Chapter 27 - Testing His Feelings: Is He Really That Way For You...?

Fu Qingli never hid things from Lin Xi about staying up all night, even knowing that Lin Xi would worry, she still didn't want to lie.

He always felt that no matter how small the matter, one should not lie. Once a lie is exposed, the trust between them will be more or less damaged.

As you can imagine, Lin Xi knew he had stayed up all night and scolded him severely, advising him to take care of his health.

Her voice was soft, with a languid quality at the end, as it rang in my ears.

The words were meant to be reproachful, yet they made people feel safe and warm.

In the early morning, there is no better lullaby than this.

Fu Qingli lay on the bed, listening to Lin Xi's soft Wu dialect, her consciousness gradually blurred, and she didn't even know when she fell asleep.

Lin Xi heard the breathing on the other side gradually become steady and long.

Knowing that Fu Qingli had fallen asleep, she did not hang up the phone immediately, afraid that the sound of hanging up would wake him up.

The car was quiet inside as it sped along, with only the sound of the air conditioning blowing out.

She was wearing headphones, and Fu Qingli's breathing was directly sent into her cochlea, as if he were breathing right next to her ear.

This felt more intimate and ambiguous than when he held her in his arms and kissed her before.

Gradually, Lin Xi's earlobes turned pink, and her slender, pale fingers rubbed her phone, but she still couldn't bear to hang up.

When the car stopped, the driver, Xiao Tao, turned around and reminded her, "Ms. Lin, we've arrived."

Lin Xi called out very softly, "Brother—"

After their reunion, she never called him "brother" or his name, except for the beginning when she needed to call him "President Fu" a few times for work purposes.

She felt that calling him "brother" was too intimate, while calling him by his name felt too distant, and "Qingli" was... she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

Now, relying on the fact that he won't wake up easily when he's asleep, I dare to softly call out "brother".

However, she was still inexplicably nervous, her hands clenched tightly to keep her breath from revealing her racing heartbeat.

Fortunately, the breathing sound in her ear continued, and Fu Qingli did not react otherwise.

She loosened her fingers and whispered, "Good morning."

He then hung up the phone and got out of the car.

Fu Qingli was fast asleep when the phone rang.

He was in the study of his apartment in Jincheng. Lin Xi especially liked to curl up on the sofa and read on sunny days.

Therefore, he specifically chose a penthouse apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows.

On weekends, the two of them would stay in the study instead of going to the library.

He was in the study, and she was by the window.

The dappled sunlight spilled onto the wooden floor and fell on her soft hair, making time seem tranquil and beautiful.

Occasionally, she would think of something, get up without even putting on slippers, and run barefoot towards herself, her face beaming with joy.

They look just like fairies dancing in the sunlight.

This time, she was bolder than usual, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his embrace.

While crawling, she softly called out "brother," her tone rising at the end, full of coquettishness.

...

Then, the annoying phone rang.

He opened his eyes and it took him more than ten seconds to distinguish between dream and reality.

Worried it might be Lin Xi calling, he immediately reached for his phone on the pillow.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Zhao Mingyuan calling, but then his face showed impatience.

He sat up, leaned against the headboard, and answered the phone: "Hello?"

His voice was hoarse from obvious sleep deprivation, and tinged with the simmering anger of someone who had been woken up.

Zhao Mingyuan's anxiety vanished instantly, and he cautiously asked, "Boss, why don't you go back to sleep, and I'll call back later?"

Fu Qingli frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose, suppressing some of her anger: "Now, let's talk."

Calling at this hour must mean something important; I should listen first.

To everyone's surprise, when it came to actually speaking, Zhao Mingyuan stammered, unsure of where to begin: "That...that..."

After listening to the other person talk for a while, Fu Qingli finally lost her patience and said in a deep voice, "Just say it!"

Zhao Mingyuan dared not hesitate any longer, licked his lips and boldly asked, "Boss, do you like Team Leader Lin?"

"..." After asking such a question after so long, Fu Qingli sighed speechlessly.

The sigh reached Zhao Mingyuan's ears, who assumed he was embarrassed to admit it: "Boss, you've already entrusted Gun Gun to Team Leader Lin's care, so stop hiding it! If you like someone, just tell them directly. Don't hesitate and make up excuses to test them!"

"..."

"You wouldn't believe it, but these past few days while you were away, a top-of-the-line Phaeton has been picking up Lin from get off work every day! I just checked, and the driver is a young man! Anyone his age who can afford a Phaeton must be a rich kid, and a low-key one at that!"

Seeing that Fu Qingli remained silent, he was afraid that his boss, who rarely showed interest in a woman, would be disappointed, so he quickly comforted him, "However, from what I've observed, the two of them don't seem to know each other very well right now. They didn't talk much when getting on and off the bus, which is nothing like the affectionate relationship between lovers! Besides, you're much more handsome than him, boss. With your looks and wealth, as long as you make your presence more obvious and aren't so aloof and silent, you definitely have a chance to snatch Lin's team away!"

"..." Fu Qingli chuckled. "Is there anything else?"

Zhao Mingyuan hadn't expected this reaction and instinctively replied, "No, that's all."

"Hang up."

