Jiang Youli entered the room and saw Uncle Ya lying on his side on the bed.
She sat down beside the bed, took out her acupuncture kit, and then picked up Uncle Ya’s hand to check his pulse.
A moment later, she released it. “Uncle Ya, you can stop pretending to be asleep.”
The person on the bed trembled slightly.
“I know you’re awake. Someone who’s truly asleep wouldn’t be breathing like that. When I first came to treat you and you were unconscious, your breathing was much steadier. It wasn’t this erratic.”
The person on the bed finally moved.
After a moment, Uncle Ya rolled over and looked at Jiang Youli.
“Why were you pretending to sleep?”
He knew Jiang Youli understood sign language, so he sat up and signed directly: [Nothing.]
“Nothing?” Jiang Youli wiped the silver needle in her hand. “If you and Zhou Zerui are hiding something from me, I won’t continue treating you.”
At that, Uncle Ya’s gaze instantly turned cold. He signed: [Then don’t treat me. I’m not afraid of dying.]
“Mm. You’re indeed not afraid of death, Uncle Ya. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have used such brutal methods to kill Madam Ya back then,” Jiang Youli said unhurriedly.
At the mention of Madam Ya, hatred filled Uncle Ya’s face, and even his signing became vicious: [Someone like her got off too easily by dying. I wanted her to experience the terror of death!]
Jiang Youli nodded. “Mm, I agree. So I also found it very satisfying that Madam Ya died so horribly.”
She continued, “Madam Ya had a daughter who followed in her footsteps and dealt in human trafficking. The difference is that Madam Ya trafficked children, while her daughter now deceives women and sells their bodies.”
Uncle Ya watched her warily and signed: [What are you trying to say?]
Jiang Youli continued, “Madam Ya’s daughter, Auntie Ya, is in my hands now. Huanhuan captured her while trying to find his younger brother.”
“I’m only telling you this so you’ll understand that after Huanhuan found out the Qi Yue brought back all those years ago was an impostor, he never stopped trying to find his real younger brother. There’s no need for you to guard against Huanhuan. If he wanted to deal with you, he would have had countless chances to do so without anyone noticing.”
“Uncle Ya, the moment people find out that Zhou Zerui is Qi Huan’s biological younger brother, they’ll definitely make a huge issue of it. If you truly want revenge, that’s your choice—but don’t let someone with ulterior motives use you and make you target the wrong person, bringing trouble down on Huanhuan.”
With that, Jiang Youli put away her acupuncture kit. “I’ll treat you again when you’re willing to trust Huanhuan. I’m not going to treat a ticking time bomb for my fiancé and end up harming him.”
When Jiang Youli walked out of the room, Zhou Zerui was startled. “The treatment’s over already?”
Less than five minutes had passed since she entered.
Jiang Youli shrugged. “I didn’t treat Uncle Ya.”
“Why not?” Zhou Zerui asked in surprise.
“He doesn’t trust my Huanhuan, so why should I bother doing something that earns me nothing but trouble? If it weren’t for Huanhuan, I might not have agreed to treat Uncle Ya in the first place.” Jiang Youli was perfectly blunt.
Zhou Zerui: “…”
Zhou Zerui sighed helplessly. “I’ll go get Uncle Ya. We’ll meet Qi Tianxiang first.”
As long as he could meet his so-called father, Qi Tianxiang, he would choose to tell Qi Huan the whole truth, regardless of whether Uncle Ya agreed or not.
…
A black Volkswagen was parked across from the entrance of the residential compound.
The man in the passenger seat responsible for surveillance saw Qi Huan and the others leave the compound and get into a car. He immediately called Qi Feifan.
“Young Master Qi, Qi Huan has left with his biological younger brother. Judging by the direction they’re headed, they should be going to the sanatorium… All right, I’ll continue following and monitoring them.”
After hanging up, Qi Xiuyuan said with an ingratiating smile, “Big Brother, you really are incredible. You’re obviously much smarter than Qi Shaoxiong. Qi Shaoxiong is just like his father—a brute who thinks every problem can be solved with force.”
“At first, he actually planned to use Qi Yue to force Qi Huan to go to Africa, where he could deal with him through violence. Looking back, it’s hilarious. That Qi Yue was nothing but an impostor.”
“This time, once we deal with Qi Huan, that brute Qi Shaoxiong won’t stand a chance against you. The position of Qi family heir can only belong to you, Big Brother.”
Qi Feifan removed his glasses and meticulously polished the lenses with a handkerchief. “It won’t matter if we fail. I joined forces with Qi Shaoxiong this time only to give myself a way out. If things go wrong, I can push the blame onto Qi Shaoxiong. After all, I haven’t shown my face from the beginning. I merely sent a same-city delivery under Qi Shaoxiong’s name, and it was Qi Shaoxiong who took Qi Tianxiang away from the sanatorium.”
Qi Xiuyuan said with a sycophantic grin, “Big Brother, once you become the Qi family heir, you must teach that bitch Jiang Youli a good lesson for me.”
“Don’t worry. She’s made plenty of enemies. Once Qi Huan falls, she’ll be nothing more than a fish on the chopping block. You can do whatever you want to her.” Qi Feifan put his freshly polished glasses back on, the lenses gleaming with confidence. “Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show.”
…
During the drive to the Beijing sanatorium, Uncle Ya sat in the last row with his eyes closed, not saying a word.
Zhou Zerui remained silent as well.
Jiang Youli and Qi Huan, however, were another matter entirely.
Jiang Youli treated Qi Huan’s legs while Qi Huan spent the entire journey flirting with her and chatting affectionately.
Zhou Zerui was somewhat surprised. He had never expected the legendary heir of heaven, the eldest young master of the Qi family, to be such a talkative and playful person in private.
Then again, perhaps Qi Huan was only like this around Jiang Youli.
In his eyes, a woman like Jiang Youli deserved that kind of treatment.
When Jiang Youli released Little Green and Little Black from her bag to massage Qi Huan, Zhou Zerui sucked in a breath.
She could even use snakes for massage and therapy?!
Jiang Youli really was just as mysterious and extraordinary as the rumors online claimed.
To be honest, if he hadn’t known she was already Qi Huan’s fiancée—and that Qi Huan was his biological older brother—he might have fallen for her.
But now that he knew the truth, even if his heart had been moved, he could only force those feelings back down.
It wasn’t until the car stopped that Cheng Jing turned around and said, “We’re here,” prompting Uncle Ya to open his eyes.
Zhou Zerui gazed at the sanatorium gates through the car window, his eyes dark.
He hoped Qi Huan hadn’t been deceiving them and that Qi Tianxiang was still at the sanatorium.
The treatment had just ended.
“Little Green, Little White, come back.”
The obedient snakes coiled around Qi Huan’s legs slithered back into the bag.
Jiang Youli pulled the zipper closed, leaving only a thumb-sized opening for ventilation. Then she pushed open the car door and got out.
Cheng Jing lifted Qi Huan from the car and placed him in his wheelchair.
They had just entered through the main gate when the director hurried over, looking anxious and terrified.
“Mr. Qi, your father, Qi Tianxiang, has disappeared. We can’t find him anywhere in the entire sanatorium.”
At those words, Uncle Ya, who had just gotten out of the car behind them, darkened and clenched his fists.
Zhou Zerui’s expression turned equally grim.
So Qi Huan really had secretly sent that inhuman bastard Qi Tianxiang away. Qi Huan had never intended to punish Qi Tianxiang at all!
He had claimed he was bringing them and Uncle Ya to settle the score with Qi Tianxiang, but in reality, he had merely been putting on an act for Zhou Zerui to see!
