“I remember saying not to call me ‘Young Mistress’.”
“Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like that title, Miss Luo.” With a mocking smile, Qin Haiyue didn’t pay much attention to the two people across from her. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the girl beside her, watching as she cradled her phone timidly.
“Come here,” she said, patting the seat next to her.
“Oh, okay.” After a brief hesitation, the girl lowered her head and obediently sat down beside Qin Haiyue in front of the two visitors.
Once the girl reached her side, Qin Haiyue immediately reached out and pulled the petite body into her arms. Startled, the girl let out a small gasp but didn’t dare to resist. She could only let Qin Haiyue hold her in a way that felt very awkward and uncomfortable.
“There’s no need for a meal. We’ll leave as soon as we finish our business. But Miss Qin, who is this?” Luo Xi frowned as she watched their interaction. From her perspective, she could clearly see the reluctance on the girl’s face.
Ye Xingmian didn’t dare to speak. After all, he was still a bit shy around strangers, and since the other person seemed to come from a powerful background, he was afraid of accidentally saying something wrong and offending them. In the end, it was Qin Haiyue who smiled and spoke up.
“Let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend??” Luo Xi felt her brow twitch. Looking at the “girl’s” reluctant expression, there was no way these two looked like a couple in love.
“I didn’t notice earlier… Is this actually a boy?”
“Yes, his name is Ye Xingmian. You might have seen him before.”
“I haven’t… Hello, Student Ye. My name is Luo Xi.”
She reached out her hand toward the youth. Ye Xingmian looked up and met Qin Haiyue’s eyes, wanting to reach out and shake the woman’s hand. However, Qin Haiyue suddenly tightened her grip, pulling him even closer and making it impossible for him to extend his arm.
Luo Xi’s hand remained hanging in midair, making the situation quite embarrassing for her. She remained silent for a moment before finally withdrawing her hand without a word.
She forced herself to believe Qin Haiyue’s explanation. Since the two were a couple, she naturally couldn’t say much more. As an outsider, it wasn’t right to judge how others interacted — especially when she knew nothing about the situation.
A strange silence filled the air for a while. Qin Haiyue kept smiling, though it was unclear what was so funny. Perhaps she was mocking Luo Xi’s awkward behavior? After all, the two of them had never gotten along. Finally, the assistant who had come with Luo Xi broke the silence.
The assistant handed over a document, which Luo Xi then took. The paper made a crisp rustling sound in the quiet room.
“This is a preliminary legal contract my father asked me to bring regarding your company’s future development regulations in this city. There are two more contracts currently under investigation and discussion. This document has already been shown to your father. Just look it over and sign it.”
“Fine.”
Qin Haiyue took the document casually and gave it a brief scan. She then pulled her father’s official seal from under the living room table. Once she signed her name and pressed the seal, the terms on the paper officially went into effect.
Having accomplished their goal, Luo Xi and her assistant didn’t stay any longer. They stood up to leave.
“Won’t you stay for a meal before you go?” Qin Haiyue offered with fake politeness, even though the smile on her face made it clear she couldn’t wait for them to disappear. Luo Xi naturally understood the underlying meaning. She looked up at Qin Haiyue, who was slightly taller than her, her expression remaining cold.
“No, thank you. We have important matters to attend to. We won’t disturb your fun any longer.”
With that, the two of them left the villa without looking back. Qin Haiyue personally walked to the door to watch them get into their car and drive away. Only then did she slam the door shut and lock it.
When she turned back around, her expression had turned much colder.
Ye Xingmian instinctively looked up at her, feeling a bit afraid. He had hoped that the girl named Luo Xi would stay a bit longer to help ease the tension. But they had left so quickly, leaving him alone to face Qin Haiyue’s pressure, which made him feel incredibly nervous.
‘So, Qin Haiyue wasn’t lying. All of this really was prepared for me…’
‘But what is she after?’
‘I don’t have money, and I don’t have power. I’m all alone in this city. The more Qin Haiyue suddenly changes her attitude to be nice to me, the more afraid I get.’
‘She must have some ulterior motive…’
Perhaps it was some sort of sixth sense, but the youth remained wary of Qin Haiyue.
“The annoying guests are gone. Let’s continue.”
Pulling her lips into a smile again, Qin Haiyue tried to make her posture more elegant. She sat across from the youth and asked, “Do you know what this is called?”
Confused, the youth looked up and tilted his head.
“I don’t know…”
Qin Haiyue looked at him. For some reason, as she stared into those pink eyes, she froze for a moment. Once she snapped out of it, she continued, “It’s called a date.”
“A… date…?”
For some reason, the light in the youth’s eyes dimmed. He lowered his head again, looking somewhat distressed.
Not getting the reaction she expected, Qin Haiyue frowned.
“What, are you not happy? I specially prepared such a lavish feast for you. After all, as my partner, you certainly shouldn’t be mistreated. As long as you’re obedient, I can buy you whatever you want in the future, okay?”
She tried to use her best weapon — money — to pique the youth’s interest. However, he kept his head down and didn’t say a word.
‘Tch…!’
‘This feels awful. I’m going through all this trouble to please you and talk to you, and this is the attitude I get? Isn’t that a bit too ungrateful?’
Feeling irritable, Qin Haiyue began to lose her patience. She was starting to wonder if her initial plan was even right. It seemed there was no need to be this nice to Ye Xingmian if he was going to be so unappreciative.
She suppressed her anger and was about to say something more when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
‘Why is today so unlucky? It’s just one annoying thing after another.’
Glancing at the shrinking youth, she reluctantly pulled her phone out. The call was from her father — that middle-aged man who, despite having two children in the country, still couldn’t speak the local language clearly.
‘Tch.’ For a second, she really wanted to hang up. She wasn’t close to her father at all. She hadn’t spent much time with him growing up; the man spent all his time traveling the world for business, and even his rare free time was spent with her younger sisters.
However, no matter how much she didn’t want to, she answered the call.
His familiar, clumsy accent came through the line. However, unlike usual, there was a hint of weakness and endurance in his voice, as if he were suppressing some kind of pain. Unfortunately, the frustrated Qin Haiyue didn’t notice.