Chapter 60: He Said, "As You Wish"

Lin Xi pretended not to hear him and shifted her gaze away.
“This time, you can ask anything you want,” Bai Xu continued to tempt her.
Lin Xi wouldn’t fall for it. “You’re even more bored than I am.”
“Not at all. I guarantee I know exactly the answer you want.”
“There’s going to be a good show at next week’s banquet. Worth watching.”
“So whether you win or lose, you never really lose. What are you still afraid of?” Bai Xu followed her gaze toward the figures in the riding arena.
His older brother truly drew attention wherever he went.
No wonder Lin Xi liked him.
Still, Bai Xu didn’t believe these two would have any good outcome together; they were hardly a good match.
On the field, Cheng Si began to pick up speed, overtaking Qin Yu.
Watching this unfold, Bai Xu tilted his head and asked, “Still haven’t made up your mind? Don’t be such a spoilsport.”
“Fine.” Lin Xi tapped the rim of her wine glass. “I’ll play along with you this once.”
Bai Xu leaned back in his chair, satisfied, and said with utter certainty, “Trust me, no matter the outcome, you’ll like it.”
Lin Xi couldn’t fathom what Bai Xu was scheming this time. He always chased excitement; once he had an idea, he wouldn’t let go until his goal was met.
The results of the friendly match held no surprises, all within Lin Xi’s expectations.
Losing two million meant little to her.
What mattered more was the banquet Bai Xu had mentioned.
She knew that next week, the capital would host a major charity gala, where nearly all the city’s big names would be invited.
It happened to be on the weekend—perfect for her to catch the spectacle.
—
That evening, Bai Xu, flush with winnings, hosted a gathering. They drove to an entertainment club near Feiyun, and midway, Cheng Si called over Ruan Dong to join them.
After dinner, Lin Xi lay back on the sofa, eyes closed in a light nap. Qin Yu and the others talked quietly about business, their voices blending almost seamlessly with the background music. She didn’t find it noisy; quite the opposite, she felt at ease.
Drowsy, images drifted through her mind.
She couldn’t recall which winter it was.
A sudden snowstorm swept through the capital, the compound was silent, not a single friend around.

That day, her toothache was unbearable, so she hadn’t gone to school. The weather was bitterly cold; her brother told her to stay home with their grandfather and not go outside. When he returned at noon, he brought her pea cake from the shop with the endless queue.
By afternoon, the sky grew dark, but her brother still hadn’t come home.
He called their grandfather, saying the snow was too heavy and he’d have to stay at school that night.
She’d promised her brother she’d behave, so she didn’t play in the yard or touch the snow that day.
Yet her brother’s promise didn’t hold.
Feeling wronged, she skipped lunch, crouched outside alone, building a snowman. That’s when Cheng Si returned.
Cheng Si asked why she was unhappy. She replied she really wanted to eat pea cake.
Cheng Si soothed her, promising to buy it for her once the snow stopped.
“Okay. Then you must come find me this afternoon,” she said, easily comforted at that age.
But the snow lasted and lasted, not stopping even by dusk. It piled up to her calves, making walking difficult and cars barely able to pass.
Cheng Si never showed up.
She knew she shouldn’t go out, but disappointment weighed heavy.
What truly saddened her wasn’t missing out on the pea cake, but that those who’d made promises to her hadn’t kept them, hadn’t even explained why.
What she never expected was that day… Qin Yu came.
“Do you still want it?”
The boy stood silently at the doorway, letting snowflakes settle onto his shoulders.
She stared at him for a while, gripped the door handle, and asked blankly, “Are you taking me to buy it? Now… or tomorrow?”
“Depends—do you want it today or tomorrow?” he said. “It’s up to you.”
“Can we go out?”
He didn’t answer directly, just lifted his chin and gestured for her to go back inside. “Put on your coat.”
“Alright!” She ran off, glancing back every few steps. “Wait for me, third brother—I’ll be right back!”
The snow that day was the biggest she could remember.
Following Qin Yu out of the compound, she immediately regretted it.
But now that she’d left, she couldn’t ask to turn back; Qin Yu would surely be annoyed. She kept going, nerves taut, until suddenly he stopped beside her.
Without warning, Qin Yu crouched down. “Get on, I’ll carry you.”
She hesitated, but after several gentle urgings, she finally climbed onto his back.

She couldn’t recall how long they walked. His pace was steady but slow, each step careful, as if terrified she might fall.
On their way back, the snow gradually eased.
Before they’d gone halfway, Cheng Si and Bai Xu, out searching for them, found them. Cheng Si brought her hand warmers and gloves, apologizing and trying to cheer her up.
Bai Xu had a small wooden sled for her to sit on.
To “atone,” the two of them took one end of the rope each and pulled her along. Qin Yu stayed at her side, unhurried, keeping pace with her.
Passing Chang’an Avenue, Cheng Si snapped a photo, his hands trembling in the cold.
In the picture, she wore a white down jacket, sitting clean and tidy at the back eating the pea cake Qin Yu had bought her, in stark contrast to the three of them, worn and dusty.
Along the way, hardly anyone else was out; the world was blanketed in white, their footprints stretching behind them as they followed Chang’an Avenue home.
—
Lin Xi didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep. When she woke, the lights in the private room were already dimmed. Darkness enveloped her, no sound or movement, yanking her from her dreams in an instant.
Her first thought was that they’d left her there, alone.
Once her eyes adjusted, she realized she was in the inner lounge of the private room. A slender line of light seeped through the opposite door.
She pushed herself upright, the coat on her shoulders sliding to the floor, a faint fragrance wafting up.
Qin Yu disliked messy scents and rarely wore perfume—only for important occasions, when etiquette demanded it, and even then, never changing the fragrance.
His usual perfume was custom-made, unavailable on the market.
So Lin Xi knew the scent well, no need to think—it was his coat.
She bent to pick it up, and as her fingers touched the buttons, the lounge door was pushed open from outside. A beam of light fell directly on her.
Uncomfortable, she squinted, only picking up the coat before looking up at the newcomer.
Qin Yu hadn’t expected her to wake so soon; his movement paused. He didn’t enter or flick on the lights, standing half in, half out of the doorway, his posture unchanged as he asked quietly, “Do you want to sleep more?”
She studied him in the faint light. Perhaps it was because she’d just woken, but suddenly her heart felt empty, a little sad.
Qin Yu gazed at her, and after a long moment, she gently shook her head and said, “Third brother, I want pea cake.”
(End of chapter)