At eight-thirty in the evening, the recording for the first episode wrapped up.
Around eleven o’clock, Zhu Xinqing picked up Chu Zhuo, treated him to a meal, packed a pizza to go, and hurried off to the airport to pick up Chu Kai, whose flight arrived an hour after Chu Zhuo’s.
Chu Kai cautiously opened the car door, and Chu Zhuo, sitting in the back seat, excitedly threw himself into his arms, hugging his cheek and kissing him. “Daddy, missed Daddy, Daddy, hum-um Daddy.”
Chu Kai hurriedly steadied himself, gently closed the car door, and coaxed Chu Zhuo softly. “Be good, don’t cry, don’t cry. Why is our baby still awake?”
“He insisted on coming with me to pick you up,” Zhu Xinqing turned around from the driver’s seat, stretched, a faint smile hanging on her face, and then started the car. “We’ve already eaten at the shop, but we brought you a beef pizza so you can eat something.”
“Mm, I’ll eat in a bit.” Chu Kai responded, his mind still entirely focused on Chu Zhuo.
He helped Chu Zhuo wipe away a green-bean-sized tear, and held him in his arms, coaxing him until the little fellow fell sound asleep in his embrace. Only then did he shed his exhaustion and rub his sore eyes.
Zhu Xinqing looked at Chu Kai in the rearview mirror and said softly, “Get some good rest tonight, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Mm.” Chu Zhuo in his arms inexplicably relaxed Chu Kai, and his eyelids were already fighting each other.
Yulan Dian Detached Villa Area.
Lian Wuchang anxiously drove the car, the phone on the mount vibrating incessantly to show an ongoing outgoing call.
The call connected, and he spoke hurriedly, “Hello, President Yan, this is Lian Wuchang.”
“What’s wrong with Yan Chi?” The voice coming through the Bluetooth headset was weary and low.
“I just picked him up from the airport. As soon as he got back, he grabbed his sports car keys and drove off. I’m following him right now.” Lian Wuchang gripped the steering wheel tightly, his gaze fixed on the red-and-black super sports car ahead.
“Did you bring the medicine?” The voice in the headset had a slight fluctuation.
“I brought it,” Lian Wuchang replied, then muttered thoughtfully, “It’s been a whole year without a relapse. President Yan, Chi-ge just went to participate in a reality variety show about parenting, it shouldn’t be enough to trigger an episode, right?”
Yan Zuo used his rough palm to smooth out Qiu Yuanming’s furrowed brow, then stepped down from the bed, buttoning his shirt with one hand as he walked out. “I’m heading over immediately. Share your location.”
Hanging up the phone and driving for another dozen minutes, Lian Wuchang finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar route.
He pressed a button and called Yan Zuo back. “President Yan, it’s the route heading toward Xiuchi Road.”
Yan Zuo’s sharp gaze tightened, and he instructed, “Alright, keep the line open. Have the guards answer the call when you arrive, and after you go inside, wait for me in the living room with Uncle Wen.”
The guard station 800 meters from the Xiuchi Road sign.
The on-duty guard recognized the model of Yan Chi’s sports car from afar and stood at the intersection waiting for Yan Chi to pull over.
“Good day, Young Master Yan!” After confirming his identity, the guard raised his hand in a salute. The guard inside the post pressed a button and also saluted toward Yan Chi.
The barrier slowly rose, and the sports car sped past, skirted around the central garden, passed the lake, and finally turned into a bluestone-paved path, stopping in front of a three-story villa.
Two rows of servants in uniform stood outside the front door, and the middleman at the front stepped forward to take Yan Chi’s car keys.
As he smiled, the wrinkles of time appeared at the corners of his eyes. “Xiao Chi, you’re back.”
With a gloomy expression, Yan Chi stepped past the path cleared by the servants onto the marble steps surrounded by greenery. “Uncle Wen, I said, just leave a few people to clean up on schedule. You should go back to the other side and take care of Grandfather.”
