81: Extra 6 - Meeting the Parents
The internal line rang again. Xie Ling took the chance to set the wineglass down, spoke with his secretary, then deliberately acted busy, flipping through the documents on his desk.
Seeing Xie Ling sink back into work again, Xie Jisheng suddenly grew restless.
He was still young. He hadn’t reached the stage where he could keep his composure without a hint of emotion.
He couldn’t help speaking up, his tone even carrying a little coquettishness. “Ge, that’s too much. I came up here on purpose to celebrate with you, and you’re just ignoring me.”
All of Xie Ling’s expression was hidden in shadow. He didn’t even look up. “This approval still has a few steps left. I need to review it again.”
If it were any other day, this would only have been a small sibling moment between them. But after that reminder, Xie Ling looked at his second brother again and, as if it were an offhand suggestion, said, “Yours looks pretty good. Want to swap?”
Even as he said it, he watched Xie Jisheng’s expression closely. In his heart, he still didn’t want to believe it.
Xie Jisheng’s face changed slightly before he forced it back to normal.
That tiny change still didn’t escape Xie Ling.
Xie Jisheng steadied himself. “Isn’t it all the same? I already drank from mine.”
He hadn’t.
Xie Ling saw it clearly.
A bone-deep chill crawled up from his spine, slowly seeping into his limbs.
A faint ringing filled his ears. He couldn’t even make out what Xie Jisheng said next.
He had never believed he treated his brothers poorly.
It was the weekend. Shen Jin set their “date” location at the library’s self-study room.
His boyfriend liked studying, so Qian Kun couldn’t exactly stop him. He just hadn’t expected his biggest rival to be studying itself.
Shen Jin felt unsettled. That vague, inexplicable panic was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He quietly told Qian Kun about it and went out to call Xie Ling.
Qian Kun had noticed long ago that Shen Jin wasn’t focused. His gaze stayed silent, fixed on Shen Jin’s back.
The phone rang more than ten times before Xie Ling picked up. His tone didn’t change much. He even told Shen Jin to have fun outside, then casually listed a few dishes he wanted to eat.
Afraid of delaying his cousin’s work, Shen Jin exchanged a few lines and hung up.
Thinking back carefully on what he’d heard, his cousin’s tone had been normal. It was just that the background had been a little loud, like someone was shouting.
Maybe he really was overthinking.
When Shen Jin walked back, he saw from a distance that a sweet-looking Omega was talking to Qian Kun.
Shen Jin had seen scenes like this plenty of times. He’d seen bolder ones too.
Qian Kun’s features were refined and handsome. In Luo Ying’s words, he was so good-looking there wasn’t a single dead angle. Now that he’d come of age, that superior “in power” aura showed even more. The smallest gesture was enough to make someone feel dizzy and infatuated.
As the top-tier gong who’d been secretly admired for years by the original protagonist shou, he was naturally top-notch in every aspect, like the heavens had favored him alone.
Normally, Shen Jin never interfered. This time, he paused for only a second, then returned to his seat.
The Omega’s eyes lit up slightly when he saw another handsome guy. Before Qian Kun could unleash his usual sharp tongue, Shen Jin turned his head with calm brows and eyes, reached out, and lightly brushed at Qian Kun’s shoulder.
The motion was natural, with no flirtation at all, yet it made the Omega sense an intimacy no one else could wedge themselves into.
Qian Kun froze too, his heartbeat skipping hard.
Shen Jin said, “There’s a bit of lin.”
Qian Kun didn’t even know if there really was lint or not. He only knew he loved this kind of closeness.
It was a wordless warning with an extremely high “rank.” The Omega realized immediately he wasn’t a match at all and retreated step by step.
The Omega left a while ago, but Qian Kun still couldn’t settle down. He stood up with practiced ease. “I’ll go buy drinks.”
In the corridor, Qian Kun paced back and forth a few times.
He still couldn’t stop his mouth from lifting. He quickly flipped through his contacts, found their small group chat, and typed:
Cat: [Anyone here?]
[Bro, what’s up!]
[Here.]
[You’re at the library again?]
[Ever since he started dating, he’s not the Kun-ge I know. He actually reads books!]
[The most ridiculous part is the two of them are still fighting for first in the grade. Whoever gets it, it’s all the same. You’re family, okay?]
[Why doesn’t Kun-ge let his sister-in-law win a little?]
[That’s not right. If Kun-ge dares to “let him win,” sister-in-law would see through it. That would be straight-up insulting his intelligence.]
As soon as Qian Kun appeared, the small group that had been quiet all night erupted at once.
