Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The sudden turn of events, the unexpected accusation, and the intense, icy pressure emanating from Ye Zhiqiu—all of these left Qi Xin's heart constricted.

By the time he regained his composure, Ye Zhiqiu had already gotten out of the car.

The Ye family’s gate slowly closed, obscuring half of his figure. His posture was straight, his steps steady, and his departure was resolute.

Angry?

Angry.

Humiliated?

Humiliated.

Scared and anxious?

Also scared and anxious.

...

Qi Xin couldn’t quite put his feelings into words.

But that fragile yet strong sense of self-respect had been mercilessly torn and trampled upon...

Leaving him bleeding inside.

He couldn’t continue with this job!

He thought, his eyes filled with rage.

The spot on his cheek where Ye Zhiqiu had just slapped him still remembered the cool, soft touch of his palm. Qi Xin touched it, then clenched his fist in anger and slammed it heavily on the steering wheel.

Pain surged through his knuckles, and his extremely angry mind finally cleared a bit.

He didn’t linger any longer, started the car, and left the Ye residence without looking back.

The car drove out of the neighborhood where the Ye family lived, turned onto an empty road, and Qi Xin, lips tightly pressed together, suddenly slammed on the brakes.

In the darkness, the sound of the car stopping was particularly jarring.

Everything had been arranged perfectly on his way back.

After sending Ye Zhiqiu home, he would go to the Jiang family to apologize to Jiang Nan.

He understood that today he had truly hurt Jiang Nan’s feelings.

So he had prepared various ways to earn forgiveness.

But now, he felt like a stray dog no one wanted, wandering in the cold winter night, unsure where to go.

The car remained parked for an unknown amount of time as Qi Xin sat dazed in the driver’s seat, his eyes fixed through the windshield at the vast sky.

"Tonight, you can only dance with me; no one else is allowed." Suddenly, Ye Zhiqiu’s smiling voice echoed in his ears. His eyes curved, looking playful yet domineering.

Qi Xin clenched his fists, his lips pressed tightly together.

"To tame him might take even longer than you think," came Tao Ruoqing’s voice next. "You need more patience."

And finally, there were those few sets of new designs on the VIA official website that sold like hotcakes.

Qi Xin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and after a moment, the car turned around and headed back to the Ye family’s neighborhood.

*

That night, Ye Zhiqiu slept exceptionally well.

He watched Qi Xin leave and then return, as if watching his own past struggles, and also recalling the night he was locked outside by Qi Xin, freezing for hours, feeling “homeless.”

Qi Xin at least had a car to shelter him from the wind and rain, which seemed like a small mercy to Ye Zhiqiu.

But it didn’t matter much, since there was plenty of time ahead.

He went to bed at ease, not worrying about Qi Xin leaving halfway.

After all, how could he play the victim if he left?

This was Qi Xin’s usual tactic.

The act of playing the victim had been a constant throughout Qi Xin’s manipulation of him.

Ye Zhiqiu was too soft-hearted, allowing others to exploit him, and by the time he realized they were just using him, he was already too weak to fight back.

But now, Ye Zhiqiu knew that besides exploiting someone’s kindness, there was also the weapon of interest.

When he descended to the dining room in the morning, Tao Ruoqing and Ye Zheng were already seated at the table.

Steam rose from the coffee cup, but Tao Ruoqing’s expression was unusually cold and serious.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked when she saw Ye Zhiqiu come down.

"Mm," Ye Zhiqiu nodded, smiling at Aunt Zhao. "Please add more sugar to my coffee, thank you."

"Why do you suddenly love sweets so much?" Aunt Zhao said. "Watch your teeth."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled at her, his eyes slightly curved, revealing exactly eight white teeth, perfectly standard.

"You’re eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well," Tao Ruoqing frowned at him. "Little Qi was outside freezing all night waiting for you."

"Oh?" Ye Zhiqiu was slightly surprised. "Didn’t he leave early?"

"Go see for yourself." Tao Ruoqing said.

Ye Zhiqiu shrugged, letting out a laugh that sounded both cruel and innocent: "How could he be so stupid? Who goes out in the middle of the night? Why does he insist on waiting at night?"

Tao Ruoqing was left speechless by his arrogance.

"He called you so many times last night, and you didn't answer any. How could he dare to leave?"

"The phone kept ringing in the early hours," Ye Zhiqiu said matter-of-factly, "wouldn't you turn it off?"

To prevent his mother from being infuriated, Ye Zheng interjected: "If you don't like him, just let him go. People come and go at the door; it's embarrassing."

"It's not that I don't like him," Ye Zhiqiu put down his coffee, his expression turning serious.

"Do you know, Brother," he said, "yesterday I kindly introduced him to some people in the circle, but then he gave me a bad attitude."

