Chapter 3: Avoiding Me?

Sensing the low pressure from the back seat, the driver waited until they had been on the road for a while before asking, “President Qin, are we heading home?”

“To Ruan Dong’s place.”

Ruan Dong was an old classmate of Qin Yu’s, who, after graduation, had opened his own private restaurant that had gained some renown.

Lin Xi, not wanting to stay with him, rubbed her wrist—still red from his grip—and refused, “I’ll go back to the compound. It’s not on your way. I’ll just take a cab, no need to trouble you, Third Brother.”

“No rush. Haven’t you eaten yet?”

“Are you getting forgetful with age, Third Brother? I already ate with Lu Bei.”

“Are you sure you could stomach that food? He didn’t even bother to find out what you like, clearly you’re not a priority for him. A man like that can’t be relied upon—best not associate with him.”

Lin Xi said nothing.

She only looked obedient on the surface; deep down, she was still rebellious. Not long after they sat down, Qin Yu stepped out to make a call. When he returned, she was gone.

Inside the private room, only Ruan Dong was there, sitting by himself. “Where is she?”

“She left not long after you stepped out—couldn’t stop her. Even paid the bill on her way out.” Ruan Dong waved a thick wad of cash with a laugh. “She dodges you like the plague. Is she still holding a grudge over that incident?”

“Hey, Third Brother, she seems a lot more cheerful than before. Doesn’t stumble over her words like she used to, and the hearing aid’s gone, too.”

Returning to his seat, Qin Yu lowered his head and lit a cigarette, silent for a long time.

—

In the end, Lin Xi didn’t return to the compound. She messaged her aunt and went straight to a hotel.

She had rarely stayed in the compound since her teens, always living with her parents. After the trouble at home during high school, she moved to her grandmother’s in a neighboring city and never returned to the house her parents left behind.

That night, Lin Xi couldn’t sleep, finally drifting off very late.

Once again, she dreamt of the day of the accident—blood streaming from her temple, her vision awash in crimson. She had survived by luck, but her ears were injured and she could hear nothing.

Upon waking to the news that her parents had died at the scene, she clung to her brother in the hospital bed, crying until she fainted. She became withdrawn and silent, to the point of losing her voice altogether for a time.

The scene shifted—to the day she had resolved to confess to Qin Yu after the college exams. He had always been punctual, waiting at the school gate to escort her to her grandmother’s. But that day, he never showed, only sending someone else to take her home. The next day, she heard he was engaged.

Not long after, she went abroad with her uncle.

It was her first winter overseas, and also the day she removed her hearing aid for the first time.

The doctor probed gently, “Miss Lin? Can you hear me?”

Since the accident, it was the first time she’d heard a voice without her hearing aid.

She nodded in delight, and under the expectant gazes of the doctor and her uncle, she stammered, “I... can hear!”

That day, after leaving the hospital, she sat in the car gazing out the window. At the street corner, Qin Yu’s figure flashed by...

The alarm blared abruptly, and Lin Xi woke with a gasp. She was in the familiar hotel room. The curtains ahead were not fully drawn, sunlight spilling through the gap.

She stared at the curtains for a few seconds before coming to herself and turning off the alarm. It was only eight in the morning—she hadn’t slept long. But she had something important to do today.

After buying flowers, Lin Xi took a cab to the cemetery on the outskirts of Beijing, arriving at ten.

She bent down to place the flowers, but paused when she saw another bouquet of white chrysanthemums below. Puzzled, she reached out to touch them. The petals were still fresh, as though placed there not long ago, and her parents’ photos had also been carefully wiped clean...

Someone else had visited shortly before her.

But at this hour, there were hardly any visitors. She had seen no familiar faces on her way up.

Several figures surfaced in her mind, only to be dismissed one by one. She gave up speculating.

Near noon, Lin Xi finally left. The journey from the outskirts to the compound was long, and she dozed off in the car. When she got out, her head was still heavy, her steps floating.

“Is that Xi Xi back?”

Hearing the commotion at the door, her uncle glanced over and hurried out to greet her.

“Uncle?” Lin Xi was surprised. “Weren’t you in the army?”

He reached to take her backpack. “You too, should have called ahead. I had to take emergency leave and rush back—almost missed seeing you.”

“Are you really planning to stay abroad for good?” Lin Xi nodded, walking in with her uncle.

“Is Grandpa not here?”

“He went to play chess—doesn’t know you’re back yet.”

Her grandfather, wheelchair-bound since a life-threatening incident years ago, could only get around with assistance.

It was late summer in Beijing, the sun still fierce. Lin Xi, afraid of the sun, quickened her pace. She was nearly at the pavilion when she spotted her grandfather in his wheelchair, with someone standing behind him.

That person had clearly seen her, too.

Lin Xi tugged awkwardly at the corner of her mouth.

Her grandfather, older now, couldn’t see clearly. Fortunately, Qin Yu was there. “It’s Lin Xi—Xi Xi is back.”

“Xi Xi?”

“Yes, right up ahead.”

Upon hearing this, her grandfather’s face lit up. He shakily raised his right hand, waving in the air, and called out to Lin Xi in his husky voice.

Lin Xi hurried over. “I was just about to come get you.”

“No need, Xiao Qin is here.” Her grandfather held her hand. “Where were you yesterday? Why didn’t you come home?”

“I went to visit Mom and Dad early this morning, so I stayed at a nearby hotel last night.”

“Did you and Xiao Qin go together and come back together? Yet he told me you weren’t home. This rascal.” Her grandfather swatted Qin Yu behind him.

Huh? Lin Xi was startled, looking up at him. Was it his bouquet of flowers?

Their eyes met; both understood but said nothing.

Her uncle came out to escort their grandfather inside. In the foyer, Lin Xi seized the chance to ask Qin Yu, “Did you go to the cemetery this morning?”

“Yes. I meant to stay longer, but got a call from home and had to come over.”

He explained why he was at the compound, making it sound like pure coincidence, not as if he had come specifically to intercept her.

“Why didn’t you come back last night?”

He asked the same question as her grandfather.

Before she could repeat her answer, Qin Yu stepped closer, cutting to the chase, “Were you avoiding me?”

Lin Xi was forced back against the wall, just like when she was a child and got punished by her brother for mischief. Qin Yu would always pass by and just watch, never pleading for her.

He had always been this way—not quick to smile or joke, colder than her brother’s severity. As a child, she truly disliked him, but later, she genuinely fell for him.

She retorted stubbornly, “No, why would I avoid you?”

Hearing her aunt call, Lin Xi quickly answered and ran off, deftly escaping. Qin Yu watched her retreating figure for a long while before silently following.

Her aunt was warm and welcoming, insisting Qin Yu stay for lunch. During the meal, her aunt kept piling food onto the two youngsters’ plates. Halfway through, her uncle seemed to remember something and asked, “Xi Xi, when are you going back?”

“Monday.”

Across the table, Qin Yu looked at her, his brows faintly furrowed. “You’re leaving again?”

Her aunt picked up the thread naturally, “Of course, Xi Xi found a good job abroad. She needs to go back to work.”

A strange heaviness settled over the table, a hush falling between them.

“I see.” After a long pause, his voice finally sounded—flat, yet somehow oppressive.

His gaze was scorching, impossible to ignore. Lin Xi kept her head down, eating in silence. After a long moment, unable to bear it any longer, she raised her brows and replied, “Is there a problem with that?”