Ji Fei's sigh made Qin Xian's heart skip a beat.
[Strange... this is too strange!]
Qin Xian was startled - what was strange? Was it strange that he didn't like Yu Zhi? Or were his current feelings for Ji Fei strange?
His restless heart settled a bit as he reflected. He knew he had always been slow when it came to matters of the heart, sometimes not even realizing when people around him had feelings for him. Only when someone pursued him openly and passionately, like Yu Zhi and Ji Fei had done in the past, would he notice their affection.
Conversely, he was equally slow to recognize his own feelings towards others.
Only recently had he realized that his college romance had been nothing but a passing cloud - he had never truly had feelings for Yu Zhi. Back then, he simply didn't understand or care, just going with the flow. But now... someone had made him understand.
Because Ji Fei had invaded his mental world in an odd way, making him think of her unconsciously, causing his emotions to fluctuate because of her - anger, happiness, worry, disappointment... Previously everything had been calm, but now his feelings were constantly rising and falling.
Though he didn't like this feeling of losing control, he couldn't help being drawn to her. Even with his emotional obtuseness, rational analysis led him to the answer.
He had developed feelings for Ji Fei.
But to what extent, he couldn't tell, nor did he feel the need to analyze it. Because his heart only moved for Ji Fei, and she was the only one he had a legal marriage with. Everything made sense, so he had developed a personal desire - previously he didn't want an irresponsible divorce out of respect for marriage, but now... he simply didn't want a divorce at all.
The usually calm, self-possessed, clear-headed, and logical President Qin once again found himself overthinking and his thoughts scattered because of Ji Fei.
Like a teenager, inexperienced and confused.
If true feelings for someone marked a first love, then Ji Fei was his real first love.
As Qin Xian pondered this, he became somewhat nervous.
Because he suddenly remembered what Ji Fei had said before, about how late-blooming affection was worth less than grass.
Could it be that upon suddenly seeing his feelings and remembering his past coldness, that's why she repeatedly said it was strange?
But there was nothing he could do about it. With the previous Ji Fei, he truly only felt responsibility. If it weren't the same person, he would have thought they were two different people. He only felt drawn to the current Ji Fei.
As Qin Xian was reminiscing, he suddenly froze as a memory flashed through his mind - a little girl, brightly smiling at him, asking: "Second Brother Qin, why are you so quiet? Can't you talk? Then I'll talk more, and you'll learn to talk after listening enough. Let me tell you some gossip, at my home..."
"Second Brother Qin, you're so handsome. In the future, I'm going to earn lots and lots of money and keep you as my sugar baby!"
"Second Brother Qin, you're so skinny, eat more, I like six-pack abs..."
"Mua, haha, I got Second Brother Qin's first kiss!"
Qin Xian was stunned. Was that... Ji Fei when she was little?
Because their families had a good relationship, even though they didn't live in the same city, they often met up, so it was normal that they had met as children. However, since he didn't usually live with the current Qin family at that time, his memories were limited compared to his other siblings. Had they played together as children?
His memories were fuzzy, and then he heard Ji Fei arguing with the system in his mind.
[Why is it pixelated?! Why! I could clearly see his secrets before, like how he's still a virgin! Why is everything pixelated now?!]
Qin Xian nearly choked.
But he couldn't dwell on being exposed like this. Just as he thought his suffering was about to end, hearing these words left him completely confused.
What was going on? Couldn't see? Pixelated?
[System, you must be broken. Weren't you supposed to be able to check personal gossip except for predicting the future? Request for upgrade and repair! Not broken? Then why... why can't I access information about directly related people? What do you mean by directly related people? People who will directly affect my life? What does that mean? I don't understand! Is it because we're not divorced? Is he my primary person of responsibility?! That doesn't make sense, we weren't divorced before either!]
Qin Xian: ?
[What does 'directly related person' mean? Someone who will directly affect my life? What's that about? I don't understand! Could it be because we're not divorced! He's my primary responsibility?! That doesn't make sense, we weren't divorced before either!]
Although Ji Fei wasn't obsessed with invading privacy, she really couldn't understand. Her last failed query was because the information might have too great an impact on the world and was restricted. But now there was a restriction specifically targeting Qin Xian.
No matter how much she argued with the system, it was useless - she just couldn't access the information.
