Qin Hanyue: "Don't like what you see?"
He wondered what he had done to rub her the wrong way.
When Ying had first arrived at M Continent, there was no conflict between them.
When they first met and she was going by Qiao Ying, although their interactions were polite with an undercurrent of wariness as they took each other's measure, looking back Qin Hanyue couldn't help but scoff to himself.
But overall, they had gotten along quite well.
Qiao Ying: "Too uptight."
Qin Hanyue ventured: "You...don't like uptight people?"
Qiao Ying glanced at him: "Don't pretend to be uptight just to test me."
That was no comfort at all.
Qin Hanyue gave a wry laugh, indulgent amusement in his tone: "The building has been repaired to be even more solid than before. Next time you want to blow it up, you'll have to use more explosives."
Qiao Ying: "I've never used a small amount when blowing stuff up."
Qin Hanyue nodded slightly, his smile deepening: "But~"
He drew out the word softly, smiling like a fox: "If God's Army gets armed in the future, it might become our shared asset. As long as you don't mind, I don't care what you do."
Qiao Ying responded coolly with three words: "Don't want it."
Qin Hanyue didn't dare provoke her further. Holding up his phone, he asked: "Is this the only photo? Are there any others?"
It was obvious Qiao Ying didn't like having her photo taken.
She deigned to respond: "Keep swiping."
Having obtained her permission, Qin Hanyue swiped to the next photo. It showed Ying sitting on a sofa working on a laptop. Behind her was a huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking a raging blue sea.
He examined it closely before continuing to the next. His expression changed subtly and the smile faded somewhat from his eyes.
The photo showed Ying standing at a liquor cabinet drinking wine dressed in a silk loungewear robe, her long hair loosely tied up. The emerald green satin complemented her cool porcelain skin tone. She also wore a matching long outer robe tied loosely at the waist, sexy and beguiling.
Though her expression was a bit cold.
"Were all these photos taken by Ye Si?"
"Mm."
Holding the phone, Qin Hanyue felt a stab of jealousy he couldn't quite suppress. Still, he turned the screen towards her and asked: "This one too?"
Qiao Ying glanced at it.
Qin Hanyue took the chance to say: "Ye Si is very hostile towards me. If he knew I didn't have unrequited feelings for you, he'd probably kill me."
Qiao Ying responded matter-of-factly: "I didn't finish what I was saying last time in Akenlin."
Qin Hanyue instinctively cast his mind back: "Hm?"
Qiao Ying: "Ye Si doesn't have those kinds of feelings for me."
Qin Hanyue blurted out: "How is that possible?"
Qiao Ying stated plainly: "It's the truth."
Qin Hanyue found it unbelievable: "But he clearly..."
Could it be that Feng Ying's existence had prevented Ye Si from developing feelings? That would make some sense.
But that should only have applied while Feng Ying was alive. Now that Ye Si...he obviously loved Ying desperately.
Qiao Ying: "If he had romantic feelings for me, there's no way our relationship would be this close and that I'd allow him to be so uninhibited."
"When we first met, he was interested in me. After all, that guy's a playboy and expert smooth talker who tried to pursue me."
"Later on he probably realized friendship lasts longer than romance, which is why he gave up."
Qin Hanyue: "So he sees you as a friend, sister or even family member?"
Qiao Ying: "All of those. That guy is very possessive."
"It's not that he simply dislikes you, but also because of me."
Knowing he wasn't a romantic rival was certainly welcome news.
Qin Hanyue felt much more relaxed: "Then I'll try my best to endure him in the future."
Qiao Ying: "Why put up with him? No need to take crap from him, if you don't like how he acts then fight him."
"I don't want you caught in the middle."
"As long as no one dies, it's no big deal."
Qin Hanyue: "..."
Suddenly remembering something else, he asked: "Oh right, I remember Ye Si also goes by the moniker 'Wuming' in the underworld. You two share the same nickname?"
Qiao Ying: "Too lazy to come up with one so I just used his."
Qin Hanyue: "How did you get to know him?"
Qiao Ying: "I had a minor run-in with one of Ye Si's 791 members. When that guy heard I was a woman who looked decent, he put out an all-points bulletin for me across Country M."
Qin Hanyue's expression changed as he voiced his skepticism: "Just decent-looking? Miss Qiao is too modest. And are you sure it was just a minor skirmish?"
Qiao Ying: "Don't interrupt."
Qin Hanyue nodded slightly: "Please continue."
Qiao Ying: "Ye Si likes to gamble on cars and has a pretty capable racing crew. I won all five billion USD from him in one race. Just a single match."
Resting her head against the sofa hugging a pillow, Qiao Ying was the picture of lazy nonchalance.
Qin Hanyue listened to her intently, his full attention on her.
"I had gone to Country M to try and get a medical license. It just so happened Ye Si's father suddenly developed a serious illness on top of his chronic conditions, so I performed the surgery. After the successful operation, I obtained my license. That's when we formally met." Qiao Ying's medical license in Country M was also arranged by Ye Si.
Qin Hanyue: "What about Cheng Jinyan then? How did you get to know him?"
Qin Hanyue wanted to find out more about her.
Qiao Ying: "Cheng Jinyan has known Ye Si for over twenty years, they grew up together like two peas in a pod. Cheng Jinyan went to school in Country M. When Ye Si returned to his grandmother's home in Ireland for middle school, Cheng Jinyan even transferred with him."
"But I didn't get to know Cheng Jinyan through Ye Si. The first time I met him, that top lawyer was in the middle of killing someone."
"You could say the three of us were fated to cross paths."
Qin Hanyue: "What else?"
Qiao Ying looked at him: "Next time."
Qin Hanyue smiled and responded: "Alright."
He lowered his head again to continue flipping through the photos on his phone, coming across a video clip. The unseen Ye Si had turned the camera on Ying, doting on her and chattering away.
Ying was truly patient with Ye Si.
Qin Hanyue ignored the noisy Ye Si and played the video on loop, feeling the girl on screen was both familiar and foreign - though more familiar than strange, since their souls had met before.
In the video, Ying walked downstairs from the second floor.
The backdrop seemed to be the same as the location in the previous photos - a seaside villa built in a sleek, high-tech style.
Still watching the video, Qin Hanyue asked: "Is this your house?"
Qiao Ying: "Have you heard of Freedom City? I'm pretty sure it's made the news several times and won quite a few awards." Though she was too lazy to collect them.
Qin Hanyue: "The villa out at sea in Country M is yours?" The globally famous villa.
Qiao Ying: "I'll take you to see it when we have time."
Qin Hanyue: "Good."
Qiao Ying leaned against the sofa looking at him, somewhat weary.
Under the soft lighting, the man's hard features also appeared gentler.
Her gaze moved down his superb brow line and lingerd on his sexy, thin lips.
This old man really was damned good-looking.
Qiao Ying quietly "ogled" him while asking tonelessly: "Will you take that home to look at slowly, or are you done for today?"
Hearing her words, Qin Hanyue met her eyes, his tone equally gentle: "Tired?"
