Xu Yingyue felt she should tell him since they were dating now, but she still couldn't help but make it seem like it was a 'just overworked, no big deal' kind of thing.
Lin Xian stared at her hesitation.
'Is there something wrong?'
'…No…'
'Then why are you always so pale and look haggard?'
'I am fine.'
'…'
He tried to calm himself down as memories of the past where she would keep to herself even when he asked for it.
"If you really don't want to say, then it's alright." He smiled politely.
Lin Xian's words slapped across her face, she took in his polite expression, but noticed there was slight a pain in his eyes from her distrust. They agreed that this would be their second chance, but the truth was that she still hadn't changed from all these years.
"…There was a breaking and entering with theft in my condo this morning after I just came from a 3-day business trip." She stared straight into his eyes and saw the change in them. The shock and then his anger, which gave her a sense of warmth. She proceeded to talk about the situation.
Lin Xian processed what she told him and he couldn't believe that she was still sitting there in front of him after what had happened. He sighed. He knew she was good at compartmentalizing herself. Her personal issues would never show though her appearance. She wouldn't let you in no matter how close you were with her, until she wished to tell you herself, or when she gets busted.
"Did they find anything suspicious about this breaking and entering? What was stolen?" He asked.
"Only some of my cheap jewelry and décor which was strange. There would be no reason to break-in to my condo and not steal the most expensive objects." Her eyebrow crinkled in unease.
"Hmm…I suspect and the police officer probably suspects that the robbers came to your condo to search for something but in the end we don't know if they got what they wanted; the robbers probably just took something right after to throw the police off."
"That does sound the most plausible. What could they have wanted though? All my work-related documents are mostly in the company." She was even more confused than before.
Lin Xian saw how chaotic her thoughts were, he changed the topic to reminiscing about their friends and the past.
He looked at how joyful she was talking about the past, and people they knew, and how their lives changed.
Deep inside he hoped that she would relax and be happy, at least with him.
~
Within the study, Lin Xian looked at all the work that plied up, and without a word he started on the plie of papers. Looking through contracts, reports, and accounts had become a daily routine that he could never shake off. Sometimes he envied Lin Ming for being able to pursue his dreams, but he was stuck with the pressures of being the head of the Lin Family.
The older he gets the more he understands the responsibilities he has towards his family and the company; when he was younger he got burnt out more than often from the heavy weight around his shoulders.
"Second Brother!"
A cheerful voice came from outside the hallway.
The woman who appeared in front of the opened study doors wore a white simple dress with scandals, her hair flowing down her shoulders, and her jubilant smile radiating through her whole body.
Lin Xian smiled. "Come here, sit." He gestured for his little sister to sit.
"Lin Mei! Can you stop being so loud? It's already late at night, why are you always so nosy?" Another voice came from the hallway but this one was steadier and filled with exasperation.
The man had the temperament of a gentle scholar in the ancient era. His light blue t-shirt and his beige slim trousers gives him the look of a handsome young man.
Lin Mei heard it. "What do you mean, Lin Xuan!? I just wanted to see Second brother!" She pouted at the man standing behind her.
Lin Xuan ignored Lin Mei. "Hey Second brother! How's it going?" He gave a quick smile towards his brother.
Both twin siblings sat down across from Lin Xian. When you look at both of them they were such a contrast from each other. Lin Mei looked cheerful, while Lin Xuan looked gentle but when they are together they bicker and banter no matter what.
"Just the usual work." Lin Xian dismiss the question.
The twins looked at each other in delight, then looked back at their brother and smiled evilly.
Lin Xian saw their interaction and raised his eyebrow.
"I heard someone re-scheduled all their meetings today!" Lin Mei raised her eyebrow.
"And that someone didn't return to the company till very late." Lin Xuan looked at Lin Xian in amusement.
Lin Xian's lip twitched. "Who's that someone?" He pretended like he didn't know; he took a look at his laptop to check his emails.
Both siblings looked at the shameless man in front of them and glared at him.
"Obviously, it's you! Don't try to pretend that you weren't doing anything suspicious!" Lin Mei crossed her arms and gave a hmph.
"What do you mean suspicious? Am I a criminal? How can you say such things to your blood-related brother? Now, that you two are 24, you think that you can disrespect your older brother?" Lin Xian scolded.
"…"
"Second brother, spill the tea." Lin Xuan gave a stern look. He adjusted his black framed glasses.
"Well, you know I needed some time off for my fourth mistress whom you haven't met yet." Lin Xian shrugged casually.
The twins both scowled at him. "What do you mean your fourth mistress? When was there even one mistress let alone four?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Then I'm sorry, you know now." Lin Xian appeased the twin and then inwardly laughed as he saw the indignant expressions of his younger siblings.
"Stop trolling us! Don't think we are stupid and clueless!"
Lin Xian smirked. "What do you mean my lovely siblings? I really have a fourth mistress and three before her!"
"Fine! We'll tell grandfather that you are on your fourth mistress!" The twins threatened.
"Go ahead. I'll even confirm it with him!" Lin Xian casually gestured them to call.
