Qin Yu discovered that ever since he had smelled that sweet fragrance, his sleep quality had gradually improved, to the point that even his private doctor couldn't help but marvel at the miraculous self-healing during routine check-ups.
Seeing how his vitality had noticeably improved, Uncle Wen was genuinely happy and relieved for Qin Yu.
Everyone was happy, except for Ah Da.
In the early morning, she resembled a dehydrated fish, her skin pale and bloodless, listlessly sprawled on the Jade bed, even her usually silky, lustrous black hair had lost its shine.
Day after day, Ah Da couldn't think of a solution that would satisfy both ends.
One midday.
As usual, Ah Da jumped out of the incense burner, and upon hitting the ground, her legs gave way and she collapsed straight to the floor. This time, Ah Da couldn't hold back and dropped two pearls, sitting on the ground for quite a while before slowly getting up and heading to the bathroom, holding her skirt.
In a corner, a small robot autonomously turned its head, capturing everything in the room.
Capital City's upscale private club, Lishui Pavilion.
The private room was resplendent, filled with the rich aroma of wine. Tang Bufan, flaunting a female companion, gestured to the waiter to pour wine. The waiter knelt half-way to the ground, adeptly taking out a bottle from the ice bucket, opening it, and pouring the wine with smooth elegance.
A dozen meters long, the sofa surrounded a large table where young men and women sat, filling the room which, though not quite lively, was eerily silent.
It was a gathering organized by Tang Bufan, attended only by the well-placed scions of business and government families from Capital City. Normally, these young people would be partying hard by now, but today they were as meek and disciplined as if they were in training.
At the end of the sofa, a man's upper body was half-hidden in the dim light, his slender arm resting on an armrest, the back of his hand supporting his chin, while the other hand held a smartphone. The screen's light cast a halo over his face, enhancing his striking features and a charisma that was impossible to ignore.
This darling of Capital City, who everyone had thought would disappear after Qin Jingming's death, had stabbed back from abroad to take complete control of the Qin Family's enterprises. In a few years, he had resolved all unresolved dangers and led the Qin Group to new heights. The Qin Group was now at its zenith, an era even more formidable than the days of Grandpa Qin.
It could be said that each scion present had been sternly lectured by their own fathers to emulate Qin Yu. But everyone is different, and who could truly emulate a born king of the business world like Qin Yu?
Qin Yu was unpredictable and ruthlessly decisive. Over the past few years, anyone who had opposed him met with no good end; there were even rumors that he had relentlessly eliminated his own uncle, Qin Huaiming. This sternness was part of what made others wary of him.
Now, Qin Yu sat in the private room like a god, and none of the young masters had the mood for fun. Even those who brought female companions dared not make any moves, as restrained as monks ten years out of society, all eyes firm and clear.
Tang Bufan brought over two glasses of vodka, placing one in front of Qin Yu, then sitting beside him, smiling as he said,
"Third Young Master, I finally got you to come, aren't you going to join the fun? What's the point of sitting alone?"
Qin Yu's gaze remained fixed on his smartphone screen, first frowning, then smoothing out, seemingly even smiling for a moment.
That was indeed rare.
Where had they seen Qin Yu like this?
Curiosity got the better of Tang Bufan, wondering what on the smartphone was so captivating. Had he had an epiphany?
Driven by gossip, Tang Bufan couldn't help but glance at the smartphone screen, but before he saw anything, the screen suddenly went black. Tang Bufan looked up to meet Qin Yu's indifferent eyes, feeling quite awkward to be caught snooping.
Qin Yu: "Want to see?"
Tang Bufan quickly denied, "No, definitely not, that wasn't me just now. I must have been possessed by a ghost."
The skill with which he spouted utter nonsense was admirable, and Qin Yu was speechless, standing up with his cellphone in hand.
Tang Bufan also stood up, "No way, you're leaving already? It hasn't even started yet?"
"Yeah, there's a bit of an emergency," Qin Yu picked up the jacket on the back of the sofa, draping it over his arm.
"What's so urgent?" Tang Bufan teased. "Could it be you're hiding a love affair?"
Qin Yu stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and said word by word, "Going home to catch ghosts." With that, he left the private room.
"..." Tang Bufan stared blankly, a mix of bafflement and surprise on his face, completely clueless. He turned to look at the people behind him, "Catch ghosts? What ghost? Has he switched to being a Heavenly Master?"
No one in the private room responded to Tang Bufan, and Qin Yu had already left the door of the private room.
Qin Yu drove back to the villa and headed straight to his bedroom. Uncle Wen watched him ascend the stairs, a trace of confusion lingering in his mind; the young master had been acting strangely lately.
Meanwhile, Ah Da was squinting her eyes and enjoying herself in the wash basin, her small legs splashing the water joyously.
Qin Yu entered and heard noises from the bathroom, but he didn't hurry, instead turning to shut the door properly.
As he walked by the floor, he also bent down to pick up two pearls, smaller and less round than before.
Qin Yu placed the pearls along with the jacket on the bed, then slowly walked towards the bathroom. The closer he got, the clearer the sound became—sounds he recognized, heard in dreams, in the drowsiness of slowly waking moments.
Entrenched in the joy of playing in the water, Ah Da suddenly felt a pressing danger. Her eyes snapped open to directly meet the man's cold, deep black ones. It was as if time had frozen.
She shivered in fright, trembling.
The man stood outside the door, backlit so his expression was not visible. Ah Da felt an inexplicable fear, forgetting even to flee, her whole body frozen in place.
Qin Yu looked at the girl lying in the wash basin, hardly the size of a palm, dressed in ancient attire, her hair styled in an ancient coiffure. She had a small white face, a dainty nose, fair skin, resembling a finely crafted doll in a display window.
Faced with such a scene, Qin Yu couldn't describe what he felt. Although he had seen her through a camera, seeing her in person was still incredibly shocking, so beyond the ordinary that it completely overturned his understanding and defied science.
"I... I... I…" Ah Da regained a bit of consciousness, gingerly using her hands to pull herself up, her voice trembling, "I just wanted to soak in some water. I didn't mean…"
Before she could finish, her small legs slipped and she fell down, Ah Da closing her eyes in fear, her hands covering her face.
The expected pain didn't come, and Ah Da slowly released her hands, seeing the man's handsome and cool face enlarged in front of hers, catching her with one hand. His eyes showed no emotion.
Not surprised, nor fearful, this was entirely beyond Ah Da's expectations. The man's tense face made her uneasy, her small bottom sitting in the palm of his hand as if on pins and needles.
Wanting to move, yet not daring to.
Just like a little lamb captured by a fierce beast.
Qin Yu stared at the little girl in his hand, hardly the size of his palm, barely any weight, her hair long and wet, draped behind her, her dress thin like mist, wet and clinging to her legs, water droplets hanging on her face and forehead, somewhat bedraggled.
Her small head lowered, those big black pearl-like eyes too timid to look at him, the area around her eyes red, as if she was about to cry the next moment.