Chapter 62
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“Qiu Qiu, let’s go for a paternity test.”
“Huh?”
“A paternity test.”
Rong Qiu put down the wet towel in his hand.
Why did he suddenly want to do a paternity test?
Rong Qiu looked at Rong Qin on the bed and didn’t directly agree to Rong Qin’s request.
“Why do you suddenly want to do a paternity test? Do you suspect that I am your lost younger brother?”
Rong Qin looked at him with his head raised, speaking while breathing, his breath somewhat labored. Nonetheless, he still carefully explained to Rong Qiu, “It’s not suspicion, that’s not the right word. Qiu Qiu, if you really are my brother, it would be like a blessing from my previous life; I just feel that there are too many coincidences between you and me.”
Rong Qiu half squatted down, facing Rong Qin’s gaze directly. “What coincidences?”
“Both you and I are betas, your age is almost the same as my lost brother’s age, and also, you’re lactose intolerant.”
Rong Qin made a reasonable argument, and Rong Qiu also pondered over his words. “It does seem too coincidental, but I still don’t think so.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The Federation is so big, your brother was lost in the Thirteenth Military District, while I grew up as a native orphan in the First Military District. Crossing such a great distance, I think Brother Qin might be mistaken.”
“Regardless of whether the thought is right or wrong, as long as a paternity test can prove it. Besides, have you ever thought about why your name is Rong Qiu?”
“I arrived at the welfare institution in the autumn, and the director named me ‘Rong Qiu.'”
“Why is it ‘Rong’?”
“I’m not sure about that either. The children in the welfare institution have simple names, just randomly picking one from the hundred surnames box. Whatever name they pick is what they get. Maybe I just happened to pick the character ‘Rong’…”
One sentence from Rong Qin, three from Rong Qiu.
Rong Qin stopped talking.
Supporting his chin with his uninjured hand, Rong Qin carefully observed Rong Qiu. Rong Qiu was only half an arm’s length away from him, bending down to wipe the plaster-exposed fingers on his hand, his movements gentle, showing a caregiving skill he seemed to have learned from somewhere, more intimate than the hospital nurses he had encountered over the years.
By the end of the conversation, Rong Qiu hadn’t given a definite answer about whether to do the paternity test.
Rong Qin didn’t pressure him either.
Rong Qin simply said, “Regardless of the result, the current Qiu Qiu is my real brother, and I will split all my inheritance with you in the future.”
Rong Qin meant it seriously.
He even planned to contact a lawyer to modify his will as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.
In his original will, all his possessions would be handed over to Qin Zexi upon his death, even though Qin Zexi might not value those things. However, that was his previous intention; but now, he didn’t want his intentions to fall into Qin Zexi’s hands.
The matter of paternity testing left ripples in Rong Qiu’s heart.
In fact, he had also fantasized about having a family of his own. Every year, children in orphanages would be adopted by members of society, and the reason he was adopted at the age of thirteen was that he always thought his biological parents would come looking for him, so he refused the loving parents who wanted to adopt him earlier; in the year he turned thirteen, as he approached differentiation, his emotions became particularly unstable, and during that time, the director of the welfare institution talked to him every day.
“The conditions in the welfare institution are not good. If you are adopted by foster parents, they will love you very much, and your differentiation period will also go smoothly, Qiu Qiu.”
“But what if my biological parents come looking for me…”
“Qiu Qiu, think about it. Joining a new family doesn’t prevent your biological parents from finding you. Even when you grow up, you’ll have the ability to find them yourself.”
So, Rong Qiu, who grew up in the welfare institution until he was thirteen, was finally successfully adopted.
That day, Rong Qiu wore a new outfit bought by the director, with clean little white shoes on his feet, and carried an old backpack on his back, which contained all his beloved items, including stationery and diaries he had used since childhood.
Those beta parents were very good to him.
In front of the director and all the children in the welfare institution, they kissed him on the forehead and affectionately called him “Qiu Qiu”.
He did have a happy life in that family for a while.
But soon, his differentiation period approached, and his differentiation reactions became more severe.
His beta foster parents were overjoyed.
They even took time off to stay with him at home.
Later, he learned that beta’s differentiation period was always calm, and only the reactions of alphas and omegas were particularly severe.
The joy and care of his beta foster parents were just hitting the jackpot.
After going through an extremely agonizing week of differentiation, his beta foster parents looked at his unremarkable nape, and soon became irritable and sent him back.
