Chapter 24: Home

Chapter 24 Home

As midnight approached, Shen Ci silently returned to the hotel.

He hesitated briefly in front of the suite, swiped his card to unlock the door. The room was completely dark, with just a small sensor night light by the bed casting a soft, amber glow. As Shen Ci passed by, it illuminated the space faintly.

The bed in the main room showed the outline of a person, and the sound of gentle breathing filled the room. Shen Ci took a seat beside the bed. Xie Yu lay fast asleep, his face half-buried in the quilt, his features calm and serene.

Shen Ci observed him silently for a moment, ready to stand and depart, when his eyes landed on Xie Yu's hand and he froze.

The wound was untreated—unbandaged, unmedicated. Worse still, having been soaked in water, the edges puffed up and pallid, with dried blood caking the wound. It was reddish-black, a sign of impending infection.

Shen Ci reached out and took hold of Xie Yu's wrist. He carefully turned it over, intent on inspecting the wound closely. However, having just returned from outside, his fingertips were freezing. The chill startled Xie Yu awake. Opening his eyes, he found Shen Ci gripping his hand, his expression stern and unfriendly.

Xie Yu was instantly alert: "System? System!"

The plot had come calling in the dead of night!

While Xie Yu slept, the system was offline, responding a beat too late. In that brief pause, Shen Ci had already turned on the light, holding Xie Yu's hand as he sat down.

He looked down at the wound, his tone cold: "I asked the hotel to leave a first aid kit. Why didn't you treat it?"

Xie Yu: "?"

He was stunned, remembering that earlier, staff had tidied the room, changed the bedding and towels, and left some things, but Xie Yu was so sleepy that he hadn't paid attention.

The sensation of being held by Shen Ci was strange. Xie Yu curled his fingers: "Uh, it's just a small wound, it's fine if I don't treat it, right?"

During his years as a troublemaker in high school, he had suffered many injuries, each more severe than this. It was just a scratch from a button, no need for medication.

Shen Ci: "Is that so?"

He took the first aid kit from the table, picked up a bottle of liquid, clamped Xie Yu's wrist, and poured it down without further ado.

Xie Yu was shocked: "System, where are you? Is the pain-blocking system for the plot ready..."

Before he could finish, the liquid slid down between his fingers, feeling cool on the wound but not painful. Shen Ci used a cotton swab to wipe away the blood stains, applied medication, then took out gauze, wrapped it around the palm, and tied it into a knot.

His expression was cold, but his movements were very gentle, his fingers nimble and skillful, even the act of tying the knot was pleasing to the eye.

After finishing the treatment, Shen Ci stood up, looking down at Xie Yu: "Uncle Xie entrusted me to take care of you. If something happens to you under my watch, it would be troublesome."

Xie Yu was completely bewildered: "Uh, okay."

His hair was messy, and he wasn't angry at being woken up from sleep, his expression dazed and innocent, like a confused big cat.

While he was in a daze, the system finally arrived belatedly.

"I'm here, I'm here, the pain-blocking system is ready, where's the plot... huh?"

Xie Yu's hand was wrapped in gauze, tightly bound, with a faint smell of alcohol and medicine in the air.

It looked at the host in confusion: "Is this the plot?"

Xie Yu's face was wooden: "You're not needed anymore, go play."

"Ahhhh how can it be not needed!" The system went crazy, "If he doesn't act, what are we going to do with the psychiatric hospital plot tomorrow!"

According to the script, they were supposed to switch to the next scene tomorrow and start the psychiatric hospital arc, but both protagonists were out of the picture. How the hell are we supposed to move forward?

The system jolted awake, but Xie Yu was still groggy. He said, "Let's sleep first, we'll deal with it tomorrow."

Xie Yu was naturally easygoing and didn’t think much of Shen Ci’s late-night intrusion. After Shen Ci left, he covered his head and quickly fell back asleep. When he woke up the next day, it was almost noon.

He shuffled into his slippers, got out of bed, and cautiously opened the door. The hotel hallway was deserted, with no staff or security around.

Xie Yu thought to himself, "Weird, didn’t Shen Ci lock me up?"

According to his assumption, Shen Ci, out of respect for Xie Yuanhai, wouldn't act against him immediately, nor would he allow him to move around freely.

He took a tentative step forward. The hallway was still empty. He wandered to the elevator, and the hallway remained deserted. He pressed the down button, and still, no one stopped him. He strolled out of the hotel... still, no one in sight.

