Shen Yilin held his phone, his expression more conflicted than Qin He's.
Shen Yizong leaned against the sofa, his arms resting on either side. He watched his younger brother.
"Yilin, haven't you ever considered fighting for yourself?"
"Fighting for what?" Shen Yilin asked, confused.
"Qin He."
After a moment of silence, Shen Yilin clenched his phone. "Brother, she sees me as a brother, a real brother."
A real brother. So intimate, yet so despairing.
Shen Yilin gave a wry smile, a hint of helplessness on his handsome face. "When she's with me, she's so natural, as if I weren't of the opposite sex."
"Isn't that good?" Shen Yizong sat up straighter. "Why do you always have to pretend to be good in front of her? You should let her know your feelings."
"I... I don't dare."
If Qin He were to discover his feelings, given her personality, she would surely avoid him from then on.
Just like she had done with that person from the Lu family.
She never dragged things out, except when it came to Gu Qishen.
Shen Yizong was silent for a few seconds. "Yilin, you need to think carefully. Some people, once missed, will never have another chance."
Shen Yilin nodded. The sound of boiling water from the kitchen echoed.
He got up and went into the kitchen. Before long, he came out with a bowl of hangover soup.
"Brother, I've always had a question I wanted to ask you."
Shen Yizong's movements paused slightly, as if he knew what Shen Yilin was going to ask.
"If you don't know whether to ask, it's best not to ask."
"But brother, why were you so severely injured before? After Mom and Dad passed away, you changed many jobs, but I always felt that none of them were your real work."
Shen Yilin's gaze was firm. "I didn't want to ask, but you went to Qin's this time."
You've become a refined, smooth special assistant Shen.
Shen Yilin knew his brother well. That wasn't his true self at all.
He didn't want to ask before, but now that it concerned Qin's and Qin He, he had to get to the bottom of it.
Shen Yizong placed the hangover soup back on the table. "What, is your sister more important to you than your brother now?"
"That's not what I mean—"
"You just need to know that I won't hurt the person you like." Shen Yizong got up and returned to the bedroom.
As soon as he entered the bedroom, his slightly tipsy eyes turned sharp and clear.
He walked to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and tossed the detestable, crisp suit jacket onto the messy bed.
His phone pinged.
Shen Yizong picked it up and glanced at it.
【Lev】
【Latest Communication】
Shen Yizong entered the password on the screen, and a message appeared.
White Wolf: [Strategist, a lot of Er Niang's recent information has been dug up by Qingyan Fu. The Boss wants me to get your opinion. Do you think we should make a move against them?]
Shen Yizong pondered for three seconds, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and replied.
Strategist: [Er Niang is currently being watched by Qingyan Fu and Gu Qishen's people. If the Qin family finds her whereabouts, they'll pounce immediately. Are you declaring war on Qingyan Fu, or on the Gu and Qin families?]
The reply came back quickly: [I just asked the Boss. The Boss said it's not time yet.]
Shen Yizong typed: [Since her face has already been seen, let's give her a new face.]
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Shen Yizong stretched and turned back into the room, picking up the suit jacket from the bed.
He walked to the garment steamer beside it and meticulously began to iron it—
...
Jiangcheng, Pink Beach.
For two consecutive days, the organizing committee had been quiet, seemingly leaving space for the production crew.
Qin He hadn't been idle these past two days, undertaking tasks while also inquiring about Di Shishi's situation.
Qian Zimo's initial relaxed demeanor had gradually turned grave.
The police had unearthed something unknown and were holding onto the person, refusing to release her even under pressure from the Qian family.
Qin He and Qian Zimo analyzed the missions Di Shishi had undertaken at Qingyan Fu in recent years.
Although Qingyan Fu was the largest trading forum on the dark web, under Mo's supervision, there hadn't been any excessively extreme missions.
However, the free task board was an exception, and Di Shishi hadn't taken any tasks from there.
The two analyzed for two days with no results.
Qin He, outwardly appearing calm in the beach villa, had already made up her mind.
If there was no news by tomorrow, she would not continue participating in the competition and would directly work with Qian Zimo to figure out how to rescue Di Shishi.
Four PM.
An orange sunset rose over the sea. The tide was coming in, and large waves crashed onto the shore before receding.
Qin He, carrying a small bucket, was already full of seashells.
As she picked up shells, her mind was preoccupied with Di Shishi.
She walked on, eventually reaching the edge of Pink Beach.
Because it was being used for filming, the area of Pink Beach now belonged to the production crew.
But the edge was different. Qin He looked not far away, where a few boys, seventeen or eighteen years old, were playing volleyball by the beach.
"Youth truly is energetic," Qin He mused, turning to leave.
She had only taken a few steps when she felt a sharp pain in her back.
The volleyball had been hit askew and struck her back. The boys rushed over.
"Sorry, sorry, are you alright?"
Qin He glanced in the direction of the volleyball net.
No matter how askew, it shouldn't have gone in this direction.
"I'm fine," Qin He said, intending to leave.
The boys exchanged glances and quickly ran in front of Qin He, blocking her path.
A drone's camera light flashed red.
Qin He's body tensed. Could those people really dare to make a move on her during a live broadcast?
Under Qin He's wary gaze, the leading boy slowly knelt on one knee, holding a love letter in his hand.
"Miss Qin, I'm your fan. I've liked you since your live broadcast!" The boy's face flushed red. "My ID is Chang Qing, do you remember me?"
Qin He: "..."
She did remember. He was one of the top twenty on her leaderboard.
Those in the top twenty generally had gift-giving streams in the millions.
Qin He looked at the boy in front of her. She hadn't expected him to be so young!
"Thank you for your support. I remember you, but we're not really suitable." Qin He smiled.
The boy seemed anxious. "Why, is it because of the age difference?"
Qin He: It's more than just a little bit!
"Then what kind of person do you like?" The boy thought for a moment. "Someone like Shen Yilin?"
Shen Yilin?
Qin He chuckled. "Yilin is my younger brother. Saying that can easily lead to misunderstandings. Don't guess wildly."
"Then is it someone like Gu Qishen?"
Qin He was silent for a few seconds. "I like the type of person Qian Zimo is."
The boys left dejectedly, and Qin He, carrying her bucket, prepared to leave.
In the live broadcast control room, the director's back was almost soaked with sweat. He felt as if a soul reaper was sitting behind him, and the air in the room had turned several degrees colder.