Chapter 104: Fake at a Glance

Old Master Bai swept his hand in a broad gesture and cut Qin Feng off. “I know what you’re worried about. You’re thinking your background isn’t good enough for Ruoxi, aren’t you? I’ll tell you, these things are trifles.”

He suddenly slapped the table and said grandly, “As long as you truly treat Ruoxi well, then the Bai family fortune is yours as well.”

Hearing that, Ruoxi could no longer hold back. She stood up abruptly, stamping her foot in angry embarrassment. “Grandpa! What are you saying?”

Bai Bai laughed heartily and, while pointing at Ruoxi, said to Qin Feng,
“See that girl? She’s already shy. Little Feng, don’t hesitate anymore. In my life I have met countless people—I can tell a man in a glance. Go on and pursue her boldly. I’m behind you.”

Qin Feng still intended to add something, but Bai suddenly clutched his chest, brows knotted, and groaned in pain.
“Grandpa!”

Ruoxi’s face went pale at once. She hurried to his side, anxious. “Grandpa, what is it? Is something wrong?”

Bai waved a hand as if nothing was wrong, but his face remained white and his breathing was short.
“It’s nothing. Just the old ailment. Rest for a bit and it’ll pass,” he said.

Then he turned to Qin Feng, voice weak.
“Little Feng, let’s stop here for today. I’m a little tired and need to rest. You… stay and keep Ruoxi company for a little while.”

He shut his eyes and said no more. Seeing his state, Ruoxi grew even more worried and, not heeding Qin Feng at all, hurried him back to his room to rest.

Watching Ruoxi’s anxious back, Qin Feng let a faint playful smile curl at the corner of his mouth.
This old fox can act well enough to fool anyone, he thought.

Alone in the drawing room, staring at the antiqued rosewood furniture, a cold little smile touched his lips.
Old Bai truly knows how to play a clever hand. Forcing a man to submit this way—did he really think I’m some prized delicacy?

Yet he did not truly hate Ruoxi.

The young woman was beautiful, and gentle of nature. Most importantly, she held an inexplicable trust in him, and that gave the drifting Qin a small but real warmth.

“Grandpa is fine now. He just needs to rest,” Ruoxi said when she came down the stairs, still slightly flushed, clearly embarrassed by what had happened moments before.

Qin Feng stood. “Good to hear Grandad is okay. I was worried about his health.”

“Please don’t laugh at me,” she said, lowering her gaze and nervously twisting the hem of her sleeve. “Grandpa is just like that—he can be very… direct.”

“I understand. Granddad is doing it for your good too,” Qin Feng said with a gentle smile as he looked at Ruoxi. “What he said is true. I do like you.”

Ruoxi suddenly lifted her head, astonishment and a flicker of disbelief-bright joy filling her eyes.
She had imagined so many possibilities—Qin Feng refusing, Qin Feng hesitating—only never had she imagined him agreeing so cleanly.

“You… are you really serious?” Her voice trembled like a frightened fawn.

Qin Feng stepped closer, gently tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. In a tone almost liquid with kindness, he said, “Of course. When have I ever lied to you?”

Ruoxi’s heart beat so hard it seemed it might leap out of her throat. Everything felt unreal, as if she were dreaming, and yet so intoxicating.

“But…”
“What is it?” he smiled, his gaze deepening. “Besides, we get along very well, don’t we?”

Her face grew redder still, like a ripe apple so vivid it made one want to bite it.
“That… then, shall we try?” Her voice was tiny as a mosquito’s whine, but she had the courage to speak.

“Fine.” Qin Feng answered without a trace of hesitation.

A brilliant smile finally bloomed on Ruoxi’s face, like a lily in full bloom—sweet and delicate.

“Then I’ll send you home first. It’s getting late,” Qin Feng said.
“Mm,” Ruoxi nodded obediently.

Qin Feng drove her home.

Just before leaving, Ruoxi suddenly caught hold of his sleeve, hesitated, and said, “Qin Feng, I…”
Then suddenly she kissed him on the cheek.

A warm, soft touch spread over his face, and a faint perfume floated into his nostrils. Qin Feng turned with mock surprise, looking at Ruoxi with a twinkle of mischief.
“What now? Are you shy?”

He lightly dragged a fingertip along the tip of her nose, teasingly.
Ruoxi’s face flushed even more. Her eyes darted away, unable to meet his.
“I… I…”

“Enough. I was just teasing you.”

He saw her upstairs and only after she had entered her home did he turn and leave. He drove away from the Bai villa in his Audi.

The trace of her kiss lingered, the softness, the faint perfume, each detail still stinging and teasing his nerves. Yet Qin Feng was not intoxicated into folly by this sudden sweetness; instead, he grew more alert.

“What is this old fox really peddling in that gourd?” he murmured, fingers tapping the steering wheel, restless and quick.

He could guess something of Bai’s calculations.
Naturally, it was to find someone who could take over the Bai inheritance, and he happened to have stumbled into their orbit. But from what he knew of Granddad Bai, this would not be that simple.

The next day, Qin Feng received a call from Ruoxi, her voice bright as she invited him to an auction.

“An auction? Since when did you become interested in that sort of thing?” he said with a laugh, knowing it was most likely her grandpa’s doing.

Ruoxi sounded a bit shy and lowered her voice. “It’s my grandpa. He said he wanted you to come with me and take a look.”

“Grandpa is very thoughtful indeed,” Qin Feng teased, but he accepted.

The auction was held in a five-star hotel in the city center, in a hall of luxurious splendor where silk and perfume brushed through the crowd, glasses clinked over fine drinks, and wealth hung in the air.

Dressed casually, Qin Feng stood out awkwardly among the well-dressed crowd. He scanned the room in bored circles, searching for Granddad Bai, when he found Ruoxi, eyes bright, pulling him toward a corner.

“Qin Feng, look. That’s a Qianlong-period famille-rose floral-patterned porcelain bowl—how beautiful it is!” Ruoxi pointed at a delicate bowl in the display case, her eyes shining.

Qin Feng cast a quick glance and said coolly, “It’s a reproduction, and the craftsmanship is rough.”

Ruoxi’s smile stiffened. She pouted in petulant displeasure. “How do you know it’s a fake? You didn’t even look closely!”

“Easy to tell by one glance.” Qin Feng shrugged, with the expression of someone thinking, You don’t understand.

Just then, an old gentleman with a goatee, wearing a Tang-style jacket, came over smiling. It was Granddad Bai.