Zhou Zijian looked at Xiao Qiqi, leaned against the car door, knocked on the roof, and suddenly said seriously, "Xiao Qiqi, if you really love the young master, then persuade him to go home. It will be better for both of you in the future."
Xiao Qiqi turned around, her smile freezing on her face. "...Zhou Zijian, isn't this what you wanted to say to me?"
Zhou Zijian avoided Xiao Qiqi's gaze, "Langya is just a small startup company, only a small pond. But the young master is different. What awaits him is already the ocean. He can't stay in my small pond forever. One day he will have to take flight."
Xiao Qiqi's face turned pale. "You mean he's just huddled around me, not even a proper pond, just a puddle? I'm restricting him, aren't I?"
"I didn't say that. I just wanted to tell you that you should pay more attention to the young master's family... You two have such a good relationship, I'm afraid that one day you might... Never mind, I won't say anything more. If you're so concerned, then you should pay more attention to what the young master is really thinking. After all, love is a matter between two people, but when you think about it further ahead, it involves many more people."
These words plunged the happy Xiao Qiqi into confusion once more. Yes, wasn't this the very moment she had been avoiding and fearing? She dared not mention the future, dared not speak of marriage, only clinging to the present, enjoying the moment while simultaneously hiding from the world. But what should she do? Was it really as Zhou Zijian said? But she couldn't bear to let go, truly.
Xiao Qiqi thought about it for an afternoon and decided to give up these strange ideas and continue with her life. After all, they were happy now and should cherish it. As for the future, she would think about it tomorrow.
Life continued as usual. Chen Yuanxing was sent back home again, spending his days glued to his computer gaming device. He was often extremely unkempt and lazy, like a pig, and the house remained a mess. Xiao Qiqi was away on a business trip for half a month, enduring his relentless complaints every night. She tried to comfort and console him with gentle words, but when she finally returned, she had to do a thorough cleaning for him. The complex emotions of anger and pain entangled them, leaving them unable to find a way out.
In the summer, Chen Yuanxing brought back a big boy, saying he had found an assistant. Xiao Qiqi looked at the boy named Mi Mingbei's occasional shy yet stubborn expression and felt deeply moved. Was she also full of enthusiasm and plunged into this glamorous city two years ago?
Both she and Chen Yuanxing were easygoing people, and they quickly incorporated rice into their lives until six months later when rice officially left to join Langya Company as a game engineer.
The year passed so quickly, yet so joyfully; Xiao Qiqi felt that happiness was an unattainable luxury. On occasional sleepless nights, looking at the sleeping, even more mature and handsome face beside her, she felt a sense of unreality. Could this person, this source of happiness, truly belong to her?
He would dream about the future, he would say "I love you," but she dared not. Would she ever have such unbridled youth and passion? Could she have it? All she knew was that she dared not hold onto the sands of time tightly, for fear that the tighter she gripped them, the faster they would slip away.
Chen Yuanxing's family problems have always been something they avoid talking about. Chen Yuanxing doesn't talk about it, and Xiao Qiqi doesn't ask, for fear that if they talk about it clearly, they will be lifting the veil that was once covered up, and they will no longer be able to pretend that they don't know.
But the time will come eventually.
40. Entertainment
Occasionally, when they had some free time, Xiao Qiqi would sit in Chen Yuanxing's lap, and the two would watch TV, browse the internet, or chat together. One day, Xiao Qiqi was bored and flipped through entertainment news, reading celebrity gossip. Chen Yuanxing was clearly impatient, constantly banging on the table and making a fuss, "Qiqi, what are you looking at? Don't look at this rubbish!"
"Just looking at pretty girls and handsome guys, it's for entertainment." Xiao Qiqi knew that Chen Yuanxing never liked gossip, but she didn't delve into why, assuming he was just a big man who didn't care about anything except games and sports. "Hey, aren't you usually quite gossipy? Why are you being so serious now?"
"It's not that I'm being serious, it's that I'm not interested. Think about it: if you were a close friend of the person in these gossip stories, and they used your family as news and entertainment every day, would you be interested in watching?"
Xiao Qiqi turned to look at him strangely, "What do you mean?"
"It's nothing special," Chen Yuanxing chuckled. "I just find all this gossip so boring. They write about all sorts of trivial and messy things and exaggerate them. The writers are boring, and the readers are even more bored!"
"I'm just bored." Xiao Qiqi ignored him. "Wow, look at this little star. She's supposedly been voted the most sexually fantasized dream girl by men in recent years. Sigh, she really has a hot body."
Chen Yuanxing glanced at it, hummed in agreement, and then fell silent.
"And another thing, people are saying she got to where she is by having an affair with the boss of Huatian Film and Television Group. It's outrageous!" Xiao Qiqi continued reading, muttering, "Such a nice girl, and just like you said, they dare to write any kind of news!"
