Chapter 318
“About bullying…”
In an effort to reassure her sister, Xia'er spoke up, “Don’t let her serious demeanor fool you. Aivina is actually quite shy when no one’s watching. Just a little touch, and she turns to jelly…”
“Xia'er!”
Aivina’s face flushed instantly, her eyes fixed on Xia'er, as if warning her to stop talking.
After all the effort she put into establishing a reliable and composed image in front of Xia'er’s sister, Xia'er’s words shattered it in an instant, leaving Aivina feeling both embarrassed and furious.
What would Liqi think of her now?
Li Qi glanced between the blushing Aivina and the giggling Xia'er, and suddenly, she let out a relieved laugh.
It seemed her worries were a bit unfounded… Xia'er was not the type to be taken advantage of; in fact, it appeared that the one in a passive position in this relationship was the noble young lady.
Li Qi reached out, taking Xia'er’s right hand in her right and Aivina’s left hand in her left, gently placing Aivina’s hand in the palm of Xia'er.
“Since this is Xia'er’s own wish… I have no objections,” Li Qi said seriously, looking at Xia'er. “Little Xia'er, don’t bully her, okay?”
Is this… an approval?
Aivina stared at Xia'er, her heart racing. Even though she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since Xia'er’s words, she felt as if she were walking on air.
“I’ll do my best.”
Xia'er smiled, resting her left hand on Li Qi’s shoulder and leaning in to kiss her cheek.
Not bullying… well, that would depend on how fiercely Aivina resisted.
After giving Xia'er her instructions, Li Qi turned to Aivina and said, “While I support your relationship… even though the legal marriage age is 12… you and Xia'er are both around 15, so I hope you can take some time to get to know each other better. After all, you haven’t known each other for very long…”
“Don’t worry, Li Qi. For nobles, the ideal marriage age is 18. Marrying too early can make others think you’re too eager… Rest assured, we’ll take our time to date and get to know each other.”
Aivina lowered her head, gently brushing her cheek against Li Qi’s.
Li Qi released the hands of the two girls, looking at Xia'er and Aivina, her heart filled with emotion. She hadn’t even realized her eyes were misty.
Xia'er had landed a respectable job, made a leap in social class that could be called a “transcendence,” and found love. For Li Qi, all the hardships she had endured before were worth it at this moment.
Yet even now, Aivina hadn’t forgotten the important matter at hand, and she felt that this was the perfect time to bring it up.
“Sister,”
Aivina upgraded her address, saying, “Xia'er and I need to move to Ansu City for work, and Xia'er wants you to come with us… This is not just Xia'er’s wish, but mine as well.”
“Hmm.”
Xia'er nodded, looking at her sister with eager anticipation.
Chapter 178: The Sweet, Tangy Aroma of Oranges.
“But… I think staying in Bole City is just fine. You can always come back to see me during your holidays, can’t you…”
Mentioning the move to Ansu City seemed to make Li Qi anxious again.
She was genuinely worried about becoming a burden to Xia'er… something Li Qi could not accept.
She had never been to school, barely knew how to read, and was acutely aware that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with Xia'er’s rising pace.
But at the very least, she could choose not to be a stumbling block or a burden to Xia'er.
Upon hearing this, Xia'er was momentarily taken aback. She was about to say something to persuade Li Qi, but Aivina jumped in first.
“Sister, I don’t think I’ve told you about Xia'er’s salary yet, have I?”
Aivina said calmly, “The Dedun Group is offering her £35—per week.”
“£35?!”
The number hit Li Qi like a bolt from the blue, leaving her mouth agape as she struggled to suppress a scream.
“Yes.”
Aivina smiled slightly and continued, “That’s £5 more than what a renowned doctor from Haile Street earns weekly, but it’s what Xia'er deserves.”
