Chapter 4

Chapter 4

From yesterday to today, from Qi Xin proposing divorce to now, Ye Zhiqiu had experienced far too much.

In just a short span of half a month, he had lived through more ups and downs than an ordinary person might in a lifetime.

Now, sitting in the car, finally surrounded by silence, with no prying eyes watching him, those emotions he had deliberately suppressed found their outlet and began to surge uncontrollably.

Ye Zhiqiu closed his eyes but quickly opened them again, silently gazing out the window at the once-familiar scenery.

He remembered clearly that the milk tea shop on the corner had closed down, but he couldn't recall what had replaced it.

The best memories of his life were before he turned nineteen. After that, he was either busy working day and night for Qi Xin's startup or trapped in depression and pain, leaving him with no time or mood to observe the city's changes.

The drive from the club to the Ye family residence took about half an hour, during which Ye Zhiqiu barely changed his posture.

Only when the car turned onto the lane leading to the Ye family home did he turn his head, meeting Uncle Wang's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Master," Uncle Wang said, "we're almost there."

Ye Zhiqiu responded indifferently, but a sense of alertness rose within him.

He hadn't seen Uncle Wang in many years, so he didn't notice any significant changes compared to his memory.

In his recollection, Uncle Wang had always been kind and attentive to him.

However, times had changed, and he couldn't afford to be careless or let his guard down.

The Ye family residence wasn't large, and they didn't have many servants. The two most stable ones were Uncle Wang and Aunt Zhao.

Both had been around since he could remember.

Ye Zhiqiu knew that Aunt Zhao had been with Ye Hongxian for a long time.

As for Uncle Wang...

Bits and pieces of fragmented memories slowly pieced together in his mind, bringing vague images before Ye Zhiqiu's eyes.

"Time flies; Old Wang has been with us for ten years now." Ye Hongxian handed a thick red envelope to Uncle Wang with a smile. "Starting this year, you'll get double the bonus."

"He's a year younger than me," the young Ye Zhiqiu said innocently, eliciting laughter from the adults.

The Ye family gave an extra month's salary as a bonus at the end of the year, and those who had served for over ten years received double.

If he remembered correctly, that Spring Festival, he had just turned eleven a few days earlier.

So, Uncle Wang must have joined the Ye family after he was born but before he turned one.

Around the same time as Tao Ruoqing.

The car slowly entered the Ye family courtyard, and Uncle Wang got out to open the door for Ye Zhiqiu.

It wasn't too late yet, and lights still shone from the living room on the first floor and Ye Zhixia's room on the second.

Ye Zhiqiu got out of the car and smiled at Uncle Wang. "I'll wait here to sober up a bit. It's cold, so go back and rest."

"Please go inside soon," Uncle Wang urged. "Drinking and then catching a chill is not good."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded, watching Uncle Wang leave before turning around.

The winter night wind was chilly, instantly penetrating his thin wool coat, but Ye Zhiqiu seemed oblivious, focusing instead on examining the courtyard where he had grown up.

The courtyard looked exactly the same as in his memory, unchanged.

Even the bamboo swing that held so many of his childhood memories was still there, gently swaying in the cold night breeze.

Ye Zhiqiu walked over and bent down to touch it lightly.

A cool sensation spread across his palm, but his heart grew warm.

Rumor had it that Tao Ruoqing had later dismantled the swing and built a tea pavilion.

Ye Zhiqiu had never seen it.

So whenever he thought of this courtyard, he still thought of the swing first.

Reading, sleeping, daydreaming, or simply sitting and looking up at the stars...

That swing had accompanied him for so many years.

His hand slowly moved up, gripping the cold metal chains.

Just as he was about to sit down, the front door on the first floor suddenly opened, and light spilled out, illuminating half of the courtyard.

"I heard some noise earlier," Tao Ruoqing said with a smile, standing in the light. "Why are you standing out here in such cold weather?"

Seeing that Ye Zhiqiu hadn't moved, she stepped forward, her eyes full of affection and indulgence. "Come inside quickly; don't catch a cold and start having headaches again."

Ye Zhiqiu wanted to laugh, but his heart felt icy cold.

Who could doubt such a caring Tao Ruoqing?

Even he, who now knew the truth, couldn't help feeling slightly disoriented.

"Mom," he said after a while, straightening his body slowly and smiling. "I was going to sober up a bit before coming in."

"I knew you'd gone drinking again," Tao Ruoqing said, reaching out to hold his hand warmly. "Look, your hands are freezing."

"I didn't drink much," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile, tilting his head to look at the twinkling stars in the night sky. "The stars are beautiful tonight."

"When can't you look at the stars?" Tao Ruoqing pulled him into the house. "Must it be such a cold day today?"

She scolded him with a mix of annoyance and amusement: "Still so childish."

