Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Knowing that Qin Jianhe was deliberately teasing him, Ye Zhiqiu still couldn't help but laugh.

He leaned against the car door, tilting his head slightly to look at the sun in the sky, feeling a bit lighter in his heart.

"Alright," he said, "I'll teach you."

"Calling you Teacher Ye is truly worth it then," Qin Jianhe's voice came through, laced with a faint smile. "After all, one teacher can teach multiple skills."

"Hey," Ye Zhiqiu chuckled.

The wind blew from afar, making his already light laughter even fainter, barely audible through the phone.

Qin Jianhe's dark eyes, which had been somewhat somber, softened inexplicably, and his fingers finally relaxed on the steering wheel.

"Weren't you supposed to wait inside the car?" he smiled, "It's windy outside."

"But the sun is really nice today," Ye Zhiqiu said.

Indeed, the sun was very pleasant today. Although there was still a slight chill when the wind blew, it couldn't diminish the warmth of the sun.

As he spoke, Ye Zhiqiu bent down to open the car door, retrieving another scarf from the storage box and wrapping it around his neck.

Then, he took out the dirty silk scarf from his pocket and carefully placed it back into the storage box.

Next time, Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help thinking, he must not let Lan Yue's tombstone gather dust again, and he should bring more paper money.

"Alright," Qin Jianhe's low voice came through, "I'll be there soon."

As Qin Jianhe spoke, Ye Zhiqiu's phone vibrated by his ear.

He didn't move, speaking calmly and attentively into the phone: "Okay, I'll wait for you."

And added, "No need to rush."

This time, there was a moment of silence on the other end before the man laughed softly after a while.

"Alright," he said, his voice slightly deep.

It felt like a spell, this single word resonating deeply within Ye Zhiqiu, making him instinctively feel a bit flustered.

Without saying anything else, Ye Zhiqiu hung up the call.

The air fell silent once more, only the sound of the wind remained.

After a while, Ye Zhiqiu lowered his eyes and opened the chat app to check the messages.

There were two messages, both from Assistant Xiao Zhao of the production team.

When Zhou Lian left the set that morning, he had asked Xiao Zhao to give Ye Zhiqiu a list of actors.

At the time, a few supporting roles' names were missing, and with meetings to attend, Xiao Zhao had exchanged contact information with Ye Zhiqiu, promising to confirm the final list later and send it over.

Sure enough, in the chat window, besides Xiao Zhao's polite greeting, there was a spreadsheet of the cast and crew.

Ye Zhiqiu scrolled down slowly and saw Li Ling and Cui Xuan's names at the bottom.

Then, he exited the chat and sent a message to Gao Wenye.

"One Leaf Knows Autumn: I've mentioned your new talent to Old Zhao just now. It seems there shouldn't be any issues, and you should hear back soon."

Gao Wenye was currently on set, so Ye Zhiqiu thought he wouldn't respond quickly.

But unexpectedly, almost immediately, his call came through.

Ye Zhiqiu frowned and hung up directly.

A moment later, Gao Wenye's message arrived.

"Gao Wenye: Thank you, Xiao Qiu. I called just to thank you."

"One Leaf Knows Autumn: We promised in front of Mom, and I'm just fulfilling that promise."

"Gao Wenye: Still, thank you. How about we have dinner together sometime?"

Ye Zhiqiu: ...

He didn't reply, simply turned off the screen of his phone and looked into the distance.

The phone vibrated again. Seeing no response, Gao Wenye sent another message.

"Gao Wenye: I know I hurt you, and you don't want to see me yet, but it's important to express gratitude. If you prefer, I won't come along, and I'll just have Cui Xuan take you out for dinner as a gesture of our appreciation."

Such ambiguous words could easily lead to misunderstandings, as if they were having some minor disagreement.

Moreover, how could he possibly go out alone with an artist from Gao Wenye's company?

Who knows what tricks Gao Wenye might pull?

Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment, then replied.

Regardless of their private relationship, in any written record, it had to appear that Gao Wenye was the one being inappropriate, always pushing boundaries.

Every word, every character, even every punctuation mark, had to be carefully crafted to leave no room for misinterpretation.

He had done this many times before, and he knew exactly how to handle it.

"One Leaf Knows Autumn: Sorry, I need to clarify—I never intended to meet you."

