Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The pungent smell of disinfectant in the hospital gave Xia Wanzhi a sense of deja vu. When she opened her eyes, she was still on an IV drip. Her eyelids fluttered open, and the blinding light allowed her to see only a hazy silhouette.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, her vision gradually cleared.

In the private room, a man stood with his back to her, looking out the window.

He stood tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His hand-tailored suit was impeccably smooth, without a single wrinkle.

Just his back alone was enough to set one’s imagination racing.

Setting aside that face of his, just looking at this silhouette was undoubtedly enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.

Xia Wanzhi parted her lips to speak, but the moment he suddenly turned around, she snapped her eyes shut.

“…” Xia Wanzhi cursed herself inwardly.

What was she feeling guilty for?

What was there to be afraid of?

“Open your eyes if you’re awake.” Xie Qiyan walked straight over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. His legs were spread wide, hands clasped between his knees as he leaned back. His overwhelming aura and cold presence were enough to make one’s heart palpitate.

It wasn’t that Xia Wanzhi was intimidated; she was just utterly perplexed.

This shouldn’t be happening.

How could the King of Hell possibly stay behind to keep her company?

The Xia Family villa and the Xie Family ancestral home were in the same direction. By some stroke of luck, Xie Qiyan’s car had stopped right in front of her.

Perhaps it was because she saw it was Xie Qiyan that she felt safe enough to pass out.

She didn’t know the exact reason-maybe she was gambling on the fact that he wouldn’t just leave her to die.

Seeing that Xia Wanzhi was still pretending to sleep, Xie Qiyan let out a sharp, amused huff. “Is Little Sister Xia afraid of the light?”

Xia Wanzhi adjusted her breathing and briskly opened her eyes. She tilted her head, meeting Xie Qiyan’s gaze head-on.

“Oh, it’s Brother Xie. I thought I’d seen a ghost,” Xia Wanzhi said, her voice incredibly raspy.

Xie Qiyan chuckled dryly and slowly stood up to pour a glass of water.

He called her “Little Sister Xia,” and she called him “Brother Xie.”

These were the sarcastic titles the two habitually used to mock each other.

Others thought they were being polite and assumed they had a deep friendship, but in reality, no one knew just how foul their private exchanges could get.

“Not even a thank you?” Xie Qiyan pulled his hand back slightly as he handed her the water.

Xia Wanzhi sat up slowly, careful not to disturb the hand with the IV. She paused while leaning against the pillow, and after a long silence, squeezed out two words: “Thank you.”

“Heh.” Xie Qiyan suddenly felt it was dull.

He wasn’t used to her being polite.

Taking advantage of his current agreeable mood, Xia Wanzhi took a sip of water and pushed her luck. “Since we’ve shared a life-and-death experience now, could President Xie show some mercy and let my Studio stay in Xingyao peacefully?”

Xie Qiyan lifted his gaze and countered with a question, “Right now, shouldn’t you be asking why Zhou Yu hasn’t shown up?”

Xia Wanzhi’s shoulders slumped. She finished the water in the glass, unwilling to respond.

“Zhi Zhi-”

The ward door was pushed open in a frantic rush.

Xie Qiyan raised an eyebrow slightly. “Speak of the devil.”

Zhou Yu had rushed over. The smell of alcohol on him was mixed with a heavy scent of perfume; it was unclear where he had come from. Usually meticulous about his appearance, he had buttoned his shirt wrong today, and his tie hung limply against his chest, completely ruining his usual ‘Mr. Perfect’ image.

“Zhi Zhi, how are you? How did you just faint out of nowhere?” Zhou Yu looked completely flustered as he sat by the bed and grabbed Xia Wanzhi’s hand to check on her.

“I’m fine now.” Xia Wanzhi held her breath slightly. The moment she caught the scent on him, she felt a wave of nausea.

She had always disliked the smell of cigarettes and alcohol.

