303: Chapter 303: Conquering Zhao Ying's Favorability

Qin Yi stared at the countdown for the opposite-sex favorability mission, his brow furrowing involuntarily. He muttered to himself, 'Oh man, if this mission fails, won't I be in deep trouble? It's happening right when I'm supposed to go to the Southwest. If the Si Family patriarch is dead set on an alliance with the Zhao Family, I'll be in a very dangerous spot.'

'Maybe I should send a message to my junior sister first to show some care. Who knows, it might boost her favorability and increase my six-dimensional attributes.'

Thinking of this, Qin Yi immediately picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and found Zhao Ying's avatar in his contacts. He opened the chat box and typed earnestly: "Junior, are you up? The reception ended late last night, so I didn't get a chance to check on you guys. Did Fatty Wang get you back to school safely?"

After sending the message, Qin Yi waited for a while. Seeing no response on Zhao Ying's WeChat, he felt a slight pang of disappointment. However, it was indeed a bit early; perhaps his junior sister wasn't awake yet. Thus, Qin Yi set his phone aside and got out of bed to wash up.

Unbeknownst to him, at that moment, in a girls' dormitory at Modu University, Zhao Ying was wearing a cool pink camisole nightgown with a fluffy cartoon headband. She was walking out of the bathroom while applying face cream.

On the opposite bed, yoyo stretched lazily, her fair arms emerging from the covers. She rubbed her bleary eyes and looked at Zhao Ying half-asleep, her voice tinged with lethargy: "Ying'er, your phone just rang... Isn't today the weekend? Why are you up so early?"

"My phone rang? Who's looking for me this early?" Zhao Ying said, continuing to apply the cream as she walked slowly toward her bed.

"Who else could it be... either 10086 or a Huabei bill..." yoyo replied casually, closing her eyes again.

Just then, Zhao Ying suddenly let out a cry: "Ah!"

yoyo was startled and immediately opened her eyes. Propping herself up on the edge of the bed, she asked curiously: "What's wrong, Ying'er?"

Zhao Ying jerked her head up, her eyes sparkling. She held up her phone and said happily to yoyo, "It's Qin Yi! Senior Qin Yi sent me a WeChat message!"

"Oh please, it's just a message from a senior. Is there a need to be so excited? I thought your Huabei was overdue..." yoyo said, preparing to lie back down, but then she suddenly bolted upright, her eyes wide. She pressed, "Who did you say?!"

"Senior Qin Yi..."

"What senior! That's the Boss! Quick, quick, let me see what the Boss sent you?" yoyo said, waving at Zhao Ying to bring the phone over.

"Oh, he didn't ask much. Just asked if I was up and if Senior Wang Tengfei sent us back to school after the party last night..." Zhao Ying said, handing the phone to yoyo.

"Hehe, Ying'er, do you think the Boss is interested in you?"

Zhao Ying's face instantly turned red. She took back the phone and gave yoyo a look: "What are you talking about? Senior already has a girlfriend. And she's our company's CEO with a better figure than mine. How could Senior be interested in me..."

"Tsk, you're so duplicitous. If you ask me, the Boss might really be interested. Otherwise, why didn't he message me? Why only you?"

"Message you? Do you even have Senior's WeChat?"

"Oh right, I haven't added the Boss on WeChat yet. No way, I must add him today."

"Add him for what? Didn't you hear at the party last night? The recruitment tasks for the entertainment media company are finished. The Boss might not even come to school today..."

"Hehe. Want to make a bet?"

"Bet on what?"

"Bet on whether the Boss comes to school today. I bet he definitely will. The loser treats the other to a meal. Do you dare?"

"I'll take that bet. Why wouldn't I?" Zhao Ying said, feeling both pleasantly surprised and worried. Staring at the phone screen, she murmured softly, "Tell me, how should I reply to Senior's message..."

"Oh, what's so hard about that? Just say, 'Thank you for your concern, Senior. Senior Wang Tengfei sent us back.' Just tell the truth, right?"

"Ugh, I know that! I mean, what about after that?"

"What after that?"

"Hmph~" Zhao Ying gave a light huff and stomped her foot. While typing, she replied, "I'm ignoring you!"

Seeing Zhao Ying like this, yoyo gave a sly smile, rolled out of bed, and leaned in behind her. She craned her neck to peek at Zhao Ying's WeChat chat: "Senior hasn't replied to you?"

