Chapter 1396: Matters Between Best Friends, Men Should Stay Out Of It

The consequence of dreaming too much is a lack of mental energy.

To keep her colleagues from worrying, Liu Xin'ai even went out of her way to apply light makeup.

Under her careful disguise, no one noticed anything unusual about her.

And her disguise lasted until she returned to the Liu Family.

Lying in her bedroom, Liu Xin'ai let out a long breath.

This vacation was supposed to be relaxing, but she felt even more tired instead.

Just as Liu Xin'ai was closing her eyes and sighing, her phone rang.

Picking it up to take a look, Liu Xin'ai discovered the call was from Xu Xiaoxiao.

This softened her expression a little, and she answered the phone: "Hello?"

"Woman, how was your trip?"

Liu Xin'ai was somewhat surprised: "How did you know I went out?"

"Jiang Chenghao told me."

Hearing that name, Liu Xin'ai felt a bit dazed.

Then she sighed: "So he asked you after all."

"Yeah, and I even lectured him! This guy is too self-righteous, trying to boss you around regarding your own affairs—who does he think he is!"

Xu Xiaoxiao vented her dissatisfaction, and then realized...

Her emotions were a bit too agitated; it was a little strange.

To cover up this oddity, Xu Xiaoxiao gave a light cough and changed the subject: "You haven't said yet, did you have a good time?"

Liu Xin'ai could sense Xu Xiaoxiao's oddness.

But she didn't say anything, nor did she mention the little incident that occurred, only smiling faintly: "Overall it was quite good; if you're interested, you could go try it yourself."

"I'll pass, as long as you liked it."

Xu Xiaoxiao did not regret refusing Jiang Chenghao's unreasonable request.

But she was a little worried about Liu Xin'ai, afraid she hadn't enjoyed herself enough.

Now, hearing this positive assessment from the woman, Xu Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Then...

She stated another reason for making this call: "We have a psychology lecture at our school next weekend, do you want to come and listen?"

"You're an expert in psychology yourself, why go listen to someone else talk?"

"Hehe, what a coincidence, the keynote speaker for the lecture is me."

Liu Xin'ai felt slightly surprised, then curled her lips slightly and said with a smile: "Is that so? Then I definitely have to come show my support."

Actually, showing support was secondary...

Xu Xiaoxiao needed to give Liu Xin'ai a heads-up: "There's one thing I didn't tell you; I've taken your situation as a case study and plan to share it at the lecture. Of course, it will definitely be anonymous, only discussing the condition, nothing else. If you find it hard to accept, I'll cut this case out."

Liu Xin'ai didn't have much of a reaction; she felt it was no big deal and readily said: "As long as you don't expose my privacy, go ahead."

"Then you can rest assured, it definitely won't involve privacy! So come listen next weekend, and take the opportunity to admire my extraordinary charm!"

Xu Xiaoxiao was full of confidence.

That free-spirited attitude even influenced Liu Xin'ai in an invisible way, and she said with a smile: "Remember to save me a seat."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely find you one with the best view!"

The two chatted for a few more sentences, then hung up the phone.

The moment she lowered her phone, Liu Xin'ai wiped the smile from her face.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, suddenly feeling a bit envious of Xu Xiaoxiao.

If she could be this free-spirited... perhaps many of her troubles wouldn't exist.

Xu Xiaoxiao's lecture was held in the auditorium of the school where she worked.

Quite a few people came to listen to the lecture.

Ten minutes before it started, it was already packed, and no empty seats could be found.

If Xu Xiaoxiao hadn't reserved a front seat for Liu Xin'ai in advance, she would have been afraid she'd have to stand in a corner to listen.

While Liu Xin'ai sat there, she could hear the people next to her talking about Xu Xiaoxiao.

Everyone said she was a very excellent teacher with a lot of personal charm, and the students all liked her very much.

Such praise made Liu Xin'ai involuntarily reveal a smile.

In her heart, she was still happy for Xu Xiaoxiao.

The lecture started on time.

And as the keynote speaker, Xu Xiaoxiao was full of spirit.

Her lecture content was also witty, humorous, and engaging.

Only...

Just as it was getting exciting, the equipment suddenly malfunctioned, and the speakers stopped producing sound.

Helplessly, the lecture had to be paused.

This caused some people to start complaining:

"What's going on? I was just getting hooked!"

"This equipment is such a drag, can't the school replace the batch!"

"Last time an old professor held a lecture, this same problem happened; how much does this affect our school's image?"

The people around were chattering away.

Liu Xin'ai only noticed someone whispering something to Xu Xiaoxiao.

Xu Xiaoxiao's expression was clearly stunned for a moment, and in the end, she even walked toward the backstage area with the other person.

Seeing this scene, Liu Xin'ai thought for a moment and also stood up.

Having already reached the backstage, Xu Xiaoxiao discovered that the originally bustling backstage was now left with only one person.

That person stood with their back to Xu Xiaoxiao, their whole body exuding an aura of "keep away."

Yet Xu Xiaoxiao's attitude toward that person was very familiar, and she even said, "Why are you here? Don't tell me you also came to listen to my lecture?"

This was just a joke.

But Qin Yiyan turned around slowly and actually admitted it: "I happened to see the promotion for your lecture, got curious, and came to take a look."

When Qin Yiyan saw the promotion, he knew that Liu Xin'ai would definitely come too.

In order to have a chance encounter, he had specifically cleared his schedule.

But...

What had he just heard!?

Qin Yiyan suddenly became very angry; he opened his mouth and issued an accusation: "Xu Xiaoxiao, and here I thought you were a good friend of Xin'ai's, but it turns out you took her experiences and used them as material for your lecture!!"

Xu Xiaoxiao was startled by his loud voice.

Patting her chest with her small hand, she said with a confused look: "What are you yelling for? It was just a discussion of a medical condition, it didn't involve personal privacy! Besides, my choice was made with Xin'ai's permission."

Qin Yiyan felt that this didn't prove anything.

He understood Liu Xin'ai too well.

And Xu Xiaoxiao also understood Liu Xin'ai very well.

It was possible that she was deliberately exploiting Liu Xin'ai's sympathy!

At the thought of this possibility, Qin Yiyan's face grew even gloomier.

He opened his mouth and rebuked: "Getting Xin'ai's permission only proves that she is kind! But you are now using her kindness to achieve your own goals! Go and apologize to Xin'ai right now!"

Apologize?

This man really likes to be self-righteous!

But wait a minute...

Xu Xiaoxiao thought of something, and she frowned as she questioned: "The sudden malfunction during the lecture, it wouldn't have anything to do with you, would it?"

Qin Yiyan was quite frank: "Yes, it was me who had people do it."

His admission made Xu Xiaoxiao feel angry!

She clenched her fists and protested: "You really don't know how to respect people at all!"

"Then did you respect Xin'ai?"

"Whether Xin'ai was being forced or not, I can feel it! You guys, on the other hand, are really more self-righteous than the last! From now on, you men don't need to interfere in the affairs between us friends!!"

Xu Xiaoxiao's counterattack made Qin Yiyan realize something.

Li Beijue's expression darkened instantly, his deep eyes cold as ice, staring fixedly at Jiang Baobao as if he could see right through her.