Chapter 129: You Are Not Worthy of Being My Rival, Lu Yuanqiu [Fourth Update]

"How much for one?" the girl asked softly, looking toward the lady in the white hat behind the counter.

The lady, leaning against the counter, saw that the person at the end of the line was a beautiful girl with a sweet voice. Her mood, which had been weary all day, seemed to brighten instantly.

She smiled and replied, "Dear, they're two point five each, two for four, or three for five."

Bai Qingxia scanned her card without hesitation. "I'll take three."

"Coming right up!"

Lu Yuanqiu was eating when he looked up and saw Bai Qingxia approaching with her tray. A faint smile graced her face, and she seemed quite happy. When she sat down, Lu Yuanqiu noticed three egg tarts on her tray.

"Oh, the food is good today, isn't it? Aren't you going to share one with me?"

Bai Qingxia immediately lifted the three tarts from her tray and placed them in front of Lu Yuanqiu, saying, "I bought them all for you. Congratulations on making it to the finals."

Lu Yuanqiu was stunned for a moment.

"Ah... I can't finish all these. Look, I’ve got so much food here. You have one, and I'll have two," he said with a smile, handing one of the tarts back to her.

The girl hesitated, but not out of shyness. She smiled and extended both hands to take it. "Okay."

Bai Qingxia looked down at the tart held in her small hands. She really thought the food was adorable—small and fragrant. Since they were so expensive, they must be delicious.

In truth, she had hoped Lu Yuanqiu would share one with her, as she really wanted to taste this cute treat. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't, as they were meant to celebrate his advancement in the competition anyway.

As she slowly raised the tart to her lips, someone bumped into her arm, and the tart fell to the floor in an instant.

She looked up, bewildered.

Lu Yuanqiu, seeing a shadow cast over the table in front of him, raised his head as well. Opposite him stood a tall boy, nearly six-foot-three.

In Lu Yuanqiu's memory, this boy, who usually seemed remarkably composed, appeared angrier than ever before.

Zhang Yifei glared at Lu Yuanqiu and demanded, "Lu Yuanqiu! I don't care if you're a descendant of the Lu family; I'm asking you one thing: did you deliberately reveal my relationship with Liu Jianqing to her father?"

His voice was deep and powerful. Because it was fueled by anger, it was quite loud, instantly drawing the attention of those around them.

Cao Shuang's brothers from the senior year all turned to look.

Lu Yuanqiu dropped his chopsticks on the table and gave him a cold, mocking smile. "Yes, I did."

Zhang Yifei stepped forward immediately, grabbing Lu Yuanqiu by the collar with both hands, his breathing heavy like an ox.

Bai Qingxia was startled. Almost instinctively, she reached out and grabbed Zhang Yifei's arm. She didn't know who Zhang Yifei was, nor did she know what intricate connections existed between them; she only knew that this tall boy was trying to hurt Lu Yuanqiu.

Lu Yuanqiu ignored Zhang Yifei's childish outburst and turned to the girl, grabbing her slender wrist to pull her away. "Get back!"

But to his surprise, he found the girl possessed incredible strength; no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get her hands to let go.

Lu Yuanqiu glared at her. "What are you trying to prove? Let go!"

Bai Qingxia shook her head nervously, her voice trembling. "Don't... don't... don't fight."

In an instant, the sound of chopsticks hitting tables echoed from all sides. Throughout the first floor, Cao Shuang's brothers stood up from their seats. Regardless of the distance, everyone glared with fierce expressions—there were at least twenty or thirty of them.

"Brother Qiu!"
"Brother Qiu!"
"Brother Qiu!"

Bai Qingxia’s eyes welled up as she turned, shocked by the scene.

Lu Yuanqiu pressed his hand down, as if accustomed to the sight. He looked calmly at Zhang Yifei and said, "Since you are Zhang Zhisheng's son, I don't think someone like you would be base enough to believe that a fistfight is the way to solve problems."

The short-haired boy smiled, then glanced down at the trembling arms before him. "If you actually hit me, I would only think that you, the young master of the Zhang family, are pathetic and completely unworthy of being my rival."

"Of course, if you really want to fight, the director isn't here right now, and everyone is ready to join in."

With that, Lu Yuanqiu looked up at Zhang Yifei, waiting for his decision.

Zhang Yifei let out a cold laugh. He nodded and released Lu Yuanqiu's collar.

"Lu Yuanqiu, you might not know me. I never fight, and I disdain such methods. See you in the finals. But let me give you a warning: Liu Jianqing is my bottom line."

After saying this, he cast a glance at the crowd standing around him and walked away with a cold expression.

Bai Qingxia sat back down, rubbing her fingers, and looked at Lu Yuanqiu with concern.

Seeing that the conflict had dissolved, the boys nearby quietly returned to their seats.

Lu Yuanqiu frowned, looking helplessly at the girl. "What were you doing just now? Were you trying to help me fight?"

Bai Qingxia clutched her hands, looking at him earnestly. She wiped the corners of her eyes, breathing softly; it was clear she had been badly frightened.

Lu Yuanqiu's heart softened. He checked his pockets and, finding no tissues, reached out to her. "Do you have any tissues?"

Bai Qingxia nodded immediately, pulled some tissues from her pocket, and handed them to him. Lu Yuanqiu took them and wiped the tears from her eyes, comforting her. "Don't worry, there won't be a fight. People like him are different from street thugs; they care about their reputation and wouldn't fight in a public place like this."

The girl nodded repeatedly, though it was unclear if she had taken it in.

Lu Yuanqiu looked at the table in front of her. "What about your egg tart?"

Bai Qingxia suddenly remembered. She bent down and picked up the fallen tart.

The foil casing had come off, and the tart was covered in dirt and dust, no longer looking appetizing.

The girl wiped her eyes with her sleeve, placed the tart on her tray, and carefully used a metal spoon to scrape away the parts covered in grime.

Seeing this, Lu Yuanqiu widened his eyes. "What are you doing! It's dirty, don't eat it!"

He snatched it away and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Bai Qingxia looked down with regret, retorting in a weak voice, "The inside... it wasn't dirty..."

Lu Yuanqiu placed one of his own egg tarts onto her tray and commanded, "Eat this one."

Bai Qingxia shook her head stubbornly. Whether she hadn't recovered from the earlier incident or was upset that Lu Yuanqiu had thrown her tart away, she pouted and cried, "There are only two left. I bought them for you. If mine is gone, it's gone. I don't want yours."

She picked up the tart again and placed it back on Lu Yuanqiu's tray.