Chapter 417, Part 417: "Do you care if anyone else surpasses Ye Qingxi...?"

417:

Zhong Yan acted immediately. The next day at noon, after waking up and having lunch, she went to the headquarters of the Mu Group.

The Mu family's employees have already started their afternoon work.

Zhong Yan walked into the group's gate, glanced at the access control, then went to the rest area and made a phone call to Qin Cheng.

Qin Cheng looked at his caller ID and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"I'm on the first floor of your company. Could you send someone to swipe my access card for me?"

Qin Cheng: ? ? ?

Why did he suddenly come?

Is something the matter?

"Okay," Qin Cheng replied.

He told his secretary, and soon, the receptionist on the first floor came to Zhong Yan, swiped his access card, and also swiped his elevator card to go directly to Qin Cheng's office floor.

Zhong Yan smiled and said to her, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the receptionist said before leaving.

When Zhong Yan arrived at the designated floor, Qin Cheng's secretary was already waiting for him.

"Is this Mr. Zhong?"

Zhong Yan nodded.

"This way," the secretary said, leading Zhong Yan toward Qin Cheng's office.

When she led Zhong Yan to Qin Cheng's office, they happened to run into Li Wenlai and Qin Cheng discussing Ruicheng's matter.

Upon seeing Zhong Yan, Li Wen looked at her curiously, thinking to himself: Who is this?

While he was making his guesses, Zhong Yan had already quickly identified him.

The reason is simple: this person smells so good!

Without saying a word, he pushed open the door to Qin Cheng's office and went inside.

When Qin Cheng saw him, he put away the documents in his hand and was about to ask him what was wrong when Li Wen also walked in.

The secretary closed the door very quietly.

Zhong Yan glanced at Li Wen and said matter-of-factly, "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Qin Cheng: ...

Qin Cheng had no choice but to agree, saying, "This is my friend, Li Wen."

After saying that, she looked at Li Wen and said, "This is Zhong Yan, Xiao Xi and my friend."

Li Wen nodded. So they were friends.

"Hello," he said, taking the initiative.

Zhong Yan smiled and said, "Hello."

After saying that, she turned to Qin Cheng and asked, "I haven't heard Xiao Xi mention this before. Did you submit it during your graduate studies?"

"Mm," Qin Cheng replied.

"So what is he now?"

“Work with me.”

Zhong Yan nodded and said politely, "So, are you going to talk about work? You two go first, and I'll wait until you're done talking before we continue."

"Or...you two can talk first?" Li Wen asked.

"Then you should go back first," Qin Cheng said to Li Wen.

Although he didn't know why Zhong Yan had come to see him, Qin Cheng figured that Zhong Yan had a better relationship with Ye Qingxi since childhood than him, and this matter might be related to Ye Qingxi.

Li Wen nodded before leaving.

After watching the person leave and the door close, Qin Cheng asked Zhong Yan, "Why did you come?"

"I've come to see you." Zhong Yan walked to the sofa in the office and sat down.

Qin Cheng then walked over as well.

He sat down next to Zhong Yan and asked him, "Is it related to Xiao Xi?"

“You’re really smart,” Zhong Yan said. “Then I’ll just say it directly.”

He looked at Qin Cheng and said, "I came to see you mainly for two things."

"First, when you discuss work with others in the future, could you please also tell Xiaoxi about the details of your work?"

Zhong Yan said, "Of course I know that you and your friend discussed work in front of Xiao Xi without any hesitation. It's because you and Xiao Xi have a good relationship and you trust him. Xiao Xi understands too. But you know, understanding is one thing, but the feeling of not being able to get a word in edgewise is really annoying."

“Back in junior high, Pei Liang was discussing physics competition problems with one of our classmates. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but Pei Liang kept talking to him. I was really angry at the time.”

"Of course Xiaoxi won't be angry; he has a much better temper than me. But he'll feel like he's being excluded, like you and your friend are more like an ally, and he's become an outsider."

Qin Cheng didn't expect Zhong Yan to say this.

"So he told you about this?"

“Not really,” Zhong Yan said. “He told me all this mainly because he was feeling a little unhappy, but it wasn’t anything serious, so he just vented a little. After he finished venting, he was fine, and he hung up the phone happily.”

Qin Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, "I understand."

Zhong Yan looked at him and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with what you did. Ultimately, it's because your friend Xiao Xi isn't familiar with him and doesn't know him. If it were you and Pei Liang discussing work-related matters, Xiao Xi wouldn't be unhappy even if she didn't know what you were working on."

