DTBS - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Kitty at the Airport

When she got off the plane, the time in Tianhua City was 6 AM. Tao Qiuyun, who had slept the entire way, finally saw the WeChat messages Qin Qingshang had replied with.

【Big Cat: (Cat scattering flowers)】

【Big Cat: Looked at the flight info, CEO Tao arrives in Tianhua quite early. Will someone be picking you up?】

【Big Cat: (Cat peeking)】

【Big Cat: Need me to pick you up? I happen to be free this morning~】

【Big Cat: (Cat looking at phone)】

【Big Cat: (Cat getting up)】

The messages were sent quite far apart. The latest one was from five minutes ago.

【Tao Qiuyi: Okay! Sorry to trouble Miss Qin】

The reply came quickly, immediately followed by a "Cat driving" sticker. The corners of Tao Qiuyun's mouth lifted unconsciously.

Qin Qingshang wanted to pick her up. Did that mean she actually wanted to see her too?

"Qinqin's Mama, are you taking a taxi?" Chang Suiyou asked, pulling out her phone as she walked beside her. "Should we share a ride?"

"A taxi?" Tao Qiuyun pursed her lips, suddenly remembering something very important.

She had told Su Qingxiang to pick her up...

The next moment, her phone vibrated. A message from Su Qingxiang arrived:

【Su Qingxiang: (Parking garage photo) I'm here. Have you arrived?】

【Qiuqiu: Coming right away】

After sending the message, Tao Qiuyun put her phone away and turned to Chang Suiyou. "A friend is here to pick me up. Teacher Chang, why don't you join us? No need to take a taxi."

"Will having me along be too much trouble for your friend?" Chang Suiyou hesitated.

"No," Tao Qiuyun shook her head, leading her towards the elevator. "It's Su Qingxiang. I think you should be quite familiar with her."

"Oh, it's Miss Su," Chang Suiyou realized, following her steps. "She's always the one picking up Qinqin. She's beautiful, and the kids love to sneak glances at her. At first, they all thought she was Qinqin's mother. The other teachers and I heard them discussing it several times. Only after we explained did the children remember."

"She's very enthusiastic," Tao Qiuyun smiled. "Qinqin likes her a lot too."

"Miss Su is quite thoughtful. I noticed she carries band-aid and alcohol in her bag. Once, a child in the kindergarten fell, and she was the one who noticed and treated it," Chang Suiyou had a good impression of Su Qingxiang.

"She comes from a medical family, that's how they are." Tao Qiuyun pressed the elevator button. "She's witty, warm, and quite sociable. She takes the initiative to start conversations. Chatting with her is very pleasant."

She was deliberately striking up this conversation for a simple reason: she was about to ditch Chang Suiyou with Su Qingxiang, so it was best to say a few nice things first, lest Teacher Chang be frightened by the enthusiastic Miss Su.

Chang Suiyou nodded without replying.

Of course, she knew Su Qingxiang. In the novel's synopsis, she was the female lead's fiancée. Even after the female lead rejected the engagement, she remained devoted and even tried to set her (this character) up with the female lead... Clearly, although she had the identity of the former fiancée on the surface, she actually had the script of a supportive doctor friend.

After all, in novels, domineering CEOs always seemed to have a doctor friend.

Thinking of this, Chang Suiyou glanced at Tao Qiuyun a few more times. But this domineering CEO wasn't domineering at all.

All she could say was, thankfully, the domineering CEO in a Yuri novel was a normal person. If she had transmigrated into an old-fashioned romance novel and had to face those greasy, arrogant men, she probably would have gone crazy.

They smoothly found Su Qingxiang's Cayenne. Tao Qiuyun waved to her.

"Qiuqiu!" Su Qingxiang was about to greet her friend when she saw the woman beside Tao Qiuyun. "Ah? Teacher Chang? You're here too?"

"Miss Su," Chang Suiyou smiled. "Sorry to trouble you. Thanks to Qinqin's Mama, I get to hitch a ride in your Porsche today."

