Xie Wangyuan leaned in with his usual lack of decorum and lifted the black paper bag in his hand. “Here. For you.”
Qin Yu lowered his eyes to glance at it. Before he could see what was inside, Xie Wangyuan stuffed the bag straight into the arms of He Rui, who was standing nearby pretending to be an ostrich. “This one’s easy to keep alive. It takes after me.”
“You put my car on a blacklist, you know. I had to walk several intersections to get here.” Xie Wangyuan lifted his foot and nudged Qin Yu’s pant leg, playing the pitiful card. “It’s fine if you don’t want to have dinner with me tonight. At least give me a ride?”
Qin Yu looked at the small patch of dust left on his pant leg. “Not on the way.”
Xie Wangyuan tilted his head. He couldn’t quite see Qin Yu’s expression but he immediately latched on. “It is. With you, it’s always on the way.”
An hour later, Xie Wangyuan was squatting by the roadside again, calling Ren Yi.
Another hour and a half passed before Ren Yi followed the navigation to a desolate stretch of land.
An abandoned bus stop stood there. The bench behind Xie Wangyuan was mottled with rust and the lettering on the signpost had corroded until it was completely illegible.
Ren Yi burst out laughing. “Brother Yuan, quick interview, how did you even find this godforsaken place where not even birds bother to shit?”
Xie Wangyuan didn’t move from his squat, squinting as he pondered life. “Good question. I’d also like to know how Qin Yu found this place.”
“Qin Yu?!” Ren Yi was shocked. “Whoa, he really got in your car? Did you do something to him? And then he drove off in your car?!”
Xie Wangyuan’s legs had long gone numb. When he stood up, he nearly face planted. He grimaced, hunched over and braced himself against the car until the dizziness passed. “Tch. He didn’t get in my car. I got in his.”
“???” Ren Yi covered his mouth and spoke shakily. “Brother Yuan… so you were the one who got… ”
“He fell asleep the moment he got in,” Xie Wangyuan said irritably, shooting Ren Yi a look. “Didn’t even say a word to me.”
“Then you getting dumped here is because.. ”
“Don’t ask,” Xie Wangyuan cut him off. “That’s the price of ‘on the way.’” He hopped on one leg back into the car. “Give me back the lighter I gave you.”
Ren Yi: “?”
“I told you, that lighter’s been with me for years,” Xie Wangyuan muttered. “That potted plant of mine… forget it, it probably got thrown out the same way.”
—-666
Inside the car, He Rui obediently hugged the paper bag in his arms. “President Qin, this…”
A hand reached out from the back seat. He Rui hurriedly passed it over. Just as He Rui thought the paper bag was about to meet the same fate as its owner, he heard soft rustling sounds from behind him.
Inside the bag was a potted mint plant. It hadn’t fully grown yet and the scent wasn’t strong but it was clearly planted into the shape of a heart.
The roaring wind swept in through the half open window, completely dispersing the lingering scent from Xie Wangyuan, who had just been sitting beside him and at the same time spread the mint fragrance more fully.
Qin Yu closed the mouth of the bag and set it aside.
On the balcony of the rehabilitation center room, a woman sat in a wheelchair, quietly watching the sunset over the river.
Seeing Qin Yu arrive, the caregiver adjusted the blanket draped over the woman’s legs, stood up and went into the living room.
After briefly reporting on the day’s situation, she lowered her voice. “The doctor said this morning that Ms. Zheng’s condition isn’t very good. He asked that you contact him when you have time.”
Qin Yu nodded.
The caregiver hesitated before adding, “Mr. Qin, about the mirror in the bathroom, should we…”
The bathroom door was still wide open. The wall was bare. The mirror that had once hung there had already been removed. On the floor lay an oval, carved mirror, surrounded by scattered shards of glass.
“Leave it there. Even if it breaks, it has to be replaced,” Qin Yu said as he walked in and picked up the fragments.
In the shards flashed a pair of deep, shadowed eyes, accompanied by a low murmur: “Living in dreams all day, unwilling to wake up, are dreams really that beautiful? Then I insist on waking you up.”
The man’s voice was low and deep. The caregiver didn’t hear clearly, only feeling a chill crawl up her spine.
After the caregiver cleaned up the fragments and left the room, Qin Yu stared at Zheng Lan’s back for a long time. His fingers twitched and he gave up on the idea of taking out his phone.
The sunset bathed Zheng Lan in golden light, making even her pale, bloodless face glow with an almost dazzling beauty. Qin Yu walked over and crouched beside her wheelchair.
Zheng Lan watched intently as the sun slowly sank into the river, until it was completely swallowed.
Qin Yu closed his eyes briefly and asked softly, “Mom, is the sunset beautiful?”
The only answer was the bleak wind outside the balcony.
At nine in the evening, Zheng Lan was wheeled into the bedroom. The caregiver laid her flat on the bed, tucked the covers around her, exchanged a brief word with Qin Yu and left.
Seeing Qin Yu standing at the foot of the bed, Zheng Lan’s empty eyes lit up for a fleeting moment. She struggled to part her lips twice, her voice hoarse. “Wei… Hong…”
Qin Yu didn’t move. His tone was flat. “He won’t come.”
