My Paranoid Girlfriend Asks Me to Be Her Kept Woman (Rebirth) - Chapter 5

Lin Yi bit her lip and reached out to take the key and access card, unable to think of any way to stop the woman from going home.

Zhao Qi was still giving her instructions.

“Usually, no one comes here. You can stay here without worry.”

“Then will you come back?” Lin Yi’s eyes were full of concern and worry.

Zhao Qi blinked, then smiled faintly.

“What? Are you worried I won’t come back?”

Lin Yi could not help biting her lower lip again when she heard Zhao Qi ask, “When I knocked just now, I heard you answering the phone. Did something happen again?”

Was that why she looked so uneasy?

Zhao Qi could see Lin Yi’s emotions at a glance. It was as if she could magically sense all the unease Lin Yi had not spoken aloud.

“I…” Lin Yi thought about how to organize her words.

Buzz—buzz—

Strangely, both of their phones vibrated at the same time.

Lin Yi’s hand moved faster than her mind, and she answered the call.

“Big Sister, it’s me, Xiaolu.”

“It was my fault. Bad people blinded my heart, but I never truly wanted to hurt you.”

Zhao Qi was standing very close and vaguely heard a little. Her brows knitted together, her handsome brows sharp as blades. Then, with great manners, she took a step back, avoiding the sound coming from Lin Yi’s receiver.

Lin Yi remained silent.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Xiaolu put on an extremely pitiful attitude, saying how helpless she had been. She had only wanted Lin Yi to gain more resources and have greater room for development, instead of being full of talent yet wasted away like she was now. She had not expected something like this to happen either. As for calling the police to report it, that had also been because she was worried about Lin Yi. As a young girl thrown into panic, the only thing she could think of was to look for the police.

“Big Sister, will you forgive me?”

Lin Yi was expressionless.

She and Lin Xiaolu had come out of the orphanage together. Since childhood, Lin Xiaolu had been weak, dependent, and easily bullied. Lin Yi had protected her from childhood to adulthood, thinking this was her responsibility as an older sister.

But what relationship did Lin Xiaolu actually have with her?

Before she became an adult, Lin Yi relied on government subsidies, scholarships, and the living expenses she earned from part-time jobs to finish university. She even had to support Lin Xiaolu. She had truly always remembered the director’s words, telling them to watch over and help each other.

But Lin Xiaolu had simply been sucking her blood all along. She never had to worry about money and happily finished four years of university.

After Lin Yi graduated, people from Jianming Entertainment Media took notice of her. But at that time, what she wanted to join was another company that specialized in production, where she could work as a producer’s assistant. It was Lin Xiaolu who said that becoming a celebrity could earn big money, and that when the time came, the two of them could live together forever. Lin Xiaolu said she would always be Lin Yi’s most considerate little assistant, and the two of them would no longer have to separate because of the hardships of life.

Lin Yi had been dazzled by the beautiful life Lin Xiaolu described.

She was an orphan, so she had always longed for family life. And Lin Xiaolu, the younger sister she had always sheltered under her wings, was the family she had always acknowledged.

What she had not expected was that this “family” she recognized would stab her viciously…

And even now, Lin Yi still did not know why Lin Xiaolu had done it.

“I forgive you. And then?” The corner of Lin Yi’s lips lifted.

Zhao Qi’s brows furrowed even more deeply, a deep crease forming between them.

Lin Xiaolu said, “Big Sister, really?”

“Heh. Even you don’t believe it yourself, so why keep putting on this hypocritical act?”

“Big Sister. You’re not like this. You’ll forgive me. You’ll always support me.”

“What nonsense are you saying? All these years, even if I raised a dog, it would at least bark at me. Raising you only got me framed.”

“No, no, it’s not like that!” Lin Xiaolu suddenly screamed crazily over the phone. “Big Sister, you’re not supposed to treat me like this!”

Lin Yi did not want to listen anymore and hung up. Her eyes reddened from holding everything in.

She was far from as calm and carefree as her tone had made her seem.

Zhao Qi unconsciously dug her thumb into her index finger. She looked at Lin Yi, and Lin Yi lifted her head to meet her gaze.

