"Not bad? Didn't get into trouble? I doubt it!" Yang Jingyu joked. "The little guy resisted quite a bit when I brought him back."
Qi Hui remained silent, gazing at the scenery outside the window. Yang Jingyu continued, "This kid is quite interesting. He told me he wasn't Yao Lexi, which nearly killed me with laughter. But you're also impressive, knowing he was trying to run away. If we hadn't brought some equipment, he probably would have gotten away. It's just that this kid is so thin, I doubt he'd feel anything when I hold him, Qi Hui. I'm really questioning your taste."
Those around you can't see it, yet you're single-mindedly focused on a little kid who wants to run away. What am I supposed to say to you?
“He and I, thirteen years. When he was just a little kid, he loved to follow me around, tugging at my sleeve and saying, ‘Brother, I like you.’ You’d never understand,” Qi Hui said slowly.
"Yes, you're a great Casanova. But will he even appreciate your feelings?" Yang Jingyu teased.
"..." Qi Hui remained silent. Would it happen? He had no idea.
"Mr. Qi." The doctor knocked on the door. Qi Hui interrupted his conversation with Yang Jingyu and hurried over.
"How about it?"
"A side effect of an overdose of sedatives. But it's nothing serious, just a night's rest." The doctor adjusted his glasses and gave some more instructions. Qi Hui listened carefully, occasionally asking about things to be careful about, and only after a while did he see the doctor out.
Entering the living room, Qi Hui saw that Le Xi had already sat up and was leaning back on the sofa, continuing to watch TV. Qi Hui poured a glass of warm water and sat down next to him, saying softly, "Here, drink some water. Drink more water, the effects of the medicine will wear off soon."
Le Xi glanced at Qi Hui, then at Yang Jingyu leaning against the wall with a wicked grin, silently took the cup, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, then wrapped herself in a blanket and walked straight past Qi Hui toward the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
"Is this what you call 'the conversation went well'?" Yang Jingyu said with a smile, looking towards the bedroom.
Qi Hui held his breath, feeling inexplicably annoyed: "Alright, you've said enough, shouldn't you go?"
"You're kicking me out so quickly? Because you embarrassed yourself in front of me? President Qi's humiliation is a once-in-a-millennium sight. I was hoping to see a show!" Yang Jingyu said sarcastically.
"That's enough, Jim. Go back. You have to go to work tomorrow morning," Qi Hui sighed.
"You've never chased me away before, so why is he so special to you?" Yang Jingyu said angrily.
After seeing Yang Jingyu off, Qi Hui sat alone in the living room smoking. Qi Hui had left his hometown to work hard in the United States, and he and Yang Jingyu had grown up together through competition and mutual attraction. If Qi Hui hadn't already been entangled with someone else, perhaps their relationship could have progressed further. When his parents passed away and Le Xi disappeared, Qi Hui couldn't imagine how he would have survived that most difficult time without Yang Jingyu. The gossip and pressure from the company's board of directors were all overcome thanks to Yang Jingyu's strong support.
Qi Hui sighed. He was determined to have a frank and open talk with Le Xi today, no matter what. After everything that had happened, especially the events of the year after their parents passed away, Qi Hui felt that there must be some misunderstanding that led Le Xi to leave him without a word.
Standing outside Le Xi's room for a long time, Qi Hui pondered deeply. The man who had once been so adept at strategizing and dealing with numerous challenges in the company was now, in Le Xi's presence, practically incomprehensibly intellectually deficient. He gently pushed open the door and entered. Le Xi was wrapped in a blanket, lying on the bed. Qi Hui found a stool, moved it to the bedside, sat down, and slowly began to speak.
"Baby, shall we talk?"
"Brother." Le Xi's voice came from under the covers, sounding muffled. After a long while, she continued, "Let me go."
“I think we need to talk. It can’t be just me talking; there has to be interaction. To put up a fight is the act of barbarians,” Qi Hui said calmly.
"What's there to talk about? What's there to say? It's already like this! Since you were able to find me, don't you already know what I did in the past? Do I need to repeat myself?"
"I want to ask you, why didn't you tell me when Grandma had that accident? What were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me the truth when you called me? Instead, you went to find that damned Zhao Junwei. Didn't you find any other way? How could you be so stupid?" Qi Hui said, his voice rising uncontrollably as he became increasingly agitated. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, trying to hide his anger.
