li Xiaozhong should be awake by now.
She had only asked Nie Qingkong because he was right there and seemed to be going out too.
If he didn't want to, she could just ask someone else, it would only take a little more time.
The thought of Xia Qingtian being with that chef who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere made Xia Qingyu not want to wait another second.
"Who said I'm not going?" Hearing Xia Qingyu say she was going to find Li Xiaozhong, Nie Qingkong frowned immediately.
But thinking about how easily Xia Qingyu manipulated his emotions, Nie Qingkong's anger intensified, and his tone was far from friendly, "What? Are you going to walk there?"
Xia Qingyu pouted. She really should have found Li Xiaozhong or Miao Tong. Shi Xingwu would have been fine too.
If not, there was still Bai Yuqi!
That chef was Bai Yuqi's friend, so Bai Yuqi should be responsible for taking him away.
Anyone was better than finding Nie Qingkong. What if he said something he shouldn't have in front of Xia Qingtian later?
"Forget it, I'll find someone else." Xia Qingyu said, turning to go back to the Yue family.
"Xia Qingyu!" Hearing the undisguised disdain in Xia Qingyu's tone, Nie Qingkong's eyes widened. Had he been too easygoing, making Xia Qingyu think she could trample on him at will?
For what Xia Qingyu had done, anyone else would have died a hundred times over!
At that moment, a car drove out from the Yue family and stopped beside them. The driver rolled down the window and said, "Miss Xia, Miss Qingtian called and asked me to take you both. Shall we leave now?"
Seeing that the driver had already arrived with the car, Xia Qingyu just tutted and got into the car. Seeing that Nie Qingkong hadn't moved, she rolled down the car window and said irritably, "What? Are you going to walk there?"
"You!" Hearing Xia Qingyu throw his own words back at him, Nie Qingkong couldn't help but laugh.
He opened the car door irritably and got in, squeezing Xia Qingyu inside, "Make some room."
"Hey! You can get in from over there!" Xia Qingyu said defensively as she squeezed away.
Ignoring Xia Qingyu, Nie Qingkong closed the car door and told the driver, "We can leave now."
The driver started the car and drove towards their destination.
Seeing that they were on their way to Xia Qingtian, Xia Qingyu didn't want to be angry with Nie Qingkong anymore. She occasionally looked down at her phone or gazed out the window at the passing vehicles and scenery.
Nie Qingkong had initially intended to ignore Xia Qingyu, but his peripheral vision caught Xia Qingyu's phone lock screen and wallpaper, both displaying photos of Xia Qingtian. He couldn't help himself.
Earlier, he had heard many rumors about Xia Qingyu and Xia Qingtian, and his own people had investigated many results.
He had also made many guesses, but now, all his previous conclusions could be overturned.
He didn't believe that a stepsister who constantly tried to curry favor with the Xia family's heiress would dare to sound as ferocious as Xia Qingyu did on the phone just now.
He also didn't believe that the usually cold Xia Qingyu would act so pitifully, afraid of being abandoned.
It seemed that Xia Qingyu was the one being pampered, and Xia Qingtian was the one placating her.
But based on their daily interactions in the past few days, Xia Qingyu was the one who showed more meticulous care, and Xia Qingtian was the one who was constantly protected.
Nie Qingkong had no siblings and couldn't understand the way Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu interacted.
However, he found it very irritating.
Whether it was Xia Qingyu's peace of mind around Xia Qingtian or her panic when she was away from her.
It all seemed extremely jarring to him.
It was like someone accustomed to living in darkness suddenly saw a beam of light, a light that arrogantly and ostentatiously pierced their eyes.
He wished he could tear that light apart, trample it, and crush it completely.
But that light was intangible, something he couldn't easily destroy.
Then he would tame it.
Nie Qingkong turned his head to look at Xia Qingyu, narrowing his eyes slightly.
He believed that as long as he wanted to.
Taming a heartless stray dog wouldn't be difficult.
"What are you doing?" Xia Qingyu felt uncomfortable being stared at by Nie Qingkong and couldn't help but ask.
"I'm thinking..." Nie Qingkong rubbed his fingertips, his voice low, as if answering Xia Qingyu's question, but also as if talking to himself, "How many steps does it take to tame a heartless stray dog."
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me when you're taming a stray dog?" Xia Qingyu asked Nie Qingkong speechlessly.
"There's nothing else to look at anyway," Nie Qingkong shrugged.
Xia Qingyu rolled her eyes at Nie Qingkong before saying, "Stray dogs don't need taming at all."
"Hmm?" Nie Qingkong looked at Xia Qingyu.
"They stray because they have no home. Once they have a home, they naturally won't leave," Xia Qingyu said to Nie Qingkong, "Love it, care for it, and look after it with all your heart, let it know that your side is its home, and it will naturally stay with you. Conversely, the more you try to force it or restrict it, the more it will escape."
"You do know how to look out for yourself," Nie Qingkong scoffed, turning his head towards his side of the car window, no longer looking at Xia Qingyu.
Love? Care? Looking after?
These were things he had never experienced in his life. How could he give them?
"Hmm?" Xia Qingyu found Nie Qingkong increasingly bizarre.
She had kindly answered Nie Qingkong's question, yet Nie Qingkong was acting all high and mighty towards her.
People like him should never own a dog in their lives.
Whoever became his dog would be utterly unlucky!