The Tycoon's Enchanted Mermaid

Before leaving, Su Qingtong patted the shocked Sister Liu on her shoulder, “Don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.”

On the other side,

Qin Yu took Ah Da out for lunch. After the meal, they went to the mall to buy a phone and get a SIM card. Normally, such items could be directly delivered to the villa, but Qin Yu had some free time today and thought that taking Ah Da to the mall would make her happier.

Just as he had anticipated, the young girl couldn’t stop smiling all day long. She looked around here and there, fluttering joyfully like a little butterfly in a radiant and splendid field of flowers.

Eventually, when Qin Yu put her in the car, she settled down and began to doze off, falling asleep within minutes.

The car drove smoothly over the bridge, the cabin silent and tranquil. As Ah Da’s head leaned to one side in sleep, Qin Yu raised his hand to straighten it, his movement carrying a tenderness he didn’t even notice himself. The young girl’s lips puckered, murmuring something.

Qin Yu leaned closer to listen carefully.

“…like…”

Qin Yu chuckled softly, his fingertips brushing her cheek, and he asked her in a low voice, “Like what?”

“Phone… um… like… pretty…”

“No conscience.”

She only remembered the phone, completely forgetting about him, the person who bought it for her.

Qin Yu pinched her soft cheek, pressing just enough to leave a red mark. The young girl hummed and tried to turn her head away, too delicate to handle even a slight pain.

When they returned to the villa, Qin Yu bent down to carry her from the car, securing her gently in his arms.

Uncle Wen and Wen Min stood respectfully at the door, watching the two go upstairs. Uncle Wen sighed, relieved to finally see a girl capture the young master’s attention, while Wen Min bit her lip with resentment, her fingernails digging into her palm.

“Grandpa, who exactly is she, and when did she appear?” Wen Min asked darkly.

Uncle Wen, sensing his granddaughter’s displeasure, attempted to sidestep, “You don’t need to worry about these matters. Tomorrow is Monday, when do you plan to return to school?”

Wen Min’s expression stiffened, but she quickly shifted her approach and pleaded, clutching Uncle Wen’s arm, “Grandpa, I’ve already earned enough credits, and my grades have always been good. Please let me rest for a while. Besides, my teachers have agreed to let me take leave, and my parents also agree to let me stay here, so just let me stay a bit longer. I promise I won’t make any mistakes.”

Uncle Wen looked at her for a long time, sighed deeply, and said earnestly, “Minmin, don’t harbor any delusions. Just be content and mind your own business; that’s what we, the Wen Family, should do.”

Wen Min feigned grievance, “Grandpa, I really haven’t, why won’t you believe me?”

“I have other things to take care of, you figure it out on your own.” Having said that, Uncle Wen walked slowly into the villa.

Wen Min stood there, her hands clenching and then releasing, remembering the things her mother had given her; her gaze darkened.

Since doing things the usual way wasn’t working, she had to try a different approach, no matter what.

…

Ah Da slept until she naturally woke up. Upon awakening, she found herself lying in Qin Yu’s bed, daylight already bright. The phone was on the nightstand beside the bed, vibrating just then.

She reached for it, recalling the instructions given by the lady who sold her the phone yesterday. She attempted to place her thumb on the sensor screen.

The moment she touched the screen, it unlocked.

Ah Da’s eyes sparkled as she continued to follow her memories from yesterday, successfully opening WeChat to find the unread message.

Qin Yu: Come downstairs for meals after you wake up. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you need to eat them all if you don’t want others to notice anything unusual about you.

It made sense; one couldn’t neglect eating.

Ah Da’s keyboard was set to handwriting mode by Qin Yu yesterday, as she neither knew strokes nor pinyin. With only a few simple characters at her disposal, she clumsily sketched out her reply and then clicked ‘send’ with utmost solemnity.

Finally, she collapsed onto the bed clutching her phone.

At that moment, Qin Yu was in a board meeting at the top floor of the company, when suddenly a message notification sound came from his phone.

In the already silent boardroom, it was like a stone dropping on a still surface, creating ripples of disturbance.

A long red table decked with fresh flowers sat in the middle, surrounded by the company’s directors who simultaneously lifted their heads to look in the same direction—at Qin Yu, seated at the head of the table.

The man was clad in a custom-made black suit, handsome as sculpted marble, his sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes complemented by an open shirt collar that did not detract from his composed and cool demeanor. With just a fleeting glance, everyone promptly lowered their heads.

Qin Yu picked up his phone. The little girl had replied just one word, and even that was spelled wrong; she wrote “恩” instead of “嗯,” and nothing else.

Qin Yu’s eyes softened as he glimpsed through that one character on the screen, nearly visualizing Ah Da holding her phone, delicately drawing on the screen with her fingers.

Over time, he realized Ah Da had a basic understanding of smartphones, TVs, and cars, but it only went as far as having seen and known their uses. When it came to actually operating them herself, she was lost.

Pinyin was still too difficult for her, having never received modern education; she had to start everything from scratch.

Qin Yu glanced at the time, thinking the tutor should have arrived by now.@@novelbin@@

The silence in the meeting room was eerie.

The unprecedented act of checking his phone was unthinkable in the past and took everyone by surprise.

The directors speculated in whispers about who dared to message Qin Yu at such a time.

Ever since taking over Qin Group, Qin Yu had been meticulous and iron-fisted in his work approach, appearing uninterested in either entertainment or women.

Some even whispered behind his back that he was not normal, as pleasing him seemed an impossible task.

To achieve success in the business world required cunning, but surviving in Qin Group meant being the shrewdest of the shrewd.

The directors of Qin had their own grievances; before Qin Yu returned, they worried about the reliability of Qin Xiu and Qin Huaiming, fearing a bleak future for Qin.

Once Qin Yu took over, they found themselves worrying about his overbearing and strict manner, which left them constantly on edge, unable to relax even for a moment under his watchful eye.

Like now, after Qin Yu set down his phone, everyone held their breath, fearing they might be called out next.

Qin Yu browsed through the documents, his frown deepening until, with a slap, he closed them and tossed them onto the table.

“Uncle Liao, explain why after three consecutive quarters of losses, you, the lead on the Star Dream Plan, have done nothing. Did you leave your brain overseas?”

At his words, all eyes sharply turned to Liao Wenyang, who was over forty and struggled to maintain his composure upon hearing these remarks.

Last year, Liao Wenyang had embroiled in a scandal during a business trip to country Y for the Star Dream Plan project—he had accidentally impregnated two young maids, and his wife caught him red-handed.

Infidelity was not uncommon in their circles, but Liao Wenyang’s indiscretion becoming widely known through a trending scandal was a first. Reportedly, after Mrs. Liao had caused a scene in country Y, she demanded a divorce upon returning home.

The marriage, purely a business alliance, had seen both families unrelenting and fierce, causing a massive stir in the upper echelons, and Liao Wenyang had lost all his dignity as a result.

It was said that nothing was more important to a middle-aged man than his pride, and Liao Wenyang was no exception.

He detested anyone mentioning that incident in his presence, but facing Qin Yu, he could only swallow his anger silently.