Heart Stealer

When she was in the second year of junior high school, Yu Man's parents had to transfer to work in a distant foreign land.

Yu Man had to follow her parents to leave the familiar city and start a new life.

Since then, Mrs. Qiu and Yu Man have lost contact, and their worlds have drifted further and further apart.

Mrs. Qiu and Qiu Rongyao met through an acquaintance and got married within less than three months of knowing each other.

Mrs. Qiu had heard a little about Qiu Rongyao's love triangle, but she chose to be tolerant and trusting.

She felt that as long as Qiu Rongyao could treat her sincerely, nothing else mattered.

After recounting these past events, Mrs. Qiu felt her throat a little dry.

Seeing this, Qiu Xue quickly handed her mother a cup of warm tea to moisten her throat.

"Mom, your youthful memories are more gripping than TV dramas. However, it seems that there are some exciting parts that you haven't mentioned." Qiu Xue asked, blinking her big curious eyes.

Mrs. Qiu smiled slightly, took a sip of tea, and said slowly: "It's better not to talk about those old things about your father. What surprised me is that many years later,

Yu Man and I met again and unexpectedly became close friends. Life's fate is truly marvelous." Her tone was filled with emotion, as if she was recalling the passing years and the beauty of their reunion.

Ye Qingyun was listening with great interest. He was very curious about the stories of his mother and Mrs. Qiu, and he wanted to know more about them.

"Auntie, how did you and my mother reunite later?" Ye Qingyun asked impatiently.

"Qingyun, the day your mother and I reunited was quite dramatic. One day, I took two-year-old Qiuxue to the playground. Qiuxue was mischievous and tried to steal the car of a little boy about three years old.

"I hit the little boy so hard he started crying, so I quickly went to apologize to his mother. It turned out to be Yu Man, and we were both delighted to be reunited. We often met up in private," Mrs. Qiu recalled with a smile.

When Qiu Xue heard that she had beaten Ye Qingyun to tears, she couldn't believe it and said, "Mom, look at me, a weak woman with no strength, how could I possibly beat a big and strong brother Qingyun?"

"Qiuxue, although you are slim now, you were not thin at all when you were a child. You were fat and round, and stronger than a calf. You often beat children older than you and made them cry." Mrs. Qiu said with a smile.

"Mom, that's enough. Stop talking about my dark history..."

Qiu Xue's face turned red instantly and she felt very embarrassed.

He quickly apologized to Ye Qingyun for the mistake he made twenty years ago.

Qiu Rongyao murmured to himself, "So you and Yu Man have known each other for a long time. I kept this secret deep in my heart."

Qiuxue blinked playfully and said in a sweet voice, "Dad, it's your turn. We are all listening attentively, waiting to hear your story."

Qiu Rongyao had a serious face and drank tea silently.

No matter how Qiu Xue coaxed and begged him, he kept his lips tightly shut and refused to say a word.

Seeing this, Mrs. Qiu went back to the bedroom and took out an old photo album.

The pages of the album have turned yellow, and are inlaid with several childhood photos of Qiu Xue and Ye Qingyun.

……

Qiuxue is on vacation today. Xiao Tuobang hasn't seen Qiuxue all day and can't help but feel a little worried.

Finally, the bell for getting off work rang, and Xiao Tuobang couldn't wait to drive to the Qiu family.

When he stepped into the living room, the scene before him made him frown.

I saw Qiu Xue and Ye Qingyun sitting side by side, both of them concentrating on flipping through a thick photo album.

Their faces were filled with happy smiles, as if they were completely immersed in the world of memories.

Xiao Tuobang was suddenly filled with nameless anger. He glared at them fiercely, his eyes full of jealousy and dissatisfaction.

Qiu Xue seemed to feel his gaze and involuntarily moved her body, putting some distance between herself and Ye Qingyun.

When Qiu Rongyao saw Xiao Tuobang coming, he seemed to have found an opportunity to escape.

He quickly stood up and greeted him warmly, "Tuobang, you've arrived at the perfect time! I have some company matters to discuss with you. Let's go to the study to discuss it in detail."

Although Xiao Tuobang was worried about Qiu Xue and Ye Qingyun being alone together, he couldn't refuse Qiu Rongyao's invitation.

He nodded slightly and followed Qiu Rongyao into the study.

In the study, the two had an in-depth discussion on the company's affairs.

They sometimes exchanged opinions and sometimes argued endlessly. The atmosphere was tense and heated.

