Lu Nian was truly stunned to hear him say that.

Qin Si calmed down instead. “That Lin guy has deceived many people.”

Lin Junrun looked honest, but his private morality was actually very questionable.

With a well-off family background, Lin Junrun was considered good-looking, and he also had the prestige of being a student from the affiliated high school, which helped him deceive people outside.

He started dating since middle school and often juggled multiple relationships.

Lin Junrun used to target girls from outside the school, but after having the chance to interact with Lu Nian, he ended all of those relationships.

However, cutting off ties didn’t erase the past.

But all of this had nothing to do with Qin Si. He never cared about others’ private lives and wasn’t someone willing to meddle in such matters.

But now… he couldn’t ignore it.

“You actually care about this kind of thing for me,” Lu Nian said in surprise.

The honest face under Lin Junrun’s facade surprised her a bit, but she couldn’t say she was overly astonished.

However, the fact that Qin Si cared about such things and even deliberately told her was more shocking to her.

Was he worried about her being deceived?

Since when did Qin Si become so conscientious?

The boy’s ears were still red as he coldly said, “If you don’t believe it, then forget it.”

“But he’s actually quite nice…” Lu Nian glanced at his expression sneakily.

“He’s good at chatting, and the last time we had dinner together was very pleasant.”

The warmth on the boy’s face gradually faded, his lips pressed tightly together, showing a hint of paleness.

Then, without saying a word, he turned and walked away.

Lu Nian murmured to herself, “…Did I go too far with this joke?”

“I was just kidding!!” She hurried to catch up. “Qin Si, thank you for telling me all this.”

She didn’t dare to tease him anymore.

Although it was really fun… it made her feel much happier than before.

The boy’s steps paused for a moment, but he didn’t stop, continuing forward.

Uh oh, is he really angry now?

She caught up and grabbed his sleeve. “Can you do me a favor? I won’t paint for him anymore, and I won’t go see him again.”

The boy pulled her hand down, but his steps did stop.

Inspiration struck her quickly at this moment, and she looked at the boy who was close at hand with shining eyes.

It had been a long time since she had the chance to carefully examine Qin Si up close.

He was very handsome, fitting Lu Nian’s aesthetic for males perfectly.

He had a tall and well-proportioned figure, with a remarkable balance of strength.

Lu Nian always thought his eyes were very beautiful, a pair of attractive and chilly phoenix eyes, deep and dark, with straight eyebrows and slightly deeper features than usual.

He wasn’t the type of standard handsome guy, but the combination of his features made him unforgettable.

He was very likely to become the template for a cold and aloof bad boy in the future.

Lu Nian could almost imagine what Qin Si would look like as an adult from the original book.

They didn’t meet often, and Lu Nian was always afraid that he might go astray when she didn’t know about it.

She had to make an effort to understand his recent activities.

If she could make him come over on time and show her himself.

The girl’s gaze was too… strange, making him uncomfortable all over.

He stiffly pressed his lips together and said, “I’ll leave now.”

Lu Nian’s eyes sparkled. “I want to paint, and I want you to come over as my model.”

Qin Si had never expected her to make such a request, and his steps froze in place.

Let her paint him…

Upon hearing this request, he almost immediately refused. “If you want to paint, I can find someone else for you.”

The thought of her staring at him while painting was torture for him.

Lu Nian grumbled unhappily, “But I don’t want to paint anyone else…”

Qin Si replied, “There are plenty of people here. Just pick someone at random.”

Lu Nian exclaimed, “I see, you think there are too many people in the studio?”

Qin Si never wanted others to see them together, and besides, he never liked crowded places.

Lu Nian continued, “I know you don’t want others to see. We can go to another private studio instead of the one we were just in.”

The infrastructure at the affiliated high school was excellent, with several studios available. One of them was the largest and used collectively, while the others were smaller and could be rented for private use for a limited time.

Moreover, the Lu family also had a room specifically for her to paint in, which was very quiet.

Finding a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed was simple.

The problem was, they had been looking in the wrong place.

The boy wanted to continue refusing.

“Please?” The girl’s voice was very soft, her big eyes pleading as she looked at him, wanting to tug at his sleeve.

