Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 81 Parting on bad terms
"you……"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yexue was taken aback, clearly realizing that Qiu Yuecheng had hit the nail on the head.

After a moment of surprise, she nodded and said, "As you said, could you temporarily pretend to be my boyfriend and help me get through this?"

This was the best excuse she could think of; she simply couldn't bring herself to say what she truly felt.

If she were to tell Akizuki Makoto that she had brought this upon herself and caused her family to misunderstand, wouldn't that be blatantly admitting that she liked him?
She absolutely refused to be seen that way by Akizuki Makoto, so she fabricated this lie to save face.

Upon closer examination, this lie makes perfect sense.

She suddenly started showing kindness to Akizuki Makoto; she had always been very aloof before, so there must be a reason for it, right?

Besides, doesn't Akizuki Makoto have feelings for her? He wouldn't refuse this request, would he?

Moreover, this is a brilliant plan that kills two birds with one stone. By pretending to be her boyfriend, she can flirt with him more unscrupulously, deepen their relationship, and make him fall hopelessly in love with her.

As for what to do after he falls hopelessly in love with her...

That's a story for another day.

In short, what's done is done, and she had no other choice but to do this. Otherwise, if Qiu Yuecheng told the truth to her family, she would definitely be punished by family rules again.

"President, isn't this inappropriate?"

Just when Ji Yexue thought everything would go according to her plan, Qiuyue Cheng's answer took her by surprise.

Akizuki Makoto looked troubled and sighed, "Pretending to be a boyfriend... it would be fine if it was just to deal with this once, but your family is obviously not someone you can just deal with once, right?"

"President, you should also know very well that once a lie is started, countless lies will be needed to cover it up."

"But lies are like landmines; once planted, they risk being detonated. Can you and I bear the consequences of such an explosion?"

Qiu Yuecheng spoke sincerely. If he agreed to pretend to be Ji Yexue's boyfriend, there would only be one consequence: the fake relationship would become real.

He wasn't confident in his own charm, nor did he think that Ji Yexue would fall in love with him later.

There are too many uncertainties in this kind of thing, and he has never liked gambling.

The real reason he was certain the charade would become real was because Ji Yexue was completely afraid to defy her family.

Therefore, in the end, she will definitely ask him to make the charade real, and he will become unable to escape because of his lies.

If they insist on escaping, they might anger the Ji Ye family, so the best course of action is to take advantage of the time before it gets too late and talk things out during dinner.

Actually, it's very simple. Just say that he and Ji Yexue are just ordinary friends, and that their feelings for each other need to develop slowly. Wouldn't that solve the problem?
He didn't think Ji Yexue's family members were difficult people to talk to.
What's more, Ji Yexue was deceiving him, setting up a classic virtual blind date. He was too embarrassed to call her out on it, lest she get angry.

In reality, it was all Ji Yexue's fault; she was the one who made this mess.

At the time, her family simply thought she liked Akizuki Makoto, and since they were quite satisfied with that, they just wanted to meet him in person.

Who would have thought she was so concerned about her image, thinking she couldn't lose face in front of her family, and that she was being accused of having a one-sided crush on Akizuki Makoto.

Therefore, when getting into the car, she asked Akizuki Makoto to call her by her first name, and she did so in return.

This incident caused a misunderstanding between Himeya Ryushun and Mrs. Himeya, who thought that since the two of them were calling each other by their first names, their relationship seemed to be more than just friendship.

Moreover, Akizuki Makoto treated Hime Yuki very well, and when Hime Yuki Ryūjun was putting one down and praising the other, he still tried his best to protect her.

……

"President, I will explain to Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt later, Ruyi."

Before Qiu Yuecheng could finish speaking, Ji Yexue hurriedly interrupted, "No! You can't explain!"

In her opinion, what would happen if Akizuki Makoto explained?

Not only will she be punished by family rules, but Qiuyue Cheng might also be in trouble.

Her mother and father were alright; they could only helplessly blame her for being so immature.

But Grandpa wasn't so easy to talk to; his personality was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

He would fly into a rage if you touched on anything that didn't suit his taste.

She didn't even dare to imagine what the consequences would be if her grandfather, who valued honor and face above all else, found out that she had been tricked all along!

Seeing Ji Yexue's agitation, Qiuyue Cheng softened his tone and said softly, "President, please believe me. If you are punished because of this, I will share the consequences with you, no matter what they may be."

If this truly angers Himeya Ryushun and causes them to be punished, he would be willing to accept it.

Being punished is better than Ji Yexue's crazy idea.

One is temporary, the other is permanent; how could he not distinguish right from wrong?
"you……"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yexue was stunned.

Through the rising steam, she saw Akizuki Makoto's handsome face, filled with determination, as if he had truly made up his mind to do everything.

