Chapter 17: Discussing Terms

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Chi Xiyu grinned as she told Lin Yiwei, “Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to do anything else, just make yourself noticed around him, catch his attention so he won’t look at Ye Anning. After all, you and Ye Anning look somewhat alike, but you’re even more beautiful. With that comparison, I don’t believe she has any real appeal to Xie Bo.”

Chi Xiyu’s way of thinking was always so straightforward and blunt.

Her affection for Xie Bo was mostly based on his looks, so she assumed others were the same. She thought Xie Bo would only tolerate Ye Anning’s persistent attention because of her appearance.

Whether that was true or not, Lin Yiwei didn’t know and didn’t want to know.

All she felt was that this matter was simply troublesome.

“He will get tired of Ye Anning, and of me too. Eventually, a more beautiful girl will come along.” Lin Yiwei didn’t show reluctance; she reasoned with Chi Xiyu, “Will this even work?”

“Anyone else, I wouldn’t care, but Ye Anning…” Chi Xiyu gritted her teeth. “No, no! Absolutely not!”

Lin Yiwei understood—Chi Xiyu felt threatened because of Ye Anning’s family background.

She was worried that if Xie Bo got too close to Ye Anning, it would affect the alliance between the Xie and Chi families, and ultimately jeopardize her own future happiness.

Recently, the Ye and Xie families had projects in cooperation… Chi Xiyu didn’t want to bury her head in the sand anymore.

“Yiwei, please help me. If you can pull this off, you’ll be my best sister. I won’t treat you unfairly, I promise!”

Reason told Lin Yiwei she couldn’t refuse.

The matter with Lin Xie was finally showing some progress; turning down Chi Xiyu now would waste all that effort.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and said, “Xixi, I’ll do this for you, but I can’t guarantee success. I don’t know your fiancé’s temperament.”

“He’s not my fiancé yet,” Chi Xiyu blushed. “We’re not engaged, but if you help me, I’ll feel much more at ease.”

“I have one condition, or rather, a small wish.”

“Go ahead!”

“For your birthday party next month.” Lin Yiwei met her eyes with a hopeful look. “Can you invite me?”

Every year, Chi Xiyu’s birthday party was grand and extravagant. Chi Youhuai, president of the Chi Group, had only these two children and doted on them with immense pride and wealth. Chi Xiyu was his treasured daughter; he spared no expense for her birthday celebrations, lavish beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

According to Xu Qianxi, the party was held at the Chi family’s traditional courtyard estate, attracting the biggest stars in the entertainment industry. The young heirs and heiresses of prominent families in Qinggang City were not casually invited; it was an exclusive guest list.

Even Xu Qianxi herself had only attended Chi Xiyu’s eighteenth birthday party, having been unable to go in previous years.

Lin Yiwei wanted to take this opportunity to visit Chi Xiyu’s home, hoping to find any clues about Lin Xie.

Chi Xiyu was surprised: “You… want to come to my birthday party?”

“Yes! I heard from Xu Qianxi that it’s quite a spectacle. I want to see the world.” Lin Yiwei’s expression was expectant. “I heard there will be celebrities.”

Chi Xiyu hesitated, worried that Lin Yiwei would be mocked for not having the right clothes or bags.

But…

“If you can pull this off, I’ll let you come.” Chi Xiyu didn’t hesitate further. Her most urgent concern was Ye Anning. “If you can make Xie Bo lose interest in Ye Anning, you’ll have helped me a great deal!”

“I’ll do my best!”

Chi Xiyu casually flicked a strand of hair near Lin Yiwei’s ear and tidied it. “I believe you can do it.”

…

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On Friday night, Ye Anning invited Lin Yiwei to a dirt bike ride gathering.

“It’s organized by some guys from the DS Club. Xie Bo doesn’t ride much, so I don’t know if he’ll come tonight.” Ye Anning held Lin Yiwei’s hand, pulling her out of the car to walk along the roadside.

A few sleek black dirt bikes were parked by the asphalt road. Several tall, beautiful young women stood by them, wearing exaggerated nightclub makeup that was strikingly bold.

Clusters of tall, handsome guys sat on the bikes, the motorcycles blasting bass-heavy rock music. Everyone swayed rhythmically, the atmosphere very lively.

“I really hope he comes, otherwise it won’t be fun.”

“Why not ask?” Lin Yiwei said quietly.

Ye Anning sighed and pulled out her phone, showing Lin Yiwei their chat history.

Scrolling through the messages, Lin Yiwei noticed their communication was almost entirely one-sided—Ye Anning’s endless monologues.

Several times over ten messages would pass before Xie Bo replied once, usually with a brief “Hmm” or “Okay.”

“So dismissive.” Lin Yiwei frowned in irritation.

If anyone treated her like that—seen but not replied to—she would block them immediately without hesitation. If someone didn’t want to talk, then not for a lifetime.

