Meanwhile, on the other side.
After a full day of cleaning up, the courtyard house Chi Heng had purchased was now fully furnished, with only the courtyard’s brick paving left to be redone.
At the moment, Chi Heng sat alone in the study, flipping through a few old photographs.
In the photos were two children—a chubby little boy dressed in a tiny suit and a girl in a puffy princess dress, both grinning brightly at the camera.
"Sisi, it’s been a long time."
Chi Heng gently traced the girl’s face in the photo, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "As expected… you don’t remember me at all."
Just as he spoke, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Chi Heng’s expression hardened, and he quietly tucked the photos away.
Moments later, a stern-faced middle-aged man strode in, followed by several tall, imposing figures.
"Young Master," the man said coldly.
Though he addressed him as "Young Master," there was not a trace of respect in his tone. "Madam is already aware of your unauthorized visit to the Jiang Family this afternoon."
Chi Heng wasn’t surprised.
Even though she was far away in France, none of his actions escaped her notice.
Before the man could say another word, Chi Heng silently removed his shirt.
He turned his back, his lips quirking with faint mockery.
Without another word, the man signaled to the men behind him.
One of them stepped forward and handed him a whip soaked in saltwater.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
With each lash, fresh, bloody wounds crisscrossed Chi Heng’s already scarred back.
"Madam has a message for you," the man said coldly. "You’re an adult now, Young Master. You should know what is and isn’t acceptable. Remember your place."
After a pause, he added threateningly, "If there’s a next time, these lashes might not land on your back."
The moment he finished speaking, Chi Heng slowly turned his head, his gaze locking onto the man’s face. "Get out."
"As you wish, Young Master." The man gave a slight nod, casting a glance at the elderly man standing by the door before leading the others out.
The moment they left, Chi Heng’s rigid posture collapsed.
"Young Master… why must you do this to yourself?"
Before he could finish, the old man—Uncle Da—was already choking back sobs.
"Madam… her heart is too cruel. You’re still her—"
"Uncle Da." Chi Heng shook his head, cutting him off.
"Alright, alright… I won’t say it, I won’t…"
Understanding his meaning, Uncle Da wiped his tears and quickly retrieved antiseptic powder and bandages from the medicine box.
"Young Master, bear with the pain. I’ll dress your wounds now."
"Uncle Da, it’s fine. I don’t feel it anymore," Chi Heng reassured softly. "With her abroad, those men held back. They only used seventy or eighty percent of their strength."
Compared to the past, this was already lenient.
"How could it not hurt?" Uncle Da’s tears fell again.
The whip was specially made—barbed and soaked in saltwater.
A single strike was enough to break even the toughest man.
As he spoke, Uncle Da glanced at Chi Heng’s back again, where fresh wounds overlapped old ones, the sight so gruesome it was hard to look at.
He worked as carefully as he could, bandaging each injury with trembling hands.
Once finished, Uncle Da couldn’t help but plead again in a hushed voice, "Young Master, listen to me—stop provoking Madam."
Truthfully, when Madam had ordered Chi Heng to return to the country, Uncle Da had tried to dissuade him.
But the young master refused to listen, stubbornly insisting on coming back.
He had even bought this house without permission and deliberately sought out the Jiang Family.
And now, he had paid for it with his flesh.
Chi Heng remained silent, his gaze fixed on the half-open drawer.
Even without seeing inside, Uncle Da knew what lay within.
"Young Master…" Uncle Da tried once more.
"Uncle Da, enough." Chi Heng shut the drawer.
He knew what the old man wanted to say, but he wasn’t in the mood to hear it.
After a long silence, he finally spoke again. "Did you prepare what I asked for?"
"It’s ready." As he answered, Uncle Da cast a wary glance at the door.
Only after confirming they were truly alone did he discreetly open a hidden compartment in the medicine box, retrieving two identical jade pendants.
Uncle Da had raised Chi Heng since childhood—he understood the meaning behind every one of his actions.
"Young Master, let me find a way to deliver this for you. If Madam finds out—"
But Chi Heng shook his head.
Seeing Uncle Da’s hesitation, he offered a rare explanation.
"Uncle Da, this is my decision. It has nothing to do with her."
He admitted—his feelings for her were anything but ordinary.
But he had returned only to confirm whether she was truly doing well.
Whether she was, as rumors claimed, trapped in dire straits.
So even though he knew his actions would anger his mother, he had gone through with them anyway.
"Uncle Da." A faint smile touched Chi Heng’s lips as he recalled something.
"Her personality is still the same as when we were kids—straightforward, uncomplicated, with no patience for pretenses. And now… she’s happy."
That was enough.
