Lin Qin stood there, idling for a while, until XĂŒ Beijin couldnât take it anymore and flips the board allowing entrance to the reception up, and tells him, âcome and take a seat inside.â
Lin Qinâs eyes seem to sparkle as he hurriedly walks in and sits right next to XĂŒ Beijin.
âHeâs always said he likes XĂŒ Beijin, but doesnât act at all like he does, now, does he?â XĂŒ Beijin thinks, glancing at him. Does he really even like him?
Lin Qin seems confused by the gaze, and asks, âwhy are you looking at me like that?â
XĂŒ Beijin answers quite frankly, âI canât feel how you like me.â
Lin Qin tilts his head to ask, âwhy donât you feel that?â He seems surprised, âeven after everything?â
XĂŒ Beijin ââŠâ
Feeling speechless, he asks, âdo you think Iâm a mind-reader?â
Lin Qin goes âoh,â and then starts thinking hard about what he could do to make XĂŒ Beijin feel his like.
XĂŒ Beijin puts his arm straight up on the desk, and props his head on it, looking at Lin Qin with a subtle smile. This dum-dum of a little apple⊠sure is interesting.
Lin Qin thinks for a while and then speaks up, âI read a novel before?â
âMmhm?â
âIn the book, there was a couple. One of them would always tell the other when they wake up in the morning, âI love you.'â
XĂŒ Beijin says, âtoo cheesy.â
Lin Qin complains, though, âyou donât even fall asleep, so how am I even supposed to say âI love youâ when you wake up?â
It takes XĂŒ Beijin a second to process Lin Qinâs amazing logic. Almost flabbergasted, he says, âso, to prove that you do like me romantically, I should go to sleep? Lin Qin, Iâd almost say youâre doing that on purposeâŠâ
âNo,â Lin Qin suddenly gets all serious, and says, âI really wish you can go to sleep, and it is also true that I like you.â
XĂŒ Beijin falls silent.
Lin Qinâs crispy clear, and especially piercing eyes are looking right at XĂŒ Beijin. He then says, gentler and more serious than ever, âI love you, XĂŒ Beijin, thatâs the truth. You cannot deny my feelings.â
XĂŒ Beijin simply blanks out there for a pretty long time before he forces a smile and says, âalright, fine⊠I know you love me alreadyâŠâ
Lin Qin asks, âyouâre not trying to run away again, right?â
â⊠What do you mean âagainâ?â
âYou always change the topic on this.â
â⊠Itâs supposed to be âyouâ liking âme,â so now why is it my thing again?â
âDidnât you say that the object is âyou,â which also makes you a part of it?â
âBut you also said that I donât need to feel troubled by this?â
âI just want you to give serious consideration to my feelings,â Lin Qinâs eyes widen a little as he says, âand if you still feel troubled, thenâŠâ
âThen what?â
âThen just put it on hold for a bit,â Lin Qin gestures, âfor a very tiny bit.â
XĂŒ Beijin ââŠâ
He swears heâs frustrated enough to chase Lin Qin right out.
Seemingly picking up on something, the very sharp and witty Lin Qin says, âyou were the one to invite me to sit here.â
XĂŒ Beijin narrows his eyes looking at Lin Qin, who adds, âyouâve let me into your world, so you canât chase me away after that; just like how you barged into my world, and you canât just expect me to sit there and do nothing.â
XĂŒ Beijin goes quiet.
Huh, that doesnât make sense. Since when did Lin Qin learn speechcraft like that?
⊠It was basically a flirt; so the little apple could also actually say something like that, given time?
XĂŒ Beijin is amazed, frankly.
Maybe, he shouldnât have let Lin Qin have full access to those weird novels.
The meaning carried through XĂŒ Beijinâs gaze also makes Lin Qin ask in return, slightly gruntled, âoi, what is that shocked expression supposed to mean?â
â⊠Who in the world would call the person they love âoiâ?â
Lin Qin is stupefied for a moment, before asking, âdarling?â
â⊠No thanks, my name is âoi.'â
Lin Qin ââŠâ
Heâs miffed, as he thinks heâs being made fun of here.
⊠But never mind, he thinks, since he knows XĂŒ Beijin, and the more agitated and emotional he becomes, the more doubtful and unsure of himself he must be inside.
Tilting his head, Lin Qin observes the quiet XĂŒ Beijin closely, wondering if it really is true XĂŒ Beijin doesnât know he, Lin Qin, likes him?
⊠No way. XĂŒ Beijin must know that well.
Lin Qin believes that, when it comes to emotions, XĂŒ Beijin must be far more perceptive than he is. Lin Qinâs world is a blank, but clearly, itâs the opposite for XĂŒ Beijin, who still remembers his days on Earth, and has definitely heard enough stories even if he hasnât experienced any.
Yet for some reason, it is XĂŒ Beijin who would dodge the topic and try to avoid talking about it altogether.
Whatâs wrong with him calling him âdarlingâ anyway?
XĂŒ Beijin would ask âdo us friends need to be so cheesyâ and resolve Lin Qinâs straightforward attack altogether. If he doesnât plan to even accept Lin Qinâs emotions, then his personality means he should have responded frankly to that effect.
But he hasnât. Instead, he relies on his instincts to dodge and escape.
Because he must be unsure. Lin Qin must have managed to get at some part of his emotional heartstrings. That is why he acts like so. He is hesitating. He is wondering. He cannot find an appropriate countermeasure to resolve this.
The more unsure XĂŒ Beijin becomes, the more certain Lin Qin becomes in return.
Lin Qin thinks that, something like love, would be most effective when one is straightforward and unwavering, right?
And he happens to be one such person.
He doesnât want to leave XĂŒ Beijin. He wants to be by this manâs side forever. If that is not love, then what could he use to explain this burning, fiery emotion he has in his chest?
Sometimes, he would really wish XĂŒ Beijin could feel what he is feeling.
It is burning, gnawing, titillating⊠The motions, the thoughts; the obsession, when Lin Qin realised the weight of the word âto like,â has tied him firmly to this single route.
There is no way to back out of this anymore.
Lin Qin has always had his way on the bottom floor, with his physical prowess meaning he can always do whatever he wants to in the Tower. It is only his disinterest in doing so that has stopped him from doing that, so in a sense, he is actually proactively stopping himself.
His deeply emotional gaze is pointed right at XĂŒ Beijin. It seems like it would not move away even if the Heavens shall fall.
In the silence, he simply thinks, this is the person he likes. He isâŠÂ his.
He opens his mouth to smile.
Oh yes, he will hold the ray of lightââin his own hands.
What he wants done, will always be done. There has never been an exception.
So many people have forgotten, and even XĂŒ Beijin himself has largely overlooked how, while Lin Qin has largely kept his temper in check recently, but in the beginning, Lin Qin was named the crownless King of the bottom floor, because he was basically a mad dog.
While he seems to have been domesticated now, but his actual violent nature, is still etched right into his very soul.