I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Drinking With Yang Mingxia

Just before they could fully seal together, a hand suddenly darted between the doors. The safety sensor immediately detected the obstruction, forcing the heavy doors to slide open once again.

"Hah... Made it just in time!" A young man’s loud voice exclaimed from the lobby. "Hey, hurry up, you guys!"

Qiao Meixia soon heard several sets of hurried, echoing footsteps approaching the elevator bank. Four finely dressed young men quickly filed into the elevator cabin one after another. The last person to step inside suddenly paused dead in his tracks the exact second his eyes landed on Qiao Meixia standing quietly in the corner. That man was Yin Jiehao.

"Oh..." Yin Jiehao looked at her in pure, unmistakable surprise.

Qiao Meixia merely glanced at his face briefly before returning her dark gaze to the glowing floor indicator above, showing zero intention of initiating small talk or greeting him.

Yin Jiehao hesitated for a brief second before quietly stepping further inside the cabin. The elevator doors sealed shut once again. Neither of them spoke a single word as the cabin ascended in quiet tension.

Ding!

The elevator soon reached its designated floor. Everyone stepped out onto the plush carpeted corridor together.

Qiao Meixia walked away without looking back once, her tall, slender posture relaxed and unhurried.

Only after her figure had moved a considerable distance down the hallway did one of the young men casually sling an arm over Yin Jiehao’s shoulders with a sly grin.

"Hey, Jiehao." His friend grinned mischievously, nudging him. "Spill the details! Do you actually know that gorgeous girl?"

"Yeah, man." Another friend immediately chimed in from behind. "We all saw that shocked reaction on your face the moment you walked into the elevator."

"Exactly!" A third friend laughed, crossing his arms. "Don’t even bother trying to lie your way out of this one."

Yin Jiehao immediately waved both hands in rapid denial.

"No, no, absolutely not. I don’t really ’know’ her." Yin Jiehao explained honestly, rubbing his neck. "I have simply run into her a few times at my apartment complex. She happens to live in the exact same building, so we occasionally cross paths inside the elevator. That’s literally the extent of it. There’s nothing going on between us."

"Oh... So she is your neighbour!" One of them nodded in sudden understanding.

"I can’t exactly call her a regular neighbour." Yin Jiehao corrected him with a wry smile. "She owns the mega-penthouse on the top floor of my building."

"The top-floor penthouse?" Another friend’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Are you serious? Who on earth is she? Almost nobody in this entire city has the capital to afford that property."

"I know almost nothing about her background. I only started seeing her around the complex recently. Before a few days ago, I had never seen her face around the city." Yin Jiehao shook his head helplessly.

"Still..." One of his friends rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking back down the empty hallway. "She looks insanely cool. That sharp, dark style suits her aura perfectly."

"Maybe she is just a spoiled heir from one of those newly rich nouveau riche families." Another friend guessed casually, shrugging his shoulders.

Yin Jiehao immediately shook his head, shooting his friend a sharp look.

"Don’t forget..." Yin Jiehao reminded them in a low voice. "She has full, unescorted access to this place’s underground private parking garage. Do you honestly believe that obtaining a high-tier membership card to the Huangmei Clubhouse is something an ordinary nouveau riche person can pull off?"

"Maybe she is just borrowing a family member’s membership card for the night." The friend suggested weakly.

"That’s completely impossible here. Membership cards at Huangmei cannot be transferred or lent out to anyone under any circumstances. The registered primary member has to be physically present at the checkpoint for biometric verification." Yin Jiehao smiled helplessly, shaking his head at their ignorance.

The other three young men exchanged stunned, silent glances before nodding in sober understanding.

"Anyway, forget it." Yin Jiehao waved his hand dismissively, ending the interrogation. "We are completely wasting our time standing around gossiping about someone none of us actually know. Let me lead the way to the VIP suite we booked."

"Fine, fine."

"Let me order the drinks!"

The four young men finally dropped the subject and headed down the corridor toward their reserved private room. Meanwhile, deep within another exclusive section of the clubhouse, Qiao Meixia had already vanished into a private suite, entirely unconcerned that she had once again effortlessly become the central topic of discussion among the city’s wealthy elite.