“How can it be that much…? They’re not trying to trick little Xia'er into going, are they…”
Li Qi asked nervously, “Many kids from Zhongta Alley have been lured away by high salaries and then sold off to neighboring countries…”
“Don’t worry, sister,”
Aivina shook her head, speaking calmly. “The wealth generated by Xia'er’s ideas can increase the Dedun Group’s annual revenue by tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand pounds, and that’s just my conservative estimate.”
“Compared to Xia'er’s ideas, I feel her salary is quite unfair.”
“But at least with this, Xia'er and you won’t have to worry about pounds anymore and can enjoy life.”
Tens of thousands of pounds… every year…
That was a figure Li Qi couldn’t even dare to imagine. She turned to look at Xia'er, who nodded back at her.
At that moment, Li Qi finally believed what they were saying.
“And besides, I’ll be very busy when I get to Ansu City. Xia'er will be all alone there, unfamiliar with the place…”
Aivina said softly, “If you come along, you can look out for little Xia'er. You wouldn’t want her to be bullied there, would you?”
“Don’t you think so?”
Aivina smiled at Xia'er, emphasizing her words, “Little~ Xia'er~”
This was a little retaliation for Xia'er’s earlier “loose tongue.”
So you dare to call me that, huh…
Xia'er took a deep breath, no longer looking at Aivina.
Right now, the important matter was at hand; she would deal with Aivina later.
“I’ll be all alone there… I’m scared…”
Xia'er followed Aivina’s lead, looking at Li Qi with wide eyes, her voice dripping with innocence.
Seeing Xia'er’s expression, Li Qi found it hard to resist. Her heart softened, and she said, “Alright… I’ll go with you both.”
In an instant, the pitiful look on Xia'er’s face vanished, and she hugged Li Qi tightly, leaving Li Qi feeling a bit tricked.
Aivina watched the delighted Xia'er, smiling and shaking her head as she returned to her seat.
Tonight’s events had reached a satisfying conclusion, lifting Aivina’s spirits.
The latter half of dinner was spent in a warm atmosphere, and after the meal ended, Li Qi left to tidy up. Only then did Aivina and Xia'er board the carriage home.
Before Li Qi left, Xia'er slipped her a small pouch containing six half-pound coins, meant for Li Qi to have some spending money during her rest. Of course, this money was prepared by Aivina before she arrived.
Now, most of the money from Xia'er’s potion sales was in Aivina’s hands. Xia'er hadn’t even withdrawn it yet, and she didn’t even know how much she had—she had no idea how much money she possessed.
But it was definitely a few thousand pounds.
On the way back, Aivina seemed to be in a great mood, leaning against the cushion with her eyes closed, softly humming a gentle melody.
Even until they reached their room, Aivina still wore a smile.
This made some servants who had worked there for two or three years and had never seen the young lady smile feel as if they were seeing things.
Once the door to the room was closed, Aivina turned to Xia'er, slightly raising her chin with a hint of pride. “So, how did I do tonight? Pretty good, right?”
“Not bad—except for the fact that you didn’t consult me first,”
Xia'er stepped forward, standing in front of Aivina, her tone teasing. “I don’t recall hearing anything about a proposal?”
Upon hearing this, Aivina took a small step back, feeling a bit guilty. “Your guardian agreed…”
This was indeed Aivina’s unilateral decision, and her voice dropped significantly.
Xia'er pressed on, taking a few steps closer until Aivina’s back hit the wall, leaving her with nowhere to retreat. “What did you call me during dinner? I seem to have forgotten.”
Pushed against the wall, Aivina, perhaps emboldened by the hard surface behind her, mustered her courage and said, “Little Xia'er~ What’s wrong?”
“Oh~ so that’s what it was.”
Xia'er’s left hand moved forward slightly, gently lifting the hem of Aivina’s skirt, her fingers gliding up her soft thigh. “Thanks for the reminder.”
Feeling Xia'er’s hand moving slowly upward, Aivina finally began to panic. She tried to shift to the side, but Xia'er leaned in, blocking her escape route with her right hand.
“I… I didn’t mean to, Xia'er… I saw your sister call you that, and I thought it was cute, so I just…”
Table of Contents
