Chapter 34:

That same night after meeting Xie Jiayi, Lin Qiao received a call from her. Xie Jiayi invited her to dinner—but of course, without Shen Qingzhou present.

She made it very clear to Lin Qiao that she didn’t want Shen Qingzhou to know about this. Therefore, when Lin Qiao received a call from Shen Qingzhou before preparing to leave for the dinner, she simply told him she was at home and not feeling well enough to go out.

As a result, Shen Qingzhou, having been rejected, cast a gloomy glance at Du Xinling, who was playing with Xiao Ning nearby. The three of them had been squeezed onto a single hospital bed, creating a rather warm scene—except something felt slightly off.

“Let’s go out to eat something,” Shen Qingzhou suggested.

Du Xinling glanced at him and replied, “You can’t eat much of anything right now.”

Xiao Ning immediately chimed in, “Dad, you’ve been gone for so long, I thought aliens had taken you! Why don’t you take better care of yourself? How can you be a proper dad like this?”

Shen Qingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, then reached out and gently ruffled Xiao Ning’s hair, speaking softly, “You’re right. Dad hasn’t taken good enough care of you. I’ve made you worry.”

Xiao Ning, pleased with his father’s sincere attitude, laughed and said, “It’s okay. Who else could be my dad if not you?”

It’s said that children under the age of three don’t form lasting memories, and in Xiao Ning’s mind, there were very few recollections of his real parents. To him, Shen Qingzhou was his real father, and he had always been deeply attached to him. Yet Shen Qingzhou had never truly fulfilled his role as a father, and this realization filled him with guilt.

Therefore, the suggestion of going out for dinner was dropped.

While dinner plans were canceled on this end, Lin Qiao’s dinner had just begun. Whether intentionally or not, Xie Jiayi had chosen to meet at Qin Muyao’s restaurant. Lin Qiao wanted to ask her to change the location, but the words stuck in her throat.

Standing at the intersection for a long time, Lin Qiao kept thinking about how she should greet Qin Muyao if they met. She had built up the courage to walk in only after mentally preparing herself. But when she actually encountered Qin Muyao, she realized all her mental preparation had been useless—no amount of imagining could have prepared her for the moment.

The front courtyard of the restaurant had a large bamboo grove in one corner, where a small seating area was set up with several high-quality wooden chairs and a coffee table. Qin Muyao was sitting on one of the chairs. He was no longer wearing the same clothes she had seen him in before. Upon hearing movement at the entrance, he instinctively turned his gaze toward it. His usually gentle and smiling face was now expressionless.

Lin Qiao stood still for two seconds, making eye contact with him, then stepped forward and greeted him first, “Senior Qin, it’s so soon again.”

Qin Muyao stood up, hands in his pants pockets, looking down at her as he asked, “Are you here to see me?” His tone carried disbelief.

Lin Qiao shook her head, about to explain, when Xie Jiayi walked out from the front hall.

Seeing the two talking, Xie Jiayi’s expression turned knowing.

“She’s my guest,” Xie Jiayi said to Qin Muyao as she approached. “Are you the owner of this place?”

Qin Muyao, who probably didn’t know who Xie Jiayi was, nodded indifferently and said, “I’ll cover tonight’s bill. Enjoy yourselves.” With that, he passed between them without looking back and walked away.

Lin Qiao knew then that she and Qin Muyao could never go back to being as close as they once were.

Seeing the regret on Lin Qiao’s face, Xie Jiayi’s lips curled into a wider smile. She said gently, “Come on, free dinner. Eat as much as you can.”

Lin Qiao pulled her gaze away and managed a stiff smile as she nodded, “Okay, Madam, please go first.” She politely gestured with her hand.

Xie Jiayi gracefully walked ahead, and Lin Qiao followed behind. Not far in, they were stopped by the restaurant’s lobby manager.

The manager politely said, “Excuse me, ladies. The general manager just instructed to move your private room to the Peony Hall.”

Hearing this, Xie Jiayi slightly frowned. Noticing her hesitation, the manager quickly added, “Madam, please don’t misunderstand. The Peony Hall is our finest room—quiet and perfect for conversation. It’s much better than your originally reserved room.”

Each word struck Lin Qiao’s heart. She guiltily lowered her head, tucking a strand of long hair behind her ear, not wanting anyone to see her expression.

Hearing the manager’s explanation, Xie Jiayi said with a knowing smile, “It’s the boss’s kind gesture; we shouldn’t refuse, right, Miss Lin?”

Lin Qiao, pulled into the spotlight, forced a smile and said, “Yes, let’s go.”

The manager, unaware of the tension between them, said frankly, “Miss Lin is a regular here. Mr. Qin is her senior in school, and she always dines in the Peony Hall. It’s only appropriate. Please, follow me.”

