Chapter 43.2
After afternoon classes, instead of heading to the lab, Qi Yan went straight to the Qi residence.
The last time he visited the Qi family was for their celebration banquet. Although few visitors had come lately, the gardening robots still kept the lawn impeccably maintained.
After verifying the identity of the visitors, the gate slowly opened. Inside, apart from the bustling household robots, there was no sign of any human presence.
Xia Zhiyang scanned the surroundings. “Why does this feel so eerie? Is it because the house is too big? But no, my family’s house is just as large!”
Seeing Qi Yan bowing his head and tapping on his personal terminal, he became curious. “What are you doing?”
Qi Yan: “Temporarily deactivating the household robots.”
The moment he spoke, all the household robots in the Qi household stopped moving.
Xia Zhiyang’s mouth formed an “O” shape. “Wow… that’s so cool!”
At that moment, the sound of something heavy falling to the ground came from upstairs. Qi Yan effortlessly bypassed the Qi family’s surveillance system. “Qi Wenshao is in the second bedroom on the second floor, and he’s alone.”
As the three of them pushed open the bedroom door, they saw a cast iron vase rolling off the bedside, while Qi Wenshao, with a waxen complexion, was gasping for breath and looking at them.
Xia Zhiyang was startled. He hadn’t expected his mother’s message to be true. Qi Wenshao looked seriously ill.
But if he was this ill, why hadn’t they seen any medical robots or private doctors?
Qi Yan stood three steps away from the bed, showing no intention of getting closer.
Qi Wenshao’s lips were dry, his eyes fixed on Qi Yan. “So, you came.”
In just a short period, he seemed to have rapidly lost weight, his cheekbones sunken. His gaze on Qi Yan was desperate, as if he had caught hold of a lifeline. Leaning forward, he spoke rapidly, “Qi Yan, you have to save me… Jiang Yunyue wants to harm me, she wants me dead!”
Xia Zhiyang was so frightened by his appearance that he took a half-step back.
Qi Yan calmly responded, “Jiang Yunyue wants you dead?”
“Yes! She’s gone mad! She took advantage of my inattention and gave me something unknown to eat. I feel like I’m dying!” Qi Wenshao raised his emaciated hand, his breath trembling. “She has other support, someone behind her giving her backing, giving her ideas! I heard it. She’s communicating with someone in front of me, discussing how to kill me!”
Qi Wenshao had never imagined that one day Jiang Yunyue, who had always looked up to him, would try to take his life.
He began to recall why he had allowed Jiang Yunyue into the Qi family’s doors. It was because she came from humble origins, had a gentle personality, and only a bit of self-perceived cleverness. Everything about her was given by him. Without him, Jiang Yunyue was nothing.
He feared Lin Zhi and he feared Qi Yan. The shattered pride he had before his ex-wife and son was rebuilt in front of Jiang Yunyue.
Yet, he almost died at the hands of this woman whom he had never truly seen.
Lu Fenghan showed no sympathy for this ordeal but instead asked the crucial question, “How were you able to contact Qi Yan?”
“Jiang Yunyue reprogrammed all household robots, took away my personal terminal, shut the doors to visitors, and wouldn’t allow me to see anyone. But she didn’t know that there was a robot in the house with a ‘security defense’ set up, and my commands are the highest authority.”
Lu Fenghan: “So you ordered that robot to bring you your personal terminal while Jiang Yunyue was out?”
“Exactly.” Qi Wenshao dared not contact anyone else, fearing they might be Jiang Yunyue’s accomplices, so he had no choice but to seek Qi Yan’s help. He coughed weakly. “Qi Yan, save me, and I’ll make you the heir of the Qi family!”
Qi Yan remained unmoved. “I am very wealthy.”
Lu Fenghan glanced at Qi Yan and found Qi Yan’s statement to be quite provocative at this moment.
Qi Wenshao’s expression stiffened, a mix of disdain and politeness apparent. “Qi Yan, you are still young and lack perspective. No matter how wealthy you are, can you compare to the Qi family?”
He was confident that Qi Yan would be swayed.
However, Qi Yan couldn’t be bothered to speak further. He directly displayed the balance of his account.
A string of numbers appeared on his personal terminal, prompting Xia Zhiyang to exclaim, “W-what… how many digits is that? Nine? Ten? Eleven?”
Lu Fenghan raised an eyebrow as well.
He knew Qi Yan was wealthy, just not to this extent.
He couldn’t help but recalculate again and again. His original plan was to save up enough money for ten years to match Qi Yan’s account balance. But now that the “small change” had been upgraded, he wondered if fifty years would be enough.
Qi Wenshao, however, found it hard to believe. “Impossible… it can’t be!”
His expression turned grim. If Qi Yan didn’t need the Qi family’s wealth, what bargaining chip did he have to negotiate with Qi Yan?
Suddenly remembering something, “By the way, your mother… your mother, she—”
Qi Yan interrupted Qi Wenshao, “Mom once told me that the person she loved had long been dead.”
Qi Wenshao felt as if struck by lightning.
The person she loved?
He struggled to recall, what was he like during university?
