Make up as before

Cheng Ji glanced at the time. "He's usually on the rooftop of the building around this time."

"Okay, I understand."

After saying that, Lin Tingyue turned to leave, but smiled at him as she went.

"Thank you!"

Cheng Ji waved his hand, "You're welcome."

-

Lin Tingyue specially bought a bouquet of jasmine flowers and was on her way to meet Chi Zhuo at Zhuoyue Building.

But as soon as she pushed open the door of the flower shop, she saw someone who surprised her.

"Brother! You're back?"

Lin Yujin grabbed Lin Tingyue's hand and pulled her out forcefully.

"Take me to see Chi Zhuo quickly."

Lin Tingyue stumbled as he pulled her, and the jasmine flower in her arms almost fell to the ground.

Lin Yujin's hand gripped her wrist like an iron clamp, causing it to ache.

His face was more pale than ever before, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had a bluish stubble on his chin. He looked travel-worn, as if he had just returned from a very far place and hadn't even caught his breath.

"Brother! What are you doing? You're hurting me!" Lin Tingyue tried to break free, but the difference in strength was too great.

Lin Yujin not only didn't let go, but tightened his grip even more, his voice suppressing a kind of emotion about to explode: "What am I doing? The first thing I did when I got back was to look for you! Why didn't you answer my calls? Mom and Dad said you and Chi Zhuo had a fight. You need to go and make up with him right now. I need to talk to him about something."

"Brother, can't you talk things out? You're hurting me!" Lin Tingyue was both shocked and angry, not understanding why her usually composed brother had lost his composure like this.

"Stop talking nonsense and take me to him."

Seeing Lin Yujin like this, Lin Tingyue was genuinely frightened. She quietly took out her phone, ready to make a call.

"What are you doing!" Lin Yujin grabbed her phone.

Lin Tingyue frowned. "I...I'll call him. Otherwise, how can I take you to see him?"

Lin Yujin stared at her for two seconds, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of her words, while still holding her wrist tightly with his other hand, and handed the phone back to her, saying, "Turn on speakerphone."

Lin Tingyue rubbed her wrist in pain; it was already red.

She took the phone, found Chi Zhuo's number in her contacts, dialed it, and pressed speakerphone as instructed.

Busy tone. One tone, two tone... until the call is automatically disconnected.

Chi Zhuo didn't answer.

The bloodshot in Lin Yujin's eyes seemed to have gotten worse. He irritably wiped his face, the stubble on his chin rubbing against his palm, making a rustling sound.

"He didn't answer? Why didn't he answer?" he questioned Lin Tingyue, as if it were her fault.

"Maybe...maybe busy, maybe...didn't hear."

Lin Tingyue tried to explain, but a sense of unease also rose in her heart.

My brother's behavior is really strange, and Chi Zhuo just happens to not answer the phone at this time.

"To the building!" Lin Yujin didn't hesitate any longer and practically dragged Lin Tingyue toward the car parked on the side of the road.

He opened the car door, shoved Lin Tingyue into the passenger seat, and quickly walked around to the driver's seat to start the engine.

The car lurched forward suddenly. Lin Tingyue quickly fastened her seatbelt. The jasmine flowers in her arms were squeezed, releasing an even stronger fragrance, but this sweet scent only made her feel suffocated at the moment.

"Brother, what's wrong? What happened?" Lin Tingyue asked cautiously, looking at her brother's tense profile.

Lin Yujin gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. He stared ahead, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times before he forced out a voice through clenched teeth: "The overseas project... is finished."

Lin Tingyue's heart skipped a beat. "It's over? What does that mean?"

"It means all the money I invested is gone! I've lost everything!" Lin Yujin's voice suddenly rose, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. "Not only mine, but also... there's a portion that was embezzled from the company's accounts."

Lin Tingyue gasped, looking at him in disbelief. "You embezzled public funds?!"

“I thought we’d be back in business soon! That project had such a bright future, who would have thought…” Lin Yujin slammed his fist on the steering wheel, the horn blaring. “Now the hole can’t be plugged. If it gets out, I won’t just be bankrupt, I’ll go to jail! Listen to Yue!”

He glanced at his sister, his eyes filled with despair and madness.

"Right now, the only person who can come up with this money right away and is likely to help me is Chi Zhuo. His family is very wealthy, this amount of money is nothing to him..."

"Brother!" Lin Tingyue raised her voice, "I told you before that what you did was wrong!"

"So what!" Lin Yujin, completely unlike his usual self, was now acting wildly. "Aren't you going to save me?"

"Brother, give up, Chi Zhuo won't agree."

"He likes you so much, please help me this time for his sake, okay? Go and beg him, he'll definitely agree!"

Lin Tingyue's heart sank little by little.

