Chapter 48: Scheming

Ming Can had initially thought Chi Xiao had been severely scolded by his father, which was why he came out looking so pale.

But now, seeing that he could still tease her, it seemed his mood wasn’t too bad.

“Why should I care why?” Ming Can said with a look of indifference. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, her gaze faltered, and she murmured, “You’re not…”

As if anticipating what she was thinking, Chi Xiao deliberately slowed his speech, saying leisurely, “Of course, it’s because of… academics. I think domestic development is better.”

Ming Can rolled her eyes at him, though deep down, she felt a sense of relief.

She didn’t want Chi Xiao to change his life trajectory because of her or Miaomiao. His future shouldn’t be influenced by others. He should always walk the best and most suitable path for himself.

Ming Can added, “What I meant earlier was that staying in the country allows you to keep an eye on your dad, so the heir position doesn’t fall into someone else’s hands.”

As for inheriting the family business, Chi Xiao hadn’t cared much before. He wasn’t as power-hungry as Ming Can. Most of the time, he was indifferent to everything, more like someone without desires or ambitions. However, since Ming Can brought it up, he would keep it in mind from now on.

“You’re right,” Chi Xiao said with a faint smile. “But I thought you were going to say something else earlier.”

Ming Can averted her gaze: “There’s nothing else.”

“There is,” Chi Xiao said. “I used to really want to go abroad. Not because going abroad was better, but because my mom is overseas. Studying abroad would’ve brought me closer to her.”

He didn’t say it directly.

But with this example, he was telling Ming Can that he wasn’t as rational as she thought. He could decide his path based on factors other than academics or career.

He had wanted to go abroad before, but now he suddenly didn’t.

He had wanted to be closer to his mom before, but now who did he want to be closer to?

Soon, Chi Xiao indirectly gave Ming Can the answer with a question: “What do you plan to do after graduation?”

Ming Can wasn’t stupid. She had a suspicion that Chi Xiao’s earlier conversation with his father might have been about her. Otherwise, why would someone as reserved and quiet as him suddenly bring up the topic of the future with her?

Ming Can took a deep breath and answered honestly, “I’ll probably pursue a master’s degree too. I’m not considering studying abroad for now.”

After graduating, she planned to start a business while continuing her studies, and staying in the country would obviously be more convenient.

Ming Can wasn’t used to the current atmosphere. It felt like a blind date, but it was different from when she had been with Chi Yao’s family earlier. Back then, she could arm herself from head to toe, appearing gentle, humble, and flawless. No matter what the other side threw at her, she could calmly handle it. Now, it was different. As they talked, she felt like she was being led by Chi Xiao. He casually asked a question, and she would overthink it, imagining a whole series of scenarios, as if she were solving a series of critical reading comprehension questions. It made her nervous.

Chi Xiao looked at her and said, “Hmm, that’s good.”

What’s so good about it?

For some reason, Ming Can suddenly felt that he was a bit of a schemer.

Maybe he didn’t mean to.

But the fact that he could effortlessly control the situation made it even more unsettling.

Ming Can impatiently shook the suit jacket in her hand: “How much longer do you expect me to hold this for you?”

Chi Xiao said, “Sorry,” and took the jacket with one hand and the phone with the other. Both items carried her body warmth, feeling warm to the touch.

Just then, someone passed by the quiet corridor. Ming Can and Chi Xiao instinctively turned their backs to each other, pretending not to know one another. One lifted her skirt and walked toward the banquet hall, while the other strode off in the opposite direction.

Without a goodbye, they abruptly parted ways.

Ming Can’s heart lifted slightly. For some reason, she felt a sense of guilt, as if they had been caught in an illicit affair.

–

After the banquet ended, Ming Can returned home and practiced the violin for an hour. By the time she finished washing up and lay down in bed, it was almost midnight.

Her body was tired, but her mind was still alert, not quite ready for sleep.

Ming Can lay on her stomach under the covers, holding her phone with both hands, and opened the monitoring app to check on Miaomiao.

Miaomiao was lying right in the center of the bed, his sleeping posture seemingly adjusted by someone—lying flat on his back, the blanket tucked tightly around him, even his neck covered, leaving only a round, pale little face exposed.

Ming Can poked at his face on the screen a few times. Seeing Miaomiao sleeping so soundly, she couldn’t help but yawn, feeling a bit drowsy.

She casually switched to the living room camera and, coincidentally, saw Chi Xiao walking out of the living area and crossing the living room.

The camera made a soft clicking sound as it rotated, following Chi Xiao’s movements. He suddenly slowed his pace and glanced at the camera.

Ming Can was startled and let go of her phone.

She hadn’t been controlling it!

Soon, she realized the camera automatically tracked people. The figure on the screen didn’t linger and naturally walked forward, went to the kitchen to prepare a plate of fruit, then returned to the living room and sat on the sofa to watch a movie.

Over twenty kilometers away, Ming Can lay on her bed, propping her chin with her hands, idly staring at the figure on the screen.

He seemed to have just taken a shower, wearing a gray sleeveless T-shirt that revealed his long, lean arms. His hair was half-damp, making his complexion look as cold and pale as jade. A towel hung around his neck, which he occasionally lazily used to wipe his hair.

