Chapter 48#

After Zhao Rong returned home, he first organized his wording and sent Ruan Cheng an extremely official message, the general content of which was to thank him for the cooperation and his subsequent plans.

He was still in Yang City for now, and he didn’t want many people to know about his plans to leave. So he didn’t mention that he actually intended to settle in Zhuxi in the future, only saying that he was interested in investing in that area.

When Ruan Cheng replied to him, he sent some project information and the contact information of his subordinates. The two talked seriously about work-related matters.

When the conversation ended, Zhao Rong looked at the message interface and was lost in thought for a moment.

He had originally thought that even if he had only been preserving himself all these years, after such a long disguise, he wouldn’t have much strength. Coupled with his poor health, at most he would use the small amount of money in his hand to make some investments and live a common and ordinary rest of his life with Zhao Ming.

But when Ruan Cheng extended an olive branch to him, he actually still had a slight inkling of a stir in his heart.

He even unknowingly waited until he had finished discussing with Ruan Cheng before realizing what he had just been doing.

Coming back to his senses, Zhao Rong went straight to the point and sent a message to Lu Xingping: “How is Senior’s consideration going?”

By the time Zhao Rong was almost asleep, he hadn’t received a reply from Lu Xingping, but instead received a call from Liu Shun.

As soon as he picked it up and heard the background filled with electronic music, he knew where this guy had gone to hang out again.

He gave a yawn: “Not playing anymore, I’m so sleepy.”

But Liu Shun’s voice was very urgent: “Third—ah no…”

He seemed to hesitate for a moment on what to call Zhao Rong, then suddenly paused and said: “Forget it, forget it, that’s not important now. Let me tell you, my horoscope has really been clashing with Yu Xian’s lately. I saw him at the gala, and after coming out, I went to a nearby bar wanting to dance and saw him again.”

“Ah no, no, no! That’s not the point. Are you on pretty good terms with that one from the Lu family lately? I even saw you greeting him at the gala today.”

Zhao Rong was a bit dazed: “Um…?”

“I saw Lu Xingping’s younger sister,” Liu Shun said more and more urgently, “also in this place, not at our table, but at Yu Xian’s table, sitting next to Yu Xian.”

Zhao Rong was stunned.

In his impression, Lu Xiaoyue was truly an extremely law-abiding person. Every day she would occasionally go out shopping or traveling with friends, peacefully attending university, graduating and working. She didn’t even touch any of the management of the family company. She seemed to be in the same circle as them, but they actually had nothing to do with each other.

How could she be…?

“I didn’t think there was anything at first, but I saw Yu Xian and those guys weren’t holding back when pouring drinks. I also just saw a few familiar faces; those people like to buy that kind of medicine when they play, the kind of methods to pick people up at bars and take them to hotels. Oh boy, I thought about it and it still feels a bit wrong, and I don’t dare to go ask Lu Xingping…”

Zhao Rong’s brow furrowed slightly, and he slowly sat up from the bed.

Hearing Liu Shun’s description…

He still remembered when he first returned to the Qiao family’s company and changed offices; Yu Xian’s group of playboys who didn’t manage anything at all were actually the first to know the news.

But he was at the company at the time and didn’t do anything high-profile. He stayed in the office all day, at most helping Lu Xingping pick up and drop off Lu Xiaoyue, who was still interning at Qiao Nanqi’s company at the time.

At that time, was Lu Xiaoyue… just happening to be in a relationship?

The more he thought about it, the more things felt wrong. His movements suddenly quickened. He didn’t even have time to tidy his hair, and while putting on his coat, he said to Liu Shun on the other end of the phone: “Send me the address, I’m going over right now. Before I arrive, absolutely keep a close eye on Yu Xian. Call me immediately if there’s any other situation.”

Perhaps because his reaction was too serious, Liu Shun was stunned for a moment on the other end and hurriedly said: “Oh oh oh oh okay!”

Zhao Rong went out in a great hurry this time.

On the way, he hesitated for a while but still didn’t call Lu Xingping first.

When he arrived, Liu Shun was already waiting for him at the door.

In his urgency, Liu Shun forgot to change his form of address and said upon meeting: “Third Young Master, something really seems a bit wrong. Yu Xian and those guys at the table took out some medicine…”

“Take me there.”

“How about going back to my table first and calling a few friends? If you go over like this, they have a lot of people…”

“No need.” The tone in Zhao Rong’s voice was already wrapped in a layer of ice.

Liu Shun had rarely seen Zhao Rong so angry. He hurriedly led him through the crowds of people coming and going in the bar to a place where a group of people were sitting around.

The electronic music on the dance floor hammered against one’s eardrums beat after beat, and colorful lights scattered, seemingly visible as the smell of alcohol, making one’s eyes dizzy.

Zhao Rong looked in the direction Liu Shun was pointing.

Lu Xiaoyue was sitting right next to Yu Xian.

But she didn’t look like her usual self when Zhao Rong saw her. It was freezing cold outside, yet Lu Xiaoyue was only wearing a camisole, her coat thrown who-knows-where. Her cheeks were very red, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her gaze was full of confusion; she was clearly very drunk.

And yet Yu Xian, by her side, wasn’t stopping, handing her another glass of wine.

She paused, shook her head and said: “No… I can’t drink anymore…”

Yu Xian put an arm around her shoulder and said with a smile: “Just one glass, not much.”

Under the dim light, he beckoned to the person beside him. That person immediately understood his meaning and, from an angle Lu Xiaoyue couldn’t see, opened a small bottle and threw some kind of white granule into the glass.

Yu Xian swirled the glass. Knowing full well Lu Xiaoyue was shaking her head, he still brought the glass forward, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her into his arms, actually thinking of half-persuading and half-forcing her to drink it down.