It was a group of childhood friends, the ones he’d grown up with. In the past, Qian Kun had taken care of them back when they were in military academy, so they were extremely close. When they learned Qian Kun had finally won the beauty’s heart, they all sent loud congratulations.
Aside from occasionally taking critical damage from “single dog” attacks, they didn’t have any other discomfort (not).
Who would’ve thought the guy they assumed would be single forever was actually the first one to get a partner?
Qian Kun briefly described what just happened, then, very restrained but still unmistakably showing off, asked: [So what do you think, what did my Jinjin mean?]
What else could it mean? That was obviously jealousy.
Qian Kun got the answer he wanted. His whole body felt refreshed and satisfied. Then he glanced at Liu Qimai’s avatar, which was unusually quiet. That guy should’ve given up by now, right?
Liu Qimai wasn’t stupid. He could tell Kun-ge was warning him.
On heaven’s conscience, ever since he learned Shen Jin was sister-in-law, he’d cut off that thought completely. All that was left was respect.
This is especially because he noticed that sometimes, when Kun-ge looked at Shen Jin, it was intense enough to make even an Alpha like him feel alarmed.
Kun-ge didn’t care about most things because he didn’t need to care.
But one thing definitely wasn’t included in that “most things.”
A strictly self-controlled Alpha losing control would be a disaster.
He only hoped Shen Jin wouldn’t ever “transfer his affection.”
Even if he did, don’t let him get caught.
Shen Jin had no idea Liu Qimai’s imagination could run that wild. He was still thinking about that phone call.
When Qian Kun returned with drinks, Shen Jin was still spaced out. In his head, he listed more than twenty dishes. It was too many and would be wasteful, so he started cutting them down, picking the most important ones, the ones Xie Ling liked best.
The test paper in his hand hadn’t moved in a long time. He didn’t even react when Qian Kun handed him the drink.
Even before he made that call, he’d been this absent-minded.
Finally, when Shen Jin drifted again, Qian Kun nudged a pen off the table with his elbow.
Clatter.
The pen dropped to the floor and rolled to Shen Jin’s feet.
Shen Jin bent to pick it up, but he hadn’t expected Qian Kun to lower his head too. Their eyes met. One hand rubbed lightly over Shen Jin’s soft cheek, and Qian Kun leaned in and kissed his lips.
While Shen Jin froze, Qian Kun picked up the pen.
Seeing Shen Jin stare blankly and touch his own lips, Qian Kun murmured, “If you don’t snap out of it, I might go further.”
Qian Kun really loved committing crimes against the wind. Around them, there was only the quiet sound of people writing. Shen Jin’s shame exploded. He stomped hard on Qian Kun’s foot.
Qian Kun cooperatively made an expression like he was in terrible pain, making Shen Jin want to laugh, though he could only deliberately keep a straight face.
On the way to send Shen Jin home, Qian Kun asked seemingly casually, “Back in the study room earlier, what were you thinking about?”
He heard Ke Minghuai was preparing for studying abroad. After the news spread, a wave of farewells swept through the school.
Shen Jin said, “I was thinking about what dishes to make for my ge when we get back. Should I do kung pao chicken or fish-fragrant shredded pork?”
Seeing how seriously Shen Jin was agonizing over it, the sourness in Qian Kun’s chest faded a little.
“Your ge actually eats spicy food?” Didn’t the Xie family advocate light eating? Xie Ling lived like an ascetic monk.
“I didn’t expect it at first either.”
However, Shen Jin liked this version of his cousin more, the one who could show his own preferences.
When Xie Ling spoke to Shen Jin on the phone, he already recovered his usual calm. He cut straight to the point and told Xie Jisheng to drink the glass in Xie Ling’s hand. Xie Jisheng knew exactly what he’d done. How could he be willing?
The Xie Group’s main business was real estate and bridges. They had multi-faceted cooperation with the city’s leadership, tied to many public-benefit infrastructure projects. As the heir, his personal safety had always been of utmost importance.
Xie Ling simply didn’t easily suspect family. That didn’t mean he’d never suspected Xie Jisheng.
Xie Jisheng’s acting wasn’t that good and there were plenty of cracks. The only thing Xie Ling never expected was that Xie Jisheng could hate him this much.
Xie Ling directly dialed a number. Not long after, forensic experts who cooperated with the police would arrive.
Xie Jisheng couldn’t believe it. He’d always known Xie Ling wasn’t without thunderous methods. He just never used them on family.
Xie Jisheng’s mother was the woman Xie Father had cheated with back then. She had literally angered Xie Ling’s terminally ill mother to death.
It wasn’t Xie Ling hadn’t hated them, but he knew he couldn’t misdirect his anger. The guilty one was the stepmother, not Xie Jisheng, who had still been a child. A child was innocent.