Zhao Ying immediately clutched the phone to her chest, turned to glare at yoyo, and said huffily, "Gosh, are you a ghost? You walk without making a sound, you scared me."

"I was very loud, okay? You just weren't paying attention because your eyes were practically glued to WeChat. Is that my fault?" Before yoyo could finish, Zhao Ying's phone suddenly chimed twice.

A smile instantly bloomed on Zhao Ying's face as she hurriedly lit up the screen. yoyo leaned in too. However, the message wasn't a reply from Qin Yi, but a repayment reminder from Huabei...

Zhao Ying's expression collapsed. She pulled out a chair and sat down despondently, murmuring, "Sigh~ what is Senior doing? Why hasn't he replied to me..."

Seeing her like this, yoyo patted her shoulder with a hint of 'why are you so hopeless' in her tone: "Ying'er, don't blame me for saying this, but you clearly like Qin Yi, so why don't you take the initiative to confess? You keep everything hidden inside, and look what happened. Qin Yi went and got a girlfriend without a word, and she's our future boss to boot. One step slow, every step slow."

"yoyo! Are you even my best friend? It's one thing if you don't help me brainstorm, but you're actually standing there making sarcastic remarks?! I really misjudged you!" Zhao Ying retorted angrily.

"Oh, alright, alright, don't be mad," yoyo said with a grin. "Even though Qin Yi has a girlfriend, they aren't married yet. As long as they aren't married, there's a chance they'll break up! Besides, even if they were married, couldn't they still get divorced? As the saying goes, as long as the hoe is swung well, no corner is too sturdy to dig up..."

"Go away, you're just full of bad ideas. The person I despise most is a homewrecker; I won't be a third party..." Zhao Ying said with a look of disdain.

yoyo curled her lip and spread her hands: "Fine, you stay noble then. If you don't dig at the corner, plenty of others will. Just don't regret it when the time comes."

"I won't. Senior Qin Yi isn't that kind of playboy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so devoted to Senior Su Mo," Zhao Ying said seriously.

"Good grief, you're really beyond help. You call that devoted? In my view, Senior Qin Yi was just too naive back then, being played like a fiddle by Su Mo without even realizing it," yoyo countered ruthlessly.

"That was just Senior meeting the wrong person. Look at yesterday, how well Senior and Manager Xu get along. Even the company name is a combination of their names. It's really enviable," Zhao Ying said with a look of longing.

"Heh. Did you notice how many women appeared around the Boss yesterday?" yoyo suddenly asked.

"Uh... what do you mean?" Zhao Ying was a bit confused.

"Sigh, you really are naive. From my observation, both of those women talking to the Boss at the college entrance yesterday are interested in him. Each prettier than the last; in terms of looks and figure, neither of them loses to CEO Xu. Why did the Boss send CEO Xu away when he was chatting with them? Have you thought about that?" yoyo analyzed with great conviction.

"Uh... you mean Senior knows those two are interested in him?" Zhao Ying found it hard to believe.

"Of course. Qin Yi isn't some green boy. Even I could see it; do you think he couldn't?" yoyo said confidently.

"I don't believe it. In my impression, Senior isn't that kind of person," Zhao Ying remained stubborn.

"Sigh, have it your way," yoyo sighed. "But as a good friend, I still have to advise you: if it's true love, go ahead and pursue him, confess. Being rejected is better than regretting it later, right? What if—and I mean what if—Qin Yi and Xu Qian break up in the future? Then you'd have a chance. Besides, confessing would be the perfect way to test if Qin Yi is actually a playboy."

After speaking, yoyo patted Zhao Ying's shoulder again and continued, "Alright, I'm going to wash up. Think about it yourself. Oh, and forget about the bet. I made plans with CEO Xu's younger brother yesterday to take him to the school library today. So, Qin Yi will definitely come to school again."

"Uh... when did you make those plans?" Zhao Ying was surprised.

"During dinner last night..." yoyo tossed her hair and stepped into the bathroom.

"Wait... I was right next to you during dinner last night. When did you two make plans? How come I didn't know?" Zhao Ying was full of confusion.

"Hehe. Not telling. But my intuition tells me that the little junior seems to have a good impression of me... If nothing goes wrong, this Young Miss should be able to win him over," yoyo's voice came from the bathroom, brimming with confidence.