“If it’s a beta, what’s the use of being handsome?” / “In the future, you can only go to an ordinary beta school, you little waste.” / “Do you have any other non-differentiated children here? Send this beta child back.”
Soft words were the most ruthless.
He was not only a little orphan without a home, but also a waste as a differentiated beta.
From beginning to end, he was an unwelcome child.
He might live his whole life like this.
“Qiu Qiu! Qiu Qiu! Wake up, Qiu Qiu!”
Rong Qiu opened his sleepy eyes, his dream shattered, and what he saw was Rong Qin’s large body leaning halfway out of the bed. All his drowsiness disappeared in an instant.
“Brother Rong Qin, go back quickly! Be careful of your leg and hand!”
Rong Qiu’s heart was almost scared out of his chest, and he didn’t even care about the carousel-like dream he had just experienced.
Rong Qiu helped Rong Qin back onto the bed. He didn’t touch his broken hand, but accidentally aggravated the scratch on his back, causing the previously white disinfectant cotton to ooze a faint red.
Rong Qiu immediately called for a nurse.
Fortunately, it was just a crack in the wound. After applying new medicine and bandaging, the nurse inevitably said a few more words, reminding Rong Qin to rest well in bed, not to exert his back, and preferably not to strain his muscles.
Rong Qiu responded to each one.
Seeing the nurse leave with the bloody gauze, Rong Qiu’s complexion didn’t look good when he came back in and closed the door.
But before he could speak, Rong Qin, lying on the bed, furrowed his brows and spoke with concern, “Did you just have a nightmare?”
The words Rong Qiu wanted to say stuck in his throat. He sat on his accompanying bed, holding a pillow, and even gently kneaded his arm. He turned off the main light, leaving only the bedside lamp with its white light. The slender and smooth back of the beta, bathed in soft light, looked as pure as the moon.
“No.”
It wasn’t a nightmare.
But it often happened.
Whenever his life went a little smoother, this dream would follow him like a shadow.
“I don’t believe it. Qiu Qiu, were you just…” He almost slipped up, and Rong Qin bit back the word “crying.”
“What was I doing just now?”
“Nothing.” Rong Qin raised the pillow in front of his chest, adjusting to a more comfortable position for speaking. “I thought you were having a nightmare, so I called out to you. It’s late, go to sleep.”
With that, Rong Qin also yawned.
Seeing Rong Qin looking extremely sleepy and about to fall asleep, Rong Qiu didn’t ask further questions.
He turned off the remaining lamp at the head of the bed, leaving only the cold moonlight outside the window. It was still freezing outside, but the temperature in the VIP ward was comfortable. Listening to the faint snoring of Rong Qin beside him, a strong sense of drowsiness slowly surged up.
The next day, Rong Qiu woke up very early.
Rong Qiu’s nightmares were buried in the moonlight of last night. After falling asleep again, he slept soundly throughout the night without dreaming of those unpleasant memories. In his dream, he piloted a mech all night long, feeling like a bird soaring over the sea, free and unrestrained.
When he woke up, Rong Qin was still sleeping.
Rong Qin slept deeply, as the bodies of post-operative patients were usually weak, and changing the medicine last night had drained some of his energy.
At seven o’clock, after finishing breakfast, Rong Qiu didn’t wake up Rong Qin.
During the days when he took care of Rong Qin in the hospital, Rong Qiu had spent a long time gazing at Rong Qin’s sleeping face. Rong Qin’s mouth was sharp, but when he slept, his lips were soft, nothing like the fierce beta who confronted the world. Rong Qiu couldn’t help but recall last night when Rong Qin woke him from his past dreams, feeling a softness in his heart.
Actually, when Rong Qin first suggested the paternity test, he was momentarily tempted.
What if?
What if Rong Qin was indeed his blood relative?
Then they could acknowledge each other as brothers.
As for whether Rong Qin was at fault, Rong Qiu had already come to terms with it.
At that time, he was just a bed board for an alpha. Qin Muye was not Qin Zexi, and he didn’t have a severe stress reaction to omegas, so such an outstanding S-class alpha was destined to be with an S-class omega. It was understandable for Rong Qin to advise them to separate.
What made him sad was that Rong Qin helped Qin Muye hide it from him.
Rong Qiu didn’t easily cross that hurdle.
But now, Rong Qiu had crossed it.
In these five years, Rong Qin’s kindness to him had always been remembered in his heart.