In relationships or intimacy, Lin Yiwei appeared submissive and humble, but in reality, she wasn’t.

She was a girl with a strong sense of self. Having lacked love in her childhood, she instinctively craved maximum attention and wholehearted affection.

She was selfish too, never willing to warm up to cold shoulders.

She demanded unconditional love from others and, based on their behavior, decided whether to begrudgingly give a little affection back.

Lin Xie had spent years caring for her like an older brother, slowly melting the solid ice wall around her heart, making her dependent on him…

So for Lin Yiwei, living meant seeing him, dying meant seeing his corpse.

He was the most important person in her life, her only light.

“Xie Bo is busy, not just with the club. He runs a company too, and often doesn’t check his phone. When he sees my messages, he replies.” Ye Anning tried to defend Xie Bo. “Besides, I’m not his girlfriend.”

“You’re not?”

“Of course not!” Ye Anning saw it clearly. “I… including Chi Xiyu and all those other girls around him, none of us are his girlfriend. To be honest, Xie Bo is a pretty lonely person. He likes a lively atmosphere and keeps me around because I don’t annoy him. He doesn’t really like me.”

Lin Yiwei thought to herself, Chi Xiyu wouldn’t agree with that.

She had already taken Ye Anning as her rival.

“Xie Bo doesn’t like anyone. He only likes himself,” Ye Anning sighed helplessly.

“Then why do you keep playing with him?”

“Because I like him. Just being near him makes me happy. Life’s pretty dull anyway. Having someone willing to race motorcycles with me, feeling my heart pounding in my throat—I think that’s great. I’m willing to keep playing with him like this, even just as friends. I don’t even need his response.”

Lin Yiwei felt exasperated.

Loving someone could really degrade one to dust, letting their moods control you, losing yourself, unconditionally accommodating and yielding…

Lin Yiwei would never be such a person.

Unless someone loved her to death, she wouldn’t easily give even the slightest bit of affection.

She thought, in some ways, Xie Bo might be like her.

Only demanding love from others, stingy in giving even the tiniest fraction of his own feelings.

Heartless.

While Lin Yiwei was lost in thought, Ye Anning opened a beauty camera app and pointed the lens at them both.

“Look here.”

Lin Yiwei smiled and made a peace sign.

“Hey, no! My face looks too big!” Ye Anning handed the phone to Lin Yiwei. “You take it, I’ll stand behind.”

She then hid behind Lin Yiwei, resting her chin on her shoulder, showing a small face.

Lin Yiwei switched filters and snapped many photos rapidly.

She rarely took selfies or photos.

The only time before was with Lin Xie at the fountain square, where a photographer took tourist photos. Lin Xie suggested they take one together, so the shy girl hid behind the slender boy, capturing a slightly bashful picture.

That was her only photo with Lin Xie, still stored in her phone’s encrypted album, looked at carefully late at night before drifting to sleep.

Ye Anning edited the photos and picked the best one, asking Lin Yiwei if she could post it on social media.

Lin Yiwei hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.

…

At the DS Club, Xie Bo lay on the sofa, bored, watching a game.

Li Du saw Ye Anning’s post and laughed, waving his phone in front of Xie Bo’s eyes, shaking it—

“Your secret friend is impressive. Not only did she get to know Chi Xiyu, now she’s tangled up with Ye Anning. Is she some kind of social butterfly? The key is, Chi Xiyu and Ye Anning don’t get along! I suspect she has the same hobby as that kid Deng Xiao—loving to pick on the girls around Thin Ye. So, the question is: which one does this Lin beauty like?”

Xie Bo’s cold, narrow eyes glanced at the screen.

He saw Lin Yiwei wearing… his shirt.

That white shirt she used as a nightgown. Late at night, when he was restless, he had searched everywhere at home but couldn’t find it—sure enough, she had taken it.

And now she was wearing it out.

Like a hidden current suddenly finding its outlet, Xie Bo instantly perked up, sleepiness vanished.

The long shirt tail was tied at the waist, her flat stomach half concealed; below, tight black jeans outlined her slender, beautiful legs.

He didn’t know if it was because she couldn’t afford proper clothes or simply didn’t know how to dress herself. If she paired the shirt like that with shorts, she would definitely be the hottest girl there.

Xie Bo always thought her style was plain.

That didn’t stop him from feeling drawn to her.

His long fingers touched the screen, zooming in on the photo, avoiding Ye Anning to fill the entire screen with her image.

She wasn’t afraid to wear his shirt now.

She thought the shirt was plain and common, but didn’t notice the subtle gold thread embroidery on the left collar—a letter—

“T.”

The initial of “Thin,” his name.

Whether it was because she was naturally sexy or because she wore his shirt, Xie Bo stared at her for a long time, emotions surging.

He stood up, leaned on a motorcycle, and had his men open the garage door.

“Master Bo, where are you going?”

“For a ride.”

…

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