"No way, yoyo, you're almost a senior, and he hasn't even started his freshman year... are you trying to rob the cradle?" Zhao Ying teased.

yoyo poked her head out of the bathroom and gave Zhao Ying a look: "What are you talking about? Who's robbing the cradle? Haven't you heard the saying, 'A woman three years older is like a gold brick'? Besides, this is all your fault!"

"My fault? What do you mean?" Zhao Ying was completely lost.

"What else could it mean? If you had been a bit more capable and bravely confessed to Qin Yi when he came to school looking for Su Mo, would I have needed to make two-pronged preparations?" yoyo's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

"What two-pronged preparations? What on earth are you talking about?" Zhao Ying still didn't understand.

"Oh, how can you not understand? Xu Zilin is CEO Xu's biological younger brother, right? If CEO Xu and Qin Yi really get married later, wouldn't Xu Zilin become Qin Yi's brother-in-law? If I get together with Xu Zilin and become his girlfriend, don't you think I'll be living the high life from then on?" yoyo's mental calculator was clicking away.

"Wait, yoyo, how come I never noticed you were so calculating before?" Zhao Ying was shocked.

"Isn't it because of you? If you could have chased Qin Yi down, would I need to go and rob the cradle? Not talking to you anymore; I have to dress up nicely today and strive to take that kid down in one go!" After speaking, yoyo ducked back into the bathroom.

Zhao Ying was about to say something more when her phone chimed again. She looked down, and a happy smile immediately appeared on her face. On the WeChat chat interface, Qin Yi's message had finally arrived.

"That's good. If he hadn't sent you back, I'd have to give him a good scolding. By the way, are you busy today? I'm planning to take Zilin and the others for a tour of Modu. If you're free, why don't you join us?" Seeing Qin Yi's message made Zhao Ying's heart start to race.

Zhao Ying took a deep breath and immediately typed back: "I'm not really busy. It's just, I heard from yoyo that she made plans with Junior Zilin last night to go to the school library..."

On the other end, Qin Yi was drying his hair while looking at Zhao Ying's reply. He raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "Holy crap, this kid is good. He managed to land a date already?" So, he casually replied: "Is that so? I got back too late last night and didn't think to ask Zilin. I'll ask him later then."

In the WeChat chat box, it showed that Zhao Ying was typing. Qin Yi waited for a good while before receiving her message: "So, will Senior still be coming to the school side today?"

Qin Yi thought for a moment and replied: "Yeah, the job fair lasts for two days. As the boss, I have to show my face at least."

"Then, should I pack up Senior's bachelor gown and bring it over for you?"

"Sure. I haven't properly thanked you yet. How about this: since there's nothing much going on today, I'll host lunch. Let's eat together."

"Okay. Then, Senior, see you at school in a bit?" Zhao Ying asked expectantly.

"Okay. See you at school."

After sending this last message, Qin Yi set his phone aside, picked up the hairdryer, and began to hum a song contentedly.

On the other side, Zhao Ying clutched her phone, jumped up from her chair, and started spinning in circles happily.

In the bathroom, yoyo, who was brushing her teeth, heard the commotion. With her toothbrush still in her mouth, she pulled open the door and walked out. Seeing Zhao Ying like this, she raised an eyebrow and said indistinctly, "Ying'er, what's with you? What triggered this?"

Zhao Ying's face was bright red. She stopped, smoothed her somewhat messy hair, and said haltingly, "Nothing, it's nothing. Um, you're sure you made plans with Junior Zilin to go to the library?"

"Yeah. Is there a problem?" yoyo was a bit confused.

"No, no problem. Are you done washing up? If you're finished, hurry up and come out," Zhao Ying urged.

"Didn't you already wash up?" yoyo was puzzled.

"That... I exercised a bit and got sweaty again, so I want to wash one more time..." Zhao Ying said guiltily.

"Oh~ hehe, I get it, I get it~" yoyo quickly rinsed her mouth and walked out of the bathroom again. She bowed and extended her hand in an inviting gesture, "Go ahead, Ying'er. Wash yourself nice and clean and fragrant, and give the Boss a pleasant surprise..."

"Stop it~" Zhao Ying's face turned red with embarrassment at yoyo's words. She grabbed her change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom.

...

Meanwhile, in Room 3201 of Building 7 in the Shenjiang Bay community, the Xu siblings had also gotten out of bed.