As Jiang Youli stepped into the room, her gaze was drawn to the middle-aged man lying on the bed.
The man lay there quietly, his hair already graying at the temples. The passage of time had left countless marks on his face, especially the old scars that stirred a sense of pity in anyone who saw them.
Jiang Youli asked softly, “Huanhuan, is this the man your mother once saved?”
Zhou Zerui, who was standing beside the bed, was clearly confused by Jiang Youli’s question. He stared at her blankly, seemingly unable to understand why she would ask that.
Qi Huan, meanwhile, kept his eyes fixed on the middle-aged man, carefully studying his features.
After a while, he slowly shook his head. “It’s been too long. Besides, I only saw that person briefly back then, so I don’t have much of an impression.”
Jiang Youli comforted him, “It’s all right, Huanhuan. We’ll just run a DNA test later. Then everything will be clear.”
Zhou Zerui immediately caught the key phrase.
A DNA test?
With whom?
With Uncle Ya?
Could Uncle Ya be a member of the Qi family?
At the thought, Zhou Zerui felt a surge of happiness. If Uncle Ya really was a member of the Qi family, then perhaps he could live a good life from now on!
While he was lost in thought, Jiang Youli had already released the wheelchair and walked over to examine the middle-aged man’s complexion.
Zhou Zerui carried a chair over and placed it beside her. “President Jiang, please sit.”
After a pause, he continued, “Thank you so much for being willing to come and treat Uncle Ya. It doesn’t matter whether you can cure him or not. I just thought this was ultimately an opportunity, so I had to give it a try.”
After sitting down, Jiang Youli took the pulse of the man lying on the bed. Then she said, “Uncle Ya’s condition can be treated. In fact, it can be considered a psychological illness.”
“A psychological illness?” Zhou Zerui hadn’t expected that to be Jiang Youli’s conclusion.
“Yes. Years of excessive worrying and pent-up emotions have kept his brain under intense strain. In response, his brain has entered a self-protective state, causing Uncle Ya to fall into a coma. Once I wake him up and find out what caused his emotional knot, all we need to do is resolve it. His condition should improve very quickly.” Jiang Youli’s explanation was calm and composed.
Zhou Zerui had been the one to ask Jiang Youli to come. No matter what, he chose to trust her diagnosis.
“All right. I’ll trouble you to treat Uncle Ya, President Jiang.” Once he had thanked her and confirmed that Uncle Ya was not suffering from an incurable illness, he asked, “By the way, have you eaten lunch? If not, let’s eat first. I’ve prepared something.”
Jiang Youli turned to Qi Huan and nodded. “All right.”
During the meal, Zhou Zerui noticed that Qi Huan kept staring at him.
At last, he couldn’t help asking, “President Jiang, you came because I asked you to, but why did Young Master Qi come too?”
Jiang Youli looked at Qi Huan. “All right, Huanhuan. Tell him.”
Zhou Zerui was utterly baffled. What exactly did Young Master Qi have to tell him?
Had he somehow offended this pampered heir?
That seemed impossible. Someone of his status would never have had the chance to come into contact with a young master like Qi Huan.
Qi Huan spoke. “I’m looking for my biological younger brother. And you might be my biological younger brother.”
His words left Zhou Zerui completely stunned.
Him?
The biological younger brother of the famous Young Master Qi, the favored heir of the Qi family?
How was that possible?
Zhou Zerui remained silent for a long while before finally saying, “…No, Young Master Qi, this isn’t something you can joke about!”
Qi Huan’s expression was utterly serious. “I’m not joking. Of course, whether or not you’re truly my younger brother still has to be confirmed through DNA testing. We’ll use hair with the follicles attached from you, me, and my father, Qi Tianxiang.”
Zhou Zerui was rendered speechless.
He found it all incredibly hard to believe. He had wondered before about the identities of his biological parents, but since he had been abandoned, he had always assumed that his family must have been unable to support him.
How could he possibly be from the Qi family, the most powerful and wealthy family in Beijing’s elite circle?
“…Then take the sample,” Zhou Zerui said without the slightest hesitation.
If he really was Qi Huan’s biological younger brother, then he would no longer have to fear retaliation from someone like Wu Kai. Uncle Ya would not be dragged into his troubles either!
Cheng Jing stepped forward, plucked out two strands of Zhou Zerui’s hair, nodded to Qi Huan, and left.
…
“Something’s wrong!”
Ten minutes after the car had set off, Long Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. They were filled with shock.
Why had Qi Huan appeared at Zhou Zerui’s home?
Was he merely accompanying Jiang Youli?
Even if Qi Huan wanted to spend time cultivating his relationship with Jiang Youli, the two of them should have been alone. Why would he go to Zhou Zerui’s home for no reason?
Qi Huan wasn’t the kind of person who would waste his time out of sheer boredom.
Besides, Qi Huan should have been urgently searching for his biological younger brother by now!
Long Yuan suddenly realized something. He pushed himself upright against the back of his seat.
Could it be…
Was Zhou Zerui Qi Huan’s biological younger brother?
“Young Master Long, what’s wrong?”
The assistant driving the car tapped the brakes lightly and slowed down.
“Damn it!”
Long Yuan slammed his fist against the car window. He had clearly arrived before Qi Huan. If he had simply taken Zhou Zerui away then, wouldn’t he have had Qi Huan by the throat?
He had actually allowed such a perfect opportunity to slip through his fingers!
…
After lunch, Jiang Youli began treating Uncle Ya.
Qi Huan and Zhou Zerui remained outside the room.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
Zhou Zerui didn’t know what to say in front of Qi Huan. More importantly, he still wasn’t certain whether he really was Qi Huan’s biological younger brother.
Qi Huan noticed his discomfort and took the initiative to speak. “You beat up a director named Wu Kai because he threatened an actress and tried to force her into sleeping with him?”
With a topic to discuss, Zhou Zerui nodded. “Yes.”
Qi Huan said, “Don’t worry. He won’t trouble you again. He’ll disappear from the entertainment industry completely.”
Zhou Zerui gave a quiet “Mm,” but once again found himself at a loss for words.
After a long silence, he asked in a hoarse voice, “If I’m not actually your younger brother, will you still help me like this?”
Qi Huan smiled. “I probably wouldn’t. But you aren’t Little Li’er’s relative either, and she still helped you, didn’t she?”
At the mention of Jiang Youli—and remembering that she was Qi Huan’s fiancée—Zhou Zerui suppressed the feelings he shouldn’t have had.
“Mm. President Jiang is a good person.”
“To be safe, move out of here later and stay somewhere I arrange for you until the test results come back.” Qi Huan—
Zhou Zerui was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood. “Are you protecting me from Long Yuan?”
Qi Huan did not hide the truth. “Yes. He knows that I’m looking for my biological younger brother.”
Zhou Zerui nodded. “All right. I understand. I’ll cooperate with you.”
Qi Huan looked at Zhou Zerui, his heart aching at how obedient and sensible the young man was.
It wasn’t as though he had never personally met people who might be his younger brother before. Without exception, when those people learned that they might be related to him, they became excited and full of anticipation.
But Zhou Zerui remained exceptionally calm, which showed just how strong he was inside.
An hour later—
The door opened, and Jiang Youli walked out, rolling her shoulders.
“Zhou Zerui, Uncle Ya is awake.”
Zhou Zerui jumped to his feet and strode into the room.
Qi Huan pressed the button to activate her wheelchair’s automatic drive and followed them inside.
“Uncle Ya!”
When Uncle Ya saw Qi Huan behind Zhou Zerui, the joy on his face instantly turned to panic.