So whether they were blood-related or not didn’t matter at all.
Moreover, doing the paternity test would only bring expectations, and if it turned out otherwise, those expectations would turn into painful knives.
Rong Qiu had been deprived of too many candies that should have belonged to him.
So this time, he didn’t want them anymore.
Whether Rong Qin was his real brother or not, he would treat Rong Qin the same as before.
He also didn’t need to find his biological parents.
Maybe his parents were far from being as good as Rong Qin. After all, there were very few people like Rong Qin, who tirelessly searched for his lost brother for more than twenty years in the whole world.
He wouldn’t be so lucky to encounter another “Brother Rong Qin”.
But Rong Qiu never expected that his thoughts would be completely reversed so quickly.
At seven fifteen in the morning, after throwing away the breakfast trash he had made, Rong Qiu was stopped by Qin Zexi, who was in the VIP ward next to him.
Looking at Qin Zexi getting out of bed, Rong Qiu glanced at Qin Zexi’s legs.
If he remembered correctly, both of Qin Zexi’s legs were broken, so how could he get out of bed so quickly?
Sure enough, Qin Zexi had snuck down.
Before he could come to Rong Qiu, he was solemnly stopped by two alpha bodyguards outside the door.
It was another “prison break.”
Obviously, it was unsuccessful.
But Qin Zexi struggled fiercely: “Let go of me! You’re just hired bodyguards, you’re not allowed to stop me!”
The alpha bodyguards were tall and strong. Although not as tall and strong as Qin Zexi, they outnumbered him. They quickly came out of Qin Zexi’s ward with two more bodyguards dressed in the same clothes.
“This is Young Master Qin’s order.”
“I’m his brother, he has to listen to me!”
Who they listened to was obvious from the actions of the alpha bodyguards. Qin Zexi was forcibly pressed onto the stretcher, and the bodyguards didn’t show any mercy because he was their employer. They even gave him face by carrying him back.
Watching the excitement outside, Rong Qiu chuckled several times in his heart. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he was stopped by another alpha bodyguard outside the door.
“Mr. Rong, our young master would like to speak with you.”
The alpha bodyguard was very polite, and Rong Qiu didn’t beat around the bush either. However, he was skeptical: “Do you know me?”
“We do, Young Master Qin assigned us the task of protecting everyone in these two VIP wards.”
Rong Qiu didn’t need protection, and he didn’t want to talk to Qin Zexi.
What could Qin Zexi possibly say?
This alpha, apart from having a slightly thicker skin, was completely inferior in character and demeanor to Qin Muye. In Rong Qiu’s eyes, he was even slightly inferior in appearance.
But Qin Zexi couldn’t wait any longer in the ward, and was already getting impatient.
He threw tissues, phones, and even a bowl of steaming porridge.
“You, come in. I have something to tell you. If you don’t come in, you’ll regret it.”
The threat was too much like that of a primary school student.
This made Rong Qiu couldn’t help but doubt whether this alpha’s mental faculties were intact.
Rong Qiu stepped over the egg and vegetable porridge on the ground. He stopped outside the door, with his arms crossed in front of his chest, leaning against the door frame lazily, showing no signs of being threatened.
Even looking at the helpless and furious alpha on the sickbed, Rong Qiu inexplicably felt very good.
There was a feeling of venting for Rong Qin.
It would be great to record Qin Zexi’s current appearance and play it in front of everyone in the Federation when the opportunity arises.
But this was just a random thought from Rong Qiu. At the moment, he looked at Qin Zexi calmly.
“What’s the matter? If it’s about Rong Qin last night, he’s fine.”
“Last night?” Qin Zexi on the sickbed sprang up, but was soon pressed down by the bodyguards. “What happened to Ah Qin last night?!”
“….”
Rong Qin remained silent for a moment, as if he had subtly revealed something.
Qin Zexi, however, persisted, “What happened to Ah Qin last night? Why aren’t you speaking? Chen Dong, go quickly to the next room and check!”
“No need.”
Rong Qiu reached out with one arm and decisively stopped the alpha bodyguard who was about to leave. Then he refocused his gaze on Qin Zexi. “Brother Qin is fine. He just reopened the wound on his back last night, so he reapplied the medicine in the middle of the night.”
Qin Zexi pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but Rong Qiu lightly interrupted him, “On one hand, you’re pretending to care about Brother Rong Qin, and on the other hand, you don’t even know that Brother Rong Qin reapplied his medicine last night.”
