Chapter 17 Baiting

As Ling Wei stepped into the elegant front courtyard, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten the carefully prepared gift in the car.

Ah... She gently tugged at Yu Xingye's sleeve, gesturing in sign language: [The gift is in the car.]

"Little scatterbrain." Yu Xingye affectionately ruffled her hair. "I'll go get it. You wait here for me? Or,"

He pointed to the depths of the courtyard, "There's only one private room on the top floor, 'Yunshui Room.' Why don't you go up first and wait for me at the entrance? We'll go in together."

Ling Wei nodded.

Watching You Xingye turn and walk quickly towards the parking lot, the veil of gentleness on Ling Wei's face quietly faded.

A faint, cold smile curved her lips as she turned and calmly followed the signs to the top floor.

The rooftop corridor was empty and quiet, with only the soft sound of her shoes hitting the carpet.

The heavy, carved wooden door that signifies "Yunshui Jian" is right in front of me.

However, just a few steps from the door, a voice so familiar it was etched into her very bones pierced through the door and entered her ears—

It was Xu Ziqi's voice, speaking in her usual sweet, honey-sweet tone.

Right now.

Ling Wei calmly commanded herself, and almost instantly, the color drained from her face, turning her completely pale, and even her lips lost their color.

Her slender body swayed almost imperceptibly, as if she had been greatly frightened; her fingertips gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, trembling slightly.

A sense of panic and helplessness quickly filled those clear eyes.

She stepped forward and peered through the crack in the window frame.

The warm light outlined the figure of the man in the main seat.

He stood tall and straight, wearing a perfectly tailored dark suit, exuding a low-key yet noble air.

The contours are elegant and smooth, with a high nose bridge and a clean, sharp jawline.

Beneath that calm gaze lies a presence that is understated yet undeniable, born from the true heritage of a distinguished family.

This is Youjingxuan.

And the girl sitting next to him...

She took two steps back in a panic, turned around abruptly, and like a frightened deer, almost stumbled and fled from the doorway, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.

The entire reaction was fluid and precise, accurately conveying a deep-seated "fear".

A moment later, You Xingye hurriedly returned to the top floor with the beautifully packaged gift box.

The corridor was deserted, and Ling Wei, who was expected to be waiting for him at the door, was nowhere to be seen. He looked around in confusion and called out softly, "Weiwei?"

No one answered.

A sense of unease crept into his heart, and he had no choice but to push open the door of "Yunshuijian".

Inside the private room, under the warm yellow light, You Jingxuan sat in the main seat, his brows furrowed with his usual composure.

Xu Ziqi sat diagonally opposite him, her makeup exquisite and perfect, her smile sweet and charming, like a harmless and understanding flower.

Seeing You Xingye enter alone, carrying what was clearly a gift, Xu Ziqi blinked her beautiful eyes, her voice laced with just the right amount of surprise and sweetness: "Huh? Xingye-gege, why are you alone? Didn't you say you brought your girlfriend?"

"Didn't anyone come in just now?" Yusei asked, frowning.

"No," Xu Ziqi answered readily.

Yu Xingye anxiously went out to search again, but returned empty-handed once more.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqi parted her red lips slightly and sighed, half-jokingly and half-complainingly, "Oh dear, could it be... that you changed your mind at the last minute?"

Her slender fingers gracefully circled the rim of the teacup. "Brother Hoshino, you really cherish your girlfriend. You won't even tell me her name."

I specifically turned down Director Liang's invitation tonight just to meet this 'mystery girlfriend'.

Xu Ziqi spoke softly, with a hint of understanding and regret, but deep in her eyes was a cold scrutiny.

Although she devoted herself entirely to You Jingxuan, she had long since grown accustomed to You Xingye's selfless and special treatment of her.

She followed You Jingxuan abroad, busy guarding against the stunningly beautiful woman from her business partner, and momentarily neglected to maintain her relationship with You Xingye.

Upon returning to China, I was shocked to find that the other party's attitude was noticeably cold—that suggestion to use AI to swap faces in music videos was a terrible mistake!

She gave up the role and made excuses to apologize in an attempt to repair the relationship, but found that Yu Xingye was no longer buying it.

This feeling of losing control of his "possessions" made her extremely unhappy, especially after learning that he had a girlfriend, which brought her to the peak of her unhappiness.

Therefore, upon hearing that You Jingxuan was going to meet You Xingye's mysterious girlfriend tonight, she begged and pleaded to come along.

"Brother Xingye, are you still angry with me? Otherwise, why won't you even let me see my girlfriend? We grew up together, and I've always considered you my closest family member..." She used her usual coquettish tricks to finally make You Xingye reluctantly give in.

She had intended to give this woman, who was so foolish as to covet her things, a good beating tonight, but to her surprise, the woman ran away before she even dared to show her face.

It's nothing special, nothing to be afraid of.

Her long eyelashes drooped down, concealing the fleeting contempt and smugness in her eyes.

Yu Xingye had no time to ponder the deeper meaning behind Xu Ziqi's words.

His unease grew rapidly, and his face darkened. "She just said she was coming up to wait for me..." he said quickly, his voice trembling with anxiety, "I'll go look for her again!"

He turned and rushed out of the private room, leaving behind two people with different expressions.

You Jingxuan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his deep gaze swept thoughtfully across the doorway.

Xu Ziqi picked up her delicate bone china teacup, took an elegant sip, and said softly to You Jingxuan, "Brother Jingxuan, it seems that Brother Jingye's girlfriend... is a little timid? We're all family, and she's so scared on our first meeting. How will we get along in the future?"

Her tone was gentle, but her words conveyed a precise contempt for those who deserted their posts and a petty judgment.

You Xingye searched the huge courtyard like a headless fly, calling Ling Wei again and again, only to be met with a cold busy signal.

However, the phone suddenly vibrated.

A text message popped up:

I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well and have to go home now.

You Xingye dialed the video call almost instantly. The screen lit up, showing Ling Wei's pale, almost transparent face, devoid of any color.

"Weiwei! Where do you feel unwell? Where are you? I'm coming to find you right now!" He asked in rapid succession, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

Ling Wei looked unusually tired and listlessly shook her head in refusal.

You Xingye saw it clearly. He forced himself to calm down, but the intense unease wouldn't go away: "I'll come find you, okay? Just to see you?" he pleaded.

Ling Wei shook her head, her attitude firm.

“…Then you should get some rest. Call me if anything happens.” You Xingye could only concede, his voice hoarse.

Ling Wei nodded and almost immediately cut off the video.

His unease was growing; was it really due to physical discomfort...?