Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Qi Ruichang lowered his eyes and mechanically stuffed the peach at his feet into the bag.

At this moment, he couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling.

He and Tao Ruoqing were high school alumni, so he knew all about her past.

In high school, Tao Ruoqing was notorious as a delinquent girl.

Later, she unexpectedly became pregnant but couldn't even determine who the father was.

As a result, she became the biggest joke in the school for those years.

With her belly growing larger, Tao Ruoqing had no choice but to drop out of school.

It was from that time on that she completely disappeared from their hometown, a poor little county.

He never thought they would meet again one day.

Qi Ruichang actually looked down on Tao Ruoqing.

Naturally, he looked down even more on Ye Zhiqiu, "Tao Ruoqing's adopted son."

In his eyes, Ye Zhiqiu wasn't really a person.

He was merely a ladder for him and Qi Xin to climb up.

And once Qi Xin reached a high position, Ye Zhiqiu would become a stepping stone for him to climb higher with Jiang Nan.

However, he never imagined that this ordinary short ladder, this stepping stone meant to be trodden underfoot, would one day grow into a towering ladder reaching the heavens, something to look up to and carry them to the sky.

That was why he had lowered himself, humbled his attitude.

Not towards Ye Zhiqiu, but towards this ladder that could elevate them to the heavens.

But now, kneeling before this ladder, he suddenly realized that Ye Zhiqiu was not just a ladder.

He seemed to be more than just a stepping stone meant to be used and trampled upon.

Because he saw, from a higher place, a powerful presence that made him both look up and fear, gently and cherishingly holding Ye Zhiqiu's hand in his own.

Regret and resentment welled up uncontrollably in Qi Ruichang's heart.

He began to regret not recognizing Ye Zhiqiu's true worth earlier.

But he felt even more aggrieved that Qi Xin, who had known Ye Zhiqiu for so long, had never truly grasped him.

The emptiness in his heart made Qi Ruichang feel uncomfortable.

But soon, that emptiness was filled and overflowed with humiliation and anger.

Qi Ruichang struggled to suppress his emotions, but the hand holding the peach couldn't help but tighten.

Suddenly, a ripe, soft peach burst in his hand, splattering juice onto Ye Zhiqiu's feet.

He was wearing slippers, with a pair of clean white socks on his feet. The peach juice splashed onto his foot, leaving a dark stain on the white sock.

Ye Zhiqiu smiled faintly, curling his toes inside the cotton sock in a slightly mischievous manner.

In the previous life, Qi Ruichang, who believed Ye Zhiqiu was blocking Qi Xin and Jiang Nan's path, was not like this.

Ye Zhiqiu remembered the countless times he had mocked him, the numerous hints that he was a burden to his son, the time he scalded him with hot tea, and the time he threw mulberries at his face because he didn't buy the slightly sour ones he liked...

Ye Zhiqiu would always remember the feeling of the mulberries raining down on his face like a storm.

And he would always remember the trail of mulberry juice sliding down his thin eyelids, as if his eyes were bleeding.

Looking at Qi Ruichang now, he found it somewhat amusing.

It seemed that whether it was Ye Hongxian, Tao Ruoqing, Ye Zhixia, or Qi Ruichang...

All these people, who had treated others so poorly, could barely withstand a fraction of the same treatment before breaking down?

He had only politely placed the peach at his feet, without insulting him or throwing it at his face, and yet he couldn't take it?

Was he so easily broken?

Knowing how much harm such actions could cause, knowing how despicable they were, and knowing that he couldn't endure even once...

Yet they had treated him so despicably, time and time again.

Ye Zhiqiu lowered his eyes and looked at Qi Ruichang coldly for a moment, then bent down to pull out two tissues.

Just as he was about to hand them over, Qi Ruichang suddenly lifted his face.

The sweet juice of the peach had splashed below his eyelids, wet and somewhat resembling tear marks.

"I want to ask you something," Qi Ruichang said slowly.

His original plan was to start with courtesy and then resort to force.

If doing everything he should and lowering his stance didn't work, and Ye Zhiqiu still acted arrogantly, he would consider bringing up this question to deflate his arrogance.