The conflicted expression of a certain noble alpha was quite amusing.
Being mocked by an ordinary beta, Qin Zexi’s face turned very ugly.
But Rong Qiu interrupted him again, “Just spit it out. What did you call me here for?”
Being repeatedly interrupted, Qin Zexi’s face had already turned red with anger. He slightly shifted on the bed and pulled out a document from the bedside drawer, tossing it to Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu didn’t catch it.
With a sneer, Rong Qiu looked at the document that fell to the ground by his feet and raised an eyebrow, “So, what’s the matter? Stop playing games.”
Seeing Rong Qiu completely ignoring him, Qin Zexi coughed in frustration. He had the nearby bodyguard pick up the document and show it to Rong Qiu.
Rong Qiu glanced over it quickly.
After reading it, he laughed.
But this time, the laughter was particularly ironic.
“So Mr. Qin offered me fifty million to leave Brother Rong Qin? But I don’t want it.”
“What, not enough?” Qin Zexi finally found his rhythm. “Eighty million, to leave Ah Qin.”
“Not enough.”
“One hundred million.”
“Still not enough.”
“Don’t push your luck!”
“Since Mr. Qin values Brother Rong Qin so much, why not offer your entire fortune?”
“I…!”
“I don’t care whether Mr. Qin wants to offer his entire fortune or not, but even if he does, I won’t accept it.”
“?”
Taking a breath, Rong Qiu, seemingly indifferent, asked, “Why did Brother Rong Qin ask me to leave? Do you suspect Brother Rong Qin will fall in love with me?”
“How is that possible?! Ah Qin only sees you as a little brother.”
“If that’s the case, why are you so wary of me?”
“That’s because…”
At a critical moment, Qin Muye pushed the door open and entered.
Qin Zexi’s words were cut off by his tongue when he saw Qin Muye, and he fell silent, not wanting Qin Muye to know about a certain secret.
The sudden silence puzzled Qin Muye. Having stayed up all night, he had just finished some business that needed to be taken care of today. He was still wearing his military green uniform, and the frostbite on his hands seemed to have worsened. He was also carrying two insulated bags, one large and one small, which looked quite different.
Seeing the room full of bodyguards and Rong Qiu standing in Qin Zexi’s VIP ward, Qin Muye was slightly taken aback.
But he first spoke to Rong Qiu, his words gentle and his eyes slightly curved, emitting a hint of spring in the cold winter.
“Qiu Qiu is here too.”
“Yeah.”
Whether Qin Muye knew about Qin Zexi’s idea of asking him to leave Brother Rong Qin, Rong Qiu only picked up the document on the ground, brushed off the dust that had accumulated on it, and once again expressed his attitude.
“Mr. Qin, don’t even think about this.”
With that, he left.
There was no hint of nostalgia in his departing figure.
Qin Muye’s mood darkened slightly.
He tried to follow Zhao Nanchen’s advice and be a gentle and approachable alpha, but it seemed that Rong Qiu didn’t care, not even giving him a second glance.
As Rong Qiu was about to reach the door, an alpha strode forward and lightly tugged at the sleeve of his sweater. Before Rong Qiu’s gaze could fall on him, he voluntarily and reluctantly let go.
The tall and upright alpha had thick shadows under his eyes, but he still had a smile on his lips. “Take this with you and eat it with Brother Rong.”
Inside was breakfast made by Qin Muye.
He had prepared it two hours in advance.
But he didn’t say it.
Rong Qiu remained silent, looking down at the food bag that the alpha was carrying. It was the larger of the two.
This was nothing.
Rong Qiu noticed that the frostbite on the alpha’s hands had worsened.
Originally just faint and sporadic red spots, they were now swollen and some areas even had a slight purple hue, completely obscuring the shape of the bones that were once as beautiful as bamboo joints. Such frostbite looked very painful, and it itched terribly when exposed to heat.
Seeing Rong Qiu looking at his hands, Qin Muye involuntarily retracted his hand.
In the next instant, he remembered that Rong Qin hadn’t taken his food thermos bag yet. He could only reach forward again, tightening his fingers even more, as if by doing so, the ugliness of his hand could be concealed a bit more.
The alpha felt remorseful.
He should have worn gloves today.
He deliberately controlled himself. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll find out about my brother’s situation.”