"Ye Zhiqiu: Gao Wenye, since you've chosen Ye Zhixia, please live well with her. I believe you understand what I mean. This matter ends here. Do not send me any more messages, or we'll only meet on the blacklist again."

This sentence indeed worked; Gao Wenye did not send any more messages.

However, Ye Zhiqiu did not know that at this moment, Gao Wenye, upon seeing this message, was not angry but instead lost in reverie.

Thinking of Ye Zhiqiu's beautiful face showing an extremely arrogant expression made his heart race uncontrollably.

But he dared not contact Ye Zhiqiu again.

The last time, Ye Zhiqiu had blocked him without hesitation, making him borrow almost all the phones of his staff in desperation.

In the end, even the phones of his staff were mostly blocked.

The more he dared not, the more he wanted to, and the more he wanted to, the itchier it became...

The name Ye Zhiqiu seemed to have a corrosive effect, deeply etching into his heart amidst pain and itchiness.

Making him irresistibly addicted, savoring endlessly.

He barely touched the lunch dishes, their warmth slowly dissipating in the silence.

After a long while, Gao Wenye finally sighed wistfully and listlessly put down his chopsticks.

At the same time, Ye Zhiqiu had just leaned against the car, lit a cigarette, and opened the script Zhou Lian had given him in the morning.

The script was very interesting, captivating from the start, and Ye Zhiqiu quickly flipped through over ten pages.

Until the sound of a car faintly approached, he extinguished the cigarette, wrapped the butt in tissue, and put it in his pocket before looking towards the entrance of the path.

Qin Jianhe's car appeared at the end, speeding towards him.

Instinctively, Ye Zhiqiu straightened his posture, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

The car stopped in front of him, and Qin Jianhe got out, his glossy black shoes immediately dusted with dirt.

But he didn't care and quickly came to Ye Zhiqiu's side.

The wind in the wilderness felt slightly cold on their faces, and for a moment, neither spoke.

Qin Jianhe looked down at Ye Zhiqiu, his dark eyes unreadable.

After a moment, he raised his hand to smooth Ye Zhiqiu's slightly disheveled black hair, revealing his smooth forehead and delicate features.

Sunlight shone on Ye Zhiqiu's face, making his skin appear almost translucent.

Therefore, the slight flush at the corners of his eyes and the faint bruise beneath them stood out clearly.

"Cried?" Qin Jianhe raised his hand, his warm fingertips gently brushing under Ye Zhiqiu's eyes.

"No," Ye Zhiqiu shook his head, then added after a moment, "I didn't cry."

"Hmm." Qin Jianhe responded, leading him to the car. "Let's go eat something first."

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu glance at his own car, he chuckled softly.

"Wei Jie will come later to drive your car back," he said, "just leave it outside the restaurant. After you finish eating, you can drive home yourself."

Such an arrangement was considerate and reassuring. Ye Zhiqiu nodded.

Ye Zhiqiu's hands were cold, and even the soft strands of hair atop his head felt chilly from the wind.

Qin Jianhe raised his hand to turn up the car's air conditioning by two degrees.

As the temperature rose and they entered a comfortable environment, the effects of Ye Zhiqiu's poor night's sleep began to show.

His eyelids felt heavy.

"Qin Jianhe." He called out, trying to stay alert.

"Hmm?" Qin Jianhe's dark eyes looked over, "Do you want to talk now, or rest a bit and discuss it over dinner?"

Instinctively, Ye Zhiqiu turned his head to look up the mountain.

Following his gaze, Qin Jianhe also looked up.

Although the path up the mountain was paved with stone steps, due to the heavy rain for a day and night, it was still muddy.

There were only two sets of footprints going up and down, looking lonely and desolate.

"Is it about your mother?" he asked, his voice low and gentle.

Ye Zhiqiu nodded, then said after a moment, "I want to talk now."

He wanted to talk now.

At the foot of the mountain where his mother lay.

Today's wind was so strong; perhaps Lan Yue could hear him from up there.

If her death had other factors involved...

Then he hoped she would know sooner that her child had not forgotten her.

No matter how long it took, no matter the cost, he was willing to seek justice for her.

He wanted her to know that this child who rarely visited her and even forgot to bring paper money when he did, had grown up.

"Okay." Qin Jianhe looked at him, his eyes deep.

"Take your time," he said, "don't rush."

The draft of his words had been prepared long ago, but when it came to actually speaking them, Ye Zhiqiu found himself at a loss for where to begin.