"There's no reason why. I wanted to do it, so I did it. No explanation. I was just being willful. That's it, nothing more." Le Xi crawled out from under the covers, looking at Qi Hui's retreating figure with a calm expression. "You think Zhao Junwei took advantage of someone in distress, right? So you tried to bankrupt him. Now you think I'm a fool, what are you planning to do with me? Kidnap me? Lock me up? Lock me up here? And then what? Punish me? Physical abuse? Or strip me naked for your enjoyment? How is your approach any different from Zhao Junwei's?"
Just like Uncle Qi, your father, back then? You say I'm foolish, then what do you think I should have done? It's tragic, why is it so tragic? Enough is enough, stop it. Don't bring up the past anymore. What's the point?
“Tell me, and I will definitely find a way to help you. But why didn’t you say so then?”
"Say what? Say what?" Le Xi curled up wearily against the headboard, burying her head in her knees, and said sadly, "I've always been useless, a burden to you. You deserve better. So, please, don't bring up the past anymore. Don't you know that reopening old wounds is the cruelest thing you can do?"
“Baby, I’m not trying to reopen old wounds, I’m just confused. Things shouldn’t have turned out this way,” Qi Hui said through gritted teeth.
“What should it have been like? Actually, it's best as it is now. Really. Brother, I think that Yang Jingyu is quite suitable for you. Look at him, he's handsome, successful in his career, and healthy. As for me, right now I just want to study, be a tailor, and teach children. It's good, it's peaceful.”
Why bring up Yang Jingyu out of the blue?
"When you were in America, weren't you always with him? He was always available when I called you," Le Xi said with a self-deprecating laugh. "The last time I called you, it must have been past midnight where you were, right? He was available too. What can I say? Brother, there are some things you shouldn't force me to say. It's too hurtful, really... too..." Le Xi couldn't continue, covering her face and silently weeping. Her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces, bleeding drop by drop, yet she had to pretend to be indifferent. But how could she be indifferent? Grandma, Aunt Lan, Uncle Qi—they were all gone. Could she really be indifferent? Someone, please teach me.
"You..." Qi Hui was speechless, his eyes welling up with tears, his heart pounding. He walked over and stood beside Le Xi, looking at him helplessly. This child, whom he had both loved and hated at the time, now filled him with nothing but pity. He said with difficulty, each word distinct, "How could you be so foolish? It's not what you think. It's not..."
It's not what you think. Yang Jingyu is just my work partner. We've been working overtime for a month straight on a project, rushing to get back to you as soon as possible, ignoring everything else and just trying to meet the deadline. But you've misunderstood us.
Baby, how should I explain this to you?
Please set me as a mark on your heart.
Qi Hui hugged Le Xi tightly. This hug felt like a debt he owed her; even with Le Xi in his arms, it still made him deeply uneasy. He thought he needed to change something, to prove something.
Le Xi started with quiet, suppressed sobs, but her cries grew louder and louder. She tried to push Qi Hui away, but he just silently held her. Unable to break free, Le Xi opened her mouth and bit Qi Hui's shoulder hard, making him wince in pain, but secretly she was happy. At least there was still a possibility of repayment, at least there was still a chance to make amends. At least they could meet again, at least they wouldn't be separated again!
Qi Hui cupped Le Xi's face in his hands and tenderly kissed that tear-streaked face, the face he had longed for, a face whose contours he could trace even with his eyes closed. A full forehead, beautifully shaped eyebrows, moist eyes, a small, straight nose—Qi Hui kissed carefully along the way, hesitantly capturing Le Xi's slightly cool lips. He felt Le Xi tremble slightly, but didn't resist. Then, he explored, parting Le Xi's teeth, and began to suckle wantonly.
Something inside him was screaming, every inch of his skin yearning. Qi Hui had always been reluctant to hurt Le Xi because she was still young, constantly telling himself that there was plenty of time, that they were meant to spend their lives together. But unforeseen circumstances separated them, and then so many other things happened…
They should have been completely ours, so why did fate play such a cruel joke on us? Why did we have to separate? Why? Was it because fate was jealous of our happiness? Was it because it felt we hadn't suffered enough and wanted to test us?
Qi Hui kissed her tenderly, every inch of her skin filling him with longing, causing the person beneath him to gasp repeatedly. As if encouraged, he moved downwards, taking Le Xi's vulnerable body into his mouth.
"No...don't..." Le Xi pushed away, trembling as she grabbed Qi Hui's sleeve and shook her head repeatedly. Qi Hui looked up at him and saw his flushed face and misty eyes. He couldn't help but kiss his lips again, head to head, lips to lips, and said gently, "Don't worry, leave it to me."
Leave it to me, just entrust everything to me, let me prove to you how much I love you. Let me prove to you that you've always been the only one in my heart.