It turned out that her brother's urgent search for her, seemingly out of concern for her argument with Chi Zhuo, was a pretense; his true intention was to use her as leverage to extort a large sum of money from Chi Zhuo. Looking at her brother's almost distorted profile, she felt a chill of unfamiliarity and despair.

"Brother, how could you do this..." Her voice trembled slightly, "This is begging, this is a threat!"

"By the way, do Mom and Dad know about this? Did you tell them you were back? How did you find out I was here?"

"I don't care about anything else!" Lin Yujin roared. "Either I get the money, or I go in, and the Lin family is finished! You choose!"

The car braked sharply and stopped in front of the Zhuoyue Building. Lin Yujin unbuckled his seatbelt, his gaze fixed on Lin Tingyue. "Get out of the car. Take me to him."

Lin Tingyue held the bouquet of jasmine, her fingers icy cold. She looked up at the top of the towering building, the place she had originally planned to go to reconcile with Chi Zhuo.

She eventually got out of the car. Lin Yujin followed closely behind her, almost touching her as they entered the elevator.

In the cramped space, silence felt like a boulder pressing on my chest.

The elevator went straight to the top floor, and the door leading to the rooftop was ajar.

Lin Tingyue pushed open the door, and the evening breeze immediately rushed in, ruffling her hair.

The rooftop offered an expansive view, taking in the entire cityscape. Sure enough, Chi Zhuo was there, his back to them, leaning against the railing, his figure appearing somewhat lonely in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Hearing footsteps, Chi Zhuo turned around. He first saw Lin Tingyue and Jasmine in her arms, and a faint light flashed in his eyes. But then, he saw Lin Yujin behind her with a livid face, and that light quickly disappeared, his brows furrowing slightly.

Chi Zhuo walked over, his gaze lingering for a moment on the obvious red mark around Lin Tingyue's wrist. His eyes darkened before he looked at Lin Yujin and asked, "Brother Yujin, when did you get back?"

Lin Yujin had no time for pleasantries. He stepped forward and said urgently, "Chi Zhuo, I'm in big trouble and I need your help."

Chi Zhuo's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was calm: "What trouble?"

"My overseas investment failed, my cash flow dried up, and I urgently need some money to tide me over." Lin Yujin spoke quickly, "Fifty million! If you lend me fifty million to help me get through this crisis, I'll repay you like a slave!"

Chi Zhuo looked at him silently, then glanced at Lin Tingyue beside him, who was looking down and had a pale face. He had already guessed seven or eight parts of what was going on.

He slowly began, “Brother Yujin, this is no small sum. Moreover, you should understand that investment involves risk.”

“I understand! Of course I understand!” Lin Yujin exclaimed excitedly. “But I have no other choice now! Chi Zhuo, for the sake of our years of friendship and for the sake of my sister, please help me!” As he spoke, he pulled Lin Tingyue’s arm forcefully.

Lin Tingyue stumbled as he pulled her, and the jasmine flower in her arms almost slipped from her grasp.

She raised her head and looked at Chi Zhuo, her eyes filled with embarrassment and pleading. Her lips moved, but she couldn't say anything.

She couldn't bring herself to ask her brother for this huge sum of money.

Chi Zhuo's gaze fell on Lin Tingyue's tightly clenched arm, and his eyes turned completely cold.

He reached out and gently pulled Lin Tingyue to his side, separating her from Lin Yujin. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force: "Let go. Money is a separate matter. Don't make things difficult for me."

Lin Yujin looked at his empty hand, then at his sister being protected by Chi Zhuo, and finally met Chi Zhuo's calm, almost cold eyes. Despair and anger intertwined, instantly overwhelming his reason.

"Chi Zhuo! What do you mean?! Are you just going to stand by and watch me die?" Lin Yujin roared, her eyes bloodshot. "Are you taking your anger out on me because she argued with you? I'm making her apologize to you now! Yueyue, quick! Say sorry to Chi Zhuo! Say you've made up!"

He yelled as he tried to grab Lin Tingyue.

Chi Zhuo completely shielded Lin Tingyue behind him, his tall figure separating the brother and sister, his tone icy: "Lin Yujin, calm down. I warned you about the risks of your project before. If the investment fails, you should find a way to bear the consequences yourself, instead of forcing your sister in this way, and certainly not coming here to morally blackmail her."

He paused, looked at the completely distraught Lin Yujin, and said, word by word, "I will not lend this money."

"You..." Lin Yujin was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, the color draining from her face instantly.

He glanced at Chi Zhuo, whose gaze was cold and resolute, and then at his sister, whose eyes were filled with tears but who remained silent. He finally realized that his last lifeline had been broken.

Lin Yujin staggered back two steps, leaned against the cold cement railing, lowered his head in despair, and his shoulders trembled violently. The only sound on the rooftop was his desperate sobs.