When he grew up, Xie Jisheng liked returning to the Ji family even more, believing Xie Ling could never sincerely treat the child of the person who killed his mother.
And besides, the heir Xie Grandpa had chosen from the start was only Xie Ling. That meant the share of assets Xie Jisheng could receive would be only a fraction. It was far too unfair.
The more Xie Jisheng thought about it, the more he hated it. The more he believed hypocritical Xie Ling had to die, so he could sleep soundly.
The one thing he miscalculated was Xie Ling’s sharpness. He was certain he hadn’t shown many flaws today. How did Xie Ling even think of poisoning?
Even he himself had only just gotten this drug. He didn’t have a firm grasp on its effects yet. He wanted to run an “experiment,” so this time the dosage was still small, the kind that wouldn’t kill someone yet.
Even if he messed up the dosage, it was colorless and tasteless, and the onset was slow. Once inside the body, it would resemble cardiac paralysis.
After he left, he’d have a perfect alibi. With few living direct descendants of the Xie family, he could use his status as family to cremate the body quickly, and everything would vanish like smoke.
It was just he never expected that without any evidence at all, Xie Ling could still pierce right through the surface and expose him.
Xie Jisheng tried to play the “family” card and seize a chance to destroy the evidence, but Xie Ling had prepared long ago.
“There’s a miniature camera in this office.”
In other words, from the moment Xie Jisheng entered, everything was recorded.
If Xie Ling had died, Xie Jisheng might’ve found this oversight afterward and destroyed the evidence. But now, everything had been exposed at the experiment stage.
“Just because I didn’t want to swap wine glasses, you decided I poisoned it?!” Xie Jisheng didn’t believe Xie Ling would be that sloppy.
Xie Ling’s voice went even colder. “I never said you poisoned it.”
That’s right. Xie Ling never said it. He simply didn’t drink, and suggested swapping glasses.
When the police restrained Xie Jisheng, Xie Jisheng finally cried in fear, begging Xie Ling to let him off.
Xie Jisheng knew Xie Ling had always been afraid of his younger brothers’ tears. Once they cried, Xie Ling would coax them.
No matter how big the trouble, Xie Ling had never blamed him. This time would surely be the same.
“Ge, I was young and ignorant. Someone incited me.”
“Can you forgive me?”
“Ge, I love you! Believe me!”
Xie Ling looked at him quietly. Aside from his brows twitching once, he didn’t speak.
Xie Jisheng never understood that the only reason he could even get close enough to poison him was Xie Ling’s trust.
Shen Jin deliberately ended his self-study early. When they passed the market, Shen Jin bought all the ingredients he needed. He liked picking vegetables himself and bargaining.
When he reached the doorway, he glanced at his watch.
It was still early. At this time, his cousin shouldn’t be home yet. Perfect. He could start on the cake.
He went inside. Uncle Zhang, who normally greeted him at the door, wasn’t there. Shen Jin only noticed someone sitting on the living room sofa when he passed through the hall. The figure was silent and still. Shen Jin jumped in fright.
Xie Ling thought Shen Jin wouldn’t be back until evening. He let himself come home and wait for the lab results on the wine.
The hours of waiting were agony. A few minutes ago, he received a message from the police. Coldness flooded up from his feet. For a moment, his mind went blank.
He hid himself in the corner of the sofa. The house wasn’t heated. The cold Xie residence felt like a tomb.
…
………
“Ge?”
A voice came.
Only after a long while did Xie Ling stiffly lift his head, seeing Shen Jin standing there, full of confusion.
The wasteland of withered grass rising in his chest stopped spreading.
Shen Jin said, “Why are you home so early?”
He wanted his cousin to come home a little earlier, but he never expected this early. Was he… actually looking forward to his birthday?
Shen Jin felt like he’d discovered the truth. He decided from now on, he’d celebrate his cousin’s birthday every year.
Xie Ling was silent for a moment, then said, “I wanted to eat the cake you make sooner.”
“Then wait a bit. It’ll be quick!”
Xie Ling watched Shen Jin move about the kitchen in an orderly rush. Only then did warmth return to his limbs, little by little.
Shen Jin was cooking, but his expression was faintly tense.
He’d sensed Xie Ling’s gloomy mood. Earlier, Xie Ling hiding in the corner of the sofa had looked like a statue. Remembering that earlier panic, Shen Jin worried about his cousin’s state.
The two brothers celebrated simply. Shen Jin gave this year’s gift, a scarf he’d knitted himself.
When winter came, Xie Ling still wore the same three-piece suits, like he wasn’t afraid of the cold. Shen Jin shivered just looking at him.