After a moment of thought, he felt that this statement wasn’t gentle enough. He paused slightly, awkwardly adding, “You can leave this matter to me.”
Rong Qin took the breakfast handed to him by Qin Muye. “Thank you.”
He thanked Qin Muye for taking on the responsibility of questioning Qin Zexi even before he had said anything.
It seemed that Qin Muye was unaware of the money temptation incident from Rong Qin this morning.
Rong Qiu inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
***
Qin Muye also breathed a sigh of relief.
After Rong Qin left, he curled and uncurled his hand, repeatedly. He could see the frostbite marks on his hand.
It was really unsightly.
He would definitely wear gloves next time.
Qin Muye contemplated this, and when he faced Qin Zexi again, his previous gentle smile vanished completely.
He looked at the documents on the table and reverted to his usual reticence. “Can I take a look?”
Although it was phrased as a question, his tone and demeanor did not convey an attitude of inquiry.
Qin Zexi opened his mouth and stuffed the document under the covers, saying, “It’s not an important document.”
Meaning it couldn’t be seen.
Qin Muye didn’t ask further, knowing he would find out sooner or later. He would just ask the guards about his brother’s recent activities and find out what mischief he was up to.
After placing the prepared breakfast on the table, Qin Muye and Qin Zexi summarized recent events in very simple terms. Qin Muye then excused himself, and Qin Zexi didn’t stop him. However, as Qin Muye was about to leave, Qin Zexi halted his steps. “Whatever issues you have with Rong Qin, don’t involve Rong Qiu.”
“Do you really want to be with this beta?”
“What’s the problem?”
“Ah Ye, you could clearly find an S-class omega as your partner…”
“If you older brother could also find an S-class omega as your partner, would you still be with Rong Qin?”
Qin Muye was too direct and too sharp.
No one had ever treated Qin Zexi like this before, nor had anyone questioned the reason for being with Rong Qin.
“Is this important? In any case, I won’t let go of Rong Qin.”
Qin Zexi didn’t answer the question. Instead, he changed the subject.
Qin Muye understood Qin Zexi’s meaning very well.
He nodded and bid farewell.
He didn’t say much to Qin Zexi, who seemed to have lost his mind.
Just as he reached the door, he quietly asked the security guard outside.
Three minutes later, Qin Muye’s expression became completely serious.
***
When Rong Qiu returned with the insulated food bag given by Qin Muye, Rong Qin, who was lying on the hospital bed, had already woken up.
Maintaining his position lying on the bed, Rong Qin looked at the familiar insulated bag in Rong Qiu’s hand and teased, “Did Qin Muye bring food again?”
Rong Qiu softly responded with an “Mm,” placing the food bag aside. He then brought Rong Qin’s toiletries over and helped him brush his teeth, followed by gently wiping his face with a wet towel.
Although he had returned from Qin Zexi, his mind was still occupied with that matter.
Could it be that Qin Zexi didn’t want him to be with Rong Qin because his presence affected Rong Qin?
As he pondered, Rong Qiu applied a bit more pressure with the towel in his hand. When it touched Rong Qin’s eyelashes, they flickered incessantly, feeling itchy.
Rong Qiu easily noticed the faint blue tint in Rong Qin’s eyes.
Such blue eyes, he also had a pair.
Rong Qiu’s movements suddenly stopped.
Actually, this paternity test might really be worth considering.
Outside, the sun gradually became stronger. Despite the lingering cold of winter, the sun still rose as usual.
Glancing at the red sun rising from the treetops, Rong Qiu gently scrubbed the towel in his hand. Rong Qin had already opened the food bag, but before he could bring a spoonful of porridge to his mouth, he was interrupted by Rong Qiu’s soft words.
Rong Qin paused for a moment, blinking. “Qiu Qiu, can you repeat that?”
Rong Qiu hung the towel on the radiator. “I said, let’s go for a paternity test.”
***
Since Rong Qiu agreed to do the paternity test with Rong Qin, Rong Qin seemed more passionate and lively than before.
This was evident when Qin Muye came over again; Rong Qin was willing to give Qin Muye a good attitude.
On that day, when Qin Muye came to deliver lunch again, Rong Qin was smiling and welcoming, without any prickly attitude.
Qin Muye was still somewhat unused to it.
After all, he had been stung by him before, and now Rong Qin suddenly stopped. Qin Muye felt that something was off with Rong Qin.
But Rong Qin was happily eating the lunch cooked by Qin Muye, showing no signs of discomfort.
