Qi Huan nodded. “Yes. We’ll go straight to the sanatorium and find Qi Tianxiang now.”
Noticing that Jiang Youli had brought a large backpack today instead of her usual compact shoulder bag, his eyes flickered with amusement, and he couldn’t help smiling. “Looks like you’ve made thorough preparations to torture Qi Tianxiang into confessing.”
Jiang Youli hugged the backpack to her chest and gave it a light pat. “Of course. With someone like him, how can we get by without preparing a few extra methods?”
However, after a moment of thought, Jiang Youli added, “Still, judging by Qi Tianxiang’s backbone, I don’t think we’ll need to use too much torture.”
Qi Huan neither agreed nor disagreed. He simply said indifferently, “Regardless, I’ve already ordered food in advance. It’ll be delivered directly to the sanatorium. We’ll eat first, then get down to business.”
Jiang Youli nodded eagerly, beaming. “Good. We’ll need plenty of energy to get the job done after all!”
An hour later—
The sanatorium in the capital was located in a relatively remote suburb. The area was quiet, and the buildings bore the weathered, mottled marks of age.
Since they had made an appointment in advance, the sanatorium’s director and a nurse were already waiting to greet Qi Huan and Jiang Youli when they arrived. They led the pair to the cafeteria, and after they finished eating, personally escorted them to Qi Tianxiang’s private recovery room.
The moment Jiang Youli and Qi Huan reached the door of Qi Tianxiang’s room, they heard the sound of ceramic shattering inside.
“Crash!”
“George! Didn’t I tell you to bring my son here? Are you deaf?”
“Why hasn’t my son come yet? Don’t tell me you never informed him in the first place!”
Inside the room, the internationally renowned psychologist, George, calmly watched the bowl and chopsticks Qi Tianxiang had knocked to the floor. He showed no sign of anger and merely smiled faintly. “Mr. Qi, getting angry every day like this is harmful to your health.”
Qi Tianxiang was furious. He glared at the blond, blue-eyed foreigner before him. “George, don’t forget that I hired you at a hefty salary to provide psychological treatment for my son!”
Dr. George remained patient. “But, Mr. Qi, you’re the one who needs psychological counseling right now. Young Master Qi is perfectly healthy and doesn’t require my treatment. If you continue refusing to cooperate with your therapy, you’ll put me in a very difficult position.”
Qi Tianxiang snapped, “There’s nothing wrong with my mental health! I don’t need any treatment! George, let me make one thing clear: if you cross me, you’ll be finished once I leave this place!”
Jiang Youli pushed open the door and walked in.
At the sound of the door opening, Dr. George and Qi Tianxiang both turned to look.
The instant Qi Tianxiang saw his son, his face lit up with ecstatic delight. He was so excited that he almost leaped out of bed. Unfortunately, the nurses on either side were holding him down firmly, leaving him unable to move.
“Huan'er! My dear son! You finally came to see me! You’re here to take me home, aren’t you? Look at me—I’ve wasted away since I was sent to this sanatorium! I’m your biological father. How can you bear to leave me here to suffer?” Qi Tianxiang cried in anguish.
Looking at Qi Tianxiang in the hospital bed, Jiang Youli retorted without mercy, “You still remember that you’re his biological father? When you ordered your illegitimate children to harm him, why didn’t you remember then that you were his father?”
Qi Tianxiang’s expression instantly darkened. He glared fiercely at Jiang Youli and snapped, “Don’t talk nonsense here. I never intended to harm Huan'er! Huan'er is the child I’m most proud of! What would I gain from hurting him? Those were merely the foolish acts of Qi Yue and Qi Yu, driven by their resentment and unwillingness to accept things!”
Qi Huan had Cheng Jing wheel him inside before speaking calmly. “I came today to give you one last chance. Back then, when you switched my younger brother, Qi Yue, with your illegitimate son, who exactly did you sell my real brother to?”
Qi Tianxiang stubbornly held his ground. “I told you, I didn’t sell your brother! As for why Qi Yue isn’t your biological brother, I’ve figured it out during this time—it must have been something Wang Ruxue, Qi Yu’s mother, did behind my back! I truly knew nothing about it!”
Jiang Youli gave a derisive laugh. “Right. You knew nothing. Without your permission, Wang Ruxue alone could have switched her own son with the real Qi Yue? Do you take everyone for fools?”
After a pause, she cut straight to the heart of his thoughts. “Oh, of course you don’t take us for fools. You’re just afraid of dying. You think that as long as you refuse to admit it, Huanhuan won’t have the heart to be ruthless toward you. But if you confess, you’ll be completely abandoned and spend the rest of your life in misery. Isn’t that right?”
Qi Tianxiang’s face grew increasingly ugly. “Huan'er, don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s only trying to drive a wedge between us. Otherwise, how could she have torn the Jiang family apart like this? Think about how ruthless she is—she was so vicious even to her own parents. How kind could she possibly be?”
If Qi Huan had still harbored even the slightest reluctance to be cruel to Qi Tianxiang as his father before coming here, then hearing him disparage Jiang Youli like that in front of him erased every last trace of it.
“Little Li'er, go outside first,” Qi Huan said gently.
Jiang Youli looked surprised. She weighed the handbag in her hand. “You don’t need me to torture a confession out of him?”
Qi Huan smiled. “No, Little Li'er. I’ll handle this matter myself.”
Jiang Youli said indifferently, “Then I don’t have to leave either. No matter how bloody it gets, I can handle it. But since you don’t want me here, I won’t watch. I’ll wait outside.”
With that, she turned and walked out.
“You leave too,” Qi Huan said to Dr. George and the two nurses.
Dr. George nodded and left the recovery room with the two nurses.
Cheng Jing closed the door.
Qi Tianxiang, now able to move freely, immediately sprang up from the hospital bed. He hurried over to Qi Huan, crouched down, and grabbed his hand anxiously.
“Huan’er, you heard what I said just now. Sending Jiang Youli away means you believe me, right?”
Qi Huan looked at the anxious face of the middle-aged man before him and slowly pulled his hand away.
He no longer wanted to waste words on Qi Tianxiang. In a soft voice, he said, “Cheng Jing, serve the appetizer first.”
Qi Tianxiang froze. “What appetizer? Qi Huan, what are you trying to do?!”
Cheng Jing stepped forward. A spring-loaded knife slid from his sleeve as he walked toward Qi Tianxiang.
Qi Tianxiang rose to his feet, staring straight at Cheng Jing.
“Qi Huan, stop trying to scare me. I’m your father. I don’t believe you’d really dare do anything to me!”
Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Jing had already reached him.
“Let’s end this here. I’ll go with you to find your younger brother. No matter what it takes, we’ll find him…”
Before he could finish, a kick landed in his abdomen.
“Ugh—”
He doubled over, clutching his stomach like a boiled shrimp. Just as he tried to say something, another kick sent him sprawling to the floor.
Cheng Jing then planted a foot on his chest and crouched down. With swift, decisive movements, he slashed each of Qi Tianxiang’s wrists.
“Ah!”
Qi Tianxiang screamed—a shriek like one from a slaughterhouse.
The pain drained all color from his face.
The tendons in his hands had been severed.
Before he could recover from the shock, terror, and agony, Cheng Jing shifted position, grabbed Qi Tianxiang’s trouser leg, and used the same method to cut the tendons in his ankles.
Qi Tianxiang let out another bloodcurdling scream.
Yet Cheng Jing gave him no time to recover. The next second, he gripped Qi Tianxiang’s cheeks hard, forcing his mouth open.
The bloodstained blade in his hand was already moving toward Qi Tianxiang’s mouth.
