After hearing this sentence, the ones who fell into silence were not only Qin Song, but also Wen Xian.
Wen Xian also did not know how her future road should continue forward.
—
In the afternoon, the sea wind gradually lessened, sunlight shining upon the azure blue sea surface.
Seagulls rode the wind, flapping their wings, wantonly sweeping across the sea surface. The glimmering wave lights flickered, dazzling like diamonds.
Wen Xian leaned on the railing, gazing at the surging sea surface. The sea wind blew her hair slightly messy.
The sound of the ship’s horn gradually rose — this meant the guests on the ship were all present.
Behind her, Qin Zan and Qin Song were still discussing matters regarding her engagement. But for some reason, the atmosphere when these two gathered together became very strange. Wen Xian listened to their conversation with a face full of confusion.
Qin Zan: “Since you like Xu Chuwei, then get engaged with Xu Chuwei.”
Qin Song: “… Big Brother, she dumped me.”
Qin Zan: “?”
Qin Zan: “Then after you get engaged, you dump her once.”
Qin Song: “Eh, that’s also not impossible.”
Qin Song: “But Grandpa will definitely scold me.”
Qin Zan: “Grandpa’s side, I will handle.”
Qin Song: “Big Brother, if I cancel my engagement twice, will I still be able to find a girlfriend in the future?”
Qin Zan: “Although the Great Qing long since perished, I want to tell you that whether or not you can find a girlfriend has nothing to do with how many times you’ve been engaged. You need to see clearly as early as possible that you are a scumbag.” [Great Qing: historical reference, used here humorously to mean ‘those days are long gone.’]
Qin Song: “…….”
Hearing this, Wen Xian couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud. So she turned around, smiling as she waved to them: “Qin Dage, Song Gege, I’m going back to check on Qiuqiu, see you tonight.”
Qin Zan originally wanted to get up to see Wen Xian back to her room, but Qin Song grabbed his wrist.
Qin Zan turned his head and looked at him: “?”
Qin Song stared at Qin Zan with a face full of suspicion. He hesitated for a moment, suddenly lowered his voice and asked: “Big Brother, you… you wouldn’t like Xian Xian, right?”
Qin Zan’s light-colored pupils slightly moved, but he still looked at Qin Song without speaking.
Qin Song, however, thought this was tacit agreement. He let out a light “tss” sound, sucking in a cold breath for his own thought.
He pulled Qin Zan to sit back down on the chair. “Big Brother, then why didn’t you go tell Grandpa when you came back to the country four years ago? If you had told Grandpa earlier, maybe now there wouldn’t be so many troublesome things.”
Qin Zan pulled back his hand, spoke in a light voice: “I thought she liked you.”
Qin Song: … I fucking also thought she liked me.
Just as they were speaking, at the restaurant entrance came the sound of men and women chatting. Qin Song at a glance saw Xu Chuwei. In recent years, the Xu family had been rising like the sun at noon.
Within the circle, everyone supported Xu Chuwei.
She stood in the crowd, listening to their conversation neither coldly nor warmly, her mood looking average.
Now whenever Qin Song saw Xu Chuwei, his teeth hurt. He still remembered the look in her eyes that day at the auction, when she fiercely threw the car key into his arms. Truly awkward and shameful.
Qin Zan stood up, slowly and unhurriedly tidied the sleeve that had been pulled messily by Qin Song. He swept a light glance at Qin Song: “Go, go stay beside Xu Chuwei. Tomorrow I will let you be free.”
Qin Song’s expression changed a few times, struggling as he said: “Big Brother, then my card…”
Qin Zan: “Two different matters.”
Qin Song, who was both poor and hungry and being used as bait by his own big brother: “……”
After Qin Zan left, Qin Song let out a low sigh.
Actually, he knew what Qin Huai wanted. Qin Huai wanted him to seize power from Qin Zan’s hands, but his feelings toward Qin Zan were very complicated.
To Qin Song, Qin Zan was not like his big brother; he was more like his father.
Since he was little, Qin Song’s father never cared about him. His mother was enthusiastic about Qin family’s internal power struggles. Because his father didn’t handle affairs, Qin Huai had to take charge in the position of the person in power.
When Qin Song was a child, he always followed behind Qin Zan. His big brother, although silent, was always very good to him. He would take care of him when he was sick, and would also attend parent-teacher meetings in his place.
Qin Song didn’t want to go against Qin Huai, but he also didn’t want to make his big brother sad.
He hoped this matter could become a turning point to change the relationship between the three of them.
—
Not long after Wen Xian returned to her room, she received a video call from Shen Lingge. She lay on the bed, calling him, and after the call connected, the camera on that side flickered black once before returning to normal.
Wen Xian poked her head forward, peeking at the luxurious office behind Shen Lingge. She spoke in a low voice: “Gege, are you in your boss’s office? Can you play on your phone at this time? If you get caught, won’t your pay get docked?”
Shen Lingge explained a few sentences. He stared at the lazy little girl on the bed for a while before moving his gaze to that round Qiuqiu.
He casually loosened his collar and asked: “Have you eaten?”
Wen Xian nodded, “The food on the ship tastes not bad.”
After speaking, her plain little face leaned a little closer to the camera again. “Gege, is Zanzan also staying in the office with you? I saw Zanzan’s cage.”
Shen Lingge glanced at the cage placed beside his office desk.
That little thing was currently sticking its butt up, gnawing on vegetable leaves.
The first day Shen Lingge brought this little thing to Shen Corporation, even without listening carefully, he could hear the employees whispering softly.
Assistant Xiao Song was even more dumbfounded as he looked at him.
Shen Lingge got up and carried Zanzan over to sit side by side with him on the sofa.