Xie Ling opened the gift box right in front of him. The scarf was pale gray. The stitches were dense and fine. Pure wool, soft to the touch.
He realized the end of the scarf had a delicate little 3D polar bear knitted into it.
“Why is there a bear?” It looked so real. Xie Ling found it amusing and poked it with his index finger.
“Ge, wearing it will definitely raise your head-turning rate. Actually, there’s another design. It can be tucked in, so it’s just a normal scarf.” Shen Jin promoted his own work with enthusiasm.
Considering practicality, Shen Jin designed it to be two-in-one.
If the bear head was tucked inside, it became a simple, elegant pale-gray scarf that suited Xie Ling’s aura better. If it was left out, it looked playful, though Xie Ling might not like that.
When Shen Jin occasionally visited the Xie Group, he often felt how afraid the employees were of Xie Ling.
With this little bear, he hoped it could soften that, at least a bit.
Most importantly, to Shen Jin when he was young, Xie Ling’s presence felt like a polar bear overflowing with a sense of safety.
Cold and warm at once.
Xie Ling didn’t think he needed a higher head-turning rate, but he couldn’t let go of such a finely made scarf either. He wanted to wrap it around himself right now.
No. In front of his younger cousin, he had to keep up the image of a steady, reliable big brother.
Now that it was basically winter already, he could wear it tomorrow, right?
Xie Ling liked it so much he placed it in the most visible spot in his room.
Then he went to Xie Jisheng’s room. He stared at it for a long time. A single drop slid from the corner of his eye and vanished without a sound.
He closed the door completely.
Waiting for Xie Jisheng were dozens of charges, including attempted murder, illegal drug trafficking, and embezzlement. More than enough to put him behind bars for life.
This time, there would be no tireless big brother running around for him anymore.
Xie Ling could accept Shen Jin’s warning so quickly because he’d already been accumulating feelings and noticing things for a long time.
This attempted incident was the final straw. After one night, Xie Ling had already completely let go.
But Shen Jin didn’t see it that way. Shen Jin didn’t know what happened, but he could vaguely guess something.
Xie Ling noticed that whenever he moved around the house, his younger cousin would quietly keep him company.
When Xie Ling went to work as usual, he saw Shen Jin looking at him with those eager eyes, so he brought the little tail along.
The moment Zhou Xiang got to his post that day and was about to prepare for a report, he received a message. His boss told him to prepare snacks, a tablet, and a game console?
When he entered the office, he realized the young master cousin was here. No wonder.
He opened the company life group chat. Sure enough, the discussion had shifted from “What did Second Young Master Xie do and why did a batch of police come take him away,” to “What gender is that backpack-wearing handsome guy beside the CEO, is he married yet, he’s so handsome he must have inherited the Xie family’s superior genes.”
When Zhou Xiang brought in chips and milk tea, the young master was sitting on the sofa with a test paper open. When Zhou Xiang set the items down, the young master thanked him very politely.
Zhou Xiang’s expression softened. “Thank you for taking care of my younger brother.”
Shen Jin froze. Zhou Xiang… Zhou You?
“Ah, you’re—”
He remembered Liu Qimai mentioning that Zhou You had an older brother with “big ideas,” someone who didn’t want to inherit the family business, so he ran off to work as an assistant at another company. Half work, half studying, claiming it was “gaining experience,” and somehow a company actually hired him.
That company was the Xie Group.
At lunch, when Xie Ling took his younger cousin to eat in the company cafeteria, it caused plenty of onlookers. Heads lowered. The speed of typing on WeChat increased.
[I told you he’s insanely handsome! This is a human-world stunner, someone get me an oxygen tank.]
[That old guy from the film division went to look for him. Don’t tell me he wants the little brother to act?]
[He’s carrying a backpack, I think he can go eat shit. Look, the CEO kicked him out, right?]
[Does anyone know what their relationship is?]
[He’s a cousin. I walked past and heard the pretty guy call the CEO “ge.”]
[They’re both “younger brothers” and the difference is still this huge. The other one should be thrown away.]
Shen Jin spent a full day at the Xie Group. That evening, he received a call from Qian Kun, saying he’d swing by to pick him up.
Only then did Shen Jin remember. They’d agreed a week ago to see a stage play. Qian Kun had already bought the tickets.
Xie Ling had just finished a meeting. Hearing Shen Jin on the phone, he guessed it was that wolf who’d carried off his family’s little cabbage.
Then he saw Shen Jin hesitate. He was probably still worried about Xie Ling’s condition.
It had already been a week. What hurdle couldn’t be crossed?
