Chapter 108

Qi Xu’s condition was currently unstable. His vital signs were recovering, but his brain had sustained severe damage. He couldn’t breathe independently, and his body was in a continuous vegetative state.

When the doctor gave the diagnosis, the atmosphere in the consultation room grew heavy.

Everyone had assumed that surviving the emergency room was a blessing from above, but no one expected heaven to play such a cruel joke.

Shen Fengkai asked in a hoarse voice about the chances of waking up.

The doctor couldn’t give a definitive answer—there was no certainty—only reassurances that anything was possible. He also mentioned a 5%–10% risk of cardiac arrest.

“Cardiac arrest.” Those words slammed into everyone’s hearts.

Xie Huai stood silently at the door, unlike the Shen family who were visibly dejected. After hearing the preliminary diagnosis, he felt very confident that Qi Xu would wake up.

Qi Xu hadn’t succeeded in claiming power yet. Years of effort couldn’t be lost now. Xie Huai knew Qi Xu was someone who finished what he started; he firmly believed he would come back to consciousness.

Eighteen years ago, in M City, Qi Xu had clung to the hope of escaping the city that trapped him through the college entrance exam. He had come this far—he wouldn’t give up easily.

Would he?

Xie Huai asked himself again and again, and he asked Qi Xu silently in his heart.

Qi Xu was in the ICU without a caregiver, and visits were not allowed.

At that moment, the Shen family had no idea that Qi Xu’s misstep on the stairs had been indirectly caused by overhearing their conversation in the study. The underlying factor was also heart palpitations from days of overwork, a problem the doctors had explained to the family.

They had always known Qi Xu was physically weak—a condition from his premature birth. Shen Laoye had helped treat it for a while, but once Qi Xu became busy with work, there was no follow-up.

Suddenly, they realized these were responsibilities they, as parents, should have shouldered, not left to their child’s grandfather.

The Shen family mobilized all their connections and medical resources to care for Qi Xu. The Xie and Qin families also lent support. Xie Huai had exhausted nearly every resource, even kneeling before Elder Qin to endure scolding and abuse.

Shen Corporation’s chairman’s fifty-fifth birthday banquet was canceled without reason; invited guests were sent home.

The Shen family had tried to seal off all news, but no wall is completely soundproof. Once it became known that a vice president of Shen Corporation was in a life-or-death situation, journalists swarmed.

Rumors spread that Qi Xu’s injury was a result of internal Shen family conflicts, and conspiracy theories ran rampant.

Shen Corporation fell into chaos again, leaving opportunists a chance to exploit the situation.

When a reporter sneaked into the hospital and was caught by security, Xie Huai secretly transferred Qi Xu to another hospital without telling the Shens.

Clearly, the news of Qi Xu’s hospitalization had leaked from a branch of the Shen family. They resented him for clearing them out of Shen Corporation. They wanted chaos, and they had nearly succeeded.

The Shen family was shocked and furious, criticizing Xie Huai for overstepping.

Shen Fengkai even grabbed Xie Huai by the collar. “Who do you think you are? Qi Xu carries Shen blood. He’s our family. You have no right to interfere!”

Old Gao immediately stepped in to prevent Fengkai from hurting Xie Huai.

Shen Zhuohai and Zeng Yun, unaware of Xie Huai’s intentions, only wanted to know Qi Xu’s location to ensure proper treatment.

Xie Huai’s only reply was: “I want him to wake up more than you do.”

The Shen family couldn’t hand Qi Xu over to Xie Huai, but they also didn’t want to make the relationship irreparable. They needed to leave themselves a way out.

They turned to Elder Xie for guidance. He said that Qi Xu needed rest, and that looking after him was understandable given his relationship with Shen Laoye and the families’ friendship. There was no need to worry.

With that, the Shen family focused on handling the immediate situation.

Qi Xu was unconscious, and his team was leaderless. Shen Fengkai temporarily took over Li Kaixing and the others.

Although Li Kaixing was skilled in intelligence gathering, no media could locate Qi Xu. How could an ordinary person know his condition?