As soon as Qiao Meixia stepped across the threshold into the opulent private suite, a slender figure immediately rushed forward and wrapped her in a tight, affectionate hug. Rather than instinctively reacting with a defensive strike or pushing the intruder away, Qiao Meixia remained completely motionless. The subtle, familiar scent of high-end French perfume told her precise identity before she even looked down.

"My dear Meixia, I missed you so much!" Yang Mingxia exclaimed dramatically, tightening her embrace around her friend’s shoulders.

"So... where exactly did you vanish off to this time?" Qiao Meixia asked softly, gently patting Yang Mingxia’s head with a rare trace of indulgence.

"I had an emergency high-fashion photoshoot in Paris." Yang Mingxia finally loosened her tight grip and stepped back, smoothing down her designer outfit.

"Oh..." Qiao Meixia responded with her signature calm.

She walked casually over to one of the plush velvet armchairs and sat down, crossing her long legs. Yang Mingxia immediately followed suit, gracefully settling into the seat directly opposite her.

"But still..." Yang Mingxia pouted unhappily, resting her cheeks in her hands. "That stubborn man followed me all the way across the continent again."

"Who?" Qiao Meixia raised an eyebrow.

"Don’t tell me you honestly don’t know who I am talking about!" Yang Mingxia glared at Qiao Meixia in mock annoyance.

Qiao Meixia stared back at her with an entirely expressionless face.

"Of course he followed you abroad. He is your personal talent manager." Qiao Meixia stated in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.

"Hmph! Fine... fine!" Yang Mingxia huffed, waving her manicured hand dismissively. "Let’s stop wasting our breath talking about him."

She leaned forward across the marble table, her bright eyes sparkling with sudden, intense curiosity. "So... tell me everything. How has your life been in this city recently?"

"I have been attending high school." Qiao Meixia answered plainly.

Yang Mingxia blinked rapidly, processing the information.

"Oh... Are you going there as a visiting lecturer?" Yang Mingxia guessed, leaning back slightly. "What subject are you teaching? Advanced Fine Arts? Painting?"

Qiao Meixia slowly shook her head.

"No. I am attending high school as an ordinary student." Qiao Meixia explained.

"What?!" Yang Mingxia stared at her in utter disbelief, her mouth hanging open before she leaned dramatically over the table. "You... you are actually going to school as a student?!"

"What?" Qiao Meixia tilted her head slightly. "Is that really such earth-shattering news to you?"

"Of course it is!" Yang Mingxia gasped without a second of hesitation. Then, mid-sentence, she suddenly paused as a sudden realisation struck her mind. "Wait a minute... How old are you again, my dear?"

"I am seventeen." Qiao Meixia reminded her flatly.

Yang Mingxia dramatically slapped her own forehead with her palm.

"Right..." Yang Mingxia muttered under her breath before bursting into a fit of helpless laughter. "At your actual age, you should indeed be sitting in a high school classroom."

She suddenly erupted into another round of loud, uncontrollable giggles, leaning back into her chair.

"But still... just imagine all those high-level international figures who have been desperately searching the entire globe for your true identity all these years! If those powerful organisations ever discovered that the terrifying legendary master they have been chasing is actually just a seventeen-year-old high school student..." Yang Mingxia laughed so hard that tears began gathering at the corners of her eyes. "I swear, I would give anything to watch the hilarious expressions on their faces!"

"No one will ever know." Qiao Meixia stated with cold, absolute certainty.

"Yes... yes... I know. My lips are sealed tight. I would not tell a soul." Yang Mingxia nodded repeatedly, wiping away a tear.

She let out a soft, affectionate sigh, her gaze softening as she looked at her friend.

"You really can’t blame me for being shocked, though. If you had not explicitly mentioned your numerical age just now, I would have completely forgotten about it. You have never acted like an ordinary seventeen-year-old for even a single second." Yang Mingxia smiled warmly. "Since you are finally getting a chance to experience normal high school life, just enjoy the quiet ride while it lasts."

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***

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