"Jinghua! Be careful! Don't run like that, you'll trip!" Chengli called out, his voice laced with the typical anxiety of a protective father as he watched his daughter weave through the crowd.
"Little Hua, did you hear that? Your dad is being a worrywart again," Qixian teased with a wink. He stepped up to a colorful candy stall, pointing out a few bright treats. "I'll take these, please." After handing over some of Sihan's cash, he turned back to the little girl with a grin. "Thank you," he nodded to the seller before holding up the bag. "Little Hua, would you like some candy?"
"Yes! Yes! I want the candy, Uncle!" Jinghua cheered, jumping up and down excitedly.
"Just don't eat too many at once, Jinghua! You'll ruin your stomach," Chengli warned, stepping up beside them.
Qixian leaned down, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "You heard him, right? That means you should definitely eat more," he whispered into her ear. Jinghua let out a delighted peal of laughter, covering her mouth with her small hands.
"I heard that, you know," Chengli sighed, giving Qixian a pointed glare.
"Good, because I absolutely meant it!" Qixian laughed, his eyes crinkling with genuine mischief. He reached down and gently took Jinghua's small, warm hand in his. "Come on, Little Hua, let's go find a playground and burn off all that sugar!"
Chengli watched them start to walk away, a look of mild indignation on his face. "Shouldn't I be the one holding her hand?" he muttered to himself. He hurried to catch up, his expression shifting to one of concern as he leaned in close to Qixian. "Wait, Young Master," he whispered, low enough that Jinghua wouldn't overhear. "You're still recovering from those injuries. How can you walk this far without resting? You're pushing yourself too hard."
"It's fine, really. It's just a short walk to the park," Qixian reassured him, though a slight tightness around his eyes betrayed his discomfort. He quickly changed the subject to distract his secretary friend. "By the way, how are things at the company?"
Chengli's face darkened slightly. "Mr. Jin Rou's men finally left the premises, but his order still stands—my sister doesn't actually have enough authority in this city so she can't really drive them away, and that's why it's forbidden for you to return to work there for now. My sister was very firm about it. She said it's far too dangerous for you to set foot in that building, especially considering how villainous a man Mr. Jin Rou has proven to be."
"Why are you still calling that man 'Mr.'?" Qixian snapped, his tone sharp and utterly devoid of respect. "It's not like he's actually higher than you in any way that matters. In fact, didn't you know? His standing is lower than that of a common orphan."
"Well..." Chengli pondered for a moment, a small, wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I suppose that's at least half-true."
Qixian stopped in his tracks and gave him a mock-glare. "Half-true? You should've said it was the absolute, gospel truth, not just half!" He rolled his eyes dramatically, but the sight of Chengli breaking into a hearty laugh made it impossible for Qixian to not stay annoyed for long.
_____________________
Night eventually fell, casting long shadows across the city. Qixian's phone buzzed with a message from Sihan.
Sihan: Hey, you can come back now. Yichen and Haoran finally left, so the house is clear. It's already dark out—do you want me to come pick you up?
Qixian: No, it's fine. My secretary is driving me back. To be honest, we're actually quite close, so I'm in good hands.
Sihan: Good to hear. Just be careful on the way.
Qixian: Yeah, thanks.
"Is she finally asleep?" Chengli asked quietly, glancing briefly at his daughter in the rearview mirror before focusing his attention back on the road.
"Mmhmm," Qixian murmured, watching the streetlights flicker into a blur past the car window.
"By the way, how have you really been these past few days?" Chengli asked, his voice full of genuine concern. "I haven't heard a word from you for almost forty-eight hours, and then suddenly I find out you're staying at Mr. Lu's estate? What's going on?"
"Well, something... unexpected came up," Qixian replied vaguely.
"Mind telling me what that 'something' was?" Chengli pressed.
Qixian remained silent, staring out at the passing skyline.
"Did the Zhou family found you?" Chengli guessed, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
"Well..." Qixian trailed off, neither confirming nor denying.
"Should I tell my older sister about this then?" Chengli threatened when Qixian didn't continue. "She'll want to know if you're in trouble, I wonder how she would react, she's a monster, afterall."
