Chapter 66: Acting Coy

As soon as the words left her mouth, Bai Xu’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze anything but friendly.
“You were in the wrong first. Isn’t an apology the least you should do?” Lin Xi glared back, equally unwilling to show him any warmth.
Neither was willing to back down. “Tsk, there’s just no reasoning with you.”
Bai Xu was the first to turn his head away, refusing any further communication.
He didn’t want to discuss this anymore. If he continued talking to Lin Xi, there would only be one outcome—a quarrel.
He simply couldn’t keep his temper in check right now.
Sensing that things were heading south, Cheng Si hurried forward to smooth things over, worried Lin Xi would truly get angry at Bai Xu.
“I’ll go with him tonight. Don’t let this bother you,” Cheng Si changed the subject quickly. “You’re so sick with this cold—shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”
Lin Xi’s throat was sore today, and she didn’t want to waste her breath arguing with Bai Xu.
She shook her head. “No need. I left my medicine at the office. I’ll take it when I get back.”
Knowing she hadn’t eaten yet, Cheng Si took her to the Cheng house for lunch, then drove her back to her company.
Downstairs, Cheng Si handed her some medicine.
“Third Brother gave you this. Says it works better than what you’ve got. Remember to take it on time.”
Lin Xi replied with a soft assent. “Where is he?”
When she’d called earlier, Qin Yu had sounded like he was at the compound.
“He had something urgent at work and headed back to the office,” Cheng Si didn’t elaborate. “He left just before you arrived.”
After he finished, Lin Xi didn’t respond, nor did she make to get out of the car. Cheng Si raised his brows, prompting her to speak. “Are you like this even with me? There’s nothing you can’t say.”
After a long silence, Lin Xi let out a deep sigh and asked, “Third Brother didn’t get into a fight with Bai Xu, did he?”
Cheng Si chuckled, his shoulders trembling. “Of course he did. Bai Xu really knows how to get under people’s skin—I almost couldn’t resist smacking him myself.”
“But it wasn’t serious, just a kick. Look, that kid’s still alive and kicking. He’ll survive.”
“No matter what, he’s still his younger brother. Third Brother just wanted to teach him a lesson, nothing more.”
Cheng Si was quick with words, but Lin Xi didn’t believe a single one. “You probably don’t even believe that yourself.”
Cheng Si fell silent, rubbing his nose awkwardly.
“Keep an eye on Bai Xu. Don’t let him really get beaten to death.”
With that, Lin Xi looked away and stepped out of the car.
—
That afternoon, Lin Xi received a call from her aunt.

“He was fine when he left me. Ran into Fifth Brother on his way back.”
“Fourth Brother has already checked on him—apparently, it’s nothing serious.”
At the mention of Bai Xu, her aunt fell silent.
Everyone outside knew what kind of person Bai Xu was, let alone those in the compound.
Lin Xi pressed her lips together and tried to ease her aunt’s worries. “It was just an accident. There’s no bad blood between the two of them—why would Fifth Brother look for trouble with him?”
“That’s true,” her aunt sighed in relief. “Don’t think I’m too hard on Bai Xu. It’s just that sometimes he really is baffling—I never know what he’s up to.”
Her words were already quite mild. Lin Xi smiled silently. “It’s fine. This was just a coincidence. He’s planning to visit Lu Bei with Fourth Brother tonight. I won’t be joining them.”
After hanging up, Lin Xi finished her work and found time for a nap.
She was awakened by Engineer Chen.
She checked the time on her phone—she’d slept two hours.
“What is it, Engineer Chen?” Lin Xi looked across, still drowsy.
Engineer Chen pointed at her face. “Your cheeks are really red. Don’t you have a fever?”
Lin Xi touched her own face suspiciously, then switched hands to check her forehead.
It was uncomfortably hot.
Seeing her expression, Engineer Chen handed her an electronic thermometer. “Come on, check your temperature. I’m sure you’ve got a fever.”
“Alright.”
A few minutes later, seeing the reading, Lin Xi frowned.
Engineer Chen leaned over, worried, and let out a gasp. “Let me take you to the hospital. Don’t let this drag on.”
“It’s fine, I’ll leave early and go myself. It’s not far.” There was a hospital near their office; an IV drip would do the trick.
Lin Xi rarely left work early. As soon as she left, the front desk reported to the executive office. She had barely walked out when Cheng Si got the news and immediately called the R&D department.
“She’s got a fever and went to the hospital next door for an IV. Yes, just left.”
“It’s nearly thirty-nine degrees. She went by herself.”
Engineer Chen reported everything, word for word.
—
Leaving the company, Lin Xi immediately regretted it.
She didn’t want an IV at all.
Electronic thermometers could be inaccurate. Medicine would be enough; as long as the fever went down overnight, there was no need for the hospital.
Perhaps her intentions were clear. Just as she was about to order some fever medicine for delivery, her phone vibrated sharply, and the food delivery app switched to a call screen.

The words “Third Brother” flashed at the top.
Lin Xi thought she was seeing things. After a two-second delay, she finally answered.
“Third Brother.” Whether because of her cold or not, her voice was soft and weak, lacking its usual coolness—almost as if she were being coy.
On the other end, Qin Yu paused at the sound of her voice.
“Cheng Si said you have a fever.”
“Ah, yes. A little.”
“Go to the hospital now. I’ll meet you there.”
Lin Xi glanced toward the hospital, the large red letters glaring in the night. She hesitated. “That’s not really necessary, is it?”
For once, Qin Yu didn’t insist. Instead, he agreed readily. “That works too. Go home right now. Fifteen minutes—I’ll bring a doctor to your apartment.”
Lin Xi was speechless.
Qin Yu’s sense of timing was precise; he arrived exactly on the minute.
But when he got there, Lin Xi was asleep in her bedroom and didn’t hear the doorbell.
He glanced down at the keypad, waited another two minutes to be sure no one was coming, then entered the code from memory.
Lin Xi’s password was interesting—not anyone’s birthday, not a special date, but the first six digits of pi.
She’d used this password for years; most of her accounts were secured this way, with a rare few using the next six digits of pi.
The living room was dark.
Qin Yu searched for the switch and finally found it.
He had never lived in this apartment after buying it.
Every detail of the décor and layout had been chosen to suit Lin Xi’s taste.
Compared to his own place, this one was cozier, with warmer colors. Still, it wasn’t deliberately girlish—overall, it leaned toward a neutral style.
There was no one in the living room, and the bathroom light was off.
Qin Yu told the family doctor to wait in the living room, then went to the master bedroom.
The door to the master bedroom was ajar. Qin Yu knocked lightly, and when no one answered, he pushed it open.
(End of this chapter)