Chapter 41 - 2#

I desperately wanted to vent my anger.

I raised my hand, grabbed his hair, and gave it a forceful yank.

He leaned in closer, rubbing his face against my cheek as if he found it quite enjoyable. After a few pulls, I felt tired; I panted for a while and then let go.

Forget it.

I turned onto my side, collapsing toward the edge, and buried my head in the pillow. But I couldn’t fall asleep; my backside felt a mix of numbness and pain.

He leaned in closer, so I curled up further, but he wrapped himself around me again.

When I was too tired to shrink away any further, he circled both arms around my shoulders.

I gathered a bit of strength and then nudged him with my elbow.

He didn’t relent, tightening his embrace around me. He pressed his face into the crook of my neck, breathing softly against my ear.

I took a deep breath and turned my head to look at him.

Third Master Ren was lying semi-recumbent, one hand supporting himself on the bed, his eyes cast downward as he watched me. His expression was so wretched, it was as if the needle had been stuck into him instead.

“You…” I forced myself to speak, exhaling as I muttered: “You…”

Sigh.

I grabbed the quilt haphazardly and covered myself entirely.

The next day, my fever had broken. When I woke up, I saw Third Master Ren sitting at the desk opposite the bed, seemingly reading something. As I slowly sat up, he rose from his seat and walked toward me.

The bruises on his neck had faded slightly. I looked at him, then slowly climbed out of bed. Suddenly, he walked quickly to my side, his hand gripping mine, feeling ice-cold.

It didn’t look like the hand of a living person; it was too pale.

I looked at him silently and turned to leave.

Third Master Ren’s expression changed, and he abruptly pulled me back.

“Qi Qi…” He finally managed to speak, though his voice was still low and hoarse. He frowned slightly, and when I looked at him, he pursed his lips and offered a faint, strained smile. Bending over as if trying to coax a child, he asked, “Qi Qi… are you hungry?”

Before I could answer, he walked to the low table by the bed and picked up the receiver. I glanced at him and stood up again. Third Master Ren suddenly turned back and pushed me down hard onto the bed.

I felt dizzy as I looked up.

“Get up…” I pushed against him.

He didn’t speak, just shook his head.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I grabbed his collar, pulled him close, and said with difficulty—

“I… need to use the bathroom.”

————————

When I walked out of the clinic, I didn’t see Third Master Ren. Only Xu Qinghong, who had accompanied me, came forward, followed by two bodyguards.

“Young Master, how did the check-up go?” Xu Qinghong looked at the clinic door sign. “This German doctor is an authority on ophthalmology. My grandfather said an extra pair of eyes means more professionalism, so nothing gets missed.”

I gave a laugh and shook my head: “I’m not that fragile.”

Xu Qinghong was about to say something more, but I looked around, noticing the small floor was filled with stern-faced bodyguards. The display was so exaggerated it was ridiculous, and I couldn’t help but twitch the corner of my mouth.

“Young Master, what are you laughing at?” Xu Qinghong had been raised by Xu Changsheng, and at twenty-one, he still retained a thick, boyish air—passionate, energetic, and still possessing a precious, candid nature. He followed my gaze and said seriously, “Young Master, this concerns both Third Master’s and your safety; naturally, we can’t be careless.”

Seeing no one else around, he leaned in mysteriously and whispered, “You don’t know, things outside are a total mess. Just the other night, Brother Zhang brought a bunch of people to see the Third Master. I’m certain something is about to—”

“Qinghong.” A scolding came from behind from Xu Changsheng. Xu Qinghong immediately jumped away from me, stood at a respectful distance of two steps.

I turned to look and saw that, apart from Xu Changsheng, Third Master Ren was standing with the German doctor who had just examined me. The German doctor was gesturing quite a bit, and Third Master Ren was listening attentively, his brow furrowed, his expression grave. When the conversation reached an end, Third Master Ren reached out his hand to the doctor—the German doctor seemed somewhat flattered, grasping Third Master Ren’s palm with both hands and shaking it very solemnly.

Sitting in the car, I leaned toward the side. I didn’t say a word. Third Master Ren reached over and gently held my palm. My back was against the seat, my head slightly tilted as I looked out the car window. It wasn’t until he reached out to stroke the corner of my eye that the coldness of his fingertips made me frown uncomfortably and turn my head away unobtrusively.

