Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 2

Evening, a high-end nightclub in the capital.

The spacious private room was thick with the mingled scents of alcohol, tobacco, and perfume. Yet, despite sitting right in the center of this decadent scene, Qin Yu remained untouched by the revelry around him, not a single person dared approach.

It wasn’t just his icy, unapproachable demeanor that kept others at bay, but also his untouchable status in the capital.

Tang Wenlun sat beside him, handing him a cigarette. “How long has it been since you last came to a place like this? What brings you to me today?”

Qin Yu lowered his gaze, placing the cigarette between his lips. With a crisp click, the silver lighter in his hand sparked a small blue flame.

The flickering light cast shadows along Qin Yu’s sharp jawline as the cigarette between his fingers glowed crimson.

“Nothing much. Just wanted to ask how to pursue a girl.”

“Huh!?” Tang Wenlun’s voice rose in disbelief. “You, an ice block, are actually thinking about romance now?”

Qin Yu arched an eyebrow, giving Tang Wenlun a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Tang Wenlun clicked his tongue in amazement. “Which young lady caught your eye? Tell me what type she is, I’ll help you strategize.”

Qin Yu exhaled a slow stream of smoke, the haze veiling the faint amusement in his deep, dark eyes.

“Not some wealthy socialite,” Qin Yu chuckled. “Just a remarkable girl.”

“How remarkable can an ordinary girl be?” Tang Wenlun dismissed it as exaggeration, refusing to believe it.

Qin Yu stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. “She lives on her own, supports a younger brother three years her junior, and single-handedly built the largest entertainment company in the industry.”

“Hmm… why does this inspiring story sound so familiar?” Tang Wenlun felt like he’d heard of this person before. Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Wait… you’re not talking about Xia Jin, are you?”

Qin Yu nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Got a problem with that?”

Tang Wenlun scratched his head anxiously. “Bro-Brother Yu, I’m not trying to rain on your parade, but your love life is doomed before it even sprouts.”

“We went to the same high school as Xia Jin, you know her story.” Tang Wenlun launched into an impassioned explanation. “We attended Ruitong because it was the only place that would take us. Xia Jin went there because Ruitong offered her the most money and guaranteed her brother’s admission.”

Ruitong was one of the top elite high schools in the capital, a veritable gathering place for the city’s wealthiest heirs.

Xia Jin was different, she had been personally sought out and invited by Ruitong’s administration.

“Back in our first year, Xia Jin went to pick up her brother and found him being extorted by a bunch of thugs. You, Brother Yu, rushed in to play the hero…”

Tang Wenlun clutched his chest at the memory. “By the time you showed up, Xia Jin had already beaten every one of those thugs to a pulp and shamelessly looted all their money.”

“She even thought you were one of them and ended up beating you up too-”

“Enough!” Qin Yu cut him off. Back then, he hadn’t expected Xia Jin to be so fierce. “Talk about something else.”

Tang Wenlun rubbed the back of his head and continued. “In our second year, during the inter-class basketball match, Class 1 actually paid Xia Jin 20,000 to be their ringer. Don’t you remember how she pinned you down on the court…”

“Stop!” Qin Yu spoke again with an expressionless face, the shadow of being dominated by Xia Jin on the basketball court still looming over him to this day. “Say something else.”

“In our senior year of high school, Xia Hongchang came looking for Xia Jin.” Tang Wenlun sighed deeply. “That was when I found out Xia Jin was actually his illegitimate daughter. Xia Hongchang threatened her with her education, trying to force her younger brother to return to the Xia family…”

“Enough, don’t say any more.” Qin Yu’s face darkened as he remembered what happened next.

The moment Qin Yu got the news, he went straight to Xia Jin, hoping to regain some dignity and make up for all the times she had humiliated him before.

With an air of superiority, Qin Yu told Xia Jin not to worry about Xia Hongchang, saying, “I, Qin Yu, will make sure you stay at Ruitong. No one can make you leave.”