"No need to thank me, she was supposed to take you home anyway," Tao Qiuyun said. Seeing Su Qingxiang's confused look, she continued, "My wife is coming to pick me up. You can take Teacher Chang home."

Chang Suiyou raised an eyebrow slightly, saying inwardly to 032: "Huh? The sickly wife is actually coming to pick her up? Absence truly makes the heart grow fonder. 032, do you see the feelings between them?"

032: "After separating your relationship lines, the female lead's relationship line is moving, but yours shows no activity."

Chang Suiyou: "Is this something I can control? Can't we just let nature take its course?"

032: "Look at that forum system. Its host is progressing so quickly. You need to work harder."

Chang Suiyou: "..."

"Qiuqiu," Su Qingxiang stared at Tao Qiuyun. "You're really becoming less human, aren't you? I woke up so early just to..."

Tao Qiuyun pushed her gently, interrupting her, and whispered, "Teacher Chang is still here, watch your words."

"No, you messaged me to pick you up," Su Qingxiang whispered back in her ear. "And now your wife is coming too? Why didn't you say so earlier? I really made this trip for nothing!"

"If you take Teacher Chang, it won't be for nothing."

"You really know how to exploit your friends!"

"You don't need to worry about Qinqin's school run either. Is she still sleeping? My wife and I will take her when we get home."

"You're really something else!" Su Qingxiang narrowed her eyes. "Do you know the biggest difference between you and Big Bold?"

"I'm human?"

"A dog can never become human, but humans often choose not to act human. Like you right now."

Smiling while spitting out harsh words, Su Qingxiang eventually returned to her amiable appearance and looked at Chang Suiyou. "Come on, Teacher Chang, I'll take you home. Let's not suffer through their public display of affection. How about I take you for breakfast on the way? I know a really good place."

"Thank you for the trouble, Miss Su," Chang Suiyou said gratefully.

"Not at all, not at all, Teacher Chang. We're practically old acquaintances, don't be so formal." Su Qingxiang opened the car door for her and shot a glare in Tao Qiuyun's direction as she closed it.

Tao Qiuyun pretended not to see and waved goodbye with a smile.

"Did Miss Qin buy a car?" The woman asked as she sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"No, this is a crew car. It's going to be blown up, so I borrowed it for now."

Qin Qingshang turned on the indicator and started the car, saying cheerfully, "Speaking of which, Fuyao invested a lot. Young CEO Tao specifically said he has plenty of funds, so we shouldn't worry about the budget. If we need to blow up cars, we blow up cars. What he wants are realistic, grand scenes."

Tao Qiuyun smiled faintly. "Mm."

Though she smiled, inwardly she cursed her "spendthrift little brother."

Chunjin Group had numerous brands under its umbrella, and the Tao family, being even older, had banks and automotive industries abroad. Tao Zhuohua was foolish enough to ask her for money just to let the crew buy cars. If he had just mentioned needing cars to her, they would have arrived with a wave of her hand. Why go through so many intermediaries? It was not only a waste of money but also time and energy.

He had managed the company for so long, how had his head still not gotten any smarter?

"Director Ning has complained more than once," Qin Qingshang remarked with some emotion. "She said if she had known earlier how loaded Fuyao was, she would have applied to make movies instead, shooting several to tell the story slowly."

[She wants to confess to you on stage when she wins the Best Actress award]

Her mother's unreliable guess suddenly popped into her mind. Although she knew Qin Qingshang didn't feel that way about her, Tao Qiuyun couldn't help but fantasize about that scene for a moment.

"Miss Qin, do you want to make movies?"

"Let's take it step by step," Qin Qingshang looked serious. "TV dramas and movies are different. Although I haven't tried movies, the directors I've worked with before said my face holds up on the big screen. So I think, if there's a good script and an invitation, I would still give it a try."

Tao Qiuyun nodded, not pursuing the topic further. Instead, she showed concern for the woman beside her. "Waking up so early on your rare day off, couldn't you sleep in a bit more?"