“I’m fine. It’s just…” Lin Yi said softly, “my heart hurts a little.”

Zhao Qi stared carefully into her eyes. Those eyes should have been as brilliant as a river of stars, bright and beautiful as spring, but now they were covered by gloom.

Her own heart also began to ache along with Lin Yi’s, throbbing beat by beat, as if there were some connection between them.

She silently walked closer and, without realizing it, gently stroked Lin Yi’s cheek. There were no tears on her face, yet Zhao Qi could feel that her heart seemed to be trembling.

She knew what that felt like. It was like a hole had broken open in the heart, and no matter how one tried to fill it, it could never be restored.

Lin Yi was held by the head in Zhao Qi’s arms. She seemed to hear someone let out a long, quiet sigh.

“Then come with me.”

Someone took her hand. The familiar warmth spread to her fingertips, and even her soul seemed to tremble.

**

With a roar from the roadside, the car sped away from the apartment building with one press of the accelerator.

Lin Yi sat in the passenger seat, her head dazed, still unable to react.

Zhao Qi held the steering wheel with both hands, her right index finger leisurely tapping against it.

Lin Yi looked at the scenery retreating along the roadside. After a long while, she hesitated and said, “You’re going home. Is it okay for me to follow you?”

Although she wanted to stop the woman from going home, she had never planned to go home with her!!!

Zhao Qi looked straight ahead, not distracted in the slightest.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“…” Lin Yi did not know how to answer.

“Relax. My family members are all very nice.” Zhao Qi’s curly hair was fluffy, and there was a teasing glint in her eyes that was not easy to detect. “Mm, their acceptance level is also very high,” she added lightly.

Lin Yi gripped the seat belt across her body. When she lowered her head, her pink hair fell softly.

!!!

How could she have forgotten about her hair!!!

It had only been dyed because she was attending that drinking party and had been coaxed by the hairstylist.

After it was dyed, it really was very pretty and suited her skin tone well. But now that she was about to see her lover’s family again, she wondered whether they would misunderstand her because of it.

Lin Yi desperately told herself to calm down. The Zhao family was not the sort of people who would form opinions about her just because of her strange clothes and unusual appearance.

—

The Zhao family was exactly that sort of people.

Lin Yi looked at the servants coming and going in the Zhao household. Although they were extremely well-trained, their gazes would always drift toward her head, then naturally withdraw.

She sat gloomily in the hall and lifted her glass to take a sip of water.

Although the Zhao family’s business was huge and the servants had seen many things, their always steady and proper young miss had just returned from abroad, and the friend she brought home was actually someone so “rebellious”? This was truly shocking.

Lin Yi had no idea that, because of her pink hair, these people had already labeled her as rebellious.

Zhao Qi looked with amusement at Lin Yi sitting awkwardly in the hall. She called out to the servant who had just poured water.

“Where are my eldest brother and second brother?”

The servant replied respectfully, “Master is still at the company. Second Master has a meeting at the bureau today. We already called their secretaries just now, and they said both of them will come back for lunch.”

Zhao Qi’s eyes lowered for a moment. Then she asked softly, “What about my third brother?”

The servant hesitated, then replied, “He has already been brought back from Qingshan Sanatorium. He is in the back courtyard now.”

Zhao Qi gave a soft hum.

She waved for the servant to go back to work.

Lin Yi’s hand paused as she drank water.

Third brother?

“Then do you know that I also have a third brother? Back then, he wished I would die.”

She put down her glass and looked at Zhao Qi.

Zhao Qi lowered her eyes slightly, suppressing the emotions in her heart.

—

“Our Xiao Qi has finally come home.” Zhao Chengye took off his coat and handed it to a servant as he asked, “Where are your sister-in-law and the others?”

Zhao Qi obediently stood to the side and greeted him. “Eldest Brother.”

“Since you’re back, don’t leave again.” Zhao Chengye turned to look at the servant beside him, who was taking his coat.

“Madam took the young master back to her maiden family,” the servant replied with her head lowered, holding the coat.

Zhao Chengye frowned. “What kind of behavior is that?”

