Chapter 6:

For the word “moving house” mentioned by Shen Qingzhou, both Lin Qiao and her father were at a loss for words, staring at each other in silence.

Clearly having said all he wanted to say, Shen Qingzhou turned and walked downstairs without looking back, saying coldly, “Excuse me.”

Lin Qiao gazed at his tall, slender back, feeling so down she no longer had the desire to see him off. Therefore, Shen Qingzhou left alone.

When he reached the main gate, he glanced back. Seeing no sign of anyone coming out from the Lin residence, he coldly turned and walked away, turning around the long street to a white Ferrari Enzo parked by the roadside.

After getting into the car, Shen Qingzhou checked the rearview mirror again, still not seeing the person he hoped to see. He then decisively drove back to the hotel.

The eye-catching Ferrari sped away, drawing many curious glances and sparking conversations among the onlookers.

It wasn’t that people in the capital lacked knowledge; quite the contrary, precisely because they were well-informed did they comment on it. The Ferrari Enzo, limited to only 399 units worldwide, is not only expensive but also notoriously difficult to acquire. To purchase one, one must already own at least three Ferraris, be a Ferrari Club member, and own commemorative models like the F40 and F50. It’s a rare sight even in China.

No one could quite figure out why Shen Qingzhou had parked so far from the Lin residence or why he had looked back twice to check if Lin Qiao had come to see him off. The reason behind his actions was probably known only to himself.

Meanwhile, at home, Lin Qiao was watching her father pack his suitcase. A few minutes ago, her father had told her a shocking decision that made her admire Shen Qingzhou even more.

Here’s what happened.

Shortly after Shen Qingzhou left, Lin’s father suddenly slapped his thigh and said, “Qiaoqiao, go pack your bags.”

“Why?” Lin Qiao felt like their thoughts were on completely different wavelengths.

“Do you know which hotel and room number Master Shen is staying at?” her father asked.

Lin Qiao replied puzzled, “I know, so what?”

Her father declared firmly, “We’ll pack some clothes and move to the room next to Master Shen for a few days. Once I sell the house, Master Shen can help us choose a good place to move to.”

“…Dad.” Lin Qiao looked at her father in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? You actually believe what he said? We’ve lived there for five years just fine. How could it be as bad as he described…”

Before Lin Qiao could finish, her father interrupted, “Fine? Where’s fine? Since we moved here, your mother passed away, our business has gone downhill, I had a car accident last time I went out, and both of our health has gotten worse. What did Master Shen say that wasn’t correct? Even if he was just talking nonsense, I don’t plan to live in that house anymore.”

Lin Qiao massaged her forehead helplessly, not knowing what to say. Words seemed so powerless in the face of reality.

“Anyway, I’ve made up my mind. It’s better to try even if it’s a lost cause. What’s the big deal about moving? It’s just selling the house. What if it actually works? Then the Lin family can turn things around.”

Ignoring Lin Qiao’s objections, her father turned to pack his suitcase, which led to the scene just now.

Seeing her father finish packing his own suitcase and heading toward Lin Qiao’s room, she had no choice but to give in weakly, “I’ll do it myself. You wait downstairs.”

Her father said contentedly, “That’s better. I’ll go settle with the servants first. Hurry downstairs. We’ll have dinner with Master Shen tonight and discuss the new location.”

Lin Qiao knew asking wouldn’t change his decision, but she still couldn’t help asking, “Why do we have to go to his hotel? Can’t we go somewhere else?”

“No way,” her father replied matter-of-factly. “I now find feng shui incredibly fascinating. Even a hotel must have its own considerations. Master Shen is a true master; the place he stays must be perfect. Hurry up.”

Standing there watching her father hurry downstairs, Lin Qiao could only think: it’s not scary when someone you dislike is always around you; what’s truly terrifying is when they haunt you even when they’re not around.

Half-forced into packing and heading to the Regent Wangfujing Hotel, the Lin father and daughter pulled their suitcases to the front desk and checked into two rooms on either side of Shen Qingzhou’s suite. This was partly thanks to Lin Qiao’s previous bold move of chasing after Shen Qingzhou to invite him for dinner, otherwise they wouldn’t have known exactly which floor and room number he was staying at, although they never ended up having that meal.

After getting their room cards and heading upstairs, Lin Qiao ignored her father all the way to the elevator. Her father, however, was excitedly saying, “Master Shen is indeed a true master. I’ve been reading several books on feng shui these past few days. Look at the round ceiling chandelier and the square water fountain in the hotel lobby. That’s called ‘Heaven is round, Earth is square’ and ‘Success comes naturally with water.'”

Sitting on her suitcase, Lin Qiao expressionlessly played with her phone and merely replied with a low “Oh.”

Seeing her uninterested expression, her father wanted to scold her a bit, but since there were other people in the elevator, he swallowed his words.

When they reached Shen Qingzhou’s floor, Lin Qiao searched for her and her father’s rooms according to the room numbers. As she passed Shen Qingzhou’s room, she instinctively paused for a moment before continuing forward to stop in front of her own room.

Seeing Lin Qiao about to go in, her father immediately stopped her: “Wait, don’t go in yet.”

Lin Qiao asked puzzled, “Why? I’m tired and want to rest a bit. It’s still early. I won’t be late for dinner with him.”

Her father looked disappointed and said, “Clearly you’re not cut out for business. How can you go rest first? You can’t even bring your suitcase in.”

“Why??” Lin Qiao was full of question marks.

Her father explained, “To show our sincerity, you should visit Master Shen’s room with your suitcase. This way, he’ll know we trust him completely, and also realize that we came to visit him immediately upon arriving, without even having time to put our luggage down. This shows our sincerity and leaves a good impression.”

