CH 42

TL: Hua

90 miles southeast of S City, there is a small coastal island.

In the middle of the island is a forest park with beautiful and pleasant scenery. The sandy beach that surrounds the sea is dotted with jagged and strange rocks of all sizes and colors, glowing in the sunlight, and is known as Jewel Beach.

On the east side of the island, the most scenic beach is occupied by several luxury resort hotels and wealthy villas.

A three-story villa facing east, with the best view of the beach and the sunrise, belongs to Xun Qian.

The villa had been vacant for many years, and the entire west-facing wall was covered in ivy.

The closed iron door also showed signs of rust.

It’s a good thing that the inside of the villa gets cleaned twice a year, so the traces of the careful decoration and layout can barely be seen.

Butler Cheng pushed the wheelchair into the villa, leaning forward a little eagerly. “Third Master, Mr. Qi is back today; what are we doing here?”

Xun Qian lazily leaned back in the chair, holding the little black dog in his arms, as if he didn’t hear Butler Cheng’s words, “Find someone to come and clean up. I’ll stay in my bedroom upstairs.”

Butler Cheng paused in his steps and bent even lower. “Third Master, are you going to stay here tonight?”

“En.” Xun Qian’s smooth fingers gently followed the satin-like fur of the little black dog. “We will celebrate the New Year here this year.”

Butler Cheng felt his face twitch. He hesitated again and again, but couldn’t help asking, “… Are you celebrating the New Year here? But there is nothing here; how deserted it is… and… what about the people at home? And Mr. Qi… should we bring him over?”

Xun Qian didn’t even pause to think and replied quickly, as if he had already made a decision, “No need.”

Butler Cheng took a deep breath and felt his heart sink as he sensed something, and immediately after, he heard words that shocked him even more.

“After the Spring Festival, ask Zhang Han to vacate the apartment on the top floor of Weihao Hotel and let him move there.”

“This…” Butler Cheng’s lips trembled. This is the situation he was most afraid of. Xun Qian no longer locked himself away from people but drove away those who had finally entered his life.

“The apartment in the Weihao Hotel is nice, but it’s too lonely for Mr. Qi to live alone. Besides, he is used to living at home, and everyone likes him. If you ask Mr. Qi to move out suddenly, he will inevitably have doubts in his heart…”

“Uncle Cheng.” Xun Qian suddenly opened his mouth, interrupting Butler Cheng’s words, his cold voice carrying a warning.

“Yes,” Butler Cheng gritted his teeth, straightened up, and took half a step back, “I’ve spoken out of turn.”

****

Xun Qian, Butler Cheng, and the dog weren’t here, so Qi Xiaoyu ate a bowl of noodles in the dining room downstairs and then returned to his room with his luggage.

He placed his suitcase next to the bed. He had brought some New Zealand specialties, such as woolen scarves and lanolin, to give to everyone as New Year gifts.

But now he’s too lazy to even think about opening the suitcase.

He clapped his hands together and stood up from the heel of his suitcase, ready to shower and go to bed. He would dig out the lanolin and give it to Mama Li tomorrow.

He walked around the room, took out his pajamas, took a few steps towards the bathroom, then backed out and fell onto the bed.

The previous excitement and anticipation were gone, leaving only fatigue and exhaustion. He didn’t want to do anything, not even take a shower.

He rubbed his nose, and after lying down, the cold, combined with the fatigue of the long flight, gave him a lethargic and dizzy feeling that gradually emerged.

In the midst of bouts of confusion, his cell phone rang. Qi Xiaoyu grabbed it and saw that it was a message from Butler Cheng: “Xiaoyu, Third Master is busy and won’t come back in the next few days. Take care of yourself at home and ask Mama Li to help with anything. Happy New Year.”

From this tone, does Xun Qian not come back for the New Year?

If he’s not coming back, why did he take the dog with him?

Qi Xiaoyu had an indescribable feeling; in short, he felt uneasy. Perhaps due to a discrepancy with his own expectations, or maybe it was the Chinese New Year, he always hoped to have more people around.

Regardless of his original intention, since he came to this world, he has had the closest relationship with the Xun family. Now that they can’t celebrate the New Year together, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

But what happened to Xun Qian during the Chinese New Year? Whether it was work or family matters, he remembered that on the day of his sister’s death anniversary, he called Xun Qian but didn’t get through, which made him even more worried.

Then, amidst the worry, the dizziness, and the sleepiness, Qi Xiaoyu fell asleep without even taking a shower.

It was a long, long sleep, so long that he thought he was still on a long-distance plane across the ocean.

When he woke up, everything in his vision was shaking slightly.

His throat was still a little dry, as if it had been dried out by fire.

He checked his phone and saw that it was already past eleven o’clock. He had slept for almost thirteen hours.

This time, Qi Xiaoyu reached out and touched his forehead and then his arm. He really had a fever, which was much higher than when he was in New Zealand.

He lay there with his eyes closed for a while, feeling that he couldn’t go on like this, as it would get worse and worse, so he got up and took out the antipyretic medicine he bought in New Zealand from his suitcase.

After finding the antipyretic medicine, he remembered that there was no water in the room, so he had to call Mama Li and ask her to bring water.

