The Young Miss Refuse To Love
Chapter 73: Car race

To her dismay, the timing couldn’t have been worse—a race was actually scheduled for today, leaving her with no excuse to back out.

"Sister Jianyi, wake up! We’ll be late!" Qi Jinlu’s excited voice pierced through the quiet of her morning.

With an eye roll, she tossed a pillow in the direction of the door. "Say one more word, and I’m not taking you!" Her threat worked instantly, as Qi Jinlu fell silent.

"This is why a little sister is so much easier," she muttered to herself as she groggily climbed out of bed. Reaching for her phone, she noticed two notifications from WeChat lighting up her lock screen. Someone had texted her while she was asleep.

She opened the app and scrolled through the messages. Song Chengfeng had sent a short, straightforward text, and right below it was a familiar sight—He Zeqing’s persistent messages about reading her manuscript.

Without a second thought, she skipped over her cousin’s text, used to his insistence by now, and opened Song Chengfeng’s message, sent a full hour earlier.

"What’s he doing up at six in the morning?" she wondered, reading his question: "Do you have any plans today?"

Her reply was brief and to the point: "Yes."

Not long after she sent her reply, her phone buzzed with an incoming call, making Qi Jianyi pause on her way to the bathroom.

"Song Chengfeng?" She answered, a bit curious about why he was calling so early.

On the other end, Song Chengfeng stayed silent for a beat before speaking, his voice sounding rough, likely from sleep. "What plans do you have today?"

Sitting back down on her bed, Qi Jianyi answered with a hint of frustration, "I’m going to a car race event with the twins."

"You like watching car racing?" Song Chengfeng asked, a little surprised.

Qi Jianyi sighed. "Not really. I just mentioned it offhand to the twins yesterday, and now they’re set on going. I promised to take them the next time there was an event, but I didn’t think ’next time’ would mean the very next day," she grumbled, pouting.

Though he couldn’t see her, Song Chengfeng pictured her face—probably a slight pout with her brows knit in irritation.

"Can I join you three?" The question left him before he fully thought it through.

Qi Jianyi, momentarily surprised, quickly replied, "Only if you’ll drive us. I’m too lazy to drive, and our driver’s busy today."

Hearing her casual response, Song Chengfeng couldn’t help but chuckle softly. "I’ll be there in half an hour," he said, a smile evident in his tone.

"Suit yourself," Qi Jianyi replied with a shrug, keeping her voice indifferent.

"See you soon," he murmured, his voice dropping to a softer, almost tender note.

Qi Jianyi pulled the phone away, feeling an unexpected warmth bloom in her ear from his hushed tone. Annoyed at her reaction, she cleared her throat.

"Hmm," she muttered, quickly ending the call before her own voice betrayed any hint of fluster.

"What is wrong with me?" Qi Jianyi muttered, frustration lacing her voice. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she marched straight to the bathroom, determined to push aside whatever strange reaction she’d just had.

The more she thought about it, the flustered she became. "This is ridiculous," she grumbled to herself, splashing cool water on her face as if it could wash away the lingering feeling.

...

"You’re going out today?" Mrs. Qi asked, surprised to see her daughter descending the stairs in a casual white T-shirt and blue jeans, a purse in one hand and sunglasses in the other.

"Yeah, taking the twins to a car racing event," Qi Jianyi replied, adjusting her sunglasses with a casual shrug.

Mrs. Qi raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "When did you make plans to take those two out? And why didn’t I know anything about it?"

Qi Jianyi glanced over with an exaggeratedly exasperated look. "Just yesterday, actually. But seriously, Mom, why did you have to give birth to two boys instead of giving me a little sister?" she teased, half-jokingly.

At times like these, Qi Jianyi found herself missing the sister she had in her real world.

Mr. Qi, who had been engrossed in his newspaper, looked up and nodded in agreement. "She has a point. Why did you give me sons who only know about causing trouble?" he added, shaking his head in mock despair.

Mrs. Qi rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she shot her husband a glare. "Oh, so now it’s my fault? I didn’t exactly have a say in choosing sons over daughters!"

Seeing her steely glare, Mr. Qi quickly softened, flashing a charming smile. "You’re right, it’s my fault. After all, I’m the one who brought those Y chromosomes." He quickly wrapped an arm around her in a lighthearted hug, hoping to pacify her.

Mrs. Qi sighed, exasperation fading into a reluctant smile, while Qi Jianyi watched them with a fond, amused look.