Zheng Lan seemed not to hear. She called out hoarsely a couple more times, then sank into a deep sleep under the influence of the medication.
Outside, the night sky was heavy and overcast. Thick clouds spread a dense, murky white haze. There were no stars, no moon.
On the first floor, in the doctors’ temporary duty room.
“Mr. Qin, Ms. Zheng’s physical condition, ”
“Give me a timeframe.” Qin Yu’s expression remained calm, without a ripple. “How long does she have left?”
“At most, no more than a month.” The doctor paused, then offered his usual advice. “Mr. Qin, you can start preparing the funeral arrangements.”
Qin Yu nodded calmly. “Thank you for your trouble.”
That night, Qin Yu didn’t stay at the rehabilitation center. He returned to Hongjing Garden.
Hongjing Garden was a residential development built by a Qin Corporation subsidiary several years ago. The apartment had been purchased for Qin Yu by Qin Weihong after he confirmed Qin Yu as his biological son.
The place was fully furnished, with all furniture and daily necessities complete. It looked much the same as when Qin Yu first moved in. After several years, there were still not many additional items.
Qin Yu casually placed the paper bag on the coffee table, removed his suit jacket, took off his watch and put it into the storage box on the side table. Beside it lay a lighter inlaid with crushed diamonds.
He undid his cufflinks, removed the ring from his right hand and walked into the bathroom while unbuttoning his shirt.
The stream of water pouring down from above was cold, sliding over Qin Yu’s prominent, subtly moving Adam’s apple. He lowered his head and stared at the cigarette burn scar on his index finger.
Cold seeped into every inch of him. After a long while, Qin Yu slowly clenched his right hand into a fist and braced it against the wall.
Wearing a bathrobe, Qin Yu emerged. His gaze drifted unconsciously toward the paper bag. He looked at it for a long time before finally picking it up and walking out onto the empty balcony. He took out the potted mint plant and set it on the windowsill.
The next day, after arriving at the company, Qin Yu arranged multiple meetings and issued a series of personnel and project changes.
After the final meeting in the afternoon, Qin Yu returned to his office and rubbed his temples tiredly.
He had barely slept the night before, cross-referencing the personnel lists of headquarters and subsidiaries, reorganizing everyone under Qin Huajie again and again.
Qin Huajie wasn’t in the office that day. During the meetings, Qin Yu directly removed several senior executives and key managers aligned with Qin Huajie and suspended several projects.
Qin Huajie had already grown restless after his son became engaged to the young Omega heir of another powerful family, gaining yet another source of backing. Learning that his people had been removed, he was bound to be anything but calm.
Qin Yu rubbed his fingertips together, feeling a faint sense of weariness.
In the early hours of the morning, the living room lights were off. The ashtray on the coffee table was packed densely with cigarette butts. The faint glow of the laptop screen illuminated Xie Wangyuan’s face as he sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa. The chat window on the screen had already been closed.
The laboratory developing the inhibitor belonged to a biomedical company called Guanfeng. Established only a few years ago, Guanfeng had already produced a number of eye catching research results.
With Xie Tiancheng around, it was impossible for Xie Wangyuan to openly volunteer as a clinical trial subject. He had previously had people look into Guanfeng.
Without exception, its upper management consisted entirely of research personnel. After making contact, there had been no progress at all, leaving him no choice but to approach the matter from other directions.
Ordinarily speaking, pharmaceutical research and development has a very long cycle. The entire research phase burns money every single day and can be described as a bottomless pit.
If a newly established company lacks strong financial backing, it may not even survive through the laboratory stage yet Guanfeng had no obvious investment firms behind it.
The latest information indicated that Guanfeng had once received a massive transfer of funds from the same overseas account originating from a well known international medical charity organization.
For an investor to go to such lengths to circuitously conceal their identity, having reached this point, Xie Wangyuan had no reason to give up. He simply instructed his people to investigate, along with it, the sources of donations that this charity organization had received from Country C over the past few years.
There were numerous accounts involved and it was cross border. The person handling it couldn’t guarantee a concrete timeframe. After exchanging a few words, they hurriedly went offline.
Xie Wangyuan didn’t touch the money in the card that had just been unfrozen. Instead, he reviewed some of his overseas investments and recovered several sums of funds.
Reaching for his cigarette case, he found it empty. Xie Wangyuan returned to the bedroom. In the darkness, he kicked the corner of the bed, cursed under his breath and collapsed stiffly into the mattress.
At noon, the light seeping through the gap in the curtains was glaring. Xie Wangyuan turned over, buried his head in the pillow and drowsily remembered that his car was still parked in Qin Corporation’s parking lot.
After washing up, Xie Wangyuan casually made himself a plate of pasta and ate it, then went to a small supermarket outside and bought a windproof lighter.
Across from the supermarket was a gift shop. Xie Wangyuan checked the time, then crossed the street.
The gift shop followed a cute, bright aesthetic. Inside, several Omegas were selecting small gifts. An Alpha like Xie Wangyuan looked completely out of place there.
