Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Qi Xin felt that Ye Zhiqiu was a demon.

Overbearing, rude, selfish, and completely devoid of respect for others.

After returning from the Hunan restaurant, he lay in bed for three full days.

The cold and spicy food had caused him to vomit and have diarrhea, with a high fever that wouldn't break. His mouth was filled with ulcers due to heatiness, making even drinking water excruciatingly painful.

Every time he thought about how Ye Zhiqiu not only ate comfortably but also added his junior's contact information right in front of him, Qi Xin’s anger surged uncontrollably.

It was simply too much!

Qi Xin couldn’t remember the last time he had suffered like this.

When he went to the hospital for an IV drip, watching the nurse insert the needle into his vein, he almost wanted to call Tao Ruoqing immediately to vent his anger.

This job, whoever the hell wants it can have it.

But as the cold medicine flowed into his veins, he calmed down.

He did make the call, but spoke very tactfully.

Fortunately, Tao Ruoqing understood his grievances. Besides comforting him verbally, she increased her investment stakes in the future, which made him feel a bit better.

After hanging up, Qi Xin closed his eyes to calm himself.

However, Ye Zhiqiu seemed unwilling to let him off.

His smiling eyes and his well-shaped, slightly greasy, pink lips kept flashing before his eyes, extinguishing most of his raging fury.

Tao Ruoqing’s words echoed in his ears once again.

"Don't think that showing weakness or playing the victim is unbecoming," Tao Ruoqing said. "On the contrary, they are the best ways to advance your relationship."

Picking up his phone again, Qi Xin started sending messages to Ye Zhiqiu, pitifully expressing how seriously ill he was.

Then, he took a photo of the IV drip and posted it on social media.

If Ye Zhiqiu could show just a little bit of sympathy upon seeing it, he would find a way to regain the face he lost at the Hunan restaurant.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he waited, even after receiving countless messages of concern and greetings on social media, there was no response from Ye Zhiqiu.

Anxiety and unease gradually rose within him, and Qi Xin could no longer sit still. He sat up and dialed Ye Zhiqiu’s number directly.

The call was answered quickly on the other end.

"Two cups," came the clear voice of the young man, accompanied by soft music, "one with extra sugar."

Qi Xin was momentarily stunned, then realized that Ye Zhiqiu wasn’t talking to him.

"Are you having coffee with someone?" Qi Xin asked incredulously.

While he was lying in agony on a hospital bed, Ye Zhiqiu was out having fun with someone else.

"Mm." The young man’s voice was calm and indifferent.

"Who with?" Qi Xin asked, anger rising again, making him lose his composure, "Your friends?"

Silence fell on the other end, only the soft music faintly coming through the receiver. It should have been soothing, but for some reason, Qi Xin felt increasingly uneasy.

Just as he was trying to suppress his emotions to apologize, the call was abruptly ended without a word.

Qi Xin: "..."

It seemed Ye Zhiqiu didn’t even bother to say, "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to question who I’m with?"

Like a frozen statue, Qi Xin remained motionless, his chest heaving violently.

His phone nearly crushed in his hand from the force, his knuckles turning a terrifying shade of white.

From start to finish, Ye Zhiqiu had only said one word: "Mm."

One word...

This state continued for an unknown duration until his back muscles were about to snap, and suddenly, the phone rang in the quiet space.

Qi Xin jolted.

It must be Ye Zhiqiu, seeing his illness update and calling back.

So excited that he didn’t even check the caller ID, Qi Xin quickly answered, "Xiao Qiu."

There was a moment of silence, then Jiang Nan’s voice came through, "Waiting for Ye Zhiqiu’s call?"

Qi Xin: "..."

"No," his headache worsening, "I... I just had an argument with him and thought he was calling to apologize."

For some reason, despite thinking about Jiang Nan for years, receiving his call now brought no joy to Qi Xin.

In fact...

In fact, there was a barely perceptible disappointment that it wasn’t Ye Zhiqiu calling.