Lin Xuan whipped out his phone, punched in grandfather's number and put it on speaker phone.
As line was connecting all three was waiting for their grandfather to pick up the phone.
"Oh, Xiao Xuan why are you calling me?"
"Grandfather! Second brother said that he is on his fourth mistress and there was three before him also! He is playing us, get us justice!" Lin Mei said.
"…Your brother does have four mistresses." Grandfather Lin softly muttered.
'What the f*ck' Both twins yelled in their hearts while Lin Xian just chuckled.
"Are you lying to us now too grandfather? What did Second brother bribe you with?" Lin Mei exclaimed.
"How could you brats accuse your grandfather of lying?" Grandfather Lin scolded.
Both twins felt that they were on the losing side and both wondered what has the world become?
"Grandfather, I'll call you later!" Lin Xian went and hanged up the phone.
"Now, that you both know, you can relax about finding wives for me okay?" Lin Xian gave them both a severe glance.
Both twins groaned. "Fine. I hope you enjoy your four mistresses and you would never find a wife!" Both cursed their evil brother and left. They closed the door as they went back to their own apartment.
Lin Xian looked at the twins with an amused smile.
He whipped out his own phone and called Grandfather Lin.
"Good job gramps!" He was still thinking of the twin's defeated looks.
"What was that all about, Lin Xian?" Grandfather Lin asked.
"Just having some fun."
"Well, if it's nothing then its fine." Grandfather Lin sighed.
"But tell me, do you really have a mistress or four?"
"…"
"…Do you remember, Xu Yingyue?" Lin Xian quietly asked.
"That orphan girl that you dated before? What about her?" Grandfather Lin asked suspiciously.
He calmly said. "Well, I'm dating her again."
"Hmm… Are you? Both of you weren't meant to be before, so why do you think this time it would end up well?"
Lin Xian thought about it. "This time we are older and we changed compared to when we were younger. And I still like her." He told his grandfather.
Grandfather Lin sighed. "As long as you are happy."
"I hope so." Lin Xian watched the moon from his window.
"Oh by the way, can you ask Chief Zhang to let me know any changes that happened for Xu Yingyue's breaking and entering case?" He asked. He explained the situation.
"I'll ask if there are any breakthroughs but you should go protect that girl if you really want to marry her." Grandfather Lin stroked his beard.
"Of course I will. Well, talk to you later!" Lin Xian said.
"Call me if anything happens." They both hanged up.
~
"Lin Xuan, what do you think about how Second brother was acting?" Lin Mei sprawled on the sofa as she watched a Korean drama while eating ketchup chips. Wearing her favorite floral lavender pajamas, she was enjoying life.
"He has a girlfriend! And it isn't some nonsense about numerous mistresses as well." He concluded. He sat on the floor with his laptop trying to mark some student papers. He wore sweats and an old t-shirt.
He kept thinking about it the whole way home and this answer must be it. There was no way his brother would go from having no mistresses to having many mistresses.
"He was trying to lead us off the right path. I refuse to believe that he has so many mistresses especially since mother died, he wasn't quite himself but then again he was never the same after he broke off with Xu Yingyue and that was before mother was gone." Lin Xuan analyzed.
"Oh! He must've gotten back with Xu Yingyue!" Lin Mei got so excited from the sudden realization she almost threw the whole bag of chips onto Lin Xuan.
Lin Mei's abrupt shouting shocked Lin Xuan then he felt some chips on his shoulders. Annoyed, He brushed the chips off and stole the bag of chips for himself.
"You may be right…" He ate handfuls of chips while taking a glance at the drama on TV.
"Don't steal my chips!" She tried to take back what was hers. "The only serious relationship that Second brother had in his life was Wen Feng Mian and Xu Yingyue. I liked Xu Yingyue more than Wen Feng Mian though. That was before their relationship escalated to no return."
"Second brother is a loyal person, during these years I've seen him look at Xu Yingyue's photo multiple times but I always thought that he was pitiful for not letting go." Lin Xuan thought out loud.
"Let's go investigate!" Lin Mei exclaimed.
"What do you mean by investigate, Detective Lin?" He inquired.
"We can go to Xu Yingyue's workplace and ask for a collaboration! Then we can get closer to her." She smiled as if it's a smart idea.
"Wouldn't she know it's us, stupid?"
"We can get Zhang Wei to be the collaborator and we would disguise ourselves as his assistants." Lin Mei said.
"That's a terrible idea!" Lin Xuan laughed.
"Well, I'll go then! I want to see how Xu Yingyue is anyways so I'll go find Zhang Wei right now."
"Well, you should compensate him by giving him a kiss!" He teased.
Lin Mei blushed. "Don't say that!" She tried to brush it off but she couldn't stop herself from imagining it.
"Tsk tsk. Why don't you guys just get together if you love him so much? Plus, he loves you too" He rolled his eyes.
"I-Its none of your business!" Lin Mei ran to her room.
She went to her bed and curled up in a ball, it wasn't that she didn't want to but she wants to have a successful career before she married him and she knew that she would be tempted to marry him fast if she dated him!
Both brothers of hers are so mean! Are they really my brothers, she thought.