Lin Qiao’s temple throbbed as she asked, “But isn’t that deceiving him?”

Her father’s face turned serious as he coldly asked, “Are you going or not? Do you want me to go beg him on my knees?”

“…Dad, that’s not what I meant. I know you’re used to being the boss and don’t like asking people for favors. I’ll go, I’ll go.”

Lin Qiao had lost her mother five years ago, and since then, she and her father had relied on each other. To ease her father’s burden, she had taken on many responsibilities and always listened to him obediently. This habit directly led to a big misunderstanding.

The misunderstanding began when her father took his suitcase to his room and Lin Qiao, pulling her suitcase, pressed the doorbell at Shen Qingzhou’s door. When Shen Qingzhou opened the door and saw her, he didn’t ask anything but stepped aside to let her in.

Lin Qiao roughly guessed that Shen Qingzhou had seen her through the peephole, so he wasn’t surprised when he saw her. But she hadn’t expected him to invite her in; she had already prepared herself to be turned away.

As Shen Qingzhou seemed about to close the door, Lin Qiao quickly squeezed in with her suitcase. She placed her luggage aside and followed him to the living area, sitting down stiffly and saying, “Mr. Shen, I’m sorry to disturb you.”

Shen Qingzhou sat across from her and poured both of them a cup of tea, looking down and saying softly, “Speak.”

Lin Qiao was momentarily stunned but quickly understood what he meant, immediately saying, “My father has decided to follow your advice and move immediately. However, we need to sell our house first, or we won’t have enough money. Also, we hope you can help us choose a good location for our new home.”

“So?”

Shen Qingzhou raised his eyes to look at her, scanning her from head to toe before lowering his gaze again and taking a sip of tea.

Lin Qiao was a very attractive girl—mature, composed, kind, and with an exceptional demeanor. She wasn’t wearing makeup today, her long black hair straight and natural, clearly dressed in a simple and fresh style. Yet, with those almond-shaped eyes, she somehow seemed a bit flirtatious when she looked at someone.

Moreover, she had a very noticeable cleavage.

Unaware of anything unusual, Lin Qiao awkwardly followed her father’s instructions: “So, we hope you can delay your departure from Beijing until we sell our house and help us choose a good place to settle down. My father said he would give you extra payment.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly and pointed at her suitcase, asking, “Then what’s this about?”

Lin Qiao quickly replied, “Well, you described our house as so terrifying that my father absolutely refuses to stay there anymore. He now feels safer being near you, so he made me pack my suitcase and come to the hotel. He’s staying in the room to your left, and I’m in the one to your right.”

Shen Qingzhou paused mid-sip, lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up and said casually, “Fine.”

Seeing that he agreed to everything, Lin Qiao felt on one hand that although this man was sometimes quite annoying, his temperament was surprisingly good, which didn’t quite match his distant appearance and looks.

As she was thinking of something to say to ease the previous awkwardness between them, the doorbell rang. Shen Qingzhou stood up and said, “Wait a moment,” before going to open the door. Lin Qiao sat there waiting and soon heard a very familiar female voice loudly call out, “Qingzhou.”

Wait, it was a woman?

Lin Qiao felt a bit curious and stood up to see who it was. Immediately after, she heard the female voice ask, “Whose suitcase is this? Do you have a woman here?”

This question immediately stopped Lin Qiao in her tracks. Her mind raced, and the most reasonable explanation she could come up with was that this woman might be Shen Qingzhou’s wife.

Oh no, now she was in deep trouble. As Lin Qiao was feeling anxious, she heard Shen Qingzhou say something that made her wish she could die.

“Yes, there’s a woman. What of it?”

…Was he kidding?

“Let me see who it is!”

The woman’s voice sounded very displeased. The sound of high heels clicking on the floor grew closer and closer. Lin Qiao stood there, nowhere to hide, and ended up face-to-face with the newcomer.

At the sight of each other, both women were momentarily stunned.

“Qiaoqiao?” The visitor looked at Lin Qiao in surprise. “Why are you here?”

Lin Qiao looked at the person in front of her, puzzled, and asked, “Chengcheng? Why are you here?”

Wang Chengcheng looked from Shen Qingzhou to Lin Qiao, her face turning pale as she asked, “What are you two doing?”

Lin Qiao hurried to explain, but Shen Qingzhou stood in front of her and said in an impatient and cold voice, “Whoever you are, leave now.”

Lin Qiao: “…”

Wang Chengcheng: “…”

“Don’t make me say it again,” Shen Qingzhou urged without showing any mercy.

Lin Qiao looked at Wang Chengcheng and asked, “You two don’t know each other?”

Wang Chengcheng’s eyes were red with anger: “How could that be! We’ve met several times… Well, we’ve only spoken once.”

“You came to see him for something?”

“…Nothing.”

“Then why are you here? Who told you he was staying here?” Lin Qiao asked, puzzled.

Wang Chengcheng wiped her tears, feeling wronged, and said, “My brother-in-law told me. We met before when Qingzhou came to our house for feng shui. I never thought he… he…” She suddenly stopped and glared at Lin Qiao with hostility, asking, “Qiaoqiao, what are you doing here? Is that your suitcase? Are you trying to steal my man? How can you face me and my sister like this?”

Lin Qiao’s face turned ashen as she asked, “Do you really think I could have feelings for him?”

Wang Chengcheng angrily replied, “Of course! He’s so great!”

Lin Qiao raised her eyebrows, about to say something, when two security guards rushed in from outside. Shen Qingzhou, who had been silent all along, pointed at Wang Chengcheng indifferently and said, “There.”

Under the astonished gazes of Lin Qiao and Wang Chengcheng, the guards forcibly took Wang Chengcheng away and then closed the door.