"Because you and Pei Liang are people he cares about, he doesn't feel excluded. But he's not familiar with Li Wen, and he doesn't care about him as much, which is why he feels this way."

“I don’t want you to specifically avoid him when you talk about work in the future—that would just make it seem like you brothers don’t trust each other. It’s your own company’s business, and you have to avoid the other party. So next time you encounter something like this, just tell him the details and bring him along when you discuss it. Ask for his opinion and let him participate.”

“He’s so smart, you just need to talk to him, and he’ll definitely understand and be able to chat with you.”

"Okay," Qin Cheng replied humbly.

Zhong Yan is right; it was his oversight in this matter.

It was because he hadn't thought things through properly yesterday.

"Anything else?" Qin Cheng asked him. "You just mentioned two things, what's the second one?"

"Secondly..." Zhong Yan leaned closer to him, "Don't you think your friend's perfume smells too strong?"

Zhong Yan said helplessly, "You spend every day with him, and when you go back you smell like him. Try to change the situation. During the three years you were doing your master's degree, Xiao Xi met a new friend, and now he smells like her every day. How would you feel?"

Qin Cheng: ...

Qin Cheng thought he would probably be very annoyed.

I was both annoyed and helpless.

We can't exactly have his brother tell the other person not to use this perfume, can we?

That would be too difficult for his brother.

But to put it bluntly, Qin Cheng felt suffocated just thinking about it.

"...Does he mind?" Qin Cheng asked. "I asked him before, and he didn't seem to mind."

"It doesn't look like he's forcing it."

Zhong Yan: ...

Zhong Yan was speechless. "You've already forgotten what he does for a living?"

"Please, he was only six years old when he started acting and he won awards. If he wanted to act, would you have been able to tell?"

Qin Cheng: ...That's true.

“Of course he minds,” Zhong Yan said. “But he knows that if he tells you he minds, you’ll definitely ask your friend to change his perfume. You also know that you don’t have many friends, so he cherishes the friendships you have and naturally won’t show any dissatisfaction.”

"But you two met when he wasn't around, and now you're talking about topics he can't get a word in."

Zhong Yan thought to himself that his childhood friend had a really good temper. If it were Pei Liang instead, he would probably be dead by now.

"Put yourself in their shoes. If Li Wen were to become Xiao Xi's new friend Li Wen, and he were always talking to Xiao Xi, saying the same things, and discussing topics you couldn't get a word in, how would you feel?"

Qin Cheng: ...

Qin Cheng felt that he probably wanted to kill Li Wen.

“So,” Zhong Yan said, “Don’t think that you’re the only one who’s obsessed with your brother. Xiao Xi cares about you a lot too. If he didn’t care about you that much, he could say some things easily. But because he cares about you and knows that you care about him, there are some things he doesn’t dare to say.”

"But I don't think it's a big deal. There are thousands of perfumes in the world. He won't die if he doesn't use this one, so it's not difficult to switch to a less strong scent or one that doesn't last as long."

“Of course.” Zhong Yan smiled. “You don’t need to say it; I will.”

Qin Cheng: ?

Qin Cheng asked, puzzled, "You?"

"Well. You two are friends, it would be awkward for you to say this, so I'll say it for you, so you won't be put in a difficult position..."

"I won't put you in a difficult position," Qin Cheng said.

Zhong Yan: ...

“I’ll be the one to say it,” he said firmly.

Qin Cheng: ...

Qin Cheng felt it was unnecessary.

However, Qin Cheng was grateful to Zhong Yan for coming to see him specifically about Ye Qingxi.

Therefore, she didn't insist any further and agreed, "Alright then."

Zhong Yan was satisfied. "Which way is your friend's office?"

"The left side," Qin Cheng said.

“Okay.” Zhong Yan stood up. “Then I’ll be going.”

"Mm." Qin Cheng didn't mince words with him.

Zhong Yan went out the door and walked along the left side. After a while, she saw Li Wen.

He hadn't closed his office door; he was leaning back in his chair, holding his phone and looking at it, seemingly deep in thought.

Zhong Yan knocked on the door, and Li Wen looked over.

Zhong Yan smiled and asked him, "May I come in?"

Li Wen nodded.

Zhong Yan went inside and closed the door for him.

Li Wen stood up and led him to sit down on the sofa. "Have you two finished talking?"

