Evil Woman
Back at the hotel, Chu Qingchan took Chu Fengyi to rest first, while Xu Lin headed over to Ms. Ye’s room.
He needed to use her computer, since currently he could only post articles via PC—the mobile phone didn’t support it, so borrowing her computer was his only option.
He figured that with the payment from the charity short film—eight or nine thousand yuan—he could finally buy a laptop, which would be handy for future trips.
“Would you like something to drink? I have red wine, juice, and cola,” Ms. Ye offered.
“Juice, please,” Xu Lin replied, his gaze fixed on the screen as he edited his article.
Ye Qinleng poured him a glass of juice, and seeing him so absorbed in typing, she placed the glass gently on the table. She then sat beside him, cradling her own cup and sipping hot water, curious about the genre of his novel.
But as she silently watched him, Xu Lin’s pace slowed; writing alone was fine, but being observed made his skin crawl, awkwardness overwhelming him.
“Um, Ms. Ye, could you not stare at me like that? You’re making me nervous,” he admitted.
She laughed. “You’re not even my employee, sneaking off at work—then you’d have reason to be nervous. Why worry?”
“I… it’s nothing,” Xu Lin stammered, unsure how to explain. He took a sip of juice and continued typing, building up his draft.
He’d always been lazy, with only a few chapters saved at any time—if he didn’t write for a few days, his backlog would vanish. He wasn’t sure how busy filming would be tomorrow or the day after, so he wanted to prepare in advance.
A few more minutes passed like this, the mature woman’s fragrance curling around his nose, her gaze never leaving him. Eventually, he couldn’t write any further.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He exhaled. “My thoughts are a bit muddled. I’ll rest for a moment.”
He couldn’t exactly say, “It’s because you’re watching me that I can’t write,” especially while using her computer.
“Mm, let’s chat for a bit then.”
“To converse with a distinguished boss like you is truly my honor.”
“What boss? I’m just a lone commander forced into this role,” she replied, self-deprecatingly. “No reliable people of my own, otherwise I wouldn’t have to personally travel all over the country.”
Xu Lin nodded. Taking over a precarious company in his twenties—he could hardly imagine that pressure.
“Has Peony gone to bed?”
“She played all day, so she’s tired. She likes you a lot. I’ve never seen her so close to anyone, let alone a stranger.”
“I didn’t do anything special, just treated her as I would any ordinary little girl.”
“Perhaps it’s because you treat her like an ordinary child—not as Ye Qinleng’s daughter, or my grandfather’s great-granddaughter.”
“Children from wealthy families have their own troubles and hardships, too.”
“Xu Lin, the two ladies around you aren’t just ordinary rich girls. Their lives are probably even more complicated than mine and Jiang Li’s.”
“True, but fortunately, I’m just an ordinary guy.”
“An ordinary guy flirting with two heiresses?”
“Ms. Ye, please don’t tease me. If their fathers come after me, I’ll be in real trouble.”
She laughed. “But you already call them ‘father-in-law.’ Which one do you like?”
“Well…,” Xu Lin hesitated. He definitely meant Chu Qingchan—they’d known each other longer, and he liked her cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside celebrity temperament.
Chu Fengyi had tripped him up from the start and wasn’t exactly pleasant, but after becoming her apprentice, she taught him earnestly and took her role as teacher seriously. He respected her more, though there was no romantic interest—hence he never went out of his way to win her favor.
Yet, ever since the archery this afternoon, he sensed something was off with Chu Fengyi—and with himself. He didn’t feel so indifferent toward her anymore.
She was just an ordinary girl except for her face, nothing remarkable about her figure. But now, something felt different—strange.
“What’s the matter? Do you want both?”
“Cough, cough—no way. I’m just a high schooler. My beloved is my studies. What about you, Ms. Ye?”
Xu Lin quickly deflected, as if passing back a revolver with a single bullet.
“You rascal. I’d like to, but haven’t found the right person.”
“Really? With your qualities, Ms. Ye, suitors would line up from here to the university town.”
