MAPF Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Stab Him! Is He Qin Hiding a Lover in His Room?……

Xie Shiwei was speechless.

This idiotic ritual was completely out of character for He Xin Technology; it was obviously another one of the original host’s creations!

As the last “Welcome!” fell, he couldn’t take it anymore. With a bright red face, he dragged the finger-snapping man leading the group to an empty stairwell. “Cancel this ritual from now on. Don’t do this stuff when I come again!”

The man was surprised and uncertain, cold sweat dripping down. “Mr. Xie, the welcoming ceremony was prepared according to your requirements. Didn’t we confirm it with you a few days ago? If you’re not satisfied with anything, just say so, and we’ll redesign it.”

Xie Shiwei said weakly, “…Really, it’s not necessary. I’ve grown up. I don’t like this flashy and impractical ritual anymore. Just be low-key in the future, okay?”

“This…” The man looked troubled. “If you think something is wrong, just tell me. I can handle it.”

Xie Shiwei simply threatened fiercely, “I said don’t do it, so don’t do it! If there’s this crap again next time, I’ll have He Qin fire all of you!”

Now the man’s eyes were filled with terror. He nodded frantically, saying okay, okay, okay.

Xie Shiwei cursed the author inwardly, forced himself to appear calm, and walked past the two rows of people, carrying the lunchbox. He turned a corner to the elevator lobby and pulled out a temporary elevator card from his bag.

This card was placed by the original host in the most conspicuous position in his cardholder. The card sleeve was pink, with three bright red hearts stuck on it, and next to it was written: “He Qin Direct Elevator Exclusive Card.”

Xie Shiwei found it annoying just looking at it. He tore off the heart-shaped stickers and swiped the card to take the elevator to the top floor, where He Qin’s office was located. He got off the elevator and followed the signs to find the President’s Office, but instead found the Chairman’s Office first.

He Qin’s adoptive father, He Shan, had just returned from a trip and was about to enter his office when he saw Xie Shiwei. He stopped, his mouth opening and closing, as if he was trying hard to say something, but he couldn’t get a word out for a long time.

Xie Shiwei became anxious for him and quickly said, “Hello, Uncle He, I’m here to see He Qin to bring him lunch.”

He Shan visibly breathed a sigh of relief and was no longer so awkward. He used body language to point Xie Shiwei in the right direction.

The President’s Office was at the other end of the top floor, much larger than the Chairman’s Office, divided into inner and outer rooms, with a black solid wood door separating the two areas.

The outer room was the assistant’s office, with several desks, but it was empty. Xie Shiwei walked closer and saw an “Out” sign on the innermost desk.

It seemed the assistants were all out on errands.

He Qin’s office was in the inner room. Xie Shiwei went straight to it, but as he grasped the doorknob, he was suddenly pulled backward, stumbling unexpectedly, his back hitting a young man’s elbow.

The man had a work badge on his chest:

Lin Ying, Senior Assistant.

“Assistant Lin,” Xie Shiwei said, rubbing his neck, displeased, “Why did you pull me? I’m here to bring He Qin lunch.”

Assistant Lin looked at Xie Shiwei, then at He Qin’s office, his heart filled with despair.

In the past, when Xie Shiwei came to the company, he couldn’t wait to notify them three days in advance, so they could line up to welcome him. Why did he come so quietly this time, and just at the moment when they were out on errands, the internal phone lines were down, and Bai An was in his boss’s room!

If he and Bai An ran into each other, this ancestor would turn the company upside down!

Assistant Lin was ready to die, blocking the door, determined not to let Xie Shiwei enter.

Xie Shiwei became curious.

There must be a heavyweight guest inside, and the only person who could make the assistant so nervous and desperately try to stop him was probably Bai An. He pretended to be angry. “What, is He Qin hiding a lover in his room?”

Lin Ying was shocked. “Mr. Xie, you can’t talk nonsense! He Qin is self-disciplined and definitely doesn’t have a lover!”

Xie Shiwei couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Alright, alright, I won’t go in. I’ll just listen outside. Get up.”

Lin Ying didn’t budge.