Xie Jiayi gave a soft, ambiguous laugh. She elegantly covered her mouth and followed the manager. Lin Qiao stood behind, watching their backs for a long moment before finally taking a step forward.

Noticing she wasn’t following, Xie Jiayi turned back and waved at her, kindly saying, “Miss Lin, why are you still standing there like a dazed girl? Hurry up.”

Lin Qiao took a deep breath and forced herself to catch up, entering the Peony Hall with Xie Jiayi.

After delivering them, the manager left to report back to Qin Muyao. Qin flipped through the bill on the computer without looking up and said, “Go do your work.”

“Yes, Mr. Qin.”

Once the manager left, Qin put down the mouse, leaned back in his chair, and stared blankly at the ceiling with his fingers interlocked behind his head.

He felt uncomfortable about his attitude toward Lin Qiao just now. Because he had been honest with his feelings, there seemed to be no valid reason left for them to continue interacting. Even being ordinary friends felt impossible. He couldn’t bear to see her smiling at someone else. It seemed that the only possible ending between them was a complete falling-out.

Meanwhile, sitting before a table full of delicacies, Lin Qiao also felt uneasy. Partly because she had truly lost a friend, and partly because of the conversation with Xie Jiayi.

Xie Jiayi made no attempt to hide her intentions and bluntly said, “Miss Lin, that Mr. Qin just now must be quite close to you.”

Her tone was certain, leaving Lin Qiao momentarily unsure how to respond. She simply said, “We’re very good friends.”

Xie Jiayi smiled. “Friends? No. The way he looked at you was the way a lover would. You two are definitely not just friends.”

As the saying goes, the older generation always sees through things more clearly. Trying to hide from them was never a wise idea.

Hearing this, Lin Qiao chose not to elaborate further. In front of Xie Jiayi, the less she said, the fewer mistakes she would make.

Xie Jiayi wasn’t offended by her silence. She returned to the topic at hand. “Actually, I came here today to tell you something. I’m not against you becoming part of our family, but I want to tell you a story. If, after hearing it, you still want to be with Qingzhou, I won’t stop you.”

Lin Qiao put down her chopsticks and listened attentively.

Xie Jiayi took a sip of water and smiled gently. “You’ve probably noticed that I was quite a strong-willed woman in my youth. I ran my own company and controlled my own household. I was proud and ambitious, and I looked down on almost everyone—even Qingzhou’s father.”

Lin Qiao narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing the topic was turning dangerous.

Sure enough, Xie Jiayi continued, “Back then, I was in a situation similar to yours. Qingzhou has the exact same personality as his father. His father saw that I didn’t pay much attention to him, but that I was capable and beautiful, so he pursued me the same way Qingzhou is pursuing you now.”

Lin Qiao lowered her head to take a sip of water, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Looking at her, Xie Jiayi continued gently, “Men are like that—they have a natural desire to conquer. It’s understandable.” She paused slightly before adding softly, “You probably don’t even know who Qingzhou’s father is. You might have heard of him—he’s somewhat of a legend in your field. Unfortunately, he passed away too young.”

Hearing this, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but wonder. “In our field? In business? But Qingzhou is a feng shui master. That doesn’t seem to make sense.”

Xie Jiayi cleared up her confusion. “Qingzhou’s father was Shen Yinming.”

Lin Qiao’s eyes widened in surprise as she blurted out, “Him?”

Xie Jiayi smiled. “Surprised? He passed away before you were even born.”

Lin Qiao said softly, “Yes, but my family has many books about your brother-in-law. My father used to be obsessed with his biography, and he often told me stories about him when I was little.” She scratched her cheek, slightly embarrassed. “My father was a huge fan of your brother-in-law.”

“Those are all written by others,” Xie Jiayi said gracefully. “They mix truth with fiction and shouldn’t be taken entirely seriously—just like his son. The books don’t even mention him at all.”

“That’s true,” Lin Qiao admitted. “The books don’t mention anything about his son or wife. I’ve never seen them in the news either.”

Xie Jiayi’s expression turned nostalgic. “Back then, after our divorce, I made it clear to him that I wanted nothing more to do with him. I told him I didn’t want my name associated with any news about him, no matter the form.”

Lin Qiao looked at her in slight surprise, clearly not expecting such a cold and final statement.

Xie Jiayi shrugged. “If you knew why we divorced, you wouldn’t think me so heartless.”

Lin Qiao couldn’t help herself. “Why then?”

Xie Jiayi didn’t hide it. She answered simply, “He stopped loving me.”

Lin Qiao sat there, stunned. She couldn’t help but recall Xie Jiayi’s earlier words—how her marriage to Shen Yinming was so similar to her own relationship with Shen Qingzhou.

