Chapter 10:

Unable to figure out his reasons, and not being a conceited person herself, Lin Qiao didn’t dwell on it and quickly shifted the topic to discussing the land viewing.

After listening to her for a moment, Shen Qingzhou raised his hand to interrupt. “Are you really going to make me stand here talking to you like this?”

Lin Qiao glanced at the busy street around them and immediately realized, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Look at me, I got too excited. Master Shen, if you have something to do, please go ahead. I’ll wait for you in the car. When you’re done, let me treat you to a meal.”

Looking at Lin Qiao, who was clearly teachable, Shen Qingzhou softly said, “I’ve already finished what I needed to do. We can go now.”

Lin Qiao checked her watch and realized it was nearly dinner time. She nodded in agreement and turned to get into the car.

Shen Qingzhou walked around to the passenger seat and had just sat down when he heard Lin Qiao say, “You mentioned wanting Peking duck last time, but we never got to eat it. This time I’m taking you there—I promise you’ll be completely satisfied.”

Shen Qingzhou casually replied, “You seem really fond of that place.”

Lin Qiao immediately responded, “Of course! That place only serves top-notch private cuisine. I know the owner, and he hardly ever cooks for customers. You’re going to be in for a real treat.”

Shen Qingzhou slightly furrowed his brows and asked indifferently, “Don’t you need to call ahead first? It might be a bit much to show up unannounced and expect him to cook for us.”

Lin Qiao shrugged carelessly, “No problem. We’re really close; he’s definitely going to be there at this hour.”

Shen Qingzhou said offhandedly, “I see. That gentleman must be a very good friend of yours, Miss Lin.”

Lin Qiao instinctively replied, “Yeah, he’s my senior in college. He—” She paused, slowly realizing something and looked at him in confusion, “Wait, how did you know he was male?”

Shen Qingzhou gave a soft snort, turned his head away to look out the window, and said nothing.

Receiving no response, Lin Qiao reluctantly turned her gaze back to the road and focused on driving, not speaking again.

As the car approached the Yonghe Palace area on the northern Second Ring Road, Lin Qiao pulled up outside an alley and said, “We’re here. Let’s get out and walk in.”

Shen Qingzhou obediently stepped out of the car and walked beside Lin Qiao into the alley. It was already getting dark in Beijing, the sky heavy with smog, but the street was still bustling with people. Shen Qingzhou observed the buildings around him with a furrowed brow.

“Is something wrong?” Lin Qiao noticed his expression and couldn’t help asking.

“No,” Shen Qingzhou replied.

“Then why do you look so unhappy?”

“The air quality is terrible.”

“…Oh.” Lin Qiao nodded in agreement and gestured toward the entrance. “Here we are. Please go ahead.”

Following her gesture, Shen Qingzhou looked toward the restaurant nestled in a small courtyard. Though small, it was packed with customers. He silently followed her inside. She immediately took out her phone and rattled off a rapid-fire Beijing dialect into the receiver. Soon after hanging up, a tall, upright man walked out from inside the restaurant.

He wore a blue plaid shirt, black cotton trousers, and neatly combed chestnut-brown hair. A pair of black-rimmed glasses sat on his straight nose, giving him a handsome, youthful, and gentle appearance.

“You’re here, Qiaoqiao.”

He greeted Lin Qiao warmly. Though her expression remained unchanged, a faint blush crept up her ears. From Shen Qingzhou’s angle, he could see it all clearly.

Shen Qingzhou silently studied the man. After exchanging greetings with Lin Qiao, the man turned his attention to him. They locked eyes for two seconds before the man extended a friendly hand. “Hello, I’m Qin Muyao. Nice to meet you.”

Shen Qingzhou slowly reached out and shook his hand. His long, dark eyes were clear yet distant, his expression calm and aloof. “Shen Qingzhou. Pleased to meet you.”

Unbothered by Shen Qingzhou’s coldness, Qin Muyao turned to Lin Qiao, who was watching him with starry eyes, and said, “I’ll go prepare. You two head to the private room and wait.”

As he turned to leave, Lin Qiao instinctively reached out and grabbed his wrist. Shen Qingzhou slightly frowned, but she didn’t notice. Looking at the now-turned Qin Muyao, she said, “Is it too much trouble? There seem to be a lot of customers tonight. If there’s no space, we can go somewhere else.”

Qin Muyao smiled, “Since when did we become so formal? If you bring guests, I’ll always make space. We’ve reserved the Peony Room. Go wait there.”

Lin Qiao let go and scratched her head, softly agreeing and saying goodbye.

As Lin Qiao gazed at Qin Muyao with obvious admiration, Shen Qingzhou gave a light cough. Startled, Lin Qiao turned to him with an embarrassed expression. “Sorry, let’s go.”

She took a step forward, but Shen Qingzhou remained still. She looked at him in confusion.

He said indifferently, “I just remembered something important I need to do. Please enjoy your meal by yourself, Miss Lin.”

Lin Qiao was momentarily stunned and frowned. “But you said you were free?”

“I have a lot on my plate. It’s only natural I sometimes forget things.”

