"Where are you?" Lin Yue’s voice was urgent.
Shen Jingrou wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
"Shen Jingrou, where exactly are you?" Seeing no response from her for a long time, Lin Yue’s tone clearly grew more agitated.
"’Qin Land’." Shen Jingrou sniffed, trying hard to control her emotions, "Hua... Qin Huai’s room."
At this moment, she could no longer bring herself to call him "Brother Huaizhi."
"Stay there and don’t leave, I’m coming over now."
After saying that, Lin Yue quickly hung up the phone.
Shen Jingrou let her hand fall weakly by her side, the phone slipping from her grasp, bouncing once on the sofa and landing on the floor with a dull "thud."
The outer walls of the building were solid, and the soundproofing inside was also excellent.
As time ticked by, Shen Jingrou sat on the sofa, her hands tightly gripping the soft fabric.
After just over ten minutes, there was a noise at the entrance.
Soon, Lin Yue strode in wearing a thin white shirt.
"Are you alone?" Lin Yue, breathless, walked up and looked around.
Shen Jingrou’s watery eyes glared straight at him.
If looks could kill, Lin Yue felt he would’ve died several times over.
"Ahem..." He feigned nonchalance, avoiding her gaze while covering his mouth to pretend to cough, trying to hide his guilt.
"Why don’t we go outside?" Lin Yue cast a sidelong glance toward the inner room; he needed no guesswork to know what that brute Qin Huai was doing.
"Go get Qin Huai for me, I have something to ask him." Shen Jingrou looked at him with a sinister expression, anger simmering without an outlet.
Usually, no matter what Shen Jingrou said, Lin Yue would do as she asked, but now that it involved Qin Huai, none of them had the right to interfere.
Moreover, everyone in their circle knew, more or less, the extent of Qin Huai’s madness for Jiang Suusu.
"You’re aiding the wicked." Shen Jingrou looked at his indifference, full of shame and anger.
Lin Yue walked over to the coffee table, which was laden with various snacks, desserts, and fruits, showing how attentive Qin Huai was to the young girl living here.
He picked up a crystal-clear grape and put it in his mouth.
Sweet to the point of cloying.
"Shen Jingrou, this is Huaizhi’s personal matter, let’s not meddle unnecessarily." Lin Yue turned, looking at her with a rare hint of seriousness on his usually somber face.
"Don’t forget, her last name is Jiang," Lin Yue said emphatically, "If it weren’t for Huaizhi’s protection over the years, do you think she would have grown up unscathed?"
Shen Jingrou tilted her head back, the mist in her eyes not yet dissipated.
When their eyes met, her slightly reddened eyes made his heart tighten, and Lin Yue sadly averted his gaze.
"But... that’s not a reason for Qin Huai to bully her." Shen Jingrou said stubbornly.
Thinking of Jiang Suusu’s innocent and lively face, Shen Jingrou’s heart could not calm down for a long time.
"Don’t worry, she’s been raised by Huaizhi, no one cares for Suusu more than he does." Lin Yue stood lazily, his words tinged with helplessness.
After all, Qin Huai was overly obsessed when it came to Jiang Suusu.
Shen Jingrou looked at the scoundrel in front of her and spat without restraint.
After cursing, her cheeks turned bright red, spreading to the tips of her ears.
Seeing her puffed-up appearance, Lin Yue said, "Let’s go, don’t interrupt the couple’s good time."
Those last two words he purposely said ambiguously. Updates are released by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
Shen Jingrou got up and walked to the man’s side, then lifted her foot and stomped hard on his toe.
"Ouch..." Lin Yue winced in pain, seeing the woman still not satisfied, he stood straight, "Why don’t you punch me a few times to let off steam."
Shen Jingrou looked at the man’s devil-may-care attitude and lightly scoffed, "You guys are really good brothers, alike in kind."
After saying that, she turned and walked outside.
Lin Yue saw this and immediately followed, but after taking two steps, he glanced toward the corridor leading to the inner room. He saw a tall and sturdy figure at the corner and silently groused, "Brave enough to be a brute, but not brave enough to admit it!"
Lin Yue’s voice wasn’t loud, but for someone with keen hearing, it was completely audible.
The person hiding in the shadows showed no intention of coming out, waiting for complete silence in the room before the figure at the corner slowly disappeared, walking towards the inner chamber.
Shen Jingrou and Lin Yue left the suite one after the other.
They took the elevator downstairs, and she naturally got into the man’s car.
After driving a distance, Shen Jingrou suddenly remembered something: An Yin was still in the private room with Brother.
She reached out to find her phone, only to remember it had fallen in Qin Huai’s room.
Lin Yue, glancing at her disheartened look, assumed she was still upset about Jiang Suusu’s situation. He racked his brains to avoid provoking her.
"Actually, Huaizhi is quite a good person. Having Suusu with him is a blessing for her," he said carefully.
After speaking, he received an eye roll from her.
"Hmph, when Suusu suddenly disappeared after high school graduation, the Su family announced she had run away from home." Shen Jingrou turned her head, looking at the man’s handsome and extraordinary face, trying to discern clues from it. She continued, "I’ve often asked if you’ve found Suusu over the years. Don’t tell me you knew from the start that Suusu was with Qin Huai all along."
Lin Yue stared ahead, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly. He swallowed hard and chose to remain silent.
Shen Jingrou wasn’t naive.
Now that Qin Huai had returned to the country, and Jiang Suusu would inevitably stay in this circle, meeting Shen Jingrou was unavoidable.
"So all these years, Qin Huai had stayed abroad because of Suisu," Shen Jingrou said with certainty.
She was getting used to saying Qin Huai’s name, Lin Yue mused, finding it oddly comforting. After all, her usual "Brother Huaizhi" infuriated him.
"What’s done is done. No matter how much you feel indignant for Suusu, it’s beyond remedy." Lin Yue cautiously said.
Shen Jingrou understood the reasoning, but Jiang Suusu had been like a little shadow, always trailing behind her, calling her "Sister Jingrou," and she long considered Jiang Suusu as family.
Shen Jingrou closed her eyes, sorting out her fragmented emotions. When she reopened them, her face had a calmness it hadn’t for a long time.
"Let me use your phone to make a call." She spoke in a calm tone.
Lin Yue swiftly glanced at her, saw her composed demeanor, and handed over his phone from his pocket.
Shen Jingrou took it naturally.
"Where’s your phone?" Lin Yue asked impulsively.