Sponsored chapter (2/5)
Qin Jin could vividly imagine the scene on the other side as he listened to the sound–Li Xiangfu finishing an apple and skillfully tossing the core into the trash can.
Inquiring in a straightforward manner, Qin Jin asked, “Which hospital?”
“You don’t have to come here…”
“Give me the location.” Qin Jin reiterated.
Li Xiangfu replied, “Metro Hospital, third-floor VIP ward.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
Maintaining his reputation for swift action, Qin Jin promptly ended the meeting and informed them that it would continue in the form of a video conference later. He instructed his secretary to stay behind and then drove alone to the new city district.
Even though he had left the scene, the aftermath of the meeting lingered, and the people in the room exchanged cautious whispers, wondering what had happened. Unconsciously, all their curious eyes focused on the secretary.
“It’s a personal matter for the boss,” the secretary succinctly summarized.
The heads of various departments were relieved; as long as it wasn’t a company matter, it wasn’t their concern.
—It doesn’t matter as long as it’s not a company problem.
Metro Hospital, renowned in the entire Metro area, naturally incurred high expenses. Situated away from the city center, it lacked convenient transportation, and there was no business district around. However, the greenery coverage was extensive. Qin Jin drove without encountering any obstacles and soon reached his destination.
Upon learning of his arrival, Li Xiangfu seemingly contacted the front desk to explain, asserting his VIP status. A nurse guided him directly to the stairs.
Outside the elevator, the nurse did not continue but instead pointed the way, saying, “The innermost room.”
This floor housed only three wards, all single-occupancy rooms, and the end of the hallway remained quiet with no passersby, allowing the doors to be left open for convenience.
Qin Jin raised his hand, peering into the room as he pushed the door, but his motion stalled.
The sunlight, not too intense at four or five o’clock, streamed through the pulled curtains, illuminating the ward brightly. Threads counted on the medical table, and Li Xiangfu’s elbow rested on the edge, embroidering with care, one stitch at a time.
Sensing an unfamiliar presence, he turned his head to see Qin Jin, a smile playing on his lips. “You’re here.”
Qin Jin pulled a chair and sat down, observing Li Xiangfu’s embroidery posture. “I rushed here and didn’t bring any flowers.”
“Why would you need flowers?” Li Xiangfu wondered, placing the needle in a designated spot and retrieving a few brochures from the drawer.
Casually flipping through a pamphlet showcasing beautiful scenery, he said, “Yaochuan City is in full bloom now, but I heard Wangchihuanshan is also gorgeous. Both areas have resorts, so which one do you think I should choose for my retreat?”
Browsing through the pictures, Li Xiangfu seemed transported to these places, his eyes gleaming with joy as if he were a cat sniffing flowers on the wall.
Not hearing an answer, he turned to face Qin Jin, raising his eyebrows. “What are you staring at?”
“I’m not sure what I’m staring at, but I am staring at something!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qin Jin leaned back slightly, shook his head abruptly, and asked, “Have you made a decision?”
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“… Indeed heartwarming.”
Li Xiangfu then checked the Lake Wangqi introduction and noticed Qin Jin glancing at his watch every few minutes. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he remarked, “I’m not seriously ill.”
He had never heard of needing bedside manners for a minor injury and couldn’t fathom the reason for the other party’s visit.
“It’s not urgent, just a matter of time.” Confirming that the time was right, Qin Jin stood up. “Wait a moment, I’ll make a call.”
Reviewing the call records from a few days ago, Qin Jin was soon at the window.
The first call went unanswered, and the second call was finally picked up. The voice on the other end carried a playful tone. “Using this old-fashioned method of call positioning, you’ve started doing it too?”
“Qin Jiayu…” Qin Jin interrupted, his tone unusually cold.
On the hospital bed, Li Xiangfu looked toward the window in surprise, listening to the voice that could send shivers down one’s spine even in summer, feeling a bit stunned.
A haze seemed to condense in the depths of Qin Jin’s eyes, and despite his extreme restraint, a sense of ruthlessness flowed between his words. “I will make you pay for what happened today.”
He directly hung up the phone.
