Accidental Love

My… emotions met setbacks?

Zheng Shuyi hadn't recovered from the shock that Qin Shiyue's "uncle" brought to her and now was stunned after the addition of Shi Yan's words.

She blinked her eyes and confusion was written all over her face.

Qin Shiyue held her forehead to the side, not even looking at her uncle.

I told you it's the perfect opportunity to quietly come in, not just come in straight like this!

The setbacks aren't the point! You stupid man!

Under the heavy pressure, Qin Shiyue still decided to take responsibility and walked up to break the awkward moment.

"Uncle, I was chatting with Sister Shuyi, she just met a little setback, it's not anything――"

Zheng Shuyi: "…?”

Oh, that's what happened.

Qin Shiyue… you can't do anything well, but you're definitely a world champion at digging holes for me.

However, before Qin Shiyue was able to fix the awkwardness, she was interrupted.

Shi Yan completely ignored her desire to ease the mood and didn't even glance at her. His eyes were still on Zheng Shuyi as he said, "Go back to your room."

This sentence was naturally addressed to Qin Shiyue.

And that made the atmosphere tenser.

Although Qin Shiyue didn't understand why Shi Yan's sentence made her feel the tension of a war about to break out in front of her.

But she knew that she couldn't stay here anymore.

"Oh, then I'll go back now…"

After speaking, neither of the two gave her a look, and they were still immersed in the delicate atmosphere of tension.

There seemed to be an invisible fuse between the two. Whoever reached out their hand and touched it, the fire would instantly ignite the air.

Seeing this, Qin Shiyue immediately slipped away in the blink of an eye.

But before entering the elevator, she still couldn't help but look back one more time and happened to see Shi Yan grabbing Zheng Shuyi's hand and walking towards the promenade.

——

The hotel’s promenade was built along the mountain. There were no walls and it was in the open air, with gurgling water flowing on the side and exquisite wood-carved street lights hanging overhead.

In such an elegant environment, Shi Yan was very impatient. Regardless of Zheng Shuyi's struggle, he pulled her towards the end of the promenade with a cold face.

Zheng Shuyi felt that her wrist was about to be broken.

And this only came second in her worries. She still had to prepare what kind of storm she will have to face next.

If it weren't for all the other guests walking in the promenade, she would have just stopped in place and refused to move.

However, the strength that Shi Yan was using at the moment didn't allow Zheng Shuyi to play any tricks. She even had to work a bit in order to keep up with his footsteps.

At the end of the promenade was the hot spring hotel's bar.

As dusk approached, the ambiguous lights flickered in the bar.

There were only a few guests sitting and chatting quietly, and the bartender was also quietly wiping glasses behind the bar.

Shi Yan stepped in with big steps and chose a sofa and pulled Zheng Shuyi in front of him.

Just as Zheng Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief, she was pressed on the shoulder and onto the corner of the sofa.

Immediately afterward, Shi Yan sat down in front of her.

Zheng Shuyi subconsciously wanted to stand up, but he had already straightened one leg and blocked it in front of her. His motion was very usual for a decorous person like him but effectively trapped Zheng Shuyi inside.

Shi Yan leaned his elbow against the side of the sofa and lifted his chin toward Zheng Shuyi.

"Here, now you can explain what kind of setbacks I made to your emotions."

Zheng Shuyi: "…?"

It took a long time for Zheng Shuyi to use her only remaining brain cells to figure out the current situation.

Qin Shiyue said that she had emotional setbacks, and Shi Yan naturally understood it as that it was him who caused it.

Then…

If she said that it was someone else who caused the emotional setbacks, well, she might not be able to walk out of this hotel alive.

Zheng Shuyi clenched her fists and really wanted to drag Qin Shiyue out and beat her up.

After a while, Zheng Shuyi's soft and scared voice sounded, "It, it's not a big deal. So remember when I misunderstood that day that you liked Qin Shiyue? Well, I felt very bad, and now that you came with her to Qingan, I… I feel bad…"

As Zheng Shuyi was talking, she stepped into the play again and acted out a crying face.

Whatever, I'll deal with all the problems later, I first need to make sure I live until tomorrow.

But when she raised her head, seeing Shi Yan's face as if he was watching a play, she knew that he didn't believe her.

