Chapter 21: I Will Not Marry Her

Lin Xi had just parted her lips, not yet uttering a word, when with a nod of her head, her cheek brushed unexpectedly against a patch of warmth. Sensing the man's halted breath in front of her, she froze for a few seconds, then realized what had happened and jerked back in a panic.

She was slightly tipsy, her cheeks already flushed, but now the color deepened visibly.

When his lips grazed her skin, Qin Yu, too, paused in surprise. A ripple of emotion flashed quickly in his eyes before he straightened up, feigning nonchalance as he spoke calmly, “Why did you go out drinking? How much did you have?”

…

Lin Xi was far more nervous than he was, mumbling for a long moment before replying, “A get-together with colleagues. I only had a little.”

Her answer was vague, her evasion poorly concealed.

His gaze dropped, catching sight of the item she was holding. Qin Yu frowned. “What’s this?”

Lin Xi glanced down, pressed her lips together, and said nothing.

She remained silent, yet Qin Yu could guess. “Lu Bei gave it to you?”

Whenever Lin Xi was drunk, her thoughts were written plainly across her face—anyone who knew her could tell at a glance. Right now, for example, at the mention of Lu Bei, her expression betrayed obvious surprise.

She looked up at him, her clear eyes seeming almost to speak, fixing on his gaze as if silently asking how he knew.

“I ran into him on my way here.”

“Oh,” Lin Xi replied.

Qin Yu took the item from her hand. Upon seeing the insulated box, he gave a cold, dismissive laugh. “He does care about you. Haven’t you two not seen each other lately? When did you get so close?”

Lin Xi thought his tone was odd, very much like the sarcastic way she often spoke herself.

Unsure how to respond, she heard Qin Yu ask again, “Is this a gift from him?”

Though it sounded like a question, there was a strange certainty in his voice.

“No, it’s from his mother,” Lin Xi blurted out, not really knowing why she felt the need to explain this to Qin Yu, but doing so instinctively.

What she said was true, but Qin Yu didn’t believe her. His long fingers pinched a pink card from the bag, examined it closely, then turned it toward her.

Word by word, he read: “Happy Valentine’s Day. Signed—Lu Bei.”

“What?!”

“How is that possible?” The card was so close that Lin Xi had to step back and squint to make out the writing. There were many words on the card, almost as much as a short essay. Of course, the rest wasn’t important—she looked carefully toward the end and really did see the words Qin Yu had just recited.

The name Lu Bei stood out in bold clarity.

Lin Xi couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“What is it?” Qin Yu scrutinized her face, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her expression. “Don’t tell me his mother wrote this card too?”

“It’s possible,” she answered.

Qin Yu fell silent.

But Lin Xi couldn’t say for sure. Her first reaction upon seeing this wasn’t that Lu Bei had deceived her, but rather—

“Is there a Valentine’s Day this month?” She asked Qin Yu with the utmost seriousness.

Lately, all her attention had been on work. The whole R&D center was groaning under the workload, everyone working overtime to the brink of collapse. She barely remembered what day it was.

Qin Yu’s grip on the card suddenly tightened, his eyes so dark it was impossible to read his thoughts. “In two days, it’s the Qixi Festival.”

“No wonder,” Lin Xi realized, not particularly concerned. “I’ll just return it to him another day.”

It was no big deal.

As she spoke, she reached out to take the item back.

Across from her, Qin Yu raised his hand; as her fingers brushed the edge of his suit, he lifted everything high and tossed it all out the door in one motion.

A loud crash echoed through the empty corridor.

Lin Xi’s eyes widened. “Qin Yu, are you out of your mind? How am I supposed to return it now that you’ve thrown it away!”

She pushed past him, intent on retrieving it.

She had thought the gift was from Lu’s mother, but now that she knew it was a Valentine’s gift from Lu Bei, she was all the more determined to return it! In her mind, such gifts were meant for girlfriends—if she accepted, wouldn’t that mean she tacitly approved, allowing this relationship to progress? Things would only get messier in the future.

Just as she stepped forward, Qin Yu wrapped an arm firmly around her waist from behind, stopping her.

With a thud, he kicked the door shut and carried her straight back to the living room.

When she landed on the sofa, Lin Xi was still in a daze. One sat while the other stood, the atmosphere tense and strange.

A cup of warm water was offered to her. His voice was stiff as he asked, “You drank so much—does your head hurt?”

The abrupt change in topic nearly left Lin Xi unable to keep up.

She brushed his hand away, refusing the water, a hint of anger in her words. “Go pick the stuff up, now.”

He set the glass down heavily, some water splashing out. With his head lowered, his expression unreadable, he asked, “Do you like that necklace?”

“What necklace?” Lin Xi belatedly realized that Lu Bei had indeed given her a necklace. “Not really, it’s not about the—”

Before she could finish the word “things,” a card suddenly appeared before her.

“Pick out another one tomorrow.”

Lin Xi tossed the card back at him. “Now I finally understand why Director Cheng always says that sometimes I act just like you.”

Qin Yu didn’t get what she meant. Picking up the card, he heard her say,

“When it comes to using money to insult people, I’m exactly the same as you.”

She hadn’t noticed it before—perhaps she’d picked up the habit after spending so many years with him.

“Would I dare insult you?” Qin Yu was a little surprised by her choice of words. He crouched down in front of her with a smile.

“With your temper, even when I go out of my way to indulge you, I’m still afraid you’ll mock me. I can’t even get a smile out of you.”

“You’re so annoying. When have you ever seen me not smiling at you? I might as well kowtow nine times.”

Her words were still barbed, but the wine had softened her manner toward him a little.

Qin Yu wasn’t sure if he truly owed her something, but being talked to like this, he didn’t get angry.

“So, who did you use the card to insult?” He looked ready to stand up for her.

This time, Lin Xi gave him no face at all, speaking bluntly: “Who else? Third Sister-in-law.”

She’d meant to provoke him, but Qin Yu merely frowned, unbothered by her insult to Song Ning, instead correcting her: “Didn’t I tell you before not to call her that?”

“Did you?” Lin Xi genuinely couldn’t remember. “Why not? If you don’t like it, you’ll just have to get used to it.”

Qin Yu replied, “I won’t marry Song Ning. Is that reason enough?”

Lin Xi’s mind nearly crashed; she had only one thought: “You broke up with her?”

She’d overheard Qin Yu and his mother arguing about Song Ning last time. Negotiations between their families seemed to have hit a snag, but she didn’t know the specifics. She just assumed Qin Yu didn’t want to settle down yet.

Lost in thought, she suddenly felt his fingers pinch her cheek gently as he leaned in and asked, “Who told you we were ever together?”