Lu Nian took a step forward, her small hand bracing against the wall as she tilted her head and smiled at him. “Please? Pretty please? I’m begging you, just this once! Really, just once.”

It was the same look as when they were kids.

Qin Si was always resentful of his weakness in front of her.

He knew it was impossible, and he tried to suppress his thoughts and stop daydreaming.

But every time she smiled at him like that, his mind went blank, his heart racing so fast that he could agree to almost anything.

He asked stiffly, his voice hoarse, “Specific time, duration each time, and total number of sessions?”

Lu Nian paused, realizing that he was still the same Qin Si.

Always clear and logical, going straight to the point, ruthless and calm.

“I haven’t decided yet, it might not be now, and it won’t be too long… You can change the time if you have something else to do… I promise, within five sessions… No more than four times to complete, okay?”

Seeing his expression, Lu Nian hurriedly added conditions.

She said, “I’ll pay you!”

In fact, she rarely had the opportunity to paint boys of this age, mainly because there weren’t many people willing to model for the studio, and many of them were older.

It was hard to find boys of this age. And he was so handsome…

She would definitely profit from this.

The boy’s voice was very cold. “No need.”

He pushed her away. “Call me in advance if you want to paint.”

“Okay!”

Lu Nian returned to the studio, feeling exceptionally refreshed, as if the clouds of the past few days had been swept away.

Tian Yue poked Lu Nian and asked quietly, “Nian Nian, who was that handsome guy just now? Why haven’t I seen him before?”

Lu Nian replied, “He’s not in our grade.”

Tian Yue asked, “Is he a senior… Does the little brother have a girlfriend?”

Lu Nian pondered, would Qin Si go look for a girlfriend?

According to the original book’s plot, he never had a significant other until he died.

His romantic life was a blank canvas, and he seemed to dislike being approached by others.

But looking at Qin Si now, it seemed like there had been some changes to his growth trajectory from the original book…

Although he still left the Lu family, he didn’t go to No. 13 High School, and he didn’t go through those terrible years.

His personality didn’t seem to have undergone any major distortions.

Everything seemed to be on the right track.

From the looks of it, her efforts had paid off, and Lu Nian hoped he could continue like this.

Mingge Bar was lively at night, especially as the New Year approached.

The bar had a very good flow of customers. Qin Si had previously bought the neighboring property, knocked down the wall, and merged the two spaces.

He also hired several beautiful waitresses, and business was booming.

Ming Ge was counting the money, his mouth couldn’t close from joy.

Tonight, the bar was closed, leaving only internal staff to celebrate and hold an annual year-end meeting.

Normally, Qin Si never attended such celebrations, but today was an exception because there was good news, and he could be considered the one who made the most significant contribution.

Ming Ge couldn’t understand the accounts of the business, so he relied on Qin Si.

After the meeting, the celebration began.

Ming Ge slapped down a card with a grand gesture. “The extra bonuses for you all this year are here. Salaries and dividends will be paid as usual!”

“Boss is amazing!”

“We’re making money this year.”

“Cheers! Tonight, everyone drink as much as you want, and I’ll foot the bill.”

There was a chaotic uproar around the table.

Whisky and rum were already mixed on the table, and everyone had already had quite a bit to drink.

Only the cup in front of the boy remained untouched.

He was reading a book, his long eyelashes drooping, his slender hand holding a pen, writing down a series of numbers on the paper.

Under the dim light, his skin appeared cold and pale, giving him a clean and sharp look.

Qin Si was very busy.

When he wasn’t working, he was usually reading.

He was about to enter his third year of high school and would soon face the college entrance examination.

Ming Ge knew the significance of this exam for him.

A woman beside him giggled, her slender eyes curving into crescents.

“Why aren’t you having a drink now? What exam are you still studying for? I can’t believe you’re still such a good student.”

She casually tried to put her hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Qin Si didn’t let her touch him, his voice cold. “I can’t drink.”

He didn’t even take his eyes off the physics problem he was working on.

Bai Xi felt a bit embarrassed.

She was the most beautiful and highest-performing waitress Ming Ge had hired this year.

