Chapter Four: Hoisted by One’s Own Petard!

Perhaps it was the innate flaw in men, or maybe it was Qin Luo’s own fascination with strong, mature women, or perhaps it was his pride that had been wounded—whatever the reason, Qin Luo was determined to step through that door today.

So, to the ice-cold woman’s astonished face, Qin Luo simply took out a key and opened the iron gate himself.

“How do you have the key to my house?” Her voice was frigid.

“Your grandfather gave it to me,” Qin Luo replied with a smile.

“Why would he give you a key? Who are you?”

“I told you already, my name is Qin Luo. As for why he gave me the key, I really don’t know.” With that, Qin Luo started walking further inside.

“Stop. If you take another step, I’ll call the police,” the woman snapped.

“Suit yourself. But before you do, you’d better call your grandfather first,” Qin Luo said with a careless shrug. Dressed in a sweeping black robe, there was something undeniably dashing about him.

“You… just wait!” The ice queen shot Qin Luo a fierce glare, then hurried off toward the living room—evidently to call her grandfather and ask what was going on.

According to the wisdom of elderly Chinese, a woman with a generous figure—ample chest and rounded hips—was sure to bear a son.

Watching the aloof beauty sway her shapely hips as she walked away, Qin Luo thought to himself, She really is wife material.

When Qin Luo entered the living room, the ice queen was clutching her phone, talking to Lin Qingyuan. She didn’t seem satisfied with whatever she was hearing; the frost on her face grew only colder, her eyes so sharp they seemed to cut right through him.

“Well? I wasn’t lying, was I?” Qin Luo grinned. “Which room is mine?”

“Find it yourself.”

“What if I accidentally walk into the wrong room and see something I shouldn’t?” Qin Luo asked slyly.

“Then I’ll gouge your eyes out,” she retorted, fuming. “Second floor. The room on the far left.”

“Thank you. In that case, I won’t get lost.”

The ice queen gave him a murderous look before striding outside.

Qin Luo watched her retreating back, a thoughtful expression on his face.

This woman… is a piece of work!

After finding his room on the second floor, Qin Luo quickly undressed and dashed into the bathroom. As he was lathering himself with shower gel, a troublesome thought occurred to him: he didn’t have any change of clothes.

The black robe he’d been wearing was out of the question. He’d sweated through it rescuing someone the previous day; it was damp and reeked unpleasantly. But he hadn’t brought any luggage on this trip—not even a spare shirt. He couldn’t just waltz out there wrapped in a towel, could he? That was absurd; he wasn’t that kind of person!

Hastily rinsing off the suds, Qin Luo started rummaging through the wardrobe, searching for anything to cover himself with. Luckily, he found a bathrobe.

Unluckily, it was a woman’s.

A loose, pink silk bathrobe, decorated with dainty floral patterns—and when he put it on, it didn’t even cover everything.

Qin Luo realized then that the ice queen had set him up, putting him in the women’s guest room. In his haste to wash off the sticky feeling, he hadn’t checked carefully.

What now? There was no way he could wear this bathrobe—if word got out, he’d never live it down. But he couldn’t go out naked, could he?

Qin Luo hurried to the window, hoping the ice queen would help by bringing him something to wear, but she was already gone.

Left with no choice, Qin Luo wrapped a towel around his waist, cracked open the door, and, seeing the corridor empty, dashed out. He had to find Lin Qingyuan’s room and borrow some clothes.

He’d made it halfway down the hall, bare-bottomed, when a door opened behind him. He turned to see the ice queen staring at him, wide-eyed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked icily.

“I’m not doing anything,” Qin Luo replied, face full of distress.

“And what exactly are you doing now?”

“I… I’m looking for clothes.”

She sneered coldly, “I didn’t expect you’d have a penchant for streaking.”

That was too much for Qin Luo. He thought, How did I end up like this? Isn’t it all because of your little tricks?

Feigning mischief, he pretended to untie the towel at his waist and grinned wickedly. “Heh. Since you’ve caught me, consider it your good fortune.”

Normally, a woman confronted by a man’s antics would blush, cover her face, peek through her fingers, and scold him playfully before fleeing in embarrassment.

But this woman’s reaction stunned Qin Luo. She simply stood there, arms crossed, looking at him coolly with her beautiful eyes, as if she were… waiting expectantly.

“What? Afraid to take it off?” she mocked.

“You… You pervert!” Qin Luo cried, sounding like a bullied little wife. He clutched the towel at both ends, shielding his front, and, still bare-bottomed, darted back into his room.

