By the time Qin Tian woke up again, it was already a day later. Aside from the energy within his body being much more abundant than before, his body felt no discomfort.
Clenching his fists, a smile couldn’t help but appear on his face; indeed, the saying about “breaking down to rebuild” was quite correct.
Just as he was thinking, a sudden sound of footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the sound of the room door being pushed open.
“Young Master, you are awake.”
She Yi set down the steaming hot meat porridge in his hand and walked toward the wardrobe to take out the clothes that needed changing for Qin Tian, who wanted to get out of bed.
Qin Tian’s movements while dressing were somewhat nonchalant. He thought of the assassination in the haunted house. The behavior of the black-clothed men was clearly targeted at him and intended to kill him and his brows knit slightly.
From the corner of his eye, his gaze swept over the handsome young man with a smile on his lips standing nearby, and his heart couldn’t help but stir slightly.
“Are you an Esper?”
He and Zheng Yuwei had known each other since childhood, so he naturally knew clearly that she possessed no Esper abilities herself. Thus, regarding the scene he saw at the end, the person who took action naturally could not have been Zheng Yuwei.
She Yi pulled out a chair for Qin Tian and, upon hearing this, smiled slightly: “Yes, I am an Esper.”
“Are you very powerful?”
Qin Tian narrowed his eyes, thinking of the scene where several black-clothed men were completely frozen in an instant. Having fought them, he knew very well that the strength of those men was not simple, yet these men who almost killed him were frozen and killed in that instant without the slightest ability to resist. Someone who could achieve this would not be some ordinary Esper.
The movement of scooping porridge paused. She Yi set down the spoon, placed the small bowl filled with meat porridge in front of the youth, and with the corners of his eyes slightly curved, he radiated a gentle smile.
“If the Young Master considers me powerful, then She Yi is the most powerful.”
Qin Tian looked away, not taking this sentence to heart, yet his impression of She Yi had improved considerably. How could someone placed by his father’s side be an ordinary person with no abilities?
“Then, are you one of Father’s people?”
Qin Tian recalled the many subordinates of his father he had seen and then tried to match them one by one with the young man before him.
“No, I am merely a butler hired for the job.”
The gentle, magnetic voice interrupted Qin Tian’s recollections. He was stunned for a moment; thinking about it, it made sense if one had seen a person with such a temperament even once, they should never be able to forget. However, listening to his calm and gentle tone, the fingers holding the spoon couldn’t help but tighten slightly.
He didn’t understand what this emotion was, but hearing that the young man was not a member of the Qin family and would one day leave his side, he actually felt a faint, stifling irritation in his heart.
“I’m not eating anymore.”
Qin Tian dropped the spoon, stood up without a word, and then walked quickly out of the room.
On the spot, She Yi turned his head to look at the silhouette crossing the doorway: ?
Walking out of the room, Qin Tian bumped into Zheng Yuwei, whom he hadn’t seen for two days. Her eyes were red and swollen, with clear traces of having cried. As soon as she saw Qin Tian, she threw herself at him regardless of everything.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have insisted on going to the haunted house that day, let alone going to the amusement park to play…”
Her voice carried a sob of lingering fear; such a fragile appearance, so uncharacteristic of the eldest Miss Zheng, left Qin Tian somewhat at a loss, so he could only let her bury herself in his embrace.
“Alright, alright, am I not fine now…”
“What if something had happened!”
Zheng Yuwei raised her head and stared at him accusingly, though her bloodshot eyes lacked much persuasive power.
Qin Tian hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand on Zheng Yuwei’s head, rubbing it gently as he smiled: “Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me.”
Zheng Yuwei’s cheeks reddened; just as she was about to say something, she suddenly saw the handsome young man walking out of the room. That refined and elegant smile made her involuntarily recall the scene where he protected her that day, and her expression became somewhat dazed.
Then, as if thinking of something, she slightly averted her gaze and bit her lip.
No matter what, her goal had always been only one, and that was the male lead, Qin Tian…
She Yi smiled slightly because he saw the struggle in Zheng Yuwei’s eyes. In truth, she wasn’t as “in love” with the male lead as imagined; for a feeling linked to interests, shattering is only a matter of a moment. Furthermore, she hadn’t truly fallen in love with the male lead yet.
