Chapter 74

News of Old Master Xie’s hospitalization reached Qi Xu too. That very night, he texted Xie Huai to check in.

It wasn’t until nearly 1 a.m. that he got a reply. By then, it was already a new year. At the time, Qi Xu had been busy making an offering.

Old Master Shen didn’t celebrate the Western New Year, only the Lunar one. So there was no festive atmosphere at the Shen estate. All the New Year excitement was happening in his classmates’ WeChat Moments.

Qi Xu had brought an incense burner home just for this. He sneaked a bottle of wine out from the liquor cabinet and dug up some dried fruit snacks from his backpack, piling them into a small mountain on a brand-new inkstone.

He lit three sticks of incense, thinking back to the day he’d been reborn. That day had been all rich food and lavish offerings, but it had felt like an empty gesture. This time, at least, he had the dried fruits—something he would’ve liked.

The cold wind cut like knives, but thanks to Xie Huai, Qi Xu had developed the habit of always wearing a scarf. Standing on the balcony, scarf wrapped tight, he poured three small cups of wine on the railing.

He didn’t know if it was the fall down the stairs or something else, but he remembered absolutely nothing about what happened after. Whether he died instantly or was taken to the hospital first—his mind was a blank.
Like he’d drunk only half of Meng Po’s soup, the one that wipes all memories of past lives.

But he knew for certain that his rebirth wasn’t caused by some lingering obsession. He’d never wished for a second chance. Death, to him, had felt like a release.

No one knew him better than he knew himself.

So this—this second life—must’ve been heaven’s compassion, a divine stroke of mercy that gave him the chance to live again.

And he had confirmed one thing:
Xie Huai had been present when he fell down those stairs. The first person at the scene.

It felt surreal. The last person he saw before dying… and the first person he saw after coming back to life… were one and the same.

The very person he used to think of as his enemy.

It was all some strange twist of fate, really. And now, here they were—together. Hearts in sync.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Qi Xu looked at the screen, then hit Call.

Xie Huai picked up instantly.

The first thing he said was, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I’m just about to sleep,” Qi Xu said, then asked with concern, “What happened to Grandpa Xie? Why was he suddenly hospitalized?”

Xie Huai stood in the hospital hallway. The old man was stable now, and the nurse was inside changing his IV.
“An old condition,” he said.

Qi Xu picked up on the shift in his tone.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Xie Huai replied the same way he always did.
“It’s nothing. If you don’t sleep now, are you planning to sleep the whole day tomorrow?”

Qi Xu took a sip of wine from his cup.
“Why not? Can’t I be the Sleeping Prince for once?”

Xie Huai chuckled.
“Sure. Should I kiss you awake then, Your Highness?”

Qi Xu quickly shot that down.
“No need. Just take good care of Grandpa.”

It was like Xie Huai had hidden surveillance in Qi Xu’s apartment.
“Don’t drink so much.”

Qi Xu clicked his tongue. “Tsk.” He glanced across to the Xie family home and muttered,
“Be honest—you’re not really at the hospital, are you? You’re somewhere nearby spying on me.”

“Mm-hmm, I’m watching you right now.”
Just then, Xie Tingyao stepped out of the elevator. Xie Huai glanced at him, then said into the phone,
“Go to bed early. I’ll be heading back to the old house tomorrow.”

Only after Qi Xu agreed did he hang up.

Xie Tingyao had rushed over as soon as the butler called. He’d even woken his wife in the middle of the night, reassured her, then came alone.

“Your grandfather’s always been in good health,” he said. “His heart hasn’t given him trouble in years.”

Xie Huai didn’t dodge the truth.
“I told him tonight… that I’m in love with Qi Xu.”

Xie Tingyao froze for a moment, his brows knitting together.
“I told you not to tell him yet.”

Xie Huai said nothing.

“You know you’re the one person your grandfather worries about the most,” Xie Tingyao said, his voice tight with frustration.

“If you were going to tell him, it should’ve been with your mother and me there too. If he couldn’t accept it, at least we’d be there to help ease the blow.
“Or what—were you planning to take on the entire Xie family by yourself?”

