Chapter 36
Zhao Qi’s brows knitted together. She coldly interrupted her eldest brother’s fantasy. “For the time being, I have no intention of sacrificing myself for the company.”
“What are you saying?” Zhao Chengye laughed. “Is your eldest brother that kind of person?”
“It’s just that Dan Ze really isn’t bad. You can try spending time with him first. Feelings are all cultivated, aren’t they?”
Zhao Qi sneered. “Is that how you and Sister-in-law met too?”
“Why are you bringing her up?” Zhao Chengye grew depressed.
“Then have you brought Sister-in-law back? Has anyone been taking care of Nuonuo these past few days?”
Zhao Chengye touched his ear. It felt hot. “Your sister-in-law took Nuonuo back, then went back to her maternal home again.”
Zhao Qi stopped being polite with her eldest brother. “Then Eldest Brother should coax Sister-in-law first before talking about my love life. The old master’s birthday is coming soon. Do you want Sister-in-law to bring Nuonuo and attend the birthday celebration with her maternal family?”
“Or do you want everyone else to know that you and Sister-in-law aren’t getting along?”
Zhao Chengye glared. In his heart, he muttered, Why did each of them bristle whenever feelings were mentioned?
That useless thing Zhao Chengzhe was like this. Zhao Chengzhi had suffered an even greater fall in love. And now even Xiao Qi was like this?
“Does Eldest Brother have anything else to instruct?” Zhao Qi asked faintly.
Zhao Chengye sighed. “You’re still young, but you should consider what needs to be considered. Just receive Dan Ze properly.”
After hanging up, Zhao Chengye was still muttering in his heart.
Had something evil struck their old Zhao family? Why were all of them so unlucky in love?
Zhao Qi rubbed her brows. She was born disliking men; it was only that these words were not easy to say openly to her family. Besides, she had never met a suitable person before either, so she felt it did not matter whether she said it or not. On top of that, her own desire for control was rather strong. Many people became afraid after getting along with her. Until now, only Lin Yi had crashed into her, recklessly confessing.
It was not that she had never met anyone who moved her heart, but it seemed none of them could really endure her. Before they could cross from friends into lovers, they all distanced themselves one after another. She had thought Lin Yi would be the same…
Maybe this girl was simply the dumbest, unable to see the desire for control she kept hidden. If Lin Yi knew Zhao Qi had signed her under her company just so she could know her schedule at any time, would she shudder?
Zhao Qi let out a low laugh.
What exactly did Lin Yi like about her? Zhao Qi had thought Lin Yi had taken a fancy to her family background. Later, she felt Lin Yi might only have fallen for an illusion she had put on.
That illusion was so proper and respectable, saving Lin Yi from fire and water and giving her assistance in her career. But all of it was merely a layout to make her unable to leave.
What Zhao Qi wanted was a spider weaving a web, luring prey in. But this prey was too obedient and had taken the initiative to burrow into the trapping web, wanting to get close to that spider.
…
Dan Ze relaxed against the leather sofa in the reception room. The secretary who had received him earlier came in carrying tea. He took it and smiled at the secretary. The ears of the secretary, who had remained calm in the face of change, turned red.
“Just put it here.” The man’s voice was pleasant. “Can I ask you about something?”
Seeing the secretary’s wary gaze, he innocently raised both hands.
“It’s just a little gossip.”
The secretary refused stiffly. “We have confidentiality rules.”
“If you have no other requests, sir, I’ll return to work first.”
Dan Ze said, “It’s nothing major. About Lin Yi from your Shanhai—I really like her songs. I heard she’s hospitalized. Is she all right?”
Meeting the man’s handsome, melancholic gaze, the secretary’s heart moved.
“Mr. Dan Ze, forgive us, but information about our artists cannot be disclosed.” Zhao Qi pushed the door open and said to the secretary, “You may leave first.” Her gaze swept faintly over the secretary. The secretary jolted, held the tray, and respectfully pulled the reception room door closed.
Zhao Qi reached out. “Please sit, Mr. Dan Ze. I’ve already communicated with headquarters. Which of our projects would you like to invest in?” She opened the documents in her hand in a businesslike manner. “These are the projects we are currently seeking investment for.”
“From this year to next year, we plan to launch a completely new variety show, two films, and one television drama.”
“If Mr. Dan Ze is interested, you may look through the project details here.”
Dan Ze smiled awkwardly, feeling somewhat trapped. How was he here to invest? He had clearly come to gather information.
Following the address, he had found that orphanage. But aside from a few tiny brats and caregivers, there was basically no one else in the entire orphanage. There were also bodyguards guarding the gate. Without presenting visitation documents, there was no way to get in. So he had no choice but to come to Shanhai.
Dan Ze pulled open a smile and casually flipped through the pages. “Are these all of them?”
He looked through a few pages out of boredom, then lifted his head, intending to ask Zhao Qi about Lin Yi. But the woman opposite him had already looked over with a cold gaze.
“Is Mr. Dan Ze uninterested in all of these projects?”
