Xu Chen glanced at the woman’s calm expression in surprise.
A cold laugh echoed in his heart. Just moments ago outside the door, she had pretended not to care, but wasn’t she just like all the other women—proud and spoiled, thinking she was special?
Did she really believe someone of Jue Ye’s status would lower himself to coax her?
Unexpectedly, Ling Jue’s magnetic voice chuckled softly beside Qin Shuyi’s ear as he affectionately kissed her earlobe. “Are you angry?”
Qin Shuyi slapped away his arm as it wrapped around her. “Just stating a fact.”
Ling Jue, unfazed by the slap, fed her a grape and smoothly changed the subject. “Try this. It’s your favorite.”
Qin Shuyi took a bite. “Too sweet.”
Ling Jue naturally popped the remaining half of the grape into his own mouth. “A little.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send you the new batch airlifted from the estate.”
Just like that, with a simple exchange, a matter that could have caused turmoil in any ordinary couple was brushed aside lightly.
Ji Xiuheng and Xie Muchen exchanged knowing smirks. That bastard Ling Jue really had it good.
The men and women present, however, widened their eyes discreetly.
Their hearts had been in their throats ever since Qin Shuyi dared to slap him, fearing they’d witness a crime scene. They couldn’t understand it.
Was this woman bold or timid?
And Jue Ye’s attitude… it was truly intriguing.
Weren’t they just playing around?
Xu Chen’s expression darkened. What was Qin Shuyi? Jue Ye belonged to Tao Wangxi!
He casually steered the conversation: “Miss Qin, you look stunning today. But given your daily contact with corpses, is it appropriate to dress like this?”
Qin Shuyi glanced at him. “I’m on leave.”
She paused, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips. “I didn’t realize Young Master Xu expected me to wear my work uniform to meet you.”
“Hahaha~” A round-faced girl in the corner, who had been eavesdropping on the gossip, couldn’t hold back her laughter and was quickly silenced by her companion.
Xu Chen’s face turned stormy.
Qin Shuyi was a senior mortician at a private funeral company, specializing in restorative work. Wearing her work uniform to see him was no different from cursing him.
Some who had just learned about Jue Ye’s girlfriend’s profession were surprised. This woman, who looked as if she had stepped out of the misty rains of Jiangnan, had such a contrasting career. She didn’t seem to fit the rumors at all.
Ignoring the barb in her words, Xu Chen forced a smile. “Dealing with the dead is always inauspicious. Now that you have Jue Ye, why continue with such work?”
How could a mortician compare to a distinguished young lady like Tao Wangxi, a renowned pianist?
Qin Shuyi replied, “Life and death are both significant matters. If we follow your logic, morticians are beneath notice. Does that mean you won’t need their services when it’s your time to be laid to rest?”
Xu Chen glared at her darkly.
He had intended to belittle Qin Shuyi’s status, but she had turned every word back on him, leaving him with no retort.
This woman was indeed cunning and silver-tongued.
Ling Jue watched indulgently as his docile little rabbit bared her teeth, a soft chuckle escaping his throat.
Ji Xiuheng winked at Ling Jue, his mockery evident: This is the well-behaved girl you were talking about?
Hadn’t he noticed Xu Chen’s face turning green?
Xie Muchen watched with equal amusement.
While one shouldn’t covet a friend’s wife, they hadn’t interacted much with Qin Shuyi before. This was the first time they’d seen her sharp-tongued side.
As the center of attention, Qin Shuyi, having finished her retort, gave no chance for a rebuttal. She gracefully stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Before her stomach could be filled, she first encountered a mad dog. The people around Ling Jue were truly unlucky.
Ling Jue watched her walk out.
Just as she disappeared from sight, before Xu Chen—who had angrily stood up—could voice his complaint, a loud crash echoed through the room. A chair was suddenly and precisely kicked, flying through the air and slamming into his knee.
"Ah—"
In excruciating pain, Xu Chen collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud, his face contorted in agony, his posture utterly humiliating.
The people in the private room were stunned by Ling Jue's sudden outburst. For a few seconds, the tension was so thick you could hear a pin drop, and everyone held their breath.
Ling Jue rose from the sofa and let out a low laugh, but no one felt at ease. Instead, a chilling dread crept over them.
"What gives you the right to criticize her?"
Xu Chen’s body throbbed with pain, but the terror spreading through his chest was far worse.