Shen Corporation was unstable, shares had shifted, and hidden agendas surfaced. Shen Zeyu officially entered the company.

At this point, Li Kaixing realized everything was sanctioned by the Shen family. With no other option, he had to seek Xie Huai’s help, even without much hope—Xie Huai had no reason to help Qi Xu.

Now, Xie Huai ignored the outside world entirely. Qi Xu was in a private room. He spent every day there, alone, caring for him.

The doctor had said that speaking near the patient’s ear could stimulate the will to survive.

Xie Huai talked to Qi Xu every day about work. He knew Qi Xu might not want to hear personal matters, and there were few pleasant memories between them.

But sometimes, he unconsciously spoke of the past.

“I suggested Shen Fengkai bring you to my nineteenth birthday party because I wanted to see you. I realized that aside from school, I had no other way to see you. You didn’t want me at the Shen house, so I reduced my appearances there.”

“I knew you liked sweet-and-sour flavors. When I brought you cake, you had already left.”

Xie Huai bowed his head and, without hesitation, held Qi Xu’s hand.

“And your student ID from sophomore year—you lost it, I picked it up, but never returned it. I never saw the photo on it, so I secretly kept it.”

He smiled softly, pressing Qi Xu’s pale hand against his face. “Sorry, I didn’t have time to straighten up. It’s probably a little rough. You’re surely cursing me in your head. When you wake up, scold me properly.”

Qi Xu lay on the bed with an oxygen mask, colorless, visibly thinner in less than a week. The only proof he was alive was the heart monitor’s pulse.

Xie Huai noticed that speaking of the past had no effect. One day, he spoke about contracts, insisting that the Xie Corporation would claim most of the benefits.

Triggered by the words “give in,” Qi Xu’s fingers twitched. Xie Huai immediately pressed the call button for a doctor.

The doctor checked—Qi Xu hadn’t regained consciousness; finger movement was likely a nerve reflex.

Still, Xie Huai saw hope. He continued daily, taunting about contract breaches, even threatening to snatch every gem from Qi Xu’s company, promising afterward he would buy the most beautiful ones in the world.

But from that day on, Qi Xu’s fingers never moved again.

Nurses changed his dressings with heavy hearts, sighing in the hallway afterward.

The patient was so young; life had just begun.

Xie Huai never sighed in front of him. His shoulders remained straight, his tone never tinged with despair. He also placed fresh flowers in the room, keeping it lively.

Day after day.

Pretending to be full of life.

Until Li Kaixing called.

No small talk—he went straight to the point. “President Xie, this project was Qi Xu’s life work. I hope you, having worked with him, can help protect it.”

Shen Zeyu had officially acquired shares and entered Shen Corporation.

Xie Huai wouldn’t let Qi Xu’s hard work be handed over. He intervened in the corporate shifts, uncovering that Shen Zeyu obtained shares on the very day Qi Xu fell down the stairs.

Further investigation would alert the Shen family. Xie Huai boldly confronted Shen Fengkai, asking if he had discussed share transfers in the study that day.

Fengkai didn’t grasp the gravity and admitted to transferring shares to Zeyu.

Only then did he realize that Qi Xu had overheard their conversation, rushed out, and fell—the Shen family was responsible, the hidden push behind it.

Xie Huai brought Shen Zhuohong back from abroad to take charge and supported him in contending with Shen Zhuohai.

With Xie Huai’s involvement, the Shen Corporation conflict grew enormous, entangling many.

Throughout, he never left the hospital room, acting as an unseen mastermind.

Qi Xu’s condition stabilized further, though the longer the coma, the lower the chance of awakening.

One night, staff discussed another case: a family of a comatose patient prayed at a temple for over a month, and the next day the patient slowly improved.

“Just a coincidence,” someone said. “If everyone prayed, no one would ever get sick.”

“Worth a try—at least to give yourself some hope.”

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the hallway, asking, “Excuse me, which temple?”

Staff were startled, dropping cups with a loud clatter. The echo filled the empty corridor.