“…Oh.” Lin Qiao felt an unexpected sense of disappointment—probably because she had been looking forward to a great meal that was now slipping away.

Sighing, she said, “Then let me drop you off.”

He replied, “That’s unnecessary. I can take a taxi.”

“No way,” she insisted. “You’re my guest. Let’s go.”

His expression softened slightly at her words. “Shouldn’t you say goodbye to your friend first?”

“No need,” she said. “I’ll just send him a text. I’ll drop you off and then come back to take the food to the hotel.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t argue further and walked with her out of the alley. As they passed through the alley, she politely asked, “Master Shen, where are you headed? Maybe we can talk about the land viewing on the way?”

Shen Qingzhou paused slightly, as if offhandedly saying, “You’re only offering me a ride because of that, aren’t you?”

Lin Qiao instinctively replied, “Yeah.” Then she realized what she’d said and quickly corrected herself, “No, not at all! Even without that, I’d still give you a ride.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t believe her. A faint smirk curled his lips. “If it’s about the land viewing, Miss Lin, there’s no need to waste your time anymore. I’ve already chosen a location for Mr. Lin. He can go view it when he has time.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Lin Qiao hurriedly said.

“You’re welcome. Goodbye.” With that, Shen Qingzhou turned and quickly walked out of the alley. By the time Lin Qiao realized and rushed after him, he was already gone.

“He sure runs fast.”

Standing at the alley entrance, Lin Qiao looked around with a slight pout when a familiar male voice came from behind, “Qiaoqiao, what are you doing here?”

She turned around and saw Qin Muyao. She smiled helplessly and said, “My guest suddenly had something to attend to, so I was just seeing him off.”

Qin Muyao nodded and hesitated slightly before carefully asking, “By the way, I haven’t asked—earlier, who was that gentleman? He looks familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

Afraid of misunderstanding, Lin Qiao quickly explained, “He’s a famous Feng Shui master. My family is moving, and my dad asked me to invite him to help.”

“Oh, that makes sense. I must’ve seen him in a magazine or something.”

“Alright, he’s already gone. Let’s head back. I’m starving,” Lin Qiao said as she tugged on Qin Muyao’s arm, rubbing her stomach as she walked. Her expression was cute and lively, warmed by the summer breeze, making one’s heart feel cozy just looking at her.

Standing by a silver Buick parked just out of sight from the alley’s entrance, Shen Qingzhou watched Lin Qiao from a hidden spot. She couldn’t see him, but he had a clear view of her.

He slightly furrowed his brow, then turned his gaze away. He raised his hand to hail a taxi and left the area, his expression still calm and composed, as if nothing could ever ruffle his composure—though what was really going on inside his heart, no one could say.

Lin Qiao thoroughly enjoyed her Peking duck meal. Her familiar senior was not only kind and knowledgeable, but his cooking was also exceptional. Whoever married him would truly be blessed with good fortune.

She, like many others, couldn’t help but admire him from afar—though she never seriously considered pursuing anything more.

As for Shen Qingzhou, even though they had only recently met, he had left a deeper impression on her than Qin Muyao. Perhaps it was because of the many unforgettable things he had done.

And those unforgettable moments kept coming. Soon after the duck dinner incident, another one arrived.

Lin Qiao received a call from her father saying that Shen Qingzhou urgently needed to return to Qiancheng because something had happened to his son, so they needed to view the house today. Since her father was tied up with company matters, he asked Lin Qiao to go in his place.

Lin Qiao readily agreed, put down the book written by Shen Qingzhou, changed clothes, and headed out.

The location had been agreed upon in advance, and the meeting time was set for noon—the hottest part of the day. Wearing shorts and a short-sleeved top, Lin Qiao was already sweating after only a short walk from the car. She pulled her sun hat lower over her eyes and scanned the area for Shen Qingzhou. He was nowhere in sight, but she did spot a familiar white Ferrari Enzo.

Hmm? Wasn’t this the same car she had seen parked near Fang Zheng’s house?

Curious, Lin Qiao took a few more glances at the car. As she was about to look away, the car door opened upward, and out stepped the person she had been searching for.

In the scorching summer heat, Shen Qingzhou was still dressed entirely in black—black shirt, black trousers, and dark brown shoes that clicked sharply against the pavement.

Standing beside the luxury car, he cast a casual glance at her. Unaffected by the many curious glances thrown his way, he seemed to see only her in the crowd, creating a strangely intoxicating atmosphere.

“Lin Qiao,” he called in his deep, polite, and distant voice. His refined features and narrow, dark eyes gave him a dignified, reserved charm. Perhaps feeling the heat after stepping out of the car, he impatiently unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, frowned slightly, and urged her, “Are you going to stand there all day?”

Lin Qiao blushed, hurried forward while instinctively lowering her head, just like when they first met.

Her thoughts were simple at that moment: first, aside from everything else, Shen Qingzhou was undeniably a very handsome man; second, this man was truly full of surprises.

He was so wealthy, yet he never showed off—not even slightly. Whether it was out of humility or intentional concealment, she couldn’t tell.

Yes, Lin Qiao was thinking about the car.

Why had he asked her for a ride that day when he had a car parked right at the exit of the Fang residence?