Xie Huai said firmly, “If you all insist on separating me and Qi Xu—or try to use those four years abroad as a bargaining chip to split us up—then yeah, I’ve thought about it.”

He couldn’t say why, but he didn’t want to be far from Qi Xu.
Something about Qi Xu going overseas made him feel like things would spiral out of his control.
That Qi Xu would slowly slip away until he was completely out of reach.

Xie Tingyao understood.
The old man had every intention of separating the two boys, convinced this relationship wouldn’t last. To him, pledging your life to someone at eighteen was just childish and impulsive.

But lately, under Qin Huansi’s persistent efforts to educate him, Xie Tingyao had come to terms with the fact that the two kids really liked each other.

“This isn’t something we can rush,” he said. “Just… don’t provoke your grandfather again.”

But it seemed they’d underestimated the man lying in that hospital bed.
This was someone who had once dominated the business world and built an empire—no one to be taken lightly.

The next day, Qi Xu—our so-called Sleeping Prince—wasn’t kissed awake, but shouted awake.

It was New Year’s Day.
The extended Shen family took advantage of the holiday to pay a visit to the old man at the family estate. That included the relatives of those who had been fired from Shen Corp by Shen Fengkai.

Back when they were dismissed, the old master wouldn’t see them.
Now that Shen Zhuohai had been demoted, the mountain they used to lean on had become more of a hill—useless to them.
So they came sniffing around, hoping to find a new one to cling to.

Anyone with the Shen surname had permission to enter the estate grounds, but actually getting into the main house required the old man’s approval.
His two half-brothers, and his own daughter, all showed up with their families—as if ready to divvy up an inheritance.

At this point, Qi Xu’s courtyard was filled with people—mostly younger members of the Shen clan.
The only one among them who actually had any real connection to the direct line was Shen Ziyang.

Little Curly—Shen Ziyang—had heard from the maid that his big brother hadn’t gotten up yet, so he was playing alone in the yard.

Soon, a noisy group barged in.
They were all kids from the extended Shen family, sent by their parents with a mission: charm Shen Zhuohong’s son.
Even if that son was a quiet, half-foreign boy who barely spoke full sentences.

“Hey, cousin,” one of them said. “There’s not much to do here. How about we take you out to play somewhere better?”

They all knew this was Qi Xu’s courtyard.
They’d seen Qi Xu in the hospital—how he had zero regard for anyone, how he openly admitted to being gay. Total lunatic, in their eyes.

And besides, only Shen Zeyu and Shen Fengkai had any real position within Shen Corp.
Qi Xu was clearly out of favor.
They figured a guy like that might snap at any moment out of resentment.

Shen Ziyang was already a looks snob at a young age.
After seeing Qi Xu and Xie Huai, no one else even registered in his eyes. He couldn’t be bothered to look at any of them.

Shen Jinrong was used to being the leader among the siblings.
He wasn’t used to being ignored like this.
No way he was gonna let some milk-smelling toddler brush him off.

He had someone bring over a Transformer toy and waved it in front of Shen Ziyang.

“Hey, little bro, wanna play?”

Shen Ziyang glanced up.
Shen Jinrong thought he had him—finally.

But then the little brat said, “No thanks. It’s not even a limited edition. My big brother already gave me a ton of those.”

Shen Jinrong blinked.
“Your big brother? Who?”

Didn’t Shen Da-bo only have one son and one daughter?

Shen Ziyang looked at him like he was the idiot.
“My big brother is my brother’s boyfriend. You didn’t know that?”

Brother’s boyfriend?
Qi Xu’s boyfriend?

So this lunatic actually brought a man back to the family estate?

The group had run out of patience trying to charm the kid.
While the maid was off grabbing snacks for Shen Ziyang, Shen Jinrong gave one of the others a look—an unspoken signal to just grab the kid and take him.

He was just a child—once he was out, he’d get over it.

But Shen Ziyang hated being touched by strangers.
As soon as someone picked him up, he started screaming at the top of his lungs.

That’s what finally woke Qi Xu.

From his balcony, he saw the whole thing.

He spoke coolly:
“Shen Jinrong, it’s only been a few days and you’re already playing human trafficker?”

Shen Jinrong looked up.
“What the hell’s it got to do with you?”