Chen Yuanxing put her down. "I'm going to the restroom."
Xiao Qiqi sat down in a chair and continued watching. Her eyes finally stopped on a video that had just been uploaded online. It was blurry and the camera was shaky, obviously filmed secretly with a mobile phone. A man was being carried down a staircase while covering his head. The caption said that Chen Yifan, the president of Huatian Group, had accidentally fallen down the stairs of a hotel. The camera quickly moved to a woman with messy long hair. Her figure was blurry and her face was not clear, but the caption said that it was Wei Ruobing, the sexy actress with a great figure that Xiao Qiqi had mentioned earlier about "unspoken rules".
"What are you looking at?" Chen Yuanxing came in, leaned on Xiao Qiqi's shoulder, glanced at the text, then looked at the video, his expression changed, and he slammed his laptop shut. "What nonsense is this!"
Xiao Qiqi turned her head and saw his unusually angry expression, sticking out her tongue, "It's just entertainment, what's wrong with watching?"
Chen Yuanxing forced a smile, picked up Xiao Qiqi, and sat her on the sofa. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "Qiqi, what if in the future—if I'm talking about your husband—what if your husband is very handsome and rich, and he has a lot of social engagements, especially with a constant stream of beautiful women and temptations around him? Even if he hasn't done anything wrong, there would still be a lot of gossip circulating about him. But he really loves you and is very loyal to you. However, he can't escape those unfounded rumors. Tell me, if it were you, would you trust him? Would you still love him?"
Xiao Qiqi looked curiously into Chen Yuanxing's eyes, her gaze darting away. "What do you mean by asking this?"
"It's nothing, just asking. You watch entertainment news, and I was thinking about those public figures who entertain others, who are talked about all the time. But what do you think their families would think if they saw those news stories? Would they just laugh it off, have a big fight, or go from suspicion to distrust to a breakdown in their relationship?"
Xiao Qiqi thought about it and realized that made sense. After careful consideration, she said, "If it were my husband, I would choose to believe him."
"Really?" Chen Yuanxing's phoenix eyes lit up with joy, but quickly dimmed. "But what if that kind of thing happens again and again? Once, twice, three times, countless times, one year, two years, countless years, one person leaves and another comes along, will you still believe him?"
Xiao Qiqi hesitated. Again and again? No wonder public figures break up and divorce so easily. In the end, it's because they face too many temptations and too much suspicion, right?
Chen Yuanxing looked at Xiao Qiqi nervously, "What are you going to do?"
Xiao Qiqi pouted and grinned, "Let's have a big fight, tie him up at home and beat him up every time he cheats on me."
Chen Yuanxing nodded, "This is a good idea. It's better than keeping it bottled up in your heart and making wild guesses. At least it's much better for the two of you to sit face to face and talk things out than to have misunderstandings."
Is it better to talk things out face-to-face than to have misunderstandings? These words stirred up Xiao Qiqi's hidden pain again. If she had been so honest with Xia Xuan back then, would things have taken a different turn?
Chen Yuanxing, preoccupied with his own thoughts, was completely oblivious to Xiao Qiqi's sorrow. From as far back as he could remember, his mother had coldly scoffed at those fabricated news stories, never questioning his father. At first, his father would anxiously try to explain, but his mother would simply ignore him, coldly retorting, "What does it have to do with me?" With increasing indifference, his father eventually gave up trying to explain. Later, what began as mere pretense escalated into a real relationship; the bigger the business, the further his father strayed. Regardless of the truth, his parents could never mend the rift in their relationship. They lived apart for years, rarely speaking when they met. Fortunately, his father later genuinely had trouble outside, becoming somewhat subservient to his mother, often offering her a few flattering words. But his mother remained unchanged, her face cold, neither arguing nor paying any attention. It was in that kind of family, in that kind of environment, that Chen Yuanxing, this upright and unyielding weed, grew. Chen Yuanxing's personality is quite similar to his father's—cheerful, open-minded, intelligent, and even bears a striking resemblance. This might also be related to his parents' intellectual nature and his aunt's loving care. Aside from his womanizing and busy lifestyle, Chen Yifan was a good father, never spoiling or indulging Chen Yuanxing from a young age. His mother, a capable and intelligent female leader, was equally strict with him from childhood, never giving in. The slap she gave him for not wanting to go abroad was indeed her final act of love. The lack of family love was compensated for by his aunt. In short, Chen Yuanxing grew up in a good education and environment, developing into a resilient and upright young man.
"Qiqi, then tell me... tell me if that video is real?" Chen Yuanxing recalled the blurry video. The figure was indeed his father. Even though the face was blurry and he couldn't see clearly, how could he not recognize his father?
