CHAPTER 362: 362 TRUE BEST GIRLFRIENDS

(Thanks to friends 20171217135953921 and SATANFOUR for their support, and thanks to friends Xu Xu Ji Mo Leng 671112, JasonTsui80, and firebat1980 for their monthly tickets.)

After enjoying a sweet morning, Liu Banxia and Qiaoqiao started their day off with a trip to freeload some meals.

They were very familiar with Qiu Huaili’s house, as it was in the same residential complex. So, they went over early and frankly confessed their intentions.

This left Qiu Huaili and Wang Jingxian quite helpless; who could be so honest? However, it was precisely because Liu Banxia and Qiaoqiao were so straightforward that they all got along so well.

The lunch was naturally excellent. Not only did Liu Banxia and Qiaoqiao have a wonderful time, but even Tang Dou seemed very comfortable there.

Anyway, Tang Dou had no concept of politeness and would simply snatch Tiggie’s toys to play with them. Worried that Tang Dou might get lonely at home, Liu Banxia and Qiaoqiao decided to leave the dog there to play with Tiggie.

It was a good thing Tang Dou wasn’t thinking about finding a mate yet, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so at ease. If Tang Dou ended up producing a litter of Alaskan Malamute and Border Collie mixes, that would certainly be amusing.

Driving Qiaoqiao’s car, they headed straight into the city. Now that they had eaten and drunk their fill, the rest of their time was dedicated to shopping and then visiting Wang Xiaoyan.

"Are you sure you don’t want a car? I don’t know what else to get you as a gift," Qiaoqiao murmured.

Liu Banxia grinned. "What would I even do with it? Once I’m no longer chief resident and can actually come home at night, then you can buy me one. But don’t get anything too expensive—nothing over three hundred thousand. That’s my absolute bottom line."

He felt genuinely helpless. This sweet burden always launched a fierce assault on him during his days off. What else could he do? Three hundred thousand is practically nothing in Qiaoqiao’s eyes, he thought.

His initial bottom line had been a commuter car around one hundred thousand, but after Qiaoqiao repeatedly rejected his suggestions, the price tag had steadily climbed.

Qiaoqiao was still a bit reluctant, but there was nothing she could do. She knew Liu Banxia could be incredibly stubborn at times. Three hundred thousand it is then, she mused. Besides, he didn’t specify an out-the-door price of three hundred thousand. In her world, that amount truly wasn’t significant. She was completely smitten with Liu Banxia and wanted to buy him everything imaginable.

"Qiaoqiao, how many kids should we have in the future?" Liu Banxia asked casually.

"Get lost! I haven’t even agreed to marry you yet, and you’re already dreaming," Qiaoqiao glared at him, then guiltily turned her head away.

"Two daughters would be nice. They’d be my little cotton-padded jackets," Liu Banxia continued.

"I’d prefer two sons! Do I get any say in this?" Qiaoqiao retorted.

After saying it, she felt quite vexed. Drat, I fell for this guy’s trick and blurted out what I was really thinking!

"Alright, then let’s aim for one of each. Our daughter will be my little cotton-padded jacket, and our son can accompany you on shopping trips and things like that. Otherwise, I honestly don’t know how much free time I’ll have, and I’m afraid I won’t have as much time to spend with you," Liu Banxia said.

"Ugh, you’re so annoying! Whatever we have will be fine," Qiaoqiao said, giving him a sidelong glance.

In her heart, though, a little sweetness bloomed. Who cares what gender? We can just have one first and enjoy being parents.

Chatting away, they arrived at the building housing the fitness center. They first strolled through the martial arts gym, exchanging pleasantries with the people there, before heading to Wang Xiaoyan’s yoga studio.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in! What divine couple has graced me with their presence? Fancy you remembering this lonely old me," Wang Xiaoyan greeted them with a wide smile.

"Qiaoqiao, I have a feeling Yanzi and I share a certain fated connection," Liu Banxia said, stroking his chin.

"Damn it! If you dare make a move on Yanzi, I’ll cut you!" Qiaoqiao exclaimed, pinching him.

"You brute! Acting like a mother hen protecting her chicks. Do you really think he’s that kind of person?" Wang Xiaoyan said with a helpless sigh.

Liu Banxia shrugged. "What I meant was, Yanzi is practically our matchmaker. If Yanzi hadn’t bumped her head, you wouldn’t have cut your finger, and we naturally would never have met."

"That makes a bit more sense. Yanzi, our great matchmaker, want to come over and stay at my place tonight?" Qiaoqiao whispered, sidling up to Wang Xiaoyan.

"Oh, wouldn’t I be a massive third wheel then?" Wang Xiaoyan replied with a teasing smile.

"Nonsense! There are plenty of rooms, what are you afraid of?" Qiaoqiao said, her eyes widening playfully.

That was Qiaoqiao’s personality; when she got feisty, even Liu Banxia was a little intimidated.

"How many classes do you have this afternoon?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Two in the afternoon, one in the evening. Why? Planning to treat me to dinner?" Wang Xiaoyan inquired.

"Close. We’ll probably grab a late-night snack with you. We’re having dinner at their director’s house tonight. But those kinds of occasions don’t last long and aren’t very relaxed, so he’ll need to make up for it with something more enjoyable later," Qiaoqiao explained.

"Think about what you’d like to eat tonight, and we’ll get it for a late-night snack," Liu Banxia added.

"Oh my god, are you two deliberately trying to make me jealous? Why are you being so sickeningly sweet, finishing each other’s sentences like that?" Wang Xiaoyan groaned in exasperation.

"Huh? I didn’t even notice. When did we start doing that?" Liu Banxia asked, genuinely surprised.

Qiaoqiao looked a bit puzzled too. "Just occasionally, I think. Not all the time."

Wang Xiaoyan rolled her eyes. What can I even say to these two?

"How about we buy some meat and have a barbecue tonight?" Liu Banxia suggested.

"The supermarket in the complex has pre-skewered and marinated meat. We can just pick it up on our way home," Qiaoqiao replied.

"Still, we should message them in advance to set aside what we want," Liu Banxia chimed in.

This time, Qiaoqiao didn’t say anything, simply pulling out her phone and starting to text.

"Sigh..." Wang Xiaoyan let out a breath. "You two are truly a match made in heaven. You haven’t been together for very long, or even spent that much time together, yet you’re already so in sync. It’s enough to make anyone envious. Qiaoqiao, it’s like you held out for the grand prize, and now you’ve won it for life!"

"Hehe, that’s why I’m treating you tonight. If he’s not on a day off, you’re the only one who can keep me company. Jiaojiao’s work is so busy these days, I feel bad disturbing her," Qiaoqiao said, linking her arm through Wang Xiaoyan’s.

"Right. You feel too bad to disturb her, so you just single me out to pester instead!" Wang Xiaoyan retorted, pinching Qiaoqiao’s arm playfully. "Let me tell you something: Zhou Yang’s girlfriend also practices yoga here. She’ll be here later, so don’t fly off the handle. Jiaojiao has already moved on, you know."

"Damn! Seriously? When did this happen? How come I didn’t know?" Qiaoqiao instantly flared up.

"Calm down, Your Majesty, we can talk this through nicely," Liu Banxia said quickly, starting to massage Qiaoqiao’s shoulders.

"How can I not be angry? Isn’t this just going to upset Jiaojiao?" Qiaoqiao fumed.

"See? If I had told you earlier, who knows what kind of scene you would have made. Jiaojiao was the one who told me. I checked with her carefully; she’s genuinely moved on," Wang Xiaoyan said helplessly. "Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal to begin with. Jiaojiao vented her anger, and we even managed to break up Zhou Yang and his last girlfriend. We need to let Jiaojiao look forward. If she keeps getting worked up over Zhou Yang, she’ll only make herself unhappy."

"Qiaoqiao, I think we should respect Jiaojiao’s personal decision on this matter. Otherwise, it’ll be just as Yanzi said—she’ll be stuck living in the past," Liu Banxia added, trying to persuade her. "Even if they don’t have to be friends with Zhou Yang, there’s no need for them to be enemies. If things escalate too much and Zhou Yang decides to stir up trouble again, it won’t be good for Jiaojiao. Right?"

Qiaoqiao wrinkled her nose. "Alright, if you both say so, what else can I do? I guess I’ll play along for today."

Wang Xiaoyan glanced at Qiaoqiao in surprise. She had never expected Qiaoqiao, who used to be more stubborn than a mule, to be so receptive to advice. The credit for this definitely isn’t mine, she thought, it’s all Liu Banxia.

"Actually, Qiaoqiao is quite willing to listen to reason, but you have to explain things clearly to her," Liu Banxia said earnestly.

"Nonsense! Once she sets her mind on something, who can stop her? It’s only because she likes you so much that she’s so accommodating with you. I’m warning you, Liu Banxia, if you ever dare to wrong Qiaoqiao, just you wait and see how I’ll deal with you," Wang Xiaoyan threatened.

Liu Banxia grinned. Now that’s a true best friend, not some superficial ’sisterhood’, he thought. That explained why their relationship was so good; Qiaoqiao didn’t usually frequent average places, but she clearly loved coming here.

"Rest assured, that will never happen. Anyway, I’ve got one rule: Qiaoqiao has the say in minor matters, and I’ll manage the overall direction," Liu Banxia said.

Wang Xiaoyan laughed. What ’overall direction’ could they possibly have? she mused. Besides, couples usually argue over small things; major issues rarely come up.

After they chatted for a bit longer, Qiaoqiao emerged in her workout clothes. Liu Banxia naturally helped her with her warm-up exercises. Having him as a free personal masseur was more effective than any other preparation.

Some of the girls who had arrived early for class watched with unconcealed envy. They knew Liu Banxia was a well-known doctor from the Second Hospital, and only his girlfriend could enjoy such privileged treatment.

Just then, Zhou Yang walked over with his girlfriend. Although Qiaoqiao had mentally decided to let him off the hook, her gaze still landed on him with a predatory glint.

"Dr. Liu, a pleasure to meet you. I hope you can forgive any previous misunderstandings," Zhou Yang said.

"Let bygones be bygones. Our Qiaoqiao is the boss here; if she says it’s in the past, what more can I say?" Liu Banxia replied with a smile.

Hearing his words, Qiaoqiao preened. That’s right, I’m the boss, she thought proudly. And a magnanimous boss doesn’t bother with petty people like Zhou Yang.

"Would you like to go down to the boxing gym for a bit? Not to fight, of course—I know I can’t beat you," Zhou Yang said with a chuckle.

"Boss, is it alright if I go down and play for a while?" Liu Banxia asked, turning to Qiaoqiao.

Qiaoqiao waved her hand with an air of nonchalance, deliberately putting on an exaggeratedly reluctant expression. However, she couldn’t maintain her composure for long and burst out laughing, throwing her arms around Wang Xiaoyan.

The onlookers also smiled. This couple was certainly amusing. Though they weren’t regulars here, their playful interactions made it clear that their affection for each other was genuine and strong.