Chapter 285: Laying Out a Bigger Plan
So, the next moment, Cheng Lie saw Yun Shifei quickly rush into the kitchen.
For over an hour, she bustled around, and finally, a sumptuous meal was ready. Yun Shifei brought the dishes to the table, and Cheng Lie tried to help, but Yun Shifei wouldn’t let him: "Your hand is injured. Just rest properly."
Cheng Lie: "..."
His injury was just on one hand, the other was perfectly fine.
But Yun Shifei simply didn’t want Cheng Lie to do anything anymore.
Whenever she thought about how he injured his hand while getting her the gift, she felt particularly guilty.
During the meal, she even helped Cheng Lie pick food: "You should eat more."
Although Cheng Lie’s complexion had improved slightly, it remained pale, and he was still injured, having lost so much blood; he definitely needed nourishment.
The meals she made weren’t that delicious, but passable nonetheless.
Cheng Lie ate quietly while silently watching Yun Shifei. He thought to himself, "She’s not angry anymore, that’s great." Yet he couldn’t help but wonder—was it pity that made her calm down? If she hadn’t seen he was injured, would she continue being mad?
Thinking about that, Cheng Lie felt uneasy.
He didn’t want her forgiveness to stem from pity or sympathy for him.
Nor did he want any budding feelings from her to originate from such pity.
An unequal love from the start meant they wouldn’t be able to coexist peacefully in the future.
After the meal, Yun Shifei gathered the dishes and headed to the kitchen to wash them, telling Cheng Lie to sit directly in the living room.
Their relationship suddenly reverted back to how it used to be, when there were no tensions.
Yun Shifei washed the dishes silently in the kitchen, gradually calming down. Reflecting upon herself, she realized she had been somewhat excessive over the past period.
Cheng Lie had deceived her out of necessity—she wasn’t good at lying herself, yet had to often interact with the Cheng Family. If she discovered Cheng Lie’s secrets, how could she get along with the Cheng Family peacefully?
As for the beginning, when they were slandered as being involved, Cheng Lie hadn’t spoken up—because he wasn’t strong enough then.
Initially, it was she who had been irrational, only considering things from her own perspective without accounting for Cheng Lie’s feelings.
Now, putting herself in his shoes, Cheng Lie hadn’t done anything to truly wrong her.
After washing the dishes, Yun Shifei returned to the living room and sat with Cheng Lie to watch TV for a while.
She was sitting right beside Cheng Lie, making it impossible for him to watch the TV properly. His peripheral vision kept drifting toward her.
He wanted to ask her about the things he wanted to know, but the words stuck in his throat—he just couldn’t say them.
Cheng Lie couldn’t help but hate his own cowardice at critical moments.
Yet he was terrified.
After Yun Shifei left, Zhao Pan came in shortly thereafter and handed a piece of paper to Cheng Lie.
"Mr. Cheng, this is an invitation from Mr. Wen for his birthday. He’s celebrating this Sunday and would like to invite you over."
Zhao Pan was slightly excited.
The last time Qin Chi Jin had invited Cheng Lie to meet those experts, right as they were walking out of the hotel’s conference hall, they saw Mr. Wen and the Wen Family entering the restaurant.
Mr. Wen, who had been ill for many years, was seated in a wheelchair, being pushed inside by members of the Wen Family.
Qin Chi Jin went ahead to exchange pleasantries with Mr. Wen.
At that time, Cheng Lie could’ve quietly stayed in the background as a transparent figure. After all, with his personality, he didn’t like speaking much even to familiar people, let alone strangers.
Yet back then, Cheng Lie spoke up, pointing out some flaws in the design of Mr. Wen’s wheelchair and suggesting improvements, encouraging the Wen Family to customize a new one.
No one expected that days later, Mr. Wen personally called Cheng Lie to thank him, saying that the new wheelchair was much more comfortable.
Even the Wen Family hadn’t realized that Mr. Wen’s wheelchair was uncomfortable for him.
But Cheng Lie noticed it in one glance—since it was a chair that needed to be sat on for long durations, the backrest, cushion, armrests, and everything needed to be made to maximize comfort.
For ordinary people, attaining such comfort was effortless, but for Mr. Wen, who had spent years in a wheelchair, it was incredibly rare.
And so, he personally called to thank Cheng Lie.
At the time, Zhao Pan had been shocked, but now he was even more stunned to see an invitation to Mr. Wen’s birthday banquet extended to Cheng Lie.
After all, the Wen Family held enormous influence in Beijing, rivalling the Qin Family, and Mr. Wen himself was a highly esteemed elder. For him to actively invite a younger attendee to his birthday celebration was truly exceptional.
Cheng Lie lifted his eyes briefly, giving the invitation a calm glance without showing much excitement.
Zhao Pan suspected this guy didn’t realize what gaining the favor of the Wen Family meant.
"Mr. Cheng, Mr. Wen isn’t an ordinary person. You should make a good impression this time—there’ll be more opportunities in the future," Zhao Pan felt he needed to remind him.
"Mm," Cheng Lie responded indifferently.
Seeing his cold and unenthusiastic demeanor, Zhao Pan thought he hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation.
Cheng Lie took a sip of the milk placed on the table; it was still warm.
Yun Shifei had deliberately heated a cup of milk for him before she left.
She had told him to eat more nutritious food so his wounds would heal quicker.
How could Zhao Pan think Cheng Lie didn’t know who Mr. Wen was?
If not for that, given his personality, he wouldn’t have taken the initiative to help a stranger.
Every step followed his tempo.
The Qin Family’s mysteries were almost unraveled—it was time to set up a bigger scheme.
...
On Sunday, Yun Shifei went to the orphanage to hang out with Fang Kaiyi.
Cheng Lie used to accompany her there, but today, he told her he was busy. Yun Shifei understood he had things to do but felt a bit disappointed nonetheless.
However, it was only a slight disappointment, and she quickly recovered.
Standing at the school gate waiting, she noticed a luxury car speeding toward her. Initially, it was driving very quickly, but as it approached, its speed suddenly slowed down.
"Mr. Qin, what’s wrong?" The woman beside Qin Yumo looked at him curiously.
Compared to Qin Yumo’s usual driving speed, this was unexpectedly slow—drastically slower.
Qin Yumo’s gaze was fixed tightly on Yun Shifei in the distance.
The girl was bundled up today in a large down jacket, which covered her entirely from head to toe.
Not only that, but she wore a hat, a scarf, and a mask, wrapping herself as snugly as possible.
How did he recognize her? It was her backpack—a small pink bag with a rabbit plush hanging from it.
He’d seen her carry this backpack to class before.
"Mr. Qin..." The woman finally noticed the reason Qin Yumo’s speed had slowed down—and even stopped.
He had actually parked the car by the roadside, his gaze fixed on a girl waiting for the bus at the stop nearby!
Looking at the girl’s plain appearance, the woman couldn’t fathom why Qin Yumo would find her captivating.