Shocking! The school heartthrob who was adopted by a wealthy family is actually a heiress!

Chapter 353 If you lose, you'll have to call me daddy.
"I went to the restroom."

Shen Yanci understood; Lin Shi wouldn't allow him to be alone with Qin Zhao now.

Qin Zhao knew that the two of them weren't getting along well: "My brother has an event next week, and he'll be flying overseas afterward. During this time—"

Shen Yanci understood her unspoken meaning: Lin Shi would be there during this period.

His voice was still a little hoarse: "Leaving so soon?"

"Huh?" Qin Zhao thought he had misheard.

Seeing her surprised look, Shen Yanci closed his eyelids briefly, then glanced at her and said, "I can't bear to part with him, is there a problem?"

"..."

Qin Zhao blinked and moved his mouth slightly: "It's...no problem."

Shen Yanci looked at her and stated a fact: "I have known him for longer than you have known him, and I have known you for longer."

Shen Yanci: "He has been my best friend since childhood."

Therefore, if there is a problem, it is between him and Lin Shi; she doesn't need to put herself in a difficult position between the two of them.

Qin Zhao listened to his sudden, seemingly possessive, and affectionate confession, and nodded hesitantly: "You, why don't you wait until he comes and tell him?"

"..."

Shen Yanci laughed, tilting his head back, and let out a soft, ambiguous sneer.

The lights were dim, and his hand rested lazily on the sofa.

Qin Zhao's gaze fell on it: "Aren't you wearing a watch today?"

Shen Yanci closed his eyelids and twitched his fingers: "There will be a lot of these few days. I don't want to wear anything related to time after get off work."

Qin Zhao responded with an "oh," acknowledging his reasoning.

He tilted his head to look at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Win or lose?"

"Brother won." Qin Zhao doesn't play often, and although his skills aren't bad, they're not exceptionally good either.

Shen Yanci twitched his fingers and said in a low, magnetic voice, "Then I'll win him over."
-
"Do you want to do it yourself, or should I help you?"

For a moment, Qin Zhao felt as if she were seeing Shen Yanci five years ago, when she had just become Qin Zhao, and she was in a daze for a moment.

Under the gaze of her clear, shallow eyes, Shen Yanci's shoulders and neck tensed up a bit.

Ever since he learned that she had a compensatory mentality towards him, Shen Yanci's gaze and interactions with her have been characterized by a sense of helplessness, like the early stages of exploration.

He feared that his overflowing affection and intimacy would become a burden to her, and he also feared that she would perceive his restraint and this helpless situation, creating another kind of pressure.

He suppressed his thoughts and smiled, "Don't you believe me?"

Qin Zhao said softly, "I believe you, you're very good at playing ball."

Her voice was very soft, like a feather brushing against the heart, causing a slight tremor without warning.

Shen Yanci felt a strange itch in his throat.

He was trying to stay calm, but she was flirting with him recklessly.

He shifted his gaze slightly to the side, then glanced at her again, seemingly unintentionally.

Footsteps approached from afar, and Shen Yanci lowered his brows, suppressing the surging energy within him.

He glanced at Lin Shi who had returned, then slowly got up and picked out a cue stick that suited his hand: "Let's play a game."

Lin Shi opened his eyes and pretended to be unreasonable: "My game with Qin Zhao isn't over yet."

Shen Yanci rubbed the tip of his cue stick with chocolate powder a couple of times and said casually, "I'm afraid of losing."

"..."

Lin Shi choked up. Even though he knew Lin Shi was being provoked, he managed to mentally prepare himself for half a second, but he still couldn't bring himself to admit that he couldn't beat Lin Shi.

He crossed his arms, looked up at the sky, and shouted, "I'm afraid you'll embarrass yourself!"

"Then let's give it a try." Shen Yanci glanced at him casually, "Let's see who makes a fool of themselves."

"Hey!" Lin Shi's temper flared up instantly. "Try it then! I can't beat you!"

What an obvious provocation, what an obvious attempt to provoke.

Lin Shi jumped in without hesitation.

Qin Zhao glanced at the barely perceptible curve of Shen Yanci's lips and then looked at his brother.

The value of a childhood best friend continues to rise.

They would bicker at the beginning, mainly Lin Shi, with Shen Yanci occasionally retaliating.

The distance is also diagonal.

Gradually, the two players became more and more serious and started to stand on the same side. Shen Yanci seemed to be in poor form, missing two shots.

Lin Shi scoffed upon seeing this: "That's it?"

"Let me show you what real skill is!" he said confidently as he stepped forward and set up his club.

Shen Yanci shifted his gaze from the pool table to Qin Zhao.

He lowered his eyes and leaned slightly towards her: "I think I'm going to lose."

His voice was not loud, and it was a little hoarse. It just so happened to cut through the background noise created by Lin Shi and clearly reached her ears.

Qin Zhao paused slightly and looked into his eyes.

He lowered his head slightly, and the light cast a small shadow under his eyes through his eyelashes, revealing a hint of disappointment.

For some reason, she felt a pang of tenderness.

"It's okay." A relieved smile curved her lips. "I lost too."

"Bang—Clang—"

The sound of the billiard ball hitting the pocket.

Lin Shi smiled and gave Shen Yanci a thumbs-up, saying, "You're terrible! You need to practice more."

"..."

On the last ball, Lin Shi sank the hole in one shot, winning by a margin of 20 points.

He wore his smugness on his face, and knowing he was about to start faking it, Shen Yanci turned his head away.

It's not his style to not show off after winning.

Shen Yanci ignored him, but he moved closer to her instead.

He slowly reeled in his rod, raised his chin, and glanced sideways at Shen Yanci.

His face and mouth were full of smugness, and he dragged out each word in a drawn-out tone: "Afraid of losing."

"..."

Shen Yanci closed his eyelids, as if giving himself an excuse: "I'm rusty today."

Lin Shi laughed even more wildly: "I'm still getting used to it, I understand."

He put his arm around his shoulder and patted him: "It's normal."

"Qin Zhao, did you see that?" He looked at Qin Zhao, emphasizing each word clearly, with a pointed meaning, "Men who can't accept defeat are all like this."

"..."

Shen Yanci wasn't annoyed: "Winning one game doesn't prove anything."

"Let's play another round!"

"Come at me again if you're not convinced! I'll beat you until you submit!"

Shen Yanci calmly put down his golf club: "Let's do it another day."

Lin Shi: "Another day is fine, but if you lose, you have to call me dad."

Shen Yanci responded with a "Yes".

"..."

Lin Shi: "Get out!"

Shen Yanci met Qin Zhao's gaze, his expression innocent, and pointed his chin at Lin Shi, indicating that he had started it.

Lin Shi was immersed in the joy of victory and did not notice the eye contact between them.

In the karaoke room, the lights were adjusted by Lin Shi to be dazzling and colorful.

He hummed a song as his fingers flew across the karaoke machine.

Qin Zhao and Shen Yanci sat on the sofa, with some distance between them.

After Lin finished speaking, he naturally took the microphone and sat down between the two of them.

The songs are all fast-paced and upbeat.

Lin Shi first did a solo, then handed Qin Zhao a microphone and pulled her to sing and dance together.

The shifting light and shadows brushed across her face, and she would occasionally be amused by Lin Shi's funny expressions. It was a natural, carefree laugh.

Shen Yanci's eyes softened, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a subtle sour feeling welled up in his heart.