Xie Ling wasn’t a fragile person. His only weak spot was family. Once he stopped treating someone as family, Xie Jisheng could no longer use him even a little.
Xie Ling said, “Tomorrow is Monday. Go back and attend class properly.”
Shen Jin normally returned to school on Sunday afternoon. With Qian Kun coming to pick him up today, after the date, the two of them would go back to school together.
Although he wasn’t thrilled about Qian Kun, Xie Ling could also guess that his survival this time probably had something to do with that wolf too.
That enormous favor would have to be repaid someday.
But public is public, private is private.
He wasn’t going to loosen up just because of that.
He was willing to let it go only because he could see it, Shen Jin’s joy that he couldn’t hide.
Xie Ling let out a long sigh.
He told Zhou Xiang, “Assistant Zhou, recently, how many people have come to propose? Find an opportunity to compile a list.”
“Yours or the young master cousin’s?”
“…” Xie Ling felt Zhou Xiang was unreliable at times too. “Of course it’s Shen Jin’s.”
“Then once I organize it, I’ll give it to you.”
“No need. Put it aside first. It will be useful eventually.” Xie Ling’s tone was meaningful.
Useful when? When the Qian family comes to propose?
Zhou Xiang thought, the young heir wasn’t having it easy either.
Shen Jin went to the underground parking garage and quickly spotted that pink SUV. It had become someone’s new favorite.
The moment he got in, he noticed the driver looked a little slender today, wearing a mask and a hat. Only a straight back was visible, with that standard military posture, and a faint “don’t talk to me” seriousness.
Qian Kun changed drivers often. He had smaller-built Alpha bodyguards before too, so Shen Jin didn’t think much of it.
The stage play was Qian Kun’s recommendation. Shen Jin opened a search page to do his homework. That was his personality. Even watching a stage play, he had to skim the synopsis, related plot points, online reviews, and the cast list, so he wouldn’t be clueless if asked.
Hm?
In the cast list, Shen Jin saw a familiar name: Liu Manning.
His fingers tightened. He suddenly realized this might not be a simple date.
Qian Kun’s main WeChat avatar was a landscape that Liu Manning painted. It was obvious she loved classical culture.
She also loved stage plays, Beijing opera, and the like. She often did guest performances. Even the search page had information about it.
The phone’s light fell over Shen Jin’s focused brows and eyes. Qian Kun thought he was unbearably cute. He leaned in quickly and pecked Shen Jin’s cheek.
Shen Jin was startled by the sudden movement, but this was not the time to fuss about that. His tone turned urgent. “Y-you’re not taking me to meet your mother, are you?”
Shen Jin rarely stammered.
“Mm. She’s been wanting to meet you.”
“!”
He’d seen her twice before, and Liu Manning didn’t seem to oppose them dating.
However, Shen Jin knew dating and formally meeting elders were two different things. With the Qian family’s status, even the Ke family wasn’t enough to compare.
In Shen Jin’s mind flashed Mother Ke’s face, and the contempt in her eyes.
That was nine years of looking down on him, rooted deep. Even if Shen Jin didn’t think he was unworthy, he still couldn’t help worrying.
For some reason, Shen Jin thought of classic drama tropes, like someone smashing a five-million check in his face and telling him to leave their son.
Shen Jin calculated the balance in his bank account.
If I give them back a few times that amount, would the Qian family agree to let me date Qian Kun?
In just a few minutes, Shen Jin came up with countless plans. He didn’t even hear what Qian Kun said next.
“What did you say?”
“If you don’t want to meet her, then I’ll go backstage alone later. Don’t be afraid.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just wasn’t prepared.” Shen Jin looked down at what he was wearing. It was too casual. He felt even more uneasy.
“You don’t need to prepare anything. It’s not like you haven’t met her before. Besides, she really likes you.”
But I’m going to steal away her only son.
How could that be the same as normal “classmate-level” treatment?
Shen Jin’s expression was tight. His gaze drifted, and he accidentally glanced at the driver in the front.
Only then did he notice something. The rearview mirror was angled toward him. It was a strange little detail.
And just then, his eyes met the driver’s through the mirror.
It was a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, oddly familiar.
Even after they got out, Shen Jin still kept glancing back at the driver’s seat. Then it hit him. He remembered where he’d seen those eyes before.
The person inside the car had been calm at first. When Shen Jin seemed to realize, surprise flickered in her gaze.
A slender wrist in white gloves opened the door. Someone not particularly burly stepped out.
She removed her mask and winked at Shen Jin. “You still noticed.”
Author’s Note:
Liu Manning: Surprise? Shocked? Not expecting it?
Mrs. Liu with an interesting and fun soul~~~
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