A Beautiful Misunderstanding

"Damn, I let my guard down."

Tang Yu hadn’t expected the guy to deceive and ambush him, luring him here.

Seeing Qin Kexin smiling at him, Tang Yu couldn’t help but recall the scene from over a decade ago.

Cough.

A completely naked beauty walked over and slapped him hard.

It was truly unforgettable.

Qin Kexin put down her paintbrush, walked over to the sofa, and sat down, looking at Tang Yu. "Would you like some tea? I can make some for you."

"Water is fine," Tang Yu waved his hand and unscrewed a bottle of mineral water.

Qin Kexin kept her eyes on him.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Being watched by her, Tang Yu felt a bit uneasy.

Over the years, Qin Kexin had never given him a warm look.

But ever since the incident with the Qin family, her attitude toward him had suddenly become somewhat ambiguous.

She had even added him on WeChat and initiated a few awkward conversations.

"Could you open a bottle for me?"

Qin Kexin smiled sweetly.

Tang Yu felt more and more that something was off with her today.

[You’re perfectly capable of opening it yourself. When you’re angry, you could probably twist my head off.]

Hearing Tang Yu’s thoughts, Qin Kexin couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

That incident from back then had left a deep psychological scar on him.

"I called you here today to apologize. I misunderstood you back then. I didn’t know Qin Ming had deceived you."

Qin Kexin’s eyes darted around as she spoke.

Thinking about it, she did feel a bit embarrassed.

Since she was a child, she had never let a man see her like that.

"What incident? I’ve already forgotten about it."

Tang Yu played dumb.

"If you’ve forgotten, then that’s good."

Qin Kexin gently bit her lip.

A beauty like her, with every smile and frown, was captivating, making Tang Yu sneak a few more glances.

After taking a sip of water, she pointed to the easel.

"Do you still paint?"

Tang Yu glanced at the easel.

On it was a butterfly with colorful, radiant wings, so vivid it seemed ready to fly off the canvas.

"I haven’t painted in a long time."

Tang Yu shrugged and shook his head.

"Back when you used to come over to my place, the three of us would often paint together."

Qin Kexin’s expression turned nostalgic.

She had always been sensitive and somewhat aloof.

Combined with her status as the eldest daughter of the Qin family, she often felt out of place at school.

Her classmates, knowing they couldn’t match her status, would flatter her to her face but secretly exclude her.

School was like a small society—the more unique you were, the harder it was to fit in.

She didn’t want to wear a mask to get along with these people, and over time, she became depressed.

Back then, the only ones who spent time with her were her younger brother Qin Ming and Tang Yu.

The three of them would often sit together and paint.

Tang Yu also felt a sense of nostalgia. He walked over to Qin Kexin’s painting and smiled. "You’ve improved a lot since back then."

The vibrant butterfly was incredibly lifelike, and it took real skill to paint something like that.

"Speaking of which, I should thank you. Do you remember when you painted a colorful butterfly for me?"

Qin Kexin’s expression softened with gratitude.

At that time, her depression was severe, and she had even secretly attempted to harm herself.

Because of her dark state of mind, she only painted in black, especially black butterflies.

One day, she had to leave midway through painting.

When she returned, the black butterfly she had painted had been transformed into a colorful one.

The originally dark and gloomy background had been replaced with a field of blooming flowers.

She knew it couldn’t have been her brother Qin Ming who did it—it had to have been Tang Yu.

That burst of color had a profound impact on her.

From that moment on, she slowly began to climb out of her depression.

She was deeply grateful to Tang Yu for reaching out and pulling her back from the brink of despair.

Until… that misunderstanding happened, and their relationship became awkward.

"Oh, that time… I remember."

Tang Yu laughed awkwardly.

[I couldn’t stand it anymore.]

[Your butterfly was so ugly I just had to show you how it’s done.]

"…"

Qin Kexin’s mouth twitched.

So, back then, he just disliked her painting because it was too ugly?

She then smiled, letting it go.

