Chapter 13: A Gift for the Qixi Festival

Lin Xi had never seen Qin Yu like this.

The two grew up together, childhood friends. In her memory, Grandpa Qin had a lifetime of achievements, Qin Yu’s father founded his business early and once monopolized the market. Not to mention Qin Yu himself, whose accomplishments far surpassed his peers. To call him favored by heaven would be no exaggeration.

From childhood to adulthood, it was always others who sought favors from Qin Yu, never the other way around.

But now, his tone bordered on pleading. Lin Xi was shocked, and a sour ache welled up in her heart.

Indeed, there was a deep fissure between her and Qin Yu. Despite her lingering resentment, she didn’t want to see him like this. Proud as he was, even when Grandpa Qin punished him years ago, lashing his back with a cane, he had never bowed his head.

“Qin—” Lin Xi’s lips moved several times, her throat constricted as if gripped by an invisible hand. It felt as if she had returned to seven years ago, unable to utter a complete sentence in front of him, only able to stammer, “You—please get up first and talk.”

But the man was unmoved. She pressed her hands against his chest, unable to budge him at all. Through the thin layer of his shirt, she could even feel his powerful heartbeat.

He gazed at her silently, shifting from towering over her to meeting her eyes at the same level.

A voice echoed in Lin Xi’s mind, knocking insistently: Qin Yu truly cared about whether she stayed or left.

At that thought, she hurriedly looked away, her fingers curled as she held his hand. “I have something urgent to attend to at my uncle’s.”

“So, how long this time?” He didn’t believe her.

“…,” Lin Xi tugged at her lips, her tone tinged with helplessness, “My uncle just had minor surgery. I’m going to check on him and pick up some things I left there.”

“That’s really all there is to it.”

Lin Xi had no inclination to lie about such matters; there was simply no need.

She came and went as she pleased, no one could confine her. If she truly didn’t plan to return, she wouldn’t hide it.

“Are you going on a business trip, Third Brother?” Her tone was teasing, trying to break the oppressive atmosphere. “Don’t tell me you came just to ‘catch’ me?”

Qin Yu avoided her question, his dark eyes narrowing as if confirming something. He stared into her eyes for a long time before finally releasing her shoulder and straightening up slightly. “When will you be back?”

Normally, Lin Xi would have had no patience for this and wouldn’t have answered obediently. But the scene from moments ago lingered stubbornly in her mind.

“We’ll see.”

She hadn’t bought a return ticket yet, precisely because she wasn’t sure when she’d be back.

“If all goes well, three or four days, I suppose?”

“If it’s not long, why bring so much luggage?” On the way, Qin Yu had seen the surveillance video sent by Cheng Si. In the footage, Lin Xi was dragging a twenty-six-inch suitcase she had used when returning to China—hardly the sign of a trip lasting only three or four days.

Did she need to report every detail? She looked at him, hesitating, clearly wanting to scold him.

“I don’t actually need to bring much of my own stuff. My uncle asked me to bring some things that are hard to buy there, so I’m taking them along.”

“Anything else, Third Brother?” Let’s just get it over with.

Noticing her impatience, Qin Yu changed the subject at just the right moment. “Are you really going to resign?”

This time, Lin Xi didn’t argue, nodding frankly. “According to my contract, I’ll pay the penalty on time. You don’t need to worry about that, Third Brother.”

If they were going to discuss this, she had to be clear with him.

“Though it may sound unpleasant, I still hope you’ll understand. If I’d known from the start that Feiyun was connected to you, I’d never have gotten involved with it.”

Her words had barely landed when the man’s expression shifted, storm clouds gathering in his eyes.

The emotion in his gaze didn’t escape Lin Xi. She sighed, set aside the cushion on her lap, and stood up.

She was already one meter seventy-two in height, and with five-centimeter heels, she faced him without fear, far more confident than when sitting.

“I don’t want to live under your protection.”

“No need to persuade me about resigning. When I return, I’ll go through the formal process. I have my own plans for what comes next. Please, Third Brother, don’t interfere.”

—

Qin Yu was a clever man. No matter how tactfully she spoke, he could hear the meaning behind her words.

Lin Xi was the first to board the plane, her seat by the window in first class. Adjusting her seat, she put on her eye mask and earplugs, settling in to rest.

She hadn’t slept well in two days, and sleep quickly overtook her. In her drowsiness, she sensed someone sitting beside her.

Lin Xi instinctively turned her head toward the window, and soon fell fast asleep.

The flight from Beijing to New York lasted more than ten hours. Midway through, hunger woke Lin Xi.

Removing the earplugs and eye mask, she straightened up, about to call a flight attendant, when her peripheral vision caught sight of a phone on the small table next door.

The phone itself was ordinary, but what stood out was the dangling charm attached to one side.

It was oddly familiar...

Lin Xi remembered vividly. It had been the Qixi Festival, and a light rain fell in the neighboring city. She hadn’t brought an umbrella.

Other students walked out in pairs or trios, sharing umbrellas, unhurried. She, sick at the time, was being ostracized by her classmates. Fortunately, the rain wasn’t heavy; she just needed to dash to the school gate.

Because she knew Qin Yu would surely be waiting for her there.

Suddenly, a force pulled her back from the curtain of rain. Startled, she turned and found Qin Yu behind her, holding a black umbrella with a silver handle.

“I knew you didn’t bring an umbrella, so I came in to get you. I looked all over upstairs and didn’t see you—you came down the other side?”

As he spoke, he naturally took her backpack and coat, holding the umbrella with one hand. “Come closer.”

She obediently stepped under the umbrella, close to him.

On the way, he said, “Next time this happens, don’t go anywhere. Just stay put—I’ll come find you.”

That day, as usual, he walked her to her grandmother’s house. Under the eaves, she held her keys, hesitating to open the door. The charm in her pocket pressed painfully into her palm as she clenched her fist.

Turning, she saw him still standing by the car with the umbrella. Taking a deep breath, she called softly,

“Qin Yu.”

It was a faint sound, using all her strength, easily drowned out by the rain.

While she hesitated about approaching, the man moved, umbrella in hand, walking toward her.

“This, do you—do you need it?”

Palm up, the indentations from her grip still visible as she opened her hand.

It was a crystal she had carefully chosen at the store a few days prior, spending two days to finish assembling it.

His deep gaze made her anxious, so she hurried to explain, “It was for—handicraft class. If you don’t want it, I…”

He didn’t let her finish. He took her fingers and gently rubbed them, trying to smooth the marks as he said, “If this is a Qixi Festival gift, then I want it.”

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