In any case, after that day, Qin Haiyue never went looking for Ye Xingmian again.
But she also hadn’t found anything suitable to do.
She was very rich. If she wanted, she could easily gather a group of people to fawn over her. She could have used her power and influence to do whatever she wanted.
But she didn’t want to do that.
It wasn’t that she had particularly lofty tastes or looked down on such behavior. It was simply that she found it boring. She seemed to remember that she used to despise that kind of behavior, but she couldn’t recall when that was.
Maybe she had once felt disdain for that kind of overly spoiled and arrogant behavior, which was why she didn’t do it. But if she could do something like that to an innocent girl, how was she any different from those people?
She didn’t know, and she couldn’t be bothered to think about it.
Today was sunny and bright, the first day of winter vacation. The weather had warmed up a bit, but it was still very cold.
A few weeks ago, there had been another snowfall, a really heavy one, but it had all melted a few days ago. It was expected that there would be no more snow until winter was over.
Soon spring would come, the weather would warm, and her mood could lighten a lot.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Qin Haiyue. She had never been the type to have the leisure to appreciate natural scenery.
Today she had just gotten up when she saw the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows lined with flowers of all sizes.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
After shouting this, she had already grown accustomed to the other’s presence. She had to admit, it felt pretty good to have someone take care of her. This woman was annoying, but the food she cooked was edible.
She called out to Yu Aiyu.
“Miss, as you can see, I’m tending the flowers.”
“Did I tell you to tend them? This is my house! Throw your damn flowers out right now!”
Yu Aiyu smiled unconcernedly.
“Miss, it’s very cold now. These delicate flowers can only survive in a sunroom. If placed outside, they’ll freeze to death quickly.”
“I told you to throw them out, so throw them out. Why so much nonsense?”
“No, Miss. What I mean is, I hope you can understand that if flowers always grow in a warm environment created by others, then if they one day step into the cold winter, they will only die in fear and confusion.”
Qin Haiyue frowned, thought for a moment, then suddenly widened her eyes and glared at Yu Aiyu.
“Are you implying something about me!”
“I’m just stating the facts.”
“My monthly allowance alone can easily cover ten years of your salary, and you dare say that to me? Don’t you believe I’ll have my younger sister fire you right now?”
“I believe you, of course I do, Miss. But let me ask you: Does all your confidence come solely from your family?”
“Say that again and get the hell out!”
“Hmm, I recall that you, the elder Miss, don’t have a very good relationship with the Second Young Miss. So why did you just use the Second Young Miss to threaten me?”
“…What business is it of yours?”
“Indeed, Miss. Although you speak harshly about your family, deep down you’re actually longing for family affection, aren’t you?”
“After all, your family seems to be one of the few people in this world who truly love you. I’m curious—what is your attitude toward your younger sister? Do you really hate her that much?”
After saying this, Yu Aiyu was prepared to be cursed out.
From her experience, every time this topic came up, Qin Haiyue would go berserk.
But this time was unexpected. Qin Haiyue actually quieted down, turned her head away without a word, shadows covering her eyes.
Yu Aiyu glanced at Qin Haiyue, and a smile suddenly curled at the corner of her mouth.
So, Qin Haiyue was just a child after all.
A child who was both stubborn and twisted, but still had some kind of longing in her heart.
Yu Aiyu remembered the task Qin Jiangmian had entrusted to her before she came.
She was always good at reading people—partly due to her professional knowledge, partly due to intuitive feelings.
The first time she met Qin Haiyue, she thought this was a girl who had gone down the wrong path and been spoiled, but not beyond redemption.
She didn’t continue the previous topic, but instead said:
“Miss, if you’re bored, why not come and plant flowers with me? Raising these plants with your own hands, watching them grow and bloom little by little, their fragrance filling the whole room—it’s a very fulfilling thing.”
Qin Haiyue silently looked up at Yu Aiyu.
Today, Yu Aiyu was wearing a pencil skirt, black stockings, and moderately high heels, her figure elegantly outlined. She had on a pair of black-rimmed glasses. She had to admit, it gave off a very professional vibe.
But wearing this outfit to plant flowers seemed a bit odd.
“Aren’t you going to change clothes?”
Qin Haiyue voiced her doubt.
Actually, she also felt a little strange. Lately, the restless feeling inside her seemed to have subsided a lot. Maybe having a psychologist who also acted as a housekeeper was indeed a good thing.
“No need, Miss. I have to go meet someone from your company later, so this outfit is just right.”
“What do you mean ‘my company’? That’s my father’s…”
But of course, this had nothing to do with her.
Unless needed, running businesses and such were always unrelated to her.
“I don’t need to plant flowers. I have something to do. I’m going to find someone later.”
She really wanted to see Ye Xingmian today. She didn’t know why, she just wanted to see her.
But there didn’t seem to be any violent emotions inside her. She didn’t want to hit her or anything. She just seemed to want that girl to have a meal with her or something.
She felt she was being a little strange.
“Find someone? Is that your classmate named Ye Xingmian?”
Qin Haiyue was startled, looked up in surprise, and frowned.
“How do you know?”
Yu Aiyu smiled, still fiddling with the flowers in her hands.
“Naturally, I heard it from the Second Young Miss. The fact that you have a pretty, girlish-looking lover is naturally something the Second Young Miss cares about very much. She knows your every move.”
“She investigated me?!”
Qin Haiyue was a bit angry.
“Care? What care? She doesn’t feel any sense of care from such behavior. It’s just a creepy feeling.”
For some reason, the anger in Qin Haiyue’s heart instantly faded by more than half, replaced instead by a chill running down her spine.
Was she deliberately hiding it?
Strange. Why hadn’t she noticed before that her younger sister cared about her so much?
“If you already know, then there’s no need to ask more, right? You go ahead and play with your flowers. I’m leaving.”
“Miss, do you know where Ye Xingmian lives now?”
“You know?”
Qin Haiyue really hadn’t looked into where Ye Xingmian lived.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know either.”
“Then you…”
Qin Haiyue frowned, about to lose her temper.
“But Young Miss, I suspect that even if you knew, you wouldn’t be able to find her. As far as I know, Ye Xingmian has gone traveling with some other people.”
Yu Aiyu casually made up a lie.
“You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Of course not. So, Miss, it’s freezing cold and not suitable for going out. It’s warm at home. It would be excellent for you to come and tend to the flowers with me.”
“Tch… fine.”
She inexplicably gave in.
“Miss, look at this one. Isn’t it beautiful? This flower is called a lycoris, also known as the red spider lily. It’s a flower with quite a cultural flair.”