Just as Shao Yinan was puzzling, Wen Yin halted mid-step and fixed her gaze on a corner not far away.
"Miss Qi."
There was certainty in her voice. From where they stood they could only see the hem of the stranger's coat, yet Wen Yin had no doubt who it was.
Surprise flickered in Shao Yinan's dark eyes, quickly swallowed by a shadowy hardening. The Shao and Qi families were two of the city's great houses—never friends, only polite enemies, maintaining appearances. Now that someone from the Qi clan was nearby, a prickling sense of being watched rose in him.
His look went even colder, unreadable.
Sensing his mood, Wen Yin quietly slipped her hand into his. The warmth and softness of her palm soothed some of the tension in him; a smile played at his lips despite himself.
He was getting better and better at holding her hand.
Wen Yin didn't know what he was thinking. Her own smile was small and controlled—on the surface pleasant, but not quite reaching her eyes. Anyone caught in a private moment would be irked.
Qi Siqing stepped out, her expression composed rather than guilty, but there was an apologetic tilt to her smile. Years in the business world had taught her an unreadable face; even in an awkward scene she was practiced.
"Sorry, Miss Wen." Qi Siqing's red lips parted, eyes dropping slightly—an apology that looked sincere. "I was just passing by. I didn't mean to see anything."
Her gaze drifted to Jiang Shihuai behind them: he moved with a certain stiffness, his posture uneven. From Jiang's angle he wouldn't have seen the three of them, but from where Qi stood the place where Jiang and the others were gathered was in plain view.
Wen Yin nodded without arguing, smoothing her smile. "It's fine. Thank you, Miss Qi."
Qi's eyes slid to the hand Wen Yin had looped through Shao Yinan's, and something unreadable flashed there.
"Oh, Third Young Master Shao is here as well."
Qi Siqing's smile took on a richer meaning, as if she had only just noticed him. Shao Yinan's lips, which had been a taut line, tightened further; a low pressure seemed to exhale from him.
He inclined his head once—cool, indifferent.
Shao Yinan had only recently come into contact with the Shao family business and knew of Qi Siqing by reputation more than personal dealings. Rumors painted her as no lightweight: a calculating presence both inside the Qi house and in commerce. You didn't carve out a piece of that family's fierce inheritance without sharp elbows.
As Qi continued the conversation she kept glancing at Wen Yin, her eyes skimming as if trying to see through her.
"I didn't expect Miss Wen and the Third Young Master to be so close," she said, a faint, almost imperceptible smile at her lips.
Shao Yinan's hold on Wen Yin's hand tightened. He opened his mouth to respond, but Wen Yin cut him off in a cool voice.
"He helped me. That's all."
She released his hand on purpose. Shao Yinan felt his pupils contract; his expression went dark at once. There were many things about Qi Siqing he didn't yet understand—and Wen Yin mustn’t be dragged into whatever web she was weaving.
Qi Siqing's face said it all: she didn't believe her. She covered her mouth with a gloved hand and laughed softly. "Come to think of it, I'm a fan of the ship—would you mind signing an autograph for me, Miss Wen? I sometimes see fans online recommending this pairing."
The words landed with an ambiguous, teasing weight. Beneath the surface, Qi was watching Wen Yin closely.
Hearing that shameless ship name froze Wen Yin for a beat, then she recovered. Shao Yinan's gaze flicked to Qi, puzzled by her angle. Qi watches live streams? Unless the Qi family had gone bankrupt and she had nothing better to do...
Wen Yin waved a hand dismissively. The smile at her mouth thinned. "It was just a small livestream. Not as dramatic as Miss Qi makes it sound."
Sensing Wen Yin's unease, Shao Yinan grabbed her wrist. "We have somewhere to be. Let's go."
With those words he pulled her away. Wen Yin glanced back once and saw Qi Siqing's stare still fixed on them. When Wen turned, Qi's lips curved into a small smile.
The look left Wen with an odd feeling. For an instant a memory surfaced: the first time they'd met, Qi had said, "Miss Wen, your eyes are really beautiful."
Eyes... the thought darkened Wen Yin's gaze for a moment before she looked away, focusing on the broad, steady back of Shao Yinan in front of her.
Qi Siqing remained where she was, motionless. After a long moment she moved—not back into the hall but down a nearby fire escape. In a little while she reemerged with a girl in a red dress at her side.
Qi walked ahead; the girl beside her wore an expensive gown but had a sickly pallor. Her makeup was meticulous, but she looked like a delicate paper doll on the verge of tearing—an unsettling kind of beauty. She coughed twice, small and frequent; even with lipstick her lips had a peculiar pale pink.
Qi tilted her head and watched Shao Yinan and Wen Yin's retreating figures. "Looks like the Wen family's newly returned daughter can do more than we thought," she said. "Not only tied to the Xiao, Jiang, and Lu houses, but now having something to do with the Shao family as well."
At the mention of the three families Qi's brows knit.
The girl coughed again; the slightest sound brought tears to her rounded eyes, as if it took all her strength to cry. "Doesn't your sister know the Shao family is in trouble right now?"
The question seemed meant to console. Qi Siqing's shoulders relaxed entirely at that, and she smiled. "Yes. The Shao family isn't exactly stable at the moment."
The girl said nothing more; she kept staring toward the direction Wen had gone, eyes fixed and anxious.