Qi Xu zipped down his jacket halfway and placed his hand on his shirt, then turned to meet Xie Huai’s straightforward gaze.
Xie Huai asked with genuine concern and warmth, “Need me to help?”
Qi Xu coldly refused, “No.”
Seeing no sign that Xie Huai would withdraw his gaze, Qi Xu took off his jacket. Underneath was a white T-shirt.
He bent over and laid the jacket on a chair. The thin fabric showed the slight curve of his spine clearly; his figure was slender, making the loose clothes hang baggy. That lean waist looked like it could be circled with one hand.
On the inside of his arm, soft flesh bore a round scar, pale pink where the scab had just fallen off — still healing. Moving down his forearm were scars of varying shades of light brown, some round, some long — as if burned or cut by something.
Qi Xu bent his head, wiping the sticky alcohol stains, when suddenly his arm was grabbed — not too tightly, not too loosely, not hurting, but also not easy to break free from.
The person behind asked, “How did you get hurt?”
Grabbing his arm again, last life it was to break up a fight; this life, it was worry. Unless his eyes deceived him — or maybe the dim light made it hard to see clearly.
Qi Xu glanced at the latest scar on his arm. It was from after the college entrance exam when he had been tied up in the woodshed. That night, Qi Guohui came in drunk, swaying with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, saying, “Ungrateful white-eyed wolf. You really think you can run far away? Dream on. You’ll always be a Qi.”
Qi Xu glared fiercely at him, his eyes cold and piercing — ruthless and ice-cold — like a newly grown wolf pup.
Qi Guohui was half-sober from the glare, the old pain in his broken arm flaring up. He bit his teeth in hatred and pressed the cigarette butt hard against Qi Xu’s arm.
The thick, murky air was mixed with the smell of burning flesh.
The searing pain instantly drained all color from Qi Xu’s face. He gritted his teeth and shoved Qi Guohui hard, slamming him against the doorframe. Blood poured from Qi Guohui’s head immediately.
The alcohol completely wore off. Qi Guohui scrambled out of the woodshed, terrified, using both hands and feet to crawl, then pulled out two locks and locked the door again.
Qi Xu broke free from Xie Huai’s grip, casually saying, “Burned by a cigarette butt.”
Xie Huai looked at the scratches on his forearm. “What about these?”
Qi Xu’s patience was nearly gone. “Chair legs, a wine bottle, anything nearby. Drunkards are always like that — they go crazy when they’re drunk.”
Xie Huai had heard about the “switched-at-birth” incident in the Shen family. The elders at home mentioned in casual conversation how such things really happened in the world — a disaster for both children.
Shen Zhuohai publicly stated that both kids were treated as their own. People in their circle praised his approach — truly the style of the head of a big family.
The Shen and Xie families had been close for generations. Before Shen Zhuohai and his family moved out of the main residence, the two families often socialized. But as time passed and their family business flourished, Shen Zhuohai and his wife relocated, and in more than ten years since, the two families rarely interacted.
Xie Huai hadn’t paid much attention to other people’s family matters, but the elders had instructed him to look after the Shen children — though which one exactly was left vague.
“The person who hit you is fine?”
Qi Xu sneered, sounding disdainful: “Broken hand, level 9 disability.”
Xie Huai was silent for a long time. Such pampered young masters probably never heard of this kind of thing; he was likely scared stiff. Just as Qi Xu was about to kick him out, the young master finally spoke.
“That was still pretty light.”
Qi Xu seemed to find something amusing and looked at Xie Huai with playful interest. “The good student with his college entrance exam results hidden is trying to get me to commit a crime?”
Xie Huai casually leaned against the railing. “How do you know my exam results were hidden?”
Qi Xu suddenly lost interest. After wiping his arm, he was about to toss the handkerchief into the trash when he spotted the bright logo on it — a five-digit price tag on the handkerchief, and a four-digit one on the hat.
Definitely a young master’s style.
A scream came from downstairs. Qi Xu smoothly pocketed the handkerchief and walked to the railing.
He saw a man in a black hoodie hurrying away with his head down. Not long after, a girl in the Fang residence uniform chased after him, shouting in panic, “Pervert!”
