Chapter 97: Don’t Love Me, There Is No End in Sight

Everyone in the live room had turned off their cameras and gone to sleep.
Even with the screen already black, the live comments were still shouting at each other nonstop.
It was mainly split into two camps.

One camp stood with Liu Nana—mostly her fans, with very few bystanders. They were convinced that Qiao Qianyi and Bai Lu had formed a little clique and bullied the flying guest into tears.
The other camp backed Qiao Qianyi and Bai Lu, insisting that Liu Nana had lied, that she had deliberately used pity-inducing makeup to manipulate people and incite a cyberattack on them.

Each side thought itself right, and neither was willing to give in.

When Bai Lu came out after her shower, Qiao Qianyi had already moved to the balcony to make a call.

Exhausted, Bai Lu climbed into bed. “Qiao Qianyi, when you wash up later, keep your voice down. If you wake me, I’ll smash your skull open.”
She warned her, then closed her eyes and slipped into darkness.

Bai Lu dreamed again.
The old nightmare—the one from before she almost died.

Only this time, instead of leaving her to waste away, the assassin sent by Shen Xinluo had released a two-meter-thick python.
The huge snake coiled tightly around her body, tightening and tightening until she could barely breathe, ready to strangle her to death...

“Ah!”

Bai Lu jerked awake. Realizing it was Qiao Qianyi, hands and feet locked around her, pressing her head against Bai Lu’s chest and triggering the nightmare, Bai Lu, irritated, kicked at her.
But the instigator, unashamed, sniffed and snuggled back in again, clutching her and burying her face against Bai Lu’s chest.

Bai Lu tried to kick her away again, but failed.
She could only grit her teeth and roll her eyes.

Qiao Qianyi held her tightly and kept smiling: “Bai Lu, you are so kind to me.”

“Miss, are you sleepwalking?” Bai Lu said.

“No way,” Qiao Qianyi replied. “Even my father told me.”

“What? Qiao?”

“Yesterday I blurted out that Liu Nana locked the door on purpose. Everyone else stayed silent, afraid I’d drag them in. Only you spoke up, and your words were clearly on our side. You could have stayed quiet like the others and let me get flayed online, but you didn’t.”

Bai Lu said casually, “That’s because I don’t like Liu Nana either.”

Qiao Qianyi pouted: “You can’t fool Dad’s eyes, Bai Lu. I was reckless yesterday—I went over to kick the door open, which was obviously a move begging for backlash. You just froze for a second, then stood by me. You didn’t abandon me.”

Bai Lu thought to herself: these veterans in the business world are frightening indeed. Too sharp a lot of times.

One after another, each person’s gaze can be too penetrating.

Qiao Qianyi went on: “You stood with me and even took most of the heat. Even En-ge and the others, all of them, clearly drew a line, clearly afraid my behavior would drag them down with me.”

Bai Lu replied evenly, “En-ge and the others have their own reasons. You can’t expect them to—”

“I know,” Qiao Qianyi said, looking at her seriously. “Dad said that too. So your protecting me makes you even more precious.”

“...” Bai Lu said. “Don’t fall in love with me. It leads nowhere.”

“……”
A few seconds passed.

Then Bai Lu apologized first. “Sorry. Just kidding.”

“This joke wasn’t funny at all,” Qiao Qianyi snapped, squeezing Bai Lu’s neck in a mock-threatened way. “Bai Lu, you have to be my friend!”

“...I refuse. Are you going to choke me?”

“Yes.”

Bai Lu smiled brightly. “Then we shall be lifelong best sisters!”

Qiao Qianyi’s face darkened, and her hands gradually tightened.
Bai Lu said quickly, “I was joking, I was joking!”

Qiao Qianyi said, “I’ll just choke you to death.”

As they tussled, Li Huan knocked on the door. “Xiao Lu, Qiao Qiao, wake up and come have breakfast.”

Qiao Qianyi reached out and held her again. “Bai Lu, some things don’t need Dad to tell me. I know them. If you don’t truly care about me, you don’t have to say those thankless things.”

Bai Lu tapped her head once. “No more nonsense. Let’s go eat.”

Qiao Qianyi obediently let go, then asked, unable to keep quiet, “Bai Lu, you clearly dislike me. Why are you being so good to me?”

Bai Lu smiled slightly. “Because I pity fools.”

Qiao Qianyi: “I’m going to kill you!!!!”

But after saying it, Bai Lu bolted away.

Qiao Qianyi ran after her, only to be intercepted by Li Huan, who stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth. “Sit down and eat quietly, dear.”

Li Huan: “Xiao Lu, don’t make a fuss either. Sit and eat.”

Qiao Qianyi: “Mm-hmm.”

Bai Lu: “Got it.”

That was probably what a father’s authority felt like.

The Water House provided free breakfast: only eggs and bread.
But the portions were generous enough, even a man could get full.

In the car, Bai Lu and Qiao Qianyi layered on sunscreen again and again.
To sleep a little longer, both of them had gone out after only washing their faces.

Unlike Shen Xinluo and Liu Nana, whose makeup looked polished enough to walk into an award ceremony at any moment, Bai Lu’s composure was truly enviable.
Only a girl can know how terrifying the discipline is to get up early every day and do makeup.

Most of the tasks had been completed by the sea yesterday.
The remaining tasks were at the check-in sights.

According to the plan, today’s checkpoints were not mandatory task spots.
The group’s schedule was light.
They could slow down and truly enjoy nature’s carved-and-burnished beauty.

A small disagreement broke out during lunch.
Liu Nana wanted to eat at a restaurant in the scenic area, since she had been there before and liked several of its dishes.

Di Jiale swallowed and said, “The food’s good, but the portions are small. If you want to get your fill, it’ll cost quite a lot.”

It looked like Di Jiale had also eaten there and liked it very much.
Bai Lu added, “And if you dine inside the scenic area, they tack on an extra 20 percent service fee. Not worth it.”

Lin Ye said, “They charge twenty percent? Is this a scam?”

Bai Lu looked at the idiot with kindness. “It’s permitted by law.”

Lin Ye was shocked for a full year. “Is that really true?”

“It is.” Miss Qiao, who travels abroad a lot, nodded. “In most foreign scenic places, they add extra service charges. Depending on local laws, it can range from ten to thirty percent.”

Liu Nana was a little displeased. Because of work, it had been a long time since she had eaten at that restaurant, and she had been looking forward to coming here today.

Bai Lu thought for a moment. “That restaurant has another branch in the city, and there’s no extra service fee there. If Sister Nana wants it, we can drive into town and eat.”

Liu Nana smiled brightly. “If we drive back to town for one meal and then drive back again to continue checking in the sites, the gas isn’t cheap either, right?”

Bai Lu calculated silently. “Even so, it would still be cheaper.”

Liu Nana laughed prettily. “Then let’s drop it. I’m sorry, but I don’t want one person to inconvenience the whole group. The minority should follow the majority. I’ll follow everyone.”

The words sounded reasonable, yet they seemed quietly aimed at Bai Lu.
Bai Lu gave a sweet smile and said no more.

Unsurprisingly, the stream’s comments ripped apart again.
No—the truth is, since yesterday the comment war in the live room had never stopped.