Chapter 55: Young Master Qin Saved You

Chapter 55: *It Was Young Master Qin Who Saved You*

The news of Jian Ye's disappearance had already spread.

Members of the Yi and Jian families all knew, though their reactions varied.

The Yi family immediately contacted Yi Siyu. The eldest brother, Yi Sizhe, put aside his work and rushed to City S.

He knew his younger brother well—Xiao Yu’s emotions were undoubtedly unstable at this moment. Afraid he’d act impulsively, Yi Sizhe felt he had to go with him.

Meanwhile, the second brother stayed home to comfort their mother. Yu Xinran burst into tears upon hearing the news. She had a special tenderness for this parentless child—Xiao Ye was so kind and good, why would the heavens be so unfair?

Yi Xiangcheng, the father, helped control the public narrative, using his connections in City S to assist in the search and rescue efforts as much as possible.

As for the Jian family, the relatives were first shocked and stunned by the news, but soon their selfish agendas came to light.

Jian Song never expected that someone as timid as Jian Ye would dare to jump into the water to save someone. While surprised, he couldn’t help but feel a secret delight.

If this poor kid really died, could he snatch a share of the property left by Jian Ye’s parents?

Jian Shishi wasn’t as heartless. She despised all fools equally, but Jian Ye’s actions made her reconsider him slightly. She wasn’t cruel enough to wish death upon this cousin, but she did think Third Uncle’s family had it rough—both parents gone, leaving Jian Ye alone, and now even this only son was missing, his fate unknown.

The first and second branches of the Jian family still coveted the third branch’s assets. If the entire third branch were gone, the primary heir of Jian Ye’s premarital property would be Yi Siyu, and the second would be the Jian family.

Given the Yi family’s wealth, what if they didn’t want it? Wouldn’t the Jian family still have a chance?

Back then, Old Mr. Jian had allocated a considerable portion of the family fortune to the third branch, and with what Third Uncle had earned himself, it was quite substantial.

The wolves and tigers of the Jian family were all eager to split these assets without lifting a finger.

However, everything depended on Old Mr. Jian’s stance.

Though old, the patriarch was sharp-minded. With one sentence, he crushed everyone’s schemes.

"I know exactly what each of you is thinking. Let me make this clear—whatever my dear grandson owns, even if it’s buried with him, none of you will touch a single bit of it."

"What belongs to the third branch stays with the third branch. Don’t you have your own? Always eyeing others’ things—have you no decency? Has the annual dividend from the Jian family shares ever shortchanged any of you?"

"Besides, my grandson is just missing! He’s not dead yet! And you’re already scheming over his belongings? Are you even fit to be his elders? Cursing Ye’er to die, are you? I swear I’ll strike you down first!"

The old man’s fury echoed through the ancestral hall. The others shut up instantly.

Because he had seen right through them. Too guilty to meet his eyes.

"Ye’er’s a fine lad. I know you’ve all belittled him in private, but none of you hold a candle to him. He has a righteous heart, just like my great-grandfather in his time. A true Jian through and through!"

"If I ever hear any of you call Jian Ye useless again, don’t expect mercy from me."

Jian Song scratched his head and couldn’t help whispering to Jian Shishi beside him, "What was great-grandfather like?"

Jian Shishi replied softly, "They say he was a minor official, but he once took a blade for the emperor at a critical moment."

Jian Song: "..."

These idiots just keep outdoing each other—what’s there to boast about? Total nutjobs!

...

City S. 3:00 a.m.

Yi Siyu dreamed of Jian Ye calling for help from the water. He strained to reach him but couldn’t, and in the end, he could only watch helplessly as the young man was swept away by the current.

"Yèyè!" He bolted upright, startled awake.

"Siyu, you alright?" Beside him, Huo Kai also woke at the sound.

Yi Siyu’s forehead was slick with cold sweat, his back soaked. He took a few ragged breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

Twelve hours had passed since Jian Ye disappeared.

After Huo Kai notified him, Yi Siyu rushed to City S as fast as possible.

The search teams hadn’t paused for a second, rotating in shifts to comb the water.

After meeting Yi Siyu, Huo Kai drove him downstream along the riverbank, where the terrain opened up.

Honestly, just standing by while others searched felt utterly helpless. It was the first time Yi Siyu had experienced such powerlessness.

He’d always prided himself on being competent in most things, financially set for lifetimes—yet none of that mattered when his loved one’s life hung in the balance.

A gut feeling told him Jian Ye would be okay—some inexplicable instinct—but as the hours dragged on with no sign of him, the panic never eased.

"Siyu, this is on me. I promised to look after Jian Ye for you, and now this..." Seeing his friend agitated, awake all night except for a few fitful minutes of sleep that ended in nightmares, Huo Kai tasted nothing but guilt and grief.

Yi Siyu shook his head, brushing it off. "Shit happens—no one saw this coming."

But even as he said it, he blamed himself. It was Jian Ye’s first film role, in an unfamiliar city—as his husband, he should’ve been there the whole time.

Yi Siyu barely recalled how Jian Ye had talked him out of it, arguing his minor role didn’t warrant the trip. Now it hit him—since the role was small, he could’ve easily taken a few days off to be there.