The plate held a bunch of grapes and strawberries, both fruits Miaomiao loved. Chi Xiao ate slowly and methodically. The camera’s high resolution allowed Ming Can to almost see the moment his teeth pierced the bright red skin of the strawberries.

She couldn’t tell what movie he was watching—maybe a sci-fi film. The shifting light and shadows played across his face, making his cool eyes appear even more profound.

Ming Can stared intently, as if trying to guess the movie from the reflections on his face.

Chi Xiao was indeed very good-looking. No matter the angle or the standard used to judge, his handsomeness was flawless. His facial proportions were perfect, with sharp, well-defined features. Not only was he strikingly handsome at first glance, but he also had a timeless appeal. Ming Can found herself inexplicably feeling that the more she looked at him, the more attractive he became.

This feeling was strange.

Because Ming Can had never been particularly interested in handsome men. In her eyes, looks were a useless metric. No matter how good-looking someone was, they were no different from an ordinary person in her view. Sometimes, she even held harsher standards for attractive men, all stemming from certain experiences in her childhood.

Ming Can’s father, Ming Zheng, was an exceptionally handsome man. As a child, Ming Can had idolized her father, thinking he was the most handsome and gentle man in the world. Back then, she had been a bit of a “face enthusiast,” preferring to play with friends who were good-looking. However, she could never have imagined that the person she admired most had a disgusting soul hidden beneath his beautiful exterior.

At that time, Ming Zheng hadn’t yet been promoted by his father. He was a wealthy but powerless playboy with particularly striking looks. Such a person found it hard to maintain moral boundaries, and he naturally indulged in a libertine lifestyle, hiding it from his wife and daughter while engaging in countless affairs outside. When his wife discovered the truth, he insisted that those women were just passing flings and that she would always be his only wife. That attitude of telling Su Zhi Ning to “be content” not only dragged Su Zhi Ning into the depths of depression but also shattered Ming Can’s heart. The more she had once admired her father’s gentleness and handsomeness, the more repulsive and ugly he now seemed to her.

From then on, Ming Can never again placed any importance on someone’s appearance.

For girls her age, it was easy to be swayed by looks. Many of her female friends would swoon over handsome guys, but Ming Can stood out like an anomaly, always watching coldly from the sidelines. No matter how handsome a guy was, if he passed by her, she wouldn’t feel the slightest flutter in her heart.

Until today.

She watched as Chi Xiao bent down to pick up a grape from the plate. Without lifting his arm, he flicked his wrist and tossed the grape into the air. His body and head didn’t move, but he caught the grape perfectly in his mouth. It was such a casual, almost careless action, yet she found it oddly pleasing to watch. Her eyes lingered on the way his jaw tightened and relaxed, his cheek slightly bulging as he chewed the fruit before smoothing out again. Her heart inexplicably raced, and she pushed herself up, shoving the phone under her pillow, as if the screen were showing something unbearably embarrassing.

After a while, when her emotions had settled a bit, Ming Can fished the phone out from under the pillow. On the monitor, she saw the boy lounging on the sofa, his phone in hand. The faint glow illuminated his face, and there seemed to be a very slight curve at the corner of his lips, as if he had seen something amusing.

The next moment, Ming Can’s phone vibrated, and a WeChat message popped up.

cx: 【Enjoying the view?】

?

??

???!!!

Ming Can sat up abruptly in bed, her head buzzing as if she had been trapped inside a giant, resonating bell.

She raised her hand and patted her cheeks a couple of times, trying to calm herself down.

How did he notice?

Ming Can quickly realized that when someone was monitoring the camera, the front-end device might give a prompt, such as a change in the frequency or color of the light.

Damn it!

Ming Can punched the bed, then pulled the blanket over herself, wrapping herself up like a dumpling, leaving only her head exposed. Her eyes were fixed on the phone lying on the bed.

The phone screen was still lit, the words “Enjoying the view?” glaring in the chat box like a death warrant.

Ming Can wanted to pull the blanket over her head and play dead.

But then she remembered that they were supposed to meet the next day to take Miaomiao to his physical fitness class.

She could play dead tonight, but when the sun rose tomorrow, could she really keep pretending and skip Miaomiao’s class?

Calm down, calm down.

Ming Can rubbed her face through the blanket.

She had exceptional self-control. Even though this was quite possibly the most embarrassing moment of her life, she managed to gradually calm herself down, her mind racing to figure out how to respond.

Given the current situation, Chi Xiao had probably already confirmed that she was watching him through the monitor. Denying it outright wouldn’t work—making excuses would only make her seem guilty.

Soon, Ming Can figured out how to reply.

On the other side, Chi Xiao, seeing no response for a long time, assumed he wouldn’t get a reply tonight. He put down his phone and was about to grab his laptop to write some code.

Just then, his phone vibrated several times in quick succession.

Sun Moon Volcano: 【This is my house. I can watch whatever I want, and the living room is a public area anyway.】

Sun Moon Volcano: 【You’re the one who installed the cameras and taught me how to use them, which means you were already prepared for this.】

Sun Moon Volcano: 【So, since you were ready, what’s the problem with me taking a look? Is there an issue?】

Sun Moon Volcano: 【If there’s a problem, speak up. If not, I’ll keep watching. Don’t disturb me.】