The room was warm as spring. Ye Zhiqiu took off his coat and tossed it aside without a care: "I'm going upstairs to take a shower."

"What's the rush?" Tao Ruoqing patted the spot next to her. "I knew you wouldn't settle down, so I had Aunt Zhao prepare some sobering soup. Have it before you go up."

She then asked, "Was it with Baby Shaojun again?"

"Mm." Ye Zhiqiu responded.

That one word "Mom" still made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

But only a little.

He had truly died once, and then crawled back from hell like a vengeful spirit...

Compared to that, everything in front of him was just trivial.

The sobering soup was already warmed. Ye Zhiqiu held the bowl in his hands and took a sip.

His face was small, and now most of it was hidden behind the bowl, making it hard for Tao Ruoqing to see his expression.

Her smile froze slightly, and her probing gaze lingered on Ye Zhiqiu's pale cheek.

Just before Ye Zhiqiu returned, she had ended a call with Qi Xin.

The call was long, and Qi Xin detailed everything that happened at the club today.

And he concluded, "I can't gauge his true thoughts and attitude."

Tao Ruoqing listened quietly, somewhat surprised.

Not by Ye Zhiqiu's slightly humiliating attitude towards Qi Xin,

but because she knew how much Qi Xin's words, "I'll give you a home," should have affected Ye Zhiqiu.

When Ye Zhiqiu was very young, he always thought she was his biological mother.

Until he was six years old, when she deliberately let someone slip up in front of him, revealing his true origins.

At six, a child is not fully aware but understands enough to be highly sensitive.

During that time, although Ye Zhiqiu never said anything, he often slept with tear-stained cheeks.

Tao Ruoqing could clearly sense that a part of his stable mental core had crumbled.

Little Ye Zhiqiu began using tantrums to repeatedly confirm that he was loved.

After a long period of this, despite becoming more distant or clingier, the child who had no other support ultimately chose the latter.

Tao Ruoqing indulged him unconditionally, seemingly trying to build his sense of security.

But in reality, she was constantly undermining his inner peace with various subtle details.

On the surface, she was far stricter with Ye Zheng and Ye Zhixia than with Ye Zhiqiu.

Yet those seemingly casual intimate interactions and the unspoken bond between mother and son were always absent with Ye Zhiqiu.

Moreover, as he grew older, Ye Zhiqiu gradually understood that strictness was also a form of love.

So even though everyone knew that Ye Zhiqiu's stepmother treated him like her own, and even Ye Zhiqiu respected and was grateful to her...

This did not mean he felt secure.

Over the years, Tao Ruoqing had spent a lot of time and energy on Ye Zhiqiu.

Thus, she knew better than anyone else how deeply he yearned for an unobstructed, wholehearted intimate relationship.

At nineteen, most close relationships were already formed.

Unsurprisingly, he would project this longing onto future romantic relationships, and once committed, he would invest himself completely.

Naturally, a perfect little family would become one of his spiritual needs.

The five words "I'll give you a home" were designed by Tao Ruoqing based on her understanding of Ye Zhiqiu.

Simple, yet precisely hitting his soft spot.

And Qi Xin, being a few years older, was different from the frivolous suitors Ye Zhiqiu used to have around.

Such words from Qi Xin should not have elicited such a lukewarm response from Ye Zhiqiu.

As Tao Ruoqing was lost in thought, Ye Zhiqiu had put down the bowl.

"Oh, right," he suddenly said, "today..."

Here it comes, Tao Ruoqing thought.

Qi Xin was invited by her, so it was normal for Ye Zhiqiu to tell her about what happened today.

"What happened?" she asked, smiling gently.

But Ye Zhiqiu paused suddenly.

"Never mind." He smiled. "It's too early to talk about it. We'll see later."

This vague statement reassured Tao Ruoqing.

"Right." She stopped pressing further. "Today is your special day. Hasn't your uncle contacted you?"

In the previous life, Lan Hua did call Ye Zhiqiu on this day.

But Ye Zhiqiu had always had a poor relationship with him and was at a banquet, so he hung up without answering.

After that, perhaps truly disheartened, Lan Hua never contacted him again.

Lan Hua worked in education and had recently been transferred to a primary school on the outskirts of the capital as its principal.

To most people, Tao Ruoqing's unconditional indulgence of Ye Zhiqiu was merely a stepmother's struggle.

But for Lan Hua, with his keen professional insight, it was clear that she intended to turn Ye Zhiqiu into a useless person.

After all, Ye Zheng was the child Tao Ruoqing brought with her when she married into the Ye family, not Ye Hongxian's biological son.

Ye Zhixia was also half a year younger than Ye Zhiqiu.

As long as Ye Zhiqiu didn't go too far, he would naturally be the most suitable heir to the Ye family's business.