“Mm,” Zhong Yan said.

"So you came to find me...?"

"It's nothing," Zhong Yan said. "I'm just a little curious, how did you and Qin Cheng meet? How did you become friends?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wen recounted his connection with Qin Cheng once again.

Zhong Yan said "Oh," and added, "That's quite a coincidence."

“That’s right,” Li Wen said. “And you?”

“We’ve known each other since we were little,” Zhong Yan said frankly. “My grandfather and his grandfather were good friends, so we became childhood friends. However, he is a year older than me and started elementary school earlier, so we were not in the same grade. Therefore, I am closer to his younger brother.”

"Ye Qingxi?"

"Hmm," Zhong Yan said, "Could I ask you for a favor?"

"What?" Li Wen asked curiously.

"When I was talking to Qin Cheng just now, I smelled a faint fragrance on him, very similar to yours, only lighter. I guess it's because you went to see him this morning and talked to him for quite a while, so his clothes have your perfume on them."

Li Wen: ? ? ?

Yeah?

To be honest, Li Wen himself didn't notice it.

After all, compared to the scent of his perfume, Qin Cheng's was nothing.

“Yes.” Li Wen nodded. “I did go to see him this morning to discuss some things.”

Zhong Yan knew that.

"So I wanted to ask you, could you please switch to a perfume that doesn't last as long?"

He said, "You may not know, but Xiaoxi doesn't use perfume and doesn't really like this kind of floral scent. So, we friends either don't use it or switch to a lighter scent so that he won't feel uncomfortable if he smells it."

"Now, he lives with Qin Cheng. Qin Cheng picks him up from the film set every night. When the two of them sit in the same car, the perfume scent is even more obvious."

"But Xiaoxi is the kind of person who is very considerate. He's demanding of himself, but he won't demand of others, so even if he doesn't like something, he won't tell Qin Cheng. But I'm his friend, and I know his preferences very well, so I was thinking... do you have any other styles you like that you could exchange for something else?"

Li Wen never expected Ye Qingxi to be like this.

He was wearing the same perfume when they had dinner together yesterday, but Ye Qingxi didn't say anything when she saw him. Instead, she kept talking to him and seemed very friendly.

Yesterday, today.

They had just finished eating yesterday, and today, Ye Qingxi's friend arrived.

Was it because Ye Qingxi confided in his friend after dinner yesterday?

He was too embarrassed to tell himself, and didn't want to make things difficult for his older brother, but since he really didn't like it, he could only complain to his friends.

This friend named Zhong Yan is clearly a straightforward person, which is why she came to deal with the matter the very next day after hearing Ye Qingxi's complaints.

Is this what he just talked about with Qin Cheng?

He had already told Qin Cheng, so why did he need to tell him again?

Did Qin Cheng refuse?

Unlike him, Li Wen thought to himself, Qin Cheng clearly cared a lot about his younger brother. If his brother's friends said that his brother didn't like it, Qin Cheng would definitely not refuse.

Why is that?

Or was it something else he and Qin Cheng were talking about?

Or perhaps he was wrong all along; Ye Qingxi hadn't complained to his friends, and his friends hadn't come for Ye Qingxi's sake.

She just happened to smell the perfume on Qin Cheng's clothes and knew that her friend didn't like it, so she came to ask him about it.

Li Wen wasn't quite sure and didn't want to make any hasty conclusions.

But that didn't stop him from agreeing to Zhong Yan's request.

“Sure,” he readily agreed. “If I had known he wouldn’t like it, I would have changed it long ago.”

"I just think this perfume is suitable for this season. I will change to a new one in September. But since you said Ye Qingxi doesn't like it, I'll change to something else. Otherwise, it's really uncomfortable to sit in the same car with her."

Zhong Yan laughed when she heard him say that.

"That's true."

"If you and Ye Qingxi are close, then you should know what's going on with the silver bracelet on Ye Qingxi's wrist, right?"

Zhong Yan: ? ? ?

Why are you asking this?

Li Wen leaned closer to him, looking mysterious, "Don't you think it looks a lot like the one Qin Cheng has?"

Zhong Yan: ? ? ?

Zhong Yan: ...You're so gossipy!

Li Wen clearly understood what he was looking at.

Instead of feeling ashamed, he was proud, saying, "Human nature is all about gossip! Can you honestly say you've never been a gossip?"

"I never gossip about people I'm not interested in."