That night, I put in my eye drops and held the painkillers Xu Changsheng had given me. When I turned back, I saw Third Master Ren put down his documents, his eyes fixed directly on me, looking like he had something to say but stopped himself.

I took the medicine, twitched my lips, turned, and dove into the covers.

A moment later, I felt the other side of the bed tilt slightly, and I turned back. Third Master Ren was sensitive to the cold; even while sleeping, he wore socks. His soft silk loungewear was a bizarre, vibrant color that was quite an eyesore. I silently opened my eyes, almost stunned. When he saw I was awake, he turned to switch on the night lamp on the low table and used the remote to turn off the room’s main lights.

I turned around, curled up, and said, “I want to read a book.”

A few days ago, Third Master Ren had had several more bookcases placed in the room, filled with books from various fields.

“I want to read something… related to cooking, like cookbooks.”

He said “Mhm.” I didn’t wait for him to respond; I sniffled and added, “I… have some things still at the place where I was staying. I’ll go get them tomorrow.”

“You can just have Qinghong accompany me. If you’re worried, you can send more people to watch me. I… I won’t run away.”

He stopped speaking.

The next day when I got up, I didn’t see Third Master Ren, but the moment I opened my eyes, I saw Xu Qinghong. Seeing I was awake, he walked over quickly. “Young Master.”

I subconsciously looked around. Xu Qinghong’s gaze followed mine, and he suddenly exclaimed “Oh,” saying, “Young Master, are you looking for the Third Master?”

I paused, and Xu Qinghong laughed to himself, “The Third Master left with Brother Zhang in the early hours. I don’t know what they’re dealing with, it seemed quite urgent. But if the Third Master knew you were looking for him the moment you woke up, he’d definitely be overjoyed.”

I told Xu Qinghong about wanting to go out. He eagerly went to arrange the car, repeating, “Young Master, besides picking up your things, is there anywhere else you want to go? Third Master said you can go anywhere today. Why don’t we go bowling later?”

It seemed this kid just wanted to go out and play himself.

Before leaving, Xu Qinghong seemed to remember something and ran back upstairs. When he came down, he was holding something and shook it at me. When he reached me, I looked closely and froze, dumbfoundedly taking the phone in my hand.

“Third Master instructed me to give this to you. Turns out this phone is yours. It’s quite an old model; we should go see about getting you a new one, right?”

I shook my head and put the phone in my pocket.

Sitting in the car, I felt a sense of dizziness, and my eyelids kept twitching. I slowly reached out and patted my face hard. Apart from Xu Qinghong, there were four bodyguards following in another car. Xu Qinghong had volunteered to be the driver; he had only just received his license and was very eager to try, one could say he was brimming with enthusiasm.

“I’ve had my license for over half a year, but Grandpa wouldn’t let me touch a car.” I asked him why, and Xu Qinghong pouted and laughed, “Because his son died in a car accident.”

I froze slightly. Xu Qinghong rolled down the car window, whistling happily.

Xu Qinghong wasn’t very familiar with these roads, and I was a bit unfamiliar as well. We took a few wrong turns before we got it right, and it was past noon by the time we reached my old apartment.

Xu Qinghong followed me in, and only two bodyguards came up; the other stayed with the car. Entering the apartment, I realized the security guard had just been replaced; he was sitting in the guard office staring at a TV screen. By the time I reached the door, the small potted plants outside were almost completely withered. I cradled them in my arms and took out my keys.

『Qi Ri.』

My steps suddenly halted. I swayed, opened my eyes wide, and looked.

There was no one in the entryway.

The sofa was covered with a white sheet, and there were many boxes piled up in the hallway.

I slowly looked around, took a deep breath.

It was the same scent, but… things were different, and people had changed.

“Qinghong,” I turned to Xu Qinghong and said, “you wait outside for a moment. I’ll be out as soon as I get my things.”

Xu Qinghong responded with slight hesitation and walked out, looking back every three steps.

I put the withered potted plants in the entryway and walked into the bedroom. That shirt was still laid out on the bed.

I calmly folded the shirt. There was also a travel bag in the room containing the clothes I had previously washed for Wang Zheng. When Wang Zheng went back to Singapore, he had forgotten to take them with him. I placed the shirt and the clean clothes together, rolled up my sleeves, and then pushed the boxes where Wang Zheng used to keep his books into a neat pile—this was all he had left me, besides the memories.

