Su Lu’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned away, saying, "Cry? I didn’t cry. I just ate some spicy barbecue, that’s all."
However, Su Zhe didn’t believe her for a second. He was already a rather persistent person, and now that he had been drinking, his natural traits were even more pronounced.
"Don’t try to fool me," Su Zhe said, his voice had cooled, not icy but stern, showing his extreme seriousness.
"I really didn’t," Su Lu said, a mix of laughing and crying.
She truly didn’t want to burden Su Zhe with her personal issues, and besides, people generally don’t like to lay their wounds open for others to critique.
However, Su Lu momentarily overlooked her brother’s sharpness, only realizing just now that even though Su Zhe had been drinking, his keenness was still unmatched.
Qiao Li came out of the kitchen holding a plate, "What happened? The atmosphere was quite harmonious earlier, what’s going on now?"
He was indeed very meticulous and attentive. He had actually cut the fruit just as Su Lu had joked earlier.
And probably because he had studied medicine before, his skill was exceptional. It’s just different when you have that kind of background.
The watermelon didn’t need to be deseeded as it was seedless, but the mango had been peeled and pitted, and all cut into neat, uniform dices slightly larger than fingernail pieces, each piece nearly identical in size.
The pieces were just the right size to avoid any worry of mango juice touching the skin around the mouth causing allergies, and if one still wanted more, they could simply scoop up a spoonful of fruit dices and enjoy.
The lychees, with thin skin and small seeds, were all peeled, pitted, and placed on the plate, their pale, tender flesh exuding a sweet fruity aroma.
As soon as Qiao Li came out, he sensed the discord between the siblings.
He set the fruit plate on the coffee table and asked again, "What’s wrong with you two?"
Su Zhe’s voice was still cool, sounding very serious, "Her eyes are all red. I’m asking her about it— who has been bullying her again."
"Hmm?" Qiao Li shifted his gaze to Su Lu and stared intently into her eyes.
This earnest investigative look made Su Lu very uncomfortable. She looked away and said, "Really, nothing. Qiao Li, please persuade my brother. I wasn’t crying, and nobody bullied me."
"Your eyes do look a bit red," Qiao Li said, reaching out and gently touching the corner of her eye.
This sudden, somewhat intimate gesture startled Su Lu. She slightly leaned her head back, blinking rapidly, right before she could ponder whether Qiao Li’s action and posture were a bit inappropriate...
Qiao Li, however, smiled as if he had done nothing, and said playfully, "Could it be the spicy barbecue after all? Old Su, have you had a bit too much to drink? You are overreacting."
Su Zhe did listen to what Qiao Li said to some extent and trusted his impartial perspective.
"Is that so?" Su Zhe frowned.
Qiao Li continued, "It might also be that she was moved by what you said just now. Hey, you really are thoughtless sometimes, delivering such a heartfelt speech, making someone’s eyes red, and then you keep insisting, ’Did you cry? Did you cry?!"
Qiao Li slightly curled his lips, "You still need to hear her admit, ’Yes! I cried! I’ve cried because I was moved by what you just said! Shedding tears without knowing why!’ And then you feel accomplished, is that it?"
This way of speaking not only helped Su Lu out of an awkward situation but also made Su Zhe feel quite reasonable and, additionally, a bit embarrassed.
Su Zhe cleared his throat lightly and touched his nose, "That’s not what I meant. Cough, I’m just worried about Lulu being bullied, she’s been bullied so much since she was a child."
"Yeah, now she’s being bullied by you," Qiao Li shrugged his shoulders.
Su Zhe lowered his voice and said, "Shut up."
Then, naturally, the topic of whether Su Lu’s eyes were red from crying or being bullied wasn’t brought up again.
Su Lu silently let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but glance at Qiao Li. She had to admit, the way Qiao Li had just defused the situation was nothing short of an epic save.
Who would have known, she was just sneaking a peek, but her gaze happened to meet Qiao Li’s direct look.
Su Lu didn’t react in time and stared at his eyes for a moment.
Qiao Li’s eyes held a very warm smile, his lips slightly curved upward, smiling softly at her, his eyebrows gently raised as if telling her not to worry.
Su Lu mouthed a thank you to him.
Soon after, they no longer talked about those upsetting topics related to the Su Family.
Su Zhe and Qiao Li shifted the conversation to work, initially discussing Su Zhe’s business. Su Lu couldn’t chime in, so she just listened quietly.
Qiao Li, while talking to Su Zhe, occasionally picked up a piece of fruit with a toothpick and handed it to her.
Then, as they conversed, the topic shifted from Su Zhe’s business to Su Lu Company’s affairs.
Su Zhe wasn’t very interested in the other affairs of Su Lu Company and concentrated mainly on the e-sports project that involved collaboration with Jiang Li.
Su Lu didn’t think that Su Zhe didn’t understand these matters.
Just like Xiang Tiancheng, the manager of Fierce Eagle E-sports Club, who had underestimated her thinking she knew nothing, only to be proven embarrassingly wrong by her.
Underestimating Su Zhe would likely lead to a similar outcome.
Even Qiao Li, who had never worked in this field before, spoke in a manner, not quite eloquent, but still did not come off as ignorant.
Su Zhe quickly identified the crux of the problem and stated, "Just poaching that key player would obviously be the most time-saving, although it’s not very honorable, especially since we’ve discussed it this far."
"Yeah, and also, this is Lulu’s business. Lulu has a different business style than us two; she’s much kinder," Qiao Li commented.
Su Lu was as quiet as a mouse on the side. She didn’t dare mention that during her negotiations with Xiang Tiancheng, she had directly threatened him by planning to poach Ying Xi during the transfer period.
"However, I’m somewhat surprised that Jiang Li would seriously want to start a project; I was worried Lulu would be at a disadvantage," Qiao Li said, then turned to Su Zhe, "Isn’t Jiang Er known as a good-for-nothing and irresponsible playboy?"
Su Lu knew somewhat about Ying Xi’s situation, so she could guess the reasons. She remained silent.
It was Su Zhe who picked up on this and raised his eyebrows as if realizing something, asking, "That key player of the club, what’s his name... Ying Xi, right?"
Qiao Li had seen the club’s information before and nodded, "Mm, his game ID is ’hope,’ named Ying Xi."
Su Zhe concluded, "Then there’s nothing strange about it."