He couldn’t tell Qin Jianhe about his past experiences.

Because they were too bizarre; he didn’t believe anyone would believe him.

Without the support of that past, his words would seem particularly pale and even somewhat overly sensitive and neurotic.

Insufficient to make anyone believe him.

Seeming to understand his hesitation, Qin Jianhe unfastened his own seatbelt.

He leaned over and pulled Ye Zhiqiu tightly into his embrace.

Sunlight streamed in through the car window, falling on Ye Zhiqiu’s eyelids, making his eyes involuntarily heat up.

The feeling of immense grievance that had surfaced once before washed over him again.

He buried his nose against Qin Jianhe’s neck, eagerly inhaling the familiar and warm woody scent.

"Tell me," Qin Jianhe’s voice sounded softly in his ear, accompanied by a gentle kiss, "I believe you."

Ye Zhiqiu restrainedly pressed his lips together.

He hadn’t cried on the mountain, but now he was struggling to control his tears.

He didn’t speak immediately but instead looked up with wide eyes, using this action to suppress the tears welling up in his eyes.

"My mother," he said, his voice slightly choked, "I suspect there might be some unknown circumstances surrounding her death."

"Hmm," Qin Jianhe responded immediately, tightening his arm around Ye Zhiqiu’s waist.

This closeness and intimacy gave Ye Zhiqiu an inexplicable sense of security.

The prepared words finally became sentences, flowing out in the car.

Without much background or aftermath, Ye Zhiqiu only expressed his doubts.

"Do you want me to help you investigate the previous driver?" Qin Jianhe asked patiently after listening.

"Can you?" Ye Zhiqiu looked up.

"Hmm," Qin Jianhe replied, gently touching Ye Zhiqiu’s reddened eyes, then added, "Yes."

Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes were a bit red as he looked at him intently, softening Qin Jianhe’s heart completely.

Unable to resist, Qin Jianhe lowered his head and placed a scorching kiss on the slightly damp and red corner of Ye Zhiqiu’s eye.

"I will help you," he said, "Ye Zhiqiu, don’t cry."

*

After returning from the film set, Ye Zhiqiu slept until the next morning.

He went downstairs for breakfast and then, together with Ye Zheng, carried two suitcases each down.

While loading the luggage into the car, Ye Zhiqiu looked up at the small building of the Ye family once more.

He remembered clearly that in his previous life, when he was expelled, he had also looked up at this small building.

At that time, although he appeared stubborn and defiant, every word he said was sharp like a knife...

In fact, deep down, he was reluctant to leave.

But now, facing Ye Hongxian and Tao Ruoqing’s earnest instructions and their pretended reluctance...

He had already lost all feelings for this place.

With everything packed neatly, Ye Zhiqiu got into the car with Ye Zheng and drove out of the Ye family’s gate.

When they arrived, Jin Baobao, Li Shaojun, and Tang Yue were already waiting downstairs.

With many hands making light work, the four suitcases, along with other miscellaneous items and two brand new sets of bedding, were quickly moved upstairs.

Ye Zhiqiu’s “new home” was much better than Ye Zheng had imagined.

If not considering the size, just looking at the layout, environment, and decoration, it was even more upscale and comfortable than the Ye family’s home.

Just as they finished tidying up, the perforated board and sewing machine that Ye Zhiqiu had ordered arrived.

Ye Zheng was about to help, but Li Shaojun beat him to it.

Watching Li Shaojun and Ye Zhiqiu work together to install the perforated board and sewing machine, Ye Zheng took a step forward.

"Are there any other large items yet to arrive?" he asked Ye Zhiqiu, "Let me know in advance which day they’ll come, and I’ll come help you move them."

"There aren’t many left, just the workbench, clothes rack, and mannequin..." Ye Zhiqiu smiled and looked up, "When they arrive, I can manage with the delivery person’s help."

Ye Zheng nodded.

He had some things to tell Ye Zhiqiu, but seeing him focused on assembling the machine, he didn’t disturb him.

"Alright," he said, "since we’re almost done, I’ll head back now."

"Have dinner with us, Brother," Ye Zhiqiu stood up.

"No, thanks," Ye Zheng said, "Since the company received new equipment, the workload has increased. I have a few orders to catch up on, so I need to go check at the factory."

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu smiled and didn’t insist further.

"Xiao Qiu." Just as he was about to bend down and continue working, Ye Zheng suddenly called out to him again.