Xie Shiwei smiled kindly. “You won’t get up? Then I’ll jump off the roof and die at the entrance of He Xin Technology.”

Lin Ying moved aside.

Xie Shiwei tiptoed and pushed the door open a crack, his ear pressed against it, quietly eavesdropping outside the door.

.

Inside the room, the clock ticked. Bai An was still waiting for He Qin to answer his question.

He Qin had been silent, so he stubbornly asked again, “Little Qin-gege, after you get divorced, can we be together?”

He Qin looked at Bai An, his chin slightly raised, and remained silent.

From childhood, the person he cared about most was Bai An.

After being adopted and separated, every vacation, he would return to the Black Mountain Orphanage to visit Bai An and Wang Gugu, until they were also adopted by different families.

He Qin had never hidden his concern and attention for Bai An. Even when rumors that he liked Bai An spread, he never cared, thinking it was just the young masters and young ladies being too idle, seizing every opportunity to gossip. He had always been caring towards Bai An.

However, three years ago, Xie Shiwei used the Xie family’s scholarship fund to force Bai An’s adoptive parents to send Bai An abroad to study. Before Bai An left, he actually confessed his feelings to him.

His younger brother, whom he had cared for since childhood, expressed his love. He Qin was initially at a loss. He didn’t want to hurt Bai An, but after thinking it over, he still directly refused.

After he refused, Bai An didn’t seem hurt and continued to share his life with him, only occasionally overstepping the line, seemingly using his actions to show that even if he was rejected, he was still the closest person in He Qin’s life.

Before getting married, He Qin had always been reluctant to be harsh and chose to be tolerant, but now he could no longer let the situation develop.

“Bai An, listen carefully,” He Qin sat down beside Bai An. “Although this marriage is a temporary measure, the entire Xie family will not allow Xie Shiwei to be wronged, so you must keep your distance from me.”

“My feelings for you have always been brotherly. I’m busy with work and don’t have the mind for romance. I can’t predict what will happen in the future, and I can’t give you any guarantees. Don’t have any expectations.”

Bai An started to cry again. “But, but the person I rely on most is Little Qin-gege. I don’t know what to do without you.”

He Qin said, “You must learn not to rely on anyone. Life is your own, and you should control everything yourself.”

Outside the door, Xie Shiwei was stirred by what he heard.

Was this the halo of the protagonist shou!

He could call out such nauseating names like “Little Qin-gege”, and not only did the cold, ruthless, and venomous He Qin not stop him, but he was also so gentle and patient!

This was brotherly love?

Who would believe it?

When He Qin’s love cells awakened, it would develop into a sweet love sooner or later!

Xie Shiwei switched ears and pressed it against the door crack, continuing to eavesdrop.

Lin Ying despaired, frantically calling his boss, but He Qin’s phone was on silent meeting mode, and nothing happened.

.

Inside the door, He Qin patiently waited until Bai An finally stopped crying before saying, “Let’s end this matter here. I have something else to ask you.”

“…Ask away.”

He Qin’s expression darkened. “Have you been in contact with someone named Li Dong?”

Bai An’s mind went blank for a moment, his fingers nervously gripping the sofa. “No.”

“Really not?” He Qin asked.

“No.”

“Then what is this video?”

He Qin picked up the remote and pressed it. A video image from a coffee shop appeared on the projector.

In the video, Bai An wore a baseball cap and scarf, his face almost completely covered, but the earring on his earlobe exposed his identity. This earring was a gift He Qin gave him for his coming-of-age, and he had never taken it off since he put it on.

The man opposite Bai An wore a parka and was the one who had harmed Xie Shiwei four days ago. During their conversation, Bai An showed his phone to the man twice, then took out a bank card and handed it to the man. The man nodded and spoke to Bai An for a few more minutes before leaving.

After the video ended, Bai An trembled all over, as if his soul had left his body, and he felt like the sky was falling.

“Li Dong is a deliveryman in the resort area and can freely enter and exit with his work badge. If I’m not mistaken, after Xie Shiwei bought you the plane ticket, you couldn’t swallow your anger and found out that he was attending my family’s party. So, five days after returning to the country, you immediately found this person and asked him to give Xie Shiwei a hard time at the party, embarrass him, and preferably cause an accident or a serious illness, so that the wedding would be canceled or postponed, right?”