After the two were completely out of the lounge, Qi Xu picked up the phone on the railing.
Xie Huai noticed the screen was recording, meaning Qi Xu had set everything up in advance, waiting to catch the culprit. And the man who just fled was wearing the same clothes as Qi Xu.
Qi Xu turned off the recording and threatened the inexperienced young master, “I just recorded you inciting me to commit a crime.”
Xie Huai calmly said, “Great, I thought I’d have to say it again. But next time, don’t hold back.”
The front yard was in the middle of a birthday wish ceremony. On the two-tiered cake were elegant candles. Fang Qian stood in front of the cake in a strapless white gown, eyes closed, making a wish. She hadn’t blown out the candles yet when a servant ran over, crying.
“Miss, there’s a pervert in the first-floor lounge!”
The one shouting was Xiao Ji, a maid who served Fang Qian, her collar still unbuttoned.
Fang Qian quickly told someone to hand Xiao Ji a coat. Ignoring her own birthday party still going on, she comforted her: “Don’t cry yet. Tell me exactly what happened.”
Xiao Ji clutched the coat tightly, her eyes red from crying. “I was changing clothes in the first-floor lounge. The door was locked, but someone was hiding inside. I had just taken off my coat when a shadow flashed outside the balcony.”
Hearing the familiar keyword, Fang Qian’s heart tightened and she inexplicably thought of Qi Xu. She had just gone upstairs with her girlfriends to change into their dresses.
Everyone present was about seventeen or eighteen, filled with a strong sense of justice. They were outraged by such a vile incident.
“Who is it that’s got the guts to pull something like this at Princess Fang’s birthday party?” Song Ruoming analyzed confidently. “Everyone invited here today is from our Haizhong circle. We all know each other well — no one would do something like this.”
Someone chimed in, “Not everyone here has to be from our circle, right? Isn’t this the second time Qi Xu has come to our gatherings?”
Song Ruoming frowned, seeming to reject the idea. “That’s impossible — he’s the second young master of the Shen family.”
Another person asked Xiao Ji, “Did you see what the peeping guy was wearing?”
Xiao Ji wiped her tears, thought for a moment, then said, “He was wearing black clothes, with a hat.”
“Isn’t that exactly what Qi Xu was wearing tonight? Everyone else is dressed up, but he’s the only one in casual wear.”
“But no one saw him going toward the lounge.”
“Should we check the security cameras?”
Fang Qian said, “The cameras over there are broken. We haven’t had a chance to install new ones yet.”
A timid voice spoke up from behind the crowd: “Um, I accidentally got Qi Xu’s clothes dirty, so I just took him to the first-floor lounge to change.”
The whole room erupted in noise.
“It really was him!”
“I thought he looked so handsome, turns out he’s so rotten.”
Shen Zeyu defended Qi Xu: “My second brother isn’t like that. Are we really going to judge him based on what these people say?”
Xu Yichen felt something was off and instinctively looked for Xie Huai — only to find he’d disappeared at the crucial moment.
Your junior brother’s about to get torn apart.
Just as everyone was rallying to attack Qi Xu, the man himself walked over, calm and collected.
“Can we eat the birthday cake now?”
Qi Xu was wearing only a white T-shirt at that moment. His black jacket was nowhere to be seen, making him look even more suspicious, like someone hiding a guilty secret.
Someone asked, “Qi Xu, where’s your black jacket?”
Qi Xu replied, “It got some wine on it, so I took it off.”
He asked back, “What’s the problem?”
Song Ruoming put on a self-righteous expression. “No problem. The waiter said you went to the first-floor lounge to change clothes.”
Qi Xu denied it. “No, I didn’t.”
This time, his denial sounded even more like sophistry.
How could a lowly waiter dare lie? Everyone here was either wealthy or noble — powerful young masters and missies. Even if they weren’t afraid of them, they would at least respect the power behind them.
“Then where did you change your clothes? Is there any proof?”
Qi Xu lifted his eyes. “What, interrogating me now?”
The person was startled by Qi Xu’s gaze, even though he was the suspect, and he thought he was just standing up for justice.
Song Ruoming jumped in again: “Qi Xu, someone saw you go to the first-floor lounge. And just now there was another peeping incident. Everyone else was celebrating in the front yard — only you weren’t there. Without any proof, you’re the pervert peeping on others.”
