Chapter 150: Third Brother Is an Exception

Hearing Qin Yu's voice, Lin Xi felt a momentary daze.

"Third Brother," she said, turning to the refrigerator to take out a yogurt. "Is Fourth Brother not there? I heard he was looking for me."

"He just stepped out two minutes ago."

"Alright, then when he returns, could you please have him call me back?"

Lin Xi traced the edge of the bottle cap, waiting for him to hang up.

Instead of the dial tone, the man’s voice came through again: "Has someone named Su Ran reached out to you recently?"

"Yes," Lin Xi replied. "I saw her yesterday."

"Don't pay her any mind. I'll have someone pick you up this evening."

"I know."

Qin Yu was not one for excuses and rarely took the initiative to explain himself. Lin Xi assumed that was the end of the conversation, and she felt a small, lingering sense of disappointment.

She said, "I have a meeting to get to. If there's nothing else, I should go."

"Hmm."

Hearing this, Lin Xi frowned slightly. Given her temperament, she ultimately said nothing more.

On the other end, as if he had finally realized something, Qin Yu suddenly spoke up: "Wait."

"..." Lin Xi’s movements paused. She feigned ignorance and asked, "Is there something else, Third Brother?"

"Do you know about the relationship between Su Ran and Cheng Si?"

"I've heard," Lin Xi answered.

"The Su family's intention is that she wants to meet with me."

"Yes, I heard that too."

For some reason, hearing her say this made Qin Yu feel a sense of relief. He had sensed something was off, and it turned out to be exactly that. He had assumed Lin Xi didn't know, but upon reflection, with Bai Xu around, there were no secrets that could be kept. Given Bai Xu's penchant for stirring up trouble, it would have been strange if he hadn't told her.

"We will not be meeting. Grandfather has already turned the Su family down."

The old man hadn't even consulted him; he had stepped in personally to reject the Su family's proposal. The old man knew exactly who he favored.

"You're smart enough; you should understand what I mean."

Lin Xi lowered her eyes, repeatedly tracing the ridges on the yogurt cap, and replied, "Third Brother, you love saying things like that. It's a pity I don't understand."

She was clearly being difficult, saying it on purpose.

Qin Yu hadn't expected her to say that. He was stunned for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.

The faint sound of his laughter traveled through the electrical hum, striking Lin Xi's eardrums. It was a blatant seduction.

Lin Xi's ears turned red from his laughter, and she looked up, her gaze darting about in a panic.

"There won't be anyone else, never. If there could have been, you would have heard the news of my marriage a thousand times over these past seven years."

"I am a qualified businessman. You were right before; I am a ruthless capitalist. Therefore, Lin Xi, I never make a losing investment. The money, time, and affection I have invested in you are far greater than you could imagine. It has even exceeded my own expectations."

"I had already secured my victory with you from the start. Why would I ever give up halfway?"

Lin Xi could hear his rhythmic breathing, and she gripped her phone silently.

"I thought these kinds of words wouldn't have much effect on you."

He knew that for promises like "forever," given his understanding of Lin Xi, she wouldn't just dislike them—she would scoff at them. Such promises were ethereal and hollow.

Lin Xi whispered, "Then you don't know me well enough yet."

Qin Yu replied, "Is that so?"

"Perhaps in the past, I wouldn't have believed it, or I wouldn't have wanted to hear it. But... things are different now."

"Good, I'll keep that in mind," Qin Yu replied, his voice laced with a smile. "I've never seen you act on impulse before, so I have no experience with it. It’s understandable. I just didn't expect you to be so unprincipled when it comes to love."

"..." Lin Xi rubbed her nose awkwardly. She was a bit annoyed at being teased like this, so she retorted bluntly, "It's not that. It actually depends on who it is. If it were someone else, that would be a different story."

She was making a pointed remark, and Qin Yu understood, but he followed up anyway: "And me?"

Lin Xi replied, "Third Brother, you are the exception."

—

Cheng Si returned from outside and, upon entering, saw Qin Yu holding his phone, looking at it with a smile on his face.

*Hiss...*

Cheng Si retreated a step, his expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Hearing the noise, Qin Yu looked up. The smile vanished the moment he saw him, though his eyes still betrayed his good mood.

"Third Brother, what is this?" Cheng Si asked, puzzled.

Qin Yu tossed the phone into his lap. "Lin Xi wants you to call her back."

"..." Cheng Si realized, "No wonder."

He had been wondering why Qin Yu was acting so strangely, smiling to himself for no reason. It turned out he had just finished a call with Lin Xi.

*Tsk, tsk, tsk.*

Cheng Si felt a wave of sour jealousy.

"You two haven't even started dating yet, and Third Brother is already like this. If you actually do start dating..." Cheng Si imagined the scene and immediately got goosebumps. "I'm curious, what did you talk about?"

Cheng Si crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking like a gossip with eyes full of anticipation.

"What do you think?" Qin Yu countered.

"Oh." Cheng Si gave an awkward smile. So it was about that mess of his. "The sister didn't misunderstand, did she?"

"No."

Through their recent conversation, Qin Yu was certain that Lin Xi hadn't misunderstood, nor was she angry. She simply wanted him to take the initiative to explain. That was all.

"That's good, that's good," Cheng Si sighed in relief.

There was a time difference, and when he saw the message from security earlier, his heart had nearly jumped out of his throat. It was only after confirming with the security department that they had stopped the person that he finally calmed down.

"I'll call the Su family again later." Just to be safe, he had to make sure the Su family took her away immediately. Otherwise, he would really have to call the police. That woman, Su Ran, was truly outrageous.

"But, what were you laughing at, Third Brother?" Cheng Si still wanted to know. "You must have talked about something else besides that, right?"

He added with a mischievous grin, "Tell me."

He was genuinely curious. What could these two, both so proud and cold-natured, have said in private to make him smile like that?

"You ask too many questions. Go make your call," Qin Yu said. How could he possibly tell him? He couldn't just tell Cheng Si that, despite being prepared, he had still been charmed by a young girl like Lin Xi.

Cheng Si took the phone and walked outside. If he couldn't pry the truth out of Qin Yu, couldn't he just ask Lin Xi?

The call connected.

Lin Xi was somewhat surprised. "Didn't you go out? How are you back so soon?"

"Is this fast? Are you annoyed that I'm interrupting your sweetness with Third Brother?" Cheng Si teased.

"..." Lin Xi replied, "We hung up a long time ago."

"Ah, it sounds like it was a really good conversation, then," Cheng Si chuckled.

Lin Xi was left speechless and quickly changed the subject. "Hurry up and get to the point. I have things to do later."

"Fine," Cheng Si said, not planning to push it further; it was their privacy, after all. He was just joking.