"You’re sick, and he still argues with you?" Jiang Nan was incredulous, "No manners, really."

Those words truly struck a nerve with Qi Xin, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

"Which hospital are you in?" Jiang Nan asked again.

"Do you want to come see me?" Qi Xin gave a bitter laugh, half-serious and half-teasing.

When he said "come see me," he thought of Ye Zhiqiu once more.

Perhaps Ye Zhiqiu really hadn't seen his message yet.

If he saw it later, he might soften like Jiang Nan and come visit him.

"We're all friends," Jiang Nan replied, leaving no room for doubt. "It's only right."

.

At the same time, Ye Zhiqiu had just picked up a cube of sugar and indifferently dropped it into his cup.

He had naturally seen Qi Xin's message, but that was all.

Just a cold and fever—what was the big deal? It was only the beginning.

In his previous life, he was locked out by Qi Xin "accidentally," without his phone or keys, shivering in thin pajamas in the cold winter night for most of the night.

When he came back from meeting Jiang Nan, all he did was scold him for not preparing a midnight snack.

That time, he fell seriously ill and ever since became particularly sensitive to the cold.

But during his high fever and delirium, Qi Xin never even stepped through the door. Later, every winter, he would mock him for dressing too warmly, saying his fashion sense had long vanished...

With Tao Ruoqing and her son, Ye Zhiqiu still needed to put on an act, but with Qi Xin, huh...

Wasn't he proud?

He wanted Qi Xin to suffer internally, to be angry, resentful, humiliated, and yet have to set aside his pride for a bit of benefit, to wear down his sharp edges.

Just as he had been treated in his previous life.

Isn't that interesting?

The tinkling sound of wind chimes rang out as Lan Hua's tall figure appeared at the shop entrance.

Ye Zhiqiu stood up and waved, watching Lan Hua approach.

"Have you eaten?" Lan Hua asked. "If not, I can take you next door for some KFC."

He had attended a meeting at the Education Bureau today and had eaten a work lunch there before coming over.

For some reason, Ye Zhiqiu felt a sense that his uncle was treating him like a child.

The coldness in his eyes gradually dissipated, and Ye Zhiqiu smiled slightly.

"I've eaten," he said.

Winter sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the boy's snow-white cheek, casting his thick lashes and light brown eyes in a near-translucent glow.

Pure, clean, and gentle.

Almost exactly like his mother.

Lan Hua was taken aback.

He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Ye Zhiqiu like this.

Or perhaps he had never seen him like this at all.

Though they were close relatives, Ye Zhiqiu had never been close to him. As a child, their meetings always felt distant, and as he grew older, he harbored hostility towards him.

"Sit down," Lan Hua said, sitting down himself and falling silent for a moment.

"Uncle," Ye Zhiqiu pushed another cup of coffee towards Lan Hua. "I remember you ordered a latte last time. This place makes good lattes; give it a try."

Lan Hua silently picked up the cup and took a sip, nodding after a moment: "Indeed, it's good."

For a while, the uncle and nephew looked at each other.

Those past childish behaviors, those brainwashed ideas about family...

Ye Zhiqiu knew that even an apology wouldn't suffice for forgiveness.

But he still looked sincerely at Lan Hua. "I'm sorry, Uncle."

No need for reasons, no need for excuses. At this moment, they both understood.

A hint of light faded from Lan Hua's eyes as he looked at Ye Zhiqiu, reminded of Lan Yue.

"I'm sorry, Brother." When Lan Yue decided to marry Ye Hongxian right after graduating from college, she had said the same thing to him.

Their parents had passed away early, and Lan Yue had grown up under his care, so when she said sorry, he couldn't blame her.

He was just worried about her being far away, alone, and vulnerable.

Now facing Ye Zhiqiu, looking at that face identical to his sister's, all the past disappointments melted into a sigh as light as a wisp of smoke.

"I never blamed you," he said.

Back then, he just felt powerless.

Eleven words, but enough to resolve everything.