Xie Jiayi didn’t seem bothered by Lin Qiao’s expression. She continued, “He pursued me, we married quickly, and soon after, we had a child. Then came the daily grind of life—cooking, shopping, daily chores. His parents passed away early, and so did mine. We raised Qingzhou alone. He worked late every day, and I was overwhelmed with all the housework. I naturally had complaints. Then, as you might have guessed…” She shrugged. “Shen Yinming told me he never expected me to be just like other women. He was disappointed in me.”

Lin Qiao opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something comforting, but realizing that Xie Jiayi probably didn’t need anyone’s sympathy.

“Later, you already know the rest. We divorced. At that time, Qingzhou was only two years old and didn’t remember much. He didn’t fight for custody, which I suppose shows some decency. He paid generous alimony, and I took Qingzhou abroad. Later that year, a mutual friend informed me of his death. He left everything to Qingzhou.” Xie Jiayi said calmly. “I don’t need the money. My wealth will go to my son anyway, so I had no objections to his will. I sold his company to someone else—I had no interest in managing his legacy. But I didn’t refuse the money. I would leave it all to our son.” She emphasized, “You see, men are all the same. Shen Yinming wasn’t completely hopeless—he at least remembered he had a son when he died.” Her eyes slightly reddened.

Lin Qiao took a breath and softly said, “Maybe Mr. Shen had his own reasons he couldn’t share.”

Hearing this, Xie Jiayi laughed slightly. “What reasons could he possibly have? Honestly, the only thing I never expected was for him to die so early.”

“Why did Mr. Shen die? He was so young,” Lin Qiao asked, puzzled.

Xie Jiayi was silent for a moment before saying, “I never asked the cause of his death, and I never wanted to know. From the moment we signed the divorce papers, his life had nothing to do with me anymore.”

“But…”

Lin Qiao wanted to say something else, but Xie Jiayi interrupted her. “Miss Lin, I told you all this not just for the sake of telling a story. You should have noticed that Qingzhou and your current situation are just like mine and Shen Yinming’s back then. So I’m advising you—before you make any decisions, make sure he truly loves you. Otherwise, you’ll regret it later.”

She stood up, looking seriously at Lin Qiao. “I’m saying this for both of your sakes. Marriage is hard work. Without love, even if you’re just fond of each other, you’ll eventually separate. I don’t want you two to waste your youth and emotions on each other. That’s all. Goodbye.” She said, then waved her hand casually and walked out without looking back.

Lin Qiao sat there, stunned, her mind replaying Xie Jiayi’s final words. She kept asking herself: Did Shen Qingzhou really love her? Based on what he had said today, he at least liked her—but what about love? Could she trust him? Could a relationship born from rejection truly last when everything becomes smooth and easy?

At the same time, as Xie Jiayi left, Qin Muyao appeared outside the Peony Hall. Meanwhile, far away at the hospital, after seeing Du Xinling and Xiao Ning off, Shen Qingzhou changed out of his hospital gown, disregarded medical advice, and took a taxi to Lin Qiao’s house.

After sitting in the private room for a while, Lin Qiao got up to leave. When she opened the door, she was startled to see Qin Muyao standing there.

“There was a fight at the street corner just now,” Qin Muyao said expressionlessly. “Your car got damaged. Since you were having dinner with a friend, I didn’t want to disturb you. I had someone tow it for repair. I hope you don’t mind me taking the initiative.”

How could Lin Qiao blame him? She shook her head. “Of course not. I should be thanking you.”

Qin Muyao said, “There are many things you should thank me for, but I’m afraid you won’t get the chance.”

Lin Qiao’s expression tightened. Her grip on her bag strap unconsciously tightened.

“But maybe there is a chance,” Qin Muyao suddenly added. “If you really want to thank me, let me drive you home.” As if fearing she might refuse, he added, “Just a ride home. I won’t even speak to you. What do you say?”

Lin Qiao lowered her head, hesitating for a moment before agreeing.

Some words were simply impossible to ignore. Some requests were impossible to refuse.

With Qin Muyao lowering himself so much, if she still refused, she would truly be heartless.

Men valued face above all else. She couldn’t hurt him twice in one day. And what he said was true—after all these years, there were too many things she needed to thank him for. She had no reason, no right, to refuse.

Lin Qiao got into Qin Muyao’s black Lexus with him. The car drove silently toward her home, with only the sound of their breathing filling the cabin.

At that moment, outside Lin Qiao’s house, Shen Qingzhou stepped out of a taxi, holding his phone, about to call her.

He had already pressed the number, but hesitated, glancing toward the garage. The door was open, but only Lin Weiming’s car was inside. She hadn’t returned yet.

Worried about disturbing her work, Shen Qingzhou finally decided not to call and chose to wait for her at the gate instead.