"Look at what you're saying. Qin Cheng is my friend, so naturally he's someone I'm interested in. Can you honestly say you're not gossipy about your friend's affairs?"

Zhong Yan: ...Then he really doesn't dare to say.

“That’s the main reason,” Li Wen said. “Qin Cheng seems to cherish his bracelet. He wears it everywhere he goes. He was still wearing it on his wrist the day he saved me.”

"I initially thought it was a gift from his girlfriend, but yesterday when I was having dinner with Qin Cheng and Ye Qingxi, I saw he had one on his wrist too. Are their bracelets... related?"

Zhong Yan almost burst out laughing when she heard what he said.

Well, this bracelet is really easy to cause misunderstandings. Back when Qin Cheng was in his senior year of high school, there was a misunderstanding, and now it's happening again!

“They gave them to each other,” Zhong Yan said. “The one Qin Cheng is wearing was specially made by Xiao Xi at a silver jewelry store! We even went with him there.”

Li Wen: ? ? ?

No, how can you say that so calmly?

A younger brother, or rather, a cousin!

I made a silver bracelet especially for my cousin!

Is this something so commonplace?

"What about the one Ye Qingxi is holding?"

"Of course it was Qin Cheng who did it," Zhong Yan said nonchalantly. "Qin Cheng did it for Xiao Xi first, so Xiao Xi replied to Qin Cheng as well."

Li Wen: ? ? ? ?

Qin Cheng?

This guy can even make bracelets?

It's so exquisitely made?

Good heavens, he would never have imagined this!

Zhong Yan added as a friendly bonus, "They not only made it by hand, but also designed it themselves."

Li Wen: ...

Li Wen fell silent.

After a long pause, he said, "No wonder, the letters on that bracelet are C and X."

"Yes." Zhong Yan nodded. "Cheng Hexi."

Li Wen asked, "Do I know how old Ye Qingxi was back then?"

"Xiao Xi is a first-year high school student, and Qin Cheng is a third-year high school student."

Good grief! They've already graduated from their third year of graduate school!

So they probably wore it for eight years!

Li Wen was simply astonished!

Whose cousins ​​are exchanging bracelets?

I designed and made it myself!

And he wore it for eight years straight!

They won't even let anyone touch them normally!

In this situation, could he really fall in love with someone else?

Is she wearing her younger brother's bracelet because she likes someone else?

Li Wen simply couldn't believe it.

Especially when she thought about how considerate Qin Cheng was to Ye Qingxi during dinner yesterday, and compared it with his usual indifference towards others.

Does he really not like his brother?

Is Ye Qingxi really not the person he keeps hidden in his heart?

Zhong Yan noticed the changing expression on the person opposite her and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"

"I feel like I'm going astray."

Zhong Yan: "Huh?"

"Can you tell me more about Qin Cheng and Ye Qingxi?" Li Wen looked at him, her mind full of gossip.

Zhong Yan: ? ? ? ?

Looking into his inquisitive eyes, Zhong Yan felt that he probably really disliked Qin Cheng.

Otherwise, they shouldn't have this attitude.

This doesn't seem like jealousy, dissatisfaction, or contempt at all. If you gave him some sunflower seeds, he'd probably start eating them right away.

"You should let Qin Cheng tell you himself."

"Given his attitude of barely daring to speak to anyone except his brother, do you think he would talk to me?"

"Then why are you still friends with him?"

"It's not that I can't repay the life-saving grace, so I can only be friends. Otherwise, you can't expect me to repay you with my body, can you?"

Li Wen let out a "Huh?" with a look of disgust.

Zhong Yan chuckled and said to him, "It's a pity, I have something to do. Let's meet again next time."

"Then let's add each other on WeChat." Li Wen quickly took out his phone.

Zhong Yan: ...

Zhong Yan had no choice but to scan his QR code.

After leaving the Mu Group, he called Pei Liang and said, "I'm going back."

"Aren't you going to have dinner with Qin Cheng?" Pei Liang asked him.

"Forget it, let him go back and eat with Xiaoxi."

"So, have you found out anything?"

“Hmm.” Zhong Yan nodded. “Qin Cheng is much more reliable than you. He’s clearly a true friend. He just wants to gossip about you, not like he has anything to do with you.”

Pei Liang: ...

"I have nothing to do with anyone else but you."

Zhong Yan laughed, "Come on, have you forgotten about that junior who likes you?"