Shen Ziyang’s lip trembled as he pointed up toward the balcony.
“Brother—they hit me!”

Shen Jinrong: “…”

Qi Xu frowned and gestured for Chen Wei, who had just entered the courtyard, to take Shen Ziyang inside. Then he picked up the bouncy ball the little curly-haired boy had left on the balcony and hurled it at the group in the yard.

All that shooting and archery training from his last life hadn’t gone to waste—his aim was deadly. The ball nailed them dead-on, one after another. The courtyard erupted with curses and yells, loud enough to alarm the family members chatting in the main house, who rushed over upon hearing their own children’s voices.

When they arrived and saw Qi Xu “bullying” their kids, someone immediately shouted, “Qi Xu, are you out of your mind? Stop that!”

But instead of stopping, Qi Xu threw harder and faster.
His morning grumpiness fully detonated—he already had a temper when sleep-deprived, and being woken up by these noisy idiots made him feel like blowing up the entire world.

The courtyard was chaos: kids running, dodging, ducking. Shen Ziyang even joined in, tossing a few balls himself (though he missed) while shouting, “Bad guys!”

Strangely, no household staff came to intervene—as if the entire side courtyard had been quietly isolated.

Eventually, a few uncles and aunts stormed in to protect their precious children, dragging them away while also taking a few balls to the head themselves.

Once they left the side courtyard, they marched straight to Old Master Shen to complain.
It was almost comical: not just the kids, but the adults too, trailing in like tattletales. Anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought they were all his own spoiled children.

Old Master Shen calmly lifted the lid off his teacup and said lightly,
“Just some kids horsing around. Why are you getting involved? Or are you children too?”

The room went instantly silent.
They’d just turned themselves into narrow-minded adults fighting with a bunch of kids.

Shen Zhuohai didn’t attend today’s family gathering.
He still held a grudge about being demoted by the old master—and perhaps, he simply didn’t want to face Shen Zhuohong.
So it was Zeng Yun who brought their two sons to the estate.

A few days ago, Shen Fengkai and Shen Zeyu had dazzled everyone at the branch office’s new product launch.
They’d stolen all the spotlight.
Some of the relatives were practically bleeding envy, whispering things like,
“Those two juniors are already more impressive than the CEO himself.”

They were hoping for a dog-eat-dog fight—and a chance to profit from the fallout.

But to their disappointment, Shen Zhuohong had just laughed and said,
“I couldn’t be happier they’re doing well. It means I can finally get a bit of rest.”

Zeng Yun led her sons over to greet the old master.

Both Shen Fengkai and Shen Zeyu bowed politely. “Grandpa.”

Old Master Shen nodded and turned to Zeng Yun.
“Your health’s alright now?”

She immediately knew what he meant—about that hospital scare after Qi Guohui’s little visit.
They’d tried to suppress the news, but clearly the old man had still found out. He’d even sent over tonics to the house afterward.

Zeng Yun understood well: the old master disapproved of their methods, but it was already a done deal.

If he’d exposed the truth to the public now, it would be like publicly calling out his own son. For the sake of father-son ties, he wouldn’t do that.

She smiled. “Much better now, thank you.”

Just then, the aunts and female cousins—always ready to perform—came over with fake concern, trying to insert themselves into the moment.

Meanwhile, Shen Zeyu scanned the room.
He hadn’t seen Qi Xu at all.
Even when it was time for the meal to start, Qi Xu still hadn’t shown up.

Zeng Yun had come partly to see him, so she asked, “Where’s Xiaoxu? Maybe he doesn’t know it’s time to eat. I’ll go get him.”

But just as she was about to stand, Shen Third Uncle said with a sneer,
“Ah, no need to bother, sis-in-law. Your son’s really something—no respect for elders, and now he wants to be invited to dinner like some prince? Gotta say, Second Sister-in-law, you really raised a mountain bandit there.”

Zeng Yun’s expression stiffened.
She’d never been spoken to like that before.
Her sons had always made her proud—she never had to lift a finger to discipline them. Now she found herself being shaded in public.

She stood there awkwardly, neither able to move nor defend Qi Xu.
She’d always cared more about saving face than speaking up for him.

Old Master Shen rose with his cane.

