Cheng Che's blue eyes darkened deeply.
Xin Yu's breathtaking beauty was like a feather brushing against his heart—light, ticklish.
But her aloof demeanor was like a knife, stabbing him painfully and infuriatingly.
Has Cheng Yao said something to him?
Sooner or later, he would trample Cheng Yao underfoot, turning him to ashes!
Sooner or later!
"Xin Yu, I'll take you over there." Qiu Zhi said, subtly moving closer to Xin Yu. As a man, he naturally understood what the glint in Cheng Che's eyes meant.
He suddenly regretted bringing the little girl along, forced by his grandmother.
He wasn't Ninth Brother; he didn't have Ninth Brother's aura and presence to conceal her pure beauty.
"Where? To get something to eat?" Xin Yu had only made up an excuse; in her mind, a foodie was the least noticeable person. The result was a disdainful look from Qiu Zhi.
"What are you doing?" Xin Yu pouted slightly. Was such disdain necessary? "Are you so tall and big because you grew up drinking immortal energy?"
Pfft.
Cheng Yuan, always eager to support her friend, was easily amused by a single sentence.
"Yeah! I have a magic pill, want to try it?" Qiu Zhi gave the two of them a sharp glare on the head. How dare they laugh at Cheng Che so brazenly in front of him!
They're asking for it!
"Is that Dr. Wei?" Cheng Che snapped out of his daze, smiling gently. Their unrestrained and lighthearted banter displeased him greatly.
He had no choice but to change the subject.
Xin Yu followed Qiu Zhi's gaze, gave a faint "hmm," and then glanced sideways at Xin Yu. "Come on, I'll take you over to say hello."
"Ayu, I'll go take a look over there." Cheng Yuan pointed to the food area, prompting Xin Yu to nod vigorously.
"Okay, see if you have any mousse cake." She finished speaking, secretly swallowing.
"So Junior Sister likes mousse! I know a really nice little shop in the city." Compared to Qiu Zhi's disdain, Cheng Che's attitude was a thousand times better.
"That shop is gone."
Qiu Zhi's sudden remark puzzled Xin Yu. "Huh? Why?"
"No reason, ask Ninth Brother." Qiu Zhi said coolly, his voice not loud.
But Xin Yu sensed a threat.
Cheng Che sensed a warning.
He instantly lowered his eyes, a ruthless glint in them. Did they all have to stop him from doing this?!
It's just Mu Yichuan!
Soon, he won't be afraid anymore!
Xin Yu gave Cheng Che an apologetic smile, but said nothing, taking a step to Qiu Zhi's side.
"Were you doing this on purpose?" she asked softly, knowing that Qiu Zhi and Cheng Yao were definitely good friends. "No, I was just telling the truth about the future." Qiu Zhi glanced down at the little girl beside him, unsure if she was genuinely naive or had underestimated Ninth Brother.
"Zhi!" A deep voice rang out, accompanied by large strides.
The man was so tall and imposing that Xin Yu, still pondering Qiu Zhi's words, instinctively stopped, only to be gently supported by Cheng Che behind her.
"Old Wei!" Qiu Zhi called out, his hands busy pulling Xin Yu to his side.
"Eh," Dr. Wei said with deep suspicion, staring intently at Xin Yu, "Zhi! Your girlfriend is too beautiful!"
Xin Yu's face flushed instantly.
This man's voice was too loud; was he really that exaggerated?
"Dr. Wei, hello!" Cheng Che spoke up at the opportune moment, politely extending his hand in greeting, "Cheng Che."
"Oh! It's you! Nice to meet you!" Dr. Wei maintained his loud voice.
While the three were talking, Xin Yu glanced at Dr. Wei. His build and appearance were indistinguishable from a foreigner's, but his Chinese was extremely fluent, suggesting he was of mixed race. Her age was hard to guess, but she estimated he was around forty.
After observing him, Xin Yu turned to look at the food court, trying to find Cheng Yuan, but instead caught sight of a familiar face. That woman was…
"Zhi, when did you find such a beautiful girlfriend!" Dr. Wei's attention returned to Xin Yu, startling her and causing her to flinch, which made him laugh heartily.
"Old Wei, tone down your wild side!" Qiu Zhi frowned, giving a serious warning.
But Xin Yu could sense that Dr. Wei didn't care. It seemed their relationship was quite deep, at least much more familiar than with Cheng Che.
"Xin Yu, this is Dr. Wei. He practices medicine in the United States and also researches traditional Chinese medicine."
Upon hearing this introduction, Xin Yu instantly perked up, and also glanced at Qiu Zhi in surprise. Had her grandmother instructed him to…? "Hello, Dr. Wei," Xin Yu greeted politely. "I've recently been learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with my family's guidance."
"Really?" Dr. Wei's eyes lit up. "So you're studying medicine too!"
"Ah?" Xin Yu scratched her head, waving her hand awkwardly. "No, I'm studying architectural design."
"That's right! Dr. Wei, this is my junior colleague." Cheng Che added enthusiastically.
"Oh?" Dr. Wei was a little confused.
"TCM is her hobby," Qiu Zhi smiled, a hint of indulgence in his voice.
"Oh! I see!" Dr. Wei suddenly understood, smiling knowingly. "Then I can have Zhi's girlfriend design the hospitals I work for in Qingguo."
