Chapter 30: Secretly Competing with Him

Like the other wealthy young men in the capital, Qin Yu also enjoyed cars, though not with the same fervor as Cheng Si and his friends. He had his own private garage and owned quite a few vehicles, so his cars were not easily recognized, but his license plates were memorable—like the consecutive Beijing A plates on the car now.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xi smiled at Engineer Chen and the others. “I’ll go over there for a moment.”

“Ah, sure, sure.” The group instinctively stepped aside.

Lin Xi walked to the back seat of the Bentley and bent down to knock on the window.

The window slowly rolled down, and, as expected, Qin Yu sat inside.

Seeing him, Lin Xi pursed her lips. “Third Brother, you needed something from me?”

“Where are you going?” Qin Yu had noticed her with her colleagues, his dark eyes fixed intently on her figure outside the window. “A dinner?”

Lin Xi responded softly.

“I’ve booked a restaurant.”

“So?”

“I’ll take you out for a meal.”

Lin Xi was momentarily speechless. “That’s unfortunate. I’ve already promised my colleagues.”

Qin Yu’s brows furrowed, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. After a long pause, he asked, “Can’t you reschedule?”

“I could.” She smiled brightly, then added, “But I don’t want to.”

Her intention to oppose him was all too obvious.

Qin Yu gazed at her deeply.

Lin Xi looked back, her smile unyielding, her demeanor proud and spoiled by favor.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go now. It’s not good to keep them waiting too long.”

With that, she straightened up, ready to leave. As her figure was about to vanish from the rear window, she paused, took two steps back, leaned in and poked her head inside:

“By the way, Third Brother, if you want to invite me to dinner next time, remember to call a week in advance to make an appointment. My schedule is quite full.”

“……”

When she returned, her colleagues curiously asked who he was.

Lin Xi didn’t mention his name, only said, “A childhood friend. Let’s go eat.”

—

At ten o’clock that night, the dinner ended, and a colleague dropped Lin Xi off at her apartment building.

Watching the car drive away, Lin Xi rubbed her aching neck and yawned as she entered.

The elevator was in use, though she didn’t know by whom, and it didn’t come down for a long time. Losing patience, she turned and pushed open the door to the stairwell, climbing slowly upward.

She didn’t live on a high floor; it only took a minute or two. The corridor was equipped with sound-activated lights, but when Lin Xi stepped out of the stairwell, it was pitch black. The ceiling light hadn’t come on. She looked up, puzzled, and tapped the floor lightly with her heel.

Soon, the lights flickered, and the whole corridor was instantly illuminated. Satisfied, Lin Xi withdrew her gaze.

A figure came straight into her line of sight. Dressed in black, he stood right at her apartment door.

“……” Lin Xi’s heart skipped in fright, and she instinctively stepped back. Once she saw who it was, she gritted her teeth and cursed, “Why didn’t you say anything! You scared me!”

Qin Yu frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you take the elevator?”

Clutching her chest, Lin Xi steadied herself and walked over with a cold face, ignoring his question.

“Is there something else you need from me?” Whenever her mood soured, she dropped all pretense—no polite language, not even a smile.

Qin Yu lowered his head, gazing at her, and asked, “Did you receive flowers today?”

Lin Xi paused as she entered her passcode. Was that bouquet of roses from Qin Yu?

“Yeah,” she replied vaguely.

“Why didn’t you bring them home?”

Lin Xi pursed her lips. She couldn’t very well say she’d left them in the restroom. Awkwardly, she touched her nose and lied, “Because they’re so beautiful. I left them at my desk so I can see them every day.”

The surroundings fell silent; the atmosphere felt off.

Lin Xi couldn’t tell what had changed, only that he kept staring at her, his gaze making her uncomfortable.

She looked up at him. “I need to enter my passcode, Third Brother, do you want to watch?”

Qin Yu’s eyes lingered on her face for two seconds. “Your passcode? No need. I can guess it.”

“……”

Lin Xi glared at him and pressed the code firmly in his presence.

After changing shoes, she turned and saw him still standing outside. Lin Xi instinctively wanted to invite him in, but stopped herself mid-sentence.

“Is there something else, Third Brother?”

She’d finished dinner. What else did he want? And if he was going to visit, he certainly didn’t seem intent on coming inside. Strange.

Qin Yu had no intention of entering. Only when she asked did he move, handing her a beautifully wrapped, flat box, about the size of a book. Lin Xi was momentarily stunned, looking at him in confusion, as if to ask what it was.

“A necklace.”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

The day was somewhat special; why was he giving her such a thing now?

Was it because Lu Bei gave her a necklace the other day?

After thinking it over, Lin Xi didn’t take it. “I don’t like wearing necklaces.”

The accessories she wore most often were her watch and the agarwood bead bracelet she never removed. The watch was for her obsessive sense of time; the bracelet had a different significance. Unless it was for a large event or a family banquet, she rarely chose jewelry. Otherwise, she always felt these things were a burden.

Qin Yu’s hand remained suspended in the air, not withdrawing despite her refusal.

The two stood face to face in a silent standoff, as if secretly competing to see who would yield first.

By nature, Lin Xi would never give in—especially not to Qin Yu. She could bow to anyone else, but never him.

When it came to Qin Yu, this was more than just her temperament.

She held her head high, neither arrogant nor humble. Still dressed in her crisp work attire, she looked even more formidable, her aura matching his without the slightest inferiority.

At last, Qin Yu surrendered first, catching her off guard as he took her hand and placed the box in her palm.

“It’s compensation for last time. If you don’t like it, give it back to Lu Bei.”

His tone was firm, devoid of emotion. Having spoken, he turned and left, without a hint of reluctance.

Lin Xi’s mind was blank for a moment. By the time she chased after him, the elevator was already descending.

He hadn’t given her any chance to refuse.

Back in the living room, Lin Xi tossed the item onto the table and sat on the sofa, arms crossed, scrutinizing the box with a stern expression.

No logo was visible on the box; she couldn’t tell which brand it was. It looked like something from an auction house—befitting Qin Yu’s status.

She remembered Lu Bei’s necklace was a major brand, though she wasn’t sure of the style. It started at thirty thousand, not exactly extravagant.

Was she really supposed to return this necklace to Lu Bei? She wasn’t out of her mind.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Lin Xi couldn’t sit still. She got up, reached for the box, and weighed it in her hand—it had a notable heft.

As she untied the ribbon, Lin Xi felt as though she were opening Pandora’s box.

Under the light, the diamond necklace lay quietly inside, dazzling and eye-catching.

Just as she expected, anything Qin Yu gave wouldn’t be cheap.

For years, she’d focused all her energy on her studies, unlike other wealthy young ladies who knew jewelry well. Driven by curiosity, she sent a picture to a senior acquaintance abroad.

The reply came quickly: “So you’re the one who took this home!”

Lin Xi was puzzled and sent a question mark. “It’s not mine. What’s its story?”

“This was the necklace from the Hong Kong auction two days ago—a hundred carats or so, sold for over four million US dollars.”