Calmly putting away his cellphone, Qin Jin returned to his seat and noticed the cup was empty. He poured some water for Li Xiangfu.
Li Xiangfu blinked. “What was that just now?”
Qin Jin’s expression remained indifferent. “The memory loss came too suddenly; it’s easy to attract more suspicion.”
Li Xiangfu instantly understood. “So you have to be the first to complain?”
“Midway through the meeting, I rushed from the company, waited outside the hospital room, and then made the call… Because of anger, every part of the process can withstand scrutiny, and the timing is also right.”
Lee Sang-fu asked, “Are you trying to shift the blame onto him from the moral high ground?”
Qin Jin did not answer directly. He said, “You used an unfamiliar number earlier.”
Li Xiangfu nodded. Still being mistaken for Qin Jiayu, he glanced at the new phone on the table and said, “The old phone, along with the SIM card, was taken away by my second brother.”
At the time, he was busy selecting a resort and didn’t question Li Anqing’s motives. However, after witnessing Qin Jin’s actions, Li Xiangfu vaguely guessed his second brother’s intentions.
The hospital VIP room wasn’t as luxurious as before, but it wasn’t as comfortable as being at home.
Li Shasha took three minutes to complete his homework, Li Anqing spent two and a half minutes reviewing it, then sat upright to operate Li Xiangfu’s phone and sent a message to ‘-‘.
With a simple click, the edited message was swiftly sent out:
[No matter who you are or what your intentions are, consider this a warning from our family. Within three months, we will ensure you pay back several times over.]
About five minutes later, the ‘-‘ responded with a question mark.
Li Anqing refrained from sending more messages but instead contacted several private detectives to confirm who Chen Ran had met before his imprisonment and the source of the unaccounted money.
Private detectives found the task challenging: “This case is not easy to investigate; it may take ten days or even longer to produce results.”
“I don’t need results.” Li Anqing lowered his eyes. “Publicize the investigation, and also, help me contact two or three reliable individuals to reinvestigate a missing persons case.”
Private detectives, considering themselves shrewd, struggled to comprehend the psychological needs of their clients but made their stance clear: “As long as the money is there, I’ll do whatever you say.”
—
In just half a day, the news of Lee Sang-fu’s injury had spread.
Liu Yu, the ‘informed’ individual, and a few friends gathered in the bar, expressing disbelief: “A person getting brain injuries twice – can you believe the luck?”
Not long ago, Liu Yu had considered befriending Li Xiangfu, thinking of it as ‘father with son’s honor.’ He now wondered if his efforts would be in vain.
The man beside him pretended to be mysterious: “I suspect there’s a hidden story.”
Another person, putting down his glass, nodded in agreement: “I also heard that Old Master Li was furious, and Li Huaichen hasn’t been to the company in the past two days…” he unconsciously lowered his voice: “There are rumors that Li Xiangfu’s fall wasn’t an accident; someone pushed him off the bridge.”
“Who would dare to do that?”
The speculation grew more exaggerated, and eventually, the topic unconsciously shifted to Qin Jin.
Not only did they think so, but many others did too. The speech Qin Jin gave for Li Xiangfu at the last birthday banquet, shortly after which Li Xiangfu fell from the bridge, coupled with Qin Jin’s gloomy character, fueled more sensational thoughts.
Amidst various speculations, Li Xiangfu was discharged from the hospital a few days later. Liu Yu visited him and reported back that Li Xiangfu had suffered a severe concussion, resulting in recent memory loss.
Liu Yu commented, “It’s unfortunate. He’s having nightmares and insomnia, and his mental state is also affected. Old Master Li specifically found a psychiatrist and prepared to send Li Xiangfu to Yaochuan City for a period of convalescence.”
Explosive news always finds its way to gather in one place.
The day after Li Xiangfu went to Yaochuan, Qin Jin also arrived in Yaochuan City for project discussions.
Li Xiangfu was unaware of what others were saying. At the moment, wearing a jacket with loosely tied long hair, he sat in an open area enjoying the breeze.
Qin Jin arrived early in the morning and, spotting Li Xiangfu from a distance, approached and asked, “What do you think of this place?”
