Lin Xu looked curiously at the wound on his face, the corner of his mouth torn and tinged with bruising, not seeming like a bump, but more like it was inflicted by someone.
Xie Changyanâs eyes flickered as he felt a slight warmth where her gaze touched.
His thin lips parted, about to speak, when he saw Lin Xuâs slender, fair fingers reaching toward his wound.
Xie Changyanâs brown eyes gradually deepened, knowing that a small shift in his posture would be enough to dodge her touch, yet his body remained frozen in placeâ¦
âAh, Iâm sorry.â Lin Xu was the first to come to her senses, quickly retracting her hand just before touching him.
She picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and masked her embarrassment.
She had almost mistaken Xie Changyan for her husband.
And even reached out to touch him.
What if someone called the police?
Xie Changyan reigned in the emotions at the bottom of his eyes, his expression returning to normal, with a smile that was not quite a smile on his lips. He leaned back in his chair in a relaxed and casual pose, casually gesturing to the waiter to refill his cup of coffee.
Then he casually asked Lin Xu, âMiss Lin seems to be quite familiar with President Ji?â
âYes,â Lin Xu said as if it were obvious.
âPresident Ji seems to care a lot about Miss Lin, not like an ordinary friend,â he commented offhandedly.
âHe and Iâ¦â Lin Xu thought for a moment, then suddenly was unsure how to describe their relationship to someone else.
The thoughtful atmosphere fell silent for a long while, so long that Xie Changyan thought she wouldnât answer, when she finally said, âWe are family.â
A mother-son relationship is also a family relationship, and this description was very fitting.
Remembering Ji Tingyangâs anger the night before, and recalling that Lin Xu had mentioned she was married, Xie Changyanâs smile faded a little.
He had heard before that Ji Tingyang kept a beloved canary at the Ji Mansion.
So it was.
He tore open the sugar syrup, his face casually indifferent as he stirred the freshly served coffee. Yet the aura he exuded added a touch more distance between them, âNext time I see President Ji, Iâll conveyâ¦â
âDo you also like to add half a packet of sugar syrup to your coffee?â
Before he could finish, he heard Lin Xuâs voice, full of surprise and delight as if she had discovered something astonishingly pleasant, looking at his coffee.
Xie Changyan seized on the key word in her sentence.
Also?
Who else is like him?
Ji Tingyang?
Lin Xu continued to ask excitedly, âDo you go to eat barbecue? Do you prefer girls with long hair or short hair? What kind of music do you like? Do you have any hobbiesâ¦â
It seemed she was searching for some common ground with him.
Xie Changyan maintained his composure, but internally, he felt irritated.
â¦
Even during the Spring Festival, Ji Zeqiu was still busy, traveling all over for his job.
And his sister had suddenly become obsessed with something, insisting on going back to school to work hard during New Yearâs, which meant that Ji Tingyang couldnât get her to come home.
The family reunion dinner that Lin Xu had hoped for didnât materialize.
And so the Spring Festival passed.
As soon as Ji Zeqiu finished his work, the first thing he did after getting off the plane was to rush back to his apartment.
Although Lin Xu had been messaging him during this time and they had communicated, for some reason, he felt an eagerness to get back to the apartment, knowing that Lin Xu was there.
No, thatâs not right.
He wasnât rushing back to see Lin Xu.
He was just worn out from working so much and wanted to get home and rest as soon as possible!
Thatâs right!
Ji Zeqiu thought so, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and feigned a calm expression as he pushed the door open and entered.
However, upon seeing Wen Li in the room, he was stunned for a long while, âWhat are you doing here?â
As he spoke, he looked around the room but did not find Lin Xu.
âI came back from home after the first day of the new year,â Wen Li explained.
Initially, her parents were angry because her relationship with Ji Tingyang had ended, losing such a big financial opportunity until Ji Zeqiu found a new job for her father, which finally settled things down.
During the days of the New Yearâs celebration at home, her parents kept insinuating and probing about her relationship with Ji Zeqiu, warning her not to lose another wealthy man.
âWith these men being so rich, why do you have to hang yourself on that poor student?!â They were furious, wanting her to bring more money home for the family.
Wen Li was annoyed by all the nagging. She left home even before the Spring Festival ended and came to stay here.
Upon hearing her words, Ji Zeqiu belatedly remembered that it was he who had told Wen Li to move in here.
He had even told her the apartmentâs passcode, so it wasnât surprising to see her here.
Itâs just that he hadnât thought of her during this time and had somehow forgotten about it.
Lin Xu didnât like Wen Li, so of course, she wouldnât come to the apartment to live with her.
Ji Zeqiuâs little anticipation before coming home suddenly vanished, he merely responded indifferently and pushed his suitcase into the apartment.
Then he sneakily glanced at Wen Li, feeling somewhat conflicted in his heart.
If Wen Li continued to live here, would Lin Xu never come back?
Should he ask Wen Li to leave?
While he was still indecisive, Wen Li spoke first, âZeqiu, I plan to move back to the school today.â
âAh?â Ji Zeqiuâs eyes lit up for a moment, and he quickly said, âAre you leaving now? Do you have a lot of luggage? Do you need my help to move it?â
His inquiry seemed gentle and considerate, but why did Wen Li feel it sounded strange, as if he was eager?
She had thought that Ji Zeqiu would at least try to persuade her to stay for a while, but he didnât say a word.
Wen Li was stunned for a moment, âNo, thereâs no need, I can manage on my own.â
Since she had arrived in a hurry initially, she didnât have much luggage and had already packed up.
âThanks for letting me stay during this time, Iâ¦.â
âNo need to be polite, let me take you downstairs,â he interrupted.
Before Wen Li could finish speaking, Ji Zeqiu took her suitcase and, without another word, began pulling it out the door.
Wen Li: ââ¦â
After watching Wen Li get into the taxi and leave, Ji Zeqiu did not return to the apartment but drove directly to the Ji Mansion.
Halfway through the journey, he found himself entangled again.
Why was he so anxious to find Lin Xu, showing no restraint at all?
In his head, another voice said that Lin Xu had already promised to go with him, so he couldnât let her continue to stay at the Ji familyâs house.
Otherwise, how could he get his revenge on Ji Tingyang?
Right!
Thinking so, he pressed the accelerator even harder.
Arriving at the mansion.
Ji Zeqiu forced himself to remain calm as he secretly searched inside the mansion but didnât find Lin Xu.
Just as he was about to ask the butler, his attention was caught by the empty and dry pool in the backyard.
He had not noticed anything strange about the pool during the last New Yearâs Eve fireworks in the backyard.
âButler, why has all the water been drained from the pool?â
âOh, that. The young master fell into the pool and nearly drowned last time, and Miss Lin was very scared for a while, so she asked us to drain the water. Later, the young master didnât ask us to refill it, and itâs just been left like that.â