She considered herself the leading lady of the bar and was usually pampered by everyone.

“Have a drink, it’s New Year’s Eve.” Ming Ge quickly intervened.

He whispered to Qin Si, “The matter with your house has been settled. After some renovations, you’ll be able to move in next year after you finish your exams. This is good news. Won’t you drink a toast? Give me some face.”

The money was Qin Si’s own, and Ming Ge couldn’t understand his financial situation, but Qin Si’s ability to manage money was obvious.

Apart from his salary and dividends from the bar, Qin Si didn’t seem to need him.

Apart from not managing the small cybercafé anymore, Qin Si handled everything, and the business seemed to be doing well.

He seemed to be investing too, with some wins and losses, but overall, he was making more than he was losing, and Ming Ge knew it was because Qin Si wasn’t of legal age yet and couldn’t do certain things, so sometimes he had to use Ming Ge’s ID.

Ming Ge completely trusted him and knew exactly what he cared about.

Sure enough, the boy’s hand holding the pen paused, and he picked up the cup in front of him.

He clinked glasses with Ming Ge and drank it all in one go.

The silhouette cast on the wall showed the boy tilting his face slightly upwards, his delicate profile and the contours of his Adam’s apple were all exceptionally beautiful.

He had a good tolerance for alcohol.

After finishing the drink, there was no change in his expression, and he continued to work on his exam paper.

“Alright, alright, Little Qin has had a drink now, so let’s all toast together.” Bartender Le Qiu quickly intervened. “Bai Meimei, come, I’ll have a drink with you.”

Bai Xi still glared at Qin Si with some resentment.

When she first saw Qin Si, she thought he was another of Ming Ge’s hired barmaids to attract customers.

Little did she know that he never bothered with such things and was rarely seen.

She had inquired around and learned that the boy had a close relationship with the boss.

Tonight, for the first time, she realized that he was the one in charge and in control of the finances.

He didn’t seem to give her any face at all.

One day, you’ll see.

Bai Xi stared at the boy’s departing figure with determination.

The winter in Ancheng was bitterly cold, but indoors it was as warm as spring, with the air conditioner operating silently.

The board members were all quiet.

Sitting at the head was Lu Zhihong.

“… This year, all our performance indicators have been steadily improving. Coupled with changes in the overall environment, the financial off-season is over, and next year, our development environment will only get better,”

Lu Zhihong said. “It’s obvious that our clients have full confidence in us, and the reputation of the Lu family has never been better among our clients. As long as you all continue to work hard next year, achieving new highs is just around the corner.”

Applause followed.

Next, it was the turn of the senior data analyst.

Lu Zhihong returned to his seat and coughed softly.

He took out a small pill bottle from his pocket and swallowed a pill.

Lu Zhihong’s personal secretary, Zhang Hua, had been standing behind him all along.

Seeing his condition, he quietly approached and supported him, leading him out of the meeting room.

Zhang Hua asked in a low voice, “Mr. Lu, do you want to check again later?”

Lu Zhihong sighed deeply. “Old problem.”

He didn’t care and asked Zhang Hua, “How’s the matter I asked Xiaoyang to handle some time ago?”

Zhang Hua hesitated before replying, “Xiaoyang is still young. He needs more experience in the future…”

“No need to say more.” Lu Zhihong closed his eyes.

Lu Yang wasn’t up to much, he had already noticed.

Moreover, in the end, people were selfish.

Lu Zhihong just wanted to leave the company to his own people.

He asked again, “What about Nanqiao?”

Zhang Hua shook his head and whispered, “The same as before.”

No progress at all.

For the past few years, Lu Zhihong had allocated a considerable amount of funds every year specifically for a thorough search centered around Nanqiao.

Unfortunately, there had been no progress at all.

It was as if Lu Zhuo had evaporated from the earth.

Nanqiao’s mountains were vast, extending endlessly, with many places that were inaccessible to human beings.

In fact, Zhang Hua had the answer in his heart, and Lu Zhihong had the answer in his heart too.

Perhaps he had long since turned into a handful of yellow earth, buried in the mountains, and had become a small, unnamed skeleton.

Just for the sake of this grudge.