Chapter 177: Even Best Friends Have Their Own Little Thoughts.

"Qin Yunhe, how did you know?"

Su Qingwan remained silent for a few seconds before speaking up. She wasn't afraid that her best friend knew that Xu Lin was a fake boyfriend.

What she feared more was how her best friend could know.

If Xu Lin had told her, why would he?

Especially after she had caught the scent of the same shampoo from him last time. If it were true... she was really unsure how to face it.

But surprisingly, Qin Yunhe remained calm, sitting beside her with a smile on her face.

"Hey, don't be afraid, I won't tell anyone else. That you are an old cow eating a young grass."

"Who's the old cow?!"

Su Qingwan laughed and shouted, but she also felt relieved. Did Sister Qin not know their relationship was fake?

"A couple of days ago, when we busted that scam ring, Xu Lin was there too. After the case was closed, he had to sign some documents."

"That's how I found out he's a little trickster. But, Wanwan, I know you like younger guys, but this one is too young."

"Qin Yunhe!" Su Qingwan blushed, lightly patting Qin Yunhe's shoulder.

"Hahaha, just kidding. I just find it fascinating how you fell for someone so young."

"But be careful, if the school finds out, it'll be hard to explain your relationship with him."

"I know." It was fake anyway, so why hide it from sister Qin? She could have told her, right? Even though sister Qin knew her parents, she wouldn't tell them, would she?

Qin Yunhe, on the other hand, was relieved in a different sense. Su Qingwan just wanted to keep her lack of a boyfriend to herself. Her and Xu Lin's relationship was fake, but her own feelings were real.

Luckily, she reacted quickly. It wasn't just about the difference in age between her and Xu Lin; it was also because she believed Su Qingwan's feelings for Xu Lin weren't just those of a teacher for her student. She was afraid that once revealed, it wouldn't be good for Su Qingwan on many levels.

As her friend and confidante, she wanted to wait for the right moment to talk to her about it. But she couldn't wait too long.

If Su Qingwan found out on her own, it might create some distance between them, and she didn't want that.

"By the way, sister Qin, what brand of shampoo do you use?" Su Qingwan remembered the last time and tried again.

"I can't remember. I just grabbed a bottle from the supermarket last time and thought it was good?"

"It smells nice. I saw short hair in your bathroom that day, from a guy, right?"

Qin Yunhe immediately thought about it. Xu Lin didn't have very short hair, so it couldn't be him. But why was Wanwan asking?

"Where would male hair come from? You're asking strange questions."

"I don't believe it. You definitely have a boyfriend now, hiding it. It's different for me, but you can't possibly go for a young guy, right? I remember you don't like young guys."

"Su Qingwan, do you have nothing better to do than gossip about me all day? Even if I have a boyfriend, so what?"

"Then I congratulate Uncle, you finally decided to find someone. Otherwise, your dad and mine always suspect there's something between us."

Su Qingwan's sudden whimsical idea of using Xu Lin as a shield stemmed not only from the issue with Jia Qing's father but also from the fear of her parents of her running away with Qin Yunhe. She felt silly at first but later realized it was necessary.

She had many friends, but her closeness with Qin Yunhe was exceptional, almost like sisters.

They talked about everything, knew each other inside out. Now, with this hidden situation, she didn't want to see it.

"Perfect, if we have something, I won't need to find a partner."

"Sister Qin, you couldn't possibly be..."

"What do you think?"

"No, I really think you have a boyfriend now!"

"Alright, alright, I do have a boyfriend." Su Qingwan's questioning led Qin Yunhe to surrender.

"You're so quick to agree, I'm starting to think it's fake."

Su Qingwan looked at Qin Yunhe's casual demeanor and wondered if she had misjudged.

"Wanwan, you're something else."

"Hehe, sister Qin, but if you have a man, you have to introduce him to us, let the sister see."

"Okay, I promise you."

"Yeah, we'll always be good sisters, right?" Su Qingwan extended her hand and held Qin Yunhe's hand.

"Yes, of course!" Qin Yunhe teased her but sounded surprisingly serious.

"Women's 500 meters, first group ready, second group also ready."

The loudspeaker outside interrupted them, and they both got up to look outside. They saw the track already cleared, with students not participating gathered around the field.