It seemed like Shen Ci had totally forgotten about him.

Xie Yu sighed and hailed a taxi, "Driver, to Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital."

If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, I’ll go to the mountain. As long as he appeared in the psychiatric hospital today, half of the plot would be completed.

Unbeknownst to him, someone in the hotel lobby quietly typed out a text message and sent it.

Xie Yu hopped into the car and called Xu Qingshan, hinting at his desire to visit. It had been over five years since they last met, and Xu Qingshan agreed immediately. Within half an hour, Xie Yu was sitting in Xu Qingshan's office.

A few new patients had just been admitted, and Xu Qingshan was swamped with work. He handed Xie Yu a glass of water and left him alone in the office.

Xie Yu set the novel screen in front of him and exchanged a look with the system, letting out a sigh.

According to the plot, when the original host was brought here by Shen Ci, he was already hysterical, his voice cracking, like a full-blown manic episode. As a result, the doctors used several sedatives on him. The novel, to drive home Xie Yu’s downfall, went into great detail about the scene where he was forced to take the medication, even specifying the drugs used.

Psychiatric meds are controlled substances and can’t be dispensed without a prescription. Xie Yu calmly waited for Xu Qingshan to return. Drawing on his past experience with bipolar disorder and his mediocre acting skills, he managed to convince Xu Qingshan he was sick and hinted at his need for meds.

Most of the meds were meant for severe cases. Xu Qingshan cautiously said, "I don't think your condition is that serious."

After assessing him, Xu Qingshan decided Xie Yu had a mild condition and prescribed some low-dose meds. Then he slid over a card.

Xie Yu looked at it—a black card.

He was puzzled. Xu Qingshan explained, "This is the money you invested back then. But since our hospital has been running for many years and is in a stable phase, there aren’t many expenses. I used the remaining funds for investments, and luckily, I made some profits."

He glanced at his nephew’s rumpled clothes and gently suggested, "If you’re strapped for cash, you can use this to get some new clothes."

Yesterday, Xie Yu had a fight with He Zhiyuan, and his neat suit was all wrinkled. Later, Shen Ci took him away, and he had no chance to change.

Xie Yu: "..."

He declined politely, "No, thanks."

Xie Yu had a soft spot for this uncle. He pushed the card back and revealed, "You hold onto it. In three months, you can invest in some Xie Group stocks."

The novel skimmed over the fates of the supporting characters. The only thing clear was that none of the Xie family were decent people. The original Xie Yu was no exception, and both Xie Yuanshan and Xie Yuanhai had shady dealings. Three months later, these would come to light, causing Xie Group’s stocks to nosedive and sparking a sell-off. Within half a year, Shen Ci would take over the company, and its profits would steadily rise.

There were still a few million on the card. It wouldn’t buy much stock now, but if Xu Qingshan invested in three months, he’d be set for life, even without running the psychiatric hospital.

Xie Yu felt relieved after settling this matter. It was around dusk, and the system perched on his shoulder, "Are we going back to the hotel?"

Xie Yu hesitated slightly.

Yesterday, Shen Ci took him back to the hotel because it was too late, and it was inconvenient to drive him home. It was a compromise, but he didn't say Xie Yu could stay long. Going back now felt a little awkward.

The system hesitated, "Go back to Wengtou Village?"

Being a high-tech system, it had never stayed in such a rundown inn before and grumbled, reluctant.

Xie Yu sighed, "Let’s head home."

The system: "?"

Xie Yu: "Actually, I own a place in Jiangcheng."

The system: "?!"

It was even more puzzled, "How did I not know about this?"

Back then, to dodge taxes, Xie Yuanshan’s house was registered under the company’s name. Now that Xie Yuanhai had taken over the company, the house was naturally his. Xie Yu never saw that place as home; he always stayed in hotels.

Xie Yu: "Let’s swing by Wengtou Village first."

The man and the system returned. Xie Yu dug through his luggage for a bit and pulled a kraft paper bag out of his backpack.

The system recognized this item. It had crossed the ocean with Xie Yu to a foreign land and then safely made its way back to China. The kraft paper was smooth as new, without a single crease, showing that the owner had taken good care of it.

The system: "What’s this?"

It had been curious for a long time. This thing looked plain, even shabby, worth maybe a few bucks. The original owner had stashed it in a high-end safe, and Xie Yu handled it just as carefully.

Xie Yu ripped open the seal and laid the contents on the table.