"Now that I know you two are relatives, you should have told me earlier, I wouldn't have thought so much," Zheng Shuyi accepted his look and smiled dryly, "And now everything's good, my setbacks are gone."

After speaking, she waited nervously for Shi Yan's response.

However, Shi Yan just looked at her quietly. The dim table lamp shone in a gentle warm yellow color. In between the two's eyes, it was like calm spring water, carrying Shi Yan's emotional eyes.

Of course, he saw through Zheng Shuyi's lies.

But――

Sometimes, he really didn't know what to do with her.

Knowing all the tricks and lies she had in mind, he still gave him chances over and over again.

Anyway, no matter how far she went, it was still within his acceptable range.

After a long time, he sighed silently, retracted the leg blocking Zheng Shuyi, and leaned forward a little.

Zheng Shuyi nervously pulled on her sleeves.

Fortunately, Shi Yan just adjusted his posture and changed into a more comfortable sitting position, and looked down at Zheng Shuyi.

"You sound so sincere," said Shi Yan with a somewhat unreal smile, "Do you really like me that much?"

Zheng Shuyi's finger trembled slightly.

Good question.

Good to the point that it was probably better to just bury her right now.

"I…"

She was so nervous that her palms were hot, and her voice was a little erratic, "I am indeed a very small-minded person."

"Answer the question."

Shi Yan suddenly raised his hand and put it behind her head, not allowing her to look away, "Say it, how much do you like me?"

The sound of music in the bar seemed to disappear for a moment, and only Shi Yan's question echoed in Zheng Shuyi's ears.

Seeing that she didn't reply for a long time, Shi Yan reworded his question.

He got closer, lowered his voice, and said in an enigmatic tone that only she could hear, "Compared with your ex, do you like him more or me more?"

What kind of choice is this?

Can I not choose?

Obviously, she didn't dare.

Her instinct to survive made her talk, "Of course it's you."

Receiving such an answer, Shi Yan seemed to be happy and smiled softly.

The palm behind Zheng Shuyi's head slid down and brushed her hair.

"Okay," he said softly with Zheng Shuyi's face reflected in his pupils, "I'll believe you this time."

Zheng Shuyi's eyes flashed, and then he moved closer.

"Then when will you only like me?"

Zheng Shuyi: "…"

She felt that she was really going to suffocate soon.

What kind of deadly question is this?

Her face, under the extreme tension, flushed redder and redder, and her uneven breathing landed on Shi Yan's face like crazy.

Seeing her like this, Shi Yan slowly let go of her hand and sat upright, giving her space to breathe.

But Zheng Shuyi didn't feel any better after this.

Instead, Shi Yan's final question made her realize even more clearly that he was a very possessive man.

If he finds out――

Zheng Shuyi looked up at the street lamp outside the window.

Game over.

Such a beautiful night scene… she probably won't ever see it again.

Fortunately, Zheng Shuyi's phone rang, and she quickly grabbed it out and answered it.

Shi Yan turned sideways, leaving her room to answer the phone alone.

On the other side of the phone, it was Zheng Shuyi's father.

"Yiyi, are you coming home tonight? If not, we'll be locking the doors."

Zheng Shuyi's voice contained a little panic, "I'll come back, of course I'll come back."

"It's okay. If you want to stay with your friends outside for a while longer…"

"Okay okay, I'll be back home soon, don't worry."

"What?"

After speaking, Zheng Shuyi immediately hung up and looked at Shi Yan.

"My dad's asking me to go back home, I need to be going now."

Shi Yan looked at her with interest and smiled, "Such a good child? Must go home after dark?"

Zheng Shuyi nodded stiffly.

After a while, Shi Yan retracted his legs.

Zheng Shuyi stood up and when she passed in front of him, he grabbed onto her wrist.

"Are you going to act like a proper landlord tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

Zheng Shuyi was stunned.

Shi Yan looked up and stared at her, "Don't tell me that you didn't know, that I came to Qingan for you?"

——

After Zheng Shuyi left, Shi Yan sat in the bar for a while and ordered a mojito.

The number of guests gradually increased, and the bar turned off the music player.

The spotlight in the bar turned on, and a middle-aged man with a ponytail took his guitar to the microphone and sat quietly there.

The bit of noise in the bar ended after his voice sounded. Everyone's attention was drawn to him as they all turned their heads.

"Look at me like I am crazy,

When I shout my feelings out."

