Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 36

“You?”

“Me? Well, I suppose once I graduate, things will become clearer, but I’ll probably work somewhere related to Linga. Still, I likely won’t touch the family business.”

It seemed he wouldn’t entrust his daughter with anything potentially dangerous. Yuri let out a soft sigh of relief at the thought that at least one of the children he cherished was safe.

No, in truth, it wouldn’t be that dangerous.

Although many of their dealings were morally questionable, it was still, strictly speaking, a business. They weren’t a gang that relied on brute force, and unless something truly unusual happened, physical harm was unlikely.

“I think Uncle Maknae will do well.”

As if knowing what Yuri was thinking, Xiao Qun mumbled.

She, too, was looking in the direction Yuri was. He was whispering intimately with the lady in white, yet simultaneously charming everyone around him with attractive smiles and words, effortlessly drawing them in. With just a glance and a crinkle of his eyes, he could capture people’s favor and set the mood of the place. She watched him with a smile—but also with a certain coolness.

“I like Uncle Maknae, but sometimes he can be scary. He always smiles sweetly and treats everyone equally well, whether it’s me or others, but sometimes, I feel like he’s looking down from a distance. It’s been like that since I was little.”

Even when they were having fun and playing pranks together, it felt like an adult was mixed in, mumbled Xiao Qun, sighing lightly and shrugging her shoulders. “But I still like him,” she concluded.

Yuri silently watched Ling Xinlu. He thought that girls were often more sensitive than boys. Even with siblings who were always together, Fei had just grinned and said, ‘Uncle Maknae? He’s great.’

Ling Xinlu was bending down, inclining his ear to the lady in white beside him, seemingly engrossed in a fascinating conversation. Then he burst out laughing and whispered something back to her. Their affectionate, couple-like appearance was such that others were slowly starting to look at them with eyes that wondered, ‘Are they really going to start dating?’

“……”

Perhaps it was because he had thought it the moment he first saw her, but indeed, she resembled Jeong Taeui. Especially when she smiled, her eyes would curve, the corners drooping behind the gentle arc, and her lips would form a cool curve, making their expressions uncannily similar. Yuri, if no one else, quickly understood why Ling Xinlu had immediately approached this woman, who wasn’t an extraordinary beauty nor strikingly dressed.

It seemed she already knew Ling Xinlu and harbored a fondness for him. Whether it was fondness for him or for ‘Ling Xinlu’—Ling Xinlu seemed to be meeting her for the first time here, so it was probably the latter—she was constantly smiling, her eyes sparkling, without a moment to cool her flushed cheeks in front of him, who approached her specifically and showered her with affectionate and radiant smiles.

Ling Xinlu probably realized after just a few words that she already had feelings for him. He was sensitive to such things. And he must have generously given sweet words and gentle gestures, like water and fertilizer, to make that fondness blossom into a beautiful flower. He was truly a man who knew how to exploit people’s affection for him.

She already seemed oblivious to everything else around her. For example, the man who had been with her before Ling Xinlu approached, and who was now glaring fiercely at them.

“…Doesn’t look good.”

Yuri mumbled impulsively. Xiao Qun widened her eyes beside him and turned, asking, “Huh?” Yuri brushed her off, shaking his head, “No, I’m just a little tired. Wondering if there’s a good place to sit.”

Yuri stepped back. There were no chairs in the secluded corner where they were standing. There were several empty seats inside the crowded hall, but he didn’t want to be in the midst of people.

Yuri looked around for a moment and then found a generous alcove carved into the wall next to a pillar, where he sat down. It looked like a place originally meant for large vases or sculptures, but since it was empty, no one would say anything if he used it as a chair.

Xiao Qun, who had been smiling brightly at Yuri, scampered over and playfully whispered, “I’m a well-bred young lady, so I won’t sit on a stone bench,” before settling onto Yuri’s lap.

“…A well-bred young lady shouldn’t sit on just any man’s lap.”

“He’s my uncle, what’s it matter? Am I heavy?”

“Your boyfriend’s watching over there.”

“He’s my uncle, what’s it matter? Am I heavy?”

Yuri gave a wry smile at Xiao Qun, who blinked her innocent eyes. “No,” he said, stroking her head.

Her neat and shy boyfriend seemed concerned about this side, but he didn’t approach, just kept glancing over. It was as if he was intimidated by a man who seemed much more impressive than himself. …Yes, like the birthday boy over there, looking utterly lost in anger and despair.

It was around that time.

Ling Xinlu, who had been standing by the lady in white and showering her with all his attention since entering the place, suddenly picked up a glass from the table as if thirsty. Then he silently looked down at her for a moment, as she passionately prattled on, her eyes shining with enchantment. ‘…Is that so?’ he responded to her words, a smile, subtly cooler than before, gracing the corner of his lips.

Yuri, who had been idly watching only them, then made eye contact with Ling Xinlu, who was finally surveying the atmosphere of the surroundings and looking around the hall.

“…….”

For a brief moment, the smile vanished from Ling Xinlu’s lips.

As if only then realizing that Yuri had been watching him all along.

Ling Xinlu, whose gaze was fixed on Yuri, shifted his eyes to Xiao Qun, who was sitting on Yuri’s lap and staring at him with wide eyes, a few seconds later. When their eyes met, she waved cheerfully, but his usual smile didn’t return.

Ling Xinlu said a few brief words to the lady in white, then began to stride towards them. The lady in white, suddenly left alone, blinked as if she didn’t know what was happening, then bewilderedly grabbed Ling Xinlu.

