Chapter 313: Chapter 286 Qin Rui and Qin Xia
The next day
As soon as dawn broke, Yan An woke up.
Her emotions were quite stable, and she was wide awake, even making breakfast early in the morning.
It seemed as if nothing had happened last night.
Mr. Gu saw that she was fine and went to Qiao Yuxian’s room.
He opened the door and, just at the moment he entered the room, saw Qiao Yuxian rolling out of bed wrapped in a blanket.
First there was a dull thud.
Then Qiao Yuxian’s dazed voice followed with a two-second delay: "Ouch."
Mr. Gu hurried over and carried her back to bed.
Qiao Yuxian was still groggy; she opened her eyes to look at Mr. Gu, then closed them again.
Mr. Gu had reasons to believe that if he hadn’t picked her up, she would have dared to sleep wrapped in the blanket on the carpet.
Qiao Yuxian closed her eyes and slept for a while, then suddenly lifted her arm, raising her palm upwards.
Mr. Gu figured it out after a moment and placed her hand on his forehead.
It wasn’t hot at all, indicating the fever had probably subsided.
Qiao Yuxian flopped her arm back onto the bed and, after a moment of silence, said, "It’s amazing. The fever’s gone."
Mr. Gu pinched her face.
Qiao Yuxian didn’t move; after another moment, she said, "How’s Auntie?"
"She’s fine now," Mr. Gu replied.
"That’s great," Qiao Yuxian said softly, "I want to sleep a bit more."
"Okay," Mr. Gu patted her head, "Don’t roll off the bed again."
"I’ll try," Qiao Yuxian said, then shifted positions and continued to sleep.
Mr. Gu sat in the room for a while, and when she was sound asleep, he was about to get up and leave when Qiao Yuxian suddenly opened her eyes again.
Her eyes were filled with sleepiness, and there was a hint of redness beneath.
"What’s wrong?"
"Come a little closer," Qiao Yuxian said.
Mr. Gu leaned over.
Qiao Yuxian cupped his face, looking at him intently.
The mark from the hit last night was no longer visible.
Last night, there was both redness and a bit of swelling.
Now it was almost entirely healed.
"You recover pretty quickly," Qiao Yuxian remarked.
Mr. Gu leaned in and gave her a kiss.
Qiao Yuxian released him, changed her position again, and said, "Go ahead, I really am going to sleep this time."
"Okay."
...
The two spent the entire morning at the Sixth Hospital.
Apart from accompanying Yan An, they went over the losses the hospital incurred last night, and calculated all the medical expenses for everyone who used services last night.
Once everything was handled, the two returned to Yan An’s residence.
Initially, they wanted to stay with Yan An for half a day longer.
But Yan An kept urging them to go about their business, reassuring them she was fine.
So, they returned to Jingyu Garden.
Qin Rui was being held at Jingyu Garden.
Results from Liu Zhou’s side had also come through.
So everyone headed to Jingyu Garden.
At Jingyu Garden, there were many villas.
In a villa almost at the central area, there was an underground space.
Specifically for holding people.
They all went to that villa.
On the way, Qin Xia was followed by obsessive fans. She circled around on the road to shake them off before arriving.
Thus, she was a bit late.
When she arrived, Mr. Gu, Qiao Yuxian, Chu Zhengran, Lin Huai Shu, and Liu Zhou were drinking tea.
As she stepped into the living room, everyone’s gaze shifted to her.
Qin Xia was dressed in a simple tracksuit today, with a thin jacket.
Her short hair had grown long again.
Black and straight.
Along with that pure face of hers.
Made her look soft and gentle.
But when she spoke, one would think she was an unbelievably hard rock.
"What a day! Being chased all over the city by those obsessive fans," Qin Xia grumbled as she entered.
Her voice alone revealed her irritation was at its peak.
Chu Zhengran watched her.
