The Tycoon's Enchanted Mermaid

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: I Will Definitely Stay with You

Qin Yu knew when Ah Da looked his way that the message had been sent, and, pressing his finger on the button, the cellphone screen turned off.

“Do you want it?”

He spoke softly, his voice clear and moist, his speech neither rushed nor slow, echoing within the elevator and vibrating the eardrum in a particularly enticing manner. Ah Da nodded, “Can I trade it for a pearl?”

Qin Yu said, “No need.”

Ah Da tilted her head, asking in confusion, “So you don’t want to?”

She added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to, I’ll have money in the future.”

...

Having money can buy anything, and she was already planning to sell off the stuff in her little treasury for cash—whatever she could trade, she would.

If she could buy the incense burner back from Qin Yu, that would be even better, Ah Da dreamily thought.

The slim phone twirled in his long fingers as Qin Yu looked on with indifferent eyes, “It’s just a phone. I can give you as many as you want. Our previous arrangement still stands.”

Previous arrangement?

Ah Da suddenly realized that Qin Yu meant for her to stay in his room as before—she didn’t know why he wanted this, but since she had agreed, she naturally couldn’t go back on her word.

Moreover, staying with him made it convenient for her to live in the incense burner and absorb Spiritual Power, which was a significant benefit for her.

Ah Da cheerfully said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely stay with you.”

Spoken by someone else, such words might have carried a different implication, but coming from Ah Da’s mouth, they were pure and without any other substance.

Qin Yu nodded, “Hmm.”

Hearing Qin Yu’s response, Ah Da’s lips curled upward, her joy unabashed on her pale and delicate face. Her hair was soft and loose behind her, and her long, dark eyelashes fluttered, casting an adorable shadow on her fair skin.

Qin Yu lowered his gaze to look at her. The little girl, lost in her anticipation for the future, was unaware, looking petite and delicate in a simple strappy sundress that clung to her figure. The slender straps highlighted her delicate waist, making her seem like an early spring bud—half-open, half-contained, so tender it seemed it could be squeezed for water.

Without any action or words, she was already captivating, no wonder Long Qi could not help but cast sidelong glances at her earlier.

Qin Yu shifted his gaze away as the elevator stopped, and the two exited one after the other. The receptionist stood up and paid their respects. Noticing that Ah Da was trotting to keep up with him, Qin Yu involuntarily slowed his pace.

The car was parked down the steps. This was Ah Da’s second ride in a car; the last time had been with Tang Bufan, although that car seemed to belong to Qin Yu as well. This car was even bigger and wider than the one Tang Bufan had driven.

Qin Yu was always very quiet, with an air of solitude lingering around him. Ah Da sat quietly in the car seat, not daring to make any other big movements, watching the buildings receding behind her through the window until her vision started to blur and her head leaned against the car window.

In a daze, she felt someone lift her, the imprisoning arms chafing against her soft flesh. She furrowed her brows and pushed forward with her hand, but it was clamped down and immobilized.

Too drowsy to resist, Ah Da gave up struggling.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying steadily on the bed, covered with a thin blanket. The darkness outside the window indicated it was night.

Ah Da sat up, her mind still foggy, and gazed absent-mindedly at the incense burner exuding incense.

She remembered taking a car ride home with Qin Yu and seemed to have fallen asleep. Had Qin Yu carried her back?

Where was he?

She threw off the blanket and got out of bed, stuffing her feet into cotton slippers before walking out of the room. Just as she reached the stairs, she heard voices below and retracted her extended foot.

The staircase in the villa was a spiral, and a waterfall chandelier hung directly down the center, shining like a galaxy of stars.

Ah Da leaned over the railing to look down. There were four or five men in black suits standing side by side in the hall, with the icy Long Qi she had seen before off to the side. These men seemed to be reporting to Qin Yu; this was not a good time to interrupt.

It was late, yet they were still working. Ah Da turned back to her room, thinking to herself that no wonder Su Qingtong once said making money was not easy.

Long Qi came to report to Qin Yu about Jiang Tao. When Jiang Tao woke up, he was furious, madly insisting he would kill Su Qingtong. However, upon seeing Long Qi, Jiang Tao did a complete turnaround, his face contorted as he claimed the injuries on his body were from a mere accident, unrelated to anyone else.

“Third Young Master, when I left the Lishui Pavilion, I saw Mr. Tang at the door, yet to leave.”

Qin Yu leaned on the couch, his demeanor noble and casual, his fingers spinning a metal lighter in hand, his indifferent gaze unfathomable, his words tinged with a chill.

“Don’t mind him. He won’t have the time to cause trouble for a while.”

Tang Bufan’s only reason for sneaking Ah Da out that time was some trivial and uninteresting test. Qin Yu never liked others meddling in his affairs or with his people; therefore, he saw fit to teach Tang Bufan a lesson this time.

Long Qi knew that a decision had already been made and said no more.

Qin Yu then said, “There’s not much for me to deal with recently, so go join Long Jiu and keep an eye on Mingyang. A few old farts on the board are getting restless, it’s probably something Qin Huaiming is up to. If they interfere with Mingyang, we can wrap things up.”

“Understood.”

Long Qi’s voice subtly betrayed his excitement. Third Young Master had been playing Mingyang as a chess piece for a year, aimed at uprooting the corroded members of the board and depriving Qin Huaiming of his right-hand men.

Qin Group’s businesses spanned various major fields, like a complex anthill, each pathway intertwined with vested interests that had been in place for years, not something that could be cut off in an instant.

Of course, there were those who had severed arms and cut off old binds, switching their allegiance to Qin Yu early on.

The wise were not in short supply, at least two-thirds of the entire board already belonged to Qin Yu. The rest either clung to old benefits out of a hope for good fortune or were hoping for Qin Huaiming and his son to return.

Unfortunately, that was no longer possible.

Qin Yu returned to his room, hearing the sound of water from the bathroom, mingled with the singing of a girl. It was off-key, just a casual hum, carrying the naivety and liveliness of youth, each note broadcasting the singer’s mood.

Going out and coming back, was she this happy? Was it because of Tang Bufan, or was it because she saw that friend of hers?

As this inexplicable thought popped into his head, Qin Yu felt somewhat dazed, and his eyes immediately clouded with a shade of darkness.

Until Ah Da came out with a towel half-wrapping her wet hair, Qin Yu still stood in the room without sitting down.

Seeing him, Ah Da paused, her feet clad in slippers stepping back, her ten delicate toes nervously clutching the top of the slippers.

Her light mauve nightgown clung to her skin and fell to her knees. Perhaps carelessly donning clothes without drying off completely, her white skin faintly visible through the silk fabric, wet with water, bore a fatal seduction.

Their four eyes met, one nervous, the other calm and composed.

He just stared straight at her, and after a moment’s pause, his long legs took steps forward, closing the distance. His fingers hooked a strand of hair by her ear, “Why didn’t you dry your hair?”

Ah Da’s black eyes shone like the bright moon, the tip of her cute nose slightly red, the corners of her eyes and her eyelashes both laced with moisture. She didn’t understand why she felt so tense and uneasy when Qin Yu came near.

Despite her best efforts to appear natural, the slight tremble in her voice as she spoke betrayed her.

“The hairdryer is too high up. I couldn’t reach it.”