After all, Ye Zhiqiu was young; with a mix of leniency and pressure, he would surely be unable to resist.

He had planned that as long as Ye Zhiqiu still had feelings for Qi Xin, no matter what position he held, he would seize the opportunity to control him.

Only in this way could the Qi family rapidly rise.

Even in the future, holding Yunkai in his hands might not be a problem.

But now, although he had voiced this question as well and placed it at the end, his tone was far from the authoritative one he had planned.

In fact, due to Qin Jianhe's gaze, his lips and voice were trembling slightly.

"Speak," Ye Zhiqiu said.

Only at this moment did Qi Ruichang realize that since they met, Ye Zhiqiu had never addressed him as "Sir" or even once called him "Uncle."

He had always referred to him as "you" and "old man."

"I want to ask," Qi Ruichang said, feeling particularly uneasy as the words left his mouth, which made him sound especially weak, "Little Xin said that Jiang Nan's room card was given to him by you?"

"Yes," Ye Zhiqiu replied coolly, with no hint of evasion, guilt, or hesitation in his tone.

Under Qi Ruichang's extremely puzzled gaze, he smiled faintly, "That room card was handed to Qin Jianhe by the bellboy."

A buzzing sound echoed in Qi Ruichang's mind, and he felt that the truth was about to be laid bare before him.

But his mind was too chaotic.

So, despite the obvious clues, he ultimately grasped nothing.

"I detest Qi Xin's harassment, so I wanted to clear things up with him after the meeting," Ye Zhiqiu smiled and continued, "I considered going to Qin Jianhe's room together, so I asked him to meet at 668, but when we arrived, he and Jiang Nan were already inside."

With these words, how could Qi Ruichang still be confused?

He stood there for a long time, finally revealing a bitter smile.

It turned out that the question he had prepared to use as a weapon could be easily resolved by Ye Zhiqiu with just a few words.

He stood up, the stark contrast in his feelings making him momentarily unsure of what tone to use when speaking to Ye Zhiqiu.

And if he said too much or said something wrong, he feared offending Qin Jianhe.

Deciding against saying anything more, he picked up the bag of peaches and walked out the door.

The door clicked softly, and the room fell silent again.

Qin Jianhe squeezed Ye Zhiqiu's hand and whispered, "What do you want for breakfast?"

Ye Zhiqiu didn't answer; he turned his head, his light brown eyes filled with a gentle smile.

"Don't you want to ask me why I treated him like that?"

"There's no need," Qin Jianhe looked at him, his dark eyes focused and serious, "I know who you are better than anyone, and what kind of person you are. If someone needs you to treat them this way..."

He pressed his lips together, raised his hand to touch the corner of Ye Zhiqiu's eye, extremely tenderly, "Then you must have endured even greater suffering."

Ye Zhiqiu remained silent, unconsciously pressing his lips together to suppress the pang in his nose.

This wasn't the first time Qin Jianhe had shown absolute trust in him, standing unconditionally by his side...

But Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help feeling moved.

He smiled, his eyes slightly lowered, "I want to drink tofu pudding and eat fried dough sticks."

The hotel's breakfast was of high standard and served in a buffet style, so there were no fried dough sticks or tofu pudding.

Hearing this, Qin Jianhe chuckled softly and took out his phone, "I'll have Wei Jie bring them over."

At the same time, the elevator door dinged, and Qi Ruichang, looking disoriented, stepped out.

He had come with high hopes, a thousand preparations, and various tactics, but left with a face full of disappointment, a thousand sorrows, and a restless mind...

Even the front desk staff and security guards found it curious.

Not until he stepped out of the hotel and the morning sun of midsummer shone on him did Qi Ruichang slowly come to his senses and stop walking.

After a moment of silence, he took out his phone and called Jiang Baichuan.

That day, neither Jiang Nan and his father nor Qi Xin appeared again.

By nightfall, both sides jointly issued an official statement.

They apologized to the conference organizers and the public for the "young couple's" antics at Jiuzhou the previous evening.