Only by turning him into a complete waste could they ensure their safety.

Lan Hua never expected Ye Zhiqiu to inherit the family business, but he couldn't stand idly by while his sister's only child was destroyed.

Thus, he repeatedly warned Ye Zhiqiu.

Unfortunately, back then, how could Ye Zhiqiu tolerate anyone "slandering" the person he respected the most?

Just as Tang Yue said, he had clashed with Tao Ruoqing and Lan Hua more than once over this.

Eventually, Lan Hua stopped mentioning it, focusing instead on Ye Zhiqiu's studies and daily life.

But Ye Zhiqiu, harboring resentment, became increasingly distant and rebellious towards his uncle, always doing the opposite of what was suggested.

Over time, who wouldn't be disheartened?

After waking up from the club, various matters piled up, and Ye Zhiqiu hadn't even checked his phone yet.

He searched around and finally found it in his coat pocket.

The phone was on silent, with dozens of missed calls and countless unread messages filling the screen.

Ye Zhiqiu opened the missed calls list and saw Lan Hua's name.

Due to his hostility, he had saved the name directly in his contacts rather than using a title.

Feeling suffocated, Ye Zhiqiu didn't look up, just casually waved his phone at Tao Ruoqing: "Indeed."

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu's usual indifference towards Lan Hua, Tao Ruoqing smiled.

"He is still your uncle," she said, playing the good person. "You should keep in touch."

"We'll see," Ye Zhiqiu replied coolly. "I'll call him back when I have time."

The sound of a car returning echoed outside, likely Ye Hongxian and Ye Zheng.

Ye Zhiqiu didn't linger, turning to climb the stairs.

His relationship with Ye Hongxian had always been strained.

Not only because of his former arrogant nature, but also because Ye Hongxian had many affairs and Ye Zhiqiu often stood up for Tao Ruoqing, angering his father...

Their already thin familial bond was further eroded until almost nothing remained.

He had always been manipulated by others, whether it was his uncle, Ye Hongxian, Qi Xin, or others...

He had always been under Tao Ruoqing's control.

Like a perfect puppet, he followed her lead, step by step, leading to his downfall.

Silently opening the bedroom door, Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment.

Then he quickly entered, heading straight for the desk by the window.

The desk was covered with gifts received today, but Ye Zhiqiu ignored them, opening the bottom drawer and taking out an old photo album.

Inside were photos of his mother.

She was beautiful and young.

After all, she was only twenty-three when she passed away, barely older than he was now.

These photos were collected over the years after he learned about his past.

In the previous life, when he completely fell out with the family, he was denied entry when he tried to retrieve his belongings.

Helpless, he asked Aunt Zhao to bring out the photo album for him.

It was raining heavily that day, and he waited for a long time in the rain, but when Aunt Zhao came out, she told him the album was missing.

Standing by the desk, Ye Zhiqiu quickly flipped through the album, relieved to find all the photos intact.

Then, he couldn't help but tightly embrace the album, his eyes slowly becoming moist.

The room was quiet, with faint music coming from Ye Zhixia's room downstairs.

After a while, Ye Zhiqiu put the album down and opened it again.

This time, he looked very carefully and attentively.

But there weren’t many photos—only about a dozen—and he finished looking through them quickly.

Putting the album back in the drawer and locking it carefully, Ye Zhiqiu sat down at his desk.

It was already late, so instead of calling Lan Hua back, he took out paper and a pen and fell into deep thought.

Traces soon appeared on the blank sheet of paper. First came the words "clothing," followed by "new energy."

The Ye family had built their fortune on new energy.

Although Ye Zhiqiu had never been involved in the company’s operations or development, he had grown up surrounded by it and was no stranger to the new energy industry.

Even after leaving the Ye family, due to habits formed in his early years, he still occasionally read related materials.

The development trends of new energy over the next decade, and even the research and development directions for the industry further into the future, were now familiar to him.

The pen hovered for a moment, then Ye Zhiqiu thought of Jiang Nan.

While teasing Qi Xin, he had seen the slightly moving window of Room 201.

Though he couldn’t see the specifics inside, he knew that Jiang Nan must have been there at that time.

The Jiang family was in leather goods, and Jiang Nan studied leather art.

Although Qi Xin and Jiang Nan were schoolmates, they had different majors, and the Qi family was far from matching the Jiang family.

So after graduation, Qi Xin returned to develop his career in China, but unfortunately, it didn’t take off.

As for Jiang Nan, with his affluent background and relaxed environment, he chose to work as a designer for a well-known brand abroad, returning this year after two years of gaining experience.

It was clear that he had great ambitions for this industry.

Ye Zhiqiu pondered for a moment, then added four more characters to the blank space: "leather design."

He was going to strip away the things they cared about most, bit by bit, from their hands, their bodies, their hearts... one by one.