Maybe she was overthinking it.
Even though Chen Li viewed her niece Wen Ying through layers of affectionate bias, she had to admit some gaps couldn’t be bridged by rose-tinted glasses.
It was better that Xiao Ying didn’t know him!
Wen Ying felt no guilt at all.
She hadn’t lied.
Hadn’t Zhou Xingchi’s movie said it best? You can’t use the imperial sword of the previous dynasty to behead officials of the current one. Setting aside her past life, in this one, it wasn’t yet time for her to know Xie Qian.
So, as early as the summer of 2004, Xie Qian was already in Rongcheng?
In her previous life, Xie Qian didn’t transfer into her class until the second semester of their first year in 2005, becoming her classmate.
Wen Ying hadn’t even known Xie Qian was connected to Teacher Lin, because in her past life, on this day, she was still in her hometown waiting for her middle school exam results, not in Rongcheng. Naturally, she wouldn’t have come with her aunt Chen Li to visit Teacher Lin today, nor would she have bumped into Xie Qian at his house.
Perhaps Xie Qian had always had ties to Teacher Lin’s family, but Wen Ying simply never had the chance to see it.
According to her previous life’s timeline, she wouldn’t meet Xie Qian until 2005… By then, her aunt Chen Li would already be divorced from Uncle Deng Shangwei, having sold their house in this neighbourhood and moved elsewhere.
The thought jolted Wen Ying into action, her fighting spirit ignited, pushing the surprise of encountering Xie Qian early aside.
Xie Qian was still alive—that was enough.
If she wanted to do something for him, there was still plenty of time, no need to worry about being too late.
But Chen Li and Deng Shangwei’s crumbling marriage was an urgent matter right in front of her.
Filled with resolve, Wen Ying declared, “Auntie, from now on, I’m Uncle’s secretary. Does he have any social engagements tonight?”
Chen Li tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t hold back a laugh, “You know how to be a secretary?”
Wen Ying nodded confidently, “Of course I do, but Uncle has to cooperate. He can’t brush me off just because I’m young.”
Chen Li didn’t take Wen Ying’s words seriously.
She’d only ever heard of secretaries accommodating their bosses, not the other way around—Wen Ying was still such a kid, her words were too amusing.
Still, Chen Li didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
A teenage girl with no exposure to the adult world having misconceptions about work was perfectly normal.
“Alright, you’re the secretary in charge, when we get home, I’ll get Boss Deng’s schedule for you!”
Wen Ying hooked her arm through Chen Li’s, “Thanks, Auntie—no, you’re my boss’s wife now, thank you, Boss Lady, for supporting my work.”
…
“Xie, Young Master Xie, have some fruit.”
“Young Master Xie, tea.”
Xie Qian sat on the sofa in Teacher Lin’s home, a high-end piece her husband had bought from abroad. Some visitors might feel awkward sitting on such a luxurious sofa.
Not Xie Qian.
The teenage boy lounged casually, making the fancy sofa a mere backdrop. It wasn’t Xie Qian adapting to the furniture, but the sofa’s premium leather seeming to elevate itself because of him… Xie Qian lit up the entire villa. The nanny stammered nervously when speaking to him, feeling clumsy in his presence, unable to stop herself from calling him “Young Master.”
That title was something you’d only hear in TV dramas nowadays, not in real life—it wasn’t the old society anymore, no one called people “Young Master.”
But without that title, the nanny, Wang Auntie, didn’t dare speak to Xie Qian at all.
Xie Qian politely thanked her, “Auntie Wang, you can just call me by my name.”
Wang Auntie smiled but didn’t follow his suggestion.
Lin Lin came downstairs carrying two bags, “Perfect timing with you here today, your brother-in-law went to the US on business last month and brought back gifts for you, saves me a special trip.”
Xie Qian stood to take the bags.
“Cousin, thank my brother-in-law for me, I won’t stand on ceremony with him. Next time he’s in the capital, I’ll treat him well.”
At just sixteen, Xie Qian spoke with remarkable poise. Lin Lin looked at her cousin with pride—this was the Xie family’s prodigy. Though her surname was Lin, not Xie, having a cousin like Xie Qian somehow validated her own excellence. Lin Lin’s mother-in-law was a vice-principal at a top high school, her father-in-law the general manager of a major publishing group in Rongcheng, and her husband an elite who’d studied abroad. This family could absolutely be called “cultured,” with discerning tastes that sneered at nouveau riche. Only the exceptional could catch their eye.
Lin Lin’s picky in-laws and husband had met Xie Qian just a few times and already adored him.
His stunning looks and refined aura were part of it, but so were his intelligence and grace.
He was a bit cold, sure, but he never made anyone feel uneasy in conversation.
Sometimes, Lin Lin felt her cousin’s perfection was almost unreal.
If she had to nitpick and find a flaw, it’d be that coldness.
Even with impeccable manners, even in front of his own cousin, he lacked a touch of human warmth.
Lin Lin chuckled to herself.
What was she thinking?
If Xie Qian had that human warmth, would he still be Xie Qian?
It’d be like a god from the heavens, who might briefly cross paths with mortals but wouldn’t live among them forever.
Gods didn’t belong to mortals, and Xie Qian wouldn’t stay in Rongcheng long either. The city’s slow, cosy pace didn’t suit him. Lin Lin knew his stage was far bigger, he was only here to accompany his elderly family members for a retreat.
“Is Grandma still adjusting to Qingcheng Mountain’s climate?”
“Yeah, she loves it.”
“I don’t have class tomorrow morning, I’ll go back with you later and stay overnight on the mountain, then head back to Rongcheng at noon.”
“Sounds good.”
Lin Lin sighed, only someone with Xie Qian’s temperament could patiently stay with the elderly in the mountains.
Mountain life was quiet and lonely—which young person didn’t crave the bustle of the city?
Lin Lin packed a couple of outfits and some supplements suitable for the elderly, then left with Xie Qian.
As the car reached the neighbourhood entrance, they ran into Wen Ying again.
Lin Lin had a good first impression of Wen Ying and couldn’t resist teasing Xie Qian, who sat in the passenger seat, “You’re too good-looking, you left that little girl stunned earlier. Xie Qian, do you have a girlfriend at school? Tell me secretly, I’ll keep it under wraps!”
Xie Qian gave a helpless smile.
Following Lin Lin’s gaze, he glanced out the window.
He’d been good-looking since he was a kid, and if he didn’t have that aloof, don’t-come-near-me vibe, he’d spend all twenty-four hours a day fending off admirers, leaving no time for anything else.
He’d met plenty of people who “fell for him at first sight,” but the girl he’d nearly bumped into at his cousin’s door didn’t seem like one of them.
When she saw him, her face showed shock first, then a daze, tinged with something like nostalgia.
—She looked like she might cry.
That wasn’t the look of love at first sight.
It was as if she were seeing someone else through him.
A flicker of curiosity passed through Xie Qian’s mind, though he was certain he didn’t know her.