Incidentally, the Jiang and Qi families also announced the engagement date of Qi Xin and Jiang Nan.

It was set for mid-July, just over half a month away.

Although both sides had tried their best to choose their words carefully in the statement, combined with the previous night's antics, it still felt awkward and out of place.

As soon as the statement was released, the internet erupted with discussions, and netizens, who had already speculated wildly, were once again in an uproar.

"Really? Really? Compared to the initial mystery, isn't this explanation a bit too forced?"

"Are the journalists supposed to ignore the information involving Mr. Qin?"

"Right, who sent that information? It can't be that they sent it themselves to get caught, right?"

"Strange and bizarre, and besides, wasn't Qi Xin with Ye Zhiqiu back then? How did he so quickly end up in bed with Jiang Nan and admit to a relationship?"

"Watch your words, upstairs. Ye Zhiqiu has never admitted to a relationship; Ye Zhiqiu has always been single."

"Damn, what a confusing mess, it's driving me crazy."

"Has everyone noticed that Mr. Qin has been excluded from this matter? Is it possible that Mr. Qin simply doesn't want to be involved in such dirty affairs?"

"It's unlikely he would want to be involved, but didn't the police already get involved in this case?"

"Both parties have acknowledged their relationship and have stated that the incident that night was just for fun. The person who leaked the information about Mr. Qin's relationship to the journalists is said to be a waiter. He had a previous argument with Jiang Nan and harbored resentment. He never expected things to turn out this way. It's said that he has already been dismissed by the hotel today. With no victims left, they have reconciled, and the police can't continue the investigation; they can only criticize and educate."

"Why do I always feel like the waiter is being made a scapegoat?"

"+1"

"+10086"

"Whoever believes it, I don't. Don't you think the explanations are too far-fetched? Even if it were the waiter's fault, wouldn't the hotel need to issue a public apology? Wouldn't the waiter need to apologize publicly?"

"At the end of the day, Mr. Qin is not someone to mess with, so these two backed down."

"Considering what happened at the conference yesterday morning, if I say that the Jiang family doesn't like Mr. Qin, I'll eat shit live on stream."

"Bro upstairs, aren't you going too far?"

"Anyway, it's a match made in hell. Just stay away from Mr. Qin and Xiao Qiu."

"I didn't expect it to turn out this way. Why is there no news about the other couple? Sigh..."

"Sigh..."

"..."

Without evidence, no matter how much the netizens speculate or insist, no one can stop this matter from evolving from an initial criminal case into a piece of gossip.

Gossip, like a comet with a long tail, may start off lively, but ultimately becomes mundane.

While there are still many speculations online, it's undeniable that the ridicule directed at Jiang Nan and Qi Xin is growing.

Only now did Jiang Baichuan finally breathe a sigh of relief.

And Qi Ruichang also quietly let out a breath of relief.

The announcement has been issued, and the matter can be considered settled.

Although they couldn't secure Ye Zhiqiu, at least they haven't ended up with nothing.

The only thing that troubled him was that Qi Xin, who only learned the truth after the statement was released, was now having a hysterical fit in the hospital room.

Qi Xin had always been a relatively obedient child in front of him.

This was the first time he had acted so recklessly and caused such a scene.

Qi Xin's body had not yet fully recovered, and his face was flushed and drenched in cold sweat from the excitement.

Seeing him like this, Qi Ruichang felt almost as if his eyes were about to burst with anger.

This made Qi Ruichang even more hesitant to mention Qin Jianhe in front of him.

The moment he saw Qin Jianhe, Qi Ruichang knew that Qi Xin had no hope left.

Even though he usually viewed Qi Xin through rose-tinted glasses as a father, he had to admit that compared to Qin Jianhe, Qi Xin was far inferior.

It was like the difference between a common chicken and a noble phoenix.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Qi Xin the truth because it would only cause him greater pain.

Since that was the case, he could only focus on securing Jiang Nan for now and explain things to him later.

"Ye Zhiqiu says he already has another boyfriend," Qi Ruichang carefully told Qi Xin. "If we don't seize this lifeline with the Jiang family, our future will be worse than living on the streets."