But just as he sat down, he heard Wen Xian on the other side urgently say: “Gege, move over a little, Zanzan ran to that side, I can’t see it.”
Shen Lingge: “……”
Shen Lingge furrowed his brows and moved slightly to the right.
After Wen Xian finished watching Zanzan eat vegetable leaves, she finally remembered Shen Lingge.
He was currently holding a lunch box eating, his slender hand holding chopsticks, movements and posture all very elegant, but looking at his expression, it seemed like the food wasn’t very tasty.
Wen Xian immediately felt a heartache. “Gege, why are you eating at this time? Is the food not good?”
Shen Lingge looked at the love-packed bento in his hand with an expression difficult to describe. This was specially sent over by his mom at noon to reward him for finding her a daughter-in-law.
But his mom’s cooking skills were still the same as before—over all these years, no progress whatsoever.
Only his dad could eat it without changing expression and even praise it with all kinds of rainbow farts. [Rainbow farts: exaggerated praise, often insincere or over-the-top compliments.]
Shen Lingge explained: “Just finished being busy, the food… tastes pretty good.”
Wen Xian felt that Shen Lingge must be lying to her, “Wuwuwu, when you come back I’ll definitely make a big meal for you to eat.”
Shen Lingge was silent for a moment before answering in a low voice: “Okay.”
After the two of them chatted casually for a while, Shen Lingge began to talk about serious matters. He put down the lunch box that was more than half eaten, “What is Qin Zan planning? Did he tell you?”
Wen Xian nodded her little head, “He seems to want Qin Song and Xu Chuwei to get engaged. Qin Song also agreed to cooperate with him on this matter. If there’s no accident, our engagement should be able to be canceled.”
“But… on Xu Chuwei’s side, I think she won’t let Qin family scheme her like this. They won’t get engaged.”
Shen Lingge raised his eyebrows: “You’re very sure.”
Wen Xian looked at him gloomily, “She wouldn’t let herself be so embarrassed in front of me.”
Shen Lingge also understood a bit about the scheming among women, he slightly nodded, “That’s true.”
Shen Lingge swept a glance around at the room layout where Wen Xian was sitting, casually asked: “Which cruise ship are you on?”
Wen Xian: “……”
Wen Xian unconsciously lowered her voice: “…Just on an ordinary cruise ship.”
Shen Lingge looked at the obvious guilty look on Wen Xian’s face, unhurriedly said: “Such a grand cruise banquet, I don’t believe Licheng wouldn’t have media coverage. Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll find out.”
Wen Xian lightly sighed, holding her face gloomily: “Gege, I’m on Xian Nü Hao.”
Shen Lingge paused, “What kind of name is that? Which shipyard’s ship?”
Wen Xian: “……”
Wen Xian glared at him, “Obviously it’s such a nice name!”
Shen Lingge casually picked up the other phone on the table and searched the keywords: Licheng Xian Nü Hao.
The first piece of information was exactly: Licheng Xian Nü Hao sets sail today. It included photos of Xian Nü Hao, every angle carefully photographed.
Shen Lingge silently stared at this ship full of girlish atmosphere for a while, furrowing his brows and asked: “This is Qin family’s ship? Did something happen to Qin Zan recently?”
Wen Xian pursed her lips, unhappily muttering in a small voice: “This is my ship.”
Shen Lingge: “?”
Before Wen Xian could explain, Shen Lingge had already scrolled down to a comment under that news article: My cousin used to work at Wen Shipbuilding Factory, I heard this ship was a birthday gift the Wen Corporation’s president prepared for his daughter four years ago. But later something happened to Wen Corporation, so this project was left unfinished. Isn’t Qin family and Wen family engaged? Probably Qin family used it to please that girl.
Under that comment, all the replies were: What kind of celestial love story is this wuwuwu.
Shen Lingge closed the phone and tossed it onto the table, tone cold: “This was given to you by Qin Zan?”
Other people might mistakenly think it was Qin Song, but he wouldn’t. Something on this scale, only Qin Zan could do.
Wen Xian blinked her eyes, “Qin Dage gave it to me as a make-up coming-of-age gift, but I don’t plan to keep it. I have no use for this ship. Rather than letting it stay docked all the time, it’s better to let it go out on the sea.”
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Shen Lingge suddenly curled the corner of his lips with a mocking tone, “What, heart moved?”
Black eyes deeply fell onto her face, Shen Lingge enunciated word by word: “If you marry Qin Zan, he will only treat you even better. He spent so much thought and money, I think it’s not for the inheritance.”
“You can easily get rid of your current life. So, do you want to consider marrying him?”
Wen Xian inexplicably glanced at Shen Lingge, “What’s wrong with my current life? I am very satisfied with my own life right now, and what are you even saying?”
Wen Xian sulked with her small face, “I don’t want to bother with you for now.”
After speaking, Wen Xian directly hung up the video call.
She and Qiuqiu disappeared from the screen together.
But Shen Lingge kept looking at the already darkened, blacked-out phone screen. In the end, he closed his eyes, leaning back against the sofa behind him in a disheveled manner.
He irritably loosened his tie and tossed it to the side.
Just now, he was like he had lost his reason, saying those words to Wen Xian.
He clearly knew she didn’t like Qin Zan, didn’t like the Qin family, also knew she completely had the ability to make her own life better, and knew after going through such difficult things, how hard she worked to live.
And Qin family bullied her, her friends bullied her.
Now, how could he bully her like this?
Shen Lingge opened his eyes, looking at Zanzan next to him happily gnawing on vegetable leaves. He reached out to stroke its fluffy little head, speaking in a low voice: “Seems like I made her angry.”
Zanzan buried its head, gnawing on vegetable leaves, completely ignoring him.