Xu Yichen said, “Isn’t it too rash to jump to conclusions? Ahuai isn’t here either. Are you trying to say he’s a suspect too?”
Shen Zeyu got even more upset than if he had been falsely accused himself. “There’s no way Ahuai is a suspect.”
A flash of displeasure appeared on Song Ruoming’s brow, but he held back and wildly piled on accusations against Qi Xu. “Never thought you’d be the kind of pervert who enjoys watching others change — disgusting! Zeyu still defends you, wasting his trust. Coming from the countryside, you really can’t measure up. Hungry enough to prey on even a lowly servant girl. You’ve never had anything good, huh?”
Song Ruoming’s words were way over the line — personal insults and dragging innocent people into it.
Fang Qian frowned tightly, but as a girl, she found it hard to speak up. Seeing this, Xu Yichen scolded on the spot: “Song Ruoming, what are you saying? Watch your mouth.”
Qi Xu glanced around. Last time, people had fought for him; the victims had changed sides. He clearly changed his path, but these people still wouldn’t let him go.
He calmly walked up to Song Ruoming and said quietly, “If I call the police now and request to check the payment records for that waiter, do you think they’ll find your transfer records?”
“You’re working so hard to defend Shen Zeyu — do you think he even looks at you? There’s only one person in his heart. That person will never be you.”
Every word was like a whisper from a demon.
Song Ruoming was hit right in a sore spot. Blood rushed to his face, his expression twisted. He grabbed Qi Xu’s collar and raised his fist to strike.
The frail-looking Qi Xu stopped the punch with one hand, then reversed and pinned Song Ruoming to the ground. He knelt hard on his lower back, holding him down, and dragged his hair against the floor.
One second he looked like a normal person, the next second there was an indescribable madness that made people shiver and kept everyone away.
Song Ruoming screamed painfully, blood streaked across his face, his voice trembling but still defiant: “Everyone, Qi Xu is angry and hitting people.”
Just as people moved forward to pull Qi Xu off, a group of bodyguards arrived, with Xie Huai strolling casually behind them, enjoying the scene.
The man in the black hoodie was held by the bodyguards. Seeing Song Ruoming, he shouted, “Cousin, save me!”
Song Ruoming, unable to protect himself, felt despair. He struggled hard to escape.
Qi Xu easily pulled him up, pushed him to the edge of the pool, and kicked him into the water.
The tall, burly Song Ruoming splashed as he fell in. Qi Xu stood in front of the cake and said to Fang Qian, “Water brings growth — let’s cut the birthday cake.”
In the previous life, after ten years, Fang Qian had told Qi Xu how the truth behind her adult birthday party came out — it was because Song Ruoming, newly returned to the country, drunkenly let the secret slip, unintentionally clearing Qi Xu’s name.
This time around, Qi Xu was determined to make sure Fang Qian’s adult birthday party would end smoothly.
Then he exchanged a glance with Xie Huai, who raised an eyebrow and said, “No need to thank me. I already told you — I’m Lei Feng.”
Qi Xu looked away, ignoring him. The reason for his help was still a mystery.
This time, Qi Xu’s identity was revealed — not like at the internet café where they were strangers. Given Qi Xu’s relationship with Shen Zeyu, it made no sense for him to help otherwise.
The scene was a mess, but Fang Qian managed to blow out the candles and cut the cake before they burned out. The adult birthday party was finally completed without major incident.
But the matter was far from over. Qi Xu became the new center of attention. He pulled the pale-faced Shen Zeyu close.
To outsiders, the two looked like devoted brothers. Shen Zeyu had just spoken up for Qi Xu — their bond was as close as if they were blood brothers.
“Little brother, you didn’t refuse when someone wanted to get back at you, so technically you’re also involved and should be held accountable.”
Shen Zeyu trembled all over, fear visible in his eyes, unable to say a word.
Qi Xu sneered and slapped the cake in his hand onto Shen Zeyu’s face, speaking in a low voice, “You act all fancy and elegant, I’m just a wild kid from the countryside. Why can’t we just get along peacefully? Why do you have to pick a fight with me?”