Xiao Qiqi shook her head, "I don't know them, how would I know?"
Chen Yuanxing sighed and picked up his phone to make a call.
"Who are you calling?" Xiao Qiqi smoothed his furrowed brows. "Why are you angry?" A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, but quickly disappeared.
Chen Yuanxing was calling home. He frowned, said "uh-huh" a few times, and then hung up, his eyes flickering as he held Xiao Qiqi in his arms.
"Yuanxing, is something on your mind? Can't you tell me?" Xiao Qiqi asked with some concern.
"Qiqi, I have a question. If your dad got hurt and went to the hospital, would you go see him?"
"Huh? My dad, of course he rushed to the hospital immediately." Xiao Qiqi's heart pounded; Chen Yuanxing was indeed acting very strangely tonight.
"What if, what if you don't have a good relationship with your dad?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Xiao Qiqi stood up, picked up the clothes from the hanger, and handed them to him. "Go on, what are you dawdling for? Your parents are the best people in the world to you. What nonsense about a bad relationship? As their children, you don't come home for a year or two, and you still have the nerve to sit here and hesitate!"
Chen Yuanxing looked at Xiao Qiqi in surprise, "Qiqi, how did you know?"
“I heard Auntie mention the hospital’s name,” Xiao Qiqi said with a deliberately high-profile laugh.
"...Then you'll come with me!" Chen Yuanxing put on his clothes and helped Xiao Qiqi with hers. "If you don't come with me, I won't go!"
"I'm not going!" Xiao Qiqi's first reaction was to refuse, shaking her head vigorously, and repeating, "I don't want to go!"
"It's freezing cold, I'm not going out by myself! Anyway, if you're not going, I'm not going either." Chen Yuanxing simply curled up back on the sofa, making a blatant threat.
Xiao Qiqi bent down and looked intently into his dark pupils, where two clear reflections were seen. She pouted and said, "No way!"
"Are you scared?" Chen Yuanxing then began to smile wickedly. "Even an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws eventually!"
"Hey!" Xiao Qiqi threw a punch at him, but he grabbed her hand, stood up with a smile, and pulled her down jacket to wrap her up tightly. "Come on, come on, we'll just take a look at him and come back. He's always been in good health, but he broke his leg and bumped his head a little. He'll be fine after a few weeks of rest."
Xiao Qiqi's heart pounded. If she chose not to meet his parents, who knew what the future held for them? With her health condition, could she even dare to discuss marriage? But she was also afraid that Chen Yuanxing really wouldn't go. Given his stubborn nature, he might truly refuse. He'd only been home a few times in the past year, mostly to visit his aunt when his parents weren't home. She really didn't know what he was thinking! Had he been arguing with his parents for so long over a slap and a threat to "sever ties"?
“I’ll wait for you outside the hospital, I’m not going in.” Xiao Qiqi reiterated this again while sitting in the taxi. Chen Yuanxing put his arm around her shoulder and nodded repeatedly. “Okay, I’ll listen to you. Come into the hospital with me and just wait for me outside the ward.”
"Do we still have to go in?" Xiao Qiqi shook her head: "No! Someone will see us!" What if his relatives visit his father and accidentally bump into them?
"You're not a celebrity, who's going to watch you?" Chen Yuanxing teased her, pinching her nose. "I want you to stay as close to me as I can feel you. Wait for me outside the ward!" He brooked no refusal.
Xiao Qiqi sulked. Chen Yuanxing could be quite childish at times, but when he got stubborn, there was no room for negotiation. He seemed quite casual, but his confidence had long revealed his domineering and oppressive nature.
The two got out of the car and walked side by side toward the hospital gate. They stopped a dozen steps away. When did the hospital become a marketplace? The courtyard was filled with noise, especially the flashing lights of the real camera cameras. Chen Yuanxing, of course, was more astute than Xiao Qiqi at this point. He pulled Xiao Qiqi behind a tree and frowned, grimacing, "Damn it!"
Xiao Qiqi peeked out curiously: "Are these all reporters? What are they doing gathered here?"
"What are we doing? What else could we be doing? To make tomorrow's entertainment headline!" Chen Yuanxing said in a strange voice.
Xiao Qiqi listened intently to the commotion over there and, sure enough, they were talking about Miss Wei and Mr. Chen. "No way, is that Bing guy here?"
Chen Yuanxing's expression was very unpleasant. He pulled Xiao Qiqi away, saying, "Let's go back."
"Aren't you going to see your dad?" Xiao Qiqi didn't leave. "The reporters only photograph celebrities, not us. Why are you hiding?" A bad thought flashed through her mind again.
Chen Yuanxing ignored her and pulled her towards the hospital gate. Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the shadows and blocked their way. The person whispered, "Young Master, this way."
Chen Yuanxing frowned: "You?"
