The atmosphere in the hospital was truly uncomfortable. Qi Xiaolin carried breakfast upstairs, passing many grieving families pushing body bags along the way. He frowned and hurried into the elevator.
When he pushed open the door to the patient’s room, the pungent smell of disinfectant greeted him. On the bed, Yan Qingming heard the door open and silently closed his eyes.
Qi Xiaolin placed the breakfast on the small table and said, “Stop pretending. I could tell the moment I walked in that your breathing isn’t that of someone asleep. The doctor said the anesthesia has long worn off, so get up and eat.”
Yan Qingming opened his eyes helplessly and replied coldly, “I’m not hungry.”
Qi Xiaolin’s hands paused. Seeing Yan Qingming acting this way, a complex feeling stirred within him. Yan Qingming was wearing a loose hospital gown, which made him look even thinner and weaker. On his exposed neck were bloodstained bite marks he had left himself, and the skin around his eyes was bruised. He had always been heavy-handed, and with the dim lighting in the warehouse yesterday, he hadn’t seen clearly.
Though he felt guilty, he felt even more defiant. He threw down the disposable chopsticks and roared, “Are you throwing a tantrum? What reason do you have to give me a cold shoulder? Yan Qingming, based on the evidence you used to monitor me yesterday, I would be justified even if I beat you to a cripple!”
Yan Qingming turned his head to glance at him. Compared to Qi Xiaolin’s rage, Yan Qingming was far too calm. His eyes were like unmelting ice.
He spoke slowly, “Qi Xiaolin, I am the adopted son of your enemy. You brought me to Qingcheng and kept me well-fed and sheltered. I want to ask you: what do you consider me?”
Qi Xiaolin was stunned. He did not expect Yan Qingming to ask this. His lips moved, and he sneered, “What do I consider you? What do you think you are to me? You are the child of my enemy. You just happen to have a pretty face, so I keep you by my side as a toy. Did you really think you were something precious?”
He expected Yan Qingming to retort sharply, but Yan Qingming said nothing. He just looked at him quietly, his eyes obscure and difficult to read. The emotions within them were suffocating.
Qi Xiaolin felt a sharp soreness in his chest, and the air became oppressively heavy. He wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but Yan Qingming interrupted him.
“I understand.”
Four simple words, so calm they were unsettling. Yan Qingming pulled up the quilt, turned his back to Qi Xiaolin, and closed his eyes. So that was it. Since that was the case, treating such intimate acts as a joke and performing them in front of others was not so strange after all. After all, he was just a toy; there was no dignity worth maintaining.
Qi Xiaolin felt a mountain of words stuck in his throat, unable to speak. Just then, his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced down at the name and realized he could not delay any longer. He said, “You must eat your breakfast. I bought this with great difficulty. If you don’t eat it, just wait and see how I deal with you when I get back!”
He spoke with feigned ferocity and turned to leave the room. The room returned to silence. Yan Qingming opened his eyes and stared blankly into space. After a long while, he smiled self-deprecatingly.
Yan Feng sat in the interrogation room, covered in injuries. He looked at the person entering with ill intent and spoke mockingly, “Truly, a good dog who follows whoever gives him a bone.”
Ren Jue had also been an orphan they had picked up and raised with the best food and care. Yet, when the time came for betrayal, Ren Jue was the first to rebel alongside Qi Xiaolin. What an ingrate!
Ren Jue smiled. “There is no help for it. By your side, I would only ever be a lowly servant for the rest of my life, unable to grasp any real power. Following Qi Xiaolin, I can always pick up some crumbs.”
Yan Feng sneered, “If it weren’t for me, you would have been crippled by human traffickers and left on the street begging!”
The smile on Ren Jue’s face faltered. Those days were the ones he least wanted to recall. He asked as if unintentionally, “And the Madame? Why isn’t she here with you? Could it be that she died of illness in prison?”
Madame Yan had a heart condition and had previously relied on money to prolong her life. But now, in prison, where the fallen phoenix is pecked by dogs, how could she still enjoy the luxury she once had?
Yan Feng’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenching until they clicked. “Don’t overestimate yourself. I may be getting old and unable to defeat Qi Xiaolin, but as for you, I can make you stop breathing before you even have time to call for help.”
Killing intent filled his eyes. The former hegemon, even in his downfall, was not someone to be mocked by just anyone. Ren Jue felt a bit of fear in his heart but had to pretend to be calm. He said, “I’m not here to argue with you. You must also want to get out of here, right?”
Yan Feng scoffed, “Nonsense.”
His wife was dying, and his son’s whereabouts were unknown. At this rate, no matter how much longer he lived, what was the point?
Ren Jue took a deep breath and voiced the plan he had been brewing all night. “Let’s cooperate. I will get you out, and you only need to say a few words for me.”
As long as he could eventually stand above Yan Qingming, what did it matter if he conspired with the devil?