Chapter 19 – Let everyone be well without thinking of each other
Xing Zhongwan fastened his seatbelt and saw that Qi Yun, who was beside him, had already settled in properly. Feeling that Wanwan was looking at him, Qi Yun turned his head and smiled, “Is something wrong?”
Xing Zhongwan quickly turned his head and coughed twice, “Thank you for the lawyer you found for Xie Ming.”
Qi Yun thought about it before breathing a sigh of relief. His eyebrows relaxed, “It’s no big deal.”
Xing Zhongwan owed Qi Yun a favor because before he used his connections to find a lawyer for Xie Ming. Xie Ming’s called him earlier to tell him that she had already been contacted by a lawyer. Xing Zhongwan was also a little surprised by the lawyer’s background.
This lawyer had been retired for several years. It can be said that many famous barristers now were once his students. One could imagine how high his status was in the circle. If you wanted to invite him out of the mountains, you won’t have the status to. Xing Zhongwan has always been smart, so it was very clear who pushed him to come out behind the scenes. Qi Yun was one of the students this old gentleman was proud of. Qi Yun, you made me owe you a big favor as soon as I arrived.
As Xing Zhongwan was thinking about it, the person next to him said, “Your business is my own. Don’t think too much.”
Xing Zhongwan said in his heart. Can you not bother with it? I don’t want to have any relationship with you.
“Please, let us have a meal and we’re even.”
Xing Zhongwan started the car and drove out of the parking lot. Qi Yun looked at his tense profile and wanted to reach out, “You don’t owe me anything. For you to even come out with me, I owe you even more.”
After getting out of the car, there was more awkward silence…
Xing Zhongwan was driving when a call came. A soothing and crisp female voice sounded, “Boss, your medical examination is coming up.”
Xing Zhongwan held his forehead, “It’s the middle of the night over there, you don’t have to be so diligent. What if you drop dead suddenly?”
The secretary snorted and said in very standard Chinese, “I’m only being diligent. If you don’t simply run around and let me binge on snacks, I can live another 20 more years.”
Xing Zhongwan exhaled, “Okay, I’m busy now but when I go back, I’ll find the time to go.”
“Remember not to eat junk food and eat light meals. Exercise more, don’t work at the desk for a long time, keep a good mood, and most importantly, don’t stay up late. I’ve already told No. 3 and No. 4 and they will look after you.”
Xing Zhongwan was a little embarrassed. He didn’t know that his secretary called him specifically to say this, but Qi Yun, who was beside him, heard it clearly. “Understood, Mother [/mfn]Xing Zhongwan jokingly says this because she was being very motherly[/mfn]Xie Yi.”
The person on the other side seemed to sigh, “Boss, if the company runs out of secretaries, you can find another secretary, but there is only one boss, so pay attention to your body.”
The moment he hung up, Xing Zhongwan felt a complicated gaze coming from beside him. Just as he was about to explain, Qi Yun had already asked, “Wanwan, what’s wrong with your body?”
Qi Yun’s voice has always been deep and the tone of his speech is always indifferent. At this time, it was a little rushed.
“I’m in good health.” Xing Zhongwan turned on the turn signal and turned into the passing lane.
“Do you know how my grandfather died? Of heart disease, and how did my great-grandfather die? Of heart disease. When they were young, they were always healthy. It was after the age of 40 that they found out that they had a heart problem. So when it’s my turn, in order not to repeat the same mistakes, I have always paid attention to my diet and exercise. I go for a physical examination every six months. I’m healthy so far. Don’t look at me like I’m terminally ill, I’m going to live a hundred years.”
Qi Yun’s heart was not soothed by Wanwan’s explanation, “I’ll book a hospital appointment for you. Don’t wait too long, go tomorrow.”
“I will find a hospital myself, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Be obedient! Is this kind of thing a joke?” Qi Yun’s voice suddenly rose. The frightened Xing Zhongwan accidentally honked the horn, and the sound of the horn made Qi Yun recover from his tense emotions. He lowered his head and apologized.