"I have to go for a morning run anyway, I'm naturally an early riser," the cat said proudly. "Even though I've been filming late recently, I take long naps, so I'm not very tired."

She glanced at Tao Qiuyun. "What about CEO Tao? Did you sleep the whole flight?"

"Mm," Tao Qiuyun nodded. "I slept for quite a long time, so I'm very energetic now. I feel like I could attend meetings all day."

"Ah, this road leads to your house. Should I take you to Chunjin?" Qin Qingshang reached for the navigation system.

"Let's go home first," Tao Qiuyun stopped her. "Qinqin is still sleeping. We'll go home first. If Miss Qin has nothing planned this morning, we can take her to school together. Of course, you don't need to get out of the car, I'll take her in."

"Isn't Miss Su taking Qinqin?" Qin Qingshang knew that Su Qingxiang had been taking care of the daughter while Tao Qiuyun was away. Because of this, she had always had a good impression of Su Qingxiang.

"She... she went to eat with friends," Tao Qiuyun sold out her friend effortlessly. "I heard it's a very popular breakfast place, hard to get a reservation."

This was true; she knew which restaurant Su Qingxiang was talking about, so she wasn't exactly deceiving Qin Qingshang.

"Is that so~" The cat nodded.

When the two arrived home, they found their daughter had already washed up with Big Bold's help.

The large dog carried a small plastic stool in its mouth, swaggering out of the bathroom. Seeing the two masters at the door, it dropped the stool leg and ran over, wagging its tail.

"Woof!" You're back! You're back!

"I misunderstood you before," Tao Qiuyun crouched down, rubbing the dog's head. "You're very smart."

"Woof woof~" Of course, I'm no ordinary dog!

"Mama!" Seeing the two at the door, the little cub ran over quickly, crashing into Qin Qingshang's arms. "I missed Mama~"

"You didn't miss this Mama?" Tao Qiuyun reached out and tugged the little cat's arm, making her presence known.

"Ah, Bad Mama is back too!" The little one clapped her hands as if she had just noticed her.

Tao Qiuyun: "..."

I'm such a large person, standing right in front, and you only see me now? Who are you kidding!

Ignored by the precocious little cat, Tao Qiuyun pulled her out of Qin Qingshang's embrace and ruffled her hair. "Open your mouth, let me see if you brushed your teeth properly."

"Bad guy! Looking down on Qinqin, I'm ignoring you~" The little cat brushed her hand away and turned back to pounce into Qin Qingshang's arms. "Want Mama to hold me."

Seeing the little cutie rely on her so much, Qin Qingshang hugged her, smiling brightly. "Okay, Mama will hold you. It's been a while since I saw Qinqin, Mama missed you too."

Watching the mother and daughter's expressions, Tao Qiuyun suddenly had the illusion that they were truly a family of three. She unconsciously said, "Since Qinqin has washed up, shall I go make breakfast?"

"No!" The little cat cried out loudly. "You can't cook!"

"Baby," Qin Qingshang turned her around to face her, looking into her eyes. "Be a good baby who listens to Mama. Don't be so fierce towards Mama, okay?"

"Wuwuwu, Mama, it's not that Qinqin wants to be fierce to Bad Mama," the soft little cat buried herself in her arms, her voice tinged with tears. "It's just that her cooking is so bad, Mama, you'll die if you eat it."

Tao Qiuyun: "..." It wasn't that terrifying.

"It won't be," Qin Qingshang coaxed her. "Qiuqiu Mama's knife skills are so good, her cooking probably isn't too bad. Besides, even if it's not delicious, practice makes perfect. Qiuqiu Mama needs to practice more."

"That's right, I've been studying recipes carefully," Tao Qiuyun nodded, seriously telling Tao Aiqin, "I'm not the same person I was before."

Seeing Qin Qingshang wasn't convinced, Tao Aiqin could only let out a delicate little hmph, allowing Tao Qiuyun into the kitchen. Then she discreetly tapped the system:

"Sys, one bottle—no, two bottles of antidote, please. Thanks."

