"I thought you wouldn't come tonight."
A white-haired man lying on a rocking chair tilted his head as he heard the elevator's sound.
Qi Weiran entered, wearing casual home clothes.
Seeing his attire, Xie Zhiyu showed an expression of disbelief.
"So you wear clothes other than suits."
Qi Weiran replied unceremoniously, "There's a lot you don't know about me."
Like his identity as the Pure Cotton Battle God, which he had hidden very well.
The two went deep into the greenhouse garden and took a hidden elevator down.
Who knew how this was constructed - there was a massive laboratory concealed here.
Qi Weiran casually took off his coat and lay on the cold, snow-white bed.
"This time will be more painful than before, bear with it," said Xie Zhiyu, approaching with a syringe.
But Qi Weiran suddenly asked, "Who else knows about the Xie family poisoning me?"
Xie Zhiyu paused for a moment before answering, "Apart from the two of us alive, everyone else who knew is underground. Should I have someone dig them up and ask a spirit summoner to question them?"
Qi Weiran nodded slightly, "Yes, please do."
Xie Zhiyu's pale eyes froze, "...That girl really has changed you a lot."
Qi Weiran didn't respond, but thought to himself, 'Indeed.'
Recalling what that human trafficker had said and Yi Qingju's intense reaction at the time, he felt that she might know something.
If she knew that he didn't have a genetic disease but was poisoned, and that there was a chance of recovery, would she leave him?
At this thought, a glimpse of ruthlessness flashed in Qi Weiran's eyes.
...
"Oh sir, you need to simmer these traditional herbal medicine jars over a low flame slowly."
Auntie Zhang couldn't help but laugh out loud when she saw the blotches of black soot on Qi Weiran's usually flawless, handsome face.
This was too funny. In her memory, Qi Weiran was unlike other children - even dogs would disdain how dirty he was. He had never played in the mud, climbed trees, or played games.
While others experienced childhood, he was busy growing up.
Looking at the pot of sludgy, indistinguishable substance, Qi Weiran pursed his lips.
"Let me handle this. You go wash your face, sir."
It was the weekend, and Yi Qingju had gone to the zoo with Sun Wenjuan and their children, so Qi Weiran took the opportunity to secretly practice decocting herbal medicine.
After washing his face and hands, the man who had never failed at anything he learned refused to accept failure, squatting beside Auntie Zhang to observe her.
Seeing this, Auntie Zhang brought a small stool for Qi Weiran to sit on.
In the serene garden, passing gardeners followed the bitter aroma to investigate, only to see the tall Qi Weiran sitting seriously on a tiny stool.
A young apprentice asked his senior dazedly, "How much could we sell a stool Sir has sat on?"
The old man glanced at him, his tone complicated, "You keep your distance from the lady in the future."
A good, naive young lad had been completely 'oranged.'
...
Little Qi Xinian sat in the child seat in the car, hugging his Ultraman backpack.
"Yi Qingju, I saw you and my uncle sleeping separately last night. Did your relationship break down?"
Yi Qingju thought, 'This kid's eyes are sharp.'
"Why would you think that? If I lost your uncle, it would be like a goldfish losing a bicycle. I wouldn't let that happen."
"Eh, there are so many people at the zoo. I can't find a parking spot."
It took Qi Xinian a few seconds to understand the meaning of her words.
After a pause, the child climbed up and pointed with his short fingers, "There's a spot in that corner on the left."
Yi Qingju looked over, and her expression distorted.
It was a spot by the wall, but there was a large vehicle parked next to it, not straight, leaving a very narrow and tricky space.
"Little dumpling, get out and watch from the side. Tell me if I'm about to hit the wall."
Qi Xinian nodded.
Yi Qingju gripped the steering wheel, turned it, and heard a 'bang' as the rear hit the wall.
In her dazed state, she heard Qi Xinian's childish voice from outside, "Ten forty-five a.m."
Yi Qingju: "......"
She hadn't spanked Qi Xinian in three days.
Seeing the smashed rear, Yi Qingju felt like crying.
