Young Devious Wife of Mr. Qin

The lecture hall hummed with a quiet energy as students settled into their seats. Lin Yuxi took her usual place, and beside her, Qin Lei sat with his usual air of indifference. Neither acknowledged the other.

Their silence was not uncomfortable, but calculated—as if both had unspoken thoughts keeping them occupied.

As the professor droned on, Qin Lei leaned back in his chair, his silver eyes clouding over as his mind drifted.

And just like that—he was pulled into a memory.

*** 

Unlike the vibrant, polished luxury of Baicheng, Fengxi City was a place that whispered secrets through its neon-lit streets.

At first glance, it glowed like a phoenix rising at night, dazzling and alive, but beneath its golden illusion lurked a rotting underbelly—a city ruled by crime syndicates, betrayals, and silent wars fought in the shadows.

And in one of its darkest alleys, a young man lay bleeding.

Qin Lei.

The metallic scent of blood mixed with the stench of damp pavement, the weight of the night pressing down on his battered, broken body.

His right leg was shattered, bent at an angle that sent sharp jolts of agony with every shallow breath. A deep gash tore across his arm, blood dripping onto the cold ground. His head throbbed, a warm, sticky sensation seeping down his face—as if someone had struck him repeatedly, making sure he wouldn't get up.

He wasn't sure how much blood he had lost, but the cold creeping into his limbs told him it was a lot.

2:30 AM.

Too late for civilians to wander.

Too early for killers to clean up.

Qin Lei gritted his teeth, his fingers twitching as he dragged himself toward the nearest brick wall, using it as support.

Every movement sent searing pain through his bones, but he didn't make a sound.

With shaking hands, he reached for his wrist, pressing the button on his broken watch multiple times. No response.

Damn it.

His vision swam, the world tilting dangerously, but he tried again. Still nothing. His lifeline—useless. His breaths grew shallower, his eyes growing heavier. Was this how it ended?

And then, amidst the suffocating silence of the alley, a sound cut through the air like a whisper—

A soft humming.

A melody—light, almost playful, yet mysterious.

Something about it felt unreal.

He strained his ears. The melody was unfamiliar.

Someone was approaching.

The sound of boots clicking against the pavement grew louder, each step measured, deliberate.

Then—they stopped.

A faint glow flickered in the darkness, and suddenly—a harsh beam of light illuminated his face.

Phone flash.

Qin Lei squinted, his swollen eyelids barely lifting under the intense glare.

Even through his blurred, bloodied vision, he could make out the silhouette of a girl crouching before him.

She was young, no older than 15 or 16. Her short bobbed hair framed her delicate face, and her bright blue eyes glowed unnaturally under the dim surroundings.

She looked too clean, too out of place in a city like this.

What the hell is a kid doing in Fengxi at this hour?

Then, his gaze dropped lower—

A gun.

She held it carelessly in one hand, twirling it as if it were nothing more than a toy.

Qin Lei's mind slowed.

For the first time in hours, an unsettling chill crawled down his spine.

Then—she spoke.

"Well, well," she mused, her voice light with amusement, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "That's an awful lot of blood. You sure you're not already dead?"

Qin Lei let out a slow, painful breath but didn't respond. He simply observed her.

She tilted her head, unimpressed.

"Huh. Not much of a talker, are you?"

Still, silence.

The girl let out a mock sigh, then crouched a little closer, studying him like one would examine an injured stray cat.

"You look like one of those dogs that get hit by a car but are too stubborn to die right away."

She gave a little shrug, her grip on the gun still loose, relaxed—too relaxed for a kid holding a weapon.

"So? What's your deal?" she asked, flicking off the phone's flashlight. "Did you piss off the wrong people, or were you just feeling adventurous tonight?"

His silver eyes darkened slightly. He still didn't answer.

The girl hummed again, tapping the gun against her knee.

"No fun," she muttered under her breath.

Then, without warning, she stood up. 

And turned away.

Qin Lei's brows furrowed.

She was leaving? Just like that? Did she recognize him?

Not a single offer. Not a single moment of hesitation.

Just mild curiosity—then nothing.

For the first time in his life, he felt unnerved by someone's presence.

As her silhouette began to fade into the darkness, he forced out a weak, raspy voice—

"Hey—"

But his body gave in.

His vision blurred, exhaustion and blood loss crashing down on him like a tidal wave.

The last thing he saw before his consciousness slipped away was the girl's figure disappearing into the alley, her soft humming fading into the night.

And then—darkness.

Qin Lei wasn't sure how long he was unconscious before he felt rough hands grab him.

A sharp jolt of movement pulled him halfway to consciousness, and he realized he was being dragged—unceremoniously.

With barely any awareness, he whispered—

"Who…?"

A man scoffed. "We don't answer questions."

Another muttered, "She told us to drop you at the hospital. That's all you need to know."

She?

His mind slowed.

Did she—?

The next second, the car door slammed shut, and before he could piece anything together, everything went black again.

 ***

A sharp impact against his arm snapped Qin Lei out of his trance.

A crumpled paper ball bounced off his desk.

Without reacting, he turned his head slightly—Jiang Cheng and Lu Bei were watching him from a few seats away, grinning.

Lu Bei smirked and mimed a salute, then pointed toward Qin Lei's phone.

Qin Lei exhaled through his nose and glanced down.

A new message from Jiang Cheng:

"Shooting range tonight?"

He typed a single word in reply:

"No."

He wasn't in the mood. Besides, he had other things to deal with today.

But no matter how much he tried to push the past aside, the image of a blue-eyed girl in a dark alley refused to leave his mind.

The moment class ended, Lin Yuxi didn't rush out like the other students. Instead, she remained seated, casually pulling out her tablet while students filtered out of the lecture hall. Her fingers moved swiftly, navigating through the university's internal system, her expression carefully neutral.

She was looking for one name.

Professor Liu Jian.

Too much effort had been put into erasing traces of him, which meant only one thing—he wasn't just another professor.

She scrolled through his faculty profile, committing details to memory:

• Department: Advanced Weaponry & Robotics Engineering

• Specialization: Autonomous Weapons Systems & Cybernetic Technology

• Years at Royal Crest: 12

• Prior Employment: Researcher at Baicheng Institute of Technological Advancement (BITA)

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

BITA.

That was the same research facility Yeye had once funded. It wasn't just a technology hub—it specialized in arms development and experimental weaponry, the kind that most governments denied existed.

A connection—hidden, but undeniable.

Lin Yuxi's eyes darkened slightly. Now, why would a man connected to that place end up here, pretending to be just another professor?

She considered enrolling in one of his electives, but it was too late in the semester. Attending office hours with a random question? Too forced.

She needed something better.

Something that would make him come to her.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Yuxi's head snapped up, her pleasant mask sliding into place instantly.

Su Ruoyan stood beside her, arms crossed, eyes flicking between Yuxi and the tablet. For someone who always smiled, Ruoyan's eyes were too perceptive.

"Just checking my schedule," Yuxi said lightly, tapping off the screen.

Ruoyan raised an eyebrow. "Right… and why does your schedule look like the faculty directory?"

Yuxi laughed softly. "I was looking up professors I might ask for help. You know how I like to be prepared."

Ruoyan studied her for a moment before stepping back with a smirk. "You're a scary little overachiever, you know that?"

Yuxi smiled sweetly. "Guilty as charged."

As Ruoyan walked away, Yuxi exhaled slowly. Too observant. She needed to be careful around her.

With a final glance at Liu Jian's schedule, she shut her tablet. If Liu Jian was truly connected to Yeye's past, she needed him to notice her first.

And Lin Yuxi knew exactly how to make that happen.