System: "Why don't we trust her first? What if she really has improved?"

Tao Aiqin: "You don't understand. Her skill level is practically a curse from heaven. Making food like that isn't something human effort can interfere with."

The system was puzzled and asked studiously, "What do you mean?"

Tao Aiqin: "Her level... it feels like something an ordinary person couldn't achieve. It's like God opened all the other doors for her but specifically locked and welded shut the door to culinary arts."

"Right, I wanted to tell you something just now," the system sounded mysterious and a bit smug. "Do you want to know?"

"Mama," Tao Aiqin ignored the system, taking Qin Qingshang's hand. "Qinqin will show you my latest drawings~"

Qin Qingshang patted the little cat's head, smiling. "Okay, let me see if Qinqin has improved."

"Do you really not want to hear?" The system couldn't hold back anymore and confessed, "Alright, seeing as you're my first host, I won't keep you in suspense. The main system replied to that email."

"What did it say?" Tao Aiqin's expression turned serious. "Was something really wrong?"

"Something is wrong. Do you know what other identity Tao Qiuyun has besides being the background villain in this book?"

"Huh? She has two faces? Tell me more, what identity?"

"She's the female protagonist in another book by the same author. It's a Yuri novel, set in the same world as this one."

Tao Aiqin's hand holding the drawing paper paused. She exclaimed inwardly, "Anyone seeing this would say Shift!"

The cat was shocked. "So Tao Qiuyun and Chang Suiyou are the two female leads in that book?"

"That's what the main system replied. But because you forcefully paired Tao Qiuyun and Qin Qingshang, it entangled the two books. Originally, Tao Qiuyun was just a background character here; her main stage was over there."

"My goodness gracious. I only have one question: what was the ending of that Yuri novel? Did Tao Qiuyun and Chang Suiyou end up together?"

"I don't know, the main system didn't provide that much detail."

"Then send an email and ask."

"Ah, is that really okay? Shouldn't we just focus on our task here? Chang Suiyou isn't affecting anything."

"Better safe than sorry. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!" Tao Aiqin insisted on her idea. "You ask. Whether the main system answers is its business, but whether I ask is mine. I want to ask!"

The system, intimidated by her, sent an email to the main system, adding a reminder, "The main system is very busy. It might be another month or two before we get a reply."

"It doesn't matter, I can wait." Tao Aiqin multitasked, chatting with the system while acting cute in front of Qin Qingshang.

"Sys, look at my acting skills. They're really getting quite polished."

The system expertly typed a "6" for her.

Without the little cat hovering and criticizing, Tao Qiuyun freely showcased her skills in the kitchen, making simple vegetable congee and frying two eggs.

Looking at the two cats huddled together whispering in the living room, Tao Qiuyun hesitated for a few seconds before finally deciding to taste it herself first.

Coincidentally, Big Bold trotted into the room, wagging its tail. The large dog stood up on its hind legs and, while the woman was lost in thought, quickly licked a mouthful of the congee from the bowl.

"You!" Tao Qiuyun was shocked.

Before she could pry the dog's mouth open, she saw the large dog suddenly freeze, sway unsteadily, then start hopping and jumping around before running to the little cat who was drawing in the living room.

The dog whimpered, looking utterly pitiful.

"Wuwuwu woof—" I'm gonna die, quick, save me! I shouldn't have been greedy.

Tao Aiqin patted the dog's head while having the system feed Big Bold a bottle of antidote.

"See? Serves you right for being greedy. It's one thing to eat the fruit salad she makes, but you dare to eat her cooked food? You really are Big Bold! Don't you value your life?"

"Woof!" Sob, thank you, I won't dare eat random things anymore.

Seeing the large dog acting coquettishly towards her daughter, Tao Qiuyun fell silent...

Why? I clearly followed the steps. Is there something wrong with the recipe?

In the end, she chose to take the cats out to find food.

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