Throwing himself onto the bed, Qin Luo hugged his pillow and began to sob—

This was just too humiliating!

After a good long cry, he grew tired, and finally drifted off to sleep.

He had no idea how much time had passed before he awoke, groggy, to a knock at the door.

Fuming, Qin Luo muttered, “That woman really thinks I won’t do it? I’m a man—how could I lose out?” The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He jumped out of bed completely naked, not even bothering with the towel, and stormed over to yank the door open.

“You really think I won’t—Grandpa Lin?”

Lin Qingyuan stood at the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the naked Qin Luo. His mouth opened and closed in speechless shock; after a long moment, he forgot why he’d come.

“Qin Luo, you—”

Bang!

Qin Luo slammed the door, dashed back to grab the towel, and hurriedly wrapped it around his waist.

When he appeared before Lin Qingyuan again, a white towel secured around his waist, he wore an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, Grandpa Lin, I was just taking a shower.”

“A shower?”

“Yes. But when I finished, I realized I didn’t have any clothes to change into,” Qin Luo explained, hoping the old man wouldn’t take him for a flasher.

“Oh, that’s my oversight,” Lin Qingyuan said. “Wait a moment. Huanxi bought me a tracksuit, and I haven’t worn it yet. I’ll go get it for you. Just make do with it for now.”

“Huanxi?”

“My granddaughter. Haven’t you met?”

“Oh. Yes, I have,” Qin Luo nodded.

“Alright. I’ll grab you the clothes. Once you’re dressed, come downstairs for dinner,” Lin Qingyuan said with a smile.

Qin Luo and Lin Qingyuan were of similar build, so the clothes fit just fine. Still, it was the first time Qin Luo had worn a Nike tracksuit, and it felt a little odd.

When he came downstairs, Lin Qingyuan and the ice queen were already waiting in the dining room. A young housemaid was busy bringing out dishes. Qin Luo hadn’t seen her earlier—she must have been out shopping for groceries.

“Qin Luo, come and sit down. How about a little drink with your old man?” Lin Qingyuan said, setting out cups with a smile.

“Grandpa Lin, I can’t drink,” Qin Luo replied with a wry smile and a shake of his head.

“Can’t drink? You’ve come to the north—how can you not drink? Northern men drink from bowls, you know. Still, I won’t force you—just three small glasses each. I’m getting old and can’t handle much myself,” Lin Qingyuan grumbled.

Men in the north were known for their drinking prowess—especially when entertaining guests.

“Grandpa Lin, I really can’t. Not a drop,” Qin Luo said, looking troubled.

“Why not?”

“My health isn’t very good,” Qin Luo answered quietly, his face clouded.

“That illness… it hasn’t been cured?” Lin Qingyuan’s expression grew serious.

“No,” Qin Luo nodded.

“Even with your grandfather’s skill, he couldn’t cure you?” Lin Qingyuan looked at Qin Luo’s pale complexion and finally understood why the young man seemed so frail.

“This illness depends on fate…”

“Sigh. Forget it. I won’t drink either. Let’s just have some soda instead. Mrs. Li, bring us a bottle of Sprite,” Lin Qingyuan called out.

Seated at the table, Lin Huanxi kept her face impassive, but she was secretly listening in on their conversation. Hearing that Qin Luo was ill, she actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

Lin Qingyuan pulled Qin Luo down to sit beside him. “So you came to Yanjing to break off the engagement—was it because of this?”

“Yes,” Qin Luo nodded. “With my health… why drag someone else down with me? Besides, it’s the modern age—arranged marriages made before birth are really hard to accept. I’ve never even met the girl; there’s no foundation for any feelings.”

“Sigh, you’re right. Young people these days don’t like being forced. Still, Qin Luo, I think very highly of you. You’re outstanding, and with your medical skills, you’ll have no trouble finding a wife.”

“You flatter me, Grandpa Lin,” Qin Luo replied modestly.

“Not at all.” Lin Qingyuan pointed at Lin Huanxi, sitting across from him. “What do you think of my granddaughter?”

“Ah? She’s… nice,” Qin Luo said vaguely. He couldn’t very well say she was frigid, even if it was true.

“You think she’s nice?”

“She’s very beautiful,” Qin Luo forced himself to reply, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

“Good. If you’re willing, I’d be happy to marry my granddaughter to you,” Lin Qingyuan said earnestly, as if his granddaughter was an unsellable product he was eager to offload.

Qin Luo was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Lin Qingyuan to bring up the subject so directly.

He’d just praised the granddaughter, and if he refused now, it would be like shooting himself in the foot.