Chapter 19: Please Don’t Lift My Skirt 19

Shi Xingluo pretended not to understand Qin Yan’s implication.

He raised his hand to grab Qin Yan’s wrist, attempting to pull it away from his waist, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Why bother about who eats first? Let’s eat together, haha, together.”

He could already smell the aroma a fragrance so compelling it rooted him to the spot.

Yet, he could also feel Qin Yan’s predatory gaze burning into him, so intense it seemed capable of stripping him layer by layer with just its heat, penetrating straight to his bones.

This is bad, bad.

Hmph, tonight with the bright moon and sparse stars if I don’t scheme against my enemy, my enemy will surely scheme against me.

Might as well seize the opportunity and take the gamble success or failure hinges on this move!

“Have a seat.”

Qin Yan pressed him down into a chair, considerately placing chopsticks in Shi Xingluo’s hand before sitting opposite him. “Try it. Both my housekeepers cook quite well. See if it suits your taste.”

Before Qin Yan even finished speaking, Shi Xingluo had already picked up his chopsticks to serve himself food. In anyone else’s home, this might have earned silent criticism for his lack of manners.

But having witnessed how voraciously and urgently Shi Xingluo ate that night, Qin Yan only felt heartache.

Shi Xingluo must have experienced hunger, severe hunger.

He still remembered that night when he casually remarked “You must have been starving,” how Shi Xingluo had instantly become enveloped in despair, making people afraid to touch him.

“Are your parents particularly harsh on you?”

Of course, Qin Yan didn’t know Shi Xingluo was an outsider. All he could imagine was that Shi Xingluo had suffered abuse from that couple in that household.

Did they not give Shi Xingluo enough to eat?

“Hmm?”

Shi Xingluo’s mouth was full of food, eating happily, and he nearly didn’t process Qin Yan’s question.

Seeing Shi Xingluo’s confused expression with his cheeks stuffed with food made the anger in Qin Yan’s heart diminish somewhat. “I notice you always eat so urgently. Are your parents treating you poorly?”

Oh, that…

Shi Xingluo swallowed the food in his mouth. “They’re not great. My mother’s slightly better, though she’s always complaining about me, saying I’m muddle-headed. My father, he likes to hit people whether there’s a reason or not.”

Although his ravenous eating habit wasn’t caused by the original host’s parents, he didn’t mind pinning the blame on that perfectly matched couple where one was willing to hit and the other willing to be hit.

After all, everything Shi Xiancun had done to the original host wasn’t far from this anyway.

Qin Yan completely lost his appetite, his fists clenching until they creaked.

He’d heard Shi Xingluo mention before that “my father will beat me to death,” but he’d thought it was an exaggeration.

Now, hearing Shi Xingluo speak of it again, how could he not realize the seriousness of the situation?

“I always thought” Qin Yan opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice suddenly dropping so low only he could hear it. “I thought… having a father was good enough…”

“What?”

Shi Xingluo, having stuffed another mouthful of food, didn’t catch what was said.

Qin Yan shook his head but showed no intention of repeating himself. He suddenly stood up and strode toward the door. “Keep eating. I have something to attend to. I’ll be back soon to keep you company.”

Shi Xingluo nodded without looking up.

After Qin Yan left, the spacious first floor living room suddenly became excessively quiet.

Even the butler, Uncle Hu, obediently retreated to his own bedroom without making a sound.

The two nannies had been absent from the start. When they entered, the meal was already laid out on the table. It seemed Qin Yan disliked being watched while eating and had instructed them beforehand.

In the excessive quiet, Shi Xingluo rarely paused his meal, his gaze settling on the cup across the table belonging to Qin Yan.

Success or failure hinges on this move, success or failure hinges on this move, success or failure hinges on this move!

Shi Xingluo silently repeated the phrase three times in his heart, not wanting to dwell on where Qin Yan had gone.

Tonight, it’s either the east wind prevailing over the west wind or the west wind prevailing over the east wind. All’s fair in love and war, after all~

He was doing this for the mission, yes!

Absolutely not to indulge in the male lead’s charms, not!

Shi Xingluo subtly rubbed his hands together, first instinctively glancing toward the door.

After confirming Qin Yan wouldn’t burst in immediately, he stealthily retrieved a medicine bottle from the System space, shook out a small pill, and dropped it into Qin Yan’s wine glass.

By the time he swiftly returned the bottle to the System space, the pill had already dissolved upon contact with the liquid.

It vanished without a trace, leaving no evidence behind.

Outside, Qin Yan ended a call with an unknown recipient, his eyes sharp and cold as if brewing countless storms, intimidating to behold.

He handed a familiar key to his driver. “Go buy a meal and deliver it to the address I gave you. Remember, one portion, to the woman’s bedside. Then pick up the two people I found, they’ll be waiting in Cross Street. Just bring them along; they know what to do next.”

Though puzzled, the driver adhered to his professional principle of not questioning his employer’s orders. “Understood, Young Master.”

Young Master? Young?

No. Over the years driving for him, he’d witnessed more than he should have. He knew the consequences of failing to carry out tasks properly.

Learning to keep his mouth shut was the first lesson of this job.

“Wait,” Qin Yan called out as the driver turned to leave, his narrow eyes fixing on the key in the driver’s hand. “Have two copies made of this key and bring them back to me.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

This time, the driver understood that the key needed to be returned to someone, and the Young Master intended to secretly keep spares.

When Qin Yan opened the door and entered, Shi Xingluo was still focused on his meal, as if nothing had happened.

The fury simmering within Qin Yan seemed to settle at the sight of Shi Xingluo eating contentedly.

Adjusting his emotions, he pulled out his chair and sat opposite Shi Xingluo. “If it’s not enough, I can have the nanny make more.”

“It’s enough, plenty.”

Shi Xingluo wiped his mouth. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Qin Yan sighed softly, not wanting to admit that the earlier events had left him too unsettled to eat. “I’m not hungry.”

Shi Xingluo paused, his eyes drifting to the water glass in front of Qin Yan. “Then have some water?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Qin Yan said casually. “Eat and drink as you like. I’ll take you to your room to rest soon, it’s almost midnight.”

Shi Xingluo: “…”

Why wasn’t he eating or drinking? Had he noticed something?

That shouldn’t be possible.

There was definitely no one here earlier.

“This is your home. I’d feel bad being the only one eating and drinking. Not to mention, you haven’t even had a sip of water all this time.”

There were only three pills in the medicine bottle, which he had spent five hundred Points obtained from Erya. He certainly didn’t want to waste one without even seeing it make a splash!

Qin Yan’s gaze tightened slightly, finally settled on the water cup before him, then he reached out and picked it up.

Shi Xingluo couldn’t help but lick his oily lips.

Drink, drink it!

This is miraculous medicine!

Behind the water cup, the corners of Qin Yan’s lips curled imperceptibly, though the motion was hidden. “The water’s gone a bit cold. I’ll go add some hot water.”

Something’s not right, Shi Xingluo.

Could it be this water… What is this cunning little fox trying to do?

Knock him out and run away again?

That won’t do.

With that, without waiting for Shi Xingluo to respond, he casually picked up Shi Xingluo’s empty cup as well. “I’ll refill yours while I’m at it.”

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