Ye Zhiqiu blinked in disbelief, his arrogance evident, "As the second young master of the Ye family, why should I make an effort and get nothing in return? Why should I tolerate someone's bad attitude? Am I a fool?"

Ye Zheng knew Ye Zhiqiu's temper well.

If what he said was true, then Qi Xin standing outside all night wasn't in vain.

"What do you want him to do?" he asked.

Ye Zhiqiu took a bite of the tender shrimp and egg custard: "Of course, he needs to reflect for a while before we see how things go."

Tao Ruoqing had already spoken with Qi Xin and knew the whole story, sighing upon hearing this.

"You," she said, "aren't afraid that Qi Xin will run away?"

"If he runs, he runs," Ye Zhiqiu pouted petulantly, "finding a two-legged dog might be hard, but finding a two-legged man is easy. Do I care about him?"

Tao Ruoqing: "..."

"You," she sighed, getting up, "I'll have him go back and rest."

"Really," she looked at Ye Zhiqiu's pouting face, both indulging and spoiling him, "every time, Mom has to clean up your messes."

At that moment, Qi Xin was still standing outside the Ye family's gate, eagerly waiting.

Throughout the night, he kept overcoming his own frustrations, though shivering from the cold, he no longer resented Ye Zhiqiu as much.

Of course, this didn't stop him from sending nearly a hundred messages to Jiang Nan throughout the night.

Bowing low and coaxing, by dawn, Jiang Nan finally responded.

This was the only comfort Qi Xin received during that terrible winter night.

The gate opened again, and Qi Xin looked up excitedly, but his eyes dimmed when he saw Tao Ruoqing.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Tao Ruoqing remarked lightly.

Qi Xin remained silent, silently handing her a thermos cup: "Thank you for the ginger tea this morning."

Tao Ruoqing glanced back, leading Qi Xin a few steps away.

"He has a temper like that," she smiled, "now you understand why I said you need more patience, right?"

"You said patience, not endurance," Qi Xin replied.

"Is there a difference?" Tao Ruoqing laughed, "Do you think that huge investment is just for a romantic relationship? If it were just that..."

She paused, "with his looks, plenty of people would be willing even if he paid them."

Qi Xin was speechless.

Seeing that her warning had worked, Tao Ruoqing softened her tone.

"Go back and rest, don't get sick. Otherwise, I can't explain it to your father," she smiled warmly, "he's just a spoiled young master who can't stand being defied. Keep doing what you're doing these days, and he'll soon change his mind."

"Really?" Qi Xin was skeptical.

"He craves love," Tao Ruoqing whispered with a smile, "if you can make him fall in love, won't you have control over him in the future?"

Qi Xin curled his frozen fingers, feeling relieved yet uneasy.

He took one last look at the Ye family's courtyard before getting into the car.

*

The film set was in the outskirts of the city, less than a two-hour drive from the Ye residence.

On the way, Tao Ruoqing stopped to buy food and supplies, ordering milk tea for the crew staff, which delayed their arrival until noon.

When they arrived, Ye Zhixia had just finished filming.

He had been shooting a rain scene, and his hair was wet, with Uncle Wang drying it for him.

"Where did Xiao Yang go with the hair dryer?" Ye Zhixia complained, scolding Uncle Wang, "if he can't do it, tell him to get lost."

"I know, I know, don't move," Uncle Wang bent over, his eyes filled with concern and indulgence.

Seeing this, Tao Ruoqing and Ye Zheng hurried forward.

"What happened?" Tao Ruoqing asked anxiously.

"Madam," Uncle Wang straightened up, handing the towel to Tao Ruoqing, "the wet hair scene was originally scheduled for the afternoon, but the director moved it to the morning because of the good weather today."

He added, "Xiao Yang has gone to fetch the hair dryer."

Tao Ruoqing bent down, taking Uncle Wang's place, her eyes filled with the same concern and care as Uncle Wang's.

"Wait in the car?" she said.

"Oh," Ye Zhixia raised her eyes in protest. "Uncle Wang said the same thing earlier, but it turned out to be less comfortable inside than standing in the sun."

He lifted his eyes and saw Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu was standing in the sunlight, smiling at him, but for some reason, when their gazes met, he felt even colder.

"How did you get here?" Ye Zhixia asked.

He had always disliked Ye Zhiqiu visiting him on set.

Ye Zhiqiu's presence was too strong, overshadowing him constantly, especially in the entertainment industry where looks mattered so much.

Every time he came, his own presence would diminish or even disappear.

Not to mention, there was also his idol Gao Wenye in this production.

Ye Zhixia was annoyed just by seeing Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

For some reason, a scene flashed through his mind—on the day Ye Zhixia joined the cast, Uncle Wang got up early specifically to buy fresh cherries from the market for her.

Those cherries were really big and fresh; even from the third floor, he could imagine how sweet and juicy they were.

Ye Zhiqiu's eyes curved into a smile. "I missed you."