Qin Xia glanced at him, met his eyes, then shifted her gaze, turning to Liu Zhou and saying, "Little Zhou, you’re here too."
Liu Zhou choked a bit on his tea.
Sitting in a chair, he wore a vintage black shirt with dark-embroidered bamboo on the collar.
Giving off the aura of someone from the last century.
Like a young scholar from someone’s family.
Qin Xia loved to tease him.
Liu Zhou smiled at her amicably but didn’t engage with her tease, then glanced at Chu Zhengran.
He felt there were knives concealed in Chu Zhengran’s gentle demeanor.
Qin Xia moved to Qiao Yuxian’s side, picked up her cup, took a sip of tea, and directly asked, "Where’s Qin Rui?"
Qiao Yuxian looked at her and said, "In the basement."
"Is he still alive?" Qin Xia asked.
"Yes," Qiao Yuxian replied.
Qin Xia paused briefly, then turned to Mr. Gu and said, "Mr. Gu, may I see him?"
Mr. Gu shifted his gaze from Qiao Yuxian’s teacup and replied indifferently, "Sure."
"Thanks," Qin Xia said.
Mr. Gu led them to the basement.
Upon reaching the place where Qin Rui was held, Mr. Gu and the others didn’t enter. Only Qin Xia went in.
The heavy iron door opened with a ponderous clang.
Chu Zhengran informed Qin Xia of the light switch’s location inside.
Qin Xia went in and turned on the light.
It lit up inside.
All around were white-washed walls, bone-chillingly cold.
Qin Rui was huddled in a corner, his black clothes covered in dusty footprints, hair disheveled, hands and face stained with dried blood, some of it darkened.
He raised a hand to shield from the light, adjusted to the brightness, then glanced towards the entrance.
Seeing it was Qin Xia, he let out a light chuckle: "You’ve come."
Qin Xia looked at him without speaking.
Qin Rui stretched his leg, leaned against the wall, and looked at Qin Xia. Perhaps because his teeth were knocked out, his speech was a bit unclear: "Is that Chu Zhengran interested in you? I just cursed you a few times, and he beat me up like this."
For safety, fearing Qin Rui might suddenly attack Qin Xia, the door wasn’t closed, so those outside could clearly hear the conversation inside.
All of them glanced at Chu Zhengran.
Chu Zhengran ignored them.
Qin Xia’s thumb nail pressed into the skin of her index finger, leaving a series of marks on the outside of her index finger. She asked, "Who ordered you to go to the Sixth Hospital?"
She had already understood the whole situation with Qiao Yuxian.
Qin Rui chuckled again: "Are you trying to latch onto the Chu Family and take me down?"
"I’m asking you who sent you to the Sixth Hospital," Qin Xia asked coldly again.
"Want to know?" Qin Rui laughed, "I just won’t tell you."
"Qin Rui!"
Qin Rui’s eyelashes suddenly fluttered, his expression stiffened, but soon returned to normal, he said, "Do you think it’s still like when we were kids? That I’ll spill everything just because you call my name?"
"Do you know what you’re doing?" Qin Xia’s thumb cut a mark on her index finger, "You’ve been given the Qin Family, everything’s been given to you. What more do you want?! Do you want a long life or not? You run around here causing trouble! Even going against the Gu Family. Are you blind in the heart, or is your brain blind!"
"What’s wrong with the Gu Family? What can they do to me?" Qin Rui said, "What can anyone in Capital City do to me? Do they dare? Mr. Gu is nothing..."
Qin Xia swiftly walked up and slapped him.
Qin Rui’s head tilted from the blow, swallowing back his words.
The two were silent for a while, and then Qin Rui suddenly looked at her, agitatedly saying, "So what if the Qin Family is mine now? As long as you go back, most people will stand behind you! Why? Why? I am the only male descendant in the Qin Family! I am the only bloodline of the Qin Family! Why are you the heir? You, a woman! Why should the Qin Family be passed on to you!"