Qin Muye leaned towards Rong Qiu, but seeing Rong Qiu’s slight frown, he straightened up and slowly sat back down. Every time he faced Rong Qiu, he felt a bit lost and unsure, even though he had prepared all the words he wanted to say beforehand. But when he saw Rong Qiu, all those words seemed to be blocked.
The topic, however, was brought up by Rong Qiu first.
Rong Qiu noticed that Qin Muye was wearing black gloves, thin and not very warm. So, was the purpose of these gloves just to hide the frostbite on his hands?
It seemed to be quite effective.
With the gloves on, his hands looked slender and flexible, a blessing for every hand fetish.
“Is your frostbite not getting better?”
Qin Muye clenched his hand into a fist on his knee but quickly relaxed it. “I’ve been using medication, but the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is large, so the effect of the medication is not very noticeable.”
This was not Qin Muye deliberately seeking sympathy; it was just a matter of fact.
While drinking his soup, Rong Qiu glanced at the man’s hand again.
Although there was the cover of black leather gloves, he still remembered the frostbite he had seen before. It was quite severe already, and if left untreated, it would soon start to pus and bleed.
By then, it would be both unsightly and uncomfortable, and the one suffering would be Qin Muye himself.
“I’ll give you a prescription, and you can find a doctor to prepare it. It’s very effective. I used it for a week, and the effect was obvious.”
Although it was Rong Qiu showing concern for him, Qin Muye’s focus was not on this prescription. His palm, spread out on his knee, clenched into a fist again nervously. “When did you get frostbite Qiu Qiu?”
When he met Rong Qiu, he was clean and unscathed, with no scars anywhere on his body.
Rong Qiu didn’t mind. Those past experiences were like smoke, easily lifted by him. “When I was still in the orphanage.”
Although the winters in the First Military District’s capital star were not as cold as this recent cold wave, temperatures below freezing were still common. Children were mischievous and liked to play with snow in winter, often leading to cold hands and ears.
Rong Qiu had once suffered from frostbite.
Being young, he didn’t know how to deal with it. At first, it was just itching, but later it became both itchy and painful. One day, he woke up and saw the red swelling on his hand and the red blood stains on it, thinking he was about to die.
That was when he remembered crying for the first time.
Crying brought the matron who acted like his mother.
Afterward, his hands began to receive medication one after another. He paid attention to keeping warm, promoting blood circulation, and dissipating stasis. As a small child, he applied the medicine diligently every day, just like eating meals and writing in a diary at fixed times. Finally, the frostbite on his hands began to diminish.
The medicine was given to the matron by the grandfatherly traditional Chinese medicine practitioner next door to the orphanage.
Later, as he grew older, he often went next door to sunbathe the herbs for the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. The old man had no children or grandchildren and lived alone on the capital star. He always liked to talk to the herbs, and when he passed away, he talked to him instead. Gradually, he also remembered the prescription for treating frostbite.
Unfortunately, before he grew up, the old man passed away.
He left peacefully.
The courtyard was filled with herbs, and the old man lay on the rocking chair with his eyes closed.
Rong Qiu quickly snapped out of his memories.
He stood up, took out a blank piece of paper and a pen from the drawer, and with a gentle expression, his hand moved lightly, leaving behind several elegant lines on the paper.
“Done.”
Qin Muye didn’t immediately take the paper he handed over.
As Qin Muye looked at the pen in his hand, Rong Qiu twirled it skillfully and beautifully. “It works well.”
This pen was given to him by Qin Muye, but Rong Qiu wanted to exchange it for the pen he gave Qin Muye.
That pen, the one filled with the hopes and pride of the matron and the head of the orphanage.
Like his eyes, it was a deep blue.
But before he could speak, Qin Muye suddenly stood up.
“I have something to attend to. I’ll go back first.”
“Okay. I’ll walk you out.”
“No need, I’ll go talk to my brother.”
“Then take care.”
The conversation between Rong Qiu and Qin Muye suddenly became awkward and stiff.
Rong Qin tilted his head back until his neck almost broke.
Watching Rong Qiu escort Qin Muye out and then return alone, Rong Qin tentatively asked, “Did you reconcile with Qin Muye?”
“Reconcile? What reconciliation?”
Rong Qin wanted to ask if they were back together, but seeing their demeanor, it seemed more like they just buried the hatchet.