She didn’t know if she was being too sensitive, but a bad premonition began to stir in her heart.
Zhou Yu sat down to steady his breathing. It took a long while before he finally looked at Xie Qiyan. Whether out of fear or something else, his grip on Xia Wanzhi’s hand tightened instinctively the moment his eyes met Xie Qiyan’s.

“Thank you for taking care of Zhi Zhi, Cousin,” Zhou Yu said, swallowing hard before quickly averting his gaze.

When he had woken up to find several missed calls on his phone, his heart had nearly stopped upon seeing that the caller was Yu Fei. Especially after learning that Xia Wanzhi had been rushed to the hospital and was being personally looked after by Xie Qiyan, he hadn’t dared to delay for a single second.

Everyone in their social circle knew exactly what Xie Qiyan had done since returning to the country. Not a single person wasn’t afraid of him.

But Xia Wanzhi felt that Zhou Yu’s fear was a bit excessive.

“To an outsider, it might look like I’m the one who’s her fiancé.” Xie Qiyan’s tone lacked its usual playfulness, sounding chilling instead. He stood up, gave Zhou Yu a meaningful look, and then left.

Xia Wanzhi was a little confused by the situation.

Particularly by that look Xie Qiyan gave Zhou Yu before he walked out.

Still… since when did Xie Qiyan become such a Good Samaritan?

Seeing her in such a pathetic state, shouldn’t he be throwing a ten-course banquet to celebrate?

After thinking it over, Xia Wanzhi could only reach one conclusion.

Since she had fainted right next to his car, the man was probably just afraid she would try to extort him.

“Zhi Zhi, are you thirsty?” Zhou Yu held Xia Wanzhi’s hand with both of his. His palms were sweaty, a clear sign of his nervousness.

Xia Wanzhi shook her head. “No, I just had some water.”

“Are you hungry then? I’ll have someone bring some food over. I’ll order that grilled fish you love.”

“I’m still on an IV drip; I have to watch what I eat.” Xia Wanzhi lowered her gaze and pulled her hand away. She took a slow breath before saying, “Your palms are sweaty. Wipe them.”

Zhou Yu froze for a moment, then pulled out a tissue and clutched it in his hand. He forced a smile. “I was just so worried about you…”

“Your shirt is buttoned wrong.” Perhaps it was because she was ill, but Xia Wanzhi’s tone was very calm. She really should have been angry, but she didn’t seem to have the energy for it.

Zhou Yu’s expression stiffened. He unbuttoned the shirt and refastened it correctly.

Buttons, tie, and the blazer he had draped over his arm-after a moment, everything was back in its proper place.

Except, on that blazer, a single long, black hair was clearly visible on the shoulder sleeve.

Xia Wanzhi’s mother was of mixed Chinese and British descent. By Xia Wanzhi’s generation, aside from her amber eyes and light hair color, her mixed-race features weren’t very prominent.

Her hair was naturally a lighter shade.

The strand on Zhou Yu’s clothes was a glossy, jet black. It could only belong to someone else.

“Where were you?” Xia Wanzhi never used to question his whereabouts, but now, a voice inside seemed to be goading her to uncover the truth.

Zhou Yu’s smile vanished, and his voice turned stiff. “Talking business. I was with Xie Nan and the others.”

Speaking of which, he gave a bitter smile. “My mother insisted I apologize to Xie Nan. I couldn’t really refuse.”

Xia Wanzhi’s smile was equally bitter.

She didn’t know whether she should believe him or not.

***

Early the next morning, Xie Qiyan was leaving the Xie Family ancestral residence when he happened to run into the brothers Xie Lin and Xie Nan, who had just returned from a night of heavy drinking.

Though they were cousins, Xie Nan was exceptionally obedient to Xie Lin.

The two of them were essentially two peas in a pod.

“Was Zhou Yu with you last night?” Usually, Xie Qiyan ignored them, but today he took the initiative to speak.

The two exchanged looks before nodding cautiously. “Yes, we were just out having drinks with a few of the guys.”

The tides had turned within the Xie Family; they couldn’t afford to offend Xie Qiyan, and they had to be careful not to give him any leverage over them.