Qin Hongyi thought for a moment, his face lighting up with excitement. He nodded in agreement. “Okay, I’ll try!” This unconventional proposal clearly thrilled him.
The barrages buzzed: [Huahua who loves eating watermelon: I’m looking forward to it. I want to see Qin’s father chasing his wife, forcing love with a cold face, while confessing madly in his heart.]
Shi Ning quickly added a reminder to Qin Hongyi. “Dad, remember, don’t show that you like my mother-in-law. You have to express that you have only other needs for her.”
Qin Hongyi, still clutching the large turtle, nodded happily, seemingly unfazed by the nuanced instruction.
Grandpa Qin, however, looked at Shi Ning with confusion. “How do you know so much?”
“It’s just so-so,” Shi Ning replied modestly. It’s all thanks to the barrage, she thought. She just listens to advice. The brain can be bad, but you can’t ignore it.
Grandpa Qin then said, “Grandpa is a little free, or you can…”
Shi Ning’s eyes widened. “Grandpa, you are eighty years old, and you still want a twilight love?” This is almost a love of ashes!
Grandpa Qin glared at Shi Ning, clearly displeased. He then handed her a box. “Grandpa is very free, asking you to play checkers with me, what is she thinking.”
Shi Ning breathed a sigh of relief, for she was afraid that she would turn from a vicious female supporting role into a matchmaker. “Stop talking, let’s play a game first.” Grandpa Qin was very bored, so he urged Shi Ning.
Shi Ning wanted to take a nap and was about to refuse, but when she opened the box, she was instantly blinded by a dazzling light. “Oh my God!” The beads of the entire checkers set were made of diamond jewelry! Pink diamonds! Red diamonds! Blue diamonds! Green diamonds! Yellow diamonds! Black diamonds! Each one was the finest diamond, shining brightly, utterly dazzling! Shi Ning was not short of money or jewelry, but to use diamonds of so many colors, each worth at least 10 million, as checker pieces? This was truly a first for her! Grandpa Qin had mentioned it casually yesterday and had it custom-made for him today!
“Okay, play a game of checkers with Grandpa!” Shi Ning declared, her weariness forgotten. She wasn’t good at Gobang, and checkers was no different. She relied on blatant cheating to win two games. After her victories, she quickly made her escape, returning to her room to sleep.
Old Master Qin, meanwhile, went off to learn his tiger climbing skills. Qin Hongyi, resisting the urge to simply go and coax his wife, went to the garden to walk the big turtle, contemplating his newfound “forced love” strategy.
Three o’clock in the afternoon came and went. Shi Ning truly didn’t get up to eat. Shui Qianlan, surprisingly, didn’t ask the servants to wake Shi Ning again. Instead, she stayed in the kitchen, meticulously marinating ribs. She couldn’t understand why Qin Hongyi was ignoring her now. He had ignored her for a long time, but never like this. Does he really want to divorce? That won’t work. She mused, If I divorce at my age, I’ll be an old abandoned woman and laughed at by the whole city. She decided to cook, to make a dish that Old Qin, her husband, liked.
At the same time, three kilometers away, at the gate of a private residential area, a Maybach pulled up. The license plate was automatically recognized, and the gate began to rise. However, the Maybach suddenly reversed, nearly hitting the descending railing. Fortunately, the security guard reacted quickly, pressing a button to halt the railing’s descent, then nervously approached the car.
“Master Qin,” the security guard greeted respectfully.
Qin Heye emerged from the car, his long legs stretching out. He looked up, his sharp eyes fixed on the gate railing. “What is that?”
The security guard looked at Qin Heye, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Has Master Qin’s IQ regressed to that of a three-year-old? Does he not even understand what a gate railing is? “That’s the gate railing,” he replied.
Qin Heye didn’t look at him, nor did he appear angry. He walked closer to the railing, pointing to a piece of paper pasted on it. “That’s what I’m asking about.”
The security guard was even more puzzled. Has Master Qin really regressed to that of a three-year-old child? He doesn’t even recognize words. Despite his confusion, he was quick to recognize Butler Xu’s notoriously messy brushstrokes. “The words written by Butler Xu,” he stated, then read aloud, “Shi Ning is the young lady of the Qin family!”
When Qin Heye heard this, the exhaustion from his long, dusty journey back instantly vanished. His mood became incredibly bright. “Not bad,” he said, a rare smile playing on his lips. “Let Xu Chang give you a month’s bonus later.” Qin Heye then turned, his long legs carrying him back into the car. The Maybach roared to life, shooting away like an agile leopard, disappearing in the blink of an eye. He missed Shi Ning desperately! He couldn’t wait to see his wife, to kiss her, to hug her!
The security guard stood there, watching Qin Heye’s dust trail for a moment before the realization finally hit him. “Fuck! Master Qin didn’t lose his temper, didn’t fire me, and gave me a bonus! The bonus is 10,000!” He punched the air in excitement. “I just said a sentence and he gave me 10,000! A boy who gives away money!” Such a good thing couldn’t be kept from his colleagues. The security guard immediately sent three messages to the old house’s staff group chat:
[Please note, please note, when you see Master Qin and the words posted by Butler Xu, please take the initiative to read the words on the copybook: Shi Ning is the young lady of the Qin family!]
[There is a bonus! There is a bonus! There is a bonus!]
The wool of the capitalists must be plucked!
Qin Heye parked his car in the yard and tossed the keys to a servant, but before he could even ask about Shi Ning, several servants working in the yard immediately pointed to the living room door and the paper pasted on it. In unison, they chorused, “Master Qin, this is the words written by Butler Xu: Shi Ning is the young lady of the Qin family.”
Qin Heye looked up at Xu Chang’s “dog-crawling” brush calligraphy, which was indeed very conspicuous. His good mood continued. “Let’s all go to Xu Chang to get the bonus.” Then, his voice filled with urgency, he asked, “Where’s the young lady?”
A servant replied, “The young lady lives in Qingxi Garden. She didn’t sleep much last night, so she’s still sleeping.”
Qin Heye hummed, a cold sound of displeasure for her disrupted sleep. He didn’t enter the living room but turned and headed straight for Qingxi Garden. Along the way, he saw more of Xu Chang’s writing in conspicuous places, and heard servants eagerly reading them out, anticipating their bonuses.
Soon, Qin Heye arrived at Shi Ning’s room and gently pushed the door open. The air, his very breath, was instantly filled with Shi Ning’s scent. Qin Heye felt a profound sense of relief, a weight lifting from his shoulders. He removed his shoes, walked lightly to the bed, and looked down at Shi Ning, who was sleeping peacefully. He resisted the overwhelming urge to scoop her into his arms and kiss her awake.
In a soft, hoarse whisper, he said to Shi Ning, “I’ll go take a shower first, and come to accompany you after I’m done.”
Shi Ning seemed to hear Qin Heye’s voice in a daze. But when she opened her eyes, she saw no one. She mumbled, “I actually dreamed about Qin Heye.” She turned over and continued to sleep.
Qin Heye finished his shower and returned to the bed, wrapped in a bath towel. He reached for Shi Ning’s hand. Suddenly, something was placed in her palm.
Shi Ning startled, her eyes snapping open. !!!