Chapter 41 I’ll Go With You

Chapter 41 I'll Go With You

When Xu Huaiting returned to Beijing, he also took along a few people who had been following him around suspiciously for the past couple of days, likely with some ulterior motives.

These people had snuck onto the ship and followed him all the way until disembarkation. For the next two days, they loitered around the Chi Family's residence.

At first, they considered letting them go to spread some false information and use them to ensnare their employer. However, these individuals kept hovering around the Chi Family.

Xu Huaiting put up with it for two days but had enough. The other party was practically dancing on his nerves. He finally instructed Secretary Chen to politely 'invite' them back to Beijing. He wasn't too harsh—he covered their travel expenses and sent them back to their boss exactly as they had come. At most, they might have gotten a few scrapes while trying to escape and being caught. No one was maimed, and Xu Huaiting thought he was being quite civilized.

As for how Xu Qiting reacted when he saw Xu Huaiting return to Beijing unscathed, smashing several fine Huanghuali tables in a fit of rage, that wasn't Xu Huaiting's problem.

Xu Huaiting simply said, "Have someone tally it up and send the bill to Yanfeng."

Everything in the Xu Family was his, including those tables. If someone destroyed his property without his consent, they simply had to pay for it.

Elder Xu rarely called him, but when he did, his words were filled with hints, urging Xu Huaiting not to resent Xu Qiting. After all, they were both from the Xu Family, and there was no need to be so meticulous.

Since the Xu Family had been passed to Xu Huaiting, Elder Xu's tone had softened considerably compared to earlier years. He now used emotional appeals to persuade him. Had this happened ten years ago, Xu Huaiting would likely have faced family discipline in the ancestral hall.

"Your mother's issue... it's also my fault. But so many years have passed, and now the entire Xu Family is yours. If she knew that you and Ziyi were doing well now, she would probably be at peace."

Whether his mother was at peace or not, Xu Huaiting didn't know. He probably would never get the chance to find out. But he definitely couldn't let go of this issue.

Elder Xu believed that adults shouldn't dwell on minor 'mistakes' endlessly and should instead feel that he was being unreasonable.

He would ask him, wasn't he doing well now? Hadn't he made up for it later?

If this had happened when he was younger, Xu Huaiting would have already fought with the person until they were both bloodied. But as he grew older and moved to different places, he learned a more civilized way of seeking revenge.

He was willing to set the bait and had the patience to slowly wear them down, watching them sink into a quagmire of pain, being tormented both physically and mentally until they eventually sought their own demise.

Thinking that things were not peaceful here, Xu Huaiting pondered for a moment and instructed Secretary Chen to arrange some people to guard around the Chi Family to ensure that Xu Qiting didn't set his sights on them or Ye Man.

These troubles wouldn't reach the Chi Family. He wouldn't let history repeat itself, nor would he let them stay away forever.

A wolf that couldn't protect the person it held dear might as well bite its own stomach and die early. What was the point of living?

The question was whether that person was willing to let him protect them.

Hanging up Elder Xu's call, Xu Huaiting drifted off in thought.

It was at this moment that Ye Man called him on a voice call.

"Something's come up. I'll talk to you later." He hung up Elder Xu's call and answered the one that had just popped up.

As soon as the call connected, Ye Man's long voice came through, "Mr. Xu, I have something to tell you."

Xu Huaiting tapped his phone, "Switch to video."

"Then wait a moment." There was some rustling on the other end as the voice call switched to video.

The light dimmed for a second, then brightened again. Xu Huaiting finally understood what the delay was about.

Under the warm bathroom light, Ye Man was leaning on the edge of a steamy bathtub, wearing a hastily thrown-on bathrobe. It seemed that upon hearing Xu Huaiting's request for a video call, he had quickly grabbed it from the side and put it on, not even having time to tie the belt. The overlapping lapels were held in place by his upper body, dampened by the steam and clinging to his skin, while the hem floated on the surface of the bathtub water.

His face was slightly flushed from the heat, one arm resting on the edge of the bathtub, his chin propped on it, tilting his head as he 'looked' at him with a smile. The other arm held the phone high—unable to see the screen himself, he had to hold it as far away as possible to ensure he didn't move out of the frame.

Xu Huaiting was stunned by the scene for a moment before he found his voice again.

He quietly sat up straight, uncrossed his legs, still felt uneasy after thinking about it, then got up awkwardly and quickly locked the office door behind him.

He sat back down and said seriously, "You’re taking a bath and video calling someone?"

Ye Man was taken aback by his question, paused for a moment, and asked innocently, "Isn’t it okay with you? I’m wearing clothes."

He was genuinely confused.

Xu Huaiting grabbed the cold coffee on the table—he had planned to dump it and make a fresh cup, but now he didn’t mind the cold. He downed it, felt refreshed, and could speak normally again.

He lowered his voice, "Okay." Then he added, "It’s fine with me, but not with anyone else."

Ye Man: "I don’t video call people without a reason."

Being blind, video calling is a hassle for him; he can’t see the other side, only the other side can see him.

This is... sigh, this is the big shot we’re dealing with.

Ye Man cheerfully patted his bathtub and exclaimed happily, "Mr. Xu, my bathtub is huge!"

Xu Huaiting stayed silent.

Just as Ye Man was confused, he heard the big shot say hoarsely, "Give me two minutes. I’ll go freshen up."

Ye Man said, "Oh, go ahead, I’ll wait."

Xu Huaiting splashed cold water on his face and came back, much calmer.

At least he could listen to the other person now.

