Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Qin Hengzhong sat nearby, his tone neither warm nor cold. "Done with your explanation?"

Qin Hua observed his attitude, unable to quite read his true intentions yet.

He cared enough about Qin You to let his mistakes slide, yet his tone sounded oddly distant—how was that possible?

"Take a seat and rest. I—"

Before Qin Hengzhong could finish, he noticed Qin You pulling out his phone again, his face darkened. "What are you doing?"

Qin You replied casually, "Just heading to the restroom."

Qin Hengzhong fumed as Qin You walked off with his phone.

One night apart, and a single call isn’t enough?

Why couldn’t Qin You spare even a shred of this attention for him or the company?

Qin Hua sat down and advised, "Dad, Qin You knows his own mind. Since you’ve allowed him back into Qin Corp, let him do things his own way."

Qin Hengzhong stayed quiet, his expression unreadable.

Qin Hua’s heart sank.

The old man seldom had this much patience—he’d bent too many rules for Qin You.

He wondered if his failed ploy to force Qin You out had backfired, causing the old man to distrust him. He’d been left out of the loop regarding the two key personnel appointments involving Qin You and Kang Ming.

In contrast, Qin You hadn’t batted an eye at Kang Ming’s presence, clearly having been informed in advance.

After the dust settled, the old man and Qin You hadn’t grown distant but had instead grown closer.

Pushing further would look calculated. He didn’t want to come off as a stirrer of drama in the old man’s eyes.

That meant looking outside for options.

Qin Hua idly swirled his wine, his gaze sweeping the small banquet hall before finally settling on Qi Xinwei.

The last Qi standing might still be useful.

—

Qi Xinwei called out as he passed Qin You.

"Hey, bro—"

Before he could finish, Qin You tipped his head in acknowledgment and slipped out to place a call.

"Beep—"

The line connected instantly.

Yan Tingshen’s voice came through the receiver, the silence on the other end unnervingly deep.

"Is there something else?"

Qin You checked his watch again.

An hour and a half had passed since he arrived at the Qin estate.

He asked bluntly, "Where are you?"

At the question, Yan Tingshen didn’t respond.

Qin You said, "Stay put. I’m coming over now."

Yan Tingshen finally spoke, "Don’t bother. I’m about to—"

Qin You cut in, "Wait there."

His tone left no room for argument, with no chance of refusal.

Yan Tingshen pursed his lips. "Alright."

Qin You hung up and followed the body’s memories to the garage.

Seeing the car’s headlights in the distance, he headed straight for it.

Soon, a figure stepped out of the vehicle.

As Qin You approached, Yan Tingshen moved toward the front of the car.

Seeing Qin You, Yan Tingshen just said, "You promised Mr. Qin you’d stay tonight. You can’t back out now."

Hearing this, Qin You glanced at the car behind Yan Tingshen.

From the tight backseat, his gaze returned to the man before him.

For an hour and a half, Yan Tingshen had been stuck there, waiting alone.

If Qin Hua hadn’t accidentally let it slip, he wouldn’t even have known about this hour and a half, and Yan Tingshen would have had to return alone.

"I had business at the company."

Yan Tingshen avoided his gaze, glancing at his watch. "It had just ended when you called."

Qin You looked at him for a long beat, then asked casually, "Tired?"

Yan Tingshen replied, "No."

Then he added, "You should go back. I’m leaving soon."

Qin You smirked. "Obviously I’m going back."

Yan Tingshen lowered his eyes.

Even though he hoped Qin You would reconcile with Mr. Qin and stay tonight, hearing those words still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"But—"

Yan Tingshen hesitated, looking up at Qin You.

Qin You grinned. "You’re coming with me too."

Yan Tingshen froze. "Huh?"

Qin You said, "Let me take you upstairs first. Everyone is downstairs now."

Yan Tingshen followed him half a step forward but stopped again. "Don't do anything rash. Mr. Qin won't agree."

Qin You chuckled. "If memory serves, he didn’t agree to us being together either."

Yan Tingshen pursed his lips.

Qin You arched a brow at him. "What, do you want to break up with me?"

Yan Tingshen frowned slightly. "That's not my meaning."

Qin You said, "Don’t worry. There’s another way upstairs. We won’t encounter anyone."

The furrow in Yan Tingshen’s brow softened but didn’t fully disappear.

Just because no one saw them didn’t mean they could act without restraint.

This was the Qin family, and Mr. Qin was the only relative Qin You had a relatively amicable relationship with.

If, because of him—because of such a trivial matter—the two of them became displeased again, the gain wouldn’t outweigh the loss.

Qin You glanced at him, then extended his hand. "Come with me or not. Your choice."

Yan Tingshen lowered his gaze to Qin You’s palm, his own hand tightening and loosening at his side.

Qin You quirked a suppressed smile and turned as if to leave. "Then I'm leaving."

Hearing this, Yan Tingshen instinctively seized his hand.

Qin You turned back to look.

Yan Tingshen went rigid momentarily but didn’t let go. "...Tomorrow, when we see Mr. Qin—"

Qin You said, "Tomorrow's troubles are for tomorrow."

With that, he and Yan Tingshen pressed onward.

Upstairs, a servant happened to pass by and greeted Qin You respectfully.

Qin You nonchalantly inquired about the room’s location and drew Yan Tingshen up the steps.

Yan Tingshen’s countenance betrayed nothing until they entered the room and he saw Qin You close the door behind them. Only then did he belatedly realize his heart hammered like a drum.

He had never behaved thus before.

Even during the most difficult cases he’d handled, he had never felt like this.

Coming unbidden;

Remaining without the master’s consent—

Especially while doing these things with Qin You.

Yan Tingshen turned his gaze to Qin You.

Qin You gestured toward a seat. "Wait here for me. The old master has more to discuss. I’ll be back as soon as possible."

At this point, Yan Tingshen didn’t say anything more. "Mn."

Qin You returned to the door, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he looked at him. "Don't be nervous."

Yan Tingshen walked him to the door, his tone calm. "I'm not nervous."

Qin You said knowingly. "Good, then."

He left one last instruction, "Make sure the door’s locked."

Yan Tingshen replied, "Got it."

Only then did Qin You turn and leave.

He went downstairs back to the small banquet hall, where the gathering was winding down. Upon entering, only Qin Hengzhong and Kang Ming remained.

Seeing him, Qin Hengzhong gave a slight nod toward Kang Ming.

Kang Ming immediately took the cue and stood up from the sofa.

As he passed Qin You, he offered a friendly smile and was the first to greet, "President Qin."

At the title, Kang Ming's expression remained unchanged. He bid farewell to Qin Hengzhong before turning to leave.

The door shut behind him.

Qin Hengzhong also stood up and ushered Qin You into the study before finally speaking. "I’ve already spoken to Kang Ming. Once you return to the executive office, I’m moving him to the PR department."

Seeing Qin You remain indifferent, he continued, "He’s holding down Qi Hailiang’s vacancy for now, but with his abilities, he’s way beyond just a deputy director. He’ll be more than capable as your right hand."

Hearing this, Qin You had already caught the theme of tonight’s conversation.

Qin Hengzhong looked at Qin You. "Like it or not, he’s your younger brother. I’ve kept him here for four years, and I trust his temperament. He isn’t much of a threat to you."

Qin You sat down on the sofa. "Since he’s capable, has a good personality, and ambition—"

"Enough."

Qin Hengzhong’s face fell as he cut him off, knowing Qin You was trying to weasel out again. "He’s one of the candidates I’ve prepared for you this time."

One of them?

Qin You glanced at him.

Picking my cabinet before I’m even crowned?

Qin Hengzhong also noticed Qin You’s gaze.

But it wasn’t until he had run through all the candidates that he sighed softly. "Qin You, your grandfather is old now. I can’t help you much anymore. Besides, you’re no spring chicken yourself. If you don’t learn to take charge soon, do you plan to coast through life like this forever?"

Before Qin You could respond, he added, "Never mind you—even Yan Tingshen has his own career to build. If you insist on staying with him, do you really want to weigh him down? It might not be obvious in the short term, but over the years, what will you even have in common?"

"..." Qin You hadn’t expected that, just to persuade him, the old man would even use Yan Tingshen, of all people, as an excuse.

Qin Hengzhong didn’t belabor the point either. After a few more words of advice, he returned to the main topic.

Qin You had initially planned to brush it off, but thinking of Yan Tingshen upstairs, he listened until the end.

Qin Hengzhong was accustomed to his dismissiveness. Seeing him playing along today, he grew suspicious. "Did you actually listen to what I just said?"

Qin You was texting on his phone: "Heard you, heard you."

Though Qin Hengzhong was used to this attitude, it still stirred up an inexplicable anger in him, so he fired off a few questions.

Seeing Qin You reply to his messages while answering smoothly, Qin Hengzhong closed his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, it's getting late. Go get some rest."

Qin You said, "You should turn in early too."

Qin Hengzhong shot a suspicious look at his retreating back but noticed nothing unusual.

Qin You, unaware of the eyes on his back, left and returned to the guest room.

When he entered, Yan Tingshen was standing by the door.

"Relax."

Qin You, reading his expression, smiled. "No one caught on."

Yan Tingshen withdrew his gaze. "Done talking with Mr. Qin?"

"Yeah."

Qin You tweaked his earlobe. "Let’s hit the sack. We're going home tomorrow."

Yan Tingshen's gaze flickered slightly at his words.

Watching Qin You walk into the bathroom, his gaze lingered on the dark glass sliding door with its mirror-like surface. His smile faded as he turned and went back to the bedside.

—

The following morning.

Qin Hengzhong was skimming the news in the living room while drinking tea.

Before long, the butler approached. "Sir, Young Master You is up."

Qin Hengzhong said, "Ask if he wants breakfast before heading out."

The butler did so and soon came back.

But when he returned to Qin Hengzhong, he faltered.

Qin Hengzhong, unfazed by his look, snorted. "He doesn’t want to eat here? Fine, let him do as he pleases."

Qin You hadn’t wanted to stay last night, so no wonder he was itching to leave this morning. Him remembering breakfast would’ve been a miracle.

"Young Master You is staying for breakfast, but..."

The butler faltered again. "But he..."

Qin Hengzhong frowned. "What’s wrong with you today? Out with it. What did he say?"

"He..."

The butler couldn’t bring himself to break the news. "Actually, it’s not Young Master You, it’s..."

Qin Hengzhong was lost. "Not Qin You? Who then?"

The butler hesitated and said, “It’s—”

“Good morning.”

A voice from nearby interrupted their conversation.

Qin Hengzhong looked over.

The moment he saw Qin You, he was about to speak when he noticed Qin You was holding another person’s hand—

“...” Qin Hengzhong’s mood soured.

At that moment, the butler whispered in his ear, “It’s Mr. Yan Tingshen… He was in Young Master You’s room…”

“...” Qin Hengzhong stared at the butler with a darkened face and said expressionlessly, “Oh really?”