“He’s eating in his own courtyard. Leave him be.”

Uncle Li had gone ahead earlier to the side courtyard to let Qi Xu know: if he didn’t want to see those people, he didn’t have to show up for the meal.

Qi Xu had been self-aware enough to realize his post-nap temper hadn’t cooled yet.
He was worried he might flip the whole dining table if someone pissed him off—and give the old man a heart attack in the process.

So he figured: why not stay out of sight, enjoy a peaceful meal in his own space?

Here, under the old master’s roof, this was his home.
He could live like a kid with someone backing him up—doing what he liked, without being forced to do anything he didn’t want to.

None of them knew it was actually the old master who didn’t want Qi Xu to show up.
They all assumed that his arrogant behavior had finally pissed the old man off—that Qi Xu had been banned from attending the Shen family banquet as punishment.

And honestly, it made sense to them.

Even Shen Zeyu, an adopted son, had been granted shares and brought into the company.
But Qi Xu? No shares. No involvement in Shen Corp projects.
Clearly, he’d already been discarded.

Born in a backwater mountain village, unfit for success.
Mud that couldn’t be sculpted into anything worthwhile.

As they saw it, the old master had only kept him around out of some vague sense of duty to blood ties—too soft-hearted to throw him out.

But that illusion shattered right after dinner.

The old master looked around the room and said flatly:
“I’ve already transferred the title of this estate to Xiaoxu. From now on, visits to the old house are no longer up to me. If Xiaoxu doesn’t want to see you, don’t bother trying—you won’t set one foot inside.”

The once-bustling living room went utterly still.

They suddenly realized—it wasn’t Qi Xu who was being cast out.
It was them.

Then, of all people, Third Uncle Shen had to speak up, shouting,
“Master Shen! This estate is the foundation of our Shen family! Handing it over to Qi Xu—isn’t that a bit reckless? The boy’s never even had a proper elite education! He’ll run this place into the ground!”

“It’s just a name transfer,” added the youngest aunt, putting on a sweet voice. “We’re not saying he can’t live here. But Dad, Big Brother’s still around. Isn’t this a little premature?”

Shen Zhuohong didn’t appreciate his sister’s “help.”

“Feel free to act like I’m not here. My daughter just graduated college and has no interest in any of this, and my son—well, he can barely form a sentence. If I inherited this place, forget preserving the family name—I’d probably end up bankrupting it and begging you all for handouts.”

The old master’s word was law. No one dared challenge it.
One more push and he’d throw them all out by force.

The title to the estate—market value in the billions—was now legally under Qi Xu’s name.
They were bitter. Bleeding envy.
But none of them had any legitimate claim.

Even Shen Fengkai, the eldest grandson, hadn’t said a word.

Zeng Yun sat there, her expression unreadable. No one knew what she was thinking.
Shen Zeyu kept his gaze lowered, all calm and well-mannered, a polite smile on his face.
But the moment the front door creaked open, his eyes lifted instantly.

Just back from the hospital, Xie Huai stepped into the main hall and greeted the old master.
“Grandpa.”

Everyone knew Xie Huai was the heir to the Xie family, so the moment he walked in, all eyes turned his way.
Some elders even dropped their pride and went out of their way to greet him.

Xie Huai replied with a few polite, disinterested phrases.

The old master took one look at the dark circles under his eyes and the fatigue on his face—clearly, the boy hadn’t rested much last night.
“Go rest in the side courtyard,” he said. “I’ll have someone send food over.”

Xie Huai nodded and left without lingering.
Apart from the old man, no one in that room was worth his time.

Shen Zeyu opened his mouth slightly, wanting to call out “Ah-Huai,”
but the words never came.

Xie Huai was headed to the side courtyard—Qi Xu’s residence, not a guest room.

What kind of situation would make the old master send him there, instead of back to the Xie estate?
Only one: he already knew about their relationship—and had no intention of interfering.

Shen Zeyu had thought that getting shares in Shen Corp would put him on equal footing with Xie Huai.
Clearly, he was wrong.
How could Xie Huai be so cold—so heartless—as to not spare him even a glance?

Watching that retreating figure disappear, a bitterness stirred inside him.