But Xia Jin didn’t even acknowledge him. She looked at Qin Yu with confusion, wondering what was wrong with him. “Oh, I’ve already received an invitation from Jing University. Whether I stay at Ruitong or not doesn’t matter anymore.”

Qin Yu stood there awkwardly, feeling as if he might crumble into dust.

“Brother Yu, if you try using money, Xia Jin doesn’t need it now. She was already earning enough to support herself and her brother ten years ago.”

Tang Wenlun counted on his fingers. “If you try using power, Xia Jin probably hates people like you, privileged and influential more than anything.”

“After all, Xia Hongchang completely ignored the women he had affairs with,” Tang Wenlun noticed Qin Yu’s icy gaze sweeping over him and his voice grew quieter. “Xia Jin’s mother even ran off with the money, leaving only her and her brother behind…”

“Haha, Brother Yu, I was just talking nonsense…” Tang Wenlun forced a laugh. “With your looks, you’ll definitely win Xia Jin over.”

Tang Wenlun knew Qin Yu was nothing short of a mesmerizing enigma.

Even though he considered himself decent-looking, standing next to Qin Yu, any girl’s heart would undoubtedly be stolen by Qin Yu, not him.

Qin Yu tapped the table thoughtfully with his slender fingers, his dark eyes exuding an air of indifference.

Tang Wenlun continued, “Brother Yu, trust me, you’re nothing like those flashy, shallow guys around Xia Jin. Even Chen Zeyu, who’s super popular right now, isn’t one-tenth as handsome as you.”

Qin Yu didn’t respond. He stood up. “Alright, I have things to do. I’m leaving.”

Tang Wenlun stuck his head out and called after him, “Brother Yu, what’s the rush? Have a couple of drinks before you go!”

Qin Yu, dressed in a perfectly tailored black trench coat, exuded an aura of noble nonchalance.

“No, I still have to see Xia Jin.” Qin Yu’s cool voice carried a hint of amusement.

With long strides, Qin Yu quickly walked away, leaving Tang Wenlun alone in bewildered silence.

Suddenly, Tang Wenlun remembered something. No wonder Qin Yu always kept a photo of the two of them together, he had been moved to tears, thinking it was Qin Yu’s way of honoring their friendship.

Now he realized it was only because Xia Jin had accidentally been captured in the background of that photo.

Damn it. Tang Wenlun punched the couch in frustration. So he was the unnecessary one in the photo all along!

…

The entire afternoon, Xia Jin was busy shuttling between meetings, signing documents, and reviewing proposals.

Song Qianrou handed her the list of celebrities selected for the Li Pan Hotel event. “Chen Zeyu, Jiang Xin, Xu Lingqing, and three others—all top-tier or A-list celebrities. Is this okay?”

Xia Jin tapped Chen Zeyu’s name on the list with her index finger. “Did he volunteer to come?”

Song Qianrou nodded, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Boss, there are rumors circulating in the company that you and Chen Zeyu…”

Xia Jin widened her eyes in disbelief. “Do I look that desperate?”

“But Boss, you’re already twenty-six and still don’t have a boyfriend. People can’t help but speculate when they see you favoring Chen Zeyu so much,” Song Qianrou blinked innocently.

Xia Jin felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. “Have someone look into the details of my car accident again, and pull back the resources Chen Zeyu has access to. Don’t let him attend tonight, replace him with someone else.”

“Understood.”

After finishing the documents on her desk, Xia Jin called the driver via the intercom to prepare the car. The six artists had already left early for Li Pan.

The networking dinner at Li Pan Hotel was, as the name suggested, an event for artists under various agencies to mingle and exchange pleasantries. But in Xia Jin’s eyes, it was just a bunch of executives showing off their hottest talents.

Not that Xia Jin was worried. Aside from Qin Yu, no one there could outshine her.

Thinking of Qin Yu, she inexplicably felt a twinge of guilt.

Surely Qin Yu had forgotten about the time she beat him up outside school in their first year of high school and then extorted him. And it wasn’t like she’d deliberately dominated him in basketball during their second year, he was just too cocky on the court.

