Qin Yulian knew she was no match for Jiang Youli in a war of words. Suppressing the strong urge to turn around and argue with her, she quickened her pace to catch up with her husband and left the hospital room.
"Tch, still thinking about settling scores with me," Jiang Youli scoffed, tossing another grape into her mouth.
Zhang Susu and Jiang Yehan tactfully left the room, giving Qi Huan and Jiang Youli private space to nurture their relationship.
Cheng Jing also took his leave discreetly.
Once the door closed, Qi Huan's gaze locked firmly onto Jiang Youli. His eyes held undisguised admiration and deep affection. "You played the move of deliberately stepping into the situation to collide with Jiang Zhao beautifully. Probably only you in the whole world would dare to play it like that and still come out unscathed."
Hearing Qi Huan's praise, Jiang Youli couldn't help but smile. "Don't try to copy me lightly. I wouldn't take such a risk without being one hundred percent sure."
"My grandfather asked if I wanted to postpone the engagement. I refused," Qi Huan said.
Jiang Youli immediately chimed in, "I figured as much. I also refused the suggestion to postpone."
The two exchanged a knowing smile. After all, they hadn't really been injured in the car accident.
Qi Huan just wanted to hold a grand engagement banquet for Jiang Youli as soon as possible, to announce their relationship to the world. He didn't want to delay for a single day.
Having eaten quite a few grapes while watching the earlier drama, Jiang Youli was now satisfied. She stopped, wiped her hands with a tissue, and said, "Come over here. Time for your daily treatment."
"Alright," Qi Huan replied, wheeling himself closer.
During the treatment, as Jiang Youli focused on applying the acupuncture needles, she asked with concern, "By the way, what's the situation on your end? What did your father and Qi Yue come to talk to you about yesterday?"
Mentioning this, Qi Huan answered in a flat tone, "Several projects in the group ran into problems. Qi Yue couldn't handle them."
Jiang Youli raised an eyebrow. "Your doing, I presume?"
Qi Huan didn't deny it. "Hmm, consider it a warning for him."
Jiang Youli asked again, "Have you found any clues yet about whether Qi Yue is actually your biological brother or not?"
At this topic, the calmness in Qi Huan's eyes instantly deepened. He slowly shook his head. "No."
Jiang Youli couldn't help but sigh. "If Qi Yue isn't your real brother, then your father's planning for this scheme back then was truly flawless."
Qi Huan's expression grew even colder. "It happened so many years ago, it really is hard to investigate. If it weren't for Qi Yu's kidnapping scheme that crippled my legs, and how Qi Yue and Qi Yu couldn't wait to rub my face in it, how could I have ever suspected that Qi Yue might not be my biological brother, but a secretly swapped illegitimate son of Qi Tianxiang?"
"Actually, I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me hopes Qi Yue isn't my real brother. Then everything he and Qi Yu did to me would make sense, and I could find some peace, knowing that the one who wanted me dead wasn't my own flesh and blood."
"But on the other hand, I keep thinking, if Qi Yue really isn't my brother, then what happened to my real brother? When he was sent away, could he have already been harmed by Qi Tianxiang? If he's still alive, where is he now? How is he living?"
A faint glimmer passed through Jiang Youli's eyes, but her hand holding the needle didn't hesitate, accurately inserting it into the acupuncture point. "I understand what you mean. But dwelling on it internally is useless. Since you suspect Qi Yue's identity, you must investigate it thoroughly, no matter how bad the potential outcome might be. Then, take revenge where it's due, and search for who needs to be found."
Qi Huan suddenly laughed. "Yeah. Xiao Li'er, what should I do? I really, really like being with you. Every time I listen to you talk, my heart feels much lighter."
Jiang Youli chuckled, looked up at him, met his dark, affectionate gaze, and smiled. "Then just be together. I never said you couldn't be with me. Besides, after the engagement banquet on Saturday, I'll be your rightful fiancée. Us being together is only natural. If we weren't together, that would mean there's a problem with our relationship."
Her words were always so straightforward yet delightful.
Qi Huan actually found himself feeling grateful for Qi Yu's kidnapping scheme—the one that crippled his legs, canceled his arranged marriage with Jiang Yonghe, and led him to the village to meet the true heiress the Jiang family was bringing back to be a substitute bride, all in hopes of curing his legs...
This series of events was what led him to the woman he fell for at first sight.
Halfway through the treatment, Cheng Jing pushed the door open.
"Pardon the interruption, Young Master. Your father and Qi Yue are here again."
Qi Huan said calmly, "Let them wait."
"Yes."
Cheng Jing withdrew.
Soon, through the door, they could hear the dissatisfied voice of a middle-aged man outside.
"What's he doing in the next room? Making his own father wait?"
"Cheng Jing, tell him I have an urgent matter. He needs to come fix it for me right now!"
Hearing the entitled tone of the middle-aged man outside the door, Jiang Youli couldn't help but sneer. "Your father, even after you discovered Qi Yu is his illegitimate daughter, he still knows how to put on airs, doesn't he?"
This made her curious. "Speaking of which, you don't resemble your father at all. You must take more after your mother."
Mentioning his mother, a shadow passed over Qi Huan's eyes. "My mother passed away when I was five, so I don't know too much about her myself. But from what others say, compared to my father, my mother was indeed more capable at work. When I was little, my father couldn't stand that my mother was more capable and always outshone him. Outside, he loved to put on airs to prove even my mother had to defer to him. My mother, giving him face, let him show off. Later, after I gained my grandfather's favor, my father's status in the Qi family rose along with mine, and he became even more fond of putting on airs in front of outsiders."
"And you could tolerate that?" Jiang Youli didn't understand.
Qi Huan smiled. "Actually, at first, I didn't indulge him. But later, because he also put in a lot of effort to persuade Grandfather to agree to bring Qi Yue back... though now, thinking about it, the reason Qi Tianxiang was so eager to bring Qi Yue back was probably to complete his plan."
"How did your mother, such an outstanding person, ever fall for your father?" Jiang Youli couldn't quite figure it out.
Qi Huan thought for a moment and offered a reason. "Probably because he was handsome. My mother thought her own genes provided enough intelligence, so for looks, she picked someone high-scoring."
Jiang Youli was taken aback. Looking at Qi Huan's face, she suddenly understood. "Alright then. Good looks really are hard to refuse."
"But back then, when your younger brother was to be sent away by your grandfather because of a fortune-teller's words, did your mother agree to that?" Jiang Youli didn't think his mother was the type to just accept things passively.
Qi Huan shook his head and explained, "Of course Mother didn't agree. But my brother Qi Yue was secretly sent away by my father. My mother died in a car accident while personally trying to go find and bring him back after Father sent him away."