“Fifth Uncle is being taken care of by my older brother, you don’t need to worry,” Yan Wen said, skillfully opening the golden protective cover at the door and entering the password.
Accompanied by a faint clicking sound, the front door slowly opened.
After changing shoes and entering the living room, the high-ceilinged space naturally drew one’s gaze from top to bottom.
Hanging in the center was a crystal-and-bamboo pear-blossom chandelier, behind the Chinese carved-wood screen sat a custom velvet sofa, the floor was covered with handmade silk rugs featuring matching traditional landscape patterns, the lapis lazuli coffee table was edged with inlaid diamonds, and the floating concrete staircase was spotlessly clean.
Especially the walls on both sides: one displayed Yan family medals, antiques, porcelain, and limited-edition books, while the other displayed classic records collected from all over the world along with Yan Chi’s award certificates and trophies. It was clean to an irritating degree.
Yet it still lacked any sense of human warmth.
Yan Chi only swept a general glance over the room before taking the elevator up to the second-floor master bedroom.
“Uncle Wen, you all go back and rest. Don’t mind me.”
Leaving behind only those words, Yan Chi locked the door.
The master bedroom had also been cleaned up, but Yan Chi couldn’t be bothered to look at it. He walked straight toward the wall hanging the family portrait, gently pressed his finger against a hidden indentation on the wall, and the entire wall slowly pushed inward, leading people into an unknown darkness.
Yan Chi walked coldly into that darkness, as if his soul were hidden inside.
At 1:00 AM, Yan Chi had been inside for nearly two hours, and Yan Zuo, Lian Wuchang, and Yan Wen in the living room had also been waiting for nearly two hours.
“Ding.”
The sound of the elevator arriving echoed through the spacious living room, breaking the long-sustained silence.
Yan Zuo was the first to walk to the doorway and change into a pair of sneakers.
Yan Chi, now changed into a red-and-black sportswear outfit, walked to the entrance, cast a downward glance at Yan Zuo, and then walked out in silence.
Yan Zuo followed his steps and asked calmly, “Running around the central garden today? Should we turn on the musical fountains?”
Yan Chi pressed his lips tightly together, switched to a running posture, and jogged rhythmically around the central garden as if running on a track.
An hour later, Yan Zuo reached out and stopped Yan Chi. “Your breathing rhythm is all messed up. Rest up, and you can run all you want tomorrow.”
Yan Chi reached out to wipe away his sweat and slowly came to a halt.
He sat on the non-slip steps in front of the musical fountain and took the water Yan Zuo handed him.
Yan Zuo shook the medicine bottle in his left hand and reminded him, “Take your medicine. Don’t make Grandfather, your dad, and your mom worry.”
“I’m not sick.” Yan Chi raised his head and continued drinking his water.
Yan Zuo shook a few capsule-shaped pills out into the bottle cap and handed them to Yan Chi. “It’s already morning now. Don’t disturb Grandfather and my aunt.”
Hearing this, Yan Chi glared up at Yan Zuo, then accepted the bottle cap filled with pills.
After swallowing the medicine, he complained resentfully, “If you hadn’t come along, you wouldn’t be disturbing Grandfather and Aunt.”
Yan Zuo showed no reaction to Yan Chi’s rebellious words; he simply called Uncle Wen over to give a few instructions, then left together with Lian Wuchang.
“Xiao Chi,” Uncle Wen said with a smile, following Yan Chi into the elevator. “The master bedroom needs to be tidied up. You can pick any guest bedroom to stay in first.”
With his hands shoved into his pockets, Yan Chi spoke in a harsh tone, “I said it doesn’t need to be tidied.”
Uncle Wen only responded with a smile to Yan Chi’s displeased tone.
Just as he expected, when they reached the door of the master bedroom, Yan Chi gave it a resentful glance just like before without entering, and instead turned around to rest in a guest bedroom.