But it was too late now. No amount of regret would fix this.

After talking with Huo Kai, Yi Siyu had calmed somewhat since the chaos of daylight. His face was hollow as he gazed at the black river, its surface only briefly lit by the sweep of rescue team floodlights.

Team after team of divers went in, each coming back with nothing.

Another two hours slipped by. Around 5 a.m., as the sky lightened, a shout cut through the air.

"We found a shoe! Over here!"

Yi Siyu and Huo Kai were the first to sprint toward the voice.

His hands shook as he scrubbed the mud off the shoe, voice raw. "It’s his. I bought these for him."

Jian Ye didn’t care much about clothes or shoes—most of his wardrobe came from Yi Siyu. This pair had been picked out after Jian Ye’s cultural performance, during an impromptu shopping trip.

Huo Kai turned to the rescuer. "Just the shoe? No sign of him?"

The man shook his head. "Nothing yet. The current probably tore it off. No way to know if he’s even in this stretch."

Huo Kai gave a grim nod and squeezed Yi Siyu’s shoulder. "Hold on. If we found the shoe, he’s gotta be close..."

The words were as much for himself as for Yi Siyu.

Reason said Jian Ye was probably… a goner. But today, he let hope override logic. The moment Jian Ye vanished, he’d begged every god he could name—Jade Emperor, Buddha, Guanyin, Christ, the Virgin Mary—anyone who might listen.

For his brother’s sake—for the man his brother loved—he’d have traded anything for Doraemon’s time machine to undo this, or some magic pill to snatch Jian Ye back from death’s door.

...

Outside, while everyone was worried about Jian Ye's safety, the young man himself slowly opened his eyes in an unfamiliar bed.

A small night light cast a dim glow over parts of the room.

Jian Ye's consciousness hadn’t fully returned yet—his last memory was of floating in the water.

He must’ve been so exhausted he blacked out.

"Jian Ye: Er Tong! Er Tong?"

Jian Ye called for the system a few times, but there was no response.

The system had never gone silent like this before, which suddenly made Jian Ye feel uneasy.

Was he… dead? Was this heaven, where the system had automatically unbound from him?

But the bed beneath him felt real enough—soft and comfortable, leaving him too comfortable to move.

If death wasn’t the answer, then the only remaining explanation was...

Had someone fished him out of the water?

Was it someone from the crew or Huo Kai who’d arranged it? Someone on set must’ve jumped in to save him.

Yet, the surroundings didn’t look like a hospital or a hotel—more like the home of a wealthy person.

Rivaling even the Yi family’s mansion.

Jian Ye pushed himself upright and suddenly realized his clothes had been changed.

Just as he was pondering these questions, the door opened.

A young man with a scarred face walked in—the kind you’d cast as a thug in a movie.

Jian Ye instinctively recoiled and tightened his collar.

When A Jin saw the person on the bed was awake, his eyes widened in surprise. "H-hey—don’t move! I... I’ll go get Uncle Pang for you!"

Seeing the kid’s suspicion, A Jin rubbed his buzzed head awkwardly. "Don’t misunderstand! I’m not a bad guy! The Young Master fished you out of the river. He had business to handle, so he asked me to look after you."

With that, he shouted "Uncle Pang!" toward the outside. Soon, a middle-aged man walked in, grumbling.

"One call is enough—why’re you hollerin’ at this hour?!"

The middle-aged man’s hair was graying, but his face warmed at the sight of the wide-eyed kid on the bed.

"I’m the family doctor here, kid. Don’t be nervous. I changed you out of those wet clothes—they were soaked and half-shredded before, so I had someone get you some clean ones."

Jian Ye sized things up fast. His intuition told him these people weren’t bad—otherwise, why bother saving him?

Still, Jian Ye couldn’t understand why they hadn’t taken him to a hospital.

That way, Director Wu and the others would’ve known about his condition sooner.

And what was that about "Young Master"? Such a mobster-sounding title—how could it exist in modern society? Well, this was a novel’s world—anything was possible.

With his system still offline, Jian Ye wasn’t sure about these people’s true identities, so it was better to stay cautious.

Still, he obediently said, "Thanks, Uncle."

"No need to thank me. When Young Master Qin returns later, you can thank him yourself. He's the one who saved you."

"Young Master Qin?" After acting obedient, Jian Ye pretended to be confused, probing for information piece by piece.

The moment "Young Master Qin" was mentioned, A Jin couldn't hold back. He gushed about his boss to Jian Ye, saying their Young Master was the eldest son and heir of the Qin family in S City, and went on about the Qin enterprise's leading position there.

As Jian Ye listened to A Jin's over-the-top praise, the more he heard, the more he felt this Young Master Qin was just a local kingpin. Was the Qin family *really* in... *legitimate* business?

**A/N:**

Young Master Qin: A Jin, shut up.

A Jin: Our Young Master, he’s amazing, he... (rambling on, making him sound like a superhero)

Jian Ye: ... (Total mafia vibes. Definitely shady!)

CEO Yi: Where’s my wife? All I see is one shoe?