He was just about to get angry when he turned his head and saw the person behind Zhao Qi.

“And this is?”

Zhao Qi introduced her. “My friend. Didn’t Eldest Brother say there was a family gathering today?”

Zhao Chengye glanced at Lin Yi. That eye-catching pink hair displeased him greatly.

But since his younger sister had only just returned, it would not be good to lecture her about the friends she made. He tugged open the tie around his neck with one hand.

“Your second brother is meeting someone from the Wang family today. If things go well, we’ll settle the engagement for your second brother.”

Zhao Qi thought that made sense. Eldest Brother’s child was already as tall as her calf, while Second Brother still had not married. He was already in his thirties, so it was indeed time to find her a sister-in-law.

“Sister from the Wang family? Is it Wang Minmin?”

“You know her?”

“I’ve heard of her.”

Zhao Chengye instructed, “Since you happen to be here today, help your brother take a look at what this future sister-in-law is like.”

As they were speaking, another car drove in. Zhao Chengzhe had just entered the house when he heard their eldest brother giving their little sister instructions.

With a warm smile on his face, he teased, “Brother, let Little Sister rest first. She only just entered the house, and you’re already arranging work for her?”

Zhao Chengye gave a cold laugh. “Isn’t it because there’s someone so disappointing?”

Zhao Chengzhe smiled at Zhao Qi and Lin Yi. He carried a gentle air about him, as if he could melt ice and snow. Even Lin Yi could feel Zhao Qi relax quite a bit.

“This younger sister’s hair is quite nice.” Zhao Chengzhe deliberately changed the topic, not wanting to be a target for his brother to fire at anymore.

Lin Yi instantly felt the entire room’s gaze focus on her, and she could not stop herself from becoming nervous.

Their meeting in her previous life had not been like this.

Back then, she had been lying on a sickbed, and death was already waving at her. Zhao Chengye and Zhao Chengzhe had originally heard that their younger sister was keeping a same-sex lover at home, so they had come to make trouble.

When they arrived at Sangzhu—the apartment Zhao Chengye had given Zhao Qi—and saw her, both of them fell silent.

In the end, they merely told her to recuperate well.

It seemed they had already seen through the fate that she did not have much time left.

This moment could be considered the first formal meeting with Zhao Qi’s family across two lifetimes. They had no idea what Lin Yi was so nervous about.

They only saw that although this young lady was rebellious, she seemed quite shy.

Zhao Qi took over the conversation and helped Lin Yi out of her predicament.

“Let’s eat.”

They sat down together at the dining table. Lin Yi had Zhao Qi on her left and the Zhao family’s second brother across from her. Zhao Chengzhe was smiling as he stared at her, making Lin Yi uncomfortable all over.

After a while, once all the dishes had been served, Zhao Chengzhe finally moved his gaze away.

At the Zhao family dining table, they observed the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping. For a time, even the sound of chopsticks touching bowls and plates was very quiet.

Lin Yi counted grains of rice as she fed herself. All the muscles in her body were stiff on the chair. She was afraid that if she did anything poorly, she would leave a bad impression on the Zhao family—though her hair had probably already left a very deep impression on the entire Zhao family.

After the meal, the Zhao family’s eldest brother, Zhao Chengye, called out, “Xiao Yi, come to the study.”

Zhao Chengzhe nodded at Lin Yi, showing full gentlemanly grace. “Settle your friend in, then come find us.”

The men left one after another. Zhao Qi led Lin Yi to the guest room.

“Rest in the guest room first. If you need anything, press this and someone will come.” Zhao Qi glanced out the window. At this moment, the flowers in the garden were blooming beautifully. After thinking for a moment, she said, “If you feel bored, you can go stroll around the garden.”

Lin Yi nodded and replied obediently. Zhao Qi closed the door and was about to leave, but after thinking for a moment, she turned back and said, “Just walk around the courtyard. Don’t go too far.”

Lin Yi.

Lin Yi let out a breath and was about to collapse onto the bed when Wuming’s voice suddenly came from her mind.

I sensed the power of “hatred.” It is gathering.