DPT chapter 36

Qin Xu’s profile picture was blank, his WeChat name straightforward: XU.

After some hesitation, Zuo Chi accepted the friend request and added a note.

Once verified, Qin Xu messaged: “Chi?”

Thinking he had missed a character, Zuo Chi corrected, “Zuo Chi.”

Qin Xu seemed to have gone through his moments: “Did you go traveling?”

Zuo Chi: “I’m already back.”

Qin Xu: “What a coincidence. From the time you posted the photos, I was also in France, but I had already left Paris.”

Zuo Chi, surprised: “Don’t you live in Germany?”

Qin Xu: “My parents live in Berlin. I travel a lot. I’ve been to the Seine River, but unfortunately, the weather wasn’t good enough to see the sunset.”

He was referring to his stepfather, not the Qin family’s eldest son, but the Chinese man who later married his mother.

Qin Xu’s Chinese was very fluent. They found common ground in their travel experiences, having stayed at the same hotel in Milan and eaten at the same restaurant in Florence, although not at the same time, their similar experiences sparking many shared topics.

Qin Xu: “When I was in Italy, I had an ice cream every day.”

Zuo Chi: “I had three on my first day in Italy.”

Qin Xu: “Have you tried the one next to the Milan Cathedral?”

Zuo Chi: “No, there were too many people in line.”

Initially, Zuo Chi was wary of Qin Xu because of his status, but as they chatted about France, Italy, and then Germany, Qin Xu never mentioned the engagement. Instead, he conversed like a friend, easing Zuo Chi’s apprehension.

In the following days, Qin Xu often chatted with him on WeChat, sometimes asking for restaurant recommendations in S City, sometimes commenting on financial news Zuo Chi shared, and sometimes sharing life-related content, always respectful and never crossing any boundaries.

What made Zuo Chi feel comfortable was that Qin Xu was a listener but never demanded an immediate response from him, nor did he intend to pry into his life.

Zuo Chi still wasn’t interested in him. To him, “Qin Xu” and “Qin Rui” were just symbols representing his arranged marriage partner. As for how tall this person was or what he looked like, he had no curiosity at all.

This person might be his fiancé, but he would never be his Alpha.

Since returning to the country, Qin Xu had yet to make an appearance in front of the Qin family. The eldest Qin planned to introduce him at a formal occasion, not only to the Qin family but also to the public, to show that even without Qin Rui, he still had an heir.

The perfect opportunity was his 59th birthday banquet. He booked a grand hotel for the occasion and even invited a few media outlets.

Naturally, Zuo Chi received an invitation to the banquet. As he touched the exquisite paper invitation, he felt complicated, not wanting to get involved in the Qin family’s disputes. However, given the current situation, as long as the Zuo family had taken a side, he couldn’t stay completely out of it.

He had his assistant choose a gift, which was delivered to the Qin family on the morning of the banquet. He arrived at the venue half an hour early.

The hotel hosting the banquet was resplendent and luxurious, clearly expensive, with attendants greeting and welcoming guests at the entrance. Each table had two waitstaff ready to serve at any moment.

Zuo Chi sat next to Shu Qingyu, scanning the hall to confirm that no one from the Sheng family was present. It seemed that when Qin Yanren reached an agreement with Zuo Yi, he had given up on maintaining friendly relations with the Sheng family.

A CEO in a suit came forward to greet Zuo Yi, mentioning an upcoming auction and discussing a piece of land. They talked for a while before the man turned to Zuo Chi and asked, “What are your thoughts, Manager Zuo?”

Zuo Chi was still a manager, but no longer at headquarters. The title wasn’t unique to him. He briefly analyzed the value of the land based on current conditions and trends, keeping his comments brief.

“Manager Zuo, do you have any favored auction items?”

Zuo Chi smiled faintly, “I’m not participating.”

Zuo Yi patted Zuo Lie on the shoulder, “Zuo Lie will be going with me this time.”

CEO Yang nodded, praising Zuo Lie for his impressive appearance, though his expression was somewhat awkward.

After he left, Zuo Yi turned to Zuo Lie, “Do you have any auction items in mind?”

Zuo Lie tentatively replied, “Isn’t that debt asset package still available?”

Zuo Yi’s expression remained unchanged, “How much would you bid for it?”

The number Zuo Lie gave made Zuo Yi’s face fall. His voice contained a hint of anger, “You think we have that much money?”

Shu Qingyu spoke insincerely, “It’s normal for Xiao Lie to be unsure; he’ll learn over time.”

In reality, Zuo Lie had been dealing with such matters for quite some time, yet he still behaved like a novice. Zuo Yi was obviously displeased but held back because of the people around.

Zuo Chi, like an outsider, remained silent. Shu Qingyu lightly touched his elbow, but he pretended not to understand and moved his elbow inward.

Fifteen minutes before the banquet ended, Qin Yanren took the stage. At fifty-nine, he was well-preserved, looking only in his forties, full of energy.

