After spending a day at the company, at five-thirty in the afternoon, Qin He drove to Qing University, timing it perfectly.
It was the weekend, and she had her weekly live stream scheduled.
When she arrived at Qing University, Shen Yilin was already waiting at the school gate. Seeing Qin He's car approach, he immediately got in.
On the way back home, Qin He noticed he seemed listless.
"Yilin, how have things been at school lately?"
Recalling past events, it had been rumored at Qing University that Shen Yilin was being kept by her.
She felt a little apologetic. "I heard about what happened before. Someone at school was spreading rumors about our relationship. I'll clarify things during my live stream tonight."
Shen Yilin flinched. "Sister, you don't have to listen to their nonsense. I don't take it to heart!"
Qin He chuckled. "You're still young, you don't have a girlfriend yet. It's not good for you to have these rumors going around."
"It's fine, I just—" Shen Yilin lowered his head, a shadow clouding his handsome face. "I got a call from the hospital. They said my brother's condition isn't good."
Qin He frowned. She had seen Shen Yizong's medical records; further observation was needed before surgery could be convenient.
Had the situation taken a turn for the worse?
That would be troublesome.
"Yilin, don't worry just yet. I know a very skilled doctor. If your brother's condition is truly bad, I'll ask her to operate on him then."
Qin He comforted him, "No matter what, there's always a glimmer of hope."
Shen Yilin nodded. "I know, Sister."
The car drove back to the Qin residence. During her live stream, Qin He specifically addressed her relationship with Shen Yilin.
"My little assistant is an excellent student at Qing University, majoring in photography. I treat him like a younger brother," Qin He said with a smile as she applied makeup. "But there have been some rumors lately. I hope everyone will stop spreading them. Xiao Lin is much younger than me."
Qin He spoke casually as comments scrolled across the screen.
【Who's so bored, spreading rumors!】
【Xiao Lin is still in college. We should also cut back on shipping him with you in the future.】
Shen Yilin, as diligent Xiao He's assistant, had an account on Weibo and had appeared on live streams a few times. The audience was quite taken with his looks.
Some had also started shipping the idea of an older woman-younger man romance, a CP. Qin He had been too lazy to deal with it before, but now that it was affecting Shen Yilin, she absolutely could not accept it.
After chatting for a while, a message scrolled across the screen.
'Gu' gifted 99 champagne roses to diligent Xiao He.
Gu was the number one supporter in Qin He's live stream room. After her usual thanks, Qin He continued applying makeup.
Before long, Lu Family's Young Master, Ji Ran Xiao Mo Nu, and Ping Fan Ren Sheng also chimed in.
Qin He smiled. She had been live streaming beauty, health, and skincare for quite some time now, and the people in her live stream room had become increasingly familiar.
"Should we have a get-together sometime?" Qin He asked with a smile. "Ji Ran Xiao Mo Nu, Ping Fan Ren Sheng, and Brother Gu, are you also in Qingcheng?"
The three fell silent simultaneously.
Qin He raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't think much of it.
Lu Family's Young Master, however, jumped in: "Okay, okay, let's have a gathering."
Qin He let out a cold laugh. "Lu Mingxi, you can have your own gathering!"
After her live stream ended that night, Qin He drove Shen Yilin back to Qing University.
Watching him enter the school gate, she sat in her car and made a call to Shen Bin, the dean of Qingcheng First Hospital.
"Dean Shen, how is Shen Yizong's condition?"
Shen Bin's voice was grave. "I was just about to contact you. He's been in a coma for too long, and his vital signs have dropped considerably recently. The main issue is the blood clot in his brain. I'll send you his medical records for you to review."
"Alright, send it to my email."
Shen Bin knew the email address associated with her Harlan a identity. After Qin He hung up, she was about to start the car when her gaze fell behind her vehicle.
Not far away, a very ordinary black commercial van was parked there.
She narrowed her eyes slightly. She seemed to recall seeing this car earlier today.
Qin He's vigilance increased. Someone on the dark web had accepted a mission from Zero Point Rose, intending to make a move on her.
This car appearing twice in one day strongly suggested it was following her.
Qin He remained calm, driving back to the Qin residence, her eyes occasionally darting to the rearview mirror.
All the way, the commercial van kept a considerable distance behind her. As they approached the Qin family's vicinity, it turned away.
Qin He looked at the car as it turned with some surprise. It didn't seem like someone intending to kill, but rather like they were tracking and protecting her.
She subtly noted the car's details and drove home.
After parking the car, Qin He went into the living room.
Qin Yun was sitting in the living room, on the phone, seemingly talking to someone in Haicheng.
"Yes, I understand."
Seeing Qin Yun's unhappy expression, Qin He's eyes flickered. She sat down opposite him. "Brother, was that Grandma calling?"
"No." Qin Yun's aura was cold and distant.
Qin He narrowed her eyes. "Was it Wanwan's?" Besides her maternal grandmother's family, the only other person in Haicheng who would call her brother was Wanwan.
"Yes."
Qin He chuckled. "Are you two on speaking terms now?"
"Speaking terms, what nonsense!" Qin Yun scoffed. "She said she's having lunch with Yan Chen tomorrow and asked if I had any recommendations for good restaurants in Haicheng."
Qin He raised an eyebrow slightly.
Qin Yun turned his head to look at her, his brows furrowed. "Isn't Yan Chen in Qingcheng? Why did he go back to Haicheng?"
Qin He blinked innocently. "How would I know? Yan Chen is from Haicheng, so it's normal for him to go back."
Feeling annoyed, Qin Yun walked into his study with a stern face.
Qin He watched her brother's retreating back and took out her phone to send a WeChat message to Xu Wanwan.
Qin He: I just got home and saw my brother looking very angry and agitated. What did you do?
Xu Wanwan replied quickly: Your brother is very angry?
Qin He's lips curled. "Yes."
Xu Wanwan's video call quickly came through. Peeking her head around playfully, she tried to look at Qin He's surroundings.
Qin He panned the phone around. "Stop looking, my brother has already gone back to his study."
"Actually, I wanted to test your brother. The Yan family invited me to dinner today. My family has a partnership with the Yan family, so I went. I didn't expect Yan Chen to be there too."
Xu Wanwan chattered on, recounting the day's events. "Yan Chen said that you and Gu Qichen ganged up to force him back to Haicheng. What's going on?"
Qin He raised an eyebrow slightly. "What does Gu Qichen have to do with this?"
As they talked more deeply, Qin He also understood Xu Wanwan's feelings for Qin Yun.
She sighed softly. She had promised her brother not to reveal the truth to Xu Wanwan, but for Xu Wanwan, who was unaware, her boyfriend suddenly broke up with her.
Then, from a not-too-close but not-too-distant distance, he neither fully broke it off nor accepted her.
To an outsider, what difference was there between this and being toyed with?
Qin He looked at Xu Wanwan's increasingly dimming eyes and couldn't help but encourage her. "Wanwan, you know my brother's character. He must have a reason he can't tell. Don't give up."
"I won't give up!" Xu Wanwan's fighting spirit was ignited. "I'll go have lunch with Yan Chen tomorrow. I'll take pictures and post them on my moments, visible only to your brother!"
Qin He smiled. "Alright."