Not long after, the voice of the housekeeper Zhensao came from outside the door: "Everyone can take their seats and eat."

Xiao Tuobang naturally chose the seat to the left of Qiu Xue, while Ye Qingyun sat to the right of Qiu Xue.

Boss Qiu and Mrs. Qiu kept pushing delicious dishes in front of Ye Qingyun and enthusiastically urged him to eat more.

Tuobang felt more and more uncomfortable watching the unintentional intimate actions between Ye Qingyun and Qiu Xue.

Xiao Tuobang tried hard to keep smiling, trying to hide the loss and pain in his heart, but that unspeakable feeling spread in his heart like a tide.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Qiuxue,...how far have you guys progressed?" Xiao Tuobang looked at Qiuxue expressionlessly, with a hint of expectation and uneasiness in his eyes.

Qiu Xue was startled by his sudden question and almost dropped the chopsticks in her hand.

"What step? We are just ordinary friends." Qiu Xue lowered her head and shoveled food into her mouth quickly. She didn't dare to look directly into Xiao Tuobang's eyes.

Seeing Qiu Xue's nervous look, Xiao Tuobang felt even more uncomfortable.

The atmosphere of the entire dinner was extremely awkward, and Xiao Tuobang felt like chewing wax.

After the meal, Xiao Tuobang and Ye Qingyun said goodbye to Qiu Xue's family at the same time.

When he arrived outside the courtyard, Xiao Tuobang thought of the intimacy between Ye Qingyun and Qiu Xue, and he suddenly felt unhappy.

Xiao Tuobang said to Ye Qingyun with a gloomy face, "Young Master Ye, no matter what your relationship with Qiu Xue was before, she is my girlfriend now. Please stay away from her in the future."

Ye Qingyun raised the corner of his mouth with a hint of disdain: "Boss Xiao, this is not right. Qiuxue and I are childhood sweethearts. Although we haven't seen each other for so many years, it doesn't prevent our relationship from warming up."

Xiao Tuobang's eyes were cold, his voice rose an octave, his hands clenched unconsciously, and his eyes flashed with anger: "Second Young Master Ye, I hope you remember your identity. Miss Qiu will never fall in love with you. I advise you to stay away from Qiu Xue. Don't cross the line."

Ye Qingyun suddenly burst into laughter, his eyes firm and sharp, as if challenging Xiao Tuobang's authority.

He responded without showing any weakness: "Mr. Xiao, do you think you can stop me? It's not up to you to decide who Qiuxue loves. You have no right to tell me to stay away from her. I can take Qiuxue away anytime I want."

After Ye Qingyun finished speaking, he turned around and got into the car, slammed the door shut, and drove away.

Xiao Tuobang clenched his fists tightly and secretly swore in his heart that he would never let Ye Qingyun succeed.

On Friday afternoon, in a spacious and bright conference room, sunlight streamed through the windows onto the desks.

Xiao Tuobang listened silently to other people's speeches and discussions.

His eyes were focused and deep, as if he was thinking about something.

After the meeting, the participants stood up and left their seats, said goodbye to each other and prepared to start their weekend life.

Xiao Tuobang did not rush to get up. He sat there quietly, as if isolated from the noise around him.

Only after other colleagues left the meeting room one after another did Xiao Tuobang slowly stand up.

He walked to the door of the conference room with steady steps, gently pushed it open, and then closed it carefully.

Xiao Tuobang turned and walked towards his office.

Xiao Tuobang sat at his desk, turned on his computer, and prepared to continue completing the unfinished work at hand.

After a busy period, the work was finally completed and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Tuobang stood up and walked to the coffee table. His fingers fiddled lightly on the coffee table, and soon, a cup of steaming tea appeared in front of him.

He picked up the cup and was about to savor the first sip of tea when the phone on the table rang at an inopportune time, interrupting his relaxing time.

Xiao Tuobang frowned, put down the teacup in his hand, and reached out to answer the phone.

"Hello, I'm Xiao Tuobang." His voice was steady and powerful.

On the other end of the phone, Ye Qingyun's voice sounded very relaxed and cheerful: "Tuobang, it's me, Ye Qingyun. What are your plans tomorrow? If you don't have any plans, how about we go play a game of tennis together?"

When Xiao Tuobang heard Ye Qingyun's voice, a sharp light flashed in his eyes for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing an almost imperceptible smile, and he replied firmly, "Okay, I happen to have time tomorrow. Since you've brought it up, let's compete on the tennis court!"