Coming from a good family, he had received a good education and upbringing. To meet Lin Zhi, he would attend Lin Zhi’s classes whenever he had time, always present in public lectures where Lin Zhi was. To understand the things Lin Zhi casually mentioned, he would spend nights researching various topics. Whenever Lin Zhi engaged in debates on various topics, he would feel proud…
Did he love Lin Zhi? Back then, yes, it was love, otherwise he wouldn’t have pursued her relentlessly for three whole years.
When Lin Zhi accepted his proposal, he seemed to cry uncontrollably, losing all composure.
But when did things start to change?
Was it when he realized that Lin Zhi had many like-minded friends whom he couldn’t connect with? Or was it when he discovered that the things Lin Zhi said and solved were not just unfamiliar to him, but completely incomprehensible? Or perhaps gradually, as he matured from a student, while Lin Zhi remained unchanged, still immersed solely in research and studies?
No, perhaps it was… the unbearable humiliation of acknowledging his own inadequacy, of accepting his mediocrity.
So after Lin Zhi left, he couldn’t help but use her as a benchmark, feeling that no one, whether it was Jiang Yunyue or anyone else, could compare to her.
His gaze fell on Qi Yan, and he spoke stiffly, “So when your mother passed away—”
Qi Yan replied coldly, “If my mother had even the slightest concern or attachment to you, she wouldn’t have chosen to leave this world.”
Qi Wenshao took a long breath, even causing a cough. “I see.”
It turned out that he was already insignificant to Lin Zhi.
It turned out, he had lived his whole life as such a failure.
He lost Lin Zhi and, with a condescending attitude, chose an ordinary woman whom he thought he could fully control, only to unknowingly nurture her ambitions until they grew so big that she saw him as an obstacle and planned to dispose of him.
His beloved son committed academic fraud, attempted to kill someone, and always pretended to be weak in front of him, deceiving and fooling him, and now he was in prison.
And to the woman he once loved and his other son, he was just an insignificant presence.
Qi Wenshao suddenly felt powerless.
He looked at Qi Yan, his voice even more hoarse. “The drug Jiang Yunyue used on me, called ‘River Alkali,’ do you know what it is?”
Lu Fenghan: “River Alkali is a type of chronic neurotoxin made by the rebels. It gradually weakens a person while they are awake until they suffocate to death. The Alliance has yet to develop a treatment.”
Jiang Yunyue, a prominent figure in Leto society, being able to obtain ‘River Alkali’ rose several questions in itself.
Lu Fenghan sent a text to Vincent, asking him to keep an eye on her.
After hearing this, Qi Wenshao didn’t seem too surprised. He just felt ironic – that in the end, the one before him was the son he had once rejected and feared.
After leaving the Qi residence, Xia Zhiyang remained in a state of shock.
“Why would Jiang Yunyue want to kill Qi Wenshao? For the Qi family’s assets?” Xia Zhiyang, having grown up in Leto, though usually laid-back, was sensitive to such matters. “If Jiang Yunyue’s target is the family fortune, she would definitely want to get rid of you. Then what about the car accident—”
“Perhaps Jiang Qi was influenced by her,” Lu Fenghan finished Xia Zhiyang’s thought.
“Exactly! That’s what I think too!” Xia Zhiyang grew more and more frightened as he thought about it. “It’s terrifying. Without Qi Yan, and with Jiang Qi sentenced to prison, if she kills Qi Wenshao, she’ll be the sole legitimate heir to the Qi family’s wealth!”
He glanced back at the Qi residence, feeling sorry for Qi Wenshao, but also though that perhaps this was the price he must pay for his own misdeeds.
All the outcomes stemmed from choices he had once made.
In the evening, Lu Fenghan deliberately waited.
Sure enough, Qi Yan soon came to his bedroom, holding a soft pillow.
He placed his pillow next to Lu Fenghan’s and arranged it neatly before asking, “Can I sleep here?”
Lu Fenghan occupied only half of the bed. “Of course, you can.”
Once they settled in and turned off the lights, there was a faint sound of cruising aircraft taking off and landing outside the window.
With closed eyes, Qi Yan spoke softly and clearly, “I can’t understand his thoughts. Each person is a unique individual with their own strengths and weaknesses.”
Lu Fenghan quickly realized who “he” referred to.
Qi Yan gave examples, “Xia Zhiyang is great at communication. There’s never a dull moment when he’s around. Chen Mingxuan is excellent at gaming, Ye Pei is skilled at coordinating and assigning tasks, Mondrian can collaborate with different people, and Xavier has excellent physical fitness. And many others, each with their own strengths.”
After listening, Lu Fenghan gently covered Qi Yan’s eyes with his hand.
The soft lashes brushed against his palm.
Your eyes are so pure, that’s why you can notice the excellence in everyone. Not everyone can do that.
Gazing at Qi Yan’s slightly upturned nose and delicate lips, Lu Fenghan asked him, “What about me? You mentioned so many people, but what about me? In your heart, what are my strengths?”
For some reason, his voice was laced with an uncharacteristic tinge of nervousness as he voiced this question.
Qi Yan took some time to think, but the silence didn’t stretch on for too long.
In the dimly lit room, Lu Fenghan heard Qi Yan’s voice.
“You’re perfect in every way.”
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