Chapter 52: His Feelings for You Run Too Deep

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Lin Xi stared at him in utter bewilderment.

“So you really didn’t know,” Bai Xu replied, mirroring her expression, though with a hint of deliberate mischief.

“When that name first appeared all those years ago, Auntie immediately guessed it referred to you.”

“She disagreed back then, and for the first time ever, she actually hit Third Brother because of it. You really didn’t know about this?” The “auntie” he spoke of was Qin Yu’s mother.

Lin Xi was silent.

Was she supposed to have known?

“It’s just a coincidence—just two letters. Why does everyone have to connect it to me?” Whether it was Bai Xu or Aunt Rong, why did they always have to fixate on her?

“Whether it’s a coincidence or not, only Third Brother himself would know. Want me to call him and ask?”

Before he’d even finished speaking, Lin Xi grabbed her bag and rose to leave.

“After all this time, can’t I even joke with you?” Bai Xu was quick, pressing her back into her seat.

Lin Xi shot him a cold glare, her displeasure clear.

“Fine, I’ll shut up.” For once, he knew to quiet down.

When the food arrived, they spoke little. The restaurant was not far from Feiyun—just a street to cross, and you’d be there. Lin Xi insisted on walking, and Bai Xu, leaving his car behind, insisted on accompanying her for a while.

Underneath Feiyun’s building, Bai Xu stopped and handed her a box of desserts he’d packed to go. “I’ll head off now. Call me if you need anything.”

“What could I possibly need you for?” Lin Xi was still annoyed, snapping back at him.

Bai Xu, apparently taking it as a genuine question, pondered seriously. “For example, news about Third Brother?”

“Anything you want to know but don’t know whom to ask, you can always ask me.”

Lin Xi responded with a dramatic roll of her eyes and walked off without even a goodbye.

—

On Saturday, Lin Xi rose early. When Qin Yu arrived, she was curled up on a lounge chair, poring over documents.

Once in the car, Lin Xi had no intention of speaking to him, wholly absorbed in her reading.

Qin Yu’s gaze lingered on her. “So diligent, even on a Saturday?”

He wasn’t driving today; he’d brought a driver and an assistant. With the partition up, the backseat was entirely private.

“I told you I have to work overtime today. If it weren’t for the medical exam, I’d already be at the office.”

As if proving just how busy she was, she turned another page with perfect composure.

“You’re even busier than I am now.”

His tone was casual, the words offhand. Yet to Lin Xi’s ears, they sounded anything but simple.

After all, by comparison, Qin Yu should be the busier one. Handling billions at a moment’s notice, while someone like her hardly seemed worth mentioning—a minor blade in front of the God of War.

But now the play had begun; there was no calling it off half-way. Lin Xi simply pretended not to hear, turning aside and burying herself in her documents.

As soon as she stepped into the hospital lobby, the smell of disinfectant invaded her nostrils. Just standing there, Lin Xi felt a chill seep through her entire body. Her fear of hospitals was beyond words.

This place held too many painful memories for her—memories she had no wish to revisit.

Ahead, Qin Yu had walked two or three paces before noticing she hadn’t followed. He signaled his assistant to go on and returned to her side.

A shadow fell over her. Lin Xi paused, looking up at him.

He watched her a few seconds; even without words, Qin Yu seemed to understand her thoughts.

If it weren’t for concern about her health, he would never have brought her here.

Lin Xi didn’t want to seem weak in front of him, nor did she want him to notice her unease. Head bowed, she fastened the buttons of her coat, letting her long hair fall to conceal her expression. “Let’s go.”

She had barely taken a step when she felt a sudden pressure on her left wrist.

Puzzled, she turned, wondering if he had other plans. His warm palm opened, several fingers covering the back of her hand, gripping tightly.

He said nothing, simply holding her hand, as though to pass his strength to her. Strangely, that single gesture made her restless heart find its harbor, calming it at once.

—

Just the thought of having blood drawn was enough to make Lin Xi’s head ache. The moment she was pressed into the chair, a cascade of broken images flashed through her mind.

Watching the nurse’s movements, she quickly turned away. The needle prick wasn’t as painful as she’d imagined, but she still flinched, body tense, limbs stiff.

“Don’t be nervous,” the nurse said, noticing her reaction. “Are you squeamish about blood?”

Lin Xi shook her head. “No.”

“Then it’s fine. Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”

Lin Xi replied, but her body betrayed her, the anxiety unchanged by the nurse’s reassurance.

Determined to prove she wasn’t squeamish, she even glanced at the blood.

Scarlet liquid dripped steadily into the collection tube. Lin Xi’s breath caught, her fingers trembling, her entire body shivering uncontrollably. Her eyes darted wildly, unfocused and searching for escape.

“Relax.” A weight settled on her shoulder.

Lin Xi stiffened.

Qin Yu placed a hand at the nape of her neck, kneading gently, “Relax.”

As he felt her shoulders finally drop, his hand moved lower, fingers brushing over the protruding butterfly bones before coming to rest along her spine. He kneaded again and again, the pressure gentle—just enough for her comfort.

Sensing her relaxation, the nurse glanced at them, smiling. “You two seem very close. Here for a premarital checkup?”

What she didn’t know was that, with this casual remark, Lin Xi’s composure shattered; her body tensed all over again, and she forced out a twisted smile. “He’s my brother.”

“…”

“Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s just, we’ve had a lot of young couples coming for premarital exams these days, and you two just seemed so well-matched—I assumed…”

Lin Xi managed a strained laugh. “You do have a way with jokes.”

As for Qin Yu, he made no response at all. But Lin Xi knew he had heard. The moment the nurse spoke, his hand paused for an instant. After a long silence, when she finally answered, he resumed as though nothing had happened.

Only, when he resumed, that first press of his fingers was noticeably firmer than before—perhaps on purpose, perhaps not—enough to make her knit her brows in pain.

All through the examinations, Qin Yu stayed close by Lin Xi’s side.

While waiting for the results, Lin Xi sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Qin Yu sat across from her. As she drifted toward sleep, his assistant returned and handed her a cup of hot milk.

She hadn’t had breakfast or even water that morning.

After she finished drinking, Qin Yu asked in his unhurried way, “Did Bai Xu come see you yesterday?”

“Yes, we had dinner together.”

“Stay away from him.”

“Why?” Lin Xi hadn’t expected him to say that—after all, Bai Xu was his own younger brother.

Qin Yu pressed his fingers to his brow, voice low. “He has too many thoughts about you.”

(End of this chapter)