69: Noble Male Supporting Character 30

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

The timeline jumped several times during this period, and apart from the interactions between Qiao Chuxia and Meng Zhu, the audience was watching with drowsiness.

Until this day, when Baijin City was tinged with a chill, and autumn began to set in.

Inside the office of "Canxing Jewelry".

Qiao Chuxia was focused, holding a pencil, carefully drawing a design for a ring.

Compared to the exhausted, flustered, and hands-on appearance she had a month ago, she was much more composed now.

In her gestures, there was also a faint hint of the capability and steadiness of someone in a position of authority.

At the same time, she also had more time to occasionally study jewelry design.

"Knock, knock."

"Please come in."

Qiao Chuxia replied without raising her head.

Lin Wei walked in wearing high heels, placed the organized report on the desk, and smiled:

"General Manager Qiao, the matter you previously instructed me on has a result."

Qiao Chuxia paused in her work.

"What did the suppliers say?"

Lin Wei reported clearly and logically:

"We have signed exclusive strategic cooperation agreements with several of the largest jade raw material suppliers in the Southwest, as well as with direct diamond supply channels in Country N. At the same time, through the overseas channels of Tianhai Group, we have secured priority purchasing rights for several rare colored gemstones this year."

As she spoke, Lin Wei pushed up her glasses.

"The days ahead will not be easy for Qiao's Jewelry. They have always relied on several secondary distributors in the country. Now that we have directly cut off the source, their raw material costs have risen by at least fifteen percent, and the high-quality stock has been intercepted by us."

"If they want to maintain their original profit margins, they will have to lower their standards and use inferior goods, or raise their prices. But either way, it will deal a blow to their brand reputation."

Qiao Chuxia nodded lightly. This was just the beginning, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.

[Happy! This bunch of scoundrels from the Qiao Family should also taste what it's like to have their throats choked.]

[Chuxia finally has the aura of a CEO. I really want to fast-forward to the Qiao Family's bankruptcy.]

[Sigh, I'm more worried about the romance plot. If they don't make an effort soon, it's going to end.]

[Effort my ass, Meng Zhu even went on a business trip a couple of days ago and hasn't returned yet.]

Meng Zhu watched the barrage comments from a foreign land, feeling indifferent.

What do the barrage comments know? They are just a bunch of singles.

Did he need to go on a business trip? Actually, he did.

But it wasn't for work; on the contrary, it was precisely for their relationship.

The audience in the barrage comments didn't understand.

They had been commuting together for nearly a month.

The ambiguous atmosphere was about to overflow.

But at this very moment, it was not suitable to take it a step further.

What Meng Zhu needed to do at this time was to briefly disappear.

He wanted to let Qiao Chuxia's feelings cool down, to settle and become deeper and more intense.

The reality was just as he had thought.

Ever since he went on his business trip.

Qiao Chuxia looked at the empty back seat of the car every day, and she felt especially unaccustomed to it.

Days grew increasingly idle, but her heart missed him more and more.

Yet the two of them had not confirmed their relationship, so even when talking on the phone, Qiao Chuxia couldn't bring herself to say anything about missing him.

But as the saying goes, the more some things are suppressed, the more violently they will erupt.

"General Manager Qiao, there is one more thing."

Lin Wei closed the folder, her eyes smiling.

"Your birthday is in two days. Would you like to take some time off?"

Qiao Chuxia was stunned; she had almost forgotten.

Pursing her lips, she thought of Meng Zhu.

The main project of Tianhai Group was, simply put, maritime trade.

A few days ago, a batch of very valuable high-precision instruments had an accident at sea, and Meng Zhu had left after telling her a few things.

The two of them could only chat occasionally via mobile phone recently.

She felt a bit disappointed inside.

"No need, Sister Wei. I'll just take one day off to go to Rong City to see my parents."

Qiao Chuxia smiled as if to cover it up.

With Meng Zhu absent, she actually didn't have much expectation for this birthday.

She might as well go to Rong City to see Father Lin and Mother Lin.

The next afternoon, in the cafe by the side gate of Tianhai University.

Having become less busy recently, Qiao Chuxia often returned to school for classes.

Liu Yiyi pushed a beautiful gift box in front of Qiao Chuxia, resting her chin on her hands.

"Chuxia, you said you were going to Rong City for your birthday, so I'll wish you a happy birthday in advance! This is your gift!"

Qiao Chuxia took the gift box:

"Thank you, Yiyi."

"Hurry up and open it to see if you like it!" Liu Yiyi urged.

The box opened, and a platinum bracelet lay quietly on the velvet lining.

It was exquisitely designed, with a small star inlaid with tiny diamonds hanging from the chain.

It was understated and elegant, beautiful enough to make one's heart flutter.

"Giving you a star."

Liu Yiyi personally put it on for Qiao Chuxia.

"I hope your 'Canxing' can be like the brightest star in the night sky."