"Xiao Qiu is just angry; he's just pretending to upset me out of jealousy. He can't possibly have another boyfriend," Qi Xin's face turned red, his chest heaving as he questioned Qi Ruichang. "I trust you so much, how can you do this to me?"

Hearing this, Qi Ruichang sneered.

"That's why I've already arranged the engagement date with the Jiang family," he said. "It's still over half a month away. If you don't believe me, go and ask Ye Zhiqiu yourself. If he takes you back, I'll personally go to the Jiang family to cancel the engagement and beg for forgiveness. What do you think?"

"I'll go tomorrow." Qi Xin stared at his father, unyielding. "Tomorrow, I'll go to the hotel to find Xiao Qiu myself."

"You!" Hearing this, Qi Ruichang raised his hand in anger. "Do you think you haven't embarrassed yourself enough at that hotel?"

But his hand remained raised, and he couldn't bring himself to strike Qi Xin's thin shoulders.

Having obtained the correct room number from Qi Ruichang, Qi Xin forced himself to go to the hotel early the next morning.

The previous incident had been significant, so when he appeared at the hotel again, the security personnel and the receptionist couldn't help but be surprised.

Their gazes were restrained, but they still made Qi Xin uneasy.

However, since Ye Zhiqiu had blocked him, he had no choice but to approach the reception desk.

"Could you please call room 663 for Ye Zhiqiu?" he asked.

"Sure." The receptionist came to her senses and quickly checked Ye Zhiqiu's room number on the computer.

But soon, she looked up and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ye has already checked out."

The key segments of the conference had concluded two days earlier. On the third day, neither Qin Jianhe nor Ye Zhiqiu attended.

*

Qin Jianhe returned to the company to handle accumulated work, while Ye Zhiqiu drove to the film set.

Building No. 8 was about to wrap up filming, and today, not only he but also Old Li would be there.

Ye Zhiqiu set out early in the morning and arrived at the film set just as the crew was having breakfast.

From a distance, he saw the crew members chatting and eating in front of the small building. Ye Zhiqiu stopped in his tracks.

After a moment's contemplation, he turned and headed in another direction, directly toward Meng Qingyan's limousine.

The car was highly private, making it impossible to see anything from the outside.

Ye Zhiqiu walked all the way to the car door and was about to raise his hand when the tightly closed doors suddenly slid open as if by telepathy.

This time, Meng Qingyan didn't maintain the deliberate distance he usually kept in public.

"Brother-in-law," he said.

"Call me Ye Zhiqiu," Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

"Alright," Meng Qingyan said without hesitation, holding a cup of instant noodles and asking Ye Zhiqiu, "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes," Ye Zhiqiu nodded and smiled again, "Why are you eating instant noodles so early in the morning?"

Hearing this, Xiao Chu, Meng Qingyan's assistant, laughed, "He's been craving them for a long time but was afraid of gaining weight, so he didn't dare eat them. Now that we're almost done filming, he finally dared to have a bowl."

As the heir to Meng's Jewelry, Meng Qingyan actually craving instant noodles?

The contrast was too great, and Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help but laugh.

"I came to find you," he said after laughing, "because I need your help with something."

Hearing this, Meng Qingyan looked up, and Xiao Chu immediately got out of the car tactfully.

"There's a dinner gathering tonight," Meng Qingyan asked, "What could be so important that you had to come see me alone? Is it something my brother shouldn't know?"

"Yes," Ye Zhiqiu smiled, "I want to design a pair of rings. I was wondering if your side could make them for me?"

Meng Qingyan: "..."

Meng Qingyan paused in the middle of slurping his noodles.

"Aren't you planning to propose to my brother?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "If so, don't say a pair; I can get ten pairs made for you right away."

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu lowered his eyes, but the rich smile in his gaze couldn't be hidden.

In the morning sunlight, his light brown eyes became even lighter and warmer, as if they held honey.

"Yes," he said, "I want to propose to Qin Jianhe."

Then he smiled again, "But before that, please keep it a secret for me."