Ye Zhiqiu looked up at him, seemingly finally realizing that Ye Zheng might have something to say to him, and walked over.

"What is it, Brother?" Ye Zhiqiu asked with a smile.

"Be careful living alone outside. Remember to contact home if anything happens," Ye Zheng paused, then suddenly changed his words, "Just contact me."

"Okay." Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

Ye Zheng paused, then took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it to Ye Zhiqiu.

"There's one hundred thousand in there. If you need more, ask me."

This surprised Ye Zhiqiu a bit.

Ye Zheng usually gave him and Ye Zhixia some pocket money, but not much—just a few hundred or a few thousand for them to buy small things they liked.

But in the previous life, even when he was in dire straits, Ye Zheng never really helped him.

Why would he suddenly be so kind now?

Ye Zhiqiu looked down at the bank card and smiled faintly.

"No need," he said, "I have enough money."

"Take it." Ye Zheng wouldn't let him refuse, grabbed his hand, and placed the card in his palm, "My money is also the family's. You shouldn't hesitate to spend it. See what else you need and buy it. Don't suffer."

"Don't worry, Big Brother Ye," Jin Baobao couldn't help but interject, "He's never going to make himself suffer."

Afraid that Ye Zhiqiu would refuse, he quickly grabbed the card and held it in his own hand: "Let's have a big lunch, Xiao Qiu."

Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu laughed and didn't insist further: "Alright, thank you, Brother."

After sending Ye Zheng off, Jin Baobao slapped the card into his hand.

"This isn't like you. You used to find ways to get money from home, but now you're refusing it," Jin Baobao said.

"What can you do with one hundred thousand?" Ye Zhiqiu smiled and casually tossed the card aside, "It's not even enough for a good bottle of wine."

He raised an eyebrow playfully, "If I'm going to take, I'll take a lot."

In this life, deep down, he was still as stubborn.

He never considered Ye Hongxian as his father and wouldn't accept any gifts from him.

He would only take those things by force and put them in his pocket.

Including Ye Ding, and including the small house of the Ye family.

Even though his feelings for that place had long since faded, it was the only place where his mother had lived.

He wouldn't let it fall into their hands.

Moving wasn't easy.

*

Although they were all energetic, after packing everything and cleaning up, they all ended up collapsing on the sofa.

"How about I order a hot pot and two bottles of wine?" Ye Zhiqiu suggested, "We can watch a movie while eating at home?"

"Sure," Jin Baobao, who had been the loudest about going out to spend extravagantly, agreed first, "I don't want to move anymore."

"Besides," he added, "after dinner, I want to be the first one to sleep in Xiao Qiu's bed."

Li Shaojun glanced at him: "I'll sleep too."

"Everyone can sleep, we can all fit," Ye Zhiqiu said while ordering, "The bed is big anyway."

Honestly, he had no idea what the original owner of the house was like, to have such a large round bed.

It looked about three meters in diameter; they could all fit on it.

Coincidentally, just as he thought of the landlord, a message came in.

"HE: The door password is 5212121. If you move in soon, you can change it or set up fingerprint access. That way, you don't need to carry keys, which is more convenient."

The landlord seemed to be surnamed He, but Ye Zhiqiu wasn't sure, so he always called him Brother.

They hadn't talked much; apart from greeting each other on the first day, this was only the second time.

Ye Zhiqiu immediately stopped ordering and replied:

"Zhiqiu: Thank you, Brother."

He couldn't help being a bit curious.

This password...

Plus such a big bed, this Brother must have someone he really likes, right?

"So big a bed, it's a waste for Xiao Qiu to sleep alone," Jin Baobao remarked.

"What a waste," Ye Zhiqiu snapped back, politely ending his curiosity about the landlord, "I'm dating someone, so a big bed is perfect for playing around."

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Li Shaojun looked displeased.

He didn't like Qi Xin.

But it's not about Qi Xin, Jin Baobao thought, immediately sitting up with a shocked expression. "Can Qi Xin be that fierce?"

It's not Qi Xin.

Ye Zhiqiu thought.

Yet, he said nothing, only lowering his eyes and smiling slightly.

"Tell us, tell us," Jin Baobao exclaimed, clasping his hands to his face, "I want to hear it."

"Two choices," Ye Zhiqiu said, "order food or listen to a story."

Gurgle...

Beside them, Tang Yue's stomach rumbled on cue.