"I like it very much, thank you, Yiyi."

Qiao Chuxia was happy inside, and the two chatted happily.

After a while.

Liu Yiyi blinked at her and leaned in gossipingly:

"Chuxia, seriously, on your birthday, can that friend of yours who is both a mentor and a friend really not make it back?"

The tone of Liu Yiyi's words clearly showed that she had long since learned about their ambiguous relationship from Qiao Chuxia.

Qiao Chuxia was taken aback, hiding the disappointment in her heart:

"He can't make it back; his business trip this time is quite long."

[Chuxia's disappointed little look is too miserable.]

[So long-distance relationships are really torturous; they are no good.]

[Long-distance relationships are the easiest for others to take advantage of. That's how I got my partner stolen back in the day.]

[The brother above is lucky. My ex-girlfriend didn't just cheat on me; she was two-timing. It makes me sick just thinking about it.]

[So, you have to be brave and bold when loving one person, but if you love two, you'd better hide it well.]

[Stop talking nonsense. I wonder what kind of birthday gift Meng Zhu will give?]

The barrage comments were full of various opinions, with all sorts of guesses.

Meanwhile, on the other side, at the Chu Family villa.

Chu Yunting's room was in a mess.

Suffocating.

For the past month, Chu Yunting had been driving himself crazy.

The pressure from his mother, on the contrary, made him more certain of his feelings for Qiao Chuxia.

Why should they control my feelings, control my marriage?

After asking and answering himself in his heart and struggling repeatedly, he felt he had figured it out.

He decided to rebel against his mother.

He liked Qiao Chuxia and wanted to be with her.

He felt that as long as he was sincere and stopped looking at people through the lens of family background, Qiao Chuxia would definitely forgive him.

So, after making up his mind, he went and bought a limited-edition diamond necklace worth a million, designed by a famous designer.

He was going to confess to Qiao Chuxia.

Another day passed, at Tianhai University.

[He's here again. Why is this guy like a ghost that won't go away? Don't come over!]

[He bought a diamond necklace, wanting to use giving a birthday gift to ask for forgiveness?]

[He's been depressed for a month, he must know he was wrong, right?]

[So what? Just because you know you were wrong doesn't mean you must be forgiven. Seriously, don't come over, I'm begging you.]

No matter how the barrage comments screamed, Chu Yunting finally stood still in front of Qiao Chuxia.

His complexion was a bit haggard, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

"Chuxia, I have something to say to you."

Qiao Chuxia stopped and frowned slightly.

"Chu Yunting, what do you want to say?"

The cold tone pierced his heart.

Chu Yunting gritted his teeth and handed over the exquisite velvet gift box.

"Chuxia, this is your birthday gift. I know I said a lot of scummy things before and did wrong things, and I know I was wrong."

"I understand everything now; I don't care about your family background anymore."

He eagerly stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly.

"I've decided, I don't want to be controlled by my mother anymore. I will also refuse the arranged marriage she set up for me. Please forgive me, can we start over?"

Qiao Chuxia looked at the expensive gift box, then at Chu Yunting, who was excited and immersed in the emotion of self-sacrifice, and felt only a sense of absurdity and amusement in her heart.

"Chu Yunting."

Qiao Chuxia spoke, her voice cold and clear, ensuring he could hear clearly.

"You've gotten a few things wrong."

Chu Yunting was stunned for a moment:

"What?"

"First, your rebelling against your mother and the family arranged marriage has nothing to do with me, and I don't care."

"Second, we were only friends before, and now we aren't even friends. Talking about 'starting over' makes me feel very uncomfortable."

"Third, I already made myself very clear about what happened last time. We don't need to have any more interactions, and there is no question of forgiveness or not."

Qiao Chuxia's expression was cold, revealing a distance that kept people at arm's length.

"So, please don't disturb my life again in the future, and there is no need to give me anything. Thank you."

After saying this, Chu Yunting's face turned pale, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

"Why? Chuxia, I have always liked you. I am going to call off the marriage with the An Family for you, and I am going to stand up to my mother. Why are you saying such things?"

"You clearly accepted my invitation before and attended the banquet with me..."

"Stop, stop, stop..."

Qiao Chuxia interrupted him.

"Chu Yunting, I went to the Meng Family banquet with you as a friend, not as your date. I have never liked you. If I made you misunderstand, I am sorry. Your so-called rebellion and determination are your own business and have nothing to do with me."

After finishing, Qiao Chuxia didn't want to see him anymore and walked straight past him.

Chu Yunting gritted his teeth, his eyes red, frozen in place, the million-dollar gift in his hand like a joke.

[A typical self-moved personality; he's simply crazy.]

[I'm already feeling awkward for him; a large-scale social death scene.]

[Chu Yunting is purely a clown.]

Until Qiao Chuxia was completely gone and the barrage could no longer see Chu Yunting, they were still chirping on.