"Don't ask so many questions, someone's coming." The person led the way to the side courtyard, and Chen Yuanxing had no choice but to pull Xiao Qiqi along with them.
A commotion erupted behind them, as if someone had followed them. Xiao Qiqi turned her head, but the flash of a camera blinded her. Seeing this, Chen Yuanxing grabbed her and ran. The dark figure clearly knew the area well, leading them into a house. The people inside quickly opened a back door, and the three of them darted out.
Xiao Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief. "Yuanxing, why are those reporters chasing us?"
Chen Yuanxing said irritably, pointing his chin at the person in front of him, "Chasing him isn't chasing us!"
Xiao Qiqi sized up the man's back. He was tall and muscular, and his steps were light and silent, clearly indicating that he was a trained fighter. The man seemed to sense her gaze, stopped, and stepped aside to let her pass, saying, "Young master, this is the way up. The master is on the fifth floor. This is a special passage, so there won't be any trouble."
Chen Yuanxing didn't move, but looked up at a dark window on the fifth floor with the curtains drawn. "Is anyone inside?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone: "I'll let you know, sir, that the young master has arrived."
"Hmph!" Chen Yuanxing snorted. "Even at a time like this, he still manages to bring along a beautiful woman. He's really making a fuss! Has my mother come over?"
The man was clearly flustered by Chen Yuanxing's aggressive questioning, and coughed, "Um, I don't think so."
"Of course not!" Chen Yuanxing grabbed Xiao Qiqi and turned to leave. "Tell my dad I came to see him and that he should rest well. Also, don't let those shady characters crowd the hospital entrance. What kind of behavior is that?"
"No, those reporters have already been kicked out of the hospital, young master, don't worry." The man was Chen Yifan's personal bodyguard, so he naturally knew that Chen Yifan had already sent people to drive the reporters away. "Young master, are you really not going to see the master?"
"Haven't you already seen it? Stop nagging!" Chen Yuanxing's good temper had clearly run out.
Xiao Qiqi was still stunned by what she heard. Could it be? Had her premonition come true? They went back the way they came. Chen Yuanxing had a dark face the whole time, and Xiao Qiqi didn't dare to say a word.
Once they exited the small gate and entered the hospital courtyard, sure enough, all the noisy reporters had disappeared. They were really fast! Before Xiao Qiqi could finish her remark, she heard Chen Yuanxing say coldly, "Once we're out of the hospital courtyard, we'd better run."
"Why?"
"You think those paparazzi are so easy to chase away? They don't dare to stand openly here, but they can hide by the door and take pictures, right?" As she spoke, she helped Xiao Qiqi put on the hood of her down jacket and smiled wryly, "We were walking with the leader just now, so some of them must have already seen us, just in case."
"Is it really that serious?" Xiao Qiqi's heart sank. "Who is your father?"
Chen Yuanxing hesitated for a moment, "Chen Yifan! That unlucky Chen Yifan who fell down the stairs and broke his leg while he was having a passionate relationship with Wei Ruobing!" Chen Yuanxing uttered each word, each word striking Xiao Qiqi's heart. Just as she thought!
41. Exposure
Although Xiao Qiqi had a thousand questions in her mind, she knew that now was not the time to pursue them. The two of them walked out of the hospital like cats. After only two steps, a black car stopped in front of them, and the driver revealed half of his face: "Young Master, the Master asked me to take you back."
"No need!" Chen Yuanxing refused, but Xiao Qiqi shook him, "Taking a car is faster than running away!"
Understanding Chen Yuanxing's meaning: "This is my car, no one should recognize it."
Without further hesitation, Chen Yuanxing opened the car door and got in with Xiao Qiqi. The car was warm, and Chen Yuanxing had just pulled down Xiao Qiqi's hat and taken a breath when the car door was ripped open and a tall, slender figure slipped in, shaking Chen Yuanxing's long, black hair.
Their eyes met, her alluring, long, narrow eyes conveying a deep, unspoken emotion. Chen Yuanxing frowned and moved closer to Xiao Qiqi. "...You?"
Xiao Qiqi also looked at the woman wrapped in a knee-length black down jacket. She was even more alluring and seductive in person than in the photos. It was Wei Ruobing. Wei Ruobing smiled and showed her teeth: "Leader, I'll ride in your car."
The leader clearly recognized Wei Ruobing, but dared not utter a sound. He glanced at Chen Yuanxing, who in turn looked at Xiao Qiqi. Xiao Qiqi shrugged. The perfume smelled of jasmine, but it wasn't pure; it carried the distinctive smell of disinfectant from the hospital.
Chen Yuanxing stopped frowning, his eyes turned cold, and he said indifferently, "Get out of the car!" His tone was not harsh, but it carried a strong sense of oppression and indifference.