Ye Zhiqiu pursed his lips, his eyes slightly moistening.

To everyone else, he had parents and siblings who treated him well, but only he knew that the person in front of him was his true family.

In front of him, he didn't need to pretend or act. He could say what he thought without worrying about being betrayed at any moment.

"Uncle." Ye Zhiqiu suppressed his emotions and got straight to the point, "How much do you know about my mother's situation back then?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about your mother?" Lan Hua was somewhat surprised.

Over the years, Ye Zhiqiu rarely mentioned his birth mother; he had always been closer to his stepmother, Tao Ruoqing.

"I just feel that some things might be different from what I originally thought," Ye Zhiqiu paused, "Especially regarding Ye Zhixia's age..."

Ye Zhixia is only eight months younger than Ye Zhiqiu. Both inside and outside the family, it was said that Tao Ruoqing had health issues during her pregnancy, leading to a premature birth.

Ye Zhiqiu never doubted this before.

Not because he trusted Ye Hongxian, who was constantly involved with other women, but because he had an extraordinary trust in Tao Ruoqing.

But now, he had already seen through Tao Ruoqing's true face behind her mask. Given his understanding of her and Ye Hongxian, he was almost certain that these two had already been involved while his mother was still alive.

And Ye Zhixia was certainly not a premature baby.

There was another thing that bothered him: since childhood, Tao Ruoqing had told him that she visited his mother during her postpartum depression.

"At that time, she said," Tao Ruoqing told him with a smile, "She has no desires in life, only hoping for your health and happiness, so that you can live freely and do whatever you want."

This was also one of the reasons why Tao Ruoqing indulged him so much.

But if Tao Ruoqing was already pregnant when she visited Lan Yue, or if Lan Yue never said those words...

Ye Zhiqiu dared not imagine what role she played in his mother's suicide.

Using his deceased mother to manipulate him, the most beloved child, was truly despicable—far beyond the word "hateful."

"I've thought about all these things before," Lan Hua said, "But your mother always reported good news and hid bad ones. Also, I was new here back then, and although I secretly investigated for a while, I found nothing. However..."

He paused and continued, "When you were born, I took special leave to take care of your mother. At that time, she was like any other new mother, completely immersed in her new role, showing no signs of anything unusual."

That was why he was so shocked and pained by the news of Lan Yue's suicide and quickly applied for a transfer to be closer to Ye Zhiqiu.

Unfortunately, Tao Ruoqing was very wary of him, and Ye Zhiqiu did not get close to or trust him either.

"So much time has passed, and if we couldn't find evidence back then, it's even less likely now," Lan Hua sighed, "If your mother were still alive, she wouldn't want you to be trapped in hatred or dwell on the past."

The sunlight outside was so bright, yet it couldn't illuminate all the darkness in the world.

Given this, Lan Hua wished Ye Zhiqiu could live a simple and happy life like any ordinary young person, rather than being stuck in the pain of the past.

Ye Zhiqiu lowered his eyes quietly, feeling the smooth sweetness of the coffee fill his mouth, slightly suppressing the intense bitterness in his heart.

"I understand," he said.

His uncle had worried too much about him and moved far away from home for his sake. He didn't want him to worry anymore.

But how could such hatred be put aside?

Not just for his mother, but also for himself...

Their blood feud, if easily forgotten, would be too lenient on those who committed evil deeds.

In his previous life, if there were no accidents, the Ye family's assets would inevitably fall into the hands of Ye Zheng and Ye Zhixia, making Tao Ruoqing the biggest winner in the family.

Ye Zhixia and Gao Wenye's entertainment company would make huge profits, living happily together. Tang Yue would become a renowned stylist and find a good match.

As for Qi Xin and Jiang Nan, they would achieve their happy ending...

Why should those who committed evil deeds enjoy happiness? While innocent victims are left bleeding underfoot, unnoticed?

If heaven cannot bring justice to the victims, then he would be his own heaven, ensuring that the wicked receive their due punishment.