“So Miss Zheng Yuwei has arrived.”
She Yi walked over and spoke with a gentle smile.
Zheng Yuwei stiffened for a second, slowly left Qin Tian’s embrace, and nodded neither warmly nor coldly: “Mhm…”
She Yi continued: “Is Miss Zheng Yuwei here to find the Young Master to go out and play? If that’s the case, I’m afraid you can’t go out; the Head of the House ordered the Young Master to stay home and rest for these few days…”
“I’m not!”
Before She Yi could finish, Zheng Yuwei’s loud shout rang out. She stared wide-eyed with her bloodshot eyes at the gentle young man opposite her, feeling a faint sense of grievance in her heart.
She Yi was stunned for a moment, then curled his lips into a smile, though there was a bit of a doting nuance in that smile.
“Mhm, I believe Miss Zheng Yuwei is a sensible and beautiful girl.”
A blush uncontrollably crawled up Zheng Yuwei’s cheeks, and she felt her heart rate quicken once more.
[Zheng Yuwei’s Current Favorability: 80]
Qin Tian looked at the change in the girl, then turned to glance at She Yi, his brow furrowing imperceptibly.
…
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, that day approached Qin Tian’s fifteenth birthday, which was also the day the Qin family suffered extermination in the plot.
Because of a prophecy from Master Tianji, security around the Qin villa had been tightened; the atmosphere seemed increasingly solemn, as if a storm were hidden beneath the calm surface.
Watching his father leave early and return late every day, with weariness in his brow that could not be concealed, Qin Tian also gradually began to take it seriously. He felt that his father must be hiding something from him.
But every time he asked, the answer was always the same:
“What are you thinking? Daddy will settle that small matter very soon.”
His father would smile, his eyes full of nothing but doting for his son.
However, turning around, Qin Zhuang would walk out of the house with a dark expression. After investigating for so long, he hadn’t obtained the slightest clue. The assassination in the haunted house was intentional, a harbinger.
It was almost as if they were blatantly telling him they are coming!
Qin Zhuang closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“Do you still remember my request? I hope you can protect Xiao Tian well and not let him suffer any harm.”
“Mr. Qin, you can rest assured on this point; what I have promised you, I will surely do.”
Qin Zhuang nodded and turned to leave.
Xiao Tian is still too young now… as if the danger were approaching, he also vaguely had a premonition.
…
“She Yi, what do you think Father has been busy with lately?”
Qin Tian gazed at the pond outside; as his gaze contacted the seemingly carefree fish in the water, he suddenly felt a dryness in his throat. Amidst the slight shimmering of the water, a glass of water was handed in front of him.
Following that finger, long and like jade, his gaze moved upward, and the young man’s handsome and gentle smiling face immediately came into view. Qin Tian took the glass; at the moment their fingers touched, it was as if a faint electric current surged through slightly crisp and numbing.
“Is the Young Master asking about the Head of the House?”
She Yi stood beside him, looking out at the scenery in the courtyard. The corners of his lips were slightly curved with his usual gentle smile.
“Regarding this question, I think the Young Master should ask him yourself.”
Qin Tian arched an eyebrow: “In truth, you just don’t know, do you?”
She Yi turned his head, his smile deepening.
“He who knows me is the Young Master.”
Qin Tian rolled his eyes.
The consequence of the two becoming well-acquainted was that they were more casual in their interactions.
She Yi gave a teasing smile and said: “In a few days, it will be the Young Master’s birthday; perhaps the Head of the House is busy picking out some gift.”
“What about you? Do you have any gift to give me?”
The words escaped his mouth involuntarily. Qin Tian looked at him, and after realizing it, he didn’t take the sentence back.
She Yi was slightly stunned. His eyes, radiating a tender smile, gazed at the youth who had grown much taller, and he laughed:
“Of course, as long as the Young Master doesn’t mind it.”
Qin Tian didn’t speak, but he felt the gloomy mood of these past few days suddenly become better because of this sentence.