The man didn’t seem interested in hearing any excuses. As if the violence had been nothing but an illusion, he returned to his usual careless, languid demeanor in the blink of an eye. He glanced down at the trembling figure on the floor as if looking at garbage, then stepped directly on the man’s hand as he walked out the door.
…
The brief incident left the entire room in stunned silence. The host of today’s gathering looked uneasy, not daring to suggest sending Xu Chen to the hospital. Instead, he turned to Ji Xiuheng and Xie Muchen for help.
"What was that about Jue Ye…?"
Ji Xiuheng, hands tucked in his pockets, whistled cheerfully, thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.
"Whether Miss Qin stays around for long or not, she’s still under Ling Jue’s protection right now. Making things difficult for her—does that mean you don’t know your place, or are you underestimating Jue Ye’s methods?"
Xie Muchen also took his time wiping the wine stains from his hands with a handkerchief. "It’s fine to be foolish, but it’s laughable to be used as a pawn and still flaunt it."
The expressions in the room varied.
The message from the two was clear: Ling Jue might play around, but that was between him and Qin Shuyi. It didn’t mean others could overstep their bounds.
Instantly, those who had entertained some sly ideas after hearing Ling Jue’s "just having fun" remark began to reconsider.
The man who had first brought up buying a ring and marriage turned deathly pale.
With the three most influential figures gone, no one was in the mood to continue the gathering, which had been filled with ulterior motives. It ended abruptly and without fanfare.
…
At the entrance of Yunying Club.
Qin Shuyi stood quietly under a streetlamp, her phone in hand. The warm yellow light fell on her dark hair, casting a hazy glow around her, giving her an ethereal, detached calmness.
This was the scene Ling Jue saw as he drove up.
It had to be said—even if this was just a game, Qin Shuyi’s appearance had played a significant role in his choice of her as his companion.
Qin Shuyi looked up slightly, recognizing the audacious Koenigsegg One-1. She put away her phone and walked over slowly.
Her unhurried, unbothered demeanor, seemingly unaffected by what had happened at the gathering, unexpectedly amused Ling Jue.
"I’m hungry."
After fastening her seatbelt, she spoke expressionlessly, like a little robot.
She had been enjoying her dinner just fine before he forcibly called her over. Then, for no apparent reason, he told her to leave the restroom and head straight to the entrance. Her stomach was still empty, and now she was in a bad mood.
Ling Jue reached over, took her left hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I’ll take you to eat."
Qin Shuyi pulled her hand back.
The man raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "What’s this? Settling scores after the fact?"
He almost seemed to expect her to pick a fight with him.
Qin Shuyi replied, "No holding hands while driving, and no driving while holding hands."
Ling Jue: …
Before he could open his mouth, the speaker paused, then frowned. "Have you been drinking?"
"No," Ling Jue replied with a bitter laugh. "I still have basic common sense."
He had picked up his glass, but hadn’t taken a single sip.
Besides, as someone who had won a professional racing championship, did she really think his driving skills were so poor that he’d crash with her in the car?
Yet the woman merely stared ahead at the road, her expression obedient, her tone earnest.
"I’m afraid of dying."
The implication was clear: someone like him, who regularly engaged in life-threatening extreme sports, couldn’t be fully trusted—and she had her reasons.
After all, their first meeting had been at the funeral of one of his fellow racing enthusiasts.
Ling Jue, born at the pinnacle of the social pyramid, was bold and unrestrained, never failing to get what he wanted.
He loved to play—racing cars, skydiving, alpine skiing, underground boxing… He thrived on the adrenaline rush of life-and-death competitions.
This life that others considered so precious, he never seemed to mind gambling with it.
At the memorial service, the red, swollen eyes and mournful cries of the deceased’s parents stood in stark contrast to the calm, almost indifferent demeanor of the man attending the ceremony—a man who seemed detached from the gravity of life and death.
Qin Shuyi remembered it vividly.
Lost in her thoughts, a fleeting idea even crossed her mind.
So enamored with brushing shoulders with danger, perhaps one day, this excessively handsome stranger at the funeral would also become a cold corpse in the hands of an undertaker.
What a pity.
But such thoughts were impolite, and she quickly restrained herself, shifting her attention elsewhere.
In this world, some seek medicine and pilgrimage, traveling thousands of miles just to live one more day, while others squander fortunes, scoffing at life and death, merely to feel the fleeting second of their own existence.
People are, after all, fundamentally different.
As strangers, all that’s needed is respect.
In the end, someone like him and someone like her would never exist in each other’s worlds.