Chapter 73: Snatching Someone Away

“What?” Lin Xi thought she must have misheard.

Qin Yu looked at her and asked again, “Don’t you like them?”

“Yes—yes, I do,” Lin Xi stammered, still not quite understanding what he meant.

She’d just taken a walk around the greenhouse; the servants had told her that the flowers inside were all rare varieties. Usually, apart from Qin Yu himself, only two gardeners were allowed to enter and leave the greenhouse freely.

And earlier Qin Yu had said that not even Cheng Si had been given any. The relationship between Cheng Si and Qin Yu was far closer than hers with him—calling them brothers who’d risked their lives together would hardly be an exaggeration.

How could she possibly be allowed to pick anything… If anything, she’d expect him to make a sarcastic remark.

“If you like them, go pick some.”

“No, that’s alright.” Lin Xi didn’t dare move. “Just looking is enough. It’d be a shame to pick them.”

He didn’t follow her lead, but instead offered a considerate solution. “If you want to keep one, I can have someone pot it for you.”

Lin Xi was speechless.

That really wasn’t necessary.

Seeing his firm attitude, Lin Xi had no choice but to pick the most ordinary gardenia in the place.

“I’ll take this one. It should be easier to care for.”

“Alright,” Qin Yu replied, showing no objection, and signaled for a servant to fetch it. He then led her to the dining room for dinner.

Lin Xi wasn’t particularly hungry; she’d only intended to make a token effort, maybe move her chopsticks a bit. But to her surprise, the dishes set on the table perfectly suited her palate.

Some of them even tasted better than those from the most renowned old restaurants she’d frequented outside.

She was genuinely astonished by their flavor.

She prided herself on being extremely particular about food. When she was younger, her older brother had tried to cure her of this habit—when their family dined out together, they wouldn’t even bring her along. Unfortunately, this tactic never worked on her.

For her, there was no such thing as a perfect dish—only those that were merely tolerable.

“Where did you find the chef for your house? His skills are extraordinary.”

She always found something to nitpick about her favorite dishes, holding each to slightly different standards. For one chef to meet all those criteria was truly rare.

It was as if this chef had studied her preferences and cooked every dish to suit her particular tastes.

Even the seasonings weren’t like the standard fare found in restaurants, but seemed tailored to her palate.

“Found him at one of those old restaurants.” Seeing her eyes light up, Qin Yu knew she was in good spirits, and he also saw through her intentions. He lowered his gaze, feigning ignorance. “Why do you ask?”

Lin Xi said to him, “As your little sister, I won’t beat around the bush. Why don’t you let me have this chef?”

“You’re really scheming, aren’t you?”

She grinned sheepishly. “You know how picky I am.”

“The chefs at Feiyun Canteen were also recruited from those old restaurants,” he replied without agreeing.

“I could tell. But sometimes their cooking isn’t quite consistent. Maybe they’re just making bigger batches. So, how about it, Third Brother, could you do me this favor?”

“Keep your flowers, but can I just borrow the chef?”

Qin Yu glanced up at her, giving her a mild, unreadable look. “What do you think?”

“Never mind, then.” Although she was disappointed, Lin Xi didn’t want to press. If he refused, there was nothing she could do.

She couldn’t very well just steal the chef away.

Even if she could, who’s to say the chef would leave with her?

“You live alone, and you don’t even eat your three meals at home. Why would you need a chef?”

“There’s really no need,” Lin Xi nodded in agreement, but then shared her thoughts with him. “But I’m actually planning to look at some houses soon.”

“Not comfortable living with Cheng Si? Or is something wrong?”

Even though Lin Xi had a license, Qin Yu knew she didn’t like to drive. That’s why he’d picked the apartment complex closest to Feiyun for her—just a four or five minute walk, across one street to the company. It was for her convenience and to save her time.

Her current place wasn’t huge, but it was more than enough for her alone. The facilities were complete, and basically everything she might need, he’d thought of long ago.

For safety, he’d even bought the adjacent unit on the same floor.

By all accounts, she should be perfectly comfortable there.

“No, it’s all very convenient.”

After a pause, Lin Xi put down her chopsticks and explained, “It’s just that I can’t stay there forever. I should have a place to call my own, eventually.”

“I mean, a real home.”

“My parents’ place—I barely lived there before. And now that it’s just me, there’s no need for me to stay there, either. So I thought I’d buy something a little smaller—a two- or three-hundred-square-meter duplex, perhaps?”

Lin Xi had spent most of her childhood in the family compound, as had Lin Chen.

Her parents only lived in Boyu Bay because the compound was inconvenient and they were always busy with work.

“If it’s convenient, there’s no need to move,” Qin Yu decided on Cheng Si’s behalf. “Once Cheng Si’s unit is available, have him transfer it to your name.”

Lin Xi considered this and nodded. “Alright. I’ll pay him according to the current market price.”

“If he can’t bear to part with that much, next time you see him, you don’t need to call him ‘Fourth Brother’ anymore.”

Lin Xi caught the meaning behind Qin Yu’s words and scratched her head. “That doesn’t seem right.”

That place wasn’t cheap—it cost tens of millions. If it were a few million, she’d accept it without hesitation, and wouldn’t bother being polite with Cheng Si and the others.

But for over ten million, she did have to think twice.

“You’ve made him far more than the cost of that apartment through your work,” Qin Yu pointed out.

That was true, actually.

Even if it sounded a bit exaggerated.

“I’ll ask him about it tomorrow, then. That saves me the trouble of house-hunting.”

In fact, back when she first returned to the country, Cheng Si had offered to give her the apartment, but she’d turned him down.

At the time, she hadn’t even thought about buying property.

After dinner, Lin Xi glanced toward the kitchen, clearly still reluctant to give up.

Qin Yu saw through her little scheme at once. Without betraying any emotion, he withdrew his gaze and wiped his hands with a warm towel.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll have three meals a day delivered to your office.”

“What?” When he spoke, Lin Xi looked up at him, confused, not understanding for a moment what he meant.

She was a little flattered, but didn’t decline outright; she simply tried to refuse politely. “That’s too much trouble…”

“I rarely eat at home myself. They’re just idle anyway. I’ll have them prepare meals and deliver them to Feiyun on time.”

He’d thought of everything. Lin Xi was in a good mood, so she smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Third Brother.”

This time, her gratitude was sincere, without a hint of the usual sarcasm.

When they returned to the living room, Lin Xi took out the prayer beads she’d re-strung from her bag and handed them to Qin Yu.

“Take a look, Third Brother. I just added another bead. If you don’t look closely, you can hardly tell the difference.”

“If Aunt Rong or the others ask about it, just say I accidentally broke it and re-strung it.”

(End of this chapter)