Chapter 35: He Saw Everything

During winter break, Wen Qi didn’t return to Zhian. Wei Qingxuan had originally planned to stay by her side the entire time, but Dong Lanying suddenly called him away.

As a result, Wen Qi spent a remarkably peaceful winter vacation in Chengyu—if one ignored Wei Qingxuan’s unwavering daily video calls.

Other than that, however, he seemed extremely busy.

One time during a video call, Wen Qi noticed the background behind him. The cream-colored wall was patterned with delicate designs, and a small crystal wall lamp hung above it. The European-style décor made her curious.

“Where are you?”

“Inspecting an overseas project,” he replied. “If you’re interested, I’ll bring you here next time.”

Wen Qi shook her head.

“I’ll pass.”

After the call ended, she sent Mia a message.

– Anything unusual?

– Nothing for now.】

The exchange application process went even more smoothly than Wen Qi had expected. The acceptance letter arrived in her inbox while Wei Qingxuan was sleeping beside her.

His phone was right next to her hand.

She knew the password.

72727

A strange sequence of numbers.

But there no longer seemed to be any need to check his phone. Mia had already booked her flight and arranged a new identity for her.

As long as she got out, she would be able to continue her studies peacefully.

Except…

She might occasionally think of him.

She listened to Wei Qingxuan’s steady breathing. Long and even.

Many sleepless nights, she had lain in his arms, quietly listening to that sound.

Turning her head, she looked at his sleeping face. The eyes that usually carried either sharpness or amusement were now gently closed. His long lashes cast faint shadows beneath them.

He looked unexpectedly gentle.

Why was it that right before leaving, she suddenly found him rather pleasant to look at?

She swallowed and quickly came back to her senses.

No.

She absolutely couldn’t let herself be fooled by his face again.

Her phone lit up.

Mia had sent another message.

– Qi, get ready. As long as you reach the airport tomorrow, I guarantee you’ll be able to leave.

– Do you need me to do anything else?

Wen Qi had waited a long time for this day.

Leaving.

How to leave.

She had rehearsed it countless times in her mind.

– We’ll be going to the resort tomorrow. There will be plenty of chances to get away. Just wait for me at the airport.

Mia seemed to want to discuss the details further, but Wen Qi wasn’t in the mood to chat. She simply explained the important points.

Tonight was destined to be sleepless.

Whether because of excitement, anticipation, nervousness or melancholy.

The moment she realized there was a trace of melancholy in her emotions, Wen Qi frowned.

How could she feel melancholy?

Tomorrow she would finally leave.

The sky was vast, and she would be free.

No longer would she have to worry about being confined.

She should be happy.

That tiny bit of melancholy was insignificant.

“Insignificant,” she repeated to herself.

Yet the moment she noticed that emotion, she didn’t realize that the confusion had already spread through her heart like warm water slowly cooking a frog. What she noticed was merely the tip of it.

She forced herself to feel happy.

Instead, her chest only grew heavier.

The gloom doubled.

She didn’t understand why.

Sleep was impossible.

Completely impossible.

So she put down her phone and stepped onto the balcony.

Wei Qingxuan had filled the balcony with flowers simply because she had once complained that it looked as empty and lifeless as a hotel balcony.

Not long afterward, he had people bring over countless plants.

Wen Qi liked flowers.

She just didn’t know how to grow them.

Nor did she have the patience.

So watering and fertilizing them always became Wei Qingxuan’s responsibility.

She often heard him discussing work with Uncle Lin on the phone while watering her flowers.

Sometimes he focused so much on the call that the flowers suffered for it, practically being drowned.

She would always run over and protest:

“Don’t drown my flowers!”

And Wei Qingxuan would kiss her forehead and praise her.

“So clever.”

Wen Qi never understood what was so clever about that.

But he loved praising her.

And never seemed to tire of it.

If she slept early, he praised her.

If she put food on his plate, he praised her.

His compliments seemed endless.

Yet she had also heard trembling apologies through his online meetings.

With everyone else, he was entirely different.

