I Conquered the Villain Boss Chapter 96
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 96: No Right To Choose
After waiting for half an hour, Qi Yao came out of the study and was immediately pulled to the side by Qi Yuan who was keeping watch at the door.
"Sister, Sister, let me tell you something!"
"Lower your voice." Seeing her sister's anxious expression, Qi Yao looked into the study. After making sure that their father had not been alarmed, she led Qi Yuan back to their room.
"What's wrong?"
"Look at this." Qi Yuan handed the phone to her sister. "That guy asked you to meet him tonight."
Glancing casually at her phone, Qi Yao corrected her, "He’s not asking to meet me, but you."
"Oh gosh, it doesn't matter who it is. You're the one going to the appointment tonight anyway."
Qi Yao, "..." Rubbing her temple as she felt a headache coming, she asked, "Can I not go?"
"No, you can’t." Qi Yuan said, "If you don't go, he’ll definitely complain to Dad about you. Maybe Dad will force you to spend time with him and cultivate feelings for him..."
The more she talked about it, the scarier it got.
Qi Yao sighed. "I know, I’ll go."
"Sister, not only do you have to go, you have to pretend to be like me in front of him. Otherwise, my cover will be blown the next time he sees me."
Qi Yao felt an even bigger headache coming. "I got it."
Pretending to be like Qi Yuan... was even more terrifying than letting her face a group of business rivals.
"Come on, Sister, let's practice smiling first. This time, you must smile more naturally, not as stiffly as last time."
"..."
……
That night, the moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and the breeze was warm and gentle.
After greeting her father and a group of uncles she knew, Qi Yao took a glass of champagne and wanted to go to the lounge to have some quiet time.
"Yao." Mr. Qi called her and fixed his eyes on one spot. He spoke to her in a low voice, "Your Uncle Chu is ill and didn't come. But Chu Yuan is here. Go talk to him."
"Father, I..."
"Qi Yao, don't be willful." Seeing her reluctance, Mr. Qi said coldly, "The marriage alliance with the Chu family is imperative. Now is not the time for you to throw a tantrum."
"... Yes, Father."
Throw a tantrum?
The girl walked along the way, greeting different people gracefully.
When did she ever throw a tantrum? When did she ever have the right to throw a tantrum?
Placing the champagne glass on the waiter's tray, the girl headed towards the back garden.
Since young, she had never had the right to choose what to like, what to desire, what path to take, and what kind of person to spend her life with... From the day she was born, her future had been arranged by her elders.
Unable to refuse or resist, she could only passively accept; being pushed by countless invisible hands, stumbling forward without even a chance to stop and take a breath.
–– The life that seemed glamorous to outsiders only brought her despair and suffocation.
Perhaps she was more emotional at night. When Qi Yao saw the man waiting in the corridor lined with wisteria, she completely ignored what her sister had told her. She had a cold expression and acted indifferent, as if to keep him at a distance.
"Nice to meet you again." Chu Yuan naturally noticed the girl's indifference and kept a polite distance from her. He greeted her politely, "I thought you wouldn't come."
"Didn't you send a WeChat message?" The guy's greeting seemed to her to be a test, and Qi Yao sneered. "Mr. Chu personally invited me, do I have any choice?"
"Erm, you mean that WeChat message?" Chu Yuan just smiled helplessly after being scolded by the girl. "My invitation is based on your attendance. Of course, you can choose not to come."
"I wish I could choose!" Qi Yao sneered. "If I could choose, I wouldn't come to a place like this!"
Chu Yuan was stunned. "Are you referring to the party tonight? Or... here?"
Qi Yao blurted out, "It's all the same!"
Chu Yuan, "..."
After the man fell silent, the atmosphere suddenly became more awkward.
In the silence, Qi Yao suddenly remembered her identity and the purpose of coming here tonight.
Nonetheless... she couldn’t do it.
She couldn't be like Qi Yuan and transform herself into another person without worries –– she couldn't smile as innocently as her sister, nor could she express her thoughts and demands as naturally as she did...
Rather than being the perfect heir of the Qi family, she was more like a complete loser.
Qi Yao let out a breath and was about to apologize and leave when she heard the man say calmly, "Actually, I don't really like attending gatherings in our circle –– a friend of mine just opened a bar. If you don't mind, shall we check it out together?"
Qi Yao, "..."
Just like that, the two people who were equally unwilling to attend the party sneaked out of the manor while no one was paying attention.
If her father learned about it, he would definitely reprimand her severely, right?
Along the way, this thought kept niggling at the girl.
Halfway through the trip, she even thought about turning back.
But in the end, she couldn't say any words of refusal.
When she arrived at the bar, heard the explosive music, and was bathed in the flirtatious lights, she completely forgot about the thought of going home.
The girl who grew up following her family's requirements had never been to a bar. It was her first time in a completely unfamiliar environment. She wasn’t timid at all. Instead, she felt that her long-imprisoned heart was completely freed.
In this place –– dim lights, loud music, lively crowds - no one cared who she was, and no one would tell her whether this was right or wrong.
She finally had some private time, even if it was very short.
"Why aren't you drinking?" The girl leaned over the bar and clinked her glass against the glass of the man next to her. "Come on, drink... You're not drunk, are you?"
"I'm not drunk, but you are." Chu Yuan found it funny to see the girl speaking incoherently. "You’re drunk, Qi Yao."
"I'm not drunk!" The girl rolled her eyes in an ungraceful manner. "I've been practicing my drinking capacity since I was a child. How could I be drunk?"
"Practice?" Chu Yuan was curious. "Does the Qi family also have to practice their drinking capacity?"
"Of course." Qi Yao took a sip of the wine in the glass and pursed her lips. "If you can drink well, you don't have to worry about being plotted against at the drinking table... That's what my father said."
"So, what else have you practiced?"
"Piano, violin, painting, modern dance, calligraphy... hiccups... I've practiced a lot of things."
Chu Yuan gave a sincere praise. "... Amazing."
"Haha, let me tell you a secret." The girl swayed closer to him, looked up at him, and said loudly in a whispering manner, "Actually, I don't like anything I practiced."
Chu Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at her. He smiled slightly, and said softly, "What do you like?"
"I like photography..." The girl's eyes were bright and charming when talking about her hobby. "I like to freeze beautiful things into a moment so that happiness can be preserved."
"Hmm." He chuckled. "That's a good idea."
"You agree too, right?" She was happy that someone agreed with her. "You think it's good too, right?" After being happy, she patted his chest cautiously. "This is my secret. Don't tell anyone else, okay?"
The girl said this and slid drunkenly into his arms.
Chu Yuan raised his hand and wrapped the girl in his arms. He said goodbye to his friends, and led the girl out of the bar.
"Where are we going?" The girl walked unsteadily but was in a very good mood. "Why don’t we go for a barbecue? Chu Yuan! Let's go for a barbecue!"
"... I'll take you home."
"Go home? I don’t want to go home! I want to have a barbecue! I can't have barbecue if I go home... Barbecue, barbecue!"
"I'll take you to a barbecue next time..."
"Next time? When is next time?"
"After you sober up."
"..."
……
Because of the hangover, Qi Yao woke up at noon the next day.
The girl sat on the bed with her mind a little blank. And for a moment, she couldn't remember what she had done the previous night.
"Sister~" Qi Yuan came in through the door, and seeing that her sister had woken up, she immediately threw himself on the bed, exclaiming excitedly, "Sister, you were quite something. You actually dragged Chu Yuan to have drinks, and got drunk –– you have my style, I give you a thumbs up!"