No matter how the misunderstanding had happened, that moment had been a crucial turning point in her life.

She was still grateful to Tang Yu.

Grateful for his unintentional act that had helped her, and grateful for saving the Qin family and her brother.

"Let’s paint together again. It’s been so long since we’ve painted together."

She looked at Tang Yu with anticipation.

"You go ahead. I think I’ll take a walk instead."

Tang Yu shook his head.

Staying here felt a bit too awkward.

"Do you really dislike me that much?"

Seeing Tang Yu about to leave, Qin Kexin’s face showed a hint of hurt.

She didn’t know why, but seeing Tang Yu act so distant made her heart ache.

It was a feeling she had never experienced with any other man.

"It’s not that I dislike you, it’s just…"

As Tang Yu tried to come up with a suitable excuse, he noticed Qin Kexin’s eyes were reddening.

Seeing tears welling up in her eyes, Tang Yu’s heart softened. "I just need to use the restroom."

"Then use the one here."

Qin Kexin pointed to the bathroom in the suite.

"Alright, alright, I’ll go. Don’t cry, or people will think I bullied you."

Tang Yu quickly comforted her and went in to relieve himself.

[Being alone with her in this room, if she walks out crying, my reputation is ruined.]

[If Qin Ming finds out, that guy will spread it everywhere.]

After washing his hands, Tang Yu came out and obediently sat next to Qin Kexin to paint with her.

Seeing Tang Yu stay and paint with her, Qin Kexin smiled happily, as if she had found something she had lost long ago.

Just as she was about to get up to fetch a paintbrush for Tang Yu, she tripped over the easel and fell to the ground.

"Ah!"

Hearing the sound of Qin Kexin’s fall and her cry of pain, Tang Yu quickly helped her up.

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine, there’s a carpet."

Qin Kexin shook her head. The soft carpet had cushioned her fall, so she wasn’t hurt.

But as she tried to stand, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, making her gasp.

"I think I twisted my ankle."

She looked at Tang Yu with a pitiful expression.

"Let me help you to the sofa."

Tang Yu sighed, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

He let Qin Kexin lean on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist to help her to the sofa.

Once seated, Qin Kexin looked down to check her ankle.

But since she was wearing stockings, she had to take them off to get a better look.

[Wow, she’s just going to take them off in front of me?]

[I can’t handle this. I’m just a kid—how can she show me something like this?]

Tang Yu tried his best not to look, but he was genuinely concerned about whether Qin Kexin was injured, so his eyes wandered uncontrollably.

What can you do? Men are just naturally kind and concerned about women.

Hearing Tang Yu’s thoughts, Qin Kexin’s face turned slightly red.

It’s just taking off stockings. What’s the big deal?

…

Meanwhile, Qin Ming, who had orchestrated all this, was now in trouble.

Three women had come looking for him.

Su Muyue, Wang Yixue, and Jiang Xiaoyue.

"Where’s Tang Yu?"

As soon as they arrived, Wang Yixue stared at Qin Ming and asked.

They had arrived a bit late today. After greeting Tang Gangcheng and learning that Tang Yu was here, they had searched everywhere but couldn’t find him.

So, they turned their attention to Qin Ming.

"Big Bro said he had something to do and left. He might be back later?"

Qin Ming replied nervously.

He had finally managed to get Tang Yu and his sister alone together—he couldn’t let the suite turn into a battlefield.

The three women stared at him, their combined pressure making Qin Ming sweat.

After a tense standoff, Qin Ming finally caved and weakly pointed upstairs.

"I think Big Bro is chatting with my sister."

The three women immediately stormed upstairs to find Tang Yu.

When they reached the door, they hesitated, none of them daring to knock first.

"Let’s listen," Wang Yixue suggested in a whisper.

Su Muyue and Jiang Xiaoyue nodded, and the three of them pressed their ears to the door.

Then, they heard some soft moaning sounds.

"???"

Without a second thought, the three women opened the door and walked in.