Chapter 5: Mr. Jin
In the evening, Lian Li returned to her apartment. As she bent down to change her shoes, Xu Sao, wearing an apron, wiped her fingers and walked over, saying, “Miss Lian, Mr. Jin is here.”
Mr. Jin.
This was the second time she had heard that title today.
But it referred to two different people.
Lian Li changed her shoes and walked inside. The smart home robot, Xiao Mao, rolled over on its wheels and cleverly brought her a glass of water.
“Thank you, Xiao Mao,” she said, taking the glass and patting the robot’s round head. She then instructed it to make her a cappuccino.
In the high-rise apartment, on the other side of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the neon lights of the inky night sky intertwined in a riot of color.
Someone was standing in the light, on the phone.
Jin Yan Ting, dressed in a sharp, well-fitting blue-gray suit, his tailored jacket accentuating his composed and dignified demeanor.
After hanging up, Jin Yan Ting pulled back the curtain and saw Lian Li holding a cup of cappuccino, steam swirling around her fair, delicate face, making her appear hazy.
Her clear eyes, however, were exceptionally bright, her gaze almost tangible.
“Brother, it’s time to eat.”
Jin Yan Ting nodded, “Mm.”
Jin Yan Ting had a sensitive stomach, so Lian Li had instructed Xu Sao that if Mr. Jin came over, they should make crucian carp and glutinous rice porridge. This rule had been in place for years.
At the dining table, Jin Yan Ting, as usual, inquired about her studies like a parent concerned about their child.
“The orchestra members are cooperating more and more seamlessly,” she said truthfully; her skills had indeed improved.
Lian Li picked up some shredded pork with garlic sauce and placed it in her bowl, then took a mouthful of rice with it. She continued, “There are no more classes at school now. Next are the graduation internship and thesis.”
Jin Yan Ting offered no comment, his tone calm as he asked, “What about your driver’s license?”
Lian Li paused upon hearing this.
She wasn’t afraid of any major or minor exams, except for the driver’s license test, which she had painstakingly taken three times.
The positioning was never right, the clutch was loose… either her body or her soul refused to get behind the wheel.
It was like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge, and she had fallen on the main road.
Lian Li sighed, “I passed.”
Jin Yan Ting looked at the young girl’s troubled expression, as if she had overcome a mountain of difficulties, and the corner of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
“Ask He Shu to arrange a car for you. Tell him what you need.”
He Shu was his assistant.
A very capable young man.
She communicated with He Shu far more often than with Jin Yan Ting.
Lian Li slowly ate her food, suddenly recalling Zhao Lizheng’s words, ‘Eldest Young Master Jin will abandon you within a month.’
It didn’t sound like nonsense.
The phone on the table rang.
Jin Yan Ting glanced at the caller ID and left the dining table to take the call.
Lian Li vaguely heard his deep, gentle voice utter a single word: “A Yue.”
It seemed to be Jin Shi Yue’s call.
Jin Yan Ting’s full brother, two years his junior.
Lian Li, being sharp with numbers, her mind working on its own, calculated: Jin Shi Yue was six years older than her.
Jin Yan Ting was the eldest son, and Jin Shi Yue was the second son.
The eldest son was the rightful heir, groomed from childhood according to strict standards for an heir. As for the second son, he was raised in a more laissez-faire manner.
Jin Shi Yue had been quiet for the past few years, with the media speculating he had been sent abroad. However, the truth was that Old Master Jin had sent him to the military region.
His recent return had led some to speculate he was vying for the inheritance.
The classic trope of wealthy brothers turning against each other, a spectacle the public enjoyed.
But the two brothers had a very good relationship; such conflict was impossible.
Jin Yan Ting’s voice on the phone remained calm, yet the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
Lian Li had never seen Jin Yan Ting smile while talking to anyone.
She wondered what kind of magic potion Jin Shi Yue had poured into his ear on the other end of the line.