"No! Boss, listen to my advice!! No matter how handsome you are, you still have to..."

Before I could finish speaking, the other end of the line ruthlessly hung up with a "beep beep beep" sound.

Immediately afterwards, Fu Qingli sent two messages.

Ting: [Shared a business card]

Ting: [Let Xiao Tao take you to get your eyes treated]

-

The ten-day exhibition has finally come to an end after days of busy work.

Zou Song initially gave everyone two days off as a gesture of goodwill.

When Lin Xi received the news, she was on the phone with He Xiaduo.

She and He Xiaduo have been friends since elementary school, and coincidentally, they were classmates until they went to university.

However, during her sophomore year, Lin Xi was forced to completely sever ties with her original life, including He Xiaduo's.

Until last winter solstice, the two met by chance at Nanqing Station. Fortunately, the five-year break in contact did not affect their friendship, and they quickly returned to their former best friend status.

He Xiaduo is now a teacher at her alma mater, Nanqing Primary School. These days, she is taking her parents on a trip to Northwest China during the summer vacation.

After resting for half a day back in Nanqing, Lin Xi couldn't wait to call him via video call as soon as she got off work, wanting to see the giant panda designed by Fu Qingli.

Upon seeing the panda, He Xiaduo couldn't help but exclaim, "Young Master Fu is awesome!"

During her senior year of high school, Fu Qingli's outstanding appearance and noble temperament always reminded her classmates of wealthy young masters in TV dramas.

He was very kind to Lin Xi and generous with his money. As Lin Xi's best friend, He Xiaduo received a lot of benefits from Fu Qingli, so she called him "Young Master Fu" in private conversations.

After admiring the panda's adorable antics for a while, He Xiaduo asked, "Are you two now merged?"

Lin Xi didn't expect her to change the subject so quickly. Feeling embarrassed to discuss her relationship with Fu Qingli in front of Gun Gun, she grabbed her phone and ran into the room.

After closing the door, she whispered, "It's just re-establishing contact, not reconciliation."

He Xiaduo calculated the time: "That's right, you've only known each other for half a month!"

Immediately, she still denied it in disbelief: "No, it's been half a month, how can the young master be so patient?"

"..." Lin Xi didn't know how to respond, so she could only tell the truth, "He went on a business trip the day after we made up."

He Xiaduo: "I know, but you two contact each other whenever you have free time, from morning till night, so why didn't the young master say anything... like those ambiguous things?"

Lin Xi shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and decided to confess her inner confusion and ask her for her opinion: "Duoduo, don't you think... maybe in his eyes, he just treats me like a younger sister, which is a kind of responsibility towards the daughter of his benefactor?"

"No!" He Xiaduo denied without hesitation, "The young master's attention to you is not just a simple matter of responsibility!"

"Yeah?"

Seeing Lin Xi's uncertain look, He Xiaduo sat up straight with a serious expression: "Actually, you told me back then that the reason you broke up was because he fell in love with someone else. I didn't dare to ask too much, but I didn't really believe it. I've seen how much he cares about you. The way he looks at you and the affection he shows you can't be faked. I really can't imagine that he would fall in love with someone else one day!"

"It turns out that what that woman said was all a lie! Xiaoxi, don't you feel insecure about your relationship?"

Lin Xi pursed her lips: "Yeah, I just felt that in his eyes I was a child who needed to be taken care of, and there didn't seem to be any physical attraction between men and women."

"Although I don't know how to explain this to you, I think it has something to do with how you two get along. Your relationship is a natural progression of your feelings, not just a momentary impulse driven by hormones. The young master isn't as impulsive as other boys his age, and he would never easily cross the line on certain matters. This is actually a way of protecting you. I think he has a very clear plan for your future together."

He Xiaduo's analysis was very logical. "However, as for the specific reasons, I think you can find an opportunity to ask the young master for his true thoughts. You can also try to probe him appropriately! You can boldly break through some barriers, and you may have unexpected gains."

Lin Xi's eyelashes trembled slightly as she fell into deep thought.

He Xiaduo didn't say anything, giving her time to process it.

She knew that Lin Xi, after experiencing those things in the past, had actually become timid and prone to overthinking. Of course, her unease stemmed from her fear of losing it again.

But the other party was Fu Qingli. She felt that Lin Xi should be as brave as she was back then and walk firmly towards him. He would not bear to see his girl sad or disappoint her.

Finally, a series of group messages interrupted Lin Xi's thoughts. She opened the messages and let out a soft "Ah."

He Xiaduo: "What's wrong?"

"The boss said we'll have the day after tomorrow off."

He Xiaduo reacted quickly: "It's Wednesday today, so you have four days off including last weekend. Since the young master can't come back from Haicheng, you can go to Haicheng to visit him and do some sightseeing at the same time!"

"Ah! What a great opportunity!" She jumped out of bed excitedly. "Then you can make an excuse that you're afraid to live alone and ask to share a room with him. That'll be a perfect opportunity to test whether he's really so indifferent to you!"

"..." To be honest, Lin Xi was actually a little tempted by what she said.

She subconsciously opened the calendar and saw the schedule for the next few days. She couldn't help but smile bitterly: "There's no chance at all. Our group still has to work tomorrow."

A note from the author:

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