Qin Manshu accompanied Ji Shuli out of the research center.
Ye Zhiwei stood outside. This was Ye Zhiwei's first time meeting Qin Manshu. She had previously searched for Qin Manshu's photos online because Anna had mentioned that the perpetrator was the Qin family's personal driver. Unexpectedly, Qin Manshu was even more gentle and graceful than in the photos online. Her overall temperament was excellent. She was wearing what appeared to be a custom-made dress, and the bag she was carrying was very suitable for her outfit. She was also wearing small pearl earrings, and she looked like a well-bred young lady from a wealthy family.
As Ye Zhiwei sized up Qin Manshu, Qin Manshu was also observing Ye Zhiwei. She looked at her intently, with a hint of surprise and doubt. Then, she smiled and extended her hand to introduce herself, saying, "Hello, little cousin, I am Qin Manshu."
She addressed Ye Zhiwei as her little cousin so naturally that Ye Zhiwei was taken aback for a moment, and then looked at Ji Shuli.
No way, no way, no way! Although she knew from Bai Zhi that Qin Manshu liked Ji Shuli, according to her cousin's words, they had only had a brief encounter this time and shouldn't have had much interaction before. Could it be that she managed to win over Ji Shuli in just two days?
That's incredibly fast! Or is my cousin actually a womanizer who doesn't accept anyone's advances?
Wait a minute, although my cousin is a goofball, he's also quite respectable in public. People even call him the aloof Young Master Ji. He should be picky when it comes to relationships. Besides, with my cousin's straight-man attitude, he probably wouldn't even notice unless Qin Manshu confessed directly.
Ye Zhiwei's mind was already filled with all sorts of thoughts. She glanced at Qin Manshu and then at her cousin.
As expected, the straight man Ji Shuli didn't react at first, thinking that there was nothing wrong with Qin Manshu calling Ye Zhiwei that. But he quickly received Ye Zhiwei's implication: Ye Zhiwei is her little cousin, what does this Miss Qin have to do with it?
However, one cannot hit a smiling face, so Ji Shuli only looked at Qin Manshu with slight doubt and politeness.
Qin Manshu noticed Ji Shuli's gaze and explained to Ye Zhiwei with a smile, "It's because I just heard Shuli call you 'little cousin,' and it felt fresh and fun. Plus, you're so pretty and likable, so I couldn't help but want to get closer to you. I hope you don't mind me calling you that too?"
Ye Zhiwei immediately said, "No, it's just a form of address. It's not that you can't call me that, it's just..."
Qin Manshu didn't give Ye Zhiwei a chance to refuse and continued, "Then it's settled. I heard Bai Zhi mention you before, and I was wondering what kind of girl she was praising so highly. Turns out you're such a beautiful girl, like a fairy. I used to laugh at her for going to school to look at pretty girls instead of finding a boyfriend, but now I understand why..."
Qin Manshu began praising Ye Zhiwei repeatedly, and these praises inexplicably felt familiar to Ye Zhiwei, giving her a feeling of being a "green tea sister." While Ye Zhiwei was still wondering, Qin Manshu had already intimately led her inside, seemingly ignoring Ji Shuli the whole time. Ji Shuli, on the other hand, sighed helplessly, feeling a little strange, but still followed.
Ye Zhiwei accompanied Ji Shuli to visit the Qin family's research center.
They walked until they reached a security monitoring center, where Ye Zhiwei asked Qin Manshu, "This security monitoring center?"
"It's a video recording room inside."
Ye Zhiwei immediately asked, "Can we go in and take a look?"
Qin Manshu seemed to pause for a moment here, and after a few seconds she smiled and said, "Of course."
Qin Manshu opened the door, only to find that there was a malfunction in the security monitoring system's wiring and equipment. The staff were fixing it. Qin Manshu looked apologetically at Ye Zhiwei, who smiled and said it was alright.
Qin Manshu took the initiative to ask, "Why do you suddenly want to watch the surveillance footage? Those surveillance cameras are just for real-time monitoring of the research center, in case something unexpected happens to the experimental projects."
Ye Zhiwei asked, "Are there any surveillance cameras outside?"
Before Qin Manshu could answer, Ji Shuli took the initiative to say, "There should be. When Miss Qin and I came over, the staff inside immediately came out to welcome us. They even mentioned that they saw it through the surveillance cameras. I was wondering where the cameras were hidden so I couldn't see them."
Qin Manshu narrowed her eyes, and after a long while, she smiled and said, "I don't know about that. Is there anything you need, little cousin?"
"Yes, there is something, just a personal matter. If possible, could I come over again later?" Ye Zhiwei asked.
"Of course." She gently agreed to Ye Zhiwei's request, then said with a smile, "I'll have someone arrange it, and you can come directly to retrieve the video recording you want."
Ye Zhiwei breathed a slight sigh of relief when Qin Manshu agreed. She was thinking that if Qin Manshu disagreed, she would have someone investigate a little and then inform the procuratorate that there might be video recordings at the research center, which might allow for supplementary investigation.
I didn't expect there to be video recording equipment here. Now I don't know if the surveillance footage captured that section of the road.
After leaving the security center, Ye Zhiwei became somewhat absent-minded.
It was already afternoon when it was over, and Qin Manshu invited Ye Zhiwei and Ji Shuli to have dinner together.
Ji Shuli glanced at the time and politely declined, saying, "It's still early. My little cousin and I don't eat this early. We should wait until we get back to eat. Besides, I have some personal matters to attend to."
Qin Manshu glanced at Ji Shuli, but didn't press the matter further. Seeing Ji Shuli's words, she immediately smiled and said, "It is indeed a bit early. We can have dinner together another time."
Ji Shuli immediately said, "Yes, I will definitely treat Miss Qin to a meal next time I have the opportunity. It's been hard for you to spend so much time with us. If IV needs to cooperate in any way in the future, we will have to trouble Miss Qin."
Compared to Qin Manshu's affectionate way of addressing him, Ji Shuli's tone was much more polite.
Qin Manshu narrowed her eyes, nodded and smiled, "It's no trouble at all, Shuli, you're too kind."
Seeing that Ji Shuli seemed oblivious to Qin Manshu's attempt to keep him, and that his words were polite yet distant, Ye Zhiwei couldn't help but click her tongue inwardly: "He really is a straight man."
Ji Shuli did not ask for Qin Manshu's contact information, and Qin Manshu did not say anything either, maintaining her composure and restraint. However, she turned to Ye Zhiwei and said, "Little cousin, can you give me your contact information? You want to see the surveillance footage, right? Once they've fixed it, I can arrange for you to come over. I'll send you a message directly."
For this reason, Ye Zhiwei added Qin Manshu as a friend before preparing to leave.
Unexpectedly, after saying goodbye to Qin Manshu, Ji Shuli told Ye Zhiwei not to call a driver, and drove her home himself, as if he had nothing else to do.
Ye Zhiwei looked puzzled: "Cousin, didn't you have some personal matters to attend to?"
"It's gone now."
Ye Zhiwei immediately understood what Ji Shuli meant. She realized that there was no such thing as a clueless straight man. Her cousin had clearly already figured something out and was just pretending not to know.
"So, cousin, you've already figured out that Qin Manshu has feelings for you?"
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