What a headache.

Oh well. If Qin Yu provoked her again, she’d make sure he knew that no matter how many years passed, she’d always be his daddy.

Xia Jin parked in the underground garage and had just stepped out of the car when she spotted the last two people she wanted to see, the despicable couple.

Damn it. She’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of Qin Yu that she’d forgotten Yihe’s artists would also be attending tonight.

She was about to pretend she hadn’t seen them and sneak past Xia Zhixue and her fiancé when a voice called out from behind her. “Sister! Sister, what are you doing here?”

Xia Zhixue tugged at her fiancé Ye Tiyan’s arm as she hurried over. “Brother Ye, Sister was invited to tonight’s event too! Of course, Sister is so outstanding now, it’s only natural the organizers would invite her. Unlike me, I’m not as capable as Sister, so I was just dragged here by Yihe to make up the numbers.”

Ye Tiyan patted Xia Zhixue’s head reassuringly. “Don’t say that. Our Zhixue is amazing too!”

Xia Jin crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the performance in front of her. “Sorry, but if you called me over just to put on a duet, you can save it.”

“Sister, are you still mad at me?” Xia Zhixue’s eyes reddened, and two tears rolled down her cheeks. “Sister, do you still blame me for being with Brother Ye? Back then, I didn’t know you had feelings for him too. If you’d told me, I would never have gotten together with Brother Ye. It’s all my fault. Sister, what can I do to make you forgive me?”

Xia Jin laughed in disbelief. “Alright then. As long as you let Ye Tiyan sleep with me once, I’ll forgive you.”

“Sister!” Xia Zhixue’s voice quivered even more, and she looked anxiously at Ye Tiyan. “Brother Ye, how could Sister say something like that when she knows we’re about to get engaged…”

Xia Jin had thought Xia Zhixue was so magnanimous, sleeping with other people’s boyfriends without a second thought. But when it came to her own, suddenly it was unacceptable.

Ye Tiyan held Xia Zhixue in his arms, his heart aching. Frowning, he said, “Xiao Jin, I’ve always seen you as a little sister. Right now, Zhixue is the only one in my heart. Please don’t say such self-deprecating things anymore! Besides, Zhixue didn’t do anything wrong back then. It was all because I drank too much that I ended up with her.”

“A sister?” Xia Jin suddenly felt nauseated by his words. “You treated me like a sister, yet you gave me gifts on Valentine’s Day in college, draped your coat over me when it was cold, and called me ‘baby’ late at night?”

Ye Tiyan fell silent, unable to refute Xia Jin’s pointed remarks about the past, nor offering any explanation to Xia Zhixue.

Xia Zhixue was so furious she could feel her nails digging into her palms.

That bitch Xia Jin was deliberately bringing up these things to make Ye Tiyan reminisce about their past.

Unfortunately, Xia Zhixue couldn’t show her anger. She could only gently tug at Ye Tiyan’s sleeve, giving him an out. “Brother Ye, I think my sister must have misunderstood. It was because I worried she might feel lonely or wronged at school that I asked you to take extra care of her. That’s why she misinterpreted your actions.”

Ye Tiyan nodded in agreement. “Xiao Jin, even though I’m with Zhixue now, I still see you as my own sister. You can hate or resent me, I’ll accept it all. But Zhixue has always treated you like her own sister. I just hope you two can get along peacefully.”

“Don’t!” Xia Jin sneered. “Absolutely not. Please, Young Master Ye, stop recklessly claiming sisters in the future, lest your fiancée misunderstands. I’m busy, so I won’t stick around to watch your little love drama.”

With that, Xia Jin turned and walked away, ignoring the tearful Xia Zhixue behind her, who sobbed, “It’s all my fault,” and Ye Tiyan, who comforted her with, “I’ll always be good to you.”

But none of them noticed Qin Yu sitting in a car not far away, watching everything unfold. He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke out the window, his expression unreadable, before impassively rolling it up.