Someone recognized Xie Huai—he was the young patient’s relative.

Staff shared the temple’s location, cautioning: “Praying comforts the heart. Sincerity is key, but don’t pin all hope on it.”

Before dawn, Xie Huai took a prayer bead bracelet from his uncle and arrived at the temple. As a visitor seeking blessing, he insisted on praying immediately.

The temple master suggested waiting until daylight.

“I don’t have much time,” Xie Huai said. “Daytime must be for the important person.”

After finishing, he returned to the hospital with the blessed beads. The sun rose—a day full of light.

Pushing open the hospital room door, he saw Qi Xu lying in bed. His heart steadied, a faint smile touching his lips. The heart monitor screamed.

His emotions hadn’t caught up, but his hand instinctively pressed the call button.

The doctor rushed in.

Xie Huai stood quietly, watching each passing second. The heart monitor remained a flat line.

When the doctor declared Qi Xu dead, the bracelet snapped, beads scattering across the floor.

Xie Huai felt as though trapped in an unending nightmare—darkness, icy and absolute.

The Shen family arrived, but Qi Xu had already been moved to the morgue. They could not accept his death. Branches of the Shen family pretended to mourn.

Security drove them away.

Shen Fengkai, in a frenzy, shoved Xie Huai against the wall. “You had him, and you lost him!”

Xie Huai’s heart felt dead. He looked at the Shens with hollow eyes. “I should have taken him from you from the start. Your favoritism lost him. Perhaps he would have been better off if not returned to your family.”

In their stunned silence, he said, “There is nothing left for him in this world. He gave up on it all.”

Blood relatives didn’t matter to Qi Xu, not even Xie Huai. Nothing mattered.

Xie Huai personally oversaw the wake. That night, Qi Xu’s body was kept in a freezer; Xie Huai remained in the hall all night.

Qi Xu’s official portrait for the Shen Corporation website showed him smiling, his eyes full of vitality and unrestrained ambition.

The coffin rested in the center of the hall. The injuries from the fall had been carefully repaired. His face no longer looked pale; he even had a hint of color, as if merely asleep.

Xie Huai knelt on the floor, finally allowing himself to feel the indescribable grief.

He had completely lost the person he had never had the chance to confess to.

He kept vigil for two full days and nights, losing all sense of time.

Mourners trickled in: Qi Xu’s subordinates, men and women, young and old, all crying uncontrollably.

Qi Xu had few friends. During college, he made almost none; only a handful after entering the workforce.

Qin Yue accompanied the Xies to the wake. He was the only true friend Qi Xu had in life.

Aside from being Xie Huai’s uncle, Qin Yue genuinely considered Qi Xu a friend.

The Shen family, as relatives, were allowed only at the entrance—this was the last time they appeared before Qi Xu.

Qi Xu was buried in the same cemetery as Shen Laoye, grandfather and grandson together, with company, conversation, and laughter—not completely alone.

The day of the burial was sunny, with a golden glow over the headstones.

After friends and relatives left, life went on for them despite their grief.

Xie Huai’s state was closely watched by the Xie family. Unwilling to leave him, they let him stay.

Dressed in black mourning clothes, he stared at Qi Xu’s grave, so focused it was almost frightening.

Qin Huansi, standing behind, froze, shocked to see how his hair had gone white in just a few days.

She remained silent for a moment before speaking: “The Shen family begged your grandfather to go easy, in respect to the families’ ties.”

Now, Shen Corporation was under Shen Zhuohong’s control. In recent years, Qi Xu had poured his efforts into it—it was still Shen Laoye’s legacy. Xie Huai preserved it.

Shen Zhuohai had no rights. Shen Fengkai was dismissed. Shen Zeyu’s new studio lost its funding and went deep into debt due to shares.

The Zhuohai family was expelled from the company and investigated for tax evasion. Their future was uncertain. Xie Huai didn’t care.

When he said goodbye to Qi Xu, his heart was buried along with him.

Author’s note:
A few more extras in this life—sweet ones.