Before the wine glass could reach Lu Xiaoyue’s lips, suddenly—

Someone grabbed his collar fiercely and pulled him away from Lu Xiaoyue’s side.

All this happened too suddenly. Yu Xian, who soaked in wine, sex, wealth, and power every day, was not a strong or healthy person. Suddenly being yanked up like this, his hand slipped, and the wine glass fell to the floor, instantly shattering with a sharp yet crisp sound.

The wine inside splashed all over the floor, and in the glass shards there were still granules that hadn’t had time to be completely dissolved by the wine.

Everyone around was stunned for a moment. For a while, in the noisy bar, only this area became quiet.

“Which bastard—” Yu Xian saw clearly the person grabbing him. “Zhao Rong!?? "

With a cold face, Zhao Rong still held Yu Xian’s collar.

Liu Shun was shocked on the side. He stepped forward wanting to pull him away but didn’t know if he should, so he could only say: “Third Young Master, how about calming down? In this situation, it’s not good to to to to use your hands, right?”

Zhao Rong took a deep breath and said in a low voice: “I think hitting people is a very uncivilized thing.”

Liu Shun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is he a person?”

In the next moment, Zhao Rong clenched his fist, raised his hand, and punched Yu Xian’s face with all his might.

“—Third Young Master!!! They have so many people, I didn’t call anyone!!!”

After talking with Ruan Cheng, Qiao Nanqi didn’t continue staying at the gala.

He returned to that old mansion on Changxi Road.

The night in the old city area was very lonely. There were few pedestrians on the roads of this old villa area, and the aged streetlights cast a yellow halo, drawing out Qiao Nanqi’s tall and slender figure in the dark night.

A cool breeze blew.

The winter in Yang City was very long. Now that the end of autumn had passed, who knew when the first snow would fall.

Qiao Nanqi walked along the small path overgrown with weeds and paved with floor tiles. As he entered the main gate, he glanced at the mailbox hanging at the entrance.

This mailbox was a style from twenty years ago. Nowadays, almost no one even sends letters. In the past, whenever he needed anything, someone would look out for it for him, so he didn’t use this thing, and even now he didn’t need it.

When he was very, very young, Qiao Anqing did like these things.

Although his mother was the heir of the Qiao family, she liked cats and dogs, liked those letters and poems, and liked all kinds of warm little items. Qiao Anqing had told him more than once that He Nan had sent her letters in that era when communication relied entirely on letters. So when she was young, her happiest moment was when she opened the mailbox upon returning home.

Later she left, and He Nan lived in the Qiao family residence which was completely devoid of life. He spent his lonely teenage years here, and no one ever opened this mailbox again.

Rust covered the lock of the mailbox, and the key was lost somewhere, likely unable to be opened long ago.

He just glanced at it casually. These fragmented yet always unshakeable memories flashed through his mind as he withdrew his gaze and opened the door.

As soon as he opened the door, a cold wind poured into the house, accompanied by a faint cat meow.

Qiao Nanqi closed the door and turned on the light, only then finding one cat lying on the cabinet by the door, poking its head out to look at him, as if it had heard his footsteps just now and was waiting here.

After he entered the house, the other two also appeared.

The first thing the noble Young Master Qiao did after returning home was to handle the trivial matters of these few ancestors.

After skillfully finishing, thinking of the Zhao Rong he saw tonight, he picked one up, sat on the sofa, and stroked it gently.

The kittens were no longer afraid of him.

After all, these few were all wild cats that were used to being wild. Even after becoming domestic cats, they weren’t particularly afraid of people.

In the first few days they were a bit shy, but after being fed during this period of time, they started to become unscrupulous once they became familiar. Some even started to take liberties, climbing onto the bed and lying there in the middle of the night. In the beginning, Qiao Nanqi’s clean freak nature flared up, and he almost threw these little ancestors down.

But on second thought, these were all lives that Zhao Rong had looked after for a long time, the tenderness that Zhao Rong had left him in past memories. He softened his heart for a moment and didn’t do anything, which led to now, those few kittens being spoiled lawlessly by him.

Even the one he was holding now thought his stroking wasn’t enough, occasionally butting his hand with its head, as if complaining that Qiao Nanqi wasn’t serving it comfortably enough.

Qiao Nanqi looked down at it. Amidst his wandering thoughts, he would occasionally think of the two cats Qiao Anqing raised in the past.

He was indeed a bit tired today and didn’t have the energy to do anything.

After returning home, Qiao Nanqi didn’t do much. He only instructed Xiao Wu to prepare to move things back to the place where he and Zhao Rong lived tomorrow, and went to bed early.

Who knows if it was because he thought of Qiao Anqing’s two cats before sleeping, but although Zhao Rong had been in his dreams these few days, tonight, the nightmare about Qiao Anqing appeared again.

In the dream, there was the scene where he shouted for her with all his might, but she only glanced at him and never looked back.

There was also the time when things first started to change at home. He came home from school, and before he could put down his schoolbag, he suddenly heard the sound of Qiao Anqing sweeping all the bowls and chopsticks off the table.

Finally, there was also when Qiao Anqing had just passed away. He rushed in front of He Nan with red eyes to question him, and He Nan just smiled and said to him: “Maybe it’s your fault?”

“If you were her biological child, maybe she would have been reluctant to leave out of pity?”

“What a pity…”

“You’re just a bastard she adopted.”

…

Qiao Nanqi always felt it was noisy in his ears. The noise grew louder and louder, suddenly waking him from his dream.

The kitten on the bed jumped away because of his sudden movement of sitting up. The curtains were drawn too tightly, not even moonlight could spill in, and the room was pitch black.

But there was no one by his side to hold him from behind anymore.

For some reason, at this time, a phone call came in on his mobile phone by the bedside, buzzing incessantly as if demanding his life.