Volume One, Chapter Eight: A Sharp Rebuke to the Mistress
Xu Mingyue’s heart skipped an involuntary beat. She hadn’t expected Lin Qiao to concede so quickly.
Lin Qiao then said, “I took quite a few shots before you arrived. Just pick any one you like.”
“You!” Xu Mingyue was taken aback by how casually Lin Qiao treated their competition.
But then she thought, perhaps this was for the best. Before she came, Lin Qiao must have only just started adjusting the lighting and testing shots, focusing primarily on the continual tweaking of light and jewelry arrangement.
She had noticed as soon as she picked up the camera that the photographic settings hadn’t been adjusted at all.
To compare her meticulously calibrated photos with Lin Qiao’s discarded shots would be a crushing defeat.
A smile crept onto Xu Mingyue’s lips as she urged, “Quick, bring up Lin Qiao’s photos.”
As the staff bent down searching for the pictures, a sudden “Bang!” was heard.
It was Qin Yi who had fallen.
Qin Yi lay on the ground, too pained to get up.
Why hadn’t his mother been watching him?!
Before, whenever Lin Qiao was around, his mother’s eyes never left him, always attentive to his needs and safety.
But today, in the studio, she hadn’t looked at him once!
Not even at him—her beloved “Aunt Moon”—did she react.
The more Qin Yi thought about it, the angrier he grew. He walked around the studio sulking, and now he had really fallen.
Qin Tianlang scooped Qin Yi up. Xu Mingyue, triumphant over Lin Qiao’s heart, was now floating on air.
She hugged Qin Yi even tighter, her voice full of concern, “Little Yi, does it hurt? Auntie is here.”
She blew a cool breath over the scraped skin on his little hand.
Qin Yi couldn’t help but glance at Lin Qiao, who was also looking at him.
But in her eyes, he was just a stranger—a little boy she didn’t know.
No concern, no pity, no love.
Pouting in hurt, Qin Yi said, “Aunt Moon, you’re still the one who’s good to me.”
Holding Qin Yi like a champion of life, Xu Mingyue basked in the spotlight.
Today she had shone here and even flaunted her closeness with the father and son in front of Lin Qiao.
At that moment, Qin Chen’s deep voice rang out.
“Miss Lin Qiao, you win.”
What?!
Xu Mingyue turned around in disbelief.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the photos on the screen. Even Lin Qiao’s few staff members were speechless.
Miss Xu’s photos were very good, no doubt.
But compared to a prodigy like Lin Qiao, they were worlds apart.
Qin Tianlang was also looking at Lin Qiao’s work, unaware that her shots were this impressive.
He recalled the light shining in Lin Qiao’s eyes when she first came in.
So his wife did have a passion and talent.
Yet after all these years, she had never once mentioned it.
---
Xu Mingyue immediately dropped Qin Yi and approached the screen, her expression darkening in an instant.
Lin Qiao met Xu Mingyue’s sudden change with calm firmness.
“Miss Xu, since you are going to a prestigious university for further studies, I hope you can also cultivate your demeanor. It’s unwise to jump to conclusions and assume others succeed only through connections.”
“By the way, I graduated from the Photography Department of Haishi University.”
Haishi University—the nation’s top university, with its photography program ranked first.
Seeing Xu Mingyue’s shocked face, Lin Qiao continued evenly.
“Next time, I hope you remember to respect others. It’s not good to judge someone before seeing their work.”
Qin Tianlang watched Lin Qiao’s confident, radiant demeanor, unable to look away for the first time.
He had never cared about her university major. They first met when Lin Qiao spoke as an outstanding student representative at the Qin Family Charity Foundation.
Back then, she was plainly dressed but full of spirit.
Years of daily life together had blurred Lin Qiao’s face in his memory.
He hadn’t seen her this self-assured in a long time.
Since she left, the house was managed by Liu Ma, but it was like a machine missing its engine—barely functioning. Qin Tianlang could sense the difference.
Lin Qiao’s departure was initially painless, but the longer time passed, the more unbearable it became.
Why hadn’t Lin Qiao returned yet? How long would she keep sulking?
Qin Tianlang couldn’t help but recall the man who had brought flowers to Lin Qiao that day. If she loved him so much, how could she fall for someone else? He had made up his mind to forgive all her mistakes.