"This needs repair..." She was about to take out her phone -
But Qi Xinian, standing beside her, suddenly raised his wrist to his smart watch and said, "Hey, it's me."
"The car is broken. I need someone to come fix it in three minutes."
He hung up deftly, then looked up with a smug childish face, "How's that, woman? Satisfied?"
Yi Qingju: "...Satisfied."
She gave up correcting him.
Maybe her future daughter-in-law would like him this way too.
Tsk, good luck to you, my future daughter-in-law.
Sun Wenjuan had taken An Zuoran by taxi, as Yi Qingju had originally planned to pick them up -
Remembering her damaged rear.
Well, it was good she didn't go.
After the two children played wildly all day, as they were about to leave, Yi Qingju asked Sun Wenjuan how she would go home.
Sun Wenjuan smiled, "An De will come pick us up later. What about you?"
Thinking of her car being repaired, Yi Qingju figured she would take a taxi, "My car had an issue, I'll just take a taxi back."
Sun Wenjuan was surprised, "Qi, the CEO, won't come pick you two up?"
Yi Qingju shook her head as they walked side by side in the crowd, "He's a busy man, how would he have time for me?"
He had been engrossed in some research since breakfast, his face serious. She didn't know what big deal had Qi Weiran so focused.
If she caused this project to fail, Yi Qingju would punish herself first.
As she thought this, they neared the zoo entrance when Sun Wenjuan exclaimed, "Oh? What are they selling over there? It's so lively!"
Yi Qingju followed her gaze.
Sure enough, a crowd had gathered there.
[Well well, it's so lively! What's going on, is there a monkey performance?]
Yi Qingju squeezed through the crowd, tugging little dumpling, and met those familiar amber eyes directly.
Yi Qingju froze.
[Damn! With so many people watching for free! I shouldn't have given little dumpling that ten bucks for a lollipop earlier, I should've bought a bowl to charge for watching Qi Weiran!]
Qi Weiran: "......"
He suddenly felt he wasn't a good businessman.
A true businessman should be like Yi Qingju, never missing a chance to beg, even when just going out.
With too many people around and little dumpling there, Yi Qingju had disguised herself, so she couldn't reveal her identity now. She silently pulled the eager-to-greet Qi Weiran away from the crowd.
"What was it? What's going on inside?" asked the curious Sun Wenjuan, whose mobility issues prevented her from entering the crowd.
Just as Qi Xinian was about to say his uncle was there, Yi Qingju cut in, "Nothing much to see, just a monkey performance."
Qi Xinian: "......" He would remember this and tell on her later.
After parting with Sun Wenjuan and An Zuoran, Yi Qingju met up with Qi Weiran elsewhere.
"Sir, why didn't you let me know you were coming to pick us up?"
[Still going to crowded places, afraid no one would know you're Qi Weiran?]
Qi Weiran himself wasn't sure why he did that.
He saw many men standing there waiting for their wives and children, so on an impulse, Qi Weiran only realized he shouldn't have done that after people started gathering around him.
But the moment he saw Yi Qingju, he didn't feel that way anymore.
"Uncle."
Tuan'r rushed over to hug Qi Weiran, when suddenly two dogs came charging from somewhere. Yi Qingju quickly pulled the child back with nimble hands.
The two little Poodles were barking at Qi Weiran, but he didn't seem to notice them, lowering his gaze to look at the two dogs.
Oh, there are two Feng Yi Sheng.
"I'm sorry—"
A apologetic female voice suddenly popped up, then she came over holding two empty leashes, clearly the dogs had slipped out of her control and ran over on their own.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry, is your child okay? It's all my fault!" The bespectacled girl kept bowing and apologizing.
After checking that Tuan'r was unharmed, Yi Qingju finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's okay, just be more careful next time."
Seeing her dogs still surrounding Qi Weiran and barking, the girl quickly called out, "Jack! Luck! Come here!"
Yi Qingju's expression was complicated: [Receiving guests and soliciting clients? What kind of naming method is this from the literature of brothels?]
Qi Weiran: "......"
