CH 105

lu ye initially thought that someone of qi zhe’s stature, the head of a wealthy “elite” family, would arrange to meet qi yanbai differently. he expected a high-end hotel, a reservation for a french dinner, a full band for entertainment – something more refined, much like ashley. but what surprised him was that qi zhe was quite down-to-earth. when he called qi yanbai, both he and ashley were already sitting in the car heading to the rental house.

lu ye didn’t know how he got qi yanbai’s address, but it was evident that he was eager for this meeting – even more so than qi yanbai and lu ye, who had taken their time strolling back home.

“he came for the painting, so of course, he wants to see it directly,” qi yanbai said. “he’s a fanatic about art. compared to grandeur and etiquette, he values whether the painting meets his inner standards.”

qi yanbai spoke as he took out the access card from his pocket and swiped it to open the side gate of the residential area, saying with a smile, “if it meets his standards, you can ask him for anything you want. but if it doesn’t…”

“what happens if it doesn’t?” lu ye teased. “does he order an execution?”

“not that extreme,” qi yanbai chuckled. “he won’t react much; he will simply ignore you, be indifferent, as if you don’t exist. good evening.”

he greeted the security guard who was checking ids and then nodded politely to the person before slightly turning to the side. with one hand, he pushed the iron gate, making way for lu ye to enter.

“but he doesn’t need any power plays,” qi yanbai continued. “for the kids who idolize him, his ‘indifference’ itself is the best punishment.”

qi yanbai appeared relaxed, but lu ye sensed his dissatisfaction with qi zhe from his words.

“do you want me with you when you meet him?” lu ye turned his head slightly, gesturing toward the bustling basketball court on the other side of the residential area. “if you don’t want me to, i can go play basketball with them.”

qi yanbai had always been concerned about whether he would reveal an “embarrassing” side in front of lu ye, and lu ye understood this well.

living in the qi family in the past was not a pleasant memory for qi yanbai, and lu ye had no interest in making people uncomfortable. he didn’t need to prove qi yanbai’s trust in him with such a trivial matter. if qi yanbai didn’t want him to face qi zhe directly, lu ye would respect his wishes.

qi yanbai understood the implication in lu ye’s words, but since he had decided to be open and honest with lu ye, he didn’t plan to hide anything from him. he reached down, taking lu ye’s hand and interlocking their fingers.

“this is our home, and there’s no reason for you to hide,” qi yanbai said playfully. “even if someone needs to leave, it should be him. he’s the uninvited guest.”

“moreover…” qi yanbai said softly. “if he bullies me, i’ll need you to back me up.”

he said this with a mixture of truth and playfulness, sounding like a helpless little cabbage that no one cared about. lu ye chuckled, looking at him, not exposing his intentions. instead, he responded with a simple “hmm” and casually held qi yanbai’s hand.

“alright then,” lu ye said, pulling qi yanbai with one hand while the other hand stayed in his pocket, walking leisurely downstairs.

“if he bullies you, i’ll kick him out of our home,” he added.

recently, the residential area had replaced a batch of light bulbs with higher wattage, providing excellent illumination. when the lights were turned on, the area downstairs was as bright as day.

from a distance, lu ye saw a man and a woman standing at the entrance to the building. ashley, just like before, was wearing a stunning strapless fishtail gown, paired with a long overcoat clearly designed for men. she was leaning against the flower bed in front of the building, puffing on a cigarette.

not far from her stood a tall middle-aged man in a well-fitted suit, exceptionally refined despite the obvious streaks of gray at his temples. however, he exuded a sharp and cold aura.

before this encounter, “qi zhe” was merely a symbol in lu ye’s mind. he had imagined what he looked like, but only when he saw him in person did he realize that he was nothing like he had imagined.

from qi yanbai’s description, qi zhe was self-indulgent, had a distant relationship with his family, and was passionate and only focused on art. lu ye had previously thought of him as an art fanatic lost in the virtual world. however, now that he saw him, he seemed too normal. he appeared almost the opposite of the quirky members of the qi family and didn’t seem like the father of such eccentric individuals.

“qi yanbai.”

while lu ye was assessing qi zhe, the latter had already approached. he didn’t spare lu ye a glance and didn’t seem to notice the man holding qi yanbai’s hand. qi zhe walked up to them, not as a guest but as if he were at home. he unceremoniously opened several room doors, as if familiar with the layout, and made his way to the studio where qi yanbai stored his artworks.

the small room was cramped and filled with too many paintings, only allowing two people to enter at most. lu ye didn’t join them but walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.

“could you pour me one too?” ashley followed him into the kitchen and didn’t hold back, saying, “i’m dying of thirst after the journey.”

lu ye glanced at her and then retrieved a new glass from the cabinet, pouring her a glass of water as well.

“thanks.”

ashley took the water glass, strolled into the living room, and curiously looked around, her eyes lingering on a sketch on the living room wall for quite some time.

“it’s quite cozy here,” ashley commented. “i didn’t expect your painting skills to be this good.”

“that’s his work,” lu ye replied. “he just put my name on it, but i didn’t contribute much.”

ashley didn’t deny it, slightly raising her eyebrows. “oh… i see. so, you guys have quite the taste.”

while they were talking, the partially closed door to the studio had been slammed shut from the inside. lu ye wasn’t sure if it was qi zhe or qi yanbai, but he looked in that direction and then casually retrieved some scattered paint brushes from the coffee table.

ashley had been observing his expression all along. she blinked and curiously asked, “you seem not to care much about what they’re discussing inside?”

“there’s nothing to care about,” lu ye said. “besides, if it’s something important, he’ll tell me himself afterward.”

“you seem to trust him a lot,” ashley smiled slyly. “it seems you’ve built a good foundation of trust in this time.”

“trust goes both ways,” lu ye replied, with an ambiguous tone. “you learn from your mistakes. we’ve both made some progress.”

lu ye threw the paintbrushes back into the container, and the plastic container made a slight rattling sound.

“rather than being curious about whether they’re discussing painting inside or not, i’m more curious about you, ashley,” lu ye said. “what are you here for this time?”

“you’re curious about my intentions?” ashley raised an eyebrow and said, “actually, i don’t have much say in this visit – qi zhe wanted to see him, and i was willing to accompany him, so i joined him on this trip. it’s that simple.”

“only that?” lu ye questioned.

“of course, i also wanted to take a look around, see how you guys are doing,” ashley said, her eyes narrowing playfully. “from what i see now, you’re doing quite well.”