"No! Don't you dare tell her," Qixian snapped, flashing a warning glare at his secretary.
"Then talk to me, Young Master," Chengli said firmly them realized something. "Or was it something between you and Mr. Lu...?"
"What? No! Sihan and Haoran are already together," Qixian stated flatly, nipping that theory in the bud.
"Then why on earth are you staying at his house?"
Qixian sighed, leaning back into the plush leather seat and closing his eyes. "Jin Rou found out I was staying at the clinic," he admitted.
"He did?" Chengli's eyes widened in surprise. "Does that mean your twin brother found out too?"
"No, not yet. But Sihan knows everything now," Qixian said.
"Mr. Lu knows? What if he—"
"He won't," Qixian interrupted. "He promised me he would never tell Yichen or Haoran the truth unless it was absolutely necessary, but that day won't come."
"How did he even find out in the first place?" Chengli asked, navigating through the quiet evening traffic.
"Well... when Jin Rou abducted me, Sihan was the one who managed to show up at the place where I got abducted and save me halfway through," Qixian confessed.
"He abducted you?!" Chengli gasped, his head snapping toward Qixian in shock. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay? Oh right! Isn't that why you have injuries?"
"Eyes on the road," Qixian demanded, "and don't yell, little hua will wake up," he scolded.
"Ah, sorry, sorry..." Chengli quickly corrected the car's path. "But seriously, are your injuries that bad? Was it really , really bad? Should I be taking you to a hospital instead of Sihan's?"
"He did hurt me, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. And there's no need for a hospital. Sihan already had a private doctor come to the house to treat me, so there's nothing to worry about, besides I'll be Sihan's future brother-in-law so he won't have a choice but to treat me nicely," Qixian explained with pride, though it's evident that he's trying to downplay the pain.
"That's a relief, I suppose," Chengli said, though he still looked troubled. "But now that the eldest Zhou imposter son knows where you were, what's the plan? He'll surely target the clinic again sooner or later."
"I don't know yet," Qixian sighed. "I just need to rest. For now, Yichen and Sihan have both stationed men at the clinic to guard it, at least, I could trust Yichen with it."
"Still, it's a dangerous situation..."
"It'll be fine for now. Anyway, you can pull over here," Qixian said as they approached a set of massive iron gates.
"This is Mr. Lu's house? Good grief, it's huge," Chengli remarked, staring at the mansion in pure amazement.
"Are you finally satisfied that I'll be safe here?" Qixian asked. He carefully opened the car door and stepped out as slowly as possible, moving with deliberate caution so as not to wake little Jinghua.
"I guess I am," Chengli admitted with a nod. "But please, Young Master... be careful."
"I will. Drive home safely," Qixian said, waving him off before turning to enter the mansion.
"You're back? Have you eaten yet?" Sihan asked the moment Qixian stepped through the front door.
"Yeah, I grabbed something with my secretary and his daughter. You?"
"Haoran and Yichen had dinner here before they left, so I'm already done," Sihan said. Then, his expression hardened. "You really should be resting. How can you be so reckless, running around the city with those injuries?"
"I swear, you and Haoran are going to be the world's most overbearingly strict parents one day," Qixian commented, ignoring the lecture with a smirk. "What a dangerous match you two are."
"A dangerous match? Shouldn't you be describing yourself and Yichen that way?" Sihan countered, a knowing glint in his eye.
Qixian stopped and glared at him. "We. Are. Not. A. Match," he enunciated, every word dripping with denial.
"Oh, really? And yet you two are officially engaged?" Sihan shrugged innocently.
"That is nothing more than a massive inconvenience!" Qixian snapped, his annoyance rising.
"Sure, whatever you say," Sihan replied, his tone making it clear he didn't believe a word of it. "Though if it's just an inconvenience, then why are your ears turning bright red?"
"They're red because I'm annoyed!" Qixian shouted, turning on his heel and stomping angrily up the stairs—though the effect was somewhat ruined by Sihan's loud, echoing laughter behind him.