After Xiao Tuobang hung up, his brain started working rapidly and he began to seriously think about the strategy to fight the enemy in tomorrow's game.

A barely perceptible sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if he could already imagine Ye Qingyun's miserable appearance on the court as he was forced into a desperate situation step by step and was eventually defeated.

On Saturday morning, sunlight streamed through the tall windows onto the arena's hardwood floor.

Xiao Tuobang arrived at the stadium on time. Ye Qingyun was already warming up outside the court.

Xiao Tuo helped put down his backpack, tied his shoelaces, and warmed up.

He tried to swing the racket, walked over and said to Ye Qingyun: "Ye Qingyun, why do you have the mind to come to me to play tennis when you are not accompanying Qiu Xue?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Xiao Tuobang's words.

"Tuobang, Qiuxue said she's busy today, so I can only practice with you and solve some personal problems..."

Ye Qingyun showed a provocative look, and his smile concealed a subtle thought that was hard to detect.

At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted their conversation: "Who said I'm not free today?"

Qiu Xue appeared in front of them like a ghost, and her appearance surprised both Xiao Tuobang and Ye Qingyun.

"Qiuxue, why are you here?"

Xiao Tuobang frowned slightly. He could almost feel Qiu Xue's gaze following him like a tracker.

"Of course I'm here to watch your exciting badminton match."

Qiu Xue said this while sitting in the audience seats at the sidelines with a bunch of snacks in her arms, obviously ready to watch the match carefully.

Ye Qingyun took the opportunity to pull Xiao Tuobang aside and whispered, "Tuobang, a simple competition is too boring. How about we try something exciting and add some stakes?"

"Bet? What do you want to bet on?" Xiao Tuobang asked warily.

"It's simple. Whoever loses will have to give up pursuing Qiu Xue."

Ye Qingyun's proposal was direct and bold.

"You have a nice idea, but this concerns Qiuxue's feelings. How can we make a bet easily?" Xiao Tuobang retorted.

"Tuobang, Qingyun, what are you two whispering about over there? Let's start quickly, I can't wait to see your exciting match." Qiuxue urged from the sidelines, her voice full of anticipation and excitement.

The two men smiled at each other and walked to the center of the court in tacit understanding.

They knew that this game was not just about winning or losing, but also about friendship, competition and the unspoken feelings for Qiu Xue.

With the referee's whistle, the game officially started.

The game was going on fiercely, with both sides going back and forth and neither side giving in.

Xiao Tuobang showed his excellent skills, while Ye Qingyun responded with stable defense.

Qiu Xue on the sidelines watched with great interest and cheered them on from time to time.

In the end, Xiao Tuobang won the game with a beautiful smash.

Ye Qingyun shook hands with Xiao Tuobang and congratulated him. He whispered to Xiao Tuobang,

"You won this time, but I will still come back!"

"I'm at your service anytime!" Xiao Tuobang accepted the challenge without hesitation.

Qiuxue ran over like a happy little deer and threw herself into Xiao Tuobang's arms.

Her face was filled with a joyful smile, and she seemed to have completely forgotten Ye Qingyun's existence.

"Tuobang, you were behind in the score just now, and I thought you lost!" Qiuxue said coquettishly.

Xiao Tuobang gently stroked Qiuxue's hair, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a confident smile.

Xiao Tuobang looked at Ye Qingyun with a provocative look and said, "How could I lose to him?"

Xiao Tuobang was in a particularly good mood after winning the game and decided to treat everyone to a meal.

A group of three drove to a high-end restaurant.

Qiu Xue excitedly ordered many dishes, and the three of them sat together, enjoying the joy brought by the food.

They ate with hearty mouthfuls, chatted happily, and laughed constantly.

Xiao Tuobang's eyes always lingered on Qiu Xue with affection.

Ye Qingyun watched silently from the side, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.

After having a good meal and a good drink, Ye Qingyun left early on the pretext of having something to do.

Xiao Tuobang drove Qiuxue back home. When the car just stopped, Xiao Tuobang said to Qiuxue leisurely:

"Qiuxue, can you hug me again?"

When Qiu Xue heard this, she was startled for a moment, then a blush appeared on her cheeks.

She glared at Xiao Tuobang and said coquettishly, "You wish?!"

After Qiu Xue finished speaking, she opened the car door, got out, and trotted away.

Looking at Qiu Xue's departing back, Xiao Tuobang's mouth curled up slightly. He turned the car around and drove away.