How could he not care? Qi Yun’s heart was still beating so fast. If something really happened to Wanwan, then he… Then what should he do?
Xing Zhongwan couldn’t help but roll his eyes at him, “Hey, why are you looking like I’m going to die tomorrow? They all say I’m healthy, okay? It’s just prevention, do you understand?!”
Qi Yun looked sideways at the cars and pedestrians passing by outside the window, “Wanwan, don’t you know how much weight you hold in my heart?”
Xing Zhongwan stared at the road ahead and suddenly wanted to smoke a little. As he felt around the cigarette case, he suddenly stopped. He did not want to smoke in front of Qi Yun.
Before and now, he was always unable to resist Qi Yun when he showed a little weakness. Xing Zhongwan didn’t think he was a softhearted person, but he always had to spend a little more effort to deal with Qi Yun.
“Qi Yun, is it bad for you to like women? It’s not easy for you to get where you are today, don’t let your future be affected because of any stains.”
Qi Yun turned his head, his expression was bitter, “How can you be considered a stain?”
Xing Zhongwan’s eyes drifted over the scars on his wrist. Although they were covered by a watch, they were always exposed accidentally.
“A couple can still be together even if they don’t love each other. I have understood this since I was a child.”
Xing Zhongwan smiled, “You have been looking for me for so many years, so you should be very clear about the Xing family’s history. Xing Yanyin loved my mother so much at the beginning, but in the end, she would not have died if he didn’t push her to someone else.”
Qi Yun lowered his eyelids gently. Xing Zhongwan was simply opening up about his life experience that was difficult to let an outsider like him know the truth about marriage. Qi Yun was quite heartbroken that Wanwan thought this way.
“Isn’t it better to take the easy road out? Why do you have to take the hard road? In this world, love cannot solve everything. What’s more, I don’t believe you anymore, Qi Yun.”
Xing Zhongwan’s words made Qi Yun tense up. The words he was about to blurt out were suffocated by him. His affirmation of distrust made Qi Yun unable to refute him. After all, there were many things he did wrong in the beginning.
Xing Zhongwan stopped the car in front of a small building and a tall and strong man in his forties greeted them at the entrance, “Master, you have arrived.”
Xing Zhongwan patted him on the shoulder, “Excuse me. Sorry for my sudden arrival, please clear the venue.”
The man’s face was full of smiles, “What is the young master saying? I heard that you were coming for dinner, so this grandpa was busy since early in the morning. After speaking, he nodded towards Qi Yun who was at the back. The Xing family had seen many important figures, so they were not surprised to see Qi Yun. Qi Yun walked over to Xing Zhongwan and greeted him.
The man said, “Nice to meet you. For the people brought by sir [/mfn]referring to Qi Yun[/mfn], their seats have already been accounted for downstairs.”
Qi Yun’s bodyguard has been following Xing Zhongwan’s car. Qi Yun was afraid that Xing Zhongwan would be unhappy but he didn’t expect the man to say, “Young master ordered that your people will also have their meals here. Please come in together.”
Qi Yun looked at Xing Zhongwan, who had a calm face, as he made a gesture to the bodyguard who got out of the car behind.
Xing Zhongwan leaned on the man’s shoulder and walked in, “Is the business going well recently?” I asked you to go to country X with me before since I couldn’t find anyone to help me run the business without you there. I wasn’t happy at all.”
The man raised his head and laughed, “Young master, you are the one who’s amazing. This grandpa is too old to move.”
Qi Yun looked at the two people who were close in front of him as he smoothed out his tangled eyebrows.
The secretary who followed behind him came up, “You have an important meeting in the afternoon.”
Qi Yun looked at his watch and walked into the small building without answering.
The secretary smiled when he saw Qi Yun’s back. Nothing was important apart from the young madam.
