Leave If You Dare! (GL) - Chapter 5

“Lin Zi, your father is still in the hospital’s intensive care unit. He would be very happy if you could find the time to visit him.” Qin Ximo leaned slightly forward as she spoke, seated on a sofa two to three meters away from Lin Zi. Her voice was low and gentle, like a spring breeze in March, brushing past your shoulders, the tips of your hair, your brow, swirling upward to caress your skin until you could fully feel the delicate warmth of early spring. Yet this voice was not the frail softness of a delicate southern belle, but more like the poised and confident tone of a northern noblewoman—graceful, unrestrained, and resonant.

Lin Zi could tell that Qin Ximo was no puppet of the powerful figures present. She was the true mistress of the Lin family in every sense. However, Lin Zi no longer felt as indifferent toward Qin Ximo as she had during their time at the hot spring resort. She even felt her body tense slightly as she sat on the sofa. This woman, Qin Ximo, was far from the harmless, gentle figure she appeared to be. That night they had spent together at the hot spring resort—was its Qin Ximo’s first time during her two-year marriage to Lin Wangran, or merely one of many?

Whatever the truth, judging by Qin Ximo’s current composure and her firm grip on the Lin Group’s power, she would certainly not want anyone to know what had happened between her and Lin Zi at the resort.

Yet now, the only person who knew this truth and had glimpsed Qin Ximo’s other side was Lin Zi herself—Qin Ximo’s legal ward, the girl she would oversee for an entire year, the girl who had been forced into all manner of humiliating positions beneath her at the hot spring resort.

Lin Zi had an instinctive sense that she had tangled with someone she shouldn’t have. A woman like Qin Ximo, powerful and influential yet shrouded in mystery, was like an unknown black hole in the vast universe. If you recklessly approached, the only outcome would be utter destruction.

And to make matters worse, Qin Ximo bore a perfectly respectable title—guardian.

Lin Zi recalled her past experiences with racing, the kind of thrill that could induce dizziness while delivering the most intense stimulation. It felt eerily similar to being near Qin Ximo—like pressing the accelerator to 300 km/h on an impossibly steep mountain road. A racer could never resist the temptation of that fleeting, unparalleled rush. But when you finally reached the summit, filled with excitement and courage, and looked down at the winding path clinging to the cliffs, your cooled-down mind would begin to relay all the high-risk warnings tagged to the experience.

Should she charge ahead or retreat in the face of difficulty?

The room carried the scent of sandalwood incense. Lin Zi was sensitive to fragrances, but she could readily accept this near-pure natural aroma. Compared to her own brief daze and distraction, Qin Ximo remained composed, serene, and unruffled—as if nothing had ever transpired between them.

What Lin Zi had to admire was this woman’s mastery and depth. Though their age gap was likely less than a decade, Qin Ximo’s innate elegance, noble bearing, and seemingly natural refinement made every storm that should have raged between them vanish in an instant, buried deep beneath the surface.

“Father needs rest. Constant visits aren’t filial piety,” Lin Zi said calmly, her words simple yet appropriate. She was adept at using seemingly flawless reasoning to explain intentions that ran completely counter to her true meaning. Since Qin Ximo wanted to pretend they didn’t know each other, Lin Zi naturally wouldn’t tear down that thin veil. But did this count as Qin Ximo’s weakness?

Holding Qin Ximo’s weakness—what did that imply?

“Yes, yes, Xiao Zi just returned to D City. She should take time to adjust first. There’s no rush to visit Old Lin until his condition improves,” an uncle chimed in, smoothing things over for Lin Zi.

Lin Zi offered him a faint smile, acknowledging his well-meant intervention. However, discussing how to interact with Lin Wangran wasn’t the purpose of her visit to Donglin Tower today. She was confident that Lin Wangran’s people had already equipped him with the most advanced medical facilities and the most professional medical staff. Though they might not be necessary, with all the resources in place, they certainly wouldn’t be less useful than her, his half-hearted daughter.

Right now, her sole purpose for coming to Donglin Tower to see Qin Ximo was simply to sign the guardianship agreement the lawyer had mentioned. Once that was done, everything would be settled.

