1.3: An annoying feeling

While the party was filled with chatter and laughter, somewhere in a corner where Li Jinshen and Qi Han stood was the complete opposite—it was silent.

Chen Yu and Li Jianyu stood to the side, watching the two men locked in what looked like a silent staring contest.

Li Jinshen's expression was calm, but his thoughts were sharp as he regarded the so-called president of Tianhua Group.

"So it's him," he thought. "No photos, no public presence, and he just happens to move into the same building as me. It's sounds suspicious."

Still, none of his thoughts showed on his face.

Qi Han, on the other hand, wore his usual smirk, though his slightly raised eyebrows betrayed his surprise. His dark brown eyes lingered on Jinshen, amused and something more.

"Liwei's vice president?" Qi Han mused. "The man who's supposed to be cold, taciturn, and indifferent? All I see is someone with a very distracting pair of good legs." His smirk deepened, his gaze darkening slightly as he look at the man before him.

The silence between them felt loud, and neither seemed in a rush to break it.

Meanwhile, Chen Yu and Li Jianyu observed the exchange with entirely different reactions.

Chen Yu's face was curious, but his interest didn't run deep.

He shrugged mentally. "Well it's none of my business I guess." He thought.

But next to him, Li Jianyu's expression twisted slightly, somewhere between annoyance and distaste.

"Of course it's him." Li Jianyu thought, scowling internally. "Qi Han—the same man who's been making my job a nightmare. Stealing clients, sabotaging deals, undercutting our contracts… and now here he is, standing next to my uncle no less." His jaw tightened as his irritation grew.

Chen Yu, growing bored of the non-existent conversation, shifted his attention to Li Jianyu. His eyes flickered with curiosity. "Liwei's CEO." He thought. "I've heard Qi Han talk about him before… or maybe 'gloat' is a better word. Looks like I'm not the only one who's suffering under him." His lips twitched faintly in sympathy.

Li Jianyu caught Chen Yu staring and raised an eyebrow, his sharp expression clearly saying, 'What are you looking at?'

Chen Yu held his gaze for a moment longer before casually turning his head away, his expression natural.

Li Jianyu, however, was more pissed. "He started staring first, and now he's acting like I'm the weird one? Seriously?" He thought, his irritation bubbling over. "Well, no wonder he's friends with that bastard Qi Han. Birds of the same feather flock together, they're both annoying."

As Chen Yu silently moved on from the awkward moment, Li Jianyu crossed his arms and glared at nothing in particular.

Meanwhile, the silent tension between Li Jinshen and Qi Han finally broke as the two men decided to speak.

"Well-" Qi Han said, his voice smooth and teasing. "This is a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I'd be running into you here, Vice President Li."

"Likewise." Li Jinshen replied, his tone polite but distant. "Though I suppose it was inevitable at a party like this."

Qi Han's smirk widened as he tilted his head slightly. "It's always a pleasure to meet someone like you. I'm just wondering why we haven't crossed paths sooner."

"Perhaps because you've worked hard to avoid such encounters." Li Jinshen said, his eyes meeting Qi Han's without flinching.

"True." Qi Han admitted with a chuckle. "I do enjoy my privacy. But running into you… well, I'm beginning to think I've been missing out."

Li Jinshen's faint smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sure you've managed just fine without me."

Qi Han leaned in slightly, his smirk turning playful. "Oh, I manage. But there's always room for improvement."

"Improvement?" Li Jinshen repeated, his tone calm, almost disinterested. "I'll be sure to let you know if I spot any opportunities."

Qi Han laughed softly, his eyes never leaving Jinshen's face. "You're good at this."

"At what?"

"At keeping people at arm's length," Qi Han said slightly amused.

Li Jinshen didn't respond immediately, his calm demeanor unwavering. "It's a necessary skill." He said after a beat. "Especially in this line of work, wouldn't you agree?."

"Yes-" Qi Han said, his voice dropping slightly. "But it can get lonely, don't you think?"

Li Jinshen gave him a polite smile. "I wouldn't know."

From the side, Chen Yu watched, his curiosity piqued again. He glanced at Li Jianyu, who was glaring at the floor as though it had personally offended him.

"You're quiet." Chen Yu commented lightly.

"Because there's nothing to say." Li Jianyu replied curtly while rolling his eyes.

Chen Yu hummed, his gaze lingering on Li Jianyu for a moment longer before smiling brightly.

"Funny." He thought but didn't elaborate further.

When the conversation between Li Jinshen and Qi Han finally wound down, the tension in the air seemed to dissipate slightly.

But as Qi Han with Chen Yu walked away, his smirk lingered.

"Very interesting." He thought, his eyes briefly flickering back to Li Jinshen before disappearing into the crowd.

Li Jinshen watched him leave with a calm expression.

"I'll have to keep an eye on him." He thought before turning back to the party to find Grandpa Li and go back home.

The four parted ways, each with their own thoughts—except for Li Jianyu, who was simply fuming.

***

At the end of the party, as the Li trio bid their farewells to Uncle Zhang Wei.

Li Jianyu, however, couldn't resist throwing a sharp look at Qi Han and Chen Yu as they passed by. Qi Han, completely unbothered, rolled his eyes and turned his full attention to Li Jinshen, who met his gaze with a calm expression before offering his standard polite smile.

Meanwhile, Chen Yu, standing a little to the side, grinned brightly, flashing all his teeth. His gaze lingered on Li Jianyu for a moment before he let out a quiet chuckle, clearly enjoying the situation.

