Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Song Yu carefully wiped his body, and she avoided areas that were bandaged. She could only wipe his chest as his ribs and abdomen were dressed.
She lowered her gaze and wanted to pull down his pants, but she froze. She was still disgusted at Mu Sisi, and she asked, “She did not touch you, right?”
Qi Chengzhi raised his eyebrows sarcastically. After a few days of rest, his radiant eyes showed some cynicism, and his voice had a slight tinge of mockery when he said, “She wanted to take off my pants, but I managed to pull her off the bed, so she couldn’t touch anything.”
Song Yu was so angry at his statement, and she wanted to swear at Mu Sisi. She tried to pull his pants off? What a shameless person!
After she wiped Qi Chengzhi’s legs, she went to the washroom and poured the water out. Then she returned to give him a massage. She was worried that the muscles on his lower body would atrophy after a few days of immobility.
“Do you still plan to just give her a warning?” Song Yu groaned in frustration. She was overwhelmed by what had happened, and she had a fierce and thunderous expression on her face. “Mu Sisi was immature, but her brother did not even bother about what she had done.”
“This time, I will wreak havoc on the Mu family. If her brother could not control her, then her parents would have to do it. I will force them to deal with Mu Sisi’s problems,” Qi Chengzhi’s voice was as soft as ever, he gazed lovingly at Song Yu. “Don’t be angry.”
Song Yu pursed her lips, and she fixed her slightly reddened eyes on Qi Chengzhi. “I was worried to death when I saw you lying in a pool of blood on the floor.”
Qi Chengzhi sighed. Song Yu knelt at the bed end to give him a foot massage. He could not reach her even with his arm extended, so he gestured to her. “Come here. There’s no need to massage anymore.”
Song Yu was almost finished with the massage, so she went and found the comfiest position in his embrace and laid there.
“Despite your injury, Mu Sisi was so desperate until she wanted to-” Song Yu unconsciously put her hand over his chest. “Previously, I was speechless when Mu Sisi caused troubles for us. I thought of her as a lunatic who did not understand what she was doing. I simply thought of her actions like the barkings of a rabid dog. This is the first time that I loathed her. How can she be so full of herself that she could disregard other people’s feelings? This is also the first time that I’ve seen such egotism!”
“Don’t be angry,” Qi Chengzhi said as he gently massaged her shoulders and arms to comfort her. “She won’t have time to bother us anymore.”
Qi Chengzhi bent down and kissed her on the forehead. Then he changed the topic so that she could calm down. “Since I’ve been injured, I couldn’t apply essential oil on you and give you massages. You must have been exhausted these past few days.”
“I’m not tired, and I didn’t even do anything. It was the same as when I was at home.” Song Yu moved a little in his embrace. “Has the anesthetic effect worn off?”
“Not completely, but I’m starting to feel a little bit of pain now,” Qi Chengzhi answered.
Song Yu was not sleepy, and there was nothing else she could do, so she found a remote control and turned on the television to watch a program with Qi Chengzhi.
…
…
After half a month, Qi Chengzhi’s sutures could finally be removed, and he was subsequently discharged from the hospital. He was fine and was completely healed after the incident. All that remained was the deep scar on his abdomen.
While Qi Chengzhi recovered in the hospital, Mu Huaisheng did not do so well. His work had emotionally defeated him.
Nothing seemed to have gone right for him at that time and for absolutely no reason at all. One by one, everything gradually went sideways.
MU had initially planned to move to B City. The location for the flagship store was strategically chosen, and they had also fully renovated. The discussion to register with the Wei’s family mall with Wei Ziqi was also coming to an end.
The Wei’s family mall was one of the most popular malls in B City. They were not a thoroughly high-end mall, but instead, they catered to the mid-to-high-end tier, which was similar to the popular fashion that MU had to offer. They had a good crowd as they were geared toward the public masses, and they had excellent amenities and services too. That was why the first thing that Mu Huaisheng wanted to do in B City was to discuss the registration of his brand with Wei Ziqi.
However, all of the shop lots in the mall were already occupied. When Mu Huaisheng noticed that one of the shop’s lease was almost up and the shop’s brand did not do particularly well, he had quickly offered a high price to take over the slot. Wei Ziqi had agreed to his proposal. However, they could not sign the contract immediately. Since Wei Ziqi had a good reputation as a man who kept his word, Mu Huaisheng decided to open another flagship store elsewhere to establish his brand first. Once the existing owner withdrew from the lease, MU could settle in that slot immediately after.
However, when the waiting period was almost over, he received a call from Wei Ziqi, who told him that they would renew the contract with the existing shop’s owner due to some marketing issue, and thus, the slot for MU had gone up the spout.
Mu Huaisheng’s parents arrived at B City on the second day that Qi Chengzhi was discharged home. Mu Huaisheng and Mu Sisi went to the airport to pick up their parents together.
The gauze on Mu Sisi’s forehead was removed, and the scar was not so noticeable anymore. One could hardly see it then, and some makeup could also cover it easily. However, Mu Sisi was self-conscious about the scar, and she insisted on covering it with her bangs.
She also went for hyaluronic acid injection two days before, and she was satisfied with the results.
Shortly after the two of them arrived at the airport, Mu Huili and Fang Anci came out from the arrival hall. Both of them had good temperaments, especially Fang Anci, who cared most about her appearance. She was already in her mid-fifties, and yet she looked as if she was still in her forties. Her face was smooth, and she had no visible wrinkles, and it was all thanks to all the botox injections.
Mu Huili pushed a cart of luggage bags and walked toward them with Fang Anci in tow. Mu Huaisheng greeted them and then took over to push the luggage cart.
Mu Sisi rushed toward them and hugged Fang Anci. She acted childishly and said, “Mom, you’re back! I miss you so much.”
“You can stop the pretense now. I know you have been behaving as you pleased,” Mu Huili said unhappily, “I’ve asked you to come back here to help your brother at work. It did not mean that you can cause trouble for him and then expect him to clean up your mess.”
Mu Sisi let go of Fang Anci and glared at Mu Huaisheng for his complaints to Mu Huili.
“Alright,” Fang Anci swiped Mu Sisi’s bangs aside. “You said that you hurt your forehead, where is it?”
“Here,” Mu Sisi pointed at the corner of her forehead.
“It looks like it has healed well; it is barely visible now.” Fang Anci ran her fingers across the area that Mu Sisi had pointed.
“I covered the scar with some foundation. It is visible without makeup,” Mu Sisi touched the corner of her forehead and said, “I hate these bangs. I look so unglamorous, but I don’t dare to show my forehead now.”
“You are looking good too,” Fang Anci said.
“Mom and Dad are tired, let’s let them rest at home first,” Mu Huaisheng said and took the lead.
Mu Huaisheng thought that his parents might have decided to stay longer for that visit, so he asked the driver to use a mini passenger van instead. He had anticipated the huge number of luggage bags that his parents had with them.
Mu Huili and Fang Anci got into the van. As Mu Huaisheng loaded the trunk with their bags, Mu Sisi walked to his side and said, “Mu Huaisheng, what do you want? Are you still complaining to Dad despite our age?”
Mu Huaisheng gave her a blank stare and said, “I could not control you as your brother. So I thought someone else should take over that responsibility instead. I would not have had anything to complain about if you had not done those horrible things.”
Mu Huaisheng then closed the trunk with great force and went into the car. He ignored Mu Sisi.
Mu Sisi made a face and then followed him. However, her expression changed the moment she stepped into the van, and she acted like a spoiled child in front of Fang Anci.
Mu Huaisheng received a call on his phone, and after he listened to the other party for a while, his face darkened. “Then find another celebrity.”
“…”
Mu Huaisheng knitted his eyebrows and asked, in doubt, “All the celebrities in his company have refused?”
“…”
Mu Huaisheng’s expression darkened again. “It is not only Han Zhuoli’s company that has celebrities, what about the other agencies?”
“…”
“Find one and try asking them. One more thing, investigate why all the celebrities have refused our invitation, something is not right.” His tone was icy cold.
After he ended the call, Mu Huili realized that it was about work, so he asked, “What happened?”
“We are about to launch our flagship store. I have invited some celebrities to help promote the brand, but it seemed that our invitations were rejected due to conflicting schedules. Most of the A-list celebrities are with Han Zhuoli, and coincidentally, none of them accepted our invitations,” Mu Huaisheng replied.
“What happened? This seemed unnatural. The celebrities will usually come when they receive an invitation to promote a brand because this is their chance to shine,” Mu Huili asked. He was familiar with how things usually worked.
“I’ve asked for someone to investigate the matter.” Mu Huaisheng stared at Mu Sisi hesitantly as he was unsure if she had done something awful again.
However, he did not think that Mu Sisi’s antics were enough for Han Zhuoli’s disrespect for the Mu family.
“Why are you staring at me?” Mu Sisi asked as if she lacked self-confidence.
“Nothing.” Mu Huaisheng moved his gaze away from his sister and remained silent as he thought Mu Sisi had abided the law and steered clear of Song Yu.
…
…
Ten days after that, Jian Yi’s case was mentioned in court. Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi were there to testify as victims. All members of the Qi family were present, and they sat in the public gallery.
Cases like that would not have taken long as the police litigated and collected solid pieces of evidence.
Song Yu had flashbacks of what had happened on that particular day, and she nearly lost control of herself while she testified in court. It was also a nightmare for the whole Qi family too. Song Yu’s testimony made them relive the past, and they all glowered at Jian Yi.
Zhou Mingyan was also at the court for Jian Yi’s case, and a prison guard accompanied her. Her hands were handcuffed, and she sobbed when she saw Jian Yi.
Jian Shifu and Zhou Mingyan sat together. He knew that there was a big possibility that Jian Yi would be found guilty. He requested for Zhou Mingyan to be there, and his request was approved because she performed well in jail.
Jian Shifu did not look old before that. He always insisted on dying his hair, and he was well and healthy even though he was already fifty-five years old. However, his hair had grayed, and he looked as if he had kyphosis. His arms were stiff as he sat at the public gallery with a depressed look. He looked like he was already seventy-five years old then.
His eyes were bloodshot and moist as he stared at Jian Yi. He felt exasperated and reluctant at the same time, and he stealthily wiped his tears from time to time. Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi’s testimonies left him in shock. He did not think that Jian Yi would have wanted to kill someone! What was he thinking?
Jian Shifu’s heart ached. He did not know if he could reunite with Jian Yi again in his lifetime.
In the end, the court sentenced Jian Yi to thirty years in jail.
Jian Shifu could not bear it anymore, and he started to cry when the court meted out Jian Yi’s sentence.
He stood up and pointed at Jian Yi. “Animal! You are an animal! Do you even think of your parents when you did all those things? Do you even think at all? When you come out of jail after thirty years, I am already dead! Why are you… why are you so stupid?”
Jian Shifu wanted to rush down the public gallery, but the prison guard stopped him.
“Jian Yi, I don’t want to die knowing that I will not be able to see you again. Why did you do this? Why in the world did you do this? What have you been working for all these while? In the end, you did not get anything but to rot yourself away in jail for thirty years. You will be too old to do anything else when you come out! You wanted to strive for success, but can you please strive with honesty? Even if you live an ordinary life, at least our family is safe and sound, and we can live our lives happily together! Jian Yi…” Jian Shifu was a grown man, but he could not stop his tears. He started to wail.
His son was sentenced to jail for thirty years. Was there a difference between that and death?
Zhou Mingyan also cried loudly, and she wanted to go near Jian Yi. However, she was handcuffed and held back by the prison guard.
“Jian Yi, I will be released from jail in a month. I was looking forward to reuniting with you. I am still waiting for you to get married and give me a grandchild! Jian Yi, Jian Yi, now you want to leave me alone? Your father does not want me, and now you don’t want me anymore. How am I supposed to live my life now? Tell me how!” Zhou Mingyan wailed loudly. “My son! My son!”
Initially, her family was whole. After all that had happened, her husband wanted to divorce her, and her son had been sentenced to jail for the next thirty years. “I don’t want to live anymore. Just let me die! Jian Yi, how can you leave me alone?!”
Jian Yi’s eyes were red from grief. He looked at them and said, “Dad, Mom, I am so sorry.”
“I don’t want your apology. I only want you to be safe, and I only want you to accompany us!” Zhou Mingyan wanted to go to her son, but the prison guard stood his ground and held her back.
Jian Yi held back his tears and whimpered. “I have been unfilial.”
There was chaos in the court, but he could only hear the weeping of Zhou Mingyan and Jian Shifu.
Qi Chengzhi gave Song Yu a hand and helped her to stand up as Song Yu could not bear with the farewell situation. There was no forgiveness for Jian Yi’s crimes, but she understood how his parents felt, especially since she was pregnant.
Zhou Mingyan saw Song Yu, and with red-rimmed eyes, she wanted to run toward Song Yu. “Why… Why did you make Jian Yi go to jail? It was all because of you! How could you be so vicious and cruel at such a young age? How could you be so fiendish when you are going to be a mother? Did you not want to accumulate merits and virtue for your child? Karma comes after everyone eventually! Be mindful of your child when karma comes!”
Song Yu’s face paled. She knew that she did not do anything wrong, but she could not bear with Zhou Mingyan’s curse toward her child. It was not something that one should mention so carelessly.
Qi Chengzhi quickly hugged Song Yu. His gaze was hard and sharp, and his tone was flat. “Jian Yi brought this onto himself.”
Zhou Mingyan wailed again, and Jian Yi stared at Song Yu with bloodshot eyes. Song Yu was safely tucked in Qi Chengzhi’s arms, but she could feel his gaze on her. She returned his gaze with teary eyes.
She recalled the sweet memories of everything that she and Jian Yi had done since they were young. She was very close to Jian Yi, and she never thought that he would end up like that.
Past memories flashed past her mind, and images of her at the playground, carnival, and room escape during their school years flooded her brain. There were memories of her participating in the same curriculum in university, and there were also memories from when he participated in a basketball competition, and she went and supported him. Jian Yi purposely asked for the others to let Song Yu work in Chengshi after her graduation. Even her reunion with Qi Chengzhi on the project was all thanks to Jian Yi. Furthermore, Song Donglin and Yu Qianying were so happy every time he came to her house and brought a lot of gifts with his visit. The four of them would have meals together, with him sat at her side as he looked elegant and well-behaved.