It was as if he only recognized her.

So perhaps she could compliment him once too.

‘Wei Qingxuan.’

‘You’re so cunning.’

Was everything he did for her simply so she would never forget him?

Squatting down, Wen Qi lit a cigarette and watched the thin trail of smoke curl around the flower petals.

She smiled.

“I wonder if he’ll still take care of my flowers after I leave.”

****

The next day was the weekend.

Wen Qi packed lightly.

Aside from important documents, she brought almost nothing.

Then she climbed into the car.

Wei Qingxuan didn’t immediately close the door.

He stood outside for a moment.

“Did you pack everything?”

“Yep. I don’t really need much.”

“We’ll be staying there for a few days. If there’s anything you’re not used to, tell me.”

A business partner had specifically invited Wei Qingxuan to spend several days at a mountain resort. Uncle Lin had arranged the introduction, so refusing would have been difficult.

At the same time, Wei Qingxuan didn’t want to be separated from Wen Qi.

So he simply brought her along.

“I know. It’s supposed to be beautiful.”

Her willingness to go surprised him.

Wen Qi generally disliked appearing with him in public.

It was as if, in her mind, their relationship was meant to remain hidden.

“You like it? Then I’ll take you there alone next time.”

He settled into the driver’s seat, gripped the steering wheel, and slowly drove away from Xinghe Bay.

Wen Qi looked back through the mirror.

Her gaze quickly found the apartment.

The balcony with the most flowers was easy to recognize.

Unfortunately, she had already left.

She didn’t know when she would ever come back.

****

Wen Qi took out her phone.

She had felt it vibrating earlier, but Wei Qingxuan had been beside her, making it inconvenient to check.

Now that he was driving, she quickly glanced at the messages.

– Qi, I’m already at the airport. I’m so happy you’re coming to visit my country.

– My family will definitely like you. When I told them I made a Chinese friend, they could hardly believe it.

– Haha, surprise tomorrow.

Wen Qi had worried something had gone wrong with the plan.

Her heart had nearly jumped out of her chest when she got into the car.

Instead, Mia was simply excited.

She let out a long breath.

Mia was a highly paid computer expert recruited by Xiang Weishi specifically to help her evade Wei Qingxuan’s tracking.

Yet before Mia had even fully reacted, Wei Qingxuan had already found Wen Qi the last time.

Mia had always blamed herself for underestimating him and repeatedly promised that this time would be different.

Sure enough.

So much time had passed, and Wei Qingxuan still hadn’t noticed anything.

Gradually, Wen Qi relaxed.

–  I won’t arrive until tomorrow night, so I won’t trouble your family just yet.

– What does ‘trouble’ mean?

Although Mia had been in China for three years, some expressions still confused her.

Wen Qi explained.

They chatted back and forth.

She was so absorbed that she failed to notice when the car had stopped.

Wei Qingxuan was staring directly at her.

“Who are you talking to?”

“You seem happy.”

“Why did you stop?”

He tilted his chin forward.

“Red light.”

“Oh.”

Embarrassed, Wen Qi hurriedly ended the conversation with Mia and put away her phone.

Wei Qingxuan glanced at her bag.

His tone darkened.

“Jiang Tinghao?”

“Female friend.”

Wei Qingxuan replied,

“I remember a girl once confessed to you.”

“…”

“So women are off-limits too? Men are off-limits? Then I guess I can only chat with someone who’s neither.”

“You can talk to me.”

The light turned green.

Cars ahead began moving.

The road opened up again.

“I can talk to you about anything.”

Anything?

If she mentioned what she planned to do tonight, he would probably drag her back home immediately.

So she switched to safe topics.

“How’s the food there?”

“Are the mattresses soft? I can’t sleep on hard beds.”

“Can I get a suite? I don’t want to share a room with you.”

“All the rooms are full,” Wei Qingxuan said calmly.

Wen Qi supplied the rest herself.

“And conveniently the only available room is next to yours?”

“Mm.”

She scoffed.

“That’s an awful excuse.”

