"Dad, I heard Qixian came home yesterday," Jin Rou said, smoothing out his suit jacket.
"He did," his father replied, the words sounding bitter on his tongue. "Don't mind him. He's just throwing another tantrum. He'll come crawling back once he realizes the mistake he's made."
"That's right. We're still his family, he can't just abandon us," Jin Rou agreed, adjusting his necktie in the mirror. "But Dad, stop stressing over it. You still have that meeting at the company to focus on."
His father didn't say another word, his silence heavy with unspoken anger.
____________________
"Where are you going this early?" Haoran asked, catching Qixian standing in his doorway.
"To ZH General? I still have work, don't I? Have you forgotten?" Qixian asked, sounding confused.
"I haven't, but I told you to rest," Haoran countered, firmly dragging him back into the room.
"But I'm completely fi—ne..." Qixian's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Haoran's sharp glare. "I guess I'm resting..." he muttered, turning back to return his clothes to the closet.
"Oh! Did you clean out this closet yesterday?" Haoran asked, noticing the change.
"Yeah. I brought some clothes over yesterday and needed a place for them. They couldn't exactly stay in the car forever, could they?"
"Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you," Haoran said, sounding a little upset.
"It's fine. You looked exhausted yesterday, so I didn't want to wake you," Qixian said with a small smile.
"That's true... Well, I still have to go clean up the clinic. Just stay here and rest," Haoran instructed, turning to leave the room.
"I could help," Qixian offered, moving to follow him.
"No, it's fine. Sihan and Yichen are coming by later anyway, they said they'd help me out," Haoran assured him. "Just get some sleep for now."
"Okay... but I'm helping as soon as I'm rested," Qixian called out, finally taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
"Then that's a deal!" Haoran flashed a smile before disappearing down the hall.
An hour later, Sihan and Yichen arrived late at the clinic but they immediately began helping Haoran and Qixian with the daily tasks.
"Sihan, have you heard?" Yichen asked while escorting the last of the patients out the door.
"Heard what?" Sihan asked, glancing over with curiosity.
"About Yanlan."
"Yanlan? Who's that?" Haoran asked, tilting his head.
"Oh, she's a big deal. She owns a massive company overseas and is considered a role model among high society," Qixian explained, butting into the conversation.
"You knew her?" Sihan and Yichen asked simultaneously, their eyes widening in surprise.
"Of course I knew... I mean, I've seen her many times," Qixian caught himself, noticing their suspicious expressions. "I've heard a lot about her from my aunt. She's an influencer, but she left the country years ago." He kept his expression neutral, though his mind was racing. 'That was obviously a lie. I don't have an aunt I'm close to—I don't even know any of them. Jin Rou probably does. But of course I know about Yanlan, I was part of that high society world, too.'
"Whoa! I guess she really is a big deal then!" Haoran said, his voice full of admiration for this mysterious woman.
"By the way, Yichen, why the sudden mention of her?" Sihan asked, returning to the original topic.
"She finally made an appearance in this city yesterday," Yichen replied.
"So the rumors circulating in high society are true? But she's not the type to just show up anywhere," Sihan said, pondering the implications.
"Yeah, my men were there yesterday and they confirmed they saw her," Yichen said as he finally took a seat, looking thoughtful.
"What is she doing here?" Sihan asked.
"I guess she came to visit her younger brother," Yichen shrugged.
"Her younger brother? Isn't he working under the Zhou family as the secretary for the second son?" Sihan asked, trying to piece the connection together.
"Yeah. And some thugs tried to take him, but she suddenly showed up to intervene," Yichen revealed.
"Someone tried to abduct her brother?! Who would do something like that?" Sihan asked, shocked.
"Well, the thugs were sent by the Zhou family," Yichen said bluntly.
"Oh... I guess they really have that kind of power, don't they? The Zhou family is on par with your own company," Sihan said, nodding as if it finally made sense. "But why would they do that?"
"My men said they were trying to take her brother because he knows exactly where the second son of the Zhou family is hiding," Yichen explained.
"Why? What happened to the second son?" Haoran asked, sounding worried for a complete stranger.
Qixian felt the blood drain from his face. He forced himself to take a slow, measured sip of water, the cold liquid barely soothing the rising panic in his throat. 'It's a good thing Yanlan arrived on time,' he thought. 'My father isn't someone to mess with. He would have tortured Chengli if the abduction had been successful. If he ever did that, I would never forgive him, even if he is my own father.'
"The Zhou family is a total mess," Sihan added, oblivious to the storm he was fueling in Qixian. "Rumor has it the Patriarch is hunting for his runaway son to settle some inheritance dispute before the big gala next month."
"Inheritance?" Haoran asked, his brow furrowing. "Is that why they're being so aggressive? Just for money?"
