Although she had been the one operating throughout, the system had done most of the heavy lifting.
"Alright! Stop staring. Let's go quickly," Xu Qingqing said as she nudged Lu Qi out of the room.
"I've just changed the lock on my office door. We can put these three vases there," she added, thinking it would prevent anyone from causing damage again.
"Sure, sure, sure!" Lu Qi was still in a state of shock.
Team Leader Hao, who had been keeping a close eye on Xu Qingqing's progress, announced it was time to call it a day when she heard that Xu was leaving.
"Let's go," Team Leader Hao said as she packed her bag, feeling confident that she had won.
"Even if Xu Qingqing works at lightning speed, she's only been at it for an afternoon. There's no way she can match the output of our seven - person team!" Team Leader Hao slung her bag over her shoulder, strutting out of the office with a victorious smile on her face. Her voice preceded her.
"Xu Qingqing, how many vases have you managed to restore? I've already completed half of the one I chose," she boasted.
Xu Qingqing waited until Team Leader Hao had fully emerged before answering, "I can't compare to your incredible speed, Team Leader Hao. I've only been working for a few hours."
Lu Qi, who knew the truth, twitched the corner of his mouth. He couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Team Leader Hao. She had been so thoroughly deceived by Xu Qingqing. There was no way she could have dreamed that Xu had already accomplished six days' worth of work in just a few hours.
"I thought so," Team Leader Hao said, smugly curling her lips. Then her eyes landed on Lu Chuanbai, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Oh no! He must have heard everything she'd said!
Darn it! Why did Xu Qingqing always have Lu come to pick her up from work? It had made her say some inappropriate things in front of the boss.
Team Leader Hao shot Xu Qingqing a glare and scurried away in a hurry, not daring to say another word.
Xu Qingqing looked innocent. She stared at Team Leader Hao's retreating back, utterly confused as to why she had been glared at.
She had even gone along with Team Leader Hao's words. Wasn't that being polite enough?
A few sycophants who had been about to chime in with Team Leader Hao's boasts didn't dare to utter a sound when they saw Lu Chuanbai. They scurried away with their tails between their legs.
Xu Qingqing watched their panicked expressions and couldn't help but think to herself, Truly, the kind - hearted get bullied, and the gentle - tempered get taken advantage of!
Lu Qi handed the red box to Li Jianiian. "Mr. Li, Qingqing has restored your vase. Please check it."
"Okay," Li Jianiian said as he took the box and unlatched it. Inside, the vase looked as good as new.
The colorful and playful work of art had returned. Li Jianiian's knuckles turned white as he held the box, struggling to keep his emotions in check.
Looking at the vase, he felt as if he could see his romantic elder sister again. His family would once again have something to remember her by.
Li Jianiian closed the box with mixed emotions and sincerely thanked Xu Qingqing. "Qingqing, thank you. I really don't know what I would have done without you."
Even if he had found another restorer, the quality of the restoration might not have been as good or as reliable as Xu Qingqing's work.
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help," Xu Qingqing said with a gentle smile.
It always made her feel satisfied when her work could bring joy to her customers.
Now that he had his vase back, Li Jianiian had no reason to stay any longer. He looked at Xu Qingqing with a hint of regret.
"Miss Qingqing, if I have anything else that needs restoring in the future, I'll definitely bring it to your shop. I'll also introduce my friends to you. Your skills deserve to be seen by more people."
Xu Qingqing was overjoyed. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Thank you for your recognition of my skills."
Lu Qi was also delighted. He personally escorted Li Jianiian out of the shop. With Li Jianiian's good words in the archaeological community, there was no doubt that the antique shop would reach new heights.
The only unhappy person in the shop was Lu Chuanbai. He let out a snort.
Thinking that Xu Qingqing would be taking on more work in the future and would have even less time to spend at home, and that she would be mixing with men he didn't approve of, Lu Chuanbai felt nothing but irritation.
When they were the only two left in the shop, Lu Chuanbai was about to ask Xu Qingqing if she still cared about her family when he saw her looking exhausted and rubbing her temples.
Suddenly, Xu Qingqing slumped forward, her head landing on Lu Chuanbai's chest.
Lu Chuanbai quickly reached out to support her and pulled her into his arms. All his previous annoyance vanished in an instant.
"Are you tired?" Lu Chuanbai asked, his voice soft and deep, like a century - old bottle of red wine, enveloping Xu Qingqing.
"Yeah," Xu Qingqing mumbled in reply.
"You deserve it," Lu Chuanbai said, but his eyes were filled with concern. He gently patted her on the back.
"Stop working from now on. I'll support you. How about five million a month?"
"Haha," Xu Qingqing let out a giggle. She closed her eyes and inhaled the pleasant scent on Lu Chuanbai's body, feeling completely at ease.
"I don't want it," Xu Qingqing refused firmly. "Restoring antiques and appraising treasures is my passion. I can't give it up easily."
Moreover, her life motto was to earn her own money and spend it as she pleased. She had no intention of relying on a man's money!
"You need to work more moderately," Lu Chuanbai gently chided.
"You get so caught up in your work that you forget about time. Do you know how much the kids miss their mom?"
"I'll change," Xu Qingqing said as she struggled to lift her head. She squinted at Lu Chuanbai like a tipsy person and gave an embarrassed giggle.
"Sorry to have troubled you these days," she said in a soft, coquettish voice.
A growl from her stomach turned her words of self - reflection into a joke.
"I'm so hungry," Xu Qingqing said as she finally noticed the emptiness in her stomach.
She hadn't eaten a single bite or taken a sip of water since she entered the restoration room in the morning. Now she felt as if she was about to faint from hunger.
"Didn't you have dinner or lunch?" Lu Chuanbai's soft tone hardened again. He looked at Xu Qingqing angrily.
Why didn't this woman know how to take care of herself? Getting injured was like a daily occurrence, and she didn't even bother to eat properly to regain her strength. It was really infuriating!
"Is it just dinner that you missed..." Xu Qingqing said guiltily. She didn't dare to tell Lu Chuanbai that she had skipped lunch too, fearing that he would scold her.
Lu Chuanbai watched as Xu Qingqing kept touching her nose while lying. He let out a helpless sigh and was amused by her cute demeanor.
"You..." All his scolding melted away into a single word. Lu Chuanbai picked up Xu Qingqing's bag and led her out of the shop.
"Let's have dinner before going home," he said as he took out his phone to call Xu's mother to report that they were safe.
"Auntie, I've picked up Qingqing. We'll go home after she has dinner."
"Okay. We'll be careful on the way. Thank you for putting Yiyi and An'an to bed."
Watching Lu Chuanbai so skillfully reporting to her mother, Xu Qingqing blinked. An outsider might have thought that Xu's mother was Lu Chuanbai's own mother.
"Not bad. You get along really well with my mom," Xu Qingqing said as she swayed Lu Chuanbai's hand.