On the inner circle, 30 girls were ready on the track, and one girl in the prep area immediately caught Qin Yunhe's attention.

"That Ji Yun girl from your class is really pretty! Stands out from the crowd."

"Yeah."

"Aren't you worried your Xu Lin will run away?"

"Not at all."

The two watched, and Qin Yunhe scanned around, then spotted a lazy figure, unintentionally smiling.

"Sister Qin, what are you so happy about? Seeing something?"

"Not happy, I found Xu Lin."

"He should be in the 1000 meters later, after the 500 meters for both boys and girls, then the 100 meters, and finally the 1000 meters."

"Why don't you go cheer for your class?"

"There are too many people down there, can't squeeze through. Watching from above is fine. Sister Qin, why aren't you on duty?"

"I'm here to supervise their duties. I don't need to participate. This is also a reward for just solving a case."

"You mean you didn't reward Xu Lin at all?"

"We need to wait for the case to be thoroughly reviewed before visiting him and appearing in the news. Commendations and such are postponed, also for his safety."

"If it's related to safety, then he shouldn't go on TV."

"We'll see what he wants then. By the way, let me tell you something to be cautious about."

"Yeah?"

"Today I met a CEO with a child, very familiar with your Xu Lin. Be careful, sugar mamas are appealing."

"Sugar mama?"

"Yes, that Ms. Ye, today I saw Xu Lin having dinner with them."

She hadn't properly questioned Xu Lin about why they were together so early in the morning. But informing Wanwan would give her some tension.

But Su Qingwan just nodded without any reaction, which was odd. Could it be that Wanwan actually didn't like Xu Lin at all?

Could it be that she had been overthinking all along? Impossible, impossible, she was usually very observant about people!

"In the evening, he will come to my house for dinner, I'll definitely give him a good scolding!"

"He will go to your house for dinner?" Qin Yunhe couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, but she suppressed her emotions.

I was thinking about when to bring him home for dinner, to deal with my dad. But here you are, stealing my thunder!

We're close with both sides, but you can't have one husband serving two masters, that's asking for trouble!

But Qin Yunhe didn't blame Xu Lin; Xu Lin had explained to her that he was just being a shield to deflect arrows, mainly to deal with Su Qingwan's parents.

For the sake of her friend's stability, she had to endure this once.

"The race has begun."

Su Qingwan interrupted her thoughts with a pat, and they both watched as thirty girls dashed out at a fast pace!

But after a dozen meters, they all slowed down. Then at the 100-meter mark, half of the girls started walking, which made Qin Yunhe burst out laughing.

"This is too real, but shouldn't they at least start walking at 200 meters, not 100..."

"Girls are like that. If I go up, at most I'll walk the 200 meters."

"And you say that? You should exercise, or you might end up unwanted." Qin Yunhe went up and pinched Su Qingwan's belly.

"Ah! Qin Yunhe! Haha, don't touch my stomach... It's just soft, not fat."

"Fat can serve as padding."

"What padding?"

"You'll understand later."

As they chatted, the first-place finisher finally appeared, a not-so-tall girl won the first round of the 500-meter race.

The teacher recorded the information of the first-place finisher, and the second group began to prepare.

"Here comes the pretty sister from your class."

"Yeah."

At this moment, Ji Yun stepped onto the track and suddenly felt less nervous.

Because she had just witnessed the performance of the other girls, her confidence soared.

"Senior Bai, do you have confidence?"

"I'm not very good at running." Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head.

After Ji Yun finished speaking, she also raised her head and looked around, searching for Xu Lin, but she didn't see him in the end.

There were many students cheering for their classmates, and some were cheering for her too.

But she didn't hear Xu Lin's voice, still feeling a bit disappointed, although it might be because he couldn't squeeze in, she couldn't blame him.

As the students from the previous group all finished running, their second group also took their positions and prepared.

"Ji Yun, Bai Xiaoxiao, come on!"

Just as the whistle blew, a familiar voice suddenly rang in their ears, shouting very loudly. Ji Yun and Bai Xiaoxiao looked over to see.

They couldn't see the person, only an arm waving in the crowd, looking a bit cute.

Ji Yun also smiled, took a deep breath, and then looked at Bai Xiaoxiao, whose face was red from being called out.

"He's shouting encouragement, so we have to at least get the top two!"

"Yeah!"