Evening.
He Qian got into the car. Zhou Xuying ordered the driver to head toward the suburbs beyond the Third Ring Road, a journey that would take two hours. He Qian fell into a hazy sleep; by the time he woke up, night had fallen outside the window.
Inside the car, the only light came from the dim interior lamps and Zhou Xuying.
He Qian rolled down the window. A piercing cold wind rushed in. He glanced around and realized they were near Xia Tianming’s home. Was this why Zhou Xuying had been so confident when making the bet? Zhou Xuying had won.
“I will give you half an hour,” Zhou Xuying said.
He Qian froze, his gaze turning cold. “What is your requirement?”
Zhou Xuying handed over a beautifully packaged paper bag. He Qian opened it suspiciously, and his face instantly turned pale. It was a set of women’s clothing.
“Are you going, or not?”
Zhou Xuying arched an eyebrow. He was asking about more than just the visit. For once, he was being generous enough to give He Qian a choice.
He Qian looked out the window. In truth, he had no choice. If he did not go, he would win the bet and could leave Zhou Xuying, but he could not bear to imagine the fate of the Xia family. Xia Tian finally had a chance to overturn her case. He Qian did not know if Zhou Xuying’s promise to let him go was merely a play on words.
After weighing his options, He Qian stepped out of the car. The driver carried the gift box and walked with He Qian deep into the alley.
The driver said, “Mr. He, Xia’s father invited you tonight, so you do not need to worry. I will take the things inside and wait for you at the entrance.”
He Qian nodded. “Alright.”
He Qian knew the driver was not just waiting for him; he was watching him, fearing he might run away.
The driver carried the gift box inside. Xia Tianming greeted them with a smile, but his expression stiffened when he saw He Qian’s appearance. Once he realized who it was, he apologized profusely. The driver nodded tactfully and left.
He Qian shook his head to say it was fine and turned to ask about Xia Tian’s condition. Xia Tianming asked He Qian to sit down and brewed a cup of tea for him, sighing deeply. “She is still afraid of people. Whether she can even appear in court is still a question.”
“Such a painful matter, yet she has to remember it! It was clearly his fault! He drove Tian Tian’s mother to her death, made Tian Tian lose her education, and subjected her to insults and unrest.”
Xia Tianming wiped the bitter tears from his eyes. His expression was as resolute as a blade as he refused to let them fall. His words were written in blood. “I know the child is in pain, but she is still young. She needs her name cleared. She needs an apology! I want them all to pay the price!”
Watching the emotional Xia Tianming, He Qian’s nose felt local. “It will get better. It definitely will.”
“Yes.” Xia Tianming peeled a mandarin orange for He Qian and said with a smile, “Mr. He, thank you. Truly, I am so grateful to you! If it were not for you, I really do not know if I could have kept going. Thank you for being willing to help us and for believing in us!”
Xia Tianming’s knuckles trembled as he handed the orange to He Qian’s palm. He Qian looked at the orange and tore away the white pith. This orange was not meant for him to eat.
Half an hour later.
He Qian and Xia Tianming emerged from the alley with the driver following behind. He Qian walked to the window of the Bentley. Inside, Zhou Xuying leaned back against the headrest with his head tilted back, looking somewhat exhausted.
A lock of black hair fell between his eyebrows. His sharp, narrow eyes were closed, making him look distant and cold, though his usual hostility had vanished. He Qian tapped on the window. Zhou Xuying rubbed his brow and lowered the glass.
Xia Tianming stepped forward and bowed to Zhou Xuying at a ninety-degree angle. “Thank you, CEO Zhou.”
This was the gratitude of a father.
In the car.
He Qian handed the orange to Zhou Xuying. “Uncle Xia gave this to me.”
He Qian divided the orange into segments and fed them to Zhou Xuying. Zhou Xuying accepted He Qian’s rare initiative, chewing slowly.
He Qian’s eyes flickered. “Uncle Xia gave the orange for his benefactor to eat.”
