"Of course. I have a connection with them, and they like me very much," Qin Si Ye replied resolutely, raising his gaze.
Gu Lin frowned slightly and asked, "What about the rest of the Qin family? Can they accept it too?"
Their family was no ordinary family, but the richest in K City, and they placed great importance on lineage. How could they allow a woman who had borne another man's child to enter the Qin family's gates?
"As long as Grandma agrees, no one else matters," Qin Si Ye said, shaking his wine glass, his eyes filled with sadness. "It's just that Shen Xi doesn't accept me now, and I don't know what to do next."
Hearing this, Gu Lin immediately understood the purpose of Qin Si Ye's sudden invitation for drinks today. He was seeking advice. After all, Gu Lin was experienced and knew more about matters of the heart than him.
"What have you been doing these past few days?" Gu Lin raised his glass of red wine and took a sip.
Qin Si Ye knew that if he wanted Gu Lin to help him analyze what to do next, he had to tell him everything that had happened, detail by detail. Thus, he laid out everything that had transpired since he received Qin Si Ye's call last Saturday.
"When the children told me the truth, do you know the impact it had on me? I was both excited and nervous, because she had just been kidnapped and her whereabouts were unknown. However, when I rescued her safely, she was so close, yet I had to pretend not to know her and deliberately keep a distance. Later, I wanted to make the best of the situation and confessed my feelings to her as Shen Xi, hoping to win her heart. Who would have thought I would be met with such strong rejection? Gu Lin, do you know how much my heart ached?"
After listening to his sorrowful account, Gu Lin felt a mix of emotions. He truly hadn't expected so much to have happened in just a few days. Yet, Shen Xi had been coming to work normally this week, showing no signs of any unusual circumstances.
Gu Lin sighed softly and said, "Si Ye, I can understand how you feel. Emotions that have been suppressed for so many years are indeed difficult to control. However, based on your description, Yin Xi has undergone a transformation. Her purpose in returning this time is to uncover the mastermind behind the Yin family's downfall through her own efforts. The reason she wants to keep her distance from you might not be rejection, but rather that she doesn't have the energy to consider matters of romance."
"Is that so? Do you really think so?" Qin Si Ye sat up straighter upon hearing Gu Lin's words, a flicker of hope in his eyes. But why had she rejected him with the reason that they were not suitable for each other? He still couldn't understand what made them unsuitable.
"This is just my initial assessment. Perhaps she has other unspoken reasons," Gu Lin said earnestly, looking at him. "In any case, I believe that at this moment, regardless of anything, you must strive to control your emotions and not pressure her. You have kept her in your heart all these years, while she has been living in hatred. Your states of mind are different. Your confession must have been too sudden for her; how could you expect her to accept it immediately? You should silently stay by her side, respect her thoughts and actions, and only then can you slowly melt her hardened heart and gain her acceptance."
"Alright. I know what to do now. Thank you, Gu Lin." Qin Si Ye clinked glasses with him thoughtfully, finished his red wine, and got up to leave the private room.
Upon reaching the main entrance, he immediately called Zhao Ze. "Find out who Shen Xi has met in K City since her arrival, besides working at the hospital."
In the master bedroom of Villa No. 3, Hua Ban Li, Shen Xi had just returned to her room from Xu Zhi Lan's. She noticed the blue and white double phoenix plum vase beneath the dressing table and walked over again to examine it closely. Her judgment had indeed been correct; there was a small flaw at the base of the plum vase. A small piece of porcelain was missing, difficult to spot unless one looked carefully. Her father had told her, when he acquired it, that this porcelain piece had been passed down from the Ming Dynasty and, during its transit through various hands, had suffered a knock, leaving this imperfection. However, this minor flaw did not diminish its collectible value; instead, it enhanced its sense of weathered history. This was the first item of the Yin family she had retrieved, and she was confident that in the near future, she would reclaim everything the Yin family had lost. Including the Yin family villa in Qin Si Ye's possession.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door from outside.