Chapter 80: Reflection

Completely silenced by Lin Yu’s words, Yanran didn’t make another sound. A blush spread from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears, even dyeing her neck a faint pink.

She hung her head, fingers unconsciously twisting the tablecloth, completely unable to look at anyone else at the table.

Actually, if you thought carefully about the meaning of Lin Yu’s words, the ambiguity wasn’t small.

Compared to Mu Liuli, he and she were childhood sweethearts, next-door neighbors. In terms of closeness of relationship, they definitely couldn’t compare.

However, Xia Yanran, who was now completely lost in a lovesick state, where would she engage in this kind of calm, logical analysis?

Her brain automatically blocked out all complex interpretations, charging headlong towards the direction that made her heart beat the fastest.

That smile and those words… were they hinting that… ‘My relationship with him is the more special one?’

She had even begun to uncontrollably fantasize about a more distant future, scenes of naming children.

Seeing her daughter’s hopeless state, Qin Wuyue couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Where did that proactive, attacking momentum from earlier go?

This kid just casually says one ambiguous sentence and you’re dismissed, like a ripe tomato, sweet juice ready to flow at the slightest touch.

“Oh?” Lin Mowei’s gentle voice rang out at that moment, interrupting Xia Yanran’s increasingly drifting thoughts.

A gentle smile was on her face as her gaze fell on Lin Yu. “Then, Xiao Yu, tell your sister, what exactly is your relationship with Yanran right now?”

The question was asked lightly, but hearing it, Lin Yu felt a slight chill run down his spine, as if fine shards of ice were slipping into his clothes along with her tone.

He looked up at his sister, his eyes holding a very obvious plea for mercy.

‘My dear sister, I’m obviously just placating her. Why are you getting involved?’

Lin Mowei continued to smile, the curve of her lips unchanged, just quietly watching him, waiting for an answer.

She hadn’t been watching the entire time earlier, but she had noticed that final look.

Coupled with the information she had previously squeezed out of Mu Qingqing, she strongly suspected that her brother had already made contact with Mu Liuli, and it was quite deep contact at that.

She was unhappy. She was also uneasy.

A Xia Yanran was still somewhat within her control for now, but adding a Mu Liuli was completely different.

That girl… was quite troublesome.

Lin Mowei had tried to interact with her before, but the results weren’t ideal.

It was a completely closed-off heart, stubbornly immersed in its own world. Outside voices and rules seemed hard to truly affect her.

Lin Mowei had to admit, upon learning that her brother and she were in that kind of relationship, surprise far outweighed jealousy.

“Relationship… relationship…” Lin Yu repeated the word, his mind spinning rapidly but coming up blank.

He instinctively looked at Xia Yanran. The girl had lifted her moist eyes, looking at him full of expectation. That gaze was pure yet scorching, making his throat tighten.

He turned to Qin Wuyue. She was leisurely propping her chin on her hand, a faint, mischief-loving smile playing on her lips, showing no intention of helping him out of this.

Finally, his gaze returned to his sister Lin Mowei’s face.

His sister’s smile was flawless, gentle enough to drown a person.

But Lin Yu inexplicably felt that beneath that smile, there was not a trace of warmth. Instead, it exuded a chill that made his bones feel cold.

He suddenly felt his sister’s emotions were somewhat elusive. It was something familiar, yet something he had never seen on his sister before.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, only feeling that being enveloped by such a gaze made it hard to breathe.

A person can only know things within their own perception. The so-called “a single leaf blocking the view.”

At this moment, Lin Yu was limited by his own preconceived notions of his sister, unable to decipher the meaning beneath that smile.

Just as he was racking his brains thinking of how to respond, a service robot carrying a tray slowly approached from the side.

He immediately stood up as if seeing a lifesaver, very enthusiastically taking the tray from the robot’s hands, saying, “Thank you.”

“Let’s eat first, Sis. We’ll talk later,” he said, giving his sister a meaningful look full of pleading.

Lin Mowei quietly watched him bustle about, watched the panic and ingratiation in his eyes, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Her gaze was so calm it made Lin Yu’s heart feel uneasy.

Finally, she gently picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat from her bowl, and her tone returned to its usual softness. “Alright then, we’ll talk after we finish eating.”

Lin Yu swallowed, feeling that he really needed to be more careful with his words in the future.

All phrases like “next time” or “we’ll talk later” needed to be changed, because his sister seemed to really take them seriously.

That thing he said earlier about hugging her when they got back seemed pretty serious too…

“!”

Just as he put the food in his mouth, Lin Yu suddenly remembered. Right! There was also that matter!

He glanced furtively at his sister, then looked at Xia Yanran beside him.

‘This girl… she probably won’t take that seriously, right…’

He was naturally referring to the matter of sleeping together tonight.

—

This meal felt like chewing wax to Lin Yu. He couldn’t taste any flavor at all.

Finally finishing the meal, Lin Yu was the first to stand up, quickly saying goodbye to Qin Wuyue and Xia Yanran.

Then he pulled his sister and left the restaurant.

Returning to the room, he locked the door.

Lin Yu glanced at the open window, walked over, and casually closed it.

‘Did I not close the window when I left? Can’t remember.’

The room fell completely quiet. He walked to the bed and lay down, his body sinking into the soft mattress as he fell into deep thought.

His mind was a complete mess, various images and sounds intertwining.

The sensation of Xia Yanran in white stockings curled up beside him.

His sister’s gentle yet icy smile in the restaurant.

Qin Wuyue’s playful gaze.

Mu Liuli’s slender back.

… And also, that woman in the darkness who pinned him down with unclear intentions.

He just couldn’t figure it out.

How exactly did things develop to this point?

He had clearly made up his mind to avoid the tragedy of his past life, rejected Xia Yanran’s confession, and wanted to create distance.

So why, ever since the rejection, did everything seem to have completely derailed from his intended track, charging headlong in a more chaotic and uncontrollable direction?

His sister had become abnormally clingy, her eyes and behavior always hinting at something he couldn’t understand.

Xia Yanran, while not having changed much, seemed to have an even stronger obsession of “must have him.” Her clumsy advances were also more direct.

And Qin Wuyue, who should have been the most troublesome right now, was actually the most normal one.

At least on the surface, she seemed to accept Lin Yu’s “just friends” explanation regarding Xia Yanran, and her attitude was more that of an observer and teaser.

But this normalcy itself carried an indescribable sense of strangeness.

Wait…

Lin Yu suddenly remembered something else.

Tonight at the restaurant, he only saw the four members of the Hunter team. What about Xin Yao?

Still in a meeting? It’s so late at night, surely they wouldn’t not let her sleep?

Given Xin Yao’s condition during the day, she probably needed rest too.

Staring at the blurred light spots on the ceiling.

Another, even more disconcerting question surfaced in his mind again. Who exactly was that woman?

Currently, Qin Wuyue had the greatest suspicion, but judging from her previous behavior, it didn’t seem like her. And her story about going to the hot spring didn’t seem fake either.

Then who could it be?

He irritably turned over, burying his face in the pillow.

‘I just wanted to avoid trouble. Why does it feel like the trouble is gathering more and more, and each one is more troublesome than the last?’

“Sigh…” He let out a deep sigh. Just as he was about to close his eyes, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Then came his sister’s voice. “Xiao Yu, are you in there?”

“…”

‘You really came? What about the agreement that it was a joke and not to be taken seriously!’