He Qin’s expression no longer had the gentleness from before and could be described as extremely cold and stern.

Bai An no longer resisted and lowered his head, admitting his mistake. “Little Qin-gege, I was wrong, but I didn’t really do anything! At first, I wanted him to push Xie Shiwei into the pool, but then I got scared. I was afraid that something would really happen to Xie Shiwei, and I was also afraid that it would affect you, affect Uncle and Aunt, so I contacted him the day before the party to cancel the deal!”

He Qin was silent.

Bai An said anxiously, “Brother, don’t you believe me? I have the chat history! Look!”

Bai An pulled out the chat history and showed it to He Qin.

In the dialogue box, Bai An said he wanted to cancel. Li Dong initially refused, but Bai An changed the bank card password, and Li Dong could no longer swipe the card. He angrily cursed him several times, and the deal between the two fell apart.

“Look, I didn’t lie to you,” Bai An put away his phone and asked in a low voice, “Why do you know about this? I obviously returned to the country secretly.”

He Qin said coldly, “You only care about how I found out?”

Bai An’s face suddenly turned pale. “Did Li Dong snitch to Xie Shiwei! Did Xie Shiwei find out? Did the Xie family find out? Will they cause trouble for you?”

“Bai An!” He Qin roared, “What you should be worried about isn’t who snitched or whether there will be trouble, but whether your actions will hurt others. If something really happened, how could you bear it!”

“I wouldn’t do this to others! I’m not that kind of person!” Bai An frantically defended, “It’s just that Xie Shiwei deliberately sent me away from you and humiliated me every time I saw him. I was so angry that I wanted to teach him a lesson, and besides, nothing happened to him, right? I saw him at the wedding, lively and energetic!”

He Qin was so angry that he didn’t speak for a long time, finally shaking his head in disappointment. “Bai An, I’ve been too tolerant of you.”

Bai An’s heart shook. “I know I was wrong, Little Qin-gege, don’t be angry.”

He Qin’s heart was filled with thoughts, unsure whether he was more self-reproachful or angry.

Bai An had a baby face and was liked by everyone since he was a child. When he was young, he would often act cute to the orphanage teachers and ask for a few more steamed buns to share with him and Wang Gugu.

Every time, Bai An would secretly keep one more for himself, hiding it in the crack in the wall behind his pillow, and tell them that the steamed buns were all gone.

He Qin wasn’t fooled, but he didn’t care about Bai An’s lie.

They were all orphans. Bai An did this because he felt insecure, not a big mistake.

Besides, Bai An had desperately smashed the window during a gas leak, saving his life, so he indulged Bai An’s harmless little thoughts.

But if it continued like this, how was he different from Xie Shiwei’s parents spoiling Xie Shiwei?

He Qin stood up, looking at Bai An with great pressure. “You can do whatever you want without harming others, but if your actions cause even a little harm to others, you can’t do it. If you can’t do it, I won’t care about you anymore. Just pretend you don’t have a brother like me.”

“From today onwards, don’t contact me anymore. Reflect on your behavior at your adoptive parents’ home.”

Bai An stared blankly at He Qin, not believing that he would say such hurtful words for Xie Shiwei’s sake. The resentment in his heart deepened, but he still earnestly apologized to He Qin, promising that he would never have such thoughts or actions again.

His expression was full of remorse, sincere and pitiful.

“You have to do what you say,” He Qin nodded. “Also, where did you get the money for Li Dong?”

Bai An perked up. “I earned it myself! My paintings were auctioned off at a high price by a procurement officer from a private museum at an exhibition in Milan!”

Bai An studied art in the United States, a major that Xie Shiwei personally chose for him. Xie Shiwei was sure that this bumpkin couldn’t learn such refined art, but he didn’t expect Bai An to actually have some talent.

He Qin hummed. “Keep it up.”

Outside the door, Xie Shiwei shook his stiff neck, full of doubts.

Bai An canceled the deal with Li Dong, so why did he still fall into the pool?

Could it be that not only Bai An but also someone else wanted to stab him?

Who could it be?