The call was from Bai Yinning. Upon seeing the caller id, her chest tightened a little. Lin Xinyan naturally associated Yao Qingqing to Bai Yinning.
“I’m leaving, you pick up the call,” Qin Ya remarked, thinking Lin Xinyan did not pick up the call due to her presence.
However, it was not true. Lin Xinyan was actually slightly hesitant as she was afraid Bai Yinning would tell her more about Yao Qingqing. She did not want to be further involved in that matter anymore.
Yet, Bai Yinning seemed to be very persistent. The phone continued ringing despite Lin Xinyan being indecisive about whether she wanted to pick the call up.
Taking in a deep breath, Lin Xinyan finally gave in. As she pressed the ‘answer’ button, she heard Bai Yinning ask, “Are you leaving today?”
“No, I’m leaving tomorrow,” Lin Xinyan responded.
“Let’s meet today then,” Bai Yinning suggested.
Lin Xinyan stared at her shoes, still feeling uncertain and tried to decline, “I think it might not be very convenient…”
“You’re leaving tomorrow. Shouldn’t you bid me farewell?” Bai Yinning cut her off.
Lin Xinyan remained silence.
“I won’t take up a lot of your time,” Bai Yinning persuaded once again.
After all, Bai Yinning had saved her before. It will be too heartless of Lin Xinyan to reject his requests continuously. Finally, Lin Xinyan gave in, “You can come and look for me.”
“I’m can’t see you right away. Is it okay if I send someone to pick you up instead?” Bai Yinning proposed.
“Forget it, just tell me the location. It will be too troublesome for someone to come and pick me up. I’ll go there myself,” Lin Xinyan answered.
“We can meet at the mansion. I’ll be there in a jiffy.”
Lin Xinyan paused for a moment before she replied, “Alright, see you.”
Lin Xinyan stood at the side of the road and was only able to hail a taxi after a good twenty minutes.
Soon, the car stopped in front of the mansion. Lin Xinyan paid and alighted from the taxi.
Prior to her arrival, Bai Yinning had informed Liu to be prepared. Upon seeing Lin Xinyan, Liu approached her and greeted, “Ms. Lin, it’s good to see you again.”
Since they had interacted before, the atmosphere between them was not awkward. Lin Xinyan spoke, “It’s too cold out here. Why didn’t you wait in the mansion?”
“It’s alright, Young Master told me you were reaching soon. Let’s head into the mansion,” Liu smiled.
The mansion was not an unfamiliar place for Lin Xinyan as she had stayed here for a couple of days before.
Entering the living room, she took off her outer coat and hung it onto the rack since the room had already been warmed up by the heater.
As Liu made coffee, she depicted, “I thought I would never see you again.”
As she placed the cup onto the table, Liu added, “Actually, Young Master is a very nice person.”
There were two females who were significant in Bai Yinning’s life. For Liu, she personally liked Lin Xinyan much more than Yao Qingqing, for no particular reason. Liu just thought Lin Xinyan was friendlier; she could easily get along with her.
In comparison, the impression Yao Qingqing gave off was much more cold and gloomy.
Acting as if she didn’t hear Liu, Lin Xinyan did not reply. Instead, she walked towards the fish tank and changed the subject, “The fishes are still here.”
Lin Xinyan remembered that Bai Yinning had gotten her these fishes for her entertainment after she was rescued by Bai him. It was because Lin Xinyan wasn’t able to move around freely.
These fishes were pretty unique; brightly colored, with distinctive features. When Lin Xinyan gently touched the tail of the fishes, they were startled and swam away instantly. Lin Xinyan was certainly intrigued by their reaction.
Liu stood beside Lin Xinyan. As she glanced at the fish tank, Liu muttered, “Young Master would feed these fishes every day.”
Looking up, Lin Xinyan could not help but wonder the truth in her words. How could Bai Yinning be so free to feed these fishes every day? Seeing her confusion, Liu continued, “Young Master will only feed them when he’s around. Usually, I will be the one in charge of taking care of these fishes. But, if he’s here, he will definitely do it.”
As Lin Xinyan continued to play around with the fishes, she seemed engrossed as she stared at their swift movement.
“It is said that fishes have seven seconds of memory. If only we can be like them, and choose to forget some memories selectively,” a voice interrupted their conversation. Turning back, Lin Xinyan saw Bai Yinning approaching in his wheelchair.
“Did you wait long?” Bai Yinning asked.
“Nope. I just reached.” Lin Xinyan shook her head slightly.
Once Bai Yinning stopped beside the fish tank, he instructed Liu, “You can take your leave first. Wait by the door and ensure no one enters.”
Liu peeked a glance at Lin Xinyan and then Bai Yinning, but did not utter a word. Gently nodding, she acknowledged Bai Yinning’s commands and left the room.