Even Old Master Jin and the other elders didn’t receive such treatment.
After dinner, Jin Yan Ting was still on the phone. Lian Li signaled to him and returned to her room, sitting at her dressing table to check her wrist injury.
It had mostly healed.
She raised her hand to sniff it; the medicinal smell was strong, so she opened a drawer and took out hand cream.
Playing the cello meant one couldn’t apply hand cream, as it would make the hands slippery and affect the playing.
Lian Li only applied hand cream to her knuckles.
The rose scent of the hand cream layered over the smell of the ointment, settling on her skin.
In the living room, the call ended. Jin Yan Ting placed his mobile phone on the dining table, the smile on his face vanishing instantly.
He raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over Xu Sao, his brows furrowed and indifferent.
While Eldest Young Master Jin was indeed refined and self-possessed, his commanding aura was particularly chilling.
“What did Mrs. Jin ask you to supervise?”
“No, nothing,” Xu Sao’s body stiffened instantly, clearly afraid of him. “Madam just asked me to report Miss Lian’s daily activities to her.” She didn’t dare to say the unspoken part: pay special attention to Eldest Young Master Jin.
“How long?”
Xu Sao’s face flushed, her heart filled with guilt and fear. “…Half a month.”
“Did I hire you to monitor Xiao Li’s every move?”
The light from the crystal chandelier fell upon Jin Yan Ting, the shifting shadows bathing his steady, calm eyes, which held an intense pressure.
“No! You hired me to take care of Miss Lian’s daily life,” Xu Sao said, beads of sweat on her forehead, her chin tucked in, trembling.
The sound of a door opening and footsteps suddenly echoed. Jin Yan Ting calmly picked up the cigarette case from the table and issued a stern command: “You don’t need to come tomorrow.”
Lian Li emerged wearing slippers. Jin Yan Ting extinguished the cigarette in his hand, slowly raised his gaze, and his serene eyes settled calmly on her face.
Lian Li walked closer, standing before the sofa, quietly watching him.
Jin Yan Ting said lightly, “Elder Mei’s birthday banquet is next month. You will attend with me.”
Nine years was enough time for Lian Li to understand Jin Yan Ting’s unspoken words: he would arrange the gift, and she only needed to be present.
He was always thorough when it came to important matters.
Lian Li nodded, “Okay.”
Jin Yan Ting stood up, rubbed her head with his palm, and said gently, “Brother is leaving. Goodnight.”
“Mm, goodnight,” Lian Li replied. “Travel safely.”
Jin Yan Ting often had dinner at her place but never stayed overnight.
His days were consumed by meetings and banquets, leaving him little free time.
Day turned to night, and the wheels of time rolled into late autumn, the weather growing colder.
Another weekend, Xue Shufan invited Lian Li to a new Chinese-style hot pot restaurant with a copper pot.
The steaming hot pot in autumn, comfortable and spacious tables and chairs, and an elegant dining environment under the warm lighting. Both of them ate to their heart’s content.
Xue Shufan looked at Lian Li sitting opposite her and recalled, “My initial impression of you was that you were a legend.”
Lian Li: “Don’t be infatuated with me, I’m just a legend’s legend?”
“Hahaha, something like that. They all said you were a celestial being who didn’t eat earthly food, a ‘Tai Jin Xing’ – not Tai Bai Jin Xing, but ‘Tai Bai Jin Xing,’ with ‘Bai’ meaning to slack off.”
Xue Shufan said, “When I heard that, I was completely confused. Who slacks off and becomes a god? Then I saw, wow! It’s true!”
Lian Li didn’t care about others’ opinions; she focused on herself.
A unique way of slacking off.
“You’re the one I admire the most,” Lian Li said slowly as she swished lamb slices in the pot. “Crown Princess of the Xue family, not inheriting the family fortune, and dedicating yourself to scientific research.”
Xue Shufan laughed, “I’ve already been kicked out of the family tree! What family fortune is there?”