"That's because he likes me, not the other way around! Besides, there are plenty of other people who like you!"

"I don't live with anyone who likes me."

“We’re just roommates,” Pei Liang emphasized again, “just ordinary, meaningless roommates.”

Zhong Yan was just teasing him, and now that she was done teasing him, she didn't bother bringing up the past.

He got into the car and started chatting with Pei Liang about other things.

After receiving a message from Zhong Yan saying that he had already spoken with Li Wen and that Li Wen would be changing his perfume the next day, Qin Cheng hesitated for two seconds. It was only after Li Wen came to talk to him about work that he asked him, "Can you temporarily stop using perfume?"

Li Wen: ? ? ?

Li Wen asked him, "Because of your brother?"

Qin Cheng nodded.

Li Wen: ...

"I have a question for you."

"you say."

Do you usually smoke in front of your younger brother?

"Of course I won't smoke." Qin Cheng said matter-of-factly.

"Does your brother know you smoke?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course I don't know," Qin Cheng replied matter-of-factly.

Li Wen: ? ? ? !!!

Li Wen was surprised that he wasn't surprised at all.

But the lack of surprise itself is eerie.

"Your brother doesn't smoke, does he?" Li Wen asked almost with certainty.

Why are you asking this?

"It's nothing. It's just that he doesn't seem like the type to smoke, and if he did, you wouldn't hide it from him."

"If you don't let him know, it can only mean that he doesn't like it or wouldn't do it himself. That's why you subconsciously maintain your image in front of him so that he won't dislike you because of it."

Qin Cheng: ...

Qin Cheng said, "I only smoke occasionally."

That's the truth.

Qin Cheng doesn't smoke often.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling irritable, I'll smoke one.

Since returning to China, especially after living with Ye Qingxi, I've been smoking much less.

“It’s not about the number of times,” Li Wen said, looking at him. “It’s about attitude.”

"Secondhand smoke is harmful to your health, so you won't smoke in front of him."

“He doesn’t smoke himself, so you don’t want him to know that you do.”

“Qin Cheng, you care about him a lot,” Li Wen said earnestly.

Qin Cheng did not deny the matter; he simply met his gaze calmly and composedly.

This was something Ye Qingxi knew; it was a safety matter concerning the two of them, something that could be brought into the open, so Qin Cheng wasn't guilty or afraid.

Li Wen didn't expect him to be so calm.

But he quickly figured it out.

Because they are brothers.

Brothers can care about each other.

So of course he can care about Ye Qingxi.

Therefore, he naturally didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said.

"Do you care if anyone else surpasses Ye Qingxi?" Li Wen asked curiously.

Qin Cheng instinctively wanted to say it was none of your business, but the words were on the tip of his tongue when he remembered Li Wen's friendship with him over the years.

He unusually refrained from uttering those four words.

He didn't say anything.

But that's already a pretty clear answer.

Li Wen thought, he just knew.

He wore the bracelet his brother had given him; no one was more important to him than his brother.

He didn't want to doubt it.

But now, one has to have doubts.

No wonder he's still single even though he has someone he likes.

When the other party is Ye Qingxi, everything makes sense.

Because that was his younger brother.

Although they are not related by blood and are not on the same household registration, they grew up together since childhood and he is like a younger brother to his older brother.

So he didn't dare.

He could only keep the other person in his heart.

“Okay, I promise you,” Li Wen said.

What? Qin Cheng was a little confused. What did he promise him?

He quickly understood.

"Since you care so much about your brother, and to accommodate such an amazing older brother like you, I'll refrain from using perfume for the next two months."

Qin Cheng nodded, "That would be best."

“Sigh,” Li Wen sighed, “If only my brother were half as good as you.”

He deliberately said, "Qin Cheng, look, your brother is single, and I'm single too. If it were me..."

"Don't even think about him!" Qin Cheng's tone was unusually impatient and angry.

"Okay, okay," Li Wen quickly replied.

Seriously, that's fierce!

Qin Cheng glared at him and warned him seriously, "Li Wen, let me tell you, if you dare to provoke him, I will absolutely not let you off!"

Li Wen: ...

Brother, I'm calling you brother, please! Look at yourself now, do you look like a brother?!

It's not that I want to doubt you, bro, it's just that you really are suspicious!

How am I supposed to help you wash it?

Li Wen was in despair.

He felt that he hadn't just gone astray; he was practically making his home on the wrong path.