After working for a while, perhaps I really had been pampered too much lately; I got tired from just a little exertion. I sighed, collapsed onto the bed, and as I grabbed the pillow, I bumped into something.

I searched around and took it out to see. It was mine and Wang Zheng’s passports, along with the expired flight receipts.

I stared blankly, sitting up in a daze, folded the receipts into a small square, tucked them into the passport, and carefully placed them in my pocket.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

Perhaps because I hadn’t heard this ringtone in so long, I jumped in surprise and, in my instability, the phone slid out of my pocket.

I bent down quickly to pick it up, but froze the moment I saw the caller ID.

It was Du Yijie…?

I hesitated for a long time, and only after the phone stopped ringing did I shrug, feeling a sense of relief. Unexpectedly, the moment I turned my head, the phone rang again. Fortunately, this time it was Bai Junrui.

【Li… Little Qi—!】

The moment I answered, Bai Junrui’s anxious voice came through.

“…Zhuoyu.”

【Li—Dad! I haven’t heard from you in so many days! Do you know how worried I was?! Did that scoundrel lock you up?! That old pervert, he actually messed with me—! You’re able to answer the phone, did you escape? Huh?】 “Zhuoyu, speak slower, I am—”

There was a sudden, soft knock on the door behind me.

I reflexively looked back, and when I saw the visitor, I froze.

I stared blankly at the man in the suit and sunglasses. He was leaning against the doorframe, smiling faintly. He removed his sunglasses in a leisurely manner and said in a magnetic voice, “Little Qi, who is Zhuoyu?”

【Hello? Dad, Dad? What’s wrong?】

I watched in a daze as he walked in, seemingly nonchalant as he looked around the room.

“Heh, why didn’t you answer my call earlier?” He turned to look at me, his smile tinged with a subtle, dangerous edge.

I managed to force a faint, natural smile. “Mr. Du, why are you here suddenly?”

Du Yijie lowered his head and laughed, suddenly changing his tone as he looked at me seriously: “Little Qi, I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

I nodded and said, “Sorry, I had some private matters before, so…” I looked away. “Mr. Du is a busy man; what do you want with me? If it’s about work, I’ve already left the firm. I’m afraid I can’t give you any advice.”

He said “Oh” and laughed, “Little Qi, you should know. I’ve always been very concerned about you. I came looking for you because I want to start over with you.”

I frowned—why was Du Yijie talking so strangely?

He snapped his fingers. I retreated a step in caution, only to see another large man walk in from outside, throwing something at me.

“Qinghong!” Xu Qinghong had been thrown onto the ground, already unconscious. Just as I was about to bend down to help him up, the large man suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it at Xu Qinghong’s forehead.

I gasped, looking up at Du Yijie in shock.

“Mr. …Du, what is the meaning of this…!?”

Du Yijie looked coldly at Xu Qinghong, his tone tinged with slight helplessness. “Little Qi, I’m just losing my patience.”

I blinked.

He chuckled. “I’ve never failed to get something I wanted. That game of ‘chase me if you can’ between young masters…” The smile on Du Yijie’s face gradually faded.

He strode toward me and grabbed me abruptly.

“I’m tired of playing.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “What… are you talking about? You—what did you do to the others!”

Du Yijie looked at the gunman, who nodded and cocked the pistol.

“Bastard!” I rushed forward to block the man, but Du Yijie held me firmly with one hand.

He laughed and whispered in my ear: “Little Qi, if you come with me, I won’t make things difficult for this kid.”

I gasped, glaring at him fiercely.

“Mad dog.”

Du Yijie frowned and squeezed my jaw. “Little Qi, don’t use such vulgar language. It doesn’t suit you.”

I turned my head away forcefully. “I’ll go with you, just let Xu Qinghong go!”

Du Yijie laughed and said, “Fine.”

He grabbed me with one hand and pulled me toward the door.

When I was forced into the car, I kept looking back. Du Yijie pulled my shoulder, made eye contact, and pressed his entire body against me.

He squeezed my jaw hard, wearing a cruel smile on his face, and said: “If you show that reluctant look again…”

“——I’ll have someone blow that kid’s brains out right now.”