There weren’t many people in the house, but Mama Li’s movements were swift, and it didn’t take long for her to come up with a cup of warm water.

After seeing Qi Xiaoyu’s appearance, Mama Li was taken aback and said, “Mr. Qi, are you sick? Or do you have a fever? Why is it so severe? Do you want to go to the hospital? Hiya, how come, at a time like this, both Third Master and Butler Cheng aren’t here? The driver has also gone back to celebrate the New Year.”

Qi Xiaoyu poured out the pills and drank them with warm water while listening to Mama Li’s words. It took an hour to drive from Xun’s house to the nearest hospital. His current condition was much worse than last night. There’s definitely no way to drive. He didn’t want to trouble Li Kun or Yu Xiaosheng. After all, today was twenty-nine, and tomorrow was New Year’s Eve. It was the day for a family reunion, so it wasn’t good to disturb others.

“Don’t worry, Mama Li. I’ll take a nap after taking the medicine. I won’t come down for lunch.”

“Oh my!” Ma Li exclaimed again. “Why is your voice so hoarse? You were obviously fine yesterday.”

Qi Xiaoyu forced a weak smile and walked to the bed.

Mama Li nodded repeatedly. “Okay, if you get hungry anytime, just ask me to bring you food.”

“En.” Qi Xiaoyu nodded, got back into the quilt, and fell asleep again soon.

****

Beach house, second-floor bedroom window.

Xun Qian held his head and sat there for who knows how long.

His eyes seemed to have no focus, looking through the window at the rugged beach by the seaside.

He was motionless, like a sculpture without emotion, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The little black dog was lying on the side of the bed, its head resting on its two front paws, also looking at Xun Qian without moving, occasionally wailing a few times, as if trying to attract its master’s attention.

After a while, it heard footsteps outside, stood up immediately, wagging its tail, and rushed to the door.

Butler Cheng jogged all the way in.

“Mama Li called just now to say that Mr. Qi is sick. He hasn’t gotten up from his sleep all day, and it seems to be getting worse now. The family driver is also not there, and no one is taking him to the hospital.”

Xun Qian’s eyes focused quickly for a split second, but there was no more movement, not even much emotion in what he said after.

“Ask Song Yue to come over.”

Butler Cheng’s mood was like a roller coaster: “Why don’t you go back and take a look? Mr. Qi rarely gets sick, and it happened to be on Chinese New Year.”

Xun Qian suddenly turned his head, his eyes even a little fierce. “I’m not a doctor; tell Song Yue to come over.”

“Ah, yes.”

Within five minutes, Butler Cheng came back again: “Dr. Song went abroad with his family to travel and was not in the city.”

Xun Qian returned to his usual appearance and said, “Then find another doctor. Or let Zhang Han handle this matter.”

Butler Cheng lowered his head and quietly retreated.

Ten minutes later, Butler Cheng appeared again, his voice much deeper than before: “The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and it’s hard to find a doctor. I just contacted one, but they’re quite far away. It will take three hours to get to the house.”

“Yeah,” Xun Qian nodded lightly.

“Third Master”, Butler Cheng walked to the door and stopped, his hand on the doorknob, half his body inside and half outside. He seemed to have thought for a long time before speaking, “It may not be the best choice for you to treat Mr. Qi like this. In a family like Mr. Qi’s, no one will leave a way out for him. In a place like the entertainment industry, he’ll be eaten up if he’s not careful. I don’t need to say it all out, Third Master; you also understand…

Mr. Qi probably has no other choice; otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed back here to celebrate the Chinese New Year, let alone lying alone at home alone when he’s sick. I also hope that you can change your perspective and think more about Mr. Qi.”

When Xun Qian didn’t respond, Butler Cheng added, “Besides, even if you want him to move out, you should make it clear to him in person.”

Xun Qian didn’t look back or move. But the five fingers hanging on one side were tightly held together at this time.

He thought of the night he listened to music with Qi Xiaoyu, and the tranquility and warmth he felt in his heart actually made him addicted and unable to extricate himself for a moment.

But it’s too dangerous.

In this world,

Beauty and darkness walk together.

Death and life go hand in hand.

The other side of the day is darkness.

The other side of love is loss, unavailability, and pain.

What’s more, he always brings misfortune to people.

Xun Qian held his head and closed his eyes slightly. “Buzz buzz,” the phone rang.

Qi Xiaoyu…

He even called him…

When the little black dog heard the sound, it circled Xun Qian and kept barking.

“I’m afraid Mr. Qi has no other choice; otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed back here to celebrate the New Year, let alone lie at home alone when he’s sick…”

“A place like the entertainment industry, a family like Mr. Qi’s…”

“If I were the third master, I would hide Mr. Qi…”

“I’m Xun Qian’s legal partner, and I’m half the owner of this family…”

“I’d like to invite you to watch a show…”

“If you’re hungry, ask me to heat up food for you…”

“Let’s give it a name…”

Xun Qian’s fingers were hanging in the air.

Qi Xiaoyu, if you take another step forward, don’t blame me for dragging you into the abyss.

Hua: Sorry for the lack of update. I’ve been very busy recently ＞︿＜