The small building looked simple, but the interior inside was special. There was a big stage in the middle of the first floor, and several cubicles upstairs. Xing Zhongwan sat in the box and drank a sip of tea as he breathed a sigh of relief, “This used to be a theater, but it was turned into a private restaurant. The owner of this shop was an old chef who has been with my grandfather for many years. This authentic Jiangnan cuisine should be very delicious.”
Qi Yun took a sip of the tea from the tea bowl, which was elegant from the very first glance. “It tastes very similar to the tea from the old teahouse in Jiangnan.”
Xing Zhongwan wanted to say how did you know, before he remembered why he almost spit out the tea he had just imported from Xiaozhu every year. There was a knock on the door, and the wooden door opened. An old man with gray hair came in with a dish. When he saw Xing Zhongwan, he was so excited that he wanted to bend over and kowtow. Xing Zhongwan hurriedly stood up to go support him, “Oi, what are you doing? It’s been so many years that this old set of rules has been abandoned.” The soft Jiangnan accent in the words made Qi Yun stunned for a moment. Since the reunion, he has never spoken to him in this tone of voice again. Turns out that he was just biased.
The old man said a few words to Xing Zhongwan before looking at Qi Yun. For a moment, he recognized who he was and there was a flash of clarity in his cloudy eyes.
“Master, you and Mr. Qi should eat slowly. I won’t disturb you.”
Xing Zhongwan escorted the old man out and then opened the beaded curtain on one side before looking down from there to view the entire stage.
Xing Zhongwan took the wine bottle on the table, “Homemade Bayberry wine. Do you want some?”
Qi Yun wanted to take the wine bottle when Xing Zhongwan quickly withdrew his hand, “I forgot that you are still injured.”
He smiled and poured himself a small cup, “Tough luck.”
After a sip, Xing Zhongwan narrowed his eyes excitedly, “Oh, that’s the taste.”
The plump lips were stained with red liquid, making it even more gorgeous. Qi Yun turned his face away, picked up the chopsticks and put a shrimp in his mouth. It was very sweet and delicious.
Xing Zhongwan was not as reserved as Qi Yun and opened half of the beggar chicken with curved eyebrows and eyes. His playful eyes were full of satisfaction.
Qi Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Eat less of that and eat more vegetables.” He handed a small towel on the table to Xing Zhongwan. Xing Zhongwan took it and wiped his hands rudely.
“As a matter of fact, I’m just an ordinary person who likes to eat and sleep. It’s just that my face is good-looking. But Qi Yun, you can still find someone who looks better than me and treats you well. Xing Zhongwan was just someone who extended his hand to help you when you were most vulnerable and I am not without selfishness either. I did it in order to repay some kindness and also move my mother’s grave. We just take what we need. If you want to say that you have some special feelings for me because of my kindness to you during that period, then I can only say that I am very sorry. The general election is about to come, even if the people of X country have accepted same-sex marriage and passed the legislation, not everyone will accept this kind of union, let alone in this country. You have worked hard for so many years and you are about to succeed. A little scandal can ruin you. You should know this better than me. Don’t give up everything for a fling from previous years. It is not worth it.”
Qi Yun didn’t know when he put down his chopsticks. The sweetness in his mouth turned into bitterness. This kind of bitterness penetrated into his heart little by little. It was very uncomfortable. It was not just Xing Zhongwan trying to persuade him to give up, it was also the reality. The situation was helpless and all Wanwan said was the truth.
Their beginnings were really not good. Even if they got along with each other at the beginning, in fact, now that he thought about it, he did not know Wanwan’s personality or identity from the beginning. If he didn’t stab him with a knife already, it was because he was still showing some courtesy due to their family relationship in the past.
The corner of Qi Yun’s mouth twitched bitterly, even interacting normally would be difficult, not to mention the unpleasant things that happened between them.
“I never thought I would fall in love with a man. To be exact I never thought I would fall in love with anyone.”