Hearing him mention the Jiang Family’s young lady, Uncle Da sighed heavily.
He was old—he couldn’t keep up with the thoughts of the younger generation.
But he knew the truth: the young master loved her.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned just to ensure her well-being.
What he didn’t understand was—if the love ran so deep, why…?
"Young Master," Uncle Da ventured carefully, "Madam said that once everything is settled, she would agree to whatever you wanted…"
"She agrees?" Chi Heng let out a self-deprecating laugh. "She’s always been like this—forcing her will onto others’ lives."
She had controlled him for over twenty years. Wasn’t that enough?
Now she wanted to dictate someone else’s fate.
What right did she have?
"But, Young Master…" Uncle Da looked puzzled. "Haven’t you always loved Miss Jiang?"
Chi Heng had never denied his feelings for her.
But trapped in the Qin Family’s dangerous whirlpool, he could barely protect himself.
What right did he have to drag her into this mess?
Besides, his love had always been one-sided.
The way she looked at him held not a trace of romantic affection.
That much, Chi Heng knew all too well.
Uncle Da fell silent, his heart aching for him.
After what felt like an eternity, Chi Heng finally murmured, "Uncle Da, I’m tired."
"Of course, of course. You should rest now." Uncle Da hurried to support him.
Before leaving, he reminded him once more, "Young Master, be careful not to roll onto your wounds while sleeping."
"I’ll be right next door. Call me if you need anything!"
Chi Heng nodded. "Alright."
But Uncle Da still couldn’t shake his worry.
Ever since the old master passed, Madam had become a completely different person.
Whenever the young master did something that didn't meet her wishes even slightly, he would be subjected to corporal punishment or confinement.
Under this long - term physical and mental torture, the young master's health had been getting worse and worse.
Worried about his well - being, Uncle Da had been guarding outside the door.
After about two or three hours, Uncle Da gently pushed the door open.
Only then did he find that the wound on Chi Heng's back had burst at some point.
The bed was soaked with blood.
"Master? Master!" Seeing Chi Heng unconscious, Uncle Da didn't care about anything else and quickly went to other rooms to wake everyone up.
"What's wrong with the young master?" Hearing the commotion, the middle - aged man who had been there before came out of his room.
On the surface, he was the madam's right - hand man.
His job was to protect and supervise the young master.
But Uncle Da knew very well that this man was probably having an affair with the madam.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have targeted the young master every time.
Thinking about this, Uncle Da's tone was obviously a bit aggressive. "What do you think happened! The young master's health has always been poor, and you still beat him so brutally!"
"If anything happens to him, see how you'll explain it to the madam when you get back!"
As he was speaking, the other people also came out.
"What are you all standing there for?"
Uncle Da was both angry and anxious. "The young master has a high fever that won't go down. Hurry up and send him to the hospital. It'll be too late if we delay any longer!"
"This..." The people looked at each other and then at the middle - aged man.
The man was still hesitating.
But when he saw Chi Heng's complexion and condition.
He could only give in and agree.
Only then did the people carry Chi Heng on their backs and rush to a nearby hospital.
At the hospital, when the doctor in charge of examining Chi Heng's wound saw the injury on his back, he gasped in shock.
This... This was clearly not an accident but abuse!
Looking at these people who brought him here, all of them were big and burly. At first glance, they didn't look like good people.
Seeing this, the doctor gave a wink to the on - duty nurse.
The nurse was a smart girl.
Taking advantage of the people's inattention, she quickly called the hospital security guards.
When the security guards saw the wounds on Chi Heng's body, they immediately took these people into custody without saying a word.
The middle - aged man quickly took out two packs of cigarettes.
"What are you doing, what are you doing?"
The security guards looked righteous and pushed away the cigarettes he offered.
"Do you think you can corrupt our revolutionary team with these sugar - coated bullets?"
"No, no, I don't mean that." The man explained.
However, the security guards didn't listen at all. "Stop with this nonsense. I'm asking you, who beat the wounds on his back?"
"This..."
The people present looked at each other, and no one dared to admit it.
Seeing that they couldn't give a clear answer for a long time, the security guards didn't bother to talk to them anymore and directly escorted these people to a nearby police station.
Uncle Da pleaded with them for a long time. Finally, on the doctor's advice, the police officers agreed to let him stay.
After all, the patient's condition was serious and he needed someone by his side.
After the group left, the doctor helped Chi Heng re - bandage the wound and hung up fever - reducing and anti - inflammatory drips before leaving the ward.
Just as the door closed.
Chi Heng suddenly opened his eyes.
Uncle Da's eyes were already swollen like peaches from crying. Seeing his young master awake, he was both surprised and overjoyed.
However, before he could say a word.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
