Chapter 256: Seeing the World
It’s precisely because this kid is so talented in the field of scientific research, and the Fourth Master in his family is also interested in this area, that he keeps indulging him like this.
"Come on, once we finish work, we have to relax a little, don’t we?" Qin Chi Jin said with a smile.
Cheng Lie glanced at him, then gave a simple "Mm" in response.
He picked up the glass of red wine in front of him and began to drink.
Seeing the young man playing along, Qin Chi Jin’s smile widened with satisfaction.
"By the way, you’ve been in Beijing for almost half a year now. Are you getting used to it? I’ve noticed that aside from work, all you do is stop by dessert shops. Don’t you have any other recreational activities?"
"Not necessary." He had already become accustomed to this monotonous and tedious lifestyle, which suited him just fine.
"You kid!" Qin Chi Jin said, exasperated.
But when he thought about the boy’s life over the past decade or so, he figured that this kind of indifference was pretty normal for someone like him.
For an average person to survive in a family like the Cheng Family was already no small feat.
Soft music played in the private room, and beautiful women were singing and dancing. They sat to the side, watching the performance.
The atmosphere grew livelier. One of the women even stepped down from the stage and nestled against Qin Chi Jin, her voice saccharine sweet: "Fourth Master, who’s this?"
"This is a young friend. I brought him here to broaden his horizons."
"Broaden his horizons? That’s wonderful." The woman shot a flirtatious glance at Cheng Lie.
Her sultry gaze was potent enough to weaken any typical man’s resolve.
Unfortunately, Cheng Lie simply gave her an icy look.
What a block of ice.
The woman, however, became even more intrigued.
The boy in front of her was youthful, aloof, and carried a trace of melancholy.
He was dressed in a black shirt with the top button undone, revealing his collarbones. His face was pale, yet his delicate features were striking. Against the multicolored lighting, his face lit up like fireworks in the night sky. Yet his cold, sharp eyes shone like frosty stars—intense and piercing.
This paradoxical aura enchanted the woman. She thought, surely any man who came to a club like this must want to "experience" the scene, right?
She smiled and rose from beside Qin Chi Jin, walking toward Cheng Lie. Picking up the wine glass in front of him, she grinned: "Young Master, let me feed you a drink."
Her smile was ambiguous, her eyes glimmering under the lights.
Cheng Lie gave her a glance filled with even greater disdain and coldly said, "Get lost."
The woman found the boy’s gaze terrifying, but she couldn’t let herself falter.
If she handled this well, the tips from these sorts of customers could be generous.
With that thought, her nerves steeled again.
But just as she leaned closer, intending to feed him the drink, Cheng Lie snatched the glass from her hand.
"Ah—" the woman shrieked and stumbled back.
The wine spilled down her hair, cold and wet, smearing her makeup into a complete mess.
She stared at Cheng Lie in disbelief.
"Ah—"
The wine glass in the boy’s hand nearly hit her head.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and dodged to the side. The glass smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.
The private room instantly plunged into silence. Even the girl singing on stage dared not continue.
The woman, who just moments ago carried an air of confidence, scurried off in embarrassment.
What kind of person is this? In all her years in this line of work, she had never encountered someone like him. Ignoring a beautiful woman throwing herself at him was one thing, but to act so violently—utterly terrifying.
If that glass had hit her face, her career would have been over. It was horrifying.
The more she thought, the more fearful she became.
She was only here to serve drinks—was such treatment really necessary?
Hastily, she left the private room to clean the wine off herself.
Meanwhile, Cheng Lie stood up as well, casting a glance at Qin Chi Jin: "Boring."
Qin Chi Jin burst out laughing, "I brought you here to broaden your horizons, and you’re still bored? You haven’t woken up yet, kid. Once you know a woman’s taste, you’ll be hooked on places like this."
Men and their vices—money and women; who doesn’t like them?
Take him, for instance—a self-admitted shallow man.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Lie suddenly thought of Yun Shifei. His thin lips pressed together tightly. He remembered her scent—sweet and soft, like a little bunny.
The thought made him despise places like this even more.
He turned and walked toward the door.
As he pushed it open, someone on the other side pushed it inward and walked in.
"Fourth Uncle! You can’t be sneaking off here to have fun alone. No way, you owe me a bottle of wine. Huh, who’s this?" Qin Yumo had been in the adjacent private rooms. Upon hearing that Qin Chi Jin had come, he rushed over to greet him.
Seriously, his fourth uncle had such a peculiar personality, always frequenting clubs alone.
Places like this were obviously more fun with friends, but his Fourth Uncle was just... odd, always coming here by himself.
But he hadn’t expected there to be someone else today.
For a brief moment, the two locked gazes as the teenager brushed past without saying a word.
Qin Yumo snapped back to his senses and asked, "Someone new today?"
"I brought him here to broaden his horizons," Qin Chi Jin replied. "But it seems like he’s not really interested."
"Not a local from Beijing, right? I’ve never seen him before."
Qin Yumo was familiar with the city’s upper circles, but he had never seen that young man before.
"No, he’s not," Qin Chi Jin confirmed.
But he didn’t want to divulge too much about Cheng Lie. Cheng Lie’s matters were best kept between themselves.
Qin Yumo gave an "Oh" and grabbed a bottle of wine from the table: "Then this is mine. Thanks, Fourth Uncle!"
With that, he darted away, afraid Qin Chi Jin would call him back.
"That... brat!" Qin Chi Jin cursed, unable to hold back a laugh.
Among all their younger relatives, Qin Yumo was the most mischievous.
Though ten years his senior, Qin Yumo never showed him the slightest respect as an elder.
Once they’d all left, Zhao Pan—having readied himself mentally—cleared his throat and said, "Fourth Master, there’s something I want to say, but I’m not sure if I should."
"Then don’t," Qin Chi Jin said, waving him off.
Zhao Pan: "..."
Seriously, why did his master always have to defy expectations?
"No, I’m going to say it!"
Qin Chi Jin took a sip of wine: "Then say it already. Quit dithering around like some weak effeminate guy."
Zhao Pan: "..."
He was honestly offended!
"It’s like this, Fourth Master. Actually, Mr. Cheng has someone he likes."
Originally savoring his wine, Qin Chi Jin’s eyes widened at the revelation: "What did you say?"
"It’s that girl he was close to back in South City," Zhao Pan explained.
So even a kid like him could have real feelings?
Qin Chi Jin found it hard to wrap his head around this.
Teenagers falling in love? Does that even sound logical? He vaguely remembered that some of the tasks Cheng Lie had asked him to arrange back then were for that girl.
But he had assumed Cheng Lie would forget her after moving to Beijing.
Who would have thought...
"Why didn’t you say so earlier?!" He suddenly felt like a complete fool bringing the boy to a place like this. Qin Chi Jin shivered at the thought.