It was a deep red booklet with six gold-embossed characters.

"Property Ownership Certificate."

Xie Yu touched the red booklet, "This must be my mother... no, his mother’s house."

He and the original owner were polar opposites but both had an abusive father and a kind, loving mother who adored them deeply.

Xie Yu’s mother had also left him a deed to a property, wrapped in kraft paper and tucked carefully in his luggage.

Of course, this place was no match for Xie Yuanshan’s spacious flat. It was just a modest one-bedroom apartment outside the Third Ring Road, but given the circumstances, it was Xie Yu’s best bet.

The place was on the second floor of an old neighborhood, with no elevator. Xie Yu carried the suitcase upstairs by hand. As soon as he opened the door, he coughed twice—the house had been unoccupied for a long time, and the floor, sink, and the peeling paint of the old chest of drawers were all covered in dust.

The system looked around, hesitating, "Should we... hire a housekeeper?"

Xie Yu: "Hire my foot! Have you forgotten our character setting?"

A penniless rich second-generation who was scammed by his uncle and couldn’t even afford taxi fare—where would he get the money to hire a housekeeper?

He rolled up his sleeves, "Let's finish early, and we can still cook dinner."

The old house had many old items: enamel cups from the last century, pillowcases and quilt covers with large floral patterns, yellowed posters, and old calendars. Xie Yu sorted out the unwanted items, packed them into boxes, and paused when he came across the calendar. He wiped off the dust.

The system was puzzled, "Why bother with such an old item from so many years ago?"

Xie Yu ignored him and placed the calendar neatly. Only then did the system notice that there was a date circled in red. Xie Yu arranged the calendars one by one, and every year, the same date was circled in red, with the handwriting crooked and childish, clearly drawn by a child.

January 7th.

Just three days later.

This calendar is from over ten to nearly twenty years ago, when the original owner was just a little kid. After so many years, the ink has slightly faded, and the bold circles marked on the old, yellowed paper resemble mottled bloodstains.

System: "...What does this mean?"

It was utterly confused, but it saw Xie Yu sigh slightly, as if he had figured something out.

Xie Yu stood up with the calendar in hand: "I think I know what's going on."

He let out a soft sigh: "I should buy some wine. I need to go somewhere in three days."

*

Ten kilometers away, Shen Ci wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had completed his work for the day, but what was displayed on his screen wasn't financial reports, but several academic papers—he hadn't read papers in a long time since leaving school.

These papers weren't in his research field either; they were related to bipolar disorder, a common mental illness with clear causes, symptoms, and treatment plans.

Cause: The patient might have experienced violence in childhood, which matched the scars on Xie Yu's back; Symptoms: Anxiety, violent behavior, which also matched.

The papers also mentioned that confined living spaces could exacerbate the symptoms.

Shen Ci wasn't sure how far Xie Yu had progressed. Xie Yu had been receiving treatment at the Qingshan Mental Hospital, where the patient privacy was strictly protected, and on the surface, Xie Yu seemed completely normal, showing no symptoms.

At that moment, a special message notification chimed. Shen Ci swiped it open and saw the latest update: "Mr. Xie didn't return to the hotel after leaving the mental hospital."

Shen Ci wasn't the least bit surprised. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Ever since returning to the country, Xie Yu had been trying to distance himself from Shen Ci, whether it was pretending not to recognize him at a cocktail party or using formal, polite titles afterward.

He lowered his eyes and typed: "Did he go back to Wengtou Village?"

Young Master Xie would rather stoop to staying in a small inn with no proper water, electricity, or heating than stay in a luxury hotel suite.

"No, he went to Xingfu Community. Room 302."

Shen Ci paused.

Xingfu Community—the name had an old-fashioned, last-century feel, standing out awkwardly among the current array of luxurious mansions and elegant gardens.

He continued browsing the papers: "Are there any vacant rental units in that community?"

*

Meanwhile, Xie Yu had finally finished tidying up one room.

Given the difficulty of cleaning the entire house, he started with the sleeping area, washing and replacing what was necessary. He paid the water, electricity, and gas bills and even bought some scallions, greens, and a bit of pork ribs from a street vendor.

Xie Yu tied on a bear-themed apron and started cooking, tossing the ribs into the pot to blanch them. His movements were smooth and practiced. In a good mood, he hummed a melody with the window open, completely unaware that the light in the neighboring apartment had quietly turned on, revealing a figure by the window.