The vulnerability, tightly embraced, is like a child in its mother's womb, with a constant flow of warmth slowly washing over it from all sides. The constant sucking of the tongue brings a peculiar sensation, which, combined with the continuous caresses of the hands, intensifies the feeling. The fleeting pleasure, like lightning streaking across the sky, catches one off guard. Something stirs within, repeatedly impacting one's consciousness, flowing down the spine.
Qi Hui held Le Xi's waist, licking and teasing him wantonly, causing his initial resistance to turn into restless writhing. Le Xi's beautiful neck arched high, controlled by desire, involuntarily emitting low moans. Those slender fingers dug into Qi Hui's hair, kneading and clenching it tightly, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. His breathing became rapid, and he involuntarily held his breath, wanting to scream but unable to utter a sound. The moans gradually fragmented into disjointed pieces, only the intense pleasure dominating his mind, driving him mad. Even if it were the end of the world, he would seize it, seize this burst of desire. Le Xi finally screamed uncontrollably, his fingers clenched into fists, his body arching, raising his vulnerable side high to receive, surrendering himself completely.
Qi Hui slowly slowed his movements, the continuous stream of heat filling his entire mouth, a faint salty and fishy taste—it was Le Xi's flavor, proof that the person he loved most had given herself to him. He passionately explored Le Xi's lips with his fingers, sending the silvery, viscous liquid from the corner of his mouth into Le Xi's mouth, then impatiently cupping him and biting him.
Qi Hui gently laid Le Xi down on the bed, showering her with delicate kisses. He carefully reached behind her, slowly exploring that secret and alluring place. At first, the person beneath him was still panting, seemingly not yet recovered from the ecstasy, but slowly, as if suddenly realizing something, Le Xi's body stiffened, and she began to avoid Qi Hui's movements.
Qi Hui suppressed his urge to shout and looked up, meeting Le Xi's wide, terrified eyes.
"Does it hurt?" Qi Hui asked, finding his voice suppressed and hoarse.
Le Xi bit his lower lip and shook his head, but his body involuntarily left Qi Hui's embrace, slowly backing away. The image of the person who had been ravaging him suddenly flashed into his mind—that person's half-smiling lips, the dripping blood, the shattering pain—everything sent chills down his spine. He shook his head and whispered in a tearful voice, "No...don't be like Zhao Junwei...please..."
Qi Hui took a deep breath, sat up, and awkwardly turned his back to Le Xi.
Don't end up like Zhao Junwei...
It turns out that everything I'm doing now isn't much different from what those people who hurt Lexi did...
Qi Hui smiled wryly, and it took him a long time to compose himself before getting dressed and going into the bathroom.
Sitting on the toilet smoking, Qi Hui searched for a long time but couldn't find his lighter. Frustrated, he crushed the cigarette and threw it into the trash can. Looking down at his still-erect desire, he felt a bit helpless and amused.
A faint sound came from outside the door, and a thin figure was reflected in the frosted glass, cowering and pacing in the doorway. Qi Hui wanted to rush out, hug him tightly, tie him up, interrogate him, torture him, and make him never dare to leave him again. But what was this? How was this any different from the man who hurt Le Xi? Qi Hui looked at himself in the mirror; why did his smile look uglier than his tears?
"Brother..." Le Xi leaned gently against the glass, squatted down, and softly called out to Qi Hui, "I'm sorry, I'm so scared..."
The voice continued speaking intermittently, gradually breaking into soft sobs as it recounted the year of his downfall and his despair. Qi Hui's eyes slowly reddened, his heart aching beyond measure. He abruptly stood up, rushed to the door, and flung it open with a bang. Unexpectedly, Le Xi lost her balance and fell flat on her face in front of him.
“Look… I’ve always been so clumsy, I can’t do anything right…” Le Xi wiped the tears from her face, smiled at Qi Hui, and whispered, “I’m an idiot, brother. An idiot who always messes things up. You and Yang Jingyu, it wasn’t a big deal to begin with, but I imagined it and magnified it infinitely, making things the worst possible outcome…”
"Okay, baby, stop talking." Qi Hui pulled him up from the ground, hugged him, and silently felt Le Xi's unstoppable tears.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, and jealousy as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the blazing flame of the Lord. —Song of Solomon, Old Testament, 8:6
This is the most impactful passage from the Bible for me. As usual, I've quoted a passage from the Bible; please forgive me if you are religious! *bows*
What exactly is love?
The next day, Le Xi didn't go to school. Early in the morning, Zi Jie called to ask how he was doing. Zi Jie asked if he was with Qi Hui, and angrily roared that if Qi Hui dared to bully him, he would make Qi Hui pay. Le Xi frowned and moved the phone away to a safe distance, but he could still hear Zi Jie's incoherent shouting.