After Liu closed the door and silence enveloped the entire living room.
Breaking the silence, Lin Xinyan raised her eyebrow and probed, “What secret did you want to tell me?”
Lin Xinyan was certain that the news Bai Yinning was going to tell her was confidential, based on the very fact that he had made Liu leave and instructed her to wait by the door.
Nodding his head, Bai Yinning admitted, “Yes, I have something to tell you.”
However, it was not a secret.
“What’s it about?”
“Take a seat,” Bai Yinning signaled as he moved towards the wheelchair towards the sofa.
Lin Xinyan followed Bai Yinning to the sofa and took a seat. Taking a sip of the coffee that Liu made, Lin Xinyan finally heard Bai Yinning say, “She’s alright now. However, she refuses to speak and does not want to see me at all.”
Upon hearing his words, Lin Xinyan paused a moment. She did not reply despite knowing who was Bai Yinning referring to. At this moment, Lin Xinyan preferred to listen.
“I know she’s ashamed to see me, but the doctor told me her emotions are not so stable these days. I will admit her to the nursing home soon,” Bai Yinning continued as if Lin Xinyan was not beside him.
Bai Yinning really hoped Yao Qingqing could lead a normal life.
“I’m collecting the evidence for her abuse by the Yao Family. I will bring the culprit to justice.”
After thinking through the entire ordeal, Bai Yinning was much calmer after that night.
“I believe you can do it,” Lin Xinyan assured. Given Bai Yinning’s status, punishing those villains shouldn’t be a problem.
Hearing Lin Xinyan’s response, Bai Yinning looked straight into her eyes and wondered, “Why do you have so much trust in me?”
Lin Xinyan smiled. “It’s not that I have trust in you. It’s just that you are capable enough.”
Bai Yinning gave a bitter smile, “You are really adamant to draw a line between the two of us.”
Lin Xinyan paused for a moment, before she uttered, “If I really wanted to draw a line between us, I wouldn’t be sitting here, listening to you.”
Fate had brought them to know each other. Lin Xinyan had nothing against Bai Yinning, so she would not distance herself intentionally.
Bai Yinning beamed, “That’s good to hear.”
“Is this all you wanted to tell me?”
Hesitating for a few seconds, Bai Yinning finally conceded. “You have seen Cheng Yuxiu previously, am I right?”
Lin Xinyan was astounded by how Bai Yinning had changed the topic so quickly.
We were talking about Yao Qingqing, why is he mentioning Cheng Yuxiu out of the blue?
Besides that, Bai Yinning knew Cheng Yuxiu anyways.
However, her confusion was cleared up when she made the connections. Bai Hongfei was Bai Yinning’s foster father, so it won’t be surprising if Bai Hongfei had told Bai Yinning about the past.
“Cheng Yuxiu is in B City. How is it possible for me to see her?” Lin Xinyan denied. She did not forget her promise to Cheng Yuxiu.
Lin Xinyan did not disclose a single detail to Zong Jinghao. Similarly, she would not tell Bai Yinning anything.
Staring at her, Bai Yinning spoke once again, “Are you going to keep your lips sealed about this matter? Even if it’s I who’s asking?’
Without answering his question directly, Lin Xinyan retorted, “What if I have seen her? And what if I have not?”
“I know she told you something.” Bai Yinning finally revealed his intentions.
Without waiting for her to reply, Bai Yinning continued, “The tea silk master who taught you previously was Cheng Yuxiu’s brother, Cheng Yuwen. Cheng Yuxiu was my foster father’s, first love. He remained single his entire life for her. When he was still alive, someone severed his fingers. I’ll be honest with you, I’m investigating the mastermind who harmed him.”
Lin Xinyan clenched her fists. Bai Hongfei’s fingers were severed?
Many thoughts raced in her mind. At that point in time, Cheng Yuxiu only revealed that Wen Qing had used Bai Hongfei as his bargaining chip and forced her to call Zong Qifeng. However, Cheng Yuxiu did not say much about the means Wen Qing had used when she was threatened.
So, did Wen Qing sever Bai Hongfei’s fingers in order to make Cheng Yuxiu succumb to his threat?
“My foster father groomed me and entrusted the family business to me. I must definitely repay his kindness,” Bai Yinning stated. He knew Lin Xinyan was aware of what had happened in the past and knew who the culprit who harmed his foster father was.
As Bai Yinning spoke, Lin Xinyan was stuck in a dilemma. The Wen family were still acquainted with the Zong family. If she were to tell Bai Yinning the truth, he would definitely seek revenge.
What if Zong Jinghao’s identity was uncovered? As long as it concerned Zong Jinghao, Lin Xinyan was not willing to take any risk!
“I don’t know…”
In a frenzy, Liu barged into the living room and interrupted Lin Xinyan, “Young Master, there are some people causing a scene outside!”