He Qian knew that Zhou Xuying must have had his own reasons for helping the Xia family. He did not believe a decisive businessman would easily offend the powerful without cause. Zhou Xuying had even given him the title of “benefactor.” He Qian did not need the empty title, but he rubbed the corner of his clothes and looked sideways, whispering, “Zhou Xuying, thank you.”
Tonight, the moonlight was thick and a white mist lingered. The lights seemed softer, as did the habitually cold Zhou Xuying.
“It is time to talk about the bet,” Zhou Xuying said, tightening his grip on He Qian’s waist.
He ordered the driver to go to a hotel near the company and went up to the penthouse suite with He Qian. As the elevator doors opened halfway, He Qian saw a familiar figure, but by the time the doors fully opened, the figure had vanished.
He Qian thought he must have seen incorrectly. Shen Xi should not be here. Shen Xi had no reason to be here.
He Qian entered the suite suspiciously. His steps were slow and he was not looking where he was going; when Zhou Xuying turned on the light, He Qian bumped his head against Zhou Xuying’s back.
“Ow!” He Qian rubbed his forehead.
Zhou Xuying turned around, leaned over, and scooped He Qian up by the waist, tossing him onto the large bed. The contents of the paper bag spilled out, landing right next to He Qian’s hand.
He Qian’s heart jumped. “I, I am going to the bathroom!”
He Qian ran off hurriedly, his breathing erratic and his steps panicked. In truth, He Qian did not actually dislike cross-dressing. Xia Tian feared men, and he was afraid of triggering her bad memories. When he had visited her before, he had always dressed in women’s clothing.
When He Qian returned, he reached out to turn off the lights. His thin silhouette was outlined by the moonlight. Every step was accompanied by the sound of bells, allowing one to know exactly where he was. Zhou Xuying liked He Qian wearing bells. Hearing the sound grow closer, the corners of his mouth curled.
A large hand with bulging veins reached through the darkness with precision, stroking He Qian’s soft hair. He asked with rare tenderness, “Did it hurt when you bumped into me just now?”
Zhou Xuying’s hand was very large, but it did not bring peace of mind. He Qian pushed his hand away. “No.”
The cold voice swallowed the ambiguity whole. Zhou Xuying’s palm turned cold.
He Qian did not break his word, and his behavior was clearly intended to please. During this period, he had done many things behind Zhou Xuying’s back, and he felt somewhat guilty. He was afraid of being discovered and could not bear the consequences of being punished.
His current attempt to please was for the sake of his future. To He Qian, Zhou Xuying was a mad dog, a high and mighty ruler who could not be reasoned with. Tonight, the ruler fell into a sweet trap, and the key to the lock was placed in He Qian’s hands.
He Qian spoke provocatively in Zhou Xuying’s ear with a hint of irony. Zhou Xuying sneered, dismissive of He Qian’s behavior. He lit a cigarette and told He Qian to hold it between his teeth.
He Qian lay back and exhaled smoke, coughing as he was choked by it. His chest rose and fell violently. Amid the rise and fall, Zhou Xuying took the cigarette away, held it in his own mouth, and leaned down to look at He Qian.
Zhou Xuying exhaled a cloud of smoke and said, “The debt you owe is written off.”
He Qian was confused. “Zhou Xuying, the matter of the water was paid back long ago!”
Zhou Xuying squeezed his hip bone as if trying to crush him. “Did you think I did not know you were asking about the intercity transportation between Linhai City and the capital during your tutoring sessions? Hm?”
He Qian’s heart turned cold. Zhou Xuying knew.
He Qian had asked his student many things about Linhai City, and he had specifically told the student not to tell anyone. Zhou Xuying knew everything. He was destined never to escape Zhou Xuying’s grasp.
Zhou Xuying announced condescendingly, “The tutoring is over.”
He Qian could not argue. He realized clearly that Zhou Xuying knew far more than he had imagined. Before his escape plan could even be implemented, he had been caught. He Qian was likely the first to experience such a thing.