"Really? I actually think Shuo Shuo is more like you, calm and steady, not one for many words," Yin Xi said, having never seen Chen Chen truly angry.
She felt Shuo Shuo's personality and temperament were closer to Qin Si Ye's.
Qin Si Ye replied, "That's because you haven't seen me as a child. You can ask Grandma about this when you get back. When I was little, my personality was just like Chen Chen's – cheerful, optimistic, talkative, and fond of laughing."
"No way?" Yin Xi looked at him doubtfully. "Then your personality has changed too much. Did something happen during your growth that changed your personality?"
"Perhaps," Qin Si Ye said, raising his red wine and taking a sip. "It probably changed after my mother's accidental death."
"Accidental? How did your mother pass away?" Yin Xi asked softly.
"A car accident," Qin Si Ye's eyes showed a hint of sorrow. "I was less than ten years old then, and Si Yue had just turned one."
"Oh. It seems your mother's accidental death hit you very hard," Yin Xi gazed at him with concern, empathizing. Back then, when her father died in a car accident, she was already a university student close to graduation, and she was still so heartbroken. How could a child less than ten years old cope with the sudden loss of his mother?
"Mm," Qin Si Ye paused, then continued, "That's just one thing. There's another event that hit me very hard. That was five years later, when Jiang Jie suddenly brought a boy to the Qin family, claiming he was my father's child..."
Qin Si Ye's expression darkened as he roughly recounted the matter between Jiang Jie and Qin Si Yu to her. After listening, Yin Xi looked at him in shock, "Jiang Jie was your father's secretary, so you suspect they had an affair long ago?"
At this moment, Yin Xi finally understood why Qin Si Ye detested Jiang Jie and her son so much. It even explained why his relationship with his father was only superficial; they often argued loudly due to differing opinions.
"Yes. But my father wouldn't admit it, saying he mistook her that night," Qin Si Ye frowned, picked up the red wine in front of him, and drank another sip. Yin Xi quickly stood up and walked over, snatching the wine glass from his hand. "Si Ye, you can't drink anymore. Don't forget your wounds."
Qin Si Ye stared at her blankly for a long moment, then stood up and walked to the window, lighting a cigarette with a "snap." He turned back to Yin Xi and asked, "Do you know when my germophobia started?"
"When?" Yin Xi walked over slowly and asked.
"From the moment that woman entered the Qin family, I became like I was ill, washing my hands many times a day. I never allowed anyone into my room, not even Grandma or Si Yue." Qin Si Ye paused, then continued, "At school, I never spoke to or interacted with girls. After joining Zhuo Sheng, my secretaries and assistants were almost all men. It wasn't until I met you that things began to improve."
"Oh?" Yin Xi said thoughtfully, "No wonder people say you don't get close to women; this is the reason." Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and asked, blinking her beautiful peach blossom eyes, "Wait, isn't your current secretary a woman?"
"You mean Yan Yun? She was hired only six months ago. Male secretaries weren't meticulous enough and always made mistakes. Zhao Ze persuaded me repeatedly to hire a woman." Qin Si Ye took her hand. "If you mind, I'll replace her tomorrow and hire a male secretary again."
"No. You don't have to. I don't mind. It's just that the conversation flowed, and I suddenly thought of her." Yin Xi looked at him with a smile. "I think Secretary Yan is quite good, very proper in her work. I can't let her lose her job just because of my words; what kind of person would that make me?"
Qin Si Ye turned and stubbed out the unburned cigarette in the ashtray, then walked back to the window. He naturally placed his large hand on Yin Xi's shoulder. Looking out at the vast night sky, he said softly, "I wonder if my mother can see us together from heaven."
"I think she probably can," Yin Xi glanced at him sideways, smiling faintly, and continued, "She must be very grateful to me for curing your germophobia."
"I think she should be more grateful that you gave birth to a pair of grandsons and a granddaughter for her," Qin Si Ye said dotingly, raising his hand to flick her nose. After gazing at each other affectionately for a few seconds, Yin Xi tilted her head slightly and leaned against his broad shoulder.