When Xu Huaiting sat back down, he felt for the first time that trousers were poorly designed. To highlight the elite business image, trousers are usually tailored to fit the body perfectly, the fabric isn’t very elastic, and doesn’t provide much room for movement.

Xu Huaiting: "Put the phone aside and take your bath; the water will get cold soon, and you might catch a cold. If there’s something, you can talk while bathing."

Ye Man originally thought it was disrespectful to video call without facing each other, but now that Xu Huaiting said so, he no longer worried.

It was just a matter of two sentences.

The camera was pointed at the bathroom ceiling. Xu Huaiting listened to the voice coming from the microphone as Ye Man told him about going up the mountain to catch Meng Yao and Chi Jue in the act.

Ye Man said gloomily, "They actually dared to secretly contact each other behind the scenes, acting one way in front and another behind. I’m going to tell my parents and big brother, let them deal with Chi Jue, and see if they dare to meet secretly again."

Xu Huaiting’s heart began to feel a tingling itch again.

"I’ll go with you," he cleared his throat and said.

"No need to trouble yourself; I can do it alone."

"It’s no trouble. I happen to have nothing to do recently. I’ll drive to your place to pick you up. Which day exactly?"

Ye Man told him the time he had found out.

Feeling moved to tears in his heart: "Brother Tong, look, the two of us are doing the task; this time we will definitely succeed! He’s so nice; he even helps me with the task."

The system didn’t want to talk, just snorted coldly.

But it didn’t stop Ye Man from seeking external help. Xu Huaiting was indeed much more reliable than this little blind man, and with such a powerful figure looking out, the system was indeed more at ease.

Just felt a bit unhappy inside.

That settles it.

After the serious matter was resolved, Ye Man hesitated for a moment and said to Mr. Xu, "Mr. Xu, don't work too hard, get some rest early."

The big shot was a bit out of it today, always responding half a beat slower when spoken to.

Ye Man guessed it might be because he was too tired from work.

"Yeah, got it," came the smiling reply from the other end.

...

Downstairs, Qin Fangrui was perched at the kitchen island, pouring herself a glass of red wine, deep in thought.

Chi Yan emerged from the study and walked over, took a glass, and poured himself some as well.

"We can consult other doctors about Xiao Man's eyes," Chi Yan paused slightly, "But until we have any results, let's not bring it up in front of him too often. Xiao Jue said Xiao Man is quite sensitive about it. When I asked him about his eyes before, he didn't like to talk about it. He's pretty sensitive, and focusing too much on it could stress him out."

Qin Fangrui shot her son an eye roll, "I know, I read the notes you sent."

"It's just... I'm at a loss here," Qin Fangrui said, "At dinner, when I asked him how the trip was, he only talked about the good stuff, and it seemed like a cheerful conversation, but..."

Ye Man had a knack for spicing up dinner conversations, getting everyone in stitches, filling the table with joy and laughter.

But once the laughter died down, and when one's mind cooled down, it became clear that he only talked about things that could amuse others. His unhappiness, illness, or grievances, he never let on, as if this person had no complaints at all.

Even if he did complain, he did it in a way that didn't grate, just casually mentioning it, and quickly moved on to another topic.

Chi Yan knocked back his wine in one go, grabbed the wine bottle, rinsed out the glass, and placed it back on the rack, tidying up. "Xiao Man is the same with me, he doesn't trust me that much either. There's a clear boundary in his heart, and it can't be crossed in a day or two. You've got to ease into it. You can't immediately treat him as your own son, and he can't immediately treat you as his own mother or me as his own brother. No need to stress, just take it step by step, both you and him, and Dad and Xiao Jue too. Even if you get turned down a few times, or even a hundred, you'll make progress eventually. There's still plenty of time in the future."

Qin Fangrui looked at her eldest son's calm and composed face under the light, and many complex emotions settled down.

Even though she had raised two sons, she felt like she was a first-time mother.

"I'm heading to bed, Mom, get some rest."

After Chi Yan left, Auntie Zhou passed by, about to bring hot milk to Ye Man's room.

Qin Fangrui stopped her, nervously smoothing her hair, "I'll go."

"Auntie Zhou, tell me again, besides what you mentioned before, what else does Xiao Man like to eat?"

...

Ye Man organized all the things he received during his trip to Zhonghai into his treasure chest, and happily distributed the prepared gifts according to his mental list.

The remaining items still couldn't fit into the original small box.

"I need to buy a bigger box when I have time," Ye Man worried.

There were still a few days left before going up the mountain to catch the affair.

Since Qin Fangrui said they would return to the Chi Family's old house for the New Year, it seemed they couldn't spend New Year's Eve outside. Ye Man hadn't been to the sanatorium for a while since his eye injury, and after some hesitation, he decided to go and check it out.

Coincidentally, he had nothing else to do these two days, so Ye Man mysteriously called Xiao Wu and asked him to drive him to the Nanxing Sanatorium in the east of the city.

The sanatorium was nestled between mountains and water, clearly a high-end place that would cost a lot of money.

The system was puzzled as Ye Man expertly guided Xiao Wu to the sanatorium.

The people here obviously recognized him.

As soon as they saw him, the nurse greeted him with a smile, "Xiao Man, it's been a while since you last visited Auntie Lü. She’s been thinking about you a lot. Have you been so swamped lately that you’ve lost track of the days?"

Noticing his white cane for the blind, the nurse was momentarily stunned.

"Xiao Man, what happened to you?"

Ye Man chuckled warmly, "I accidentally hurt my eyes, but it's nothing serious. How could Grandma Lü miss me? She doesn’t remember much these days."

The system suddenly emitted a brief 'ah'.