"Look at me like I am different,

Still, you take it for something real."

The man's voice was deep and mellow, making the simple lyrics sound very pleasing.

The couples sitting in the bar listened intently to his singing, slowly cuddling together.

In the soft sound of music, Zheng Shuyi's face appeared in Shi Yan's mind.

When she acted like a child, when she acted shamelessly, when she was nervous, and when she was angry…

She always had a lot of emotions, but Shi Yan never seemed to have seen her quiet and gentle side.

So he wanted to bring her here and listen to her soft whispering.

The song soon ended, and applause broke out in the bar.

Shi Yan suddenly put down his glass, got up, and walked towards the bar counter.

——

When he left, the sky had already turned dark. Since Shi Yan came to Qingan completely unprepared, he didn't have anything to do at the moment and decided to return to his room to rest.

As soon as he got out of the elevator, he saw his driver, Fan Lei, standing at the door of his room. His face was full of hesitation, and he raised his hand to ring the bell multiple times, but never managed to press it down.

"Do you want something?"

Shi Yan's sudden voice shocked Fan Lei.

After coming back to his senses, he said nervously, "Mr. Shi, I came here especially to apologize for my niece."

This afternoon, when Zheng Shuyi was experiencing life and death, he wasn't just sitting there.

After what happened during noon, Qin Lezhi and Yue Xingzhou got into a big argument and he left in the end.

And she, being alone in Qingan, could only cry and call her uncle.

Shi Yan had no other plans to go anywhere today, so Fan Lei went to accompany Qin Lezhi to a hotel.

Along the way, Qin Lezhi cried as she told him the whole story.

Fan Lei didn't want to care about the mess between them, but he knew very clearly that Qin Lezhi had completely pissed Zheng Shuyi off this time.

And since he drove Shi Yan's car every day, although he sat in the front, he knew exactly what kind of position Zheng Shuyi had in Shi Yan's heart.

It would be slightly okay if Shi Yan just shoved all this to Qin Lezhi, after all, his family was still considered somewhat wealthy. Even if she didn't have a job, she could still live pretty well in her hometown.

But Fan Lei was different, he couldn't rely on the Qin family, and he didn't have many other skills. If Shi Yan's anger on Qin Lezhi brought him in too, then this simple yet high-paying job would be gone, and he really didn't know what else he could do.

So after thinking about it, he felt that he should still apologize.

Shi Yan glanced at his watch and realized he still had time, "Go ahead."

Fan Lei thought about what to say, and spoke, "It's my niece's fault, she's still so ignorant, and she did affect the relationship between Miss Zheng and her ex-boyfriend. I already scolded her about this and she knew what she did wrong. She already broke up with that man and I'll let her apologize to Miss Zheng about this too. And――"

Shi Yan interrupted him suddenly, "To apologize? Then let Shuyi go back to her ex?"

"What?"

Fan Lei realized that he had misspoken and quickly shook his head, "What's not what I meant, of course, they can't back together. That man is such a scum, she made the right choice to break up with him."

Shi Yan's point has never been the same as Fan Lei's. He nodded, and asked again, "How is her ex-boyfriend a scum?"

In fact, Fan Lei could also tell, this "ex-boyfriend" was also a thorn in his throat.

At this time, the best thing for him to do was to vigorously make Yue Xingzhou sound as bad as possible so that maybe Shi Yan could feel better and let him go.

"He's greedy for money to the extreme," said Fan Lei with a frown, "As a man, he doesn't want to work hard on his own and just wants to take a shortcut to reach the top of the sky. He thought you were…"

Having said that, he suddenly stopped.

It seemed that he said too much…

Shi Yan wasn't very happy at this sudden pause.

"Thought what?"

Fan Lei made up his mind, perhaps telling him it might change the situation.

"It's all a misunderstanding. He thought that you were Lele's uncle, so he ditched Miss Zheng and got together with Lele."

After speaking, the person in front of him was silent for a long time.

Fan Lei looked at him nervously.

He knew that he was not a very smart person and often said the wrong things at the wrong times, so he tried not to speak while working.

At this moment, seeing Shi Yan being silent, his heart almost stopped.

His plan didn't seem to go the way he wanted to.

Sure enough, Shi Yan's face turned very ugly.