****

Lin Sen was there this time too.

After not seeing Wen Qi for so long, he pulled her aside and chatted endlessly.

He even bragged that the moment Wei Qingxuan first brought her to the billiards hall, he had known the two of them would end up together.

Now he had been proven right.

He continued boasting about his insight.

Before he could finish, a woman’s voice interrupted.

“Brother, that’s him! He’s the one I wanted you to help me find!”

The girl tugged urgently at the sleeve of the man beside her.

Seeing them arrive, Lin Sen introduced everyone.

“Qingxuan, Xiao Qi. This is Ni Qisheng, President of Zhifeng Group. And this is his sister, Miss Ni Ranyi.”

The moment Ni Ranyi saw Wei Qingxuan, everyone else disappeared from her eyes.

“Brother, it’s him-”

“Be quiet.”

“Brother!”

Ni Ranyi couldn’t understand why the brother who had promised to help her earlier was now shutting her down.

Ni Qisheng pulled his sleeve free.

“My apologies. My sister is impulsive by nature.”

Then he looked toward Wen Qi.

“And this is…?”

Wei Qingxuan casually stepped forward, blocking his line of sight.

“My girlfriend.”

The siblings’ expressions changed instantly.

Ni Ranyi complained immediately.

“This is all your fault! If you’d introduced me to him earlier, he wouldn’t already have a girlfriend! How am I supposed to convince him to marry into our family now?”

The implication was obvious.

Both Uncle Lin and Wei Qingxuan darkened visibly.

Wen Qi yawned.

“Where’s my room? I’m tired.”

After spending so much time beside Wei Qingxuan, she had become accustomed to scenes like this.

He would handle it himself.

Still.

This Miss Ni certainly had a big appetite.

She wanted Wei Qingxuan to marry into her family.

The bigger the appetite, the more painful the eventual disappointment.

****

“Ni Ranyi, go back.”

“No! Brother, I finally-”

Seeing the increasingly unpleasant expressions around them, Ni Qisheng regretted bringing his reckless sister.

“Go back. Or I’ll lock you up for a month.”

“Brother!”

“Go.”

Seeing he was serious, Ni Ranyi finally retreated miserably toward the guest rooms.

On the way, she ran into Wen Qi.

After imagining that Wen Qi was secretly mocking her, she stopped in front of her.

“How long have you two been together?”

Wen Qi had no interest in arguing and simply walked around her.

But Ni Ranyi followed.

“Give him to me. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

Since her brother refused to help, she would do it herself.

Wasn’t he just a man?

She couldn’t understand why her brother treated him with such respect.

When she wanted something, she got it.

Always.

“No matter what methods I have to use.”

“So what if I don’t want anything?” Wen Qi smiled.

“What if I just want him?”

She had always enjoyed doing the opposite of what others expected.

If a few words could intimidate her, she wouldn’t be Wen Qi.

Ni Ranyi clearly hadn’t expected a refusal.

And it sounded as though Wen Qi was deliberately opposing her.

“I have money. What do you have?”

Her gaze swept over Wen Qi’s clothes.

Clothes without recognizable luxury logos.

“A pretty face?”

“Thank you for calling me pretty. A lot of people say that.”

Wen Qi pulled a compact mirror from her purse and admired herself.

“I didn’t realize you were such a reasonable person.”

“Maybe Wei Qingxuan just happens to like this face.”

“You-!”

Ni Ranyi was furious.

But she noticed Wei Qingxuan, Ni Qisheng, and Lin Sen approaching.

Afraid of being punished, she hurriedly left behind a clichéd threat.

“You’ll regret making an enemy of me.”

“Ooh, I’m so scared.”

Wen Qi rolled her eyes.

In her life, she hardly regretted anything.

Well.

Except perhaps recklessly teasing a certain someone.

****

Wei Qingxuan had seen Ni Ranyi speaking to Wen Qi.

Combined with Wen Qi’s unhappy expression, he immediately abandoned the conversation and hurried over.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine…”

Feeling the less-than-friendly gaze from nearby, Wen Qi secretly glanced at Ni Qisheng.

