Chapter 18: Redemption

In the office, Dr. Xu sat face-to-face with him.

The sofa where Qin Yu was seated was the same spot Lin Xi had occupied not long ago.

Tea leaves still swirled in the cup, steam curling upward. Dr. Xu cleared his throat softly and took the initiative to speak:

“Mr. Qin, I stand by what I said years ago. As a qualified physician, I am bound by professional ethics and cannot casually disclose my patients’ personal matters.”

“If you’re here for the same reason, I’m afraid you’ll leave disappointed.”

In the past, the man sitting across from him had come once to inquire about Lin Xi’s condition. Dr. Xu hadn’t divulged anything then, assuming the matter was settled. Yet, hardly a year would pass before the man would call again.

Dr. Xu had his own considerations. In fact, from their very first meeting, he had guessed that this man was the root cause of Lin Xi’s troubles.

Across from him, Qin Yu rested his hand on his knee, leaning back as his long, narrow eyes slowly opened. “You’re overthinking it, Dr. Xu. I don’t need anything else. I just want to know how she felt when she came here today.”

At that, the assistant beside him bent down smoothly and placed a check before Dr. Xu.

Dr. Xu glanced at the figure on it, showing no surprise.

Qin Yu always asked the same question whenever he called. When the call ended, money would promptly arrive in his account.

“Mr. Qin, you are nothing if not persistent.” Withdrawing his gaze from the check, Dr. Xu adjusted his glasses in resignation and finally said, “You needn’t worry too much about Miss Lin. She seemed to be in a decent mood today.”

Qin Yu lingered a moment longer, and as he rose to leave, Dr. Xu called out gently, “With you around, I doubt Miss Lin will ever return here.”

Not far away, Qin Yu turned slightly and nodded, “Thank you.”

Dr. Xu smiled, watching him go.

—

Lin Xi had returned to China.

She hadn’t even adjusted to the time difference before she began polishing her résumé.

When her senior heard she was job-hunting, he immediately invited her to Huai City. In their field, opportunities there were more abundant than in Beijing.

But for her elders’ sake, Lin Xi wanted to stay in Beijing for now.

Three companies extended offers to her; Lin Xi arranged interviews, and everything unfolded smoothly.

After her first interview, she exited the building to find a young girl crouched by the door. The moment she appeared, the girl sprang to her feet and quickly fell into step beside her.

Lin Xi glanced back with a frown. “Do we know each other?”

The girl shook her head. “We didn’t before, but we do now!”

“Did you need something?” The other looked quite young; Lin Xi mustered some patience.

“Sister, it’s about your resignation from Feiyun. Could you please reconsider?”

Lin Xi raised her brows in surprise. “You’re from Feiyun?”

“Not yet. But if I can persuade you to stay, I will be.”

Lin Xi paused, regarding the girl anew. “What’s your name?”

“Just call me Xiao Nan.”

Nan? That surname was rare in Beijing, but it was her colleague Cheng Si’s family name.

“You’re Cheng Si’s niece?” She remembered that Cheng Si had a little niece for whom he often prepared gifts and sometimes asked her advice.

“Did he send you?”

“Uh.” The young girl offered a sheepish smile, not daring to admit it.

Lin Xi took a deep breath. “My resignation was a well-considered decision. I won’t be going back. If Cheng Si needs an explanation, I’ll speak with him myself.”

She thought she’d made herself clear, but over the next two days, the little niece became like a mobile surveillance camera—waiting outside each interview, ready to greet her as she stepped out.

“Sister, you’ve worked hard! I ordered you coffee—it’s iced!”

Lin Xi was speechless.

In this summer heat, the girl waited outside for her—anyone would be moved by such persistence.

But Lin Xi recognized this as Cheng Si’s ploy, the classic appeal to conscience—an old trick, but always effective.

“Cheng Si is doing this on purpose. You really don’t have to come again.”

“Sister, just think it over once more. Feiyun may not compare to the companies you’ve interviewed with recently, but I believe with you on board, we’ll surpass them in no time! Have you looked into the domestic chip market?”

“And have you?”

The question caught the girl off guard. She shook her head. “Not yet!”

Lin Xi couldn’t help but laugh, unsure how to respond to her earnestness.

Sincerity, after all, was the ultimate weapon.

Seeing Lin Xi’s amusement, the little niece grew nervous. “But I do know Feiyun’s determined to make world-class domestic chips! We’ve already made a mark in the industry, and the future is bright!”

Clearly, the girl was unaware of the real story—she simply assumed Lin Xi thought Feiyun was too small and wanted to move to a bigger company.

Not wanting to trouble a child, Lin Xi smiled and replied, “I’ll think it over again.”

“Really?”

“There’s no reason to lie to you. I’m just interviewing—I haven’t accepted any offers yet. There’s still time to choose.”

“Great!”

—

Though Lin Xi said this, she wasn’t inclined to return to Feiyun; too much personal trouble was involved.

But that evening, Qin Yu called to tell her he had withdrawn from Feiyun.

Lin Xi hadn’t expected him to go that far.

From a career perspective, this decision would cost Qin Yu dearly. Setting aside everything else, if Feiyun’s partnership with Huasheng succeeded within two years, Feiyun’s future would indeed be bright.

“Go back. Since you’re staying in Beijing, don’t wear yourself out. Don’t make unwise choices because of me,” the man said, his voice clear through the phone.

“What irrelevant people say doesn’t matter.”

Lin Xi’s breath quickened. Did this mean… Qin Yu knew his mother had called her?

“You… found out.”

He replied, “Lin Xi, no one can stand in your way.”

“And if someone tries?”

“With me here, there are no ‘ifs.’”

“Why?” she asked, stunned.

His low voice poured into her ear, “Think of it as me atoning for the past.”

—

The next day, when Cheng Si heard Lin Xi had returned to the company, he went straight to the research center to find her.

Seeing her really at work, his worried heart finally settled.

On the way back, Cheng Si called Qin Yu to share the news.

“Mm.” Qin Yu wasn’t surprised by the outcome.

Relieved as he was, there was still something Cheng Si didn’t understand.

“Third Brother, I heard you had a falling out with Aunt Rong yesterday?”

Aunt Rong was Qin Yu’s mother.

“Did Aunt Rong approach Lin Xi privately?”

After a pause, something occurred to Cheng Si. “Could she still be hung up on that incident?”