Chapter 32: Presenting a Unified Front to the Outside World

Lan Weimin was overjoyed; if it weren’t so inappropriate, he might have burst out dancing on the spot.

“Mr. Qin, it’s Jiner’s good fortune to be able to accompany you,” he said.

Noticing Qin Chuan’s slight frown, Lan Weimin quickly changed the subject. “Let me have Awei drive you to the Lin residence.”

“That’s fine,” Qin Chuan replied, saying no more as he turned and headed downstairs.

Watching Qin Chuan’s departing figure, Lan Weimin sighed softly. “It seems I can’t play the elder’s role after all.”

He recalled the recent exchange—he had hoped to draw closer to Qin Chuan by mentioning Jiner in passing, but Qin Chuan had instantly frowned, clearly displeased.

“I’ll have to remind Jiner not to be too willful in their relationship—unless… unless she’s carrying his child,” Lan Weimin mused privately.

With that thought, he knocked on Lan Jin’s bedroom door.

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Inside the business van, Awei drove steadily, occasionally stealing glances at Qin Chuan, who sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting.

Lan Weimin had given strict orders: he had to take good care of this esteemed guest, or else bear the consequences. Every time Awei remembered his master’s uncharacteristically fierce expression, a chill would run down his spine. Yet, when tasked with driving Qin Chuan to the Lin family, he was equally nervous and excited.

After all, if he performed well and Qin Chuan put in a good word for him, Awei could rise swiftly in the Lan household’s ranks.

“Could you focus on your driving? You’ve snuck a look at me a dozen times already. Just to be clear, I’m not interested in men,” Qin Chuan’s sudden voice startled Awei so much he nearly confused the brake with the accelerator.

Once his nerves settled, Awei was stunned. Hadn’t Qin Chuan been resting with his eyes closed? How did he know exactly how many times Awei had glanced at him?

“Does he have a third eye or something?” the thought flashed through Awei’s mind.

“If there’s something you want to say, just say it,” Qin Chuan added, a little exasperated by Awei’s persistent glances in the rearview mirror. This damned charm of his—even men couldn’t resist.

“Since you’ve asked, Mr. Qin, I’ll speak my mind. If I say anything out of line, please forgive me and don’t take offense.” Seeing Qin Chuan nod, Awei continued, “Mr. Qin, do you have any medicine that can help a man regain his… vitality? I’m tired of being looked down on by women from both the mortal and celestial realms.”

The corner of Qin Chuan’s mouth twitched. So after all that, this guy just wanted a potency pill? On second thought, it wasn’t surprising—no man wanted to be found lacking when it came to scaling mountains and crossing valleys, so to speak.

“I do have something, but…”

Before Qin Chuan could finish, Awei jumped in, “Mr. Qin, just name your price. I’ll pay you for it.”

“We’re all acquaintances here; talking about money is so impersonal,” Qin Chuan replied, deciding to be polite.

“It’s exactly because we’re acquaintances that talking feelings is too costly,” Awei insisted on paying.

The two quickly reached an agreement, and Qin Chuan pocketed an extra hundred thousand. With that, they grew more familiar with each other.

After chatting for a while, Awei suddenly asked, “Mr. Qin, when do you plan to marry the young lady?”

“Marry? What marriage?” Qin Chuan was baffled.

Awei grinned. “You’ve already crossed that line with her. Isn’t marriage the next step?”

“Wait, crossed that line?” Qin Chuan’s mouth twitched violently—he’d barely touched her, and now he was being accused of having an intimate relationship?

Absurd! Utterly absurd! There was no way he would accept such a baseless accusation.

“No wonder Lan Weimin had that tone of entrusting his granddaughter’s lifelong happiness to me. He must have misunderstood my relationship with Lan Jin,” Qin Chuan realized. The truth was clear now—he’d been blamed for something that never happened.

“Awei, the truth is, nothing of the sort happened between Lan Jin and me. I was just treating her illness,” Qin Chuan explained earnestly.

Awei just smiled knowingly, waving his hand. “Don’t worry, Mr. Qin. To outsiders, of course we’ll say it was a medical treatment.”

“No, did you really understand what I said?”

“Of course. In private, you both know where things stand. To the outside world, it’s all about healing—just a pure doctor-patient relationship.”

“…”

Looking at the ever-accommodating Awei, Qin Chuan was suddenly seized by a violent urge to punch him. You’re just a minor character, can’t you stop making things up?

Seeing Qin Chuan close his eyes again, Awei felt overjoyed. Clearly, his earlier quick-wittedness had pleased Qin Chuan immensely—surely his own meteoric rise was just around the corner.

“This rascal, I must have Lan Weimin assign him to clean the sewers for half a month, or I just won’t be able to vent this frustration,” Qin Chuan resolved silently.

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully. About half an hour later, the van came to a smooth stop.

“Mr. Qin, we’ve arrived at the Lin family villa,” Awei announced respectfully.

Qin Chuan opened his eyes. Just as he was about to get out, Awei had already hurried over to open the car door for him.

Given Awei’s keen attentiveness, Qin Chuan decided to reduce his sewer-cleaning sentence to just one week.

“Wait for me here. I’ll go in myself,” Qin Chuan instructed after getting out. Awei nodded and returned to the car.

Looking up, Qin Chuan saw the Lin family villa was quite grand. At first glance, it resembled European architecture, but with less extravagance and more a sense of comfort and romance. The gentle, perfect lines were easy on the eyes; the stone carvings and eaves were exquisitely designed, and the windows and porch were particularly refined. The entire villa exuded an atmosphere of elegance and dignity.

Qin Chuan rang the doorbell, and soon someone came running to open the door. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a housekeeper. Standing at the entrance of the living room was a middle-aged couple.

“You must be Mr. Qin. Please, come in!” the housekeeper greeted him with a broad smile and utmost respect.

Qin Chuan did not stand on ceremony and walked directly into the villa’s courtyard. At the door, he smiled and said, “Good evening, Uncle, Aunt. I’m Qin Chuan. I’m here today mainly to—”

“This isn’t the place to talk. Come inside, my dear nephew,” the middle-aged man interrupted, his speech precise and scholarly in tone.

The middle-aged woman beamed. “Xiao Chuan, isn’t it? Dinner is ready. Let’s talk while we eat.”

Qin Chuan did not refuse. Although he had come to break off the engagement, the Lin family had ties with his masters, so he had to at least maintain appearances.

Following the couple into the villa, Qin Chuan immediately noticed Lin Wanyu sitting at the kitchen table, slowly sipping a bowl of soup. Even as footsteps approached, she didn’t lift her head to look at him, as if her world at that moment consisted of nothing but herself and that bowl of soup.

“Wanyu, how improper to eat before our guest arrives! Apologize to Xiao Qin at once,” Lin Jiancheng said gravely.

Without responding, Lin Wanyu continued drinking her soup, and a trace of anger appeared in Lin Jiancheng’s expression.

Qin Chuan quickly stepped in, “It’s all right, Uncle Lin. Young people have their own personalities—I don’t mind.”

“Whether you mind or not is irrelevant,” Lin Wanyu replied, her tone sharp, clearly unwilling to accept his gesture of goodwill.

“Wanyu, mind your manners!” Lin Jiancheng admonished, unable to tolerate her behavior any longer. Though he himself objected to the engagement, one still had to observe basic etiquette.

“Uncle Lin, don’t be upset. All women have those few days each month—bad moods are perfectly normal,” Qin Chuan offered comfort.