His hand paused. He touched his nose and began looking seriously. He could not make himself too annoying, right?
Picking up the variety show project beside him, he examined it carefully. Once he looked, his interest was actually piqued.
“This variety show is rather interesting. How do you plan to do it?”
“We will consider it from three dimensions. First…”
Zhao Qi seriously introduced it to Dan Ze, from their planning to the setup of the show’s competition system, the effects they expected to achieve, and the show’s subsequent arrangements.
Dan Ze’s heart moved, and he followed the flow by asking, “Will your company’s artists appear on it?”
Zhao Qi withdrew the hand that had been pointing at the project proposal and placed her fist on the table. “Mr. Dan Ze does not seem to be here to discuss investment.” She stated it plainly, as if she had long seen through Dan Ze’s purpose in coming.
Dan Ze pushed the project proposal forward. “I’ll tell the truth. I am interested in investing, but today, I came to find Lin Yi.”
“I don’t know whether you’ve heard that our Dan family lost a girl. More than twenty years ago, that girl was lost in Huaicheng. Lin Yi may be her.”
Zhao Qi’s hand pressed on the table tightened. She lowered her eyes. The spiderweb had broken.
“How are you sure it’s her?”
Dan Ze said seriously, “She looks exactly the same as my mother when she was young, if she hasn’t had plastic surgery.”
Zhao Qi gave a cold scoff. “You haven’t even investigated that clearly, yet you dare come knocking on the door to acknowledge kin?”
Dan Ze’s tone became impatient. “Before, I was misled and recognized the wrong person. Lin Yi is the one who may be my biological younger sister.”
“Her birth date is exactly the same as mine. There can’t be such a coincidence in this world!”
Zhao Qi raised her eyes. Her gaze was dark and heavy. She snapped the project proposal shut. “I think Mr. Dan Ze is not suited to invest in Huaicheng.”
“To invest in a project, one must first understand whether the project is genuine or false. Then, based on its investment contents, conduct market research, understand the project background, the project establishment, and even the background of the executors. Finally, and most importantly, confirm the return on investment.”
She paused. “Of course, investing does not mean there will definitely be returns after money is put in. One also needs a pair of discerning eyes. Someone as rash as Mr. Dan Ze may need to be more cautious and confirm certain matters before coming to invest.”
After saying this, Zhao Qi picked up the documents on the table and nodded slightly. “That will be all for today. Forgive us for not receiving you properly.”
Dan Ze stared blankly as the woman turned around. He finally reacted and grabbed Zhao Qi’s elbow. “You’re not Lin Yi. What right do you have to make decisions for her?”
His voice was forceful. “I came to find my younger sister. I didn’t come here to play with you!”
Zhao Qi shook off the man’s hand, her expression calm. “Mr. Dan Ze has crossed the line.”
This woman would not listen to anything!
Dan Ze released her resentfully. “My mother missed my sister so much that she became ill. Every time there’s the slightest movement, she never lets it go. Over so many years, she has accumulated as much disappointment as hope. She thought that this time, I would definitely be able to find Dan Yi.”
“Dan Yi is my sister’s name!”
“When my sister was born, my mother personally placed longevity locks on us! She prayed that we would be safe, healthy, and live long lives!”
“My sister wasn’t abandoned. We were the ones who failed to protect her.”
“All these years, she must have been thinking of us too.”
Zhao Qi’s fingertips moved. Without mercy, she turned around. “Mr. Dan Ze, take care.”
Dan Ze sighed. He had come at the wrong time today. He could only hope that what he had said at the end would move Zhao Qi.
Zhao Qi returned to the office and tossed the documents onto the desk. She leaned against the side of the desk, stretched both hands behind her, tilted her head up, and closed her eyes, easing her stiff body.
From the moment Fan Texi handed her that piece of paper, she had not felt comfortable. A shadow had hung over her heart, and Dan Ze’s visit had directly exposed all her dark thoughts.
Yes, she was uneasy.
Ever since Lin Yi approached her and confessed to her,
she had not understood why Lin Yi liked her. Why did Lin Yi trust her so much? She always felt Lin Yi had some inexplicable familiarity with her, but she did not understand Lin Yi at all.
Originally, she had wanted to try with Lin Yi and find out where that familiar feeling came from. But now, she truly wanted to be with her.
And what did Lin Yi think?
She did not get angry, did not get jealous, and seemed to give Zhao Qi whatever she wanted. Yet Zhao Qi could never see through her.
Before, Lin Yi always asked how Zhao Qi saw her. Now, Zhao Qi wanted to ask how Lin Yi saw her. Why was she so unconcerned? Why was she hiding so many things Zhao Qi did not know?
A faint sigh sounded in the room. The orange-red sunset shone into the office. Another day had ended.
Zhao Qi dialed the internal line.
“Hello, Boss.”
“Help me pack a few light dishes. After that, you can get off work.”
The secretary replied happily, “Yes, Boss. I’ll leave it at the front desk.”