The store was filled mostly with plush toys and cartoon figurines. Still unwilling to give up, Xie Wangyuan made two full rounds before stopping in front of a shelf displaying nesting doll toys.
He glanced around, then called out to the shop assistant at the end of the aisle, who had only been daring to sneak glances without approaching. “Can this be customized?”
A person in uniform suddenly popped up beside him, a name badge on their chest reading “Manager.” “Yes, it can!”
Xie Wangyuan took out his phone and pulled up that stick figure drawing again. “This, can you make it?”
The manager froze for a moment, then lowered their head and examined it carefully for a while before answering tactfully, “It’s possible but this one is a bit… it might not be possible to restore it one hundred percent…”
Xie Wangyuan enlarged the image and pointed at the small black dot. “The rest doesn’t matter. This must be added.”
“Yes, sir.” The manager nodded repeatedly. “Do you have any other requirements? For example, color, clothing or expression?”
Xie Wangyuan thought for a moment. “Black suit. As fast as possible. Money isn’t an issue.”
Xie Wangyuan left his contact information and paid a hefty deposit. In high spirits, he wandered around the shop again before finally leaving with a plush hedgehog that wore a cold, expressionless face tucked under his arm.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm accepts offerings. The translator specifically requests coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · A Beta who looks particularly attractiveChapter 2 · Illegitimate child? BetaChapter 3 · Am I going to kick a hornet’s nest?Chapter 4 · A banquet that only Betas can attendChapter 5 · The young man’s heart was wastedChapter 6 · What’s so fun about Beta?Chapter 7 · Your dad has too many loversChapter 8 · Date with a ‘beautyChapter 9 · Long Time no see…Chapter 10 · He’ll definitely be the dominant oneChapter 11 · Seeing Qin Yu was like a dog seeing a bone.Chapter 12 · Young Master Qin, what a coincidenceChapter 13 · I don’t like things that other people have touched.Chapter 14 · Just call him “little brother”Chapter 15 · Are you going to pursue Xiao Mei O?Chapter 16 · The dead are deadChapter 17 · Qin Yu, aren’t you going to take responsibility?Chapter 18 · Xie Wangyuan and his dog are not allowed insideChapter 19 · Got into his carChapter 20 · He really gave me a hard timeChapter 21 · You actually Like that beta?Chapter 22 · Like an Alpha catching his wife cheatingChapter 23 · How do you want me to repay you?Chapter 24 · An Alpha without pheromonesChapter 25 · I’m determined to get my hands on Qin YuChapter 26 · Whatever service you needChapter 27 · Honey, shall I put it on for you?Chapter 28 · Mr. Qin has a rather unique aesthetic senseChapter 29 · Who says Qin Yu is hard to deal with?Chapter 30 · Please teach me, Teacher QinChapter 31 · These are all he can lose.Chapter 32 · I’m looking for someone who has “disappeared”.Chapter 33 · A new meaning in his lifeChapter 34 · Your birthday is in a few days, right?Chapter 35 · Just the two of us.Chapter 36 · It was like Qin Yu’s O-selection banquetChapter 37 · He saw himself clearly in his eyesChapter 38 · Do those Betas really make you this comfortable?Chapter 39 · Qin Yu, you just wait.Chapter 40 · I’m to blame for stealing tonight’s main characterChapter 41 · If you have only one piece of clothing left, you winChapter 42 · I admit defeatChapter 43 · He is my lover!Chapter 44 · What kind of cult is Yuyuan?Chapter 45 · There are no other BetasChapter 46 · Go to bedChapter 47 · Susceptible periodChapter 48 · Qin Yu, are you a damn dog?!Chapter 49 · It would be best to lock us up completelyChapter 50 · I’ll give you five million, leave my sonChapter 51 · Other Alphas smell awfulChapter 52 · He can’t possibly be like those stupid Alpha dogsChapter 53 · Only youChapter 54 · Go ahead and say what you just said again if you dareChapter 55 · I thought you were going to meet someone at night.Chapter 56 · Swallow it.Chapter 57 · Service fee for the second young masterChapter 58 · He touched it himself and showed it to meChapter 59 · To make an Alpha no longer need an OmegaChapter 60 · They’re kindly taking me in?Chapter 61 · Qin Yu is different.Chapter 62 · HelpChapter 63 · At times like this and that with Qin Yu.Chapter 64 · We will never abandon themChapter 65 · My wife’s surname is QinChapter 66 · Two numbersChapter 67 · Qin Yu and dogs are not allowed insideChapter 68 · Eat a lotChapter 69 · It’s a must-eatChapter 70 · Batian misses youChapter 71 · Earn money to support your wife.Chapter 72 · I hug you like a crossChapter 73 · Use these to exchange for a wish.Chapter 74 · Extra 1Chapter 75 · Extra 2Chapter 76 · Extra 3Chapter 77 · Extra 4Chapter 78 · Extra 5Chapter 79 · Extra 6Chapter 80 · Extra 7Chapter 81 · Extra 8Chapter 82 · Extra 9Chapter 83 · Extra 10Chapter 84 · Extra 11Chapter 85 · Extra 12