Qin Xian wondered if perhaps... he was acknowledged by the system as someone she had feelings for, and to allow their relationship to develop healthily, it wouldn't let Ji Fei peek into his heart?
This was just Qin Xian's wild speculation, after all, it was an unpredictable power.
Moreover, there was something else Qin Xian found strange - Ji Fei seemed to never be able to know about their ability to read minds. Could this also be related to how it would affect her life?
Indeed, this matter still couldn't be revealed to Ji Fei.
Actually, Qin Xian also wanted to get to know Ji Fei better on equal terms; he never wanted to retain this power to peek into her heart.
But things had come to this point, and he could only wait and see. Although Qin Xian was very frustrated now that his innocence still hadn't been proven.
However, it didn't matter if she couldn't see.
Qin Xian looked at Ji Fei, his lips curving into a smile, his gaze becoming softer.
It seemed that every time he sorted through and analyzed his feelings, he became more aware of how special Ji Fei was to him.
He could work hard to prove it - prove that he wanted to continue forward with Ji Fei.
He just hoped that after today, when he explained things to Ji Fei again, she wouldn't think of him as a 'hypocritical CEO' anymore.
While Qin Xian was completely out of touch with the situation, Ji Fei was also freaking out in her own little world.
But everyone else in the room was about to pop their eyes out.
Because as they watched, they saw that Qin Xian wasn't simply wiping Ji Fei's mouth corner, but as he wiped, his fingertip gently touched Ji Fei's full, cherry-red lips.
This counted as flirting, right?!
This kind of gesture wasn't unfamiliar to Bai Xiaoxi and Yu Yue - they were exactly that kind of lovey-dovey couple. Yu Yue also liked to brush Bai Xiaoxi's lips with his fingers, it was a gesture full of tenderness.
The others also thought of the silly couple Bai Xiaoxi and Yu Yue, so they were all dumbfounded.
Was this real, or... deliberate?
At this point, the sympathetic gazes that had been directed at Ji Fei finally couldn't withstand the reality of the scene, and secretly turned toward Yu Zhi, because it was really hard to say this was intentional.
Yu Zhi's face had turned pale, because only she knew that even though they had publicly portrayed their love as sweet, Qin Xian had never made such a gesture toward her.
She panicked, shaken deeply for the first time.
"Qin Xian!" Zhu Lingling exploded.
Both Ji Fei and Qin Xian were startled.
However, because Ji Fei was too concerned about the system's bug, she hadn't noticed the fingertip lingering on her lips when she turned her head at the shout.
But Qin Xian noticed at the moment he was startled awake, and suddenly felt as if his fingertip had been scalded, leaving him at a loss.
It seemed that when he recalled that "Mua, haha, I got Second Brother Qin's first kiss!" his hand had unconsciously reached out to touch.
Actually, a child's kiss wasn't anything special, he had even forgotten that scene, only the echo had crept into his mind when he recalled it, making him unconsciously want to find that lingering sensation from back then.
But he couldn't remember anything.
Because he felt so uncomfortable, he didn't immediately acknowledge Zhu Lingling after being startled awake.
Seeing Qin Xian still looking at Ji Fei, Zhu Lingling nearly fainted from anger.
However, Qin Xian did politely turn to look at her.
"What?" But his expression still showed that infuriating 'complete confusion'.
Zhu Lingling's sharp intake of breath was very obvious as she glared at them fiercely, suppressing her anger as she questioned.
"Everyone is so concerned about Yu Zhi, how can you have no reaction at all? Don't you have a heart? Even if you're still hung up on past events, now that you know the truth, shouldn't you understand Yu Zhi had no choice? Don't you have anything to say to Yu Zhi?"
Yu Zhi made a show of desperately pulling at Zhu Lingling, as if she didn't want her to trouble Qin Xian, while carefully glancing at Ji Fei, appearing truly afraid of angering Ji Fei and destroying their harmonious relationship.
"Stop it, Zhu Lingling! It's all in the past, really, stop it!"
"Say something, Qin Xian!" But Zhu Lingling wouldn't let it go.
Seeing that she couldn't stop Zhu Lingling, Yu Zhi looked at Qin Xian with tears welling up in her eyes. The scene was so moving that the people sitting at the same table couldn't help but feel sympathetic, and some even gave Qin Xian disapproving looks.
Qin Xian maintained a calm expression and, after a moment's thought, said, "Uh... well, get well soon."