Being prompted by Rong Qin, Rong Qiu realized that his attitude toward Qin Muye had indeed softened recently. Rong Qiu covered his chest, feeling strange. When he first regained his memory, he saw Qin Muye in deep pain. But now, much of the pain and hatred had dissipated. He had buried the experiences he had with Qin Muye along with his over ten years at the orphanage.
Perhaps people do grow up.
Some things that seemed important at the time might not be so important after a few years.
Love is like this, and so is hatred. Nothing remains etched in one’s memory forever; everything gradually fades away in the end.
Rong Qin didn’t dare to ask too much about the matter between Rong Qiu and Qin Muye.
He hadn’t even figured out his own feelings yet.
He knew that the VIP patient next to him was Qin Zexi. Actually, he could vaguely hear Rong Qiu and Qin Zexi’s conversations every night, unlike before when he knew Rong Qiu was injured and felt very distressed. Now, he just felt annoyed.
There was a sense of inevitability that he couldn’t escape from fate.
Until now, he hadn’t told anyone the reason for the car accident.
Because he found it ridiculous himself.
Qin Zexi still stopped him from recruiting his militia, and was even willing to give him fifty percent of the shares in his hands for it.
He didn’t want that fifty percent of the shares; he had earned enough money. What he wanted was to find his brother in his lifetime, or to avenge him.
He didn’t want Qin Zexi’s money, which made Qin Zexi angry.
Later, when he didn’t see the car coming from the other direction and couldn’t avoid it, the accident happened.
That was bad enough, but what Rong Qin regretted the most was that he actually thought of saving that man at the critical moment.
He was simply out of his mind. Where did the selfish Rong Qin go?
He actually thought of sacrificing his own life for another man one day.
But soon, Rong Qin pushed all these thoughts aside.
Because on this noon, he and Rong Qiu both had their blood drawn for a paternity test.
Watching the two vials of blood being sent away, Rong Qin looked at Rong Qiu afterward as if he were looking at a treasure. Even though he didn’t know the results of the test yet, Rong Qin had already included him in his sphere of influence in advance. Even when Rong Qin was napping, Rong Qiu heard him mention several times about rewriting his will.
The test would take three days to get the results.
Three days later, it was Christmas Eve.
The festive atmosphere outside was strong, with peace trees, peace fruits, and sweet couples strolling on the snowy paths. Many couples even held flowers in their hands, the bright red roses adding a touch of color to the desolate coldness brought by the cold wave.
It was the same everywhere.
Even in a living environment far worse than the First Military District, in the Thirteenth Military District, there were still people pursuing happiness.
Rong Qiu smiled as he waited at the red light.
When the green light came on, Rong Qiu continued driving to his home to get his design files. Zhao Nanchen was off duty today, substituting for him at the hospital for half a day. Rong Qiu now had time to come back and get the design drawings. The car was parked downstairs, and it took less than ten minutes to go upstairs. But when he came downstairs again, there was a small bunch of golden yellow roses on the car’s handle.
Sparkling and emitting the fragrance of roses in the snow.
Was it delivered to the wrong person?
He looked around, but there was no one around, not even footprints.
After hesitating for a moment, Rong Qiu still took the flowers into the car.
When he returned to the hospital, the VIP ward, which had been noisy before, was now unusually quiet. The first person Rong Qiu saw was not Rong Qin, but Zhao Nanchen. The lively humanoid large dog was cautiously curled up on the sofa, holding a pillow in his arms. His bright and cheerful face was covered with clouds.
Seeing Rong Qiu coming in, he immediately rushed over.
Zhao Nanchen leaned close to him, whispering in his ear, “I don’t know what documents Brother Rong Qin saw, but his eyes have been red until now. He hasn’t said a word, but he’s been gritting his teeth and laughing, and then crying tears. It’s really abnormal. Could it be that Brother Rong Qin’s company went bankrupt…”
Rong Qiu was puzzled.
Setting down the roses in his hand, he took a closer look and was startled.
When had Rong Qin ever cried like this? Even after the anesthesia from surgery wore off, he never cried even when in pain. But now, Rong Qin’s eyes were already red, moistened with a thick layer of tears. Seeing him appear, the thin sheet of paper in Rong Qin’s hand fell lightly like goose feathers. His mouth moved, but no words came out. Finally, the tears that had been brewing for a long time finally rolled down from his eyes.
“Qiu Qiu…”
We’re brothers.
Separated for more than twenty years, now reunited brothers.
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