“Don’t exaggerate. Actually, there aren’t many. Only Mr. Zhang has pursued me seriously—the others… heh, they’re not even as good as him.”
“Most people don’t dare approach me. Those with some power are usually married—they’re looking for lovers, not wives.”
“The rest are second-generation types with some family background, but seeing I have a daughter, many back off.”
“Now it’s just Zhang Qingzhen—he inherited all his family’s assets, doesn’t have to worry about anything, lives freely.”
“We also have a teacher-student connection and have known each other a long time, so his pursuit is most obvious.”
“I see. Anyway, you’re still young, Ms. Ye—take your time.”
“I’m not so young. I’m thirty-one this year. Soon it’ll be 2014, and I’ll be thirty-two. Ah—women’s prime childbearing age is twenty-six to thirty.”
“Speaking of Peony…” Xu Lin started to say, then seemed to realize something.
“To be honest, Peony isn’t my biological daughter. She’s my father’s…”
Xu Lin’s mind exploded. Could it really be? They looked like mother and daughter, but were actually sisters? Surely not such a melodramatic twist?
But thankfully, Ye Qinleng’s next words eased his anxiety.
“My father was in charge of the HR department, notorious for bullying newcomers. One of them was a single mother.”
“For work reasons, my father reprimanded her in front of over a dozen people for more than half an hour.”
“That night, she went out drinking to vent and, on her way home, got into a car accident. When my grandfather learned of this, he scolded my father harshly and sent someone to the woman’s home.”
“They found she had a daughter, not yet one year old, temporarily cared for by her own mother, though her health wasn’t great.”
“My grandfather intended to give some money to help the child, but at the time, I thought I’d never marry, and on impulse, went over to discuss adoption.”
“In the end, after much persuasion—or perhaps due to financial reasons—the mother agreed to let me adopt the child. That child was Jiang Li.”
She finished, breathing a bit heavily, and took another sip of water before continuing.
“But I’m not a responsible mother. I lacked the awareness of motherhood, and after my grandfather passed away, this became even clearer.”
“Jiang Li, because of my incompetence, never experienced maternal love. Nor paternal love—she didn’t even have relatives’ affection. I myself no longer have close family.”
Ye Qinleng’s tone grew heavier, but Xu Lin didn’t interrupt, listening quietly.
“So, after this first shot for the company, I want to spend more time with Peony—as a mother!”
“Mm, actually Peony loves you very much, she just doesn’t know how to express it. And you’re even worse at expressing yourself, Ms. Ye.”
“I know. That’s why I hope I can become a responsible mother in the future.”
“Well, I’ll head back now. I’ll come write tomorrow if there’s time. How long are you staying?”
“I leave the day after tomorrow. I might be out occasionally, but Peony will be in the room—just come by.”
Xu Lin finished his juice in one gulp and stood to leave. Ye Qinleng immediately rose as well, ready to see him off.
Xu Lin quickly waved her off. “I’ll go up myself. You rest well, Ms. Ye. Take Peony out for a mother-daughter dinner tonight.”
Ye Qinleng nodded, but still stood up with him. Only then did Xu Lin notice she’d changed clothes—into what looked like pajamas.
Smooth as silk, hugging her figure tightly, almost like a bodysuit, sliding down her skin. The jewel pendant at her neck hung in front of her chest, disappearing into the snowy valley.
He couldn’t help but let his gaze linger, swallowing hard. The next second, he pinched himself sharply, opened the door, and dashed out!
Seeing Xu Lin rush away, she was stunned for a moment, looked down, and understood.
“Hmph~ So he’s not entirely without desire. But I’m such a wicked woman, knowing he’d come, I changed into this outfit.”
What was she thinking? She was just an old woman, Ye Qinleng! She was still the company leader, a mother—she couldn’t let herself be ruled by desire.
With a gesture not quite fitting her age, she gently slapped her cheeks, then picked up her phone.
“Hello, is this Yuan Qing, the Jinling branch manager? I’ll be coming by tomorrow to pick up a laptop. Please prepare a good one for me.”