Chapter 193 - The Flirtatious Player

However, despite Chu Qianqian’s attempt at being comforting, Qingyi didn’t feel the slightest bit of kindness from her. Training together with her meant that even slacking off was out of the question. He glanced at Chu Qianqian before collapsing over the table in despair, his body going limp like a puddle, too weak to even prop himself up.

“Come on, Qianqian, please spare me~”

“No can do…”

Just as Mu Han walked out of Chu’s room, he was greeted by this scene. Unconsciously, a bit of amusement flickered in his eyes, and his expression softened as he asked, “What are you two talking about?”

The moment Qingyi saw Mu Han, he looked as if a savior had appeared before him. Without hesitation, he summarized everything that had just happened, dragging out the end of his sentence in a whiny tone as he pleaded, “You’ve got to help me talk to Qianqian. Can’t we just skip the whole weight control thing? Look at me-”

With that, Qingyi stood up and did a little spin in front of Mu Han, attempting to curry favor. “Look at this perfectly proportioned body of mine. I’m not the least bit fat, don’t you think? I think my weight’s just right, absolutely no need to change it. You must help me convince Qianqian to let me off the hook when it comes to running.”

As Qingyi rambled on, Chu Qianqian merely stood quietly to the side, arms crossed in front of her chest, her lips zipped shut, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “I’m just going to sit back and watch how you’re going to act this out.”

Truthfully, Chu Qianqian had no intention of interrupting. Although Qingyi was her agent, he was technically also an Artist under the company. And his older brother happened to be the company’s boss. If the boss made any solid decisions, there wasn’t much she could say to oppose him. Of course, she would still voice her opinion, albeit in a somewhat nagging manner.

Fortunately, while Mu Han was fond of Qingyi, his affection remained rational. He wouldn’t let one round of Qingyi’s whining sway his stance.

Standing from the perspective of the company, Mu Han ignored the pleading look in Qingyi’s eyes and stated calmly, “Haven’t seen you in over two weeks, and already you look noticeably heavier than the last time.”

The single word “heavier” instantly turned into thousands of sharp blades, piercing Qingyi’s not-so-fragile heart. Clutching his almost broken glass-like heart, Qingyi wore an expression of sheer disbelief and blurted out, “Are you even my brother?!”

Of course, a brother is still a brother. However, there’s a universal truth that everyone in China knows: “When a man has a girlfriend, he forgets his mother.” Similarly, the principle of “when a man has someone he likes, he forgets his younger brother” also holds true. Mu Han didn’t bother answering Qingyi’s question. Instead, he glanced at Chu Qianqian. When their eyes met, he didn’t look away. Lowering his voice deliberately, he said softly, “Chu Qianqian, you… you don’t need to worry about controlling your weight. You look too thin. For a girl, it’s better not to be too skinny.”

Chu Qianqian once read an offhand remark somewhere-maybe online or in a social media post-that went something like, “Most guys don’t really like girls who are too skinny because it doesn’t feel comfortable when you hug them.”

At this very moment, that sentence occupied her entire mind. Not to mention responding, she couldn’t even blink. She stood dazed for quite some time before belatedly snapping back to reality.

She fluttered her eyelashes a few times, and within just a few breaths, her entire face flushed crimson. It was as though the brilliance of the setting sun had spread across her cheeks. The color blanketed her face like fiery clouds streaking across the evening sky, painting everything beneath it in warm hues.

“You… you…”

Perhaps it wasn’t just her cheeks that had turned red. Her brain might have overheated too. It was as if the speech center in her mind had gone on strike. No matter how many times she opened her mouth, all she managed to say was the single word, “You.”

Mu Han, seemingly amused by Chu Qianqian’s reaction, softened his gaze and actually chuckled.

And that, without a doubt, was like adding fuel to the fire. The burning heat left Chu Qianqian feeling utterly dazed and flustered. The flames spread quickly; this time, it wasn’t just her head. She felt as if her entire body, every inch of her, was engulfed in a wave of heat and embarrassment.

Despite not wanting to show such girlish behavior, she couldn’t help but stomp her foot. Not daring to look at Mu Han’s expression, she turned and dashed upstairs in a panic, the sound of her hurried steps echoing through the stairwell.

Mu Han didn’t stop her, only watching as Chu Qianqian fled in disarray. His gaze lingered until her figure completely disappeared into the stairwell. Only then did he lower his eyes, where he immediately noticed an intense stare coming from the side. Turning to look, he met the gaze of his precious younger brother, Qingyi.

Qingyi’s expression was extremely complicated, his face filled with pure astonishment. It took him a long time to process what had just happened.

“Mu Han, I… I honestly never expected you to be this kind of person. I’ve really underestimated you!”

Qingyi was referring to all the times he had provided tips to Mu Han on how to impress Chu Qianqian.

“Seriously, how did I not realize before that you’re so good at flirty moves? That time at the airport, you were exactly like Mu-Ge had possessed you or something. I almost didn’t recognize you!”

“Heh, what nonsense are you spouting now?” Amused by Qingyi’s remarks, Mu Han sat down, resting his hands casually on the armrests, his expression entirely relaxed. He replied, “Don’t lump me together with Zou Mu. That guy may look the part, but in reality, he’s as naïve as they come!”

“Mu-Ge? Naïve?!”

Catching on to something intriguing in those words, Qingyi’s eyes widened behind his glasses. He leaned in close to Mu Han, his curiosity evident and his gossipy nature impossible to hide. “Mu-Ge… does this mean he’s finally met his so-called destined girl this time?”

Indeed, Zou Mu-who couldn’t resist stopping in his tracks whenever a beautiful woman was in sight-had always harbored one rather whimsical dream. Deep down, he longed to meet his destined girl.

This sentiment had always been a source of mockery among his close friends, but Zou Mu had held onto this dream for years, unwavering in his belief despite the ridicule.

As Mu Han’s beloved younger brother, cherished and protected like a precious treasure, Qingyi was naturally shielded from any close exposure to someone like Zou Mu, a self-proclaimed natural-born playboy. However, as the saying goes, “It’s hard to guard against the thief in your own home,” and during his teenage years, Zou Mu had all but treated the Mu Family like his second home. Madam Mu, charmed by the boy’s sweet-talking ways, had even taken him in as her godson. As a result, Mu Han’s well-intentioned efforts to keep his brother at a distance from Zou Mu had been rendered completely ineffective.

To Qingyi, Zou Mu was in every way a part of the family-a second older brother, so to speak.

Qingyi still vividly remembered the time during elementary school when he asked Zou Mu an earnest and hilariously naive question: “Why are you so fickle with girls, Zou Mu? The teacher says that men who are fickle are big radishes, and people will eat them up!”

Zou Mu, who was just a middle schooler at the time, had laughed uncontrollably at Qingyi’s innocent inquiry. But because little Qingyi had looked so solemn and serious when asking, Zou Mu had uncharacteristically chosen not to brush him off. Instead, he patiently explained, “It’s because I’m looking for my destined girl.”