Everyone burst into laughter for a moment.

"Right, Le Le." Seeing Ye Zhiqiu continue ordering food, Jin Baobao didn't press further. Noticing Tang Yue yawning repeatedly, he asked, "Is your schoolwork still heavy these days?"

"Mm-hmm." Tang Yue blinked away the tears from his eyes. "When Xiao Qiu was at school, he could help me with tutoring, which made things easier. Now that I'm alone, I do need more time, and..."

He paused. "The dorm is also quite noisy."

"Right," Jin Baobao recalled, "weren't you supposed to move out? Have you seen any places?"

"Yesterday was nice weather, so I saw several apartments," Tang Yue said, "there was a small one-bedroom in the neighborhood behind the school. It's very quiet, and I quite like it."

"If you like it, go ahead and take it," Jin Baobao said.

"Yes," Ye Zhiqiu added, finishing his order on the screen and looking up with a smile.

"Mm-hmm," Tang Yue said, "I've scheduled to sign the contract on Monday evening."

"Xiao Qiu," he said, "will you come with me?"

Signing the contract, paying the deposit, and rent—it all comes together.

Tang Yue was asking him to pay.

But Ye Zhiqiu didn't say anything, only nodding with a smile, "Sure, I have class on Monday afternoon anyway."

"Alright," Tang Yue said, stifling another yawn, "I'll treat you to beef brisket stew on Monday."

After eating, they all took an afternoon nap together.

Remembering Qin Jianhe was coming over, Ye Zhiqiu ordered dinner again at six o'clock.

By the time they finished eating, it was still before eight, so he sent everyone off and texted his address to Qin Jianhe.

But it was too quick.

Less than ten minutes later, someone knocked on his door.

Outside, Qin Jianhe stood in a long black trench coat, holding large bags and smiling at him.

"So fast?" Ye Zhiqiu was a bit surprised.

"Mm-hmm." Qin Jianhe smiled, suddenly leaning down to kiss Ye Zhiqiu's soft lips, "I've been waiting in the car downstairs since six."

Ye Zhiqiu: "..."

Ye Zhiqiu actually wanted to tease him, but seeing the bags in his hands, he changed his mind.

He took the bags and couldn't help but exclaim, "Did you bring the entire supermarket?"

Inside the gift bags were various fruits, snacks, two wild ducks, and a bag of homemade sausages.

The snacks were plentiful, but each type seemed carefully portioned...

"The ducks were bought today when I went up the mountain; you can make soup with them," Qin Jianhe explained, "the sausages were made by my mother, very clean. When you're short on time, you can steam one with rice."

"Then thank Mrs. Nie for me," Ye Zhiqiu's eyes curved into a smile.

"Sure," Qin Jianhe smiled.

They worked side by side to transfer everything into the fridge, quickly filling it up.

The once-empty fridge now looked lively.

"Qin Jianhe." After putting everything away, Ye Zhiqiu held Qin Jianhe's hand and showed him around his new place.

It was much smaller than Qin Jianhe's home, but he was still excited.

He wanted a place to call his own.

In his previous life, he had suffered greatly, yet given another chance, he still wanted this.

But last time, what he wanted was a home shared with loved ones.

This time, just having himself felt fulfilling enough.

"Look, the landlord prepared everything so well; this electric soup pot is perfect for making soup," he pointed, "and here, my workspace is almost ready. Isn't that efficient?"

Qin Jianhe listened with a smile, his dark eyes full of warmth.

"And here, here," Ye Zhiqiu led him into the bedroom, exaggerating, "this bed is freaking huge."

"Ye Zhiqiu." Hearing this, Qin Jianhe chuckled and pulled him closer, embracing him tightly.

"Good children don't use foul language," he said, smiling as he gently bit down on his soft lips.

"What happens if I do?" Ye Zhiqiu asked, looking up at him with a half-smile.

"Of course, there will be punishment for using foul language," Qin Jianhe said, trying to keep a straight face, but the smile still leaked out from the corners of his lips.

"After all," he continued, "this bed is quite large."

"But," Ye Zhiqiu tilted his face up innocently from within his embrace, "I haven't even shown you the beautiful swing on the balcony yet."

"Tonight, let's stay in bed," Ye Zhiqiu teased, causing Qin Jianhe's movements to become a bit uncontrollable. He leaned down to kiss him, his actions passionate and urgent, "We can consider the swing next time."