Ling Xinlu silently looked down at her, as she smiled beautifully despite the anxiety in her face, asking him something. It was as if he was re-examining every corner of her face, to see if there was anything he had missed, with eyes noticeably colder than before.

Soon, Ling Xinlu gently but firmly shook off her hand, which was clutching his clothes, and said a few words. Then he turned back. This time, she couldn’t even follow Ling Xinlu, who was walking towards them, and just stood there, staring blankly.

Ling Xinlu, who came straight across the hall, stopped a few steps away from them. As if he had never wiped away his smile, he wore his usual radiant smile.

“So you were in this corner. That’s why I couldn’t see you. Did you eat anything?”

“Yes, more or less.”

“You didn’t just pick at the greens again, did you?”

Ling Xinlu said playfully and laughed aloud, then finally dropped his gaze to Xiao Qun. He looked down at her, who was beaming and saying, ‘Long time no see, Uncle,’ and after a moment of silence, he smiled broadly.

“Yes, Xiao Qun. You’ve gotten prettier. But why is a pretty young lady sitting there?”

“Sitting where? It’s so comfortable! Warm and soft.”

“Right?” Xiao Qun turned to Yuri, seeking his agreement. Yuri, who had no way of knowing how warm and soft his thigh was, merely mumbled, “Well…”

Ling Xinlu, who was looking down at them, tilted his head.

“That’s not wrong… but if it’s comfortable, what do you do if you sit on my pillow?”

“Huh? Pillow?”

“I mean, it’s what I rest my head on when Mr. Gable gives me eye massages every night.”

Ling Xinlu gestured with his chin towards Xiao Qun’s bottom, and she exclaimed, “Oh, really?” in surprise, then feigned a pout.

“But I can’t lie down here either.”

“…No, I don’t even like other people using my pillow. So why don’t you just get up?”

“……..”

She closed her mouth and just stared at Ling Xinlu with wide eyes. Her beaming lips expressed ‘No.’

And in the midst of it all, Yuri, who had suddenly become a cushion or a pillow, could see words flowing across Ling Xinlu’s forehead at that moment: I really hate this unlucky brother and sister.

“…Xiao Qun, I’m thirsty. Can you get me something to drink?”

When Yuri spoke, Xiao Qun pouted, “Oh, making a lady run errands,” but readily got up and trotted towards the hall. And Yuri also got up from his seat.

Ling Xinlu approached with slow steps and stood beside him.

“Why are you in such an inconspicuous spot?”

“I don’t particularly like crowded places.”

“Ah, I see… Still, stay to my right. You know I can’t see out of this eye.”

At Ling Xinlu’s casual words, as he tapped near his left eye, Yuri paused slightly and nodded. Suddenly, an old image flashed through his mind: Ling Xinlu sharply telling him not to stand on his right, his eyes flashing. He chuckled to himself, thinking how much time had passed. Over time, it seemed his own hardened heart had softened a little. Perhaps Ling Xinlu also recalled the past, as he glanced at Yuri with a slightly embarrassed expression. He grumbled, how he had noticed the smiling expression beneath Yuri’s indifferent face.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

Yuri politely equivocated, knowing full well that if he said he was recalling old times, Ling Xinlu would undoubtedly avert his gaze with an even more embarrassed and sulky expression. Ling Xinlu, who knew but pretended to be fooled—or rather, had no choice but to be fooled—quietly closed his mouth.

“By the way, that lady…”

Yuri started to speak, then closed his mouth again.

The lady in white whom Ling Xinlu had left behind was now, it turned out, crying in the opposite corner of the hall. One or two people, who seemed to be her friends, were trying to comfort her, but she kept shaking her head.

Ling Xinlu turned his head in the direction of Yuri’s gaze and lightly raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“We were just talking happily a moment ago, why is she crying? Did something happen in the meantime?”

Ling Xinlu spoke indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with him and he didn’t care, then silently watched her for a moment. He looked at her, hiccuping and her shoulders trembling, with unfeeling eyes, then sighed, “Hmm,” and tilted his head.

“As soon as I came here, she caught my eye, so I went to say hello. But after talking, I realized there was nothing special about her.”

Ling Xinlu’s gaze, as he spoke casually and looked at her, was cold.

It was because he realized she wasn’t what he had been looking for. No, he must have known that from the beginning, yet he still approached her. There would have been no expectation. Only pure curiosity.

And now his curiosity was satisfied, and the heart that had briefly swelled had deflated.

At the same time, Yuri’s heart also deflated. As if the air that filled it had suddenly escaped.

“It doesn’t look good.”

Yuri mumbled to himself.

Ling Xinlu, who had been calmly surveying the hall with indifferent eyes, suddenly paused. Ling Xinlu’s gaze, as he slowly turned to look at Yuri, was strange. He looked bewildered, as if he had heard something absurd, and also amused, and perhaps even a little flustered.

“Huh? I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

Ling Xinlu asked again with a smile, but Yuri said nothing. Then Ling Xinlu, who had been looking at Yuri with the same smiling face, subtly frowned. But he still spoke with a smiling mouth.

“What’s wrong? You look angry. Are you angry?”

Instead of answering, Yuri just silently stared at Ling Xinlu. As he saw Yuri’s quietly settled eyes, the smile slowly faded from Ling Xinlu’s face.

“Why—”

But just as Ling Xinlu was about to open his mouth again, there was the sound of rough footsteps approaching them.