Thinking of the recent conflicts with the Lin family and being overwhelmed by work and fatherly duties with Qin Yi, he resolved to find time to have a serious talk with Lin Qiao.
At this moment, Xu Mingyue was at a loss for words, while Qin Yi bounced over, too short to see the photos.
He jumped up and down, cheering, “Aunt Moon is the best! Her photos are the prettiest!”
Bai Xin, fed up, picked up Qin Yi. “Short legs, look carefully. Whose photos are better, Aunt Moon’s or Aunt Lin’s?”
Bai Xin did this deliberately—she didn’t want anyone to know this little ungrateful brat was actually Qiao Qiao’s son.
Pushed in front of the screen, Qin Yi was overwhelmed by the giant display.
Even without understanding photography, he could see how good his mother’s photos were.
Still, he stubbornly said, “Aunt Moon’s are better! Aunt Lin’s aren’t!”
Amused by the farce before her, Lin Qiao calmly issued a dismissal.
“This is a workplace, not a playground for children. Please respect our shoot.”
“Since I have won, Miss Xu, please do not linger here and delay our work.”
“There are many valuable items here. If anything goes missing, it’s hard to say.”
Lin Qiao was essentially calling her a thief!
Xu Mingyue was furious to the point of chest pain. Seeing Lin Qiao already turning to direct the staff to continue shooting, Xu Mingyue picked up her camera again, even removing the memory card.
Feigning calm, she said, “I didn’t perform well today. It must be this camera that’s not comfortable to use.”
With that, Xu Mingyue put down the camera and left with Qin Tianlang and Qin Yi.
She recalled the dirty tricks she had played when dismantling the camera earlier.
Looking back at Lin Qiao, she suppressed a sneer.
Lin Qiao, let’s see how long you can stay arrogant!
...
After the three left, the studio returned to its calm.
---
Lin Qiao exhaled deeply.
Bai Xin gently nudged her arm.
“Qiao Qiao, don’t you think President Qin has been watching you all along?”
Lin Qiao looked up toward Qin Chen.
Sensing her gaze, he met her eyes briefly before she quickly looked away.
This man exuded a strong sense of authority—the unmistakable posture of a top executive.
Lin Qiao took a sip of milk tea to steady herself, closing her eyes in satisfaction.
“No, you must be imagining things.”
Lin Qiao hadn’t had milk tea in many years.
Not because she couldn’t order delivery or go out, but the constant household chores had long stolen her leisure time for shopping or enjoying milk tea.
After four years away, this milk tea tasted all the sweeter—and even earned the endorsement of the Qin family CEO.
Lin Qiao was in high spirits.
...
After finishing the shoot, Lin Qiao returned to the hotel.
She had booked a standard room.
When she handed over her ID, the clerk respectfully said, “Miss Lin, your room is actually the presidential suite on the top floor.”
Lin Qiao knew this was a family favor and thanked them politely as she took back her ID and room card.
Just as she headed upstairs, she noticed Qin Chen sitting on a sofa in the lobby, his head bowed and elbow resting on the armrest, looking rather unsteady.
At that moment, a burly man and a glamorous woman flanked him, helping him up and toward the elevator.
The woman looked nervous, and Lin Qiao sensed something was wrong.
After all, Qin Chen was a partner’s CEO. Lin Qiao hurried after them.
From a distance, she called out, “President Qin.”
Qin Chen didn’t turn around. The burly man said, “President Qin is drunk and needs to rest upstairs. If you have anything to discuss, it can wait until tomorrow.”
Lin Qiao didn’t smell any alcohol and grew even more suspicious.
She confronted them, “That’s not right. President Qin just called me to find him. Who are you? Where are you taking him? If you don’t explain, I’ll call for help!”
Their expressions changed. Exchanging a glance with the woman, the man said, “Since you’re President Qin’s subordinate, we’ll leave him in your care.”
Lin Qiao took Qin Chen and immediately felt something was wrong.
His body was burning hot, and his face flushed red.
Looking back, the two had already disappeared.
Lin Qiao had no choice but to carry Qin Chen to her room.
She stumbled, supporting the man a head taller than herself as they walked.
Once inside, before she could turn on the light, Qin Chen’s towering frame swayed toward her, his burning warmth uncontrollable.
Lin Qiao struggled to hold him up as his scorching breath brushed against her neck.
She couldn’t help but shiver.