The Heir to the Seven Killers in the City

Chapter 21: Testing the Waters

“Oh, that.” Lin Xiaorui seemed lost in her own thoughts, her fingertips unconsciously pinching the flesh on Qin Yu’s arm. “Mr. Lin is a man so complex you can’t even imagine. Although he took me in as his adopted daughter, it was only in name. From a young age, he wouldn’t let me call him ‘adoptive father.’ He was very strict with me and never once smiled…” Qin Yu held Lin Xiaorui close. Such a sensible, gentle, yet shrewd and manipulative beauty—it turned out her childhood had been so miserable. “What about your biological parents?” Qin Yu asked the one question Lin Xiaorui was least able to answer. “I don’t know. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t be staying by Mr. Lin’s side right now.” Lin Xiaorui gave a self-deprecating smile, so poignant it tugged at his heartstrings. Qin Yu felt a strange sensation toward this woman with whom he’d just shared a moment of physical intimacy—a feeling that made him want to protect her, take her away from Lin Hao, and stay by her side forever. Even as he drifted off to sleep to the sound of Lin Xiaorui’s soft, even breathing—she had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion—Qin Yu still harbored this terrifying thought, and it reached its peak when he woke up the next morning. That was because Qin Yu discovered a vivid red plum blossom on the sheets, causing him to stare in disbelief. Lin Xiaorui was actually a virgin! The shock was no less than winning the 7-Star Lottery; it left Qin Yu reeling, wanting nothing more than to grin like an idiot. But upon further reflection, he realized that everything that had happened last night was merely a reward—or perhaps a consolation—that Lin Hao had given him, and even his most passionate heart grew cold. It was nothing more than a transaction where each party got what they wanted. Qin Yu hung his head and called lazily toward the bathroom, “Hey, are you done yet?” It had been nearly half an hour since Lin Xiaorui had gone in. No sooner had he spoken than Lin Xiaorui emerged, fully dressed in an elegant skirt suit. Her face, lightly made up, still bore a faint trace of post-intimacy awkwardness. “Brother Qin Yu, if there’s nothing else…” “You should go ahead and leave.” Qin Yu tried to send her on her way before she could even say goodbye, but to his surprise, Lin Xiaorui had no intention of leaving. “If you’re not busy, could you help me investigate my background? If possible, I’d like to find my biological parents,” Lin Xiaorui said earnestly, her face radiating tenderness—a constant reminder of their intimacy from the night before. Qin Yu rolled his eyes: Did I look like I had nothing better to do? Still, he decided to agree. After all, “one night together is worth a hundred nights of gratitude,” and with his energy at its peak and nowhere to vent it, he couldn’t very well refuse the young woman’s reasonable request. After breakfast, Qin Yu suggested they go take a look at the villa complex where he’d originally been lured into a trap; perhaps they could find some clues there. Lin Xiaorui knew Qin Yu possessed supernatural abilities, but she hadn’t realized he was so interested in deduction and investigation. Recalling that Lin Hao had told her to take good care of Qin Yu—which meant he considered him part of the family—she readily accepted his suggestion. Lin Hao, who was doing his morning exercises in the garden, clearly hadn’t expected his goddaughter to bring Qin Yu into the Lin residence as if she were introducing a boyfriend to her parents. “Young man, did you sleep well last night?” he asked Qin Yu with feigned concern, a teasing gleam in his eyes that made both Qin Yu and Lin Xiaorui feel a bit awkward. “Thanks to you, I slept very well,” Qin Yu replied respectfully and politely, then shamelessly stayed to scrounge a breakfast. Although Lin Hao claimed to have lived abroad for many years, his dietary habits and lifestyle were all deeply imbued with Chinese traditions, much like an antique collector. Qin Yu didn’t know his status, but he could vaguely sense his authority. In this vast villa, not a single servant dared to make the slightest sound; the dining room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop—not even the clinking of cutlery could be heard. Qin Yu found the atmosphere suffocating, so he deliberately made a deafening racket while slurping his porridge. Lin Xiaorui, who was present, shot him several glances, all of which he ignored. Lin Hao watched the two young people engage in a silent battle of wits beneath the table and couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. It seemed his goddaughter was truly capable—in just one night, she’d already wrapped Qin Yu around her finger. With that, he had no reason to worry that this young man wouldn’t be of use to him. “By the way, Mr. Lin, Xiaorui and I are thinking of getting matching tattoos. Do you have any design recommendations?” Qin Yu asked, feigning casualness. Lin Xiaorui noticed that the moment he heard the word “tattoo,” Lin Hao’s expression shifted slightly, as if he were trying desperately to hide something. “You young people should decide these things for yourselves. I’m too old—I don’t understand these things.” After Lin Hao got up and left, Qin Yu nudged Lin Xiaorui with his elbow: “There’s something fishy about that old man.” Lin Xiaorui didn’t need Qin Yu to tell her that. She’d always suspected her background wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed, and now that she had a clue to unravel this mystery, she was determined to make the most of it. “Butler Fang.” Lin Xiaorui appeared in the kitchen and exchanged pleasantries with Lin Hao’s personal butler, who was discussing the menu with the chef. With a smile, she subtly steered the conversation toward her background. “I heard from Mr. Lin that the reason he chose to adopt me was because I was the quietest among the children at the orphanage, right?” The woman, who was usually very shrewd, paused for a moment before hurriedly nodding. “That’s right. Master said you were exceptionally well-behaved back then. We all loved quiet, well-behaved girls.” That’s a lie—there was no orphanage at all. Lin Hao said he found me by the roadside while driving. This housekeeper has worked for the Lin family for nearly thirty years; there’s no way she wouldn’t know. So Lin Hao has been lying to me. When Lin Xiaorui told Qin Yu about all this, he naturally agreed with her: “I’ve long suspected Lin Hao isn’t a good person. You mustn’t let him fool you. Why not come into your big brother’s arms? I’ll protect you.” He teased her playfully. Lin Xiaorui shot him a seductive glance, then draped her slender, fair hand over his shoulder and cooed, “Dear brother, once you find my family, you can do whatever you want with me.” It was simply too alluring! Qin Yu had intended to tease her but ended up being teased himself; he was dying to pin Lin Xiaorui beneath him and take her fiercely. But to his frustration, Lin Xiaorui always kept him at arm’s length, as if playing a game of “tease and deny,” leaving Qin Yu with a constant, tingling longing in his heart every day. No sooner had the two of them left the Lin residence than the butler came over and revealed what had just happened—that Lin Xiaorui had gone to try to coax information out of him. “Useless fool! You can’t even tell a lie. I think you’ve wasted all these years working by my side!” Lin Hao’s expression darkened drastically. He kicked the frail female butler to the ground and, seething with rage, grabbed his walking stick, smashing the items on the display cabinet in his study to smithereens. Those were all items Lin Hao had painstakingly hunted down from various auctions and black markets! The housekeeper watched in horror as the antiques were reduced to shards, as if she could already foresee her own fate. Mr. Lin never kept anyone he deemed useless. Sure enough, Lin Hao ordered his men to drag her away. “No, no, sir! I’ve worked for you for thirty years!” the housekeeper screamed at the top of her lungs.