“It looks generally good,” Li Xiangfu raised his eyes to the clear lake. “It’s rare to find a place that inexplicably brings peace.”
For a few minutes, silence prevailed. Before Li Xiangfu resumed his painting, he inquired, “Aren’t you afraid of raising suspicions by coming to find me?”
“Being here ensures I won’t raise suspicions.”
Li Xiangfu made a puzzled sound, but it was evident that Qin Jin wasn’t keen on explaining. After contemplating for a while, he said, “Creating confusion through concerns… is that the goal?”
Qin Jin responded, “About seven or eight points correct.”
Concern was a necessary condition.
Thinking of the rose-colored coaster, Li Xiangfu unconsciously licked his lips. The unconventional farewell message on it, and why he would give such a thing to Qin Jin, left room for speculation.
Although one thing was troubling his mind, what he voiced was different: “Now that the news is widespread, I wonder how Qin Jiayu will feel when he hears about it.”
“He’s occupied.”
Li Xiangfu was puzzled, “Occupied?”
Qin Jin opened an email from an unknown sender, with slightly unclear pixels, capturing an image of Li Xiangfu walking down the road.
The footbridge where the accident occurred lacked surveillance, with the screen capture taken before Li Xiangfu crossed it, showing only one passerby holding a child around him. A supplementary photo of the intersection was also included, demonstrating the presence of an underpass and several diverging paths shortly ahead of the bridge. “What’s the point of sharing these?”
Without waiting for Qin Jin’s response, Li Xiangfu quickly grasped the purpose: “To prove it was an accident. With no one following me, there’s no certainty about the path I would choose.”
His attention swiftly shifted to another piece of information indicating that Luo An had recently contacted a female classmate from high school to change her opinion about his violent tendencies and then aimed to have the media report on it.
Qin Jin pointed to a picture of the woman and asked, “Do you recognize her?”
Li Xiangfu nodded, recalling the incident: “When she was threatened with a kiss by a wealthy young man, I made the other party replace a few teeth.”
The money was deducted from his pocket money, and he even complained about the high cost of fillings at his last birthday party with Li Xuanchun.
On another note, the two of them were different yet similar. Despite Luo An trying to tarnish his reputation, what purpose did it serve?
Li Xiangfu’s eyes didn’t show irritation but rather a smile as he said, “Luo An has learned Yuan Boyuan’s tactics.”
“The company faces financial trouble, and Yuan’s family has a foundation in real estate, allowing him to compensate for his shortcomings.”
Having quickly reviewed the email’s contents, Li Xiangfu lost his smile and said, “To prove my innocence, here’s a list of all the suspects around me.”
Indirectly eliminating potential threats against himself.
Aware of Luo An’s intentions behind his back, Li Sang-fu wouldn’t let it slide. He called Li Anqing to explain the situation and asked if ‘-‘ had sent any more messages before hanging up.
Li Anqing’s response was similar to Qin Jin’s: “He’s very busy.”
Unable to indulge in smoking, drinking, or perming, while attempting to find evidence to clear his name, Li Xiangfu recently sent all the evidence. With some time on his hands, he opened two bottles of drinks to celebrate, offering one to Qin Jin.
Li Xiangfu shook his head and remarked, “Employing people to kidnap in the ancient village, schools abetting the abduction of Chen Ran—why escalate an already bad situation?”
Could it be a unique sense of personal pride? Refusing to acknowledge something he didn’t do?
Qin Jin replied faintly, “Purely excessive.”
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangfu fell silent for a few seconds, then clinked cans with him, deeply convinced.
The author adds: Li Xiangfu: Petite and delicate, a bit of exaggeration is intolerable.
The villain: … Want to add more to the crime, why endure in silence?
There’s missing chapters? The previous chapter had the characters in a hotel room and then it jumped to MC in the hospital after a birthday celebration (missing). Confusing
Hi! Sorry for your discomfort. I forgot to fill in chapter details last night, it’s been fixed. Thanks for reading!
translator-nim chapter 37 was released under the name of rebirth under the novel title ‘home’ if you see the latest release list
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Thanks for telling me! It’s been fixed, thank you ❤️