Xin Yu knew Dr. Wei was joking, but she noticed Cheng Che's hand visibly tremble, then clench into a fist.
Could it be that he contacted Dr. Wei about this?
"Great!" Whether intentionally or not, Qiu Zhi took the initiative. "She's from the Mu Group."
Damn! Xin Yu glared at him. How could he lie so blatantly?!
When did she become part of the Mu Group?!
Could it be that Mu Yichuan had this plan? Xin Yu rolled her dark eyes; that guy had never mentioned it.
"Really?" This news clearly surprised Dr. Wei. Instead of talking about his own profession, he pulled Xin Yu aside and started talking about the Mu Group…
If it weren't for the sudden sound of soft, melodious music and the host's speech, Dr. Wei probably wouldn't have stopped.
"This beautiful lady, may I ask you for a dance?" As the ball began, Dr. Wei was the first to approach and invite Xin Yu.
This…
"Old Wei!" Qiu Zhi interrupted him. "She'll dance with me for the first dance today."
His voice was cool and firm, domineering.
"What's with that expression?" The two walked slowly, Qiu Zhi's arrogant, playful gaze returning.
"I didn't have any expression!" Xin Yu retorted insecurely. She was just not used to it; her rudimentary dance skills were only from a semester of university training, and she didn't want to embarrass herself.
"I didn't realize! You've really put in a lot of effort with Ninth Brother!" Qiu Zhi couldn't hide his admiration. He truly hadn't expected her to be so adept at discussing the Mu Group and architectural design concepts.
"Wrong! I just happen to admire the Mu Group." Xin Yu corrected herself, though her earlier rambling made it seem like she'd offended Senior Brother Cheng Che, like she was trying to poach him.
"I was actually thinking of having Ninth Brother reward you." Qiu Zhi raised an eyebrow, his meaning clear—Xin Yu had given up on that idea herself.
"You…!" Xin Yu exclaimed angrily, pretending to stumble and stepping on Qiu Zhi's foot. "Oops, I'm so sorry!"
He didn't say anything, but his hands tightened slightly, as if afraid Xin Yu would fall.
"By the way, is Dr. Wei really coming to Qingguo to develop his career?" Xin Yu regained her seriousness. "Wouldn't that mean he'd be in competition with you?"
"Zhong Ao is going to develop his career in America." Qiu Zhi didn't understand why he was telling the little girl about his plans; perhaps it was because she had been so confident and radiant when she spoke to Dr. Wei earlier.
Xin Yu nodded. Was this some kind of resource exchange?
"Then... does Senior Brother Cheng Che want to cooperate with Dr. Wei?"
"Obviously, Dr. Wei prefers to cooperate with my 'girlfriend.'"
Xin Yu's lips twitched, and she glared at Qiu Zhi, then a sly glint appeared in her eyes. "Aren't you afraid Mr. Jiu will punish you?"
"He'll punish you first."
"..."
Seems so!
If Mu Yichuan knew Dr. Wei addressed her like that, he definitely wouldn't let her off the hook.
Ugh, she'd tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead.
Seeing Xin Yu's pouting lips, Qiu Zhi inexplicably softened. "Don't worry, this time I'm just using you. I won't tell Ninth Brother."
Xin Yu's clear eyes swept over him. How could someone in this world so openly admit to using someone?
It was only natural, yet she couldn't blame him.
"Since that's the case, then I'll ask you for a favor too."
"Are you a fox spirit in disguise?"
"Qiu Zhi!" Xin Yu was so angry she didn't care about the stares of those around her, and stepped on his foot. "Even if you don't say anything, everyone knows you're sharp-tongued!"
How could he call someone a fox spirit!
"Sharp-tongued?" Qiu Zhi didn't know how she had suddenly changed. He'd only called her cunning; how had she suddenly become a little wildcat? "You're barbaric."
Xin Yu pursed her lips, trying to shake him off, but he held her. "Alright, there are many people watching you. What were you going to say?"
After exhaling several breaths, Xin Yu finally managed to convince herself, for Grandma Qiu's sake, she would endure it.
"Help me check my head." Xin Yu looked at Qiu Zhi expectantly. She had been thinking about this for a while; the more she looked at the phoenix-and-iris pattern these past few days, the more beautiful and ethereal it seemed.
Logically, based on her self-knowledge, she should have an unforgettable memory for such a pattern.
But she had completely forgotten!
The key was the pattern on the ring Mu Yichuan had given her!
She had worn it for so long, looking at it day and night!
Whoosh.
Qiu Zhi shook off Xin Yu.
Without looking back, he strode out of the hall.
Leaving Xin Yu stunned and speechless. Hadn't he just said that many people were watching?
How could he be so willful?!
Bastard!
Xin Yu ran out to find him, her face flushed, wanting to confront him, but as she hesitated in the corridor, she saw a figure walking towards the deck.
The figure of a man with long, flowing hair.
"That bastard, where did he go!" Xin Yu muttered. "He's definitely hiding something from me, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so strongly."
"Miss."
"Hmm?" Xin Yu subconsciously looked over, "Ouch—"
Her head hurt so much!
This man is…
Bang!
A gunshot.
He's the murderer! The man who shot Mu Yichuan!
"Stop right there!" Xin Yu blurted out in a moment of panic, forgetting even her fear.
A strange glint flashed in the man's eyes, and he vanished instantly as he turned to leave.