Li Qing was about to be led astray, so he hurriedly changed the subject: “I’m a little hungry.”
“I’ve already asked He Xiao to go buy lunch.”
As Si Muchen spoke, he pulled Li Qing’s phone out of his pocket he had brought it along when he came. “Do you want to contact your family first?”
Li Qing nodded and dialed Li Huai’s number. “Brother…”
A gentle voice came through the phone: “Qing’er? After being away from home for a year, you’ve finally decided to contact me? Are you short on money? Let me tell you a secret: Dad said that since you’ve managed to persist for a year, you’ve shown great resolve. He’s decided to support your dream from now on and will probably contact you in a couple of days to soften his stance.”
Li Qing’s eyes grew hot with unshed tears, and the words he had on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back. Only a few days? It’s a pity the original owner didn’t live to see it…
“San Sui, you’re quite close to the King of Hell. Can you make sure the original owner can be with his family in his next life?”
San Sui replied in a soft, sweet voice: “Don’t worry, Host. Since we are using his body, we will absolutely give them a reward worth far more than that. No matter which small world we are in, I won’t let them suffer a loss! I arranged everything perfectly for the Li Qing of the previous life; my connections are worth trusting!”
After saying this, San Sui flicked its petals and entered sleep mode.
Li Qing composed his emotions and complained with a wronged, pitiful tone: “Brother, someone bullied me! I was beaten!”
“What!? Where are you!?”
“The hospital…”
Li Huai arrived at the hospital quickly. After Li Qing finished introducing them, Si Muchen tactfully left the room, leaving the space to the two brothers. Once outside, he blankly asked his bodyguard: “Was that… Li Huai?”
The bodyguard also found it incredible: “The eldest son of the richest man in the country, the current CEO of Haisheng Group. He appears frequently in financial news and was even voted Top 1 on a list of the most handsome CEOs by netizens.”
Si Muchen leaned against the wall, eyes lowered in thought. It seems Li Qing is the billionaire’s youngest son, who had never appeared in public before. Qing’er’s family background is so prestigious, while I am just an orphan. If the Li family wants to block us from being together, it would be too easy…
“Hey, Yan Ci, I have a favor to ask.”
“You actually have a request for me? Tell me first, and I’ll consider it.”
“I want to slowly sell off my shares in Xinghai within a year, and then buy a remote island. Can buying an island be done without leaving a trace?”
Yan Ci probed cautiously: “Brother, you haven’t committed a crime, have you? Are you trying to hide?”
“No, you know what kind of person I am. Please, help me with this.”
He didn’t state the specific reason, and Yan Ci didn’t press further; he trusted him enough.
Li Huai sat beside the hospital bed, looking at the injuries on Li Qing’s face, instinctively pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose to hide the cold glint in his eyes. “Who did this?”
Li Qing told his brother everything he had experienced since his debut, accompanied by his hospital gown and the bruises on his face, which made him look extremely pitiful.
Li Huai was almost amused by his own rage. His own brother the one he had raised in the palm of his hand was actually being bullied like this! Had he known, he shouldn’t have listened to their father and stayed out of it entirely, leaving the kid in such a miserable state. If he had provided some secret guidance, things might have been better.
“Leave those people to me. As for you, do you want to come home or continue drifting outside?”
Li Qing sat cross-legged and smiled. “Didn’t you just say Dad supports my dream? In that case, invest some money and give me some resources. I’m so excellent investing in me won’t be a loss!”
“We’ll talk about resources after I acquire that trashy company of yours. Come home with me first and get some good rest. Mom and Dad miss you very much.”
Having agreed to return home that night, Li Huai noticed Li Qing’s eyes wandering, as if he had something to say but didn’t know where to start. “What is it? Is there some difficulty you can’t speak of?”
Li Qing stared at him with a guilty conscience and mumbled out the fact that he and Si Muchen were in love and intended to spend the rest of their lives together.
“I’ve had a crush on him for a long time, and it was love at first sight for him too. Our relationship is very good!”
Li Huai: “…” How had he never noticed his brother’s sexual orientation before? He’d heard this stuff had genetic factors, but their family didn’t have that gene, did they?
Li Huai couldn’t think of a reason, and when Li Qing saw him silent, he waved a hand before his eyes: “Brother, are you scared stupid?”
Li Huai regained his composure and said, “Mom and Dad won’t agree.”
“So, you agree?” Li Qing was skilled at grabbing the point.
“I don’t discriminate, but I don’t approve of him either. Whether he can stay with you will require some testing after all, you aren’t exactly sharp-witted; you’re the type to help people count the money after they sell you.”
Li Qing retorted, “Don’t talk nonsense, I’m smart! Brother, can you help me hide it from Mom and Dad for now? They’re old and can’t take the shock; I have to do this gradually.”
Seeing his brother’s pitiful look, Li Huai nodded helplessly. “I’ll help you hide it for a year.”
“Thank you, Brother!”
He Xiao, who had gone out to buy food, finally returned and was also startled when he saw Li Huai. He truly hadn’t expected this could his artist’s romance really lead to such a massive connection?
After Li Qing finished eating, the test results came back; there was nothing major, and he just needed to rest well for a few days. Li Huai glanced at Si Muchen without much exchange and took Li Qing straight out of the hospital to go home.
Watching the luxury car drive away, He Xiao now wished more than anything that Li Qing was just messing around with Si Muchen and wouldn’t get emotionally involved. He didn’t want Si Muchen to leave in one piece only to return in pieces later. He patted Si Muchen’s shoulder and sighed:
“Muchen, don’t ruin your own future. A young master like Li Qing will definitely find a well-matched girl to marry in the future. Don’t fall in too deep.”
Si Muchen glared at him. “Nonsense, Qingqing and I are true love!”
He Xiao: “…” It’s over, he’s fallen for it. I should start considering how to collect his remains.
Zihai Manor.
As soon as Li Qing returned, he went inside and flopped onto the bed. He had been through so much today; he was both tired and sleepy. He yawned, sent a “goodnight” to Si Muchen, and fell asleep instantly.
Li Shanhai helped his youngest son close the door, then turned and took Li Huai to the study to ask for a detailed account of what happened. The father and son talked in the study for a long time. Li Shanhai’s expression grew increasingly ugly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desk: “Don’t let a single one of them go!”
Li Qing slept until the afternoon of the next day. He sat up with a messy “bird’s nest” of hair, and just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Li Huai.
“Brother, how far has my revenge progressed?”
Li Huai’s voice was still gentle, but what he said was not so soft:
“The investor accidentally broke both his legs, and his ‘manhood’ is ruined too. He’s currently being treated in the hospital, constantly shouting that ‘Li Qing is a monster.’ He might be trying to use insanity as a plea to escape legal punishment, but he’s destined to be disappointed. His company will go bankrupt soon, and then he’ll end up in the station because of some things he did in the past; he won’t get away.
“As for your manager, he seems to have a murder on his conscience and ran away out of guilt. How long it’ll take to catch him is the police’s problem.
“Those teammates of yours are young, but they’ve done plenty of despicable things. School bullying, sleeping with fans, acting like divas, using the dowries of their sisters who were sold into prostitution to debut… these people have plenty of ‘achievements.’ It’s all been exposed now, with solid evidence there’s no denying it. But you were all a team, and it’ll affect you too. Stay off the internet for a while; don’t read too many netizens’ comments. Also, I expect to fully acquire Qitian Entertainment within a month; from then on, you won’t have to look at anyone’s face in that company ever again.”