Following him was a young man in his twenties, a mixed-race individual with black hair and brown eyes, clear and beautiful. His face was like a sculpture, with a full forehead, prominent brow bones, a well-defined jawline, and distinct lips.

Almost everyone’s gaze was on the young man, half admiring his outstanding appearance, the other half pondering his relationship with Qin Yanren.

When viewed separately, Qin Yanren and Qin Xu bore no resemblance, but standing together, few would doubt they were father and son.

Qin Yanren stood in front of the microphone and spoke, first thanking everyone for attending his birthday banquet, then inviting Qin Xu forward, formally acknowledging his identity.

“I’ve lived past fifty without ever expecting to have an Alpha son.”

This statement caused a stir, and the Qin family members’ faces turned sour.

Their circle had plenty of illegitimate children, and some had been brought home, but public acknowledgment like this was rare.

Qin Xu remained unfazed, offering birthday wishes to Qin Yanren on the spot. Possibly due to his stepfather being Chinese, his Mandarin was surprisingly fluent. Qin Yanren smiled, “Your presence is the best gift for me.”

The “fatherly love and filial piety” scene on stage was captured by the media and quickly posted online.

Although the Qin family had strong opinions about Qin Yanren’s display, with guests present and it being Qin Yanren’s personal birthday banquet, they could only watch as Qin Yanren took Qin Xu around to toast each table.

When they reached Zuo Chi’s table, Qin Yanren familiarly put his arm around Zuo Yi’s shoulder, his face flushed with happiness.

Qin Xu approached Zuo Chi, extending his hand, “Hello, Chi.”

Zuo Chi didn’t catch what he said at first, extending his hand while asking softly, “Hmm? What’s good to eat?”

Qin Xu laughed, “I was greeting you. You’re cuter than I imagined.”

“…” It was the first time Zuo Chi had been called “cute.” Reflecting on their recent conversations, he found no evidence of being “cute,” as he had been replying in a straightforward manner.

Qin Xu, holding a wine glass, asked, “A drink?”

Zuo Chi hesitated for two seconds but nodded.

Qin Xu took the fruit juice from the table and filled Zuo Chi’s glass, “Then let’s toast.”

Zuo Chi felt that toasting with juice was inappropriate for a birthday, but then Qin Xu said, “To our first meeting.”

The two glasses clinked, and Zuo Chi drank the juice, then refilled his glass with wine to toast Qin Yanren.

Qin Yanren laughed heartily, “Xiao Chi, have you added our Qin Xu on WeChat?”

Zuo Chi replied, “Yes.”

Qin Yanren: “You young people should talk more often and go out together. He just returned to China and is not familiar with S City. You can show him around.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday, and you both have time,” Zuo Yi said. “Zuo Chi, go out with Qin Xu. Don’t stay home all day.”

Zuo Chi responded indifferently, “Hmm.”

Qin Xu said, “I’ll contact Chi tomorrow.”

Only then did Zuo Chi realize that “Chi” was Qin Xu’s way of addressing him. He felt that calling him by a single character was a bit too intimate, but correcting him would make him seem overly particular.

That evening, Zuo Chi received a message from Qin Xu, asking for suggestions for their date the next day.

Zuo Chi stared blankly at the word “date.”

Qin Xu: I heard from Qin Xuan that you practice taekwondo. Do you want to go to the taekwondo gym?

Zuo Chi was a bit surprised, but he preferred exercising to wandering around: Let’s go to the taekwondo gym.

He asked another question: What else did Qin Xuan say?

Zuo Chi didn’t know if Qin Xu was aware that he almost got engaged to Qin Rui. Thinking about what Qin Xuan said at Old Master Qin’s funeral, Zuo Chi didn’t have a good impression of him.

Qin Xu: He said he was your high school classmate and that you were a top student. But I have a question.

Zuo Chi: Hmm?

Qin Xu: I’m about half a month younger than Qin Xuan. Why does he call you in-law?

Zuo Chi got his answer: Qin Xu didn’t know about the almost engagement with Qin Rui. He even suspected that he wasn’t very familiar with the Qin family’s situation; otherwise, why would he associate with Qin Xuan?

Qin Xuan must have done it on purpose.

Qin Xu: I thought in-law meant “brother’s partner,” right?

Qin Xu: But the hierarchy in China is really complicated, so I’m not too sure.

Zuo Chi tried to brush him off: Yes, the hierarchy is indeed very complex. Qin Xuan might have gotten it wrong.

Qin Xu: …

Qin Xu: You’re really cute.

Being called cute for the second time that day, Zuo Chi was very puzzled: Do you misunderstand the meaning of the word cute?

Qin Xu: I was born in China. When I was six, I went to Germany with my parents. Every two years, I would return to China with my father. My mother speaks Chinese too, so we often use Chinese at home.

Qin Xu: Chi, my Chinese is quite good.

Qin Xu: Cute means cute. Has no one ever called you cute?

No.

Zuo Chi thought, people only said he didn’t look like an Omega.