Xing Zhongwan lowered his shoulders and looked at Qi Yun calmly. Qi Yun raised his head and smiled at him. In that smile, there was no helplessness, only a simple smile.
Xing Zhongwan also smiled, “Qi Yun, you should smile more like this.You look so handsome when you smile like this.”
Qi Yun was stunned, Wanwan was the first and only person who said he looked good when he smiled.
“No one told me I look good when I smile. My mother said that my smile looks like one from the Shen family. She doesn’t like it. She doesn’t like me smiling in front of her.
Qi Yun pressed on his faintly painful wound. When he talked about Guan Yang, he only had peace in his heart, that woman was a mother to him by name only.
“Wanwan, I know this kind of feeling is ridiculous. I didn’t believe you when you came to me at first. Who would give their heart to a useless paralyzed man? But you are too good to me, no one has ever treated me as well as you did.”
Qi Yun took a sip of water from the tea bowl on the table and said with a light expression, “Your kindness and your warmth are like an addictive drug to a person who has never felt love and warmth before. I wanted to understand your heart and learn what’s going on inside. How can you be so kind to a stranger? But after many tries, after letting myself be ensnared, I can’t get out.”
Xing Zhongwan’s eyes were reddish and he quickly looked away.
Qi Yun got up and walked in front of Xing Zhongwan, kneeling and looking at him quietly, “Wanwan, I owe you an apology. I lied to you because of my selfishness. I know you always wanted to leave, but I wanted you to stay. But how could I keep you? At that time, Qi Yun didn’t even have a healthy body. All I had in my hand was your pity for me. I didn’t tell you about the operation risks. It’s my fault. Shen Qinghong is right, I don’t know how to love someone, it’s not about possessing luck and it’s not an illusion. I shouldn’t have done that kind of thing to you. I can’t justify myself, because it’s just wrong. I hurt you so badly that you can’t forgive me. In the past five years, I have gradually come to understand that I am trying to learn how to love someone but it is too late, right? Trust and sincerity are the most difficult things to obtain. I know very well that if it is not by chance that I managed to meet you, you would’ve never let me see or find you again.”
Xing Zhongwan lowered his head and looked at Qi Yun’s reddened nose. The man who was about the same height as him knelt down humbly at his feet. Xing Zhongwan went to help him, Qi Yun wrapped Xing Zhongwan into his arms, “Wanwan, I just love you.” There was another sentence that Qi Yun did not dare say. He managed to hold on for many years because of him, thinking of the day they will meet in a certain corner of the world. Qi Yun wanted to become someone who was worthy of him.
He couldn’t say that because he can’t put pressure on Wanwan anymore.
Xing Zhongwan’s whole body froze, he didn’t know how many times he had held Qi Yun’s body from the very beginning. He watched him as he slowly grew more meat, watching him get better little by little.
Xing Zhongwan was stunned for a moment, before slowly wrapping his arms around Qi Yun’s back, “Qi Yun, to me, you are still the little fairy sister who held my hand in the hospital.”
He took a breath, “No matter what you look like, I will never forget the warm touch when you held my hand when I was a child. No matter how the outside world judges you, you will always hide a softness in your heart. Thank you for giving him to me. Qi Yun, you deserve all the best things, so treat Wanwan as a dream of yours.”
“Qi Yun, let’s be well and never see each other again.”
When Xing Zhongwan said this sentence, the body holding him trembled slightly. His neck was hot and damp. Qi Yun was crying…
Xing Zhongwan bit his lip and looked at the corner of the wall absentmindedly. After a long time, there was a soft ‘be well’ in his ear.
Xing Zhongwan couldn’t bear it any longer and there was a trace of teardrops on the dark floor.
T/N: Man, I’m kind of sad… The next chapter is kinda heartbreaking too… but… I assure you this is a HE novel!! What is a little pain in the face of a lifetime of happiness?
Consider liking the writer’s work or buying a kofi for me <3 who knows, might update a lil faster hehe
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