“Mm.”
Zhao Qi tidied the desk. The sky outside the window had already darkened. She picked up the packed food and headed to the hospital.
At the hospital, Lin Yi tapped her phone with her left hand, and a melody that had not yet become a tune sounded.
She modified it again, switched to the notes app, and hummed softly, recording it into the notes.
The caregiver came over and asked, “Miss Lin, do you need me to get food?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Someone will come later.”
Zhao Qi had already told her that she would bring food over and stay with her tonight. In a very good mood, Lin Yi recorded her feelings at this moment into her notes.
A sweet melody brewed in her heart. She tapped the final note, and the woman arrived as well.
She lifted her face and called sweetly, “Zhao Qi, can I call you Xiao Qi?”
Zhao Qi opened the meal boxes and arranged them before Lin Yi. She took out a spoon and raised her brows in confusion.
Lin Yi pushed the phone in front of Zhao Qi. “I wrote it for you. The song is called Xiao Qi.”
Zhao Qi moved the phone aside. “Eat first.”
Lin Yi looked at Zhao Qi pitifully and called, “Xiao Qi.”
Zhao Qi scooped a spoonful of rice and brought it to Lin Yi’s lips. “Mm?”
Lin Yi was satisfied and smilingly opened her mouth to chew.
“Which dish do you want?”
“This one!”
Zhao Qi put down the spoon and switched to chopsticks, feeding it to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi ate it up happily.
After Lin Yi finished eating, Zhao Qi casually continued using the chopsticks she had used to feed Lin Yi and ate a few bites, thus settling her own dinner.
This was the second time the woman had eaten her leftover food. Lin Yi blushed as she watched Zhao Qi clean up the food on the table. Only then did Zhao Qi say to her, “I’ll listen.”
She handed the phone to Zhao Qi.
Zhao Qi lowered her eyes and pressed play.
A melody hummed by Lin Yi gently emerged.
Lin Yi propped her face with her left hand and stared blankly at the woman’s side profile.
It seemed Zhao Qi had lost weight. Her jawline was distinct, and there was not much flesh on her cheeks, unlike Lin Yi, whose face still had a large handful of softness when pinched.
After all, Zhao Qi had only recently recovered, yet she had to be busy again and worry about Lin Yi’s affairs too.
After Zhao Qi finished listening, she expressionlessly handed the phone back to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi blinked. Even if the woman did not like it, she should not have this kind of expression, right? Lin Yi could not quite understand it, and she felt a little wronged.
Zhao Qi brought over a basin of water and clumsily wiped Lin Yi’s hands and face. Only then did she sit by the head of Lin Yi’s bed. She said, “It seems you’ve never mentioned your family matters to me.”
Lin Yi’s little grievance had not yet faded, but she still answered, “I’m an orphan. I grew up in the orphanage.”
Zhao Qi placed a pillow behind Lin Yi’s back. “I know that.”
“When you signed the contract, you explained your background to Fan Texi. In the end, he had to compile it and send it to me.”
Lin Yi lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then held Zhao Qi’s hand and said, “I was abandoned in the snow right after I was born. It was the director and the others who took me in. I grew up in the home with Lin Xiaolu and always treated her as my younger sister, because I wanted a home, and in that home, there had to be family.”
Zhao Qi’s heart surged. “Have you never thought about your own family?”
Lin Yi gave a faint self-mocking laugh. “Originally, I hadn’t. Especially after meeting you.” She looked affectionately toward the woman, her features relaxed. It was her most relaxed posture, the one she had before someone familiar.
“But last time, when I went back to see the director, the director gave me something.”
“What?”
“A longevity lock, engraved with my birthday and blessings.” Lin Yi held the woman’s hand and placed it against her cheek. “The director said my parents probably did not truly want to abandon me. Otherwise, they would not have prepared a lock filled with blessings.”
“I also hope it’s really as the director said. At the very least, I came into this world with blessings.”
Zhao Qi tightened her hold on Lin Yi’s hand and rubbed against her cheek, hearing Lin Yi continue, “Then are you willing to be my family?”
Her eyes were strangely bright, as if a star were shining inside them.
The unease that had just appeared in Zhao Qi strangely disappeared. She had been thinking too narrowly.
She let go of Lin Yi’s hand, turned her head away uncomfortably, carrying a bit of guilt, then sat upright and said solemnly, “I am willing.”
Lin Yi’s tense heart suddenly relaxed. A sweet smile appeared beside her cheeks. Seeing the woman’s movement, she had thought Zhao Qi was going to refuse her request.
In her heart, becoming family was more solemn and sacred than “I love you.”
A smile rippled between Zhao Qi’s brows. “The song is also very nice. Can you hum it for me?”
“Okay!” Tears mixed into Lin Yi’s eyes. She softly hummed the song that belonged only to the woman.
Zhao Qi fixed her gaze on Lin Yi’s eyes, slowly leaned closer, and dropped a kiss.
“I like it very much.” And I love you very much too.
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