Once the goodbyes were done, the three Li men headed for the garage.

As they neared their cars, Li Jinshen suddenly felt a strange chill run down his spine. The closer he got to his car, the more the feeling grew—a quiet, insistent discomfort that settled in his chest.

"What?" Jinshen thought, his steps slowing as his eyes locked onto his car. "Why do I have such a bad feeling?"

He stopped a few feet away, staring at the vehicle with a quiet frown. Something about it felt wrong.

Nearby, Grandpa Li had already boarded his car, the chauffeur holding the door open for him. He glanced briefly at Li Jinshen but said nothing as he settled into his seat.

Li Jianyu, on the other hand, had sent his assistants and driver home earlier with a slight raise for their hard work. He was already sitting in the driver's seat of his sleek car, adjusting his mirrors. When he looked out the window and saw Li Jinshen standing still, staring at his car, he raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Li Jianyu called before rolling down the window. "Did your car finally die on you?'

Li Jinshen turned his gaze toward him, sighed softly, and walked over to the passenger side of Li Jianyu's car. He tapped lightly on the window.

Li Jianyu raised higher his eyebrow before pressing the button to unlock the door. Li Jinshen opened it and slid into the seat, adjusting his cuffs as he settled in.

"Drive." Li Jinshen said simply. "You can drop me at my apartment."

Li Jianyu blinked at him, a mix of confusion and amusement crossing his face. "Wait, what? What happened to your car? You're abandoning it just like that?"

"I think there's a problem with it." Li Jinshen replied smoothly. "I'd prefer not to take any risks."

Li Jianyu tilted his head, giving him a skeptical look. "A problem? It looks fine to me. What, is it making weird noises or something?"

"No noises." Li Jinshen said, his tone steady. "But the handling felt slightly off on the way here. It's probably nothing, but I want it checked thoroughly."

Li Jianyu leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "So, now you're making me chauffeur?"

"Yes." Li Jinshen replied not a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Li Jianyu sighed, shaking his head as he started the engine.

The car ride started in silence, but it didn't last long.

"You know-" Li Jianyu said, glancing briefly at his uncle. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you just wanted to get out of driving."

Li Jinshen gave him a faintly amused look. "If that were the case, I wouldn't have brought my car at the first place."

"Fair point." Li Jianyu conceded, though his tone was still skeptical. "Still, you're ditching your car because of a hunch? That's not like you."

"It's not a hunch." Li Jinshen replied. "I noticed the handling wasn't quite right. It's likely nothing serious, but I want it inspected properly."

Li Jianyu frowned slightly, his skepticism giving way to mild concern. "You want me to call the my men, then?"

"Please." Li Jinshen said, nodding. "Make sure they do a thorough check."

Li Jianyu sighed again, gripping the wheel a little tighter. "Fine. But if they tell me it's perfect and you're just imagining things, I'm charging you for wasting my time."

"Feel free." Li Jinshen said calmly, leaning back in his seat.

Li Jianyu huffed quietly, focusing back on the road. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"I've been told that many times."

When they finally arrived at Li Jinshen's apartment building, Li Jianyu pulled up to the entrance and stopped the car.

"Thanks for the ride." Li Jinshen said as he opened the door.

"You owe me." Li Jianyu muttered, though his tone lacked real annoyance.

"Send me the bill." Li Jinshen replied with his usual calmness before stepping out and heading inside.

Li Jianyu watched him go, shaking his head with a mix of exasperation and amusement as he pulled away. "Unbelievable I tell you." He muttered to himself, though the corners of his lips twitched upward.

When Li Jinshen walked into the building and headed for the elevator, he wasn't surprised to see Qi Han already there. At the party, the man already made it obvious of how much he was interested in him.

Without hesitation, Li Jinshen stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his floor, his expression calm as always.

Standing side by side, it was hard not to notice how similar their heights were. Both of them were tall, around 190 cm. They didn't need to look up or down to meet each other's eyes.

Surprisingly, Qi Han just engaged in small talks but didn't go any further than that.

When the elevator reached the fifth floor, Qi Han let out a dramatic sigh, turning to Li Jinshen with an exaggerated look of disappointment.

"Such a shame we don't live on the same floor." Qi Han said, sounding like it was the tragedy of the century.

Li Jinshen gave him a calm look. "Yeah… a shame." he replied flatly, though he was honestly relieved they didn't.

As the doors closed behind Qi Han, leaving him alone in the elevator, Li Jinshen leaned back slightly against the wall and let out a soft sigh.

"If we lived on the same floor, he'd probably show up at my apartment whenever he wanted." Li Jinshen thought, shaking his head slightly.

But as much as Qi Han's persistence annoyed him a little, there was something else that bothered him even more. It was that strange feeling again, the one he couldn't shake off.

"Again with this feeling?" He he thought frowning slightly. He wasn't used to things slipping through his mind like this. Usually, he could figure things out quickly, but this time, the answer kept evading.

For a brief moment, he felt like he was close to remembering something—like the answer was right there. But then it disappeared again, leaving him even more annoyed.

After a while a small smirk tugged at his lips. "Now this is starting to get interesting." He murmured to himself.

When the elevator finally arrived on his floor, Li Jinshen stepped out and headed for his apartment.

The first thing he did after getting inside was kick off his shoes and head straight for the bathroom. A long, hot bath was exactly what he needed to unwind after the day he'd had.