“I came today because the lawyer told me I need to sign an agreement,” Lin Zi stated bluntly, her gaze fixed directly on Qin Ximo. She deliberately avoided using any form of address, unsure how to refer to Qin Ximo in this setting. Her instinct was to call her by name, or at most add a polite title like “Madam.” But if the uncles insisted, she address Qin Ximo as “Mother” or “Auntie,” it would be awkward.

“I figured as much,” Qin Ximo replied, the corners of her lips lifting slightly as she glanced at Lin Zi with a faint smile. She casually picked up a document from the side table, flipping through it before asking, “Xiao Zi, do you agree to sign it now?”

“Agreed,” Lin Zi answered succinctly.

Qin Ximo studied her for a moment, then extended the document toward Lin Zi. Lin Zi stood and stepped closer to take it, but Qin Ximo swiftly withdrew her hand, placing the file softly back on her lap. She suddenly wanted to see if this girl, who had barely looked at her since entering the room, would display the kind of natural emotions typical of someone her age—surprise, perhaps, or irritation.

But there was none. Lin Zi merely glanced at her empty hand with a hint of self-mockery before letting it drop naturally to her side. She tilted her head slightly, as if to say that even if Qin Ximo claimed the document didn’t exist or that she wasn’t allowed to sign it yet, she would accept it without protest—maybe with nothing more than a bland “Oh.”

It was, admittedly, a little deflating.

Qin Ximo arched a brow and handed over the document again, offering the perfect justification for her earlier action, “I just wanted to confirm if you were mentally prepared. After all, agreeing without reading the terms would raise concerns for me.”

Lin Zi remained unfazed. “In that case, I’ll read it first before answering you.” Qin Ximo was truly a fox in sheep’s clothing—cunningly setting traps while maintaining the guise of kindness and gentleness.

Qin Ximo nodded, and Lin Zi reached out to take the documents handed to her. Beneath the papers, Lin Zi inadvertently brushed against Qin Ximo’s fingertips. Normally, she wouldn’t have felt any body heat, but this fleeting, strangely intimate contact swept across her heart like petals skimming the surface of a lake. She deliberately lowered her gaze to avoid eye contact, but Qin Ximo tilted her head slightly, her seemingly casual glance gliding lightly over Lin Zi’s cheeks.

Lin Zi’s deliberate reserve piqued Qin Ximo’s interest. Before meeting her, Qin Ximo had heard countless rumors about the notorious eldest daughter of the Lin family. Yet the Lin Zi before her bore no resemblance to the horned little devil of those tales—especially with their earlier encounter at the hot spring as a prelude. Qin Ximo sensed there was much more to Lin Zi than met the eye. Take, for instance, those dark, lively eyes set in her slender face—still as a frozen pool yet capable of drawing one’s soul in with a single glance. Standing straight-backed before Qin Ximo, Lin Zi stared unblinkingly at some fixed point ahead, her expression utterly blank. It was the face of a seventeen-year-old girl, innocent and inexperienced, yet Qin Ximo inexplicably felt an obscure pressure, as if facing someone unfathomable—someone who understood the world yet remained aloof from it.

This Lin Zi shared the same soul as the one in the hot spring, whose body had been emptied under Qin Ximo’s unyielding dominance. When Qin Ximo saw Lin Zi bite her lips until they swelled without uttering a single plea, she knew this was no ordinary girl.

She was resilient, understated yet unyielding, fiercely protective of her pride and dignity.

But at the hot spring resort, had Qin Ximo shattered everything Lin Zi had claimed to possess with a single stroke?

Qin Ximo could sense Lin Zi’s resistance and aversion toward her—a stark contrast to the ease of their first meeting. Back then, though Lin Zi spoke little, she wasn’t cold. If likened to the most comfortable temperature, she was a pleasant 35 degrees—neither scorching enough to feel dangerous nor freezing enough to repel.

Now, however, Lin Zi instinctively refused to convey anything—no warmth, no expression, no stance.

At an angle invisible to others, Qin Ximo’s lips curled faintly. She wondered if Lin Zi believed such detachment could sever their connection.

And thus deny their one-night stand—deny that she had slept with her father’s woman.