This inevitably threw her into a state of confusion, leaving her completely bewildered as to what Akizuki Makoto was thinking.

Didn't you say you admired her?
Why not agree to her request to pretend to be her boyfriend?
Isn't this a great opportunity?
And what's with that resolute expression?
This guy really only knows how to show off and act cool, and he's completely unaware of how terrifying Himeya Ryushun is.

"...Why won't you agree to my solution? Have you already seen through my lie?" Ji Yexue couldn't help but ask, already resigned to her fate.

"Have you already realized that the blind date I told you about was fake, just an excuse to convince you?"

"You're so smart. Why are you so smart? Since you've seen through me, why don't you just say it? What do you want from me?"

"You like me, right? If that's the case, just say yes. Do you think it's cool to say you want to share the burden with me?"

"Stop joking around, what are you trying to be cool for? Do you even know the consequences? Are you really prepared for that?"

Ji Yexue didn't even know what she was saying anymore. It was as if the pent-up frustration in her heart had finally exploded. She kept questioning Qiuyue Cheng, and could no longer maintain her pretense.

At this moment, she revealed her most authentic self to Akizuki Makoto.

Faced with Ji Yexue's repeated questions, Qiuyue Cheng simply nodded and uttered two words in a resolute tone.

"I have."

"……whatever."

Only then did Ji Yexue seem to give up. After uttering a single sentence, she slammed the screen shut and left in a huff.

Since things had already been said to this extent, and Akizuki Makoto still insisted on his own opinion, then she had nothing more to say.

"Sigh, things aren't as complicated as you think, President..."

Looking at the closed screen, Akizuki Makoto sighed softly and muttered to himself.

Afterwards, he came out of the bath and easily put on the crested haori hakama kimono that the Himeya family had prepared for him.

The kimono was also black, but perhaps considering his current status, it did not bear the crest of the Himeya family.

When Akizuki Makoto was in his hometown, he often wore kimonos, perhaps because it was a small island full of Showa-era charm.

Emerging from the exquisite Japanese-style room, the maid immediately bowed and led him to a Japanese-style room that was being used as a dining room.

When he arrived, only Ji Yexue's family was inside; Ji Yexue was nowhere to be seen.

The interior layout is similar to the main room, with seating arranged in a π shape, totaling five seats. Each seat has a low table in front of it, a very standard Japanese style.

When Mrs. Hime saw Akizuki Makoto enter, her eyes immediately lit up, and she said with a smile, "Oh my, what a handsome young man with such a spirited demeanor!"

"Thank you for preparing the kimono for me. I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

Akizuki bowed his head in greeting, and then went to sit down next to Himeya's father.

But just as he took a step toward that side, Mrs. Hime waved and said with a smile, "Come, sit here with me."

"Oh... okay."

Akizuki nodded, then turned and sat down next to Mrs. Himeya. He thought to himself that the seating arrangements of the upper class were truly unpredictable and baffling.

"Perfect timing, now that Xiaoxue isn't here, I can talk to you more."

After Mrs. Jiye watched as Akizuki Makoto sat down, she continued, "It's not good to just listen to you talk about your own childhood. Let me tell you some funny stories about Yuki when she was little."

"Sure, I'm very interested."

Akizuki Makoto laughed and listened attentively to what Mrs. Himeya was saying.

Of course, there wasn't much that was particularly interesting or funny; it was just about her upbringing and the achievements she had made.

They continued chatting like this until Ji Yexue pushed open the screen of the Japanese-style room and walked in.

Qiuyue Cheng subconsciously looked up.

At this moment, Ji Yexue also changed into a kimono, the same color as theirs, black, but it looked even more gorgeous.

The style is likely a furisode kimono, with the left half of the body covered in various flowers, including peonies, lilies, and bellflowers...

On the right side, there are only a few flowers and butterflies as decorations.

The most unique part of this kimono is the waistband.

The light yellow belt is wrapped with red rope and pink ribbon, and there is a blooming rose next to the ribbon, which looks very lifelike.

Perhaps to better conform to etiquette and beauty, she pinned her long, black hair back with a hairpin, highlighting her cool yet incredibly beautiful face.

Ji Yexue, her small feet clad in white tabi socks, slowly walked to Qiuyue Cheng's side and knelt down.

Upon seeing this, Akizuki blinked, as if he had just recovered from the stunning beauty.

To be honest, she truly lives up to her nine-point charm rating; her looks alone are incredibly captivating.

As a man with normal aesthetic sense, he had to admit that Ji Yexue's beauty was beyond compare, and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Of course, Mrs. Himeya, standing on the other side, was just as charming, but she was more gentle and intellectual, and not as brightly beautiful.

At the height of her youth, Ji Yexue's beauty was like the rose on her belt, blooming in full glory.

(End of this chapter)