“I’m a relative of Qiu Xianzhi’s, a kid from the family.” Jiang Zhuo had almost let it slip and said he was here for a Joyful Marriage, but then he remembered what Qiu Xianzhi had told him. In the future, when introducing himself, he couldn’t say Joyful Marriage, he had to say he was a relative’s child, or a younger brother.
At the mention of Qiu Xianzhi’s name, all three of them paused for a moment.
Night Mom quickly came to her senses and said, “Wait a second, I’ll contact him for you.”
But when she called, no one picked up. The moment the call ended, another call came in right away. It wasn’t Qiu Xianzhi, but a manager from the resort. They had caught the snake. It was a king cobra, caught in time, a snake that had been about to lay eggs.
As soon as she heard that it was a king cobra, Night Mom felt dizzy all over. Luckily Jiang Zhuo and the others were beside her, holding her up. “Honey, let’s move. They called and said it was a king cobra, that’s a cobra! Thank goodness these two kids are alright. What would we have done if something had happened to them!”
As she spoke, Night Mom started crying. She was the only woman in the family, spoiled by the three men at home. When had they ever seen her shed tears like this?
Ye Heng wanted to wipe her tears with his own clothes, but Jiang Zhuo pulled out two tissues and handed them over. Only then did Ye Heng remember that they’d both fallen into the water, and even he could smell how foul he was.
The hospital had been waiting for them for quite a while already. Ye Heng was standing there like a pillar waiting for his brother, craning his neck as he watched for them.
When he finally saw the car, Ye Heng relaxed. At this hour, he’d really been afraid they’d get stuck in traffic on the way.
The hospital had been notified in advance, so the two of them were examined from head to toe. In the end, it was confirmed that neither of them had any bite marks, and even Jiang Zhuo’s scraped wounds showed no sign of fangs.
As for contacting Qiu Xianzhi, that fell to Ye Heng. When he heard his mother say Jiang Zhuo was a child from Qiu Xianzhi’s family, he honestly thought he’d misheard her.
It wasn’t that he thought Qiu Xianzhi had no relatives. It was mainly because the resort was where Qiu Xianzhi had always lived, and he’d never once kept any family members there. Yet now a kid had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“So? Is he coming or not?” The second Ye Heng saw his mother’s expression, he knew she must have started treating Qiu Xianzhi like some cold-blooded monster again.
Ye Heng said, “He’s coming. His tone sounded icy, but you could still tell he was worried.”
“Mom, you can’t believe everything people say. Qiu Xianzhi is just cold on the outside. He’s way better than those smiling tigers.” Ye Heng had been in the business world long enough to know that while people bustle about for profit and chase after gain, that didn’t mean no one ever made real friends.
He and Qiu Xianzhi had known each other for years. They’d been childhood playmates. Anyone who really knew him understood that Qiu Xianzhi could be an excellent friend, and a worthy opponent too, much better than those people who smiled through masks.
“That’s not what Mom meant. It’s just that even Qiu Xianzhi’s mother said that when he was little…” Night Mom hesitated over what she wanted to say. She also felt she shouldn’t be saying such things, but it wasn’t only her. Everyone had seen that Qiu Xianzhi had heterochromia.
That in itself wasn’t anything rare. The world was full of strange things. It was just that the color was truly peculiar, red, like a vampire in an anime, dark pupils tinged with red.
Before, at a banquet, several people had wanted to find a place to rest for a while. When they pushed open a door, they saw Qiu Xianzhi standing by the window. He hadn’t turned on the light, and in the glow from outside, one of his eyes seemed to shine red.
A child, standing alone in a dark room without the lights on, in that eerie stillness.
Ye Heng firmly believed that if you had nothing to hide, you had nothing to fear. If someone got startled just by opening a door, then they had probably been doing something they didn’t want brought into the light.
At last, Jiang Zhuo and Ye Heng managed to take showers and change out of their filthy clothes. They finally felt much fresher.
Ye Heng had the kind of personality that could hold on and let go. Even though he still disliked Jiang Zhuo, Jiang Zhuo had helped him, and for that alone, he felt he ought to thank him. “It was so dangerous in the water just now. Thank you for helping me.”