The effects of the sedative didn't completely wear off until the afternoon. During this time, Qi Hui didn't go to work, instead staying with Le Xi. Given his questionable cooking skills, he called his secretary in the morning to arrange for a skilled cook to prepare the meal. Yang Jingyu came by once in the middle of the day on business; Qi Hui had already explained yesterday that his relationship with Yang Jingyu was purely professional. The two had been working on a project for two consecutive nights, and were just about to rest after finishing the data when they received Le Xi's call. He hadn't expected Le Xi to misunderstand.
Although the misunderstanding was cleared up, Le Xi was still very uncomfortable seeing Yang Jingyu. Yang Jingyu found it ridiculous, and the more Le Xi acted this way, the more he wanted to tease her. Not only did he stay in the study with Qi Hui for a long time, but he also shamelessly stayed for lunch.
“Baby, let’s eat out tonight. You haven’t had authentic hand-pulled lamb since you came to L City, have you? I’ll take you to a really authentic restaurant tonight,” Qi Hui suggested.
“Great! I’ve never had hand-pulled food since I came to L City! By the way, what exactly is hand-pulled food? Is it really eaten by grabbing it with your hands?” Yang Jingyu asked with great interest.
"If you don't want to eat hand-pulled noodles, how about we go eat roast duck? Isn't roast duck your favorite?" Qi Hui piled a large amount of food on Le Xi's plate, creating a small mountain in his bowl.
"I love roast duck too! How about we have roast duck?" Yang Jingyu said excitedly.
"Why aren't you eating meat? Eat properly, don't be picky." Qi Hui looked intently at Le Xi.
"..." Yang Jingyu silently lowered his head and ate his rice.
That evening, Qi Hui drove Le Xi to the best restaurant in the city. When they sat in the luxurious private room, Le Xi was a little puzzled. Did the two of them need to eat in such a large private room? Just as she was about to ask Qi Hui, the waiter came in with the menu.
"Seven people. Please remove the extra tableware," Qi Hui said to the waiter.
"Seven?" Le Xi asked in surprise, her eyes wide.
“Yes, Zhang Zijie, Chen Song. And your teacher, Shi Lu, right? Him and his mother. And Susan, by the way, her Chinese name is Yan Shuang, she works at an investment company I recently acquired,” Qi Hui explained.
"...No...didn't you say it would just be the two of us?"
"I said we'd be eating out tonight, I didn't say it would just be the two of us!"
“…Um…Brother…I…can I go to the restroom?” Le Xi stammered.
"Okay. Go ahead." Qi Hui took the menu and studied it carefully, then kindly reminded him at the end, "Baby, deserting at the last minute is a cowardly act, don't try anything funny."
Le Xi pouted, revealing a childish expression, glared at Qi Hui who was pretending to be serious, snorted, rolled her eyes at the smirking waiter, and walked out angrily.
Hiding in the bathroom for ages, Le Xi couldn't come up with a good solution, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and head to the trap. Sure enough, everyone was already there when she entered the private room. As soon as the door opened, everyone's eyes turned to her. Le Xi blushed and lowered her head, walking towards the last seat, but halfway there, Qi Hui called out to her, "Baby, where are you going? Come here." He pointed to the seat on his left.
The seating arrangement was quite peculiar. Qi Hui sat at the head of the table, with Shi's mother to his right and Le Xi to his left. Following Le Xi were Zi Jie and Chen Song. On the other side were Shi's mother, Yan Shuang, and finally, Shi Lu. It was as if Qi Hui and Le Xi had become the "hosts" of the dinner.
Le Xi looked at Shi Lu and met his strange gaze. Shi Lu mouthed "What's going on?" Le Xi shook her head and was about to mouth "We'll talk about it later" when Qi Hui stopped her and pulled her to sit down next to him.
The atmosphere at the table was quite subtle. Qi Hui and Le Xi made several intimate gestures, seemingly a brother's care and affection for his younger sister. However, those who truly knew their relationship, such as Zi Jie and Chen Song, felt a chill run down their spines. Qi Hui was an extremely possessive person, always treating Le Xi as his own possession. This increasingly intense "performance" began to make Shi Lu feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," Shi Lu said loudly after watching Qi Hui pick out the fish bones from Le Xi's bowl for the nth time and then lovingly supervise him until he finished eating. He finally couldn't take it anymore and stood up. "I'm going to the restroom."
Everyone was stunned, staring in disbelief as he walked out, but no one noticed the triumphant smile on Qi Hui's lips.