Seeing her brother's breakdown, Lin Tingyue felt a sharp pain in her heart. She instinctively wanted to step forward, but Chi Zhuo gently took her hand.

Chi Zhuo looked at her, shook his head, and said in a low voice, "Let him be by himself for a while."

He took the slightly crumpled bouquet of jasmine from her arms; its fragrance was still strong.

He took her hand, his voice softening, carrying a reassuring strength: "Let's go."

Lin Tingyue took one last look at her brother, who was curled up by the railing, and was filled with mixed emotions.

In the elevator going downstairs, Lin Tingyue remained silent. She didn't dare to ask Chi Zhuo any questions. It seemed that whatever decision he made was not something she could interfere with.

The elevator mirror reflected the two figures. Lin Tingyue looked down, staring at the tips of her shoes.

"Wrist," Chi Zhuo suddenly spoke after replying to a message on his phone, his voice unusually clear in the small space, "Does it still hurt?"

Lin Tingyue was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously tried to hide her wrist, but he gently pulled it.

"It's nothing..." she said softly, her nose feeling a little sore.

It wasn't because of the pain in my wrist, but because of what had just happened, because of my brother's madness and his current disheveled state.

He led her to his office, and as they walked through the lobby, it was as if he were announcing his identity to everyone, drawing stares from the crowd.

He asked Lin Tingyue to sit on the sofa, while he went to the inner room to fetch a first-aid kit.

He took out cotton swabs and ointment, squatted down in front of her, and carefully lifted her reddened wrist.

The cool ointment felt soothing on the skin.

His movements were very gentle, spreading the cotton swab little by little, as if he were handling some fragile treasure.

Lin Tingyue looked at his downcast eyes, her throat tightening. "My brother..."

"Let him handle his own affairs." Chi Zhuo didn't look up, his voice calm. "Failed investments and embezzlement are consequences he must bear. Adults must be responsible for their choices."

Lin Tingyue was somewhat surprised, "You...you knew all along?"

"I just found out."

Lin Tingyue spoke again, "But..."

“No buts.” He finally finished applying the medicine, raised his head, and looked at her calmly. “Listen to this, this is not something that can be changed by your apology or pleading. I also cannot use fifty million to condone this mistake. That would not be helping him, but harming him, and it would also be trampling on you.”

He paused, then softened his tone: "You weren't upset by how he treated you just now?"

Lin Tingyue pursed her lips, and her eyes finally welled up with tears.

Chi Zhuo sighed, stood up, sat down next to her, and gently pulled her into his arms.

“It’s understandable that you feel wronged,” he said softly, patting her back soothingly. “So, stop taking his problems upon yourself. He’s my brother, and I can’t just stand by and watch him…”

“He is him, and you are you,” Chi Zhuo interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I know exactly what he is.”

Chi Zhuo rubbed his temples, then picked up the bouquet of jasmine from the table. "Listen, is this for me?"

He held the slightly wrinkled bunch of jasmine flowers in his hand, lowered his head to smell them gently, and when he looked up again, his gaze was much gentler. "They smell so good. I'll take them. The flowers are beautiful, and you are beautiful too."

Lin Tingyue laughed and cried again, "What kind of time is this to be joking?"

"I'm serious."

Lin Tingyue wiped away her tears and said with a wronged expression, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Chi Zhuo didn't quite understand. "What do you mean I won't tell you?"

"Why didn't you tell me when it was time for Vichytand?"

Chi Zhuo instantly understood, "You knew everything. Cheng Ji, really..."

He remained silent for a moment, then gently ran his fingers through her long hair.

"Because I don't want to force you to change anything because of me. Seeing you sad makes me very sad too."

This was the first time he had directly expressed his emotions at the time.

Lin Tingyue felt a pang of sadness and gripped his clothes even tighter.

"Are you stupid? How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me? Just like that time, what would have happened if you had told me?"

He lifted her face, looked into her slightly red eyes, and said very seriously, "I like you, listen, that's why I care about you so much. But I know I was wrong. I only gave you what I wanted to give you, but I didn't treat you as an independent individual. I didn't consider things comprehensively enough. I will communicate with you seriously in the future. Can you stop being angry with me? Can you stop being sad? Listen?"

Lin Tingyue nodded under his clear gaze.

"Isn't forgiving him a bit too quickly?"

Chi Zhuo laughed when he heard this, "Then you can forgive more slowly, I'll listen to you."

“But I’ve already accepted these flowers,” he said, waving the jasmine in his hand. “So we’ve made up on that.”

"puff……"

Lin Tingyue laughed and cried at the same time, and stubbornly said, "Since you have sincerely apologized, I will reluctantly forgive you. We'll see how you behave in the future."

Chi Zhuo nodded softly, "Okay, thank you for listening to the fairy's forgiveness~"

"You're so cheeky!"