As expected.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Her eyes shifted.

Then she said,

“She mocked me for being poor. She said she wanted you to marry into her family and told me to give you up. How could I agree? I only want you.”

She sounded so sincere that even Wei Qingxuan paused for a moment. The corners of his lips slowly lifted. Could it be that she was actually reluctant to part with him?

Wen Qi turned to look at Ni Qisheng.

“Your sister doesn’t seem quite right in the head, and your eyes don’t seem much better. You keep looking at people sideways. My godfather is a hospital director. How about I ask him to arrange some doctors for you?”

“This constant relapse really isn’t a solution.”

“You-” Remembering that Wei Qingxuan was present, Ni Qisheng lowered his voice. “Miss Wen, mind your words.”

“Otherwise people might misunderstand and think that Mr. Wei’s companion is this kind of person.”

“So what if I insulted you?” Wen Qi shot back. “Two lunatics came out of nowhere to make trouble for me. Don’t blame me for speaking unpleasantly.”

What did it matter that she was with Wei Qingxuan? What did it matter if people misunderstood? She was going to run away anyway. None of it had anything to do with her.

Daring to mock her for being poor?

When she made money later, she’d buy a solid gold bucket and smash it over each of their heads to enlighten them. Their brains were practically filled with concrete. They really thought the world revolved around them.

She still had to escape that night, so she didn’t take the siblings seriously at all. She went back to her room and slept soundly.

She slept straight through until ten o’clock at night.

This gathering at the resort wasn’t just for the Ni siblings. Wei Qingxuan couldn’t stay in the room accompanying Wen Qi the whole time.

That, however, gave Wen Qi the perfect opportunity to gather information. When she learned that a car would be heading down the mountain at one in the morning, she quietly slipped the driver some money and arranged for a ride.

Afterward, she strolled leisurely toward the restaurant.

The event would last three days. The first day was mainly for everyone to rest and adjust, so there wasn’t much going on.

As a result, she ran into the Ni siblings in the restaurant.

Just her luck. When things went badly, even drinking cold water could get stuck in your teeth. She rolled her eyes.

Fortunately, the two of them didn’t come looking for trouble this time. Naturally, Wen Qi had no interest in approaching them either.

More importantly, she had a mission.

In her bag was a small amount of sleeping medication. If she controlled the dosage carefully, it would make Wei Qingxuan sleep peacefully for quite a long time.

Originally, she had planned to use it when he returned to the room.

But he had sent her a message saying he needed to discuss business with Uncle Lin and wouldn’t be back until around one o’clock.

Wouldn’t that be exactly when she planned to leave?

Seeing that it was already eleven and there was still no sign of Wei Qingxuan returning, Wen Qi decided to take the initiative.

She grabbed a few bottles of alcohol, planning to pour the medicine into one of them, find Wei Qingxuan, coax him into drinking it, then send him back to his room.

Problem solved.

A corner of the restaurant was hidden behind several large decorative displays. Unless someone looked carefully, they wouldn’t notice anyone squeezing into that space.

Wen Qi moved very carefully.

What she didn’t know was that the restaurant had a concealed second floor.

And at that moment, Wei Qingxuan was seated by a window upstairs, watching with his own eyes as she slowly poured the drug into the drink.

Uncle Lin was puzzled.

They had been talking perfectly well, and suddenly Wei Qingxuan had fallen silent.

Following his gaze, Uncle Lin looked down and saw Wen Qi swirling a wine glass.

“Xiao Qi? She’s drinking? We can’t let her get drunk.”

Wei Qingxuan smiled and rotated the ice cubes in his own glass.

“I think I’m the one who’s supposed to drink it.”

“Uncle Lin, I’ll have to skip the evening events for the next few days.”

“What happened? Why suddenly decide not to attend?”

Wei Qingxuan closed his chat window with Damon and turned his eyes back toward Wen Qi.

“Someone needs to learn a lesson.”

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