Normally, the pair of glasses seemed to give off an icy reflection, and now that his eyes were even more gloomy, it made others who looked at him shiver even more.

"I see…"

After a long time, Shi Yan finally murmured to himself.

Fan Lei was slightly trembling in fear, wondering whether he should continue to speak.

"He…"

"I understand," Shi Yan squinted his eyes and said nothing else, "You should go and rest now."

——

After Fan Lei left, Shi Yan stood in the corridor for a long while.

The leaves were projected on the wall by the lights, and the black shadows swayed uncontrollably when the wind blew.

Shi Yan knew that his guess sounded very absurd. But just like the shadows on the wall at this time, no matter how blurry they look, they came from a physical object. These shadows didn't appear out of thin air.

Moreover, his guess made complete sense with the truth.

A person like Zheng Shuyi, what ridiculous things could she not do?

So she approached him for the sake of that "niece", this sounded exactly like something she went to spend time and effort on.

Thinking to this point, Shi Yan suddenly laughed.

He thought she wanted money and power, but he realized he was wrong.

From beginning to end, she just wanted to use him to achieve her own revenge.

At this time, there was a hotel attendant pushing a dining trolley behind Shi Yan.

"Sir, excuse me."

Shi Yan turned sideways, his eyes landing on the attendant’s face.

The attendant was taken back in shock by the look in his eyes, wondering how he ended up provoking him just by delivering food.

The next second, Shi Yan came back to his senses and took out his room card.

Beep, the door opened.

Shi Yan didn't go in, instead, he lowered his head and looked at the ground in silence.

Then, he turned and walked toward another room.

——

At this time, Qin Shiyue had just applied a facial mask and was about to enjoy a nice supper. When she heard the doorbell, she thought that the hotel came to bring her the free food for VIP guests, so she ran over to the door barefoot.

"Who is it?"

When she opened the door, she saw Shi Yan standing at the door.

"Uncle?"

Shi Yan stepped forward, forcing Qin Shiyue to take many steps back.

As his niece, Qin Shiyue has lived with him for so many years and was very sensitive to his emotional changes.

For example, at this moment, although Shi Yan didn't speak, she could feel the chilly breathing he was giving off.

What happened?

"Why are you here…Sister Shuyi… did she leave?"

Shi Yan held the door with one hand and stared at Qin Shiyue for a long time.

Shi Yan finally gave a simple affirmative response after staring at her to the point of giving her a freaky feeling.

Qin Shiyue took another step back, "Oh… then do you want something from me?"

"Nothing really," Shi Yan's tone was light, but his posture showed a strong sense of oppression.

He looked down at Qin Shiyue in a very oppressive manner, forcing her to tell the truth, "I can't use this opportunity to quietly come in, what should I do?"

"What?"

Qin Shiyue was shocked to the point that her chin was about to fall.

She didn't expect her uncle to come to her just to say this.

And didn’t expect her uncle to say something so awkward. 

"What, what do you mean?"

Qin Shiyue decided to help increase his self-confidence, "Uncle, you're such a good person, there's not a second person in this world as good as you. Just try a little bit harder, then she'll definitely be yours."

"Oh?" Shi Yan squinted his eyes, carefully examining her expression, "There's someone in her heart already, how do I try harder?"

"What?!"

Qin Shiyue was stunned for a while, and then understood, "Ah, you're talking about that?"

She frowned and thought about it. She felt that she was really helping her uncle a lot on this matter, and hoped that he could remember her kindness later on.

"She did pursue some other man before, but don't worry, she didn't love him for real, there's another reason behind it. Now she has given up on him, this is your perfect chance."

"Hmm," said Shi Yan lightly, "So it's really like this."

Qin Shiyue nodded again and again, "Yesyes, all you have to do is――"

Before she finished, the door was suddenly closed with force, which almost even made her facial mask fall off.

"What the hell…" Qin Shiyue touched her cheek and whispered to herself.

——

Outside, Shi Yan's phone rang as he closed the door.

It was a call from the manager of the bar downstairs.

"Hello, is this Mr. Shi? I'm the manager of the bar and I'm here to confirm with you again, are you going to reserve this whole place down from tomorrow night 8 pm to 2 am?"

"Sir? Are you listening?"

"Sir?"

A few seconds later, Shi Yan's calm voice sounded on the phone.

"No, I'll cancel."