Chapter 121: Worried About Qin Yu’s Safety

Bai Xu left first with his second brother, followed by Cheng Si, who was in a hurry to return to the institute.

In the end, only Lin Xi and Qin Yu remained.

Lin Xi had a little to drink, but she was fine—just slightly tipsy. A breath of the night air once they stepped outside was enough to clear her head.

On the way back, Lin Xi received a call from Engineer Chen.

"Engineer Lin, I’ve followed your instructions and posted the data to the group chat."

Hearing this, Lin Xi sat up straighter. "Good. I understand."

"Is there anything else I need to do now?"

"Don't be too deliberate; just discuss it as you normally would."

"Alright, alright, alright." Engineer Chen agreed. After a moment, he lowered his voice, sounding like a conspirator, and asked in a whisper, "So, are we just waiting now? Will this really work?"

"Whether it works or not, we’ll know the results in a couple of days."

With Qin Yu sitting right beside her, Lin Xi couldn't say much more. She paused and said to Engineer Chen, "I need to take a day off tomorrow, so could you please keep an eye on things for me?"

"No problem at all, don't you worry about things at the company."

"Is everything alright at home?" Engineer Chen asked with concern.

"Everything is fine. My brother is back, and I’m going home for a meal tomorrow. I’ll be at the office on time the day after tomorrow, and we can discuss the rest then."

Engineer Chen’s tone was excited. "Understood, understood."

After hanging up, Lin Xi looked up inadvertently and met Qin Yu's gaze. The car was stopped at a red light, and he was watching her openly.

Whether out of a guilty conscience or some other reason, Lin Xi offered an explanation: "Work."

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything; speaking up only made it sound like she was trying to cover something up. Qin Yu couldn't help but feel curious. The phone call she just had was definitely not as simple as just "work."

The light ahead turned green, and Lin Xi hurried to remind him, "Let's go, the cars behind us are getting impatient."

After driving for a while, Qin Yu said unhurriedly, "Still about the leak of the chat history from last time?"

Lin Xi: "..."

Did he guess that just like that?

Lin Xi couldn't hide her surprise, her eyes scanning him with suspicion. "Have you planted one of your own people in our department?" She found it hard not to think so.

"No." Qin Yu kept one hand on the steering wheel, and after making a turn, he answered her question: "The voice on the other end was a bit loud just now, so I caught a little of it. Combining that with what happened last time, I figured you aren't the type to just swallow your anger."

Lin Xi was rendered speechless by his words.

"I guessed early on that you would have your own ideas."

Ever since the incident happened, Qin Yu had received the news. He had known about the leaked chat logs even earlier than Lin Xi. However, when he wanted to intervene, he had been stopped by Cheng Si.

"Leave this to me, Third Brother. You just focus on recovering your health for now. Don't you trust me?"

He was still in the hospital at the time. It was only after Cheng Si gave him repeated assurances that he would handle the matter properly that he had put his phone down. Later, he heard that Lin Xi hadn't pursued the matter, though the company was still trying to identify the culprit. He had felt then that Lin Xi wouldn't let it go so easily.

Sometimes, Lin Xi didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he understood her so well. She sighed and had to admit, "Yes."

"I released a set of fake data. I expect I'll see who leaked it very soon."

"Doesn't that seem a bit too deliberate?" Qin Yu cautioned.

"I thought about that. That's why I didn't post it in the previous group chat." She had indirectly narrowed the scope. "I have a suspect, so this time I'm targeting him specifically. If it's him, then it's him; if not, then it doesn't matter."

Actually, Engineer Chen had wanted to test the waters a few days ago, but she had stopped him in time. Now that so much time had passed, the culprit should have lowered their guard.

She looked at Qin Yu. "Do you have any other advice, Third Brother?"

The latter smiled. "I wouldn't call it advice." He only wanted to offer a reminder; he had no intention of interfering. Such a small matter was best left for her to handle as she pleased. It wouldn't cause any major commotion anyway.

Hearing this, Lin Xi lost interest, having expected him to say something more. She had hoped for too much.

Putting everything else aside, Qin Yu had been grinding away in the business world for so many years; he was naturally sharper than she was. Since he didn't speak, Lin Xi didn't want to force the conversation. She leaned back in her seat, looked out the window in boredom for a while, and soon fell asleep.

When Qin Yu looked over at her again, he realized she had fallen fast asleep, still clutching her phone.

"Lin Xi?" He was only one more turn away, less than five minutes from home.

Alas, no one answered him. Qin Yu called her name once, then let her sleep.

Lin Xi always liked to sleep in the car. No matter how smoothly he drove, she would feel sleepy. Combined with the effects of the alcohol, she really couldn't resist.

Five minutes later, Qin Yu brought the car to a smooth stop downstairs. At this hour, there was hardly anyone to be seen in the residential complex.

Qin Yu got out, walked to the other side, leaned in to unbuckle her seatbelt, scooped her up in his arms, and gently pushed the car door shut. The movements were fluid and seamless.

As they entered the elevator, Lin Xi stirred slightly, her head shifting against his chest, but she didn't wake up. Qin Yu lowered his head and glanced at her.

Qin Yu was, of course, familiar with Lin Xi's place. He carried her inside and went straight to the master bedroom with practiced ease. He set her down gently, stripped off her coat, and helped her take off her high heels.

He didn't stay long. He fetched a glass of warm water, placed it on the nightstand, quietly switched on the nightlight, and left.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, the person on the bed slowly opened her eyes.

Lin Xi's eyes were clear; there was no trace of sleepiness left. She turned her head and, by the dim light, spotted the glass of water that was still emitting a wisp of steam. The room seemed to linger with a faint scent that belonged to Qin Yu.

Lin Xi had indeed fallen asleep at first. She woke up in the elevator and realized she was in Qin Yu's arms. Before he could look down, she had closed her eyes again. Considering the situation, it would have been awkward to open her eyes and face him. Faking sleep was a more reliable option.

How to put it? Escapism is shameful, but it works.

She took a deep breath and sat up to check herself. Her coat had been removed. When the man had been unbuttoning her coat earlier, her heart had skipped a beat. She knew, of course, that Qin Yu wasn't the type of scoundrel to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state, but at that moment, she had still been stunned.

She didn't know if Qin Yu had noticed... but judging by his behavior, even if he had, he had chosen not to expose her, sparing her the embarrassment. Compared to that, Qin Yu was far better than the hot-headed Bai Xu.

Lin Xi got up and went to the bathroom for a soak before finally going to sleep.

The next morning at nine, she sent a message to Qin Yu, but there was no reply for a long time. After waiting another half hour, she couldn't sit still any longer. She got up, left her apartment, and went next door.

She hesitated for a few seconds before pressing the doorbell. She wasn't in a hurry to return to the institute; she was mostly just worried that something might have happened to Qin Yu.