Chapter 78

Chapter 78

"Master, it's almost midnight. Time to call it a night."

Qin You’s fingers stilled on the keyboard. A quick glance at the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen confirmed it was already 11:46 p.m.

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a few seconds before powering down the computer and standing up.

The system said, "Master, you usually only work for two hours in the morning, which is just right. Why are you working so late tonight? You'll exhaust yourself!"

Qin You didn’t respond.

Emerging from the bathroom while towel-drying his hair, he heard the sporadic firecrackers outside grow louder and more frequent.

The system huffed, "Who can sleep through this racket? It’s so disruptive!"

Qin You replied, "No big deal."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone.

The screen flashed to life, showing the time: 11:55 p.m. Just five minutes until the new year.

Qin You sat on the sofa, pulled up the messaging app, and opened Yan Tingshen’s chat.

He typed "Happy New Year" into the text box, but just as he was about to send it, a call came through.

Qin You raised an eyebrow, answering with a smirk in his voice, "Up this late?"

Dead air on the line.

Were it not for the firecrackers in the background, Qin You might have thought the call hadn’t connected.

He straightened slightly, the amusement draining from his voice as he asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

Yan Tingshen’s voice finally came through, "...I’m fine."

Qin You cut in sharply, "Cut the crap. What happened?"

The firecrackers drowned out Yan Tingshen’s breathing, making it sound perfectly normal through the receiver.

Yan Tingshen said, "I caught some news today."

Before Qin You could respond, he continued, "It concerns you."

Qin You went still, already realizing what the news must be.

He leaned back again, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "About the invitation?"

Yan Tingshen’s tone remained steady, devoid of any fluctuation. "Is there no way around it?"

Qin You replied, "Something like that."

The line went quiet.

Yan Tingshen suddenly asked, "Do you like her?"

Qin You knew who he was referring to: "How could I? I’ve only met Miss Liu twice."

Yan Tingshen's tone was rarely this blunt: "Two meetings, yet enough for you to decide to spend your life with her."

Qin You let out a tired sigh: "You’ve got it wrong."

"Got what wrong?"

Yan Tingshen said, "I’m holding the invitation right now. New Year’s Day—isn’t that your engagement party?"

Qin You replied, "It’s an engagement party, but—"

"Then what misunderstanding could there be?"

Yan Tingshen's voice grew slightly colder, "I should congratulate you."

Qin You scoffed: "Skip the congratulations."

Another brief silence hung between them.

Qin You continued, "The engagement isn’t real."

"Isn’t real?"

Yan Tingshen pressed, "What do you mean?"

With him, Qin You had no reason to hide the truth: "The old man’s been pushing too hard. It’s just a stopgap."

Yan Tingshen pressed further: "A stopgap?"

Qin You laid it out plainly: "Once we’re married, the old man won’t meddle in my business."

Yan Tingshen frowned: "You’re marrying Liu Wangshu—how’s that temporary?"

Qin You said, "Not marriage, just an engagement."

Yan Tingshen countered, "That’s your plan, but Mr. Qin might have other ideas. Besides, the Liu family’s alliance with you—even if just for profit—could make it real."

Qin You reassured him: "Relax. Miss Liu’s already on board with my plan. Once we’re engaged, I’ll end it when the time’s right."

Yan Tingshen's frown deepened: "You sure she’s not playing the same game as you?"

Qin You scoffed: "I’m sure."

Liu Wangshu was naïve, like a blank slate.

As the "victim" of this "transaction," she repaid the smallest kindness ten times over.

That kind of innocence didn’t get you far in high society, but she was the real deal—kind through and through.

Moreover, whether she agreed or not didn’t matter—he’d end it either way.

"Sounds like you like her."

"Like?"

Qin You scoffed again, "Come on, Yan, how many deals have you closed? With all those partners, you like every last one?"

Yan Tingshen didn’t say a word.

Qin You said, "I know you don’t trust her, but don’t you trust me?"

Yan Tingshen replied, "You’ve already been pushed this far by Mr. Qin. After the engagement, won’t marriage just follow naturally?"

Qin You said, "Then trust me—it’ll never happen."

As his words faded, only the crackle of firecrackers broke the silence on both ends of the line.

All of a sudden—

A golden firework streaked into the sky outside the window, bursting with a deafening bang.

Qin You turned toward the sound, only to hear the same sound blast through the phone in his ear.

Then came the second, the third—

A thought flickered through Qin You’s mind. He got up from the couch and looked out the window. "Where are you?"

Yan Tingshen said nothing.

Qin You had already pushed open the sliding door and stepped onto the balcony.

Outside, the firecrackers roared louder.

Amid the swirling snowflakes, the New Year’s gunpowder scent lingered in the air.

Zeshui Bay was mostly quiet, though already adorned with festive decorations.

The courtyard glittered, lit up like daylight.

Outside the gate, the street lamps were hung with ornate red lanterns.

Standing by the railing, Qin You’s gaze quickly settled on the figure beneath the red lantern, who’d been standing in the snow—who knew for how long.

He looked at him. "Why didn’t you come in?"

Yan Tingshen’s fingers tightened slightly around his phone.

He had heard Qin You open the door, step outside, and then speak. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he looked up through the courtyard, through the falling snow, at Qin You’s indistinct face.

Standing under the cold glow of the streetlamp, he stared at the balcony, glowing with warmth.

Only when Qin You turned to leave did he finally speak. "Why didn’t you tell me beforehand? I could have helped you."

"You’ve helped me enough. Besides, how could you help with something this personal?"

Qin You continued, "The snow’s coming down hard. Get inside—don’t stay out here."

As he turned away again, Yan Tingshen’s voice cut through the air.

"Don’t you love Pei Sheng?"

Qin You froze.

He spun back to face the courtyard.

Yan Tingshen held his gaze as he asked, "Won’t he take this the wrong way?"

Qin You looked at him.

"You like Pei Sheng."

This was the second time Yan Tingshen had said this.

"If you—"

Qin You cut him off: "I told you—my actions have nothing to do with him."

Yan Tingshen said, "You came out of the closet for him, left the Qin family for him, gave up—"

Qin You replied, "Who told you it was for him?"

Yan Tingshen said, "Isn’t that the case? Everyone in the Qin family knows you did it for a man—"

Qin You interrupted him for the third time: "The old man thought that man was you."

At this, Yan Tingshen’s grip tightened fiercely.

His heartbeat, thrown off by the distant firecrackers, became erratic, racing like a drumroll.

"He misunderstood that I liked you. I didn’t want to take over the Qin family, so I didn’t clarify. That’s why he invited you."

Just a misunderstanding.

Yan Tingshen’s grip loosened slowly.

Qin You said, "I kept this from you to avoid affecting you. I didn’t think he’d approach you. I’m sorry."

After listening, Yan Tingshen only asked, "What about Pei Sheng?"

Qin You laughed. "How could you even—"

This time, Yan Tingshen interrupted him: "You confessed to him—repeatedly. You liked him, a childhood love, since you were four. Isn’t that right?"

Qin You was speechless.

His past confessions and current engagement were all system tasks, but this reason wasn’t something he could explain to Yan Tingshen.

In the end, he only said, "You can’t force feelings. With Pei Sheng, I’m not considering it."

"That’s not an answer."

Yan Tingshen said, "Do you still like Pei Sheng?"

Qin You fell silent again.

Yan Tingshen had never pushed him this hard before, his tone now sharp and pressing.

But since Yan Tingshen wanted to know, he gave him an answer: "I don’t like Pei Sheng. Not now, not ever."

Yan Tingshen stared him down. "Why?"

Why don’t you like him?

Why deny your feelings for Pei Sheng?

Why hadn’t you said this before realizing the mistake?

Qin You said, "Alright. If we keep asking like this, it’ll be dawn."

Yan Tingshen caught Qin You’s evasion.

But they had already arrived at Zeshui Bay, already met this person, already acted on impulse to this point—there was no turning back. He no longer intended to suppress the one question that demanded an answer the most.

"I have one last question."

Qin You sighed helplessly. "Ask."

The question had been festering in his mind for too long, fully formed.

Yan Tingshen asked him bluntly, "In your eyes, how do you really tell me apart from Pei Sheng?"

Qin You hesitated.

Yan Tingshen continued, "You said you could tell us apart, but ever since you met me, you kept mistaking me for Pei Sheng. So how can you be sure—how much of what you feel for me is just leftover from what you felt for Pei Sheng?"

Qin You looked at him.

Again, this wasn’t the first time he had brought up this topic.

If it mattered to him—if he wanted to know—

"The four-year-old Qin You was grateful to the four-year-old Pei Sheng," Qin You murmured. "But the person I met was you."

Yan Tingshen heard his heart hammer again, as if it might leap out of his chest at any moment.

Qin You said, "I’m not the four-year-old Qin You, and you’re not Pei Sheng."

Yan Tingshen clutched his phone, his breath hitched. "You—"

"Listen to me," Qin You countered. "Yes, I met you by mistake, but from the very beginning, the one I came to know was *you*, Yan Tingshen."

Bang—!

A firework streaked skyward and exploded in a brilliant burst of light.

They both glanced up.

Yan Tingshen looked away first.

New Year’s fireworks lit up the sky, splashing Qin You’s face with color, illuminating his expression, lighting up those hazy but unforgettable peach-blossom eyes in his mind.

A reckless urge swelled, bursting out of him.

Yan Tingshen suddenly spoke. "Qin You."

Qin You looked back at Yan Tingshen.

Yan Tingshen said, "I—"

The words were lost beneath the firework’s shrill whistle streaking skyward.

Qin You wasn’t sure if he’d misheard or if Yan Tingshen had left his sentence unfinished.

"What?"

The moment their eyes locked, Yan Tingshen pressed his lips together, lowering his gaze briefly before lifting it again.

Bathed in the fireworks’ glow, Qin You saw Yan Tingshen’s face, no longer seeming so cold. But the distance hid his expression, leaving his eyes unreadable.

Only his gaze cut through—untouched by fireworks or snow—steady and deep.

Yan Tingshen looked at Qin You. A firework flared. Four words. That’s all he said.

"Happy New Year."