"Sister, are you done yet? We’ve been waiting ages! Let’s go already!" Qi Jinlu’s voice boomed through the living room, shattering the peace.

Qi Jianyi rolled her eyes, her voice carrying back. "Not yet! We’re waiting for the driver, and whose idea was it to get up so early anyway?" She muttered the last part to herself, clearly irritated.

Mrs. Qi looked up, frowning slightly. "Driver? Didn’t Uncle Lin take the day off today?" She glanced over at Mr. Qi for confirmation.

The Qi family typically had two drivers: one designated for Mr. Qi’s business trips and another, Uncle Lin, for family errands. With Mr. Qi headed to the office, the family’s driver was indeed unavailable. Mrs. Qi furrowed her brow, realising they had no driver left for the day.

"That’s right, Sister. So...who’s driving us?" Qi Jinlu asked curiously.

A smirk danced on Qi Jianyi’s lips as she cast a brief glance at her father. "Song Chengfeng is our driver today."

"What?!" Mr. Qi and the twins exclaimed in unison, their voices laced with disbelief.

"I said, Song Chengfeng will be coming along with us," Qi Jianyi reiterated, unfazed by the stunned reactions of the three men in the house. She leaned back casually, clearly enjoying the surprise she had caused.

"When did you make an appointment to go out with him? No, I won’t allow that!" Mr.Qi refuted as he stood up, frustrated at his daughter’s lack of reaction.

"What’s the use of making a fuss about it dad? He’s already on his way," Qi Jianyi replied curtly.

Mr. Qi glared at her. Did she just ask him to act like a grown up? Mr. Qi wants to nag at his daughter but before he could, the housekeeper came at the wrong time and interrupted him.

"Master, young master Song is outside." he said with a slight hesitation only to be glared by Mr. Qi.

"Invite him in," Mrs. Qi interjected, cutting off her husband before he could voice his protest. After all, there was no point in trying to chase the young man away now that he had arrived at their doorstep.

"You behave!" Mrs. Qi cautioned her husband as she stood up from the couch, her tone firm yet light-hearted. Mr. Qi felt hurt at his wife’s abrupt command. Did she really think he would cause trouble?

He turned to Qi Jianyi, seeking some form of solace or support, but was met with only a slight shake of her head. "Dad, don’t be childish," she said, her expression unimpressed.

Mr. Qi sighed, feeling thoroughly aggrieved as the day unfolded, realising he was outnumbered by the women in his life. And it’s all because of a certain young man who wants to kidnap his daughter away.

Song Chengfeng stepped into the Qi family mansion, guided by the housekeeper. He was soon met with Mrs. Qi’s warm, welcoming smile and Mr. Qi’s visibly disgruntled expression. Qi Jianyi stole a brief glance at him while the twins gaped at Song Chengfeng, their eyes narrowing as if trying to peer into his very soul.

"Hello, Auntie. Uncle," he greeted them with a polite formality that only deepened Mr. Qi’s scowl.

"Xiao Feng, have you eaten?" Mrs. Qi asked gently, casting a discreet glare at her two sons, silently warning them to behave themselves.

Shaking his head, Song Chengfeng replied, "Not yet, Auntie."

"That’s good! We haven’t had our breakfast either. Let’s go and eat together," she suggested, her tone brightening as she turned to lead the way.

As they walked, Song Chengfeng couldn’t help but steal a glance at the woman he had longed to meet. Qi Jianyi raised her brows playfully and flashed him a smile, nudging him to follow her mother.

"You’re pretty today," he whispered, ensuring only she could hear him.

Laughing, Qi Jianyi replied, "What, am I not pretty before?"

"You’re always beautiful," he answered earnestly, his tone completely serious. Whether he was oblivious to her teasing or simply chose to speak his truth, it was unclear; either way, his sincerity lingered in the air between them.

Watching his beloved daughter laughing and smiling so happily with another man only deepened Mr. Qi’s frustration. Jealousy simmered within him as he observed Song Chengfeng effortlessly drawing out the warmth from Qi Jianyi’s typically cold face.

With a resolute expression, he turned to his two sons and issued a firm command. "Keep an eye on your sister later. Don’t let that jerk steal her away!"

The twins nodded, their expressions growing serious as they responded in unison, "Noted!" Determination etched on their young faces, they understood their father’s unspoken concerns and were ready to protect their sister at all costs.

For once, a rare understanding blossomed between father and sons.