'Inheritance? It's not about that,' Qixian thought with a surge of dark satisfaction. 'The Zhou company might collapse if the rumors of me running away spread further. Their reputation would be destroyed once people realize the extent of their favoritism. And besides, Jin Rou doesn't have the brains to actually handle the company or the social pressure—especially now that I've started the rumor that he isn't even a legitimate son. No wonder my father is furious.'
"It's never just about money with families like that," Qixian interjected, his voice surprisingly steady despite his internal turmoil. "It's about control. They view people as assets. Once an asset walks away, they'd rather break it than let it be free."
Yichen's gaze intensified. It was as if he were trying to peel back Qixian's skin to see the truth hidden underneath. "You seem to know a lot about how they think, Qixian."
"I read the news," Qixian countered sharply, holding his ground.
Suddenly, Qixian's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to find a text from Chengli: You shouldn't go back to the ZH General Hospital for the time being, Young Master.
Qixian's brow furrowed in confusion as he read the message. "I'm going out for a bit," he announced to the room. "I need to call someone."
"Ah... go on then," Haoran replied, not looking up from his task. "We're pretty much done here anyway, and I'm about to start cooking our dinner."
Qixian stepped outside and immediately dialed Chengli, who picked up on the very first ring. "Young Master?"
"What do you mean by your message?" Qixian demanded without preamble.
"Your father ordered his men to stay and watch the hospital," Chengli reported, his voice low. "They're waiting for you to show up for your shift."
"He's actually that angry?" Qixian scoffed, leaning against the clinic wall.
"Well, it might not seem like it, but the Chairman trusts you to handle matters at the Zhou company. You're practically a genius with the task, it's just that you prefer being a surgeon," Chengli said, his tone sounding as if he were bracing for a scolding.
"My father? Trust me? That's ridiculous," Qixian snapped. "He just loves his company and his precious 'golden' son. That's all there is to it." He paused, looking out at the street. "But what am I supposed to do now? I can't exactly practice medicine if I can't go to my own hospital."
"What about working under my older sis— Yanlan! Give it back!" The phone muffled for a moment before a new, confident voice took over.
"Oh! Hello, Miss Yanlan. You're quite the talk of high society lately, aren't you?" Qixian said, his tone shifting to something more playful.
"Of course I am! Now, listen—are you in? I mean work under me," Yanlan said, sounding like she was dodging someone. "You know you can trust me, and I can hide your identity perfectly. Don't forget, I have plenty of business interests in this city too."
"I might just become a burden to you," Qixian demurred.
"A burden? How could that be?" Yanlan laughed loudly. "You took care of my little brother for so long, and he's had such a good life because of you—he even refuses my help! It's the least I can do."
"Can I really?" Qixian asked, a glimmer of hope sparked in his chest.
"Of course! You're welcome anytime. So, are you in?"
"Then I'm in!" Qixian decided.
"Good! I'll call you tomorrow with the details on where to go!" Yanlan said happily, sounding as if she had just won a major bet against her brother.
"Who's that?" Yichen's voice suddenly cut through the air. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching Qixian intently.
"Oh, I guess you're busy. Bye!" Yanlan teased, clearly catching the male voice on the other end before hanging up.
Qixian couldn't even say farewell to the dead line. He turned his attention to Yichen, his defensive walls slamming back into place. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you really an Alpha?" Yichen asked, his voice dripping with distrust.
"I am," Qixian replied flatly.
"Then was that your girlfriend?" Yichen asked, nodding toward the phone.
"The one I was just talking to?" Qixian asked, and when Yichen nodded, he scoffed. "No way! Absolutely not. She's just my friend's older sister, so she's basically like an older sister to me too," Qixian explained as he brushed past Yichen to head back inside.
"Oh... and what did they say?" Yichen pressed, following close behind.
"Just that ZH General is a mess right now and I can't really go back to work there. The Zhou family is scary," Qixian said, faking a shudder as if a ghost had just walked through him.
"And here I thought you were busy ordering Omega suppressants," Yichen said, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.
"Do you know how long I've been longing to punch you in the face?" Qixian glared, his teeth gritting together.
Yichen chuckled, entirely unfazed. "Well, that's cute. A short person trying to punch me? Truly adorable."
"You— I'm really going to kill you!" Qixian's face became a mask of pure, jagged indignation. In his mind, he was already lunging forward, teeth bared in a silent snarl, vibrating with a fury he couldn't vent. He imagined himself tackling Yichen, landing blow after blow until the Alpha was finally down, with Qixian sitting triumphantly on top of him, but not until he got pulled back to reality after hearing Yichen's voice.
"You must be thinking about beating me up right now, aren't you?" Yichen whispered, suddenly leaning in until his face was just an inch away from Qixian's.
Qixian's eyes blew wide. He instinctively took a sharp step back, nearly tripping, which only earned him another dark, knowing smirk from Yichen.