Chapter 88 Watching a Buddy Turn Gigolo

Chapter 88: Watching a Brother Play the Gigolo

Ling Jue’s fingertips tightened as he stared at Qin Shuyi, who wore a faint, detached smile.

When she used their little private signal, he desperately wanted to rush over, hold her tightly, and kiss her.

But he couldn’t.

To her now, he was just a stranger.

She was always like this—never taking others’ kindness for granted, gentle and grateful.

Qin Shuyi, could you take pity on me one more time?

His expression remained calm, but turmoil churned in his eyes, threatening to swallow them both.

He regretted it.

If he hadn’t let his foolish pride get the better of him and break up when he realized she didn’t love him enough, if instead he had tried to make her love him more, to make her unable to leave him—would they have ended up like this, forcing him to watch her move closer to someone else?

Jealousy grew wildly, yet Ling Jue’s heart felt desolate.

They didn’t speak, yet it seemed like they had exchanged so much.

He was dressed lightly, and the night wind was chilly.

Qin Shuyi waved her hand, signaling him to go inside.

Ling Jue stubbornly stared at her, unmoving.

Qin Shuyi watched him for a moment, then turned away herself.

The door opened and closed, and everything fell silent.

Ling Jue’s eyes took on a mix of madness and obsession.

…

The next day was bright and sunny.

Qin Shuyi wasn’t the type to lose sleep over what was already done. She and Qian Youyou were two different kinds of carefree.

In the kitchen, the owner had prepared warm porridge and various delicious side dishes.

The elders had already eaten and gone out for a walk, while some of the younger ones were still sleeping in.

The clean, empty kitchen was hers alone. She leisurely ladled porridge into a bowl when footsteps sounded—someone had entered.

In the morning light, Ling Jue was still impossibly handsome. Qin Shuyi’s gaze lingered for a second before she casually looked away.

The turbulence and vulnerability of the previous night were buried by the rising sun. They were now nothing more than distant strangers who happened to be eating at the same time.

They still took their meals in the courtyard.

Carrying their trays, the two went out and sat at separate corner tables, forming a diagonal line.

Distant, yet harmonious.

Second floor.

Exiting the rooms led to a square, enclosed wooden corridor. Standing there, one could see everything happening in the courtyard below.

Fan Chaochao leaned on the railing, chin in hands, sighing as she admired the handsome man and beautiful woman downstairs.

“I really want to tie them together with a red thread.”

“Then I’ll take a pair of scissors and snip, snip, snip.”

Qian Youyou, her newly acquainted friend, leaned beside her, ruthlessly crushing her matchmaking dreams.

Fan Chaochao wore an expression of shock that said, “How could you?” She pouted, “Why not? Aren’t Brother Jue and Sister Shuyi a good match?”

Qian Youyou lifted her chin, cold and unfeeling. “No.”

“Then tell us, why not?” Zhao Jinyu’s amused voice chimed in from the side.

Beside her stood Xie Muchen, who watched the two below with a playful glint in his eyes.

Qian Youyou declared confidently, “He has too many romantic entanglements. My aunt and uncle definitely wouldn’t accept that.”

Especially her uncle, Qin Yuan—the family’s acknowledged champion of pure love.

And Qian Youyou held a grudge. She hadn’t forgotten that even when they were together, Ling Jue had been linked to Tao Wangxi in gossip, though it might not have been entirely true.

“Romantic entanglements? Come to think of it, what entanglements does Jue even have? I feel like he isn’t close to anyone.” The speaker was Ji Xiuhang, who had just emerged from another room. He stroked his chin, thinking seriously.

Apart from recalling a bunch of vaguely remembered women who sat far away from Ling Jue, he really couldn’t remember Jue being intimate with any woman other than Qin Shuyi.

“None,” Xie Muchen stated firmly. “All those supposed romantic interests were just decorative vases.”

Forget kissing or hugging—he rarely even spoke more than a few words to them.

He remembered a certain someone being especially smug after getting together with Qin Shuyi, only to later find out he’d been allowed to stay over.

Xie Muchen had been speechless for a long time, feeling the absurdity of watching a brother play the gigolo and actually enjoying it.

Zhao Jinyu raised an eyebrow.

Xia Zhiyue’s face was filled with shock.

Qian Youyou looked utterly unconvinced.

She went straight to the point. “What about the previous marriage alliance with the Tao family? Wasn’t that considered?”

Xie Muchen and Ji Xiuhang: …

There was nothing between them, and no formal marriage talks had taken place, but it was true that both families had shown interest—there was no denying that.

Although Ling Jue had said he’d consider the alliance only after breaking up, and the breakup seemed nowhere in sight.

Qian Youyou snorted.

“Want to make a bet?” Xie Muchen asked Zhao Jinyu.

Zhao Jinyu lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

Xie Muchen gestured with his chin toward the two below. “Guess whether they’ll get back together.”

"I'm not betting," Zhao Jinyu said decisively.

"I'm in," Ji Xiuhang chimed in, joining the fun. "My money's on 'yes'."

He could see it—Qin Shuyi was tough to sway, but A-Jue was just as stubbornly attached.

Fan Chaochao was on the fence. "I can't decide if they will or won't."

Jiang Yuzhou, who had stayed up late gaming and walked out with eyes still gummed shut from sleep, asked, confused, "What are you all doing?"

He hadn't bothered to lower his voice, and everyone turned to look at him.

Then, as one, their eyes snapped back downstairs.

The commotion finally got loud enough to disturb the two subjects of their speculation having breakfast below.

Qin Shuyi looked up and realized there was someone standing at every doorway upstairs, all staring at them as if last night was happening all over again.

Even someone usually unflappable stiffened—*Were they monkeys in a zoo?*

*Don't they have anything better to do?*

She choked on a mouthful of plain rice porridge, coughing.

Ling Jue frowned. He half-rose, thought better of it, and settled for a cold glare upstairs.

Everyone: ...Yikes.

Qian Youyou immediately made a show of distancing herself from the gossipy crowd, clattering down the stairs.

"Hey sis, when are we starting the preparations?"

Today was Zhou Tinglan's birthday, and the three siblings had planned a surprise in advance.

Trying her best to ignore that intense, lingering stare, Qin Shuyi said, "Later. Mom and Aunt said they want to go berry picking, and Dad and Uncle have plans to fish. We'll start once they come back from their walk and head out."

As they discussed the birthday activities, Ling Jue's group also decided to take a walk in the back hills—after all, they were already here.

Ji Xiuhang shot a questioning look at Ling Jue, but Ling Jue was staring intently at the three mysterious figures over there. "I have work," he drawled.

Seeing how Ling Jue's gaze grew more brazen when others had their backs turned, Ji Xiuhang really wanted to retort, "Is it *real* work?"

But he didn't dare.

"Fine, fine, we'll go then. You go ahead and 'work.'"

Once everyone had scattered